HPKCHC End of Fall 2015 Term - Throwback

And now we come to the end of my second term at Hogwarts!

(Yes, we're still talking about the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup challenge.)

As I mentioned previously, my goal was to turn in something for every prompt...well, that just didn't happen.  So my Plan B was to score more house points this term than last term, so let's do the round-up!

OWL Exam - Defense Against the Dark Arts  (200 points)

One Mr. VintageBeef, as part of a 2-plushie commission.

And one Mr. PauseUnpause, the second half of the commission.

OWL complete!  And official OWL badge awarded:

Order of the Phoenix Mission - BROOM  (100 points)

As part of an African-flower-along within my cete (Hufflepuff mini-group), I proposed doing A'Tuin the African Flower Turtle.

I then added two Nanook the Husky plushies, for a higher yardage project (which I didn't want to do, but I can whip a couple of these suckers off in a week or two if I had to...and I had to).

The Panda got to pick the colors, he approved the swatch I made,

and this was his Christmas gift this year.

This little guy is for sale in my Etsy store.

This one was a commission for a gal at work.

Another successful term of Double Advanced Studies completed!

My point total for Quidditch (after participating in all four rounds) was 136 points.

The Headmistress' Challenge this term had two parts; the first was doing something to convince the Goblet of Fire that I could be the Triwizard nominee.

I taught three of my "Muggle" friends to dye yarn using Kool-Aid:

These are the yarns I made the four Quidditch cuttlefish from.

The second part of the challenge was to attend the Triwizard ball with a date.  I asked fellow Hufflepuff student Annaspackman to go with me (as our Muggle husbands couldn't make it).  We could get bonus points for crafting similar projects, and making each other a gift.

Here are our turn-in posts:

From Annaspackman:

It was going to be close, but then, with the busy month Annaspackman had had, it was only to be expected. Outside the windows of the Den, the orange sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon as she straightened her masquerade gown in front of the mirror in her room.

With a quick flick of her wand, Annaspackman arranged her hair exactly to her satisfaction and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. A touch of jewelry, and then for the finishing touch…

She reached for the beautiful shawl she had only just finished and swept it around her shoulders. The lovely yarn she had chosen settled perfectly into shape and Annaspackman couldn’t help but giggle a little in delight.

Somewhere distantly, a clock chimed the hour and she gasped. “No, not going to be late! A Hufflepuff is never late; she arrives precisely when she means to,” Annaspackman reminded herself, picking up the gift she had wrapped so painstakingly a few days ago.

She reflected for a moment upon the odd meeting she’d had with her date, VelvetKey, in passing at breakfast that morning.

“Hi there,” Velvet had said, sitting down in a furtive manner across the table. She had what looked like a couple of muffins stashed in her pocket, but Annaspackman chose to ignore that for the moment. “Um, listen…I might have a, um…tagalong tonight. Nothing serious, I promise, it’s just…well…I sort of have a stalker.”

Annaspackman’s eyes had gone wide. “Another student is stalking you? Did you tell the Headmistress? She would be able to do something about that, surely!”

“No, no, I don’t want to get expelled, since it might be my fault he’s even here in the first place,” VelvetKey replied in a whisper. “He’s…blending. Sort of.” She drew a breath and let it out in a strained sigh. “He’s a perfect gentleman, when he’s not following me to my classes or trying to find ways to smuggle his bow and arrows all over the castle.”

“Wait, what?” Annaspackman blinked, sure she hadn’t heard correctly, but Velvet waved the question aside.

“You probably won’t even know he’s with us,” Velvet insisted. “I’ll come by your room around six or so.”

“Right…okay,” Annsapackman replied, baffled. Velvet had left then, not bothering to explain anything further.

She was interrupted by a light knock on the door. “Hello?” came Velvet’s voice. Annaspackman was quick to emerge, smoothing her shawl one final time.

“Oh, wow, your shawl turned out magnificent!” her date exclaimed, circling her for the full effect. “Are you ready? I left the…um…third member of our group in the Common Room.”

“Yes!” Annaspackman said. “Oh, but before we go, here’s your gift.”

“Aww, you shouldn’t have!” VelvetKey said happily, accepting the package. “And I couldn’t help myself, I just had to make a little something for you, too!” She passed the other Hufflepuff student a somewhat-lopsided parcel that squished a little suspiciously.

Both girls were distracted, however, by the quiet clearing of a throat behind them. They turned, and Annaspackman’s jaw dropped.

“Legolas Greenleaf’s our plus one?!”

(To be continued in VelvetKey’s post…)

Annaspackman's Shawl:

And her gift to me:

My very own knitted socks!  I love knitted socks!

The pattern?  The Sign of the Prancing Pony!

It couldn't have been any more perfect, except for my second half of the post:

(Continued from Annaspackman’s post.)
Annaspackman shrieked with delight at the sight of their handsome plus one and almost dropped her gift from VelvetKey. She had always considered stalkers to be creepy loners but Legolas Greenleaf? She’d known that freak summonings had been happening all term, but Legolas, prince of Mirkwood and all-around studmuffin? This was the moment she realised how true and lasting their friendship was, VelvetKey had not ditched her friend for the handsome Legolas and she wondered how many other girls would have done the same thing.

