BROOM submitted!

So, there's a fun new thing at Hogwarts this term for projects that aren't *quite* time-eating enough to qualify for an O.W.L., but are definitely too much for a month-long class. It's the Order of the Phoenix, which has four departments - Central Command, Security Operations, Recruitment, and Undercover Operations. Now, I've wanted an excuse to knit a Rogue hoodie FOREVER, but it's definitely not an OWL-level project for me. I *might* be able to pull it off in a month - but not if I had to knit anything else (like, say, Quidditch projects, six classes, an OWL, various Challenges...). So a BROOM (Basic Request for Official Order Mission) is a great vehicle for finally getting me the pullover I've wanted forever.

To the point that I've started it before, but in acrylic yarn - and I really want it out of wool. My Miss Babs Yowza! in Russet came in last month, so I'm taking it as A Sign. (I love Yowza! - I'd better, since I've made a king-sized Girasole out of it.) So, I'll be starting all over again once I'm approved, but I'm fine with that. I WANT THIS SWEATER!!!

Anyway, here's my BROOM. As you can probably tell, I had a LOT of fun putting it together. (Also - I don't own any of the images but my sweater schematic at the bottom.)

BROOM Proposal - Public Portion

I, "Morissa Hazard" [ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ] of the noble house of Slytherin (see file, left), greatly desires to go on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. I must follow in my sister "Carrollon Hazard"s (see file) footsteps quite literally, and hope that I can find her, as she has been out of contact for much longer than she ought. I propose, therefore, to gain admission to her current circle of "friends", and continue her work - discovering if the Death-Eaters that are attempting to re-form as a coherent (and dangerous) group.

It is suspected by [ R E D A C T E D ] of the [ R E D A C T E D ] that the new circle is forming around Minos Rockwood (second son of Augustus Rockwood). Despite his father's known offenses, and his elder brother's disapperance, Minos has managed to hold on to the family fortune. To all outward appearances, he is an earnest, charismatic young man with considerable resources at his disposal. His usual mode of dress can politely be termed "flamboyant" (or "gaudy" or "eyereekingly loud"), so he is noticed wherever he goes. He is a favorite subject of the gossip columns of several periodicals.


Minos Rockwood, source: Daily Prophet
He does, however, disappear from time to time. Completely. This in itself is not unusual, people aren't always in the public eye after all, but coupled wtih credible rumors from [ R E D A C T E D ] and actual eyewitness accounts from [ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ], he dons far less conspicuous garb than is is wont and heads to a known Portkey at the edge of his estate.


Minos Rockwood: source Carrollon Hazard
My sister, of age to be an "acceptable match" with Rockwood (yes, the [ R E D A C T E D ] families still talk that way!), was approached by [ R E D A C T E D ] some time ago to, in turn, approach Rockwood. After a few months, within which she gained his trust, she was able to ascertain that the Portkey on the Rockwood estate emerges just outside the [ R E D A C T E D ], in the [ R E D A C T E D ]. While this is perhaps a surprising destination for a would-be Death-Eater, its very unlikliness - outright brazenness, if you prefer - make it a very secure meeting place. Carrollon was also able to positively identify at least one of the other members of the alleged group - [ R E D A C T E D - R E D A C T E D ].


Death Eater?: source Carrollon Hazard
So far, so good - except Carrollon herself has disappeared. I was able to find her last communication in the [ R E D A C T E D ] files.


Note, ascribed to C.H., source: [ R E D A C T E D ] file
It seems likely that Minos Rockwood's Suspected Activities have crossed into Actual Activities, and my sister herself may be in grave danger. Based on other information in the [ R E D A C T E D ] files, I have pieced together that there is a ritual planned for the Full Cold Moon (in late November). The Harvest Moon has just passed, so I need to find Carrollon in a scant six weeks - before the Full Cold Moon rises.


Carrollon Hazard, source: Ministry File - Suspected Death Eaters
I realize that as a relative of someone that may be in peril, I have to be unnoticable - or so ordinary as to attract no attention whatsoever. To blend in, no matter where I am. I must be able to flow seamlessly - and unnoticed - in whatever surroundings I find myself - or at least look as though I belong where I am! To this end I propose to fashion a hooded pullover, with some (but not too much) decoration, in a deep brown. That seems to be the favored color of Rockwood's group. It should allow me to blend as much as possible - but it won’t seem an unusual thing for me to wear in my everyday life, so I shouldn’t draw attention to myself as doing anything odd, either. I hope to be able to reach the Portkey (luckily, my uncle [ R E D A C T E D ] owns a bit of property estate adjoining the Rockwood estate), and through it find the Death-Eaters - and, Fates willing, my sister. I will obtain what information I can, retrieve my sister, if possible, and hopefully they’ll never know I was there.

I fervently hope my Proposal is accepted.

Thank you,
"Morissa Hazard"

Just for my personal reference, I'm putting my schematic from the original Rogue here; the inches are correct, but my gauge might vary. And at this point, I have no idea where the actual paper copy has hidden itself, if it even still exists!!



Now, I just have to wait to see if I've been approved...

*...drums fingers on desk...*

Are we there yet...?

