I made a cup cozy. This one is my own design (smaller needles than usual, so more stitches than my go-to cotton pattern. It worked well, gave me a chance to play with some Berroco Remix^TM, and hey, I have a cup cozy!


(In the interests of full disclosure, the store actually has a cup cozy. Remix was on the Yarn Bar last month, so we're supposed to swatch up the yarn when the next month begins so customers can see how it works up. It's... um... a cup cozy-shaped swatch?)

Things to do with Leftover Cotton Yarn

Make iPod cozies! Regular ones don't fit my Otterbox-clad ancient iPods, so Something Must Be Done. Which basically involved "hm, cast about this many on, then pick up from the other side, then knit about this much, then make an edging, HEY IT WORKED!" To wit:
The cover on the covered iPod


See?


Yes, that's "Music for You and your Cat"

Also known as "Muggle Studies Homework for March".

YES, THERE IS CAT MUSIC OTHER THAN NYANCAT!!

Freezer Pop Cozies

So, I needed two really fast projects for the end of Quidditch. I grew up loving freezer pops (and still do); and wrapping a paper towel around one just never cut it. Years ago, someone made a Fla-Vor-Ice cozy for fun, and I immediately favorited the project. And now, finally, I have an excuse to make one: 15 Points for Slytherin!!


Seriously, they’re easy, and having rigorously tested it, I can say that it does, indeed work.

My fifteenth and final regular Quidditch project for this term: Another Freezer Pop Cozy! Woohoo!! This one vaguely resembles a bunch of daffodils in a field under a blue sky. Or something. I was really tired when I finished it….


And DONE!! 225 total points for Slytherin (plus 45 for three challenges). YAY!!

Helicies

For Arithmancy, we needed to make something math-y. Since helicies were specifically mentioned, and I love cup cozies, and I used to play with DNA for a living, I made a DNA cup cozy. (In high visibility yellow. It really is the best yarn for this for me! And... I think I have just enough yarn to make a third one some time next term.)

On the left, we have the cozy over a small drinking glass, just for shape. Eh, it looks okay. On the right, it's being worn by a 32-oz soda cup (its intended target), and looks much better.

And my hands didn't freeze coming to work, as they are wont to do on brisk spring mornings when carrying cups of ice-cold things. Yay!!

February Wrap-Up

Okay, some of these you haven't seen yet (because I was sick), but they'll show up over the next week. Especially the Invasion Pending.



1. Muggle Studies - Gerald the Groundhog, turned in post 32, marked complete 74, February 2
2. Care of Magical Creatures - TARDIS Dishcloth, turned in Post 82, marked complete post 157, February 6
3. Astronomy - Little Redskins Fan, turned in post 73, marked complete post 85, February 7
4. Charms - Hearts' Illusion Mitts, turned in post 110, marked complete in posts 184 and 193, February 9
5. History of Magic - Sybil's Slytherin Scarf, turned in post 80, marked complete 96, February 13
6. Quidditch - Be My Dishcloth, turned in post 2174, accepted post 2539, February 13
7. Detention - One Fish, Two Fish, turned in 287, marked complete post 309, February 14 (Badge awarded!)
8. Challenge Quidditch #2 - TKGA Level One Hat, turned in post 2224, accepted post 2540, February 14
9. Herbology - Gryphon Hat, turned in post 180, marked complete post 219, February 17
10. Hogsmeade Weekend, Owl Post Assistance - Highly-Visible Owl Cup Cozie, turned in post 167, marked complete post 204, February 19
10-1/2. Hogsmeade Weekend, Shrieking Shack - Got the "I'm More Terrifying than Tom Riddle!" badge for this story
11. BBC Scarfgate Scarf of Doom - not Hogwarts-related, just for fun, February 28
12. Regular Quidditch - Item #3, Entrelac Hat for Me, post 2709, tallied post _____, February 28
13. 50% OWL - Tree Skirt Invisibility Cloak, turned in post 564, accepted post ____, February 28

March classes drop tomorrow (of course), and, per the picture above, I've got a Bunny Nugget Army preparing to launch!!

High-Visibility Owls

Got an unexpected badge for Detention this month (the One Fish, Two Fish)! If I'd been paying more attention, I would've seen that there were badges in addition to the 10 points, but I wasn't, so it was a really nice surprise.


