May CAL: Granny Squares!

Hello, hello! We have been quiet but that doesn't mean we haven't been crafting away. I hope this long over-due post finds all of you well. This month one of the items Cyprienne and I have been working on are granny squares. I have been wanting to make an attempt for quite some time but had heard granny squares do not make for a good first crochet project. You might remember that last term we crocheted dish cloths. I was so pleased with my ability to finally maintain even tension that I decided I am ready for granny squares. For my squares, I once again referenced my copy of Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker.

My first square came out tighter than the others. I have a tendency to knit/crochet tight particularly when I'm learning a new skill. After crocheting about 3 squares, I was able to make them without having to reference the pattern. I've also been joining the squares in groups. Seaming the squares is just as annoying as seaming is with knitting so that's a bummer but in general, I suppose seaming isn't that bad.

honeyspoon's plan

honeyspoon's 1st square

honeyspoon's hot pink squares

honeyspoon's bright blue squares

Definitely crafting away, hence the radio silence...  I wish there were more hours in a day!  Last term was my introduction to crochet, so this term I'll be practicing like mad on what I'm calling "granny pixels," granny squares that are essentially just one round and done...

like these!  They just 1.5"x1.5" square

The plan is to make and seam together over 1700 of these "pixels" into a large blanket depicting a popular anime character in 8-bit form (imaginary points to anyone who can correctly identify the character and/or the show):

So far there are almost 600 pixels completed!... with only 1100-some to go...   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Winter 2015 Term Round-Up!

The month of April was break month for the HPKCHC. What a perfect opportunity to reflect on the first three months of the year (AKA the first term of our House Tour)!

Cloak of Night
I, honeyspoon, am taking a different path regarding this project. What happened exactly? Since this project was my NEWT for the Winter 2015 term, I should have cast on during December however life was a bit hectic that month. I did eventually cast on in January but made some calculation errors that led to the decision to frog and start over. By the time I made this realization, it was already the end of January: halfway through the four month time period during which one can work on a NEWT. I decided it made the most sense to withdraw my proposal and try again a different term. I intend to propose it as a NEWT for the Fall 2015 term (work on it from August - November).

Alas: Cyprienne, too, must admit NEWT defeat for this project; I petered out at 82.47% and was never able to recover my momentum for the same 12-row heavily-beaded repeat over and over ad nauseum... sigh.  I'll rally again later in the year, never fear -- perhaps for detention in September?  It will be so very pretty, but it's just not there yet.

Fluted Cowl
This project, for me, was a huge success. I love this cowl and have received many compliments. I particularly love my yarn choice. It's a color that goes with all of my coats, from my casual to my dressy coat, and made for a cowl that is super warm and cozy. Would I do this pattern again? Perhaps. It was simple enough to memorize but interesting enough to keep boredom at bay.

I'd definitely like to do the pattern again someday -- it's excellent TV-watching knitting -- but with a different yarn, since the stash I chose was so very very full of allergens (aaaachoo!) and I couldn't keep the finished project.  The Big Green Monster lives happily with my friend; she and her pets love it a lot and that is satisfying in its own way!

Rosebud
Here is another project for which I diverted from the original plan. This project was supposed to be my Phoenix project for the Winter 2015 term. My proposal was written stating I would knit something lacy using a specific yarn. Well it turned out I was unhappy with my yarn choice for this pattern. I didn't know until I looked at the pattern that the demo shawl seen in the pattern pictures was knit using DK weight yarn even though the Ravelry pattern page suggests fingering weight. To make the situation more complicated, I was attempting to knit the shawl using lace weight yarn. After trying a couple different options (holding the yarn double, etc) and ordering/trying a couple other yarns, I settled on using Madelinetosh Tosh DK in the colorway Robin Red Breast. I started working on this project again at the beginning of April and am really happy with my new yarn choice. My plan is to submit this project for Detention in June.

I loooooved knitting my Rosebud shawl.  My Phoenix mission was a success and the finished project ended up being a gift for an awesome friend on the occasion of her wedding... so now I want one in every yarn weight in every color to keep for my very own!  If it weren't for the siren song of other lace shawls, I'd be knitting one right now; needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend, 5 stars, etc.

Barley
This project was an impromptu KAL inspired by one of the Quidditch events in March. For this project I chose to use up some yarn from my stash. Do I like this hat? Yes. Is it my favorite hat? No. Would I knit another? Maybe. As I said in a previous post, it's a great pattern for someone knitting a hat in the round for the first time. Other than that, I could take or leave this pattern.

Barley hat surprise!  This was fun and quick and soft and I like it a lot -- and I made mine from a yarn that doesn't trap the heat quite so much, so it got a lot of play in spring and it'll be making its way into rotation in fall as well.

Crochet Dishcloth
Surprise! We did a CAL and didn't tell you. It was a last minute decision at the end of March and we just never got a chance to tell you. I'm still a beginner crocheter and was really happy with my ability to maintain even tension while working on this project. That has been my main problem in the past. My other problems previously were understanding how to count stitches and understanding where to insert the hook for the next stitch. Several months ago I bought Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker which was immensely helpful as I worked on this project. I highly recommend this book for anyone attempting to teach themselves how to crochet. Next on my crochet to-do list: Granny Squares! 

Yeah, this learning-to-crochet has taken me by surprise as well, but now I've decided to embrace Hogwarts as a truly educational experience and learn a new skill in each House that we visit!  Crocheting will be forever tied in my memory with the fun we had in Gryffindor-- and I've even started a "granny pixel" blanket inspired by the work of other students.

What's Next?
With the start of May comes the start of a new term. Stay tuned for more information regarding what House we are visiting next as well as KALs we have in store for the Spring 2015 term. Cheers!