Break Month Blanket-Along!

Have I mentioned I'm working on a granny square blanket? ;) Our terms within the HPKCHC each last three months with a break month in between. This August is one of those break months. I'm about halfway done with my blanket but need to make a big push this break month. Why exactly? Because it's for my best friend's baby who is going to make her appearance sometime the end of October/beginning of November and odds are high the baby shower will be in September. Fortunately for me, Cyprienne also has a baby blanket to make this August so I am not alone in my goals.

Yes, I've been a-blanketing for a bebe as well!  Some other colleagues jumped the gun a little on her shower celebration earlier this month, so my blanket and I missed it, to my chagrin...  but I still have a good month or so before the urgency gets ramped up tenfold.

 

Should I Seam It As I Go? A Granny Square Discussion

It's a question as old as modular knitting itself:
should I sew blanket squares together as I go, spreading the work across the life of the project?
or should I save all the seaming for the end, benefiting from the focus of a single repeated task?

With our CAL in full swing, I've bitten the bullet and have begun the seaming on the massive granny pixel undertaking that is this blanket!  Over 1700 squares, each just over two square inches...
follow the yellow brick chart!

Present Me is now very very happy with Past Me for leaving a footlong tail at the end of each square; each tail is used to sew a square to its neighbors below and to the left.

I feel a bit more secure with the whole arrangement because each yarn tail is firmly attached at its origin, thanks to not breaking the yarn.  Added bonus: because all of the squares are oriented in exactly the same manner, it's that much easier to line them up and put in the necessary six or so stitches to each square before securely weaving and clipping the ends in assembly-line fashion.  Once I got used to the orientation from all sides, it's been fairly quick work (the seaming pictured took about three hours total).



If you remember correctly, I have a master plan. This plan involves color blocks and since I'm not a fan of seaming, I've been crocheting by color, then seaming by color, and then joining according to my master plan. And like Cyprienne I too left long tails on my squares for the purpose of seaming.

 

This has been working pretty well so far. A nice flow of alternating between what I consider the fun part of churning out squares and what I consider the not so fun part of seaming squares.

Souvenir Shawl: Storm the Castle!

June has been quick and crazy, full of gallivantin' and celebratin', which hasn't left the two of us much time for taking stock and writing it all down...  so it's only fitting that in the last few hours of June, 
we finally reveal the KAL we've been working on!
Souvenir shawls -- this time with a twist (ooh, aah)!

While both shawls are inspired by Hufflepuff's coziness and color scheme, there are two different patterns at work, illustrating the varied journeys of the Den's residents.

Honeyspoon is working her way through a muffin-filled journey: ONWARD!

image © Nicholas Kupiak

Onward by Shannon Cook

The pastel yellow is delightfully delicate:

I'm sowing a candy patch full of Canary Creams and other treats: MOSS GARDEN!

image © Ágnes Kutas-Keresztes

Moss Garden by Ágnes Kutas-Keresztes

The yarn variegation is keeping things interesting so far:

We have been working on our shawls from mid-May to mid-July (possibly to coincide with covert operations for a certain Order of the Phoenix) and you, dear reader, are absolutely welcome to join in the fun!

Ravenclaw Report: May and a Half in Hufflepuff

When we last met our heroines, they had left Gryffindor Tower on their way to the Den...

This term, Spring 2015, we are spending a term in Hufflepuff where students are divided into cetes. As with other groups on Ravelry in which I've participated, cetes started off the term with a get-to-know-each-other questionnaire. Typically one, maybe two people might respond to such a post if that. Most people just express "Welcome!" by clicking the love button. Not in Hufflepuff. I had about 4 or 5 personalized responses to my post. I was surprised and most definitely felt welcomed.

There are many games, challenges, etc in Hufflepuff to help motivate students to push themselves. I decided to keep my life simple and just focus on playing Puffopoly. The goal is to move your way around a Monopoly-like board. You earn moves by submitting advanced studies proposals, classwork, Quidditch, etc. You can learn more about Puffopoly here.

Luckily for me, Martin Freeman is a welcome sight in the Hufflepuff UnCommon Room; at least two denizens of the Den (Den-izens?) are noted Benedict Cumberbatch fans and Sherlock is one of the many fandoms floating around Hufflepuff.  I've also decided to do Puffopoly and leave many other threads unread...  although the title of the SWorD thread definitely appeals to me: the Puff version of the Lab stands for "Spinning, Weaving or Dyeing" and I may be poking my nose in there come June for some new skill ideas.