I also got this badge:


... for making a Highly-Visible Owl Cup Cozie. (Yep, I had a small ball of high-visibility yellow sock yarn that I scored... years ago, with the plan to make something Usefully Visible out of it. And since I keep losing the cup cozies I make, this just seemed PERFECT.) Also works as a wrist cozy!

And then, to my surprise and delight, I recieved the coveted Truly Terrifying badge for my Tale of Knitterly Horror:


The tale that goes with it is just Too Scary to relate here. A fairisle sweater purposely unraveled by the recipient was involved.

*shudder*

January Wrap-Up

Time for the January Wrap-Up! Woohoo!! I did actually get a lot finished in January. According to the list, in fact, I finished 9 things!



1. Detention - Holy Hand Grenade of Albuquerque, turned in post #166, accepted post #265, January 1

2. Defense Against the Dark Arts - Trick Hat (Hat Trick #1), turned in post 14, marked complete post 61, January 1

3. OWL - Defense Against the Dark Arts, Option 2 - Tree Skirt Invisibility Cloak, submitted post 409, pre-approved post 580, approved post 865, January 1

4. BROOM - Department: Central Command, Mission: #12 Grimmauld Place - Radience Shawl, submitted post 94, approved post 108, January 3
5. Arithmancy - Honeycomb Hat (Hat Trick #2), turned in post #137, accepted post #176, January 6

6. Muggle Studies - Lobster Trap Scarf, turned in post 319, marked complete 366, January 17

7. Potions - Ruffly Boa, turned in post 524, marked complete post #542, January 17

8. Challenge Quidditch #1 - Time Capsule Cozy, turned in post #1031, January 18

9. Care of Magical Creatures - Slytherin Broomstick, turned in (jointly with PeterRabbitFan) post 392, marked complete post 511, January 20

10. Quidditch 1 of 15 - Blue Feza Entrelac Hat for spouse, turned in post 1561, in queue as of January 23, 2009, submitted January 23

11. Transfiguraton - Ashton Shawlette, turned in post 225, marked complete post #303, January 26

... and started, but not finished yet:
12. Quidditch 2 of 15 - Bunny Nugget, in favorites as of October 22, 2009
13. Quidditch 3 of 15 - Bunny Nugget, in favorites as of October 22, 2009
14. Quidditch 4 of 15 - Bunny Nugget, in favorites as of October 22, 2009
15. Quidditch 5 of 15 - Wisp, in queue as of April 14, 2011
16. Quidditch 6 of 15 - Entrelac Hat for me, in queue as of January 23, 2009

Time Capsule Cozy

The first Quidditch Challenge, in short, was as follows:

"You must make a memento to leave behind for future civilizations that may visit Earth. Your memento may represent yourself, the wizarding world, or humanity at large."

Since I am BOMBARDED with election things (from both sides, on all sides!) and I can see Congress out the front window, I knew I had to do something related to the craziness that's just heating up. (No, really, it WILL get more prevalent as the year goes on.) I had this left over from my American Flag dishcloth binge:


... and I'm pretty good at glass cozies at this point... plus, I can't find my With Flames wool one. So, here's my turn-in post:

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin, Sixth Year
Tags: slyqw12challenge1, sqwin12
Project Page: Time Capsule Cozy
Yardage: Approximately 58, because of multiple stranding

I crafted a cup cozy with an actual Symbol as a symbol of our times. The Muggle world in the lower half of the North American Continent is headed into a major election year (every leap year, those particular Muggles choose new leaders, or keep the old ones, depending on who gets the most votes in the "Electoral College", which, I assure you, is NOTHING like Hogwarts). One of the sides in the election four years back adopted a stylized blue-and-red "O" as its symbol, and no matter which side (I think there are three this time?) a Muggle is on, there's really no avoiding that symbol, as it is plastered on Muggle vehicles, clothing, what-have-you, with more and more frequency as the "Election Year" (which really started sometime in 2010) heats up. It isn't often that a symbol is, itself, a symbol of the times, but this one is!!

The image is actually on the cozy twice: the chart I used is on the 'net, for free, here at emileeknits.com.