A Cactus for Uranus

For Astronomy this month, we're studying Uranus. And if a little tiny part of you snickered quietly to yourself and said "she said Uranus!!" - then welcome to Slytherin House. Based on everyone's inner ten-year-old, a bunch of Snakes are doing Toilet Paper Roll Covers to turn in en masse this month. I can safely say I was always in the anti-TP Roll Cover camp, but I hadn't been exposed to the variety that's out there. Some of them are cute, some are amazingly clever. (Someone's even making a TARDIS.) One of my fellow snakes made this one, and whipped up the "pot" to go with it - it converts from One Roll to Two. So, here's a Cactus for Uranus... (more giggling here):


One Roll


Two Rolls
The pattern was pretty easy. For the pot, KimS just whipped one up from scratch and shared the pattern. I changed it by making my last row triple crochet around - to make it more flowerpot-like.


I also opted for just one flower. I'm actually starting to run low on scratchy yellow acrylic - it's going into a lot of projects lately. I stayed at one flower since I ran out of the pink yarn - it's French knots made from the leftovers of my K-Pop shawl.


The cactus itself is knit with two strands of Vanna's Choice in Olive (BTW, the pot is one strand of Vanna's Choice in Honey). I know it took 58 yards of the doubled yarn, because I actually had to measure off 30-yard chunks so I'd have two strands! The cactus spines are made from three strands of embroidery floss, knotted (bowlines turned out to work best) and cut off at the tips.


It's a nice little cactus.


It's a little strange, but I keep wanting to hug it. I guess I should just be glad I've never had that urge around a *real* cactus!!


... and, just for completeness, this is the cover I started *before* I found out about Cacti. I think I'm glad I changed projects; this was pretty, but just not as overall cool as my convertible cactus.

A hat I would otherwise never make.

For Defense Against the Dark Arts, we had Option 2: Using Polyjuice Potion - To gain a better understanding of the strain the impersonator must be under, disguise yourself as someone else by crafting something that you never normally would.

My mother thought it would be cute to make "one of those little pumpkin hats" for my niece.

My niece IN MIAMI. This child does not, nor will she likely EVER, need a hat. (Her mom likes heat the way I like cold. The fact we were both ice skaters through high school probably explains why she went to law school in Florida and stayed there!)

There is no way, under any circumstances, that I would normally make a cute little HAT for this child. Toys, yes. One sweater, as light as I could make it. One blanket. Everything else will be toys... but then this class prompt came up.

So, I give you the hat for my niece, which definitely comes under the category of Something I Would Not Normally Craft Under Any Circumstances.


Mom will be sending it down to her, I will be disavowing all knowledge of same. I know better than to knit warm, toasty hats for family in Miami!!

A cozy big enough for an iPhone with a case!

For Muggle Studies, we had an option to "Craft an item to match a company's logo." One of my pet peeves is that most iPhone cozies fit iPhones beautifully - but not if there's any sort of hardcore protective case on them. So, I decided to make a larger one that actually fit my phone *with case*. First, I needed to research the proper Apple logo:


I opted for the one on the back of my iPhone, which is the second row down, second symbol in. Because I expect this cozy to have a fairly hard life, I made it out of heavy-duty synthetic fibers - so it didn't block, well, at all. But my iPhone with case fits in it! The problem, of course, is getting photos of something in a case when you're using said something to take photos of itself... it just doesn't work. So I have photos, but they're of my husband's smaller backup case (without iPod in it). My case is bigger, and doesn't come off the phone/camera very well... but anyway, here they are!




Now a few notes on the pattern. I took the *idea* of the buttonless cozy from the pattern indicated on my project page, but I didn't follow the pattern AT ALL. I cast on what seemed like the correct number of stitches (16, I think), did garter stitch for five rows, then knit in stockinette until I had a piece long enough to go from top-middle front screen to where I'd want the bottom of the logo to be on the back. I then added the logo in colorwork, rather than duplicate stitch (colorwork is faster for me), then kept knitting stockinette until the whole thing could touch the garter stitch on the sides, then did five more rows of garter stitch.


I seamed the bottom sides first, then the top flap. It works the same as the original pattern, but required much less thinking on my part. And, hey, it works!!

Anyone going to be tweeting during #knitchat tonight?

First - if you're on Twitter, Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 PST (ie, starting at 9:30 on the East Coast), check out the hashtag #knitchat - there's, well, a Knit Chat happening! I haven't actually made it to one yet, but I'm hoping to tonight.

Second, for Charms, we could just make up a pattern as we went... which, let's be real, is what I tend to do most of the time. So, I had some pretty yarn that had barely survived the Innovations Knitting Machine Disaster of 2009, and grabbed one of the larger surviving balls. I did a modified Feather-and-Fan (over 13 stitches, with three in the middle) which looked like it had bamboo running up, since I purled every sixth opposite row. I like the way it came out:


I think you can see the pattern a bit better here, perhaps..... okay, maybe not, but it's the only other picture I have. This was the first thing I finished for the term, at any rate, even though I've posted my Herbology project (the Stop Sock bag) first.


So, that's Charms turned in. Woohoo!!