“Open it! Open it!” VelvetKey yelped excitedly, as she frantically tore the brightly coloured tissue paper off of her own gift. Annaspackman joined in the ripping of paper, both leaving a shower of tissue and sparkles to reveal their loot.

“Wow,” said Annaspackman in delight, “I cannot believe you made this for me! This is wonderful and such a thoughtful representation of my super-secret code name in our Bushwhacking Trail Team - Frodo!” She hugged him tight to her chest and then slipped him into her dainty shoulder bag so that his head peered out and he could be included in the activities at the ball. She wondered if it might be fun to cast a charm to animate him for the evening…

VelvetKey looked at her gift for a long time and Annaspackman began to worry that she didn’t like it. Finally VelvetKey looked up, her eyes bright with excitement, and said, ‘I am sorry but I was momentarily dazzled by the sparkles, this colour is truly Elfen and just me!”

”But do you get it?” said Annaspackman.

“Urm, get what?” replied VelvetKey.

“The pattern name… It’s named after the place we first met! The first time we shared a pitcher of Butterbeer!”

“Ah-ha! Of course!” VelvetKey grinned happily and on impulse hugged Annaspackman. “You have no idea how perfect your gift really is!” she exclaimed, giggling. “I can’t thank you enough!”

Legolas looked between the two girls with a long-suffering expression on his face. VelvetKey winked at Annaspackman.

“We’re going to be the envy of everyone at the ball,” Annaspackman said delightedly as Legolas offered her his arm. VelvetKey took his other arm and together the trio headed for the Great Hall.

My Shawl:

Not nearly as pretty and impressive as Anna's, but my mother-in-law loved it!

My gift to Annaspackman:

A wee little Frodo plushie!

And of course we had to have our picture taken with our date:

Total HMC points awarded: 89 points.

And then of course there were the classes.  September = 227 points, October = 230.5 points, and November = 139 points.  Total:  596.5 points.

Grand Total:  1121.5 points to Hufflepuff!

However...Ravenclaw blew us out of the water this term.  And it wasn't even close; they managed to score something like 15,000 extra points over the next house.  It was unreal.

To conclude my wrap-up of the Fall 2015 term, I will share my favorite part of it next time: the Bushwhacking Into Mordor challenge!

Craft on!

HPKCHC : Quidditch Match XXII (F15) - Throwback

Are you ready?  I said, are you ready?!

With the Tri-Wizard Tournament running at the school, the Quidditch matches became all about the great and glorious hedge maze that the Quidditch pitch got turned into (just like in the book).

The formidable hedge walls of The Triwizard Maze stand before you, where the Quidditch pitch used to be. The coaches’ faces are set with grim determination, knowing they have trained you as well as possible but from the sound of the cannon, it is all up to you.

In The Maze, foes lurk around every corner and you have only your wand to defend you. You will need to make quick decisions, work difficult spells, and keep your wits about you at all times.

The sights and sounds of the fans cheering all around you are almost too much to bear: you are the great hope for the glory of Hogwarts.

Task 1: The Sphinx

You anxiously wait outside of the maze with the other tri-wizard competitors for the competition to start.  BOOM!!! The cannon fires and off you run into the maze. There are a few twists and turns, but it takes you a while before you come to the first fork in the path. You slow down as you begin to see the shape of something waiting for you. You see a lion with the head of a woman: a Sphinx. As you approach, the Sphinx assesses you with cold eyes and begins to speak.

Two paths through the maze you’ll find. Choose left or right your path to bind. Answer my riddle, you may proceed. Answer me not, you must concede. For each path a different riddle I say. Give me an answer and you’ll be on your way.

You regard her for a moment and then understand the riddle you have to answer will depend upon the path you choose. You look carefully towards the left and then the right, seeing no hint as to what the riddles might be. You decide to go…

---

RIGHT:  The Sphinx swishes her tail and intones:

What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?

LEFT: The Sphinx flicks her ear and recites:

Feed me and I live, give me drink and I die. What am I?

So, a choice I had before me, and a choice I made; I went right.


VelvetKey shrinks at first from the sphinx’s penetrating gaze, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest like a trapped butterfly. Her hands ball into fists—she has to give an answer, but riddles had never been a strong suit of hers.

Where are my friends when I need their brains? she thought desperately, looking left, then right. VelvetKey could see sparkles at the edge of her vision, sparkling in time to her pounding heart. And then, deep in the pocket of her Hufflepuff robes, she felt a little twitch. Then another.

Of course, like any good student with too many projects and not enough room in her schoolbag, VelvetKey had enchanted her pockets to be ‘bigger on the inside’. From within her right pocket, she withdrew her little blue cuttlefish, who waved his enchanted feelers at her.

And suddenly, the answer crystallized in her mind. VelvetKey took one shaky step forward and said loudly, “A river.” She held the cuttlefish up for inspection. “Rivers are blue, and have many unique creatures in their flowing depths. In fact, whole pods of these magical…quidditch-cuttlefish…quiddlefish?—can be found all over the world. I should know, I had four.”

And her quiddlefish turned a knowing, beady eye at the sphinx, as if daring the other magical creature to contradict her.

Task 2: To the Right

 Having correctly answered the Sphinx’s riddle, you begin past her to find a river in your path. Unable to see the bottom or anything that might be living, you chance swimming through. You safely arrive on the other bank, dry yourself with your wand, and continue down the Righthand path. After a few more turns, you come to yet another fork in the maze. To the left, you hear lots of noise and you swear you smell something burning. You face the corridor turning right. You can’t see or smell anything there and it’s quiet. Very quiet. Much too quiet!

You decide to…

---

HEAD TOWARDS THE QUIET:
Thinking back to the past Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid’s new creatures, you shake your head violently and head down the much quieter path. In the distance you see a large wardrobe. You slowly walk towards it, unsure of what it could possibly be. When you get closer, you realize that one of the doors of the wardrobe is slightly open. You feel chills run down your spine and you get the sudden feeling that…something…is watching you. You gulp as a…thing…starts to emerge from the door. Then you realize what you’re up against – a boggart!

For this task, you must craft something that looks difficult to the untrained eye, but is surprisingly simple. Things like self-striping yarn, easy lace patterns, mock cables…anything that makes a project look more complicated than it actually is. But don’t pick something too simple. Bogarts can still be tricky beasts if you don’t keep your wits about you.

---

HEAD TOWARDS THE NOISE:
You shudder when you imagine the creatures that could come crawling towards you on the quiet path and quickly turn left. With those Blast-Ended Skrewts you at least know what you’ll be up against after all those hours trying to feed them during CoMC classes. Bravely you walk on to face those nasty animals.

For this task we ask you to craft something that is so fiddly it seems to bite, burn and sting at the same time. Explain in your turn-in why this is fiddly to you.

I am not crazy, nor did I have a death wish.  I went towards the quiet, quick as I pleased!

Dripping and shivering a little from the river’s cold temperature, VelvetKey quickly scrambles up the opposite bank and uses a quick air spell to get most of the water out of her sodden robes. The path continues on clearly, and she clutches her wand tightly before venturing forward.

At first, it is eerily quiet, and Velvet’s own heartbeat is the only noise she hears. She swallows hard and forces herself to keep moving. Her imagination begins to get the better of her, and she thinks she begins to spy shadowy, dancing figures at the edges of her vision. Velvet shakes it off and quickens her pace.

A few twists later, and there is another fork, and a rush of sound to accompany it. Acrid smoke hangs in the air, and Velvet doesn’t even pause to consider. Fire? Nopenopenopenope.

The second-year Hufflepuff student all but runs down the opposite, much quieter and not-on-fire path. She stumbles over a root and has to pause and regain her footing. Then Velvet sees the wardrobe, perhaps fifty yards away. It is an old piece of furniture, with a cracked mirror that shows Velvet her own, scared-looking reflection.

Velvet glares at herself for a moment before standing up straight and brushing a few stray twigs off of her robe. “I did not face a sphinx and swim through a river to turn back now,” she tells herself sternly. “It’s just a boggart. It has to be just a boggart. And I know what I fear the most.”

She steps closer, raising her wand as the loose door of the wardrobe creaks and then swings wide. The wardrobe rocks back and forth for a moment, and then a pink ball of fingering-weight yarn in alpaca rolls out, its tail trailing across the ground. It’s course is somewhat impeded by the knitting needles poking from it, and Velvet draws back with a subvocal whimper.

“Riddikulus!” Velvet shouts, leveling her wand at the knitting. The boggard-turned-knitting dodges her spell, and Velvet backs up. The boggart slowly begins to fashion itself into a long length of gorgeous, knitted cable, and Velvet straightens in anger.

”I’ve met many kind and talented knitters in my house, in classes, and in the castle,” Velvet says aloud. “I am not afraid of them. I am not afraid of cables, even though I can’t knit!” She tries again. “Riddikulus!” She clips the boggart with this spell, and the knitting needles waver. The yarn becomes blue, worsted. The knitted cable shrivels up. Instead a much simpler, crocheted mock cable appears, and Velvet starts to giggle.

“And again, riddikulus!” The boggart shoots back into the wardrobe, now a ball of blue worsted acrylic yarn impaled with a crochet hook, and Velvet laughs wholeheartedly in triumph. “And take your mock cables with you, you jerk!” she shouts, sealing the wardrobe with a spell.

I was actually a little ahead of the curve on this one...

Task 3: Facing the Boggart

 You see it, your blood starts to turn to ice, and a cold sweat appears on your brow. Terrified, you think back to your Defense Against the Dark Arts class and begin to pull yourself together. You remember two spells as the boggart slowly takes shape and starts to turn itself into your worst nightmare.

You shout…

---

RIDDIKULUS!!!
You shouted the spell loud and clear! And…suddenly…a giant ACME anvil falls straight from the sky, crushing that dreadful thing