November Wrap-up!

So, I didn't finish my OWL, but I did get nine other things finished up this month:


November wrap-up:

1. Yule Ball - the Final Dance! Yule Ball Neck Cozy, turned in post 4474, spotted by Seeker post 4476, November 7:
2. Charms, Bedsocks, turned in post 81, marked complete post 89, November 7;
3. Headmistress's Challenge, Squirrel Nutkin, turned in post 244November 7;
4. Astronomy, Stargazer Scarf, turned in post 206, marked complete post 214, November 21;
5. Muggle Studies, No Evidence!turned in post 127, marked complete post ??, November 21;
6. Herbology, Potion Protectors, turned in post 240, marked complete post 325, November 22;
7. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Secret Messages, turned in post 91, marked complete post 159, November 22;
8. Divination, Lines and Spaces, turned in post 157, marked complete post 164, November 22;
9. BROOM, Rogue Hoodie, turned in post 1695, November 29



I think I'll spend a week doing cross-stitch now.

The Final Two

My final two classes were either easy or really strange. Muggle Studies was all about "police", and crime, and how police solve them - except for Option 4, which was make "something that would help hide evidence of crime". Since I wanted to make a Swiffer cover for my Dad, that seemed like a good fit. My turn-in said something about "hiding evidence is bad; but someone's got to clean up afterwards." It's a very bright color. Very, very bright. This photo doesn't really get across how very brightly-colored this Swiffer-cover is:



Then there was Astronomy, which had the prompt "make something to keep someone warm (by yourself or with a partner)." I did a shout-out for a partner, but then lost internet, so I figured I'm on my own. Luckily, "on my own" was an option. What to make wound up being "what I didnt' make for Fire Task #3". I was going to do a little jacket or a shawl or something out of bulky yarn, but only had a couple of hundred yarns of any given thing - just not enough. So, what was "the scarf of the set" turned into "a warm scarf of 104 yards", and I had my final class done.


Now I just have to get my BROOM and OWL done and turned in, and, maybe if I'm lucky/don't sleep, the third Fire Task and/or Detention!

Lines, Spaces and Poison

For Divination, we had the option to make "something with lines and spaces." I made some glass cozies, which just happened to make up beautiful long stripes of color. With some blathering about negative space, and what isnt' seen as important as what is seen (it's Divination, after all), I'm hoping the professors will buy it. I think they will. (And in case you hadn't realized it yet, this is one of my go-to patterns. Glass cozies are one of the most useful things out there that you don't need, but it's nice to have!)

Without the space, there would be no place to put a drink, rendering the item useless!

Then, for Herbology, we could make "something to protect you against poisons." Once again, glass cozies to the rescue! These, according to my turn-in post, protect against most toxins and several minor jinxes of the sort that some prankster always tries at holiday gatherings.


So, four down, two to go!

October is DONE.

October Wrap-Up:
1. Transfiguration - Acorn, Large, turned in post 24, marked complete post 66, October 4;
2. Care of Magical Creatures - Zombieproof Hat, turned in post 102, marked complete post 157, October 4;
3. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neckwarmer!, turned in post 79, marked complete post 242, October 4;
4. Ancient Runes, Holastafur Hotpad, turned in post 42, marked complete post 46, October 5;
5. Muggle Studies, Glittery Faux-Lei, turned in post 127, marked complete post 129, October 10;
6. DETENTION - Nancy Shawl, started April 2011; turned in post 206, marked complete post 208, October 12;
7. Quidditch - Fire Task #2, Mantle of the Phoenix, turned in post 3283, marked complete post 3303, October 12;
8. Quidditch, Yule Ball event #2 - Dances - The Chudley Cannonball; The Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango, post 3809, scored post ???, October 20;
9. Potions, Swiffer Cover!, turned in post 464, marked complete post 530, October 25;
10. 50% OWL (Evenstar Shawl), turned in post 373, marked complete post 377, October 27;
11. Arithmancy, Fractal Hot Pad, turned in post 345, marked complete post 376.



... and November promises to be even crazier. Whee!!

More things to do with cotton yarn....

So, for Potions this month, we had an option to make an Item Used in Muggle Cleaning. So, I found a crochet pattern for a a "Swiffer Cover". Swiffer is one of those sinister products that uses the "Razor and Blades" scheme - the consumer is able to purchase the handle assembly at a low price, but has to to purchase replacement refills and pads over the life of the product (and that adds up to a multibillion-dollar industry in fifteen countries). I happen to have competitor's product, engineered along the same lines, and still (allegedly) reliant upon buying refill after refill of the "mop pads". Or, rather, it was, until I made this: It's SheepOfADifferentColor.com's pattern, but the website is down right now, so the only way to get to the pattern is to look at the Ravelry Page for it (sorry!).

Half a ball of washable cotton - nice, washable reusable cotton - can substitute easily for one of the mop pads. So, for a small outlay of time and yarn (in this case, fifty cents - one half of a ball fo Pisgah Peaches & Cream, scored at the Dollar Store!), one can stop shelling out money for one-use pads.

The only problem is that mine looks so nice and pretty I don't actually want to get dirt on it!!

On the other hand, I know one of the things I'll be getting my mom for Christmas is a bunch of these in pretty colors. She's hit the "impossible to buy for" stage, but still loves anything I make for her. Yes, even Cleaning-Related Items.

What to do with All That Yarn.

In case you were wondering what you can do with one ball of Peaches & Cream, here's some examples. Yep, all four things took 97 yards of a 98-yard ball, and all told, it was about four hours of knitting/crocheting-while-watching-TV. Well... maybe just three.

Who: CraftyGryphon
Where: Slytherin, Fifth Year
Why: Quidditch, Yule Ball event #2
What: Dances - The Chudley Cannonball; The Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango
When: (aka Tag, because I wasn't sure which heading it should go under) ybslyqf11
How: 97 yards (for all four items)

Hello to my fellow dancers! I'm here with two dances to perform (somebody cue the orchestra please). First up, is the oh-so-fun Chudley Cannonball, half in knit steps, half in crochet!



And then, we move to the Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers Tango (a crowd favorite) Two-steps are always fun!

Whee!!

Goodness, that was exerting. Someone fetch me a hottie to fetch me some Ginger Ale, please!

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 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!!

February Wrap-Up

Finally, here's the stuff finished for classes in February (and, okay, one thing NOT finished)...

History of Magic, Chocolate Bunny, post #115, February 14, 2011 (approved post #141, 828 and 829 - 3 bp); Astronomy, #33 Can Cozy WITH FLAMES, post #220, February 17, 2010 (approved post #259); Transfiguration, Snake Bench Cozy, post #168, February 22, 2011 (approved post #260 and 453, 1 bp); Care of Magical Creatures, Spirogyra Mitts, post #400, February 28, 2011 (approved post #783 - 6 bp); Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hallowig and WITH FLAMES bow, post #340, February 28, 2011 (approved post #378 and 581 - 8 bp); Potions, Pinwheel Potion Purse, post #269, February 28, 2011 (approved post #355); Charms, Rock Lobster, post #350, February 28, 2011 (approved post #447).


It's going to be a while before there's anything other than Braided Balls finished, so I'll try to find someting interesting to put here for the next few days!

Astronomy - Done!

So, I collected all my leftover sock yarn. Most of it is remnants of Sanguine Gryphon Sock Club kits, with some leftovers from my Eclipse socks (the black and red) and some green Koigu that I remember getting... but don't remember using. But I must have used it, since there's not a whole ball here...?

It, too, is destined to be lots and lots of little braided balls. Since they're smaller (thinner yarn does that!), this batch will be Xmas Ornaments (aka "lookit all the Christmas knitting I'm getting done, and so early!). Sadly, they knit up just as slowly as their big cousins.

Finished another of those big cousins at lunch today.


The big news, though, is that I finished my Astronomy homework. It's a Can Cozy (WITH FLAMES, of course) for the Daytona 500, which I will be watching. And during which I will TOTALLY drink at least one soda (yeah, living on the edge, that's me). Here it is before it was finished, because wrapped around a can, it's hard to see the Car Number...


And here it is finish-finished, complete with Can. (The colors are better in this photo; it really IS black, yellow, and red!)


Yay!!

DAYTONA COUNTDOWN:

3 days