Oh yes: and the Tour de Puff: the Hufflepuff Head Girl Challenge for this term has taken a sweeping arc into Tour de France land for a multi-stage points/yardage/activities journey.  Students have formed their own 5-to-9-person teams for goals and glory and I have joined two teams because.  It goes beyond badges, I think, but my memory can't be trusted.  I don't really understand what's happening and I cannot explain my actions further and I'm running on FUMES, I tell you!

What have we learned so far?

• Puffopoly is multidimensional and multi-term; we won't be able to take advantage of gameplay past the end of S2015, but kudos to those loyal Puffs who have earned those hotels and whatnot!
• Communication in the Den is straightforward and friendly... not a lot of poetry (Vogon, Homeric, or otherwise).
• Badges badges badges!  Badgers!

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!

WIP Wednesday: Marching Along

We had an impromptu KAL. Surprise! The last Quidditch event of the Winter 2015 term of the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup on Ravelry was a speed event. We were given a list of patterns and could choose to knit or crochet one of the patterns as fast as we could within a given time frame. The faster you completed your item the more points you earned. I decided a couple days into the race to participate so I stalked Cyprienne to see which pattern she picked from the list. She picked the knitted hat pattern, Barley. I love knitting hats so I decided to go for it. Every day, something happened to keep me from working on the hat. You can read about my adventures here if you are so inclined. This hat pattern is simple and would have been a quick knit if I hadn't run into so many personal difficulties. Will I knit another? Maybe but probably not. I would say it's a good pattern for someone knitting a hat in the round for the first time but I have other hat patterns I'd rather knit multiple times.

The Barley Hat was barley'd on my end as well -- for some reason I decided that stopping everything else in the world and making a hat was an excellent idea, so I got finished in a day with much less drama overall!  Slouchy hats make me look like some sorta goiter tried to grow out the back of my head, so I cuffed the brim to turn it into a beanie; the gray is quite pretty and the hat was very quickly stolen by my daughter... she has yet to return it.

I managed to finish (!!) my Rosebud shawl, but I don't have many beauty shots yet, so you'll have to forgive me.  The weighing of the yarn proved to be foolproof and I was able to squeak out an extra Chart B repeat before edging and binding off with seven grams to spare -- phew!  The red is just so gorgeous.

AND the Hooded Cape of DOOM continues a-pace as my sole project for as long as I can stand it.
My finish-before-April desperation ramps up daily...

Taciturn Thursday: Month Three

~ it's like Wordless Wednesday, but a day later ~

 

WIPs Wednesday: February Edition

I have a bit of a theme happening for me this term . . . . I was working on my Rosebud shawl the other day when two things happened. First, I realized I was accidentally slipping all of my stitches purl-wise instead of knit-wise to knit stitches together. Second, I made a mistake and when I went back to fix it, I accidentally dropped a critical stitch that quickly turned my work into an unfix-able mess. Sigh. I decided I might as well frog it and start over so I could do it right. This means my progress photo today is just a few rows, 6 to be exact, past my cast-on photo. Time to knit like the wind!

 
February is more than halfway over and I'm still being thrown for a loop, slightly off-kilter, as they say.  The knitting is going, but I keep getting interrupted by projects for my daughter, who has decided that everything that can be knit should be knit. for. her, so she can show her friends all the one-of-a-kind stuff... very flattering, but very time-consuming.

I love knitting on my beautiful Rosebud shawl, and I'm reaching a decision point: how many repeats of Chart B should I do?

a Valentine of flowers in KnitPicks Gloss Lace, colorway Fiesta

I've been strategically weighing the remaining yarn, and I keep flip-flopping between going for that extra repeat (with the potential for running out of FIESTA!) or knitting the shawl as written (and wishing it larger when finished).  Stay tuned, fair reader, for the exact moment when I lose my nerve!

Let's not forget about the hooded cape WIP -- we're still having a knit-along, but it's asynchronous now!  I'm beading and beading and beading and beading and beading and beading and

it seems like it will never end.

Ravenclaw Report: A Short Report for a Short Month

When we last met our heroines, they were adapting to Gryffindor extroverts and pride culture...

I still haven't managed to participate in my Pride as much as I'd like. Even so, I'm enjoying getting notifications to collect my Chocolate Frog Cards and badges. There certainly are lots of tags and events to keep track of but doing so means you get a badge for every thing you do. Yay, badges! It kind of feels like getting a sticker on your graded homework. Sigh. I miss the days of collecting stickers. Now I don't have to miss those days because today is the day of badges for everything!

Yes, the badges have been fun -- especially since only Gryffindors get collectible Chocolate Frogs! -- but all the tracking is leaving me a little confused.  At the beginning of term I was asked to declare a goal number for my total yarn usage, and I was absolutely flummoxed as to both why it was necessary and how I would even begin to know what was right for me!  I understand tracking one's points (obvs), but why track yardage?  Maximizing class bonus points?  Maybe.  I'll go along with it... For The Mantel!

What have we learned so far?

• In a departure from previous terms, this term's Gryffindor pride groupings are named after a type of dragon, rather than a type of candy?  The deal with that: we're dragontrainers.  Each pride gets a baby dragon to train.  It's pretty serious business (srs bidness).
• The Marauder's Mission challenges for this term are similar to Ravenclaw moonpaths and prefect challenges, but they take the pledge-a-point-total concept a bit further by introducing a group challenge aspect.  Deathly Hallows Missions allow for group pledges in points, yardage, and storytelling to inspire maximum pride in one's efforts at Hogwarts.
• Apparently there's usually Bingo, and the WIP the First detention challenge, and something called Trolley Treats...  all of these are absent in Gryffindor this term, so if you want to know more, that research is on you.  :)

Taciturn Thursday: The First Two Months

~ it's like Wordless Wednesday, but a day later ~

 

 

 

 

 

Phoenix Pheature: Cast On!

I'm loving the Rosebud shawl already and it's only the beginning!  HSpoon and I are both using bright red laceweight, because of course we are, and my yarn is a merino/silk blend -- a welcome change from the monster cowl's Allergen Central experience.

Triangular lace shawls without beading are my wheelhouse, so it's just zipping along, being awesome and cheery and just what I need for such a short, cold month!  I grabbed some US6 needles by mistake (I thought they were US4s but NOPE); fingers crossed I don't run out of yarn.

I'm very excited to finally be starting this shawl. I've owned the pattern for a couple years and have had it in the back of my mind as something I wanted to make eventually. Well now the time has finally come. I love my yarn choice, Misti Alpaca Lace in the color lipstick. The yarn is lovely to touch and the color is lovely to see. It's a win-win!

 

Webchat cast on -- FOR THE MANTEL!

FO Friday: January Edition

The month of January has just flown by! I suppose that's what happens when the month is full of Good Things. :) 

First, the bad news: My epic NEWT cape is just not going to happen this term. I never did frog and cast back on and the sensible side of me decided it would make the most sense to withdraw my proposal try again another term. That is much more sensible than me losing sleep and hair while working on unrealistic goals. Look at me, being reasonable. Go me!

Second, the good news: I completed my cowl and I LOVE it! It's so soft and squishy and I've already received compliments. I'm so happy with my yarn/pattern combo. It's definitely going to be my go-to scarf/cowl for the rest of the winter season.

So what's on the horizon for the month of February? Very soon I will be casting on my Phoenix project. I'm confident that since I ditched the NEWT project, I should be able to complete this Phoenix project in time. Stay tuned for a Phoenix Cast On post. :)

knit with more than five skeins of madelinetosh A.S.A.P in colorway Farmhouse White

Welp, my NEWT cape is still on the go (closing in on the 75% mark), but mostly I'm just sooo glad to be done done done with this monster cowl.  I don't usually knit with super bulky yarn these days, so I did some deep stash diving for the fabled Lemongrass... turns out, I'm allergic to it (!) and so took the necessary precautions while plowing through the almost-500 yards of fiberstuffs.  Please let this not be a theme for this year.  I put it on myself just once for an arms-akimbo photo shoot, but even during that limited time, having it so close to my face simply solidified its status as "Infinitely Giftable."

You ready for this?  I'd make you promise not to laugh, but that's asking a lot:

knit with 4.5 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in colorway Lemongrass

Suffice it to say, between the it's-eating-my-head nature of the cowl-haircut combo and my inescapable wool allergy, this lovely cowl has found another wonderful home, far away from me.

And on to the next!  See you in February!

The Fluted Cowl pattern is available for free from the Purl Soho website -- check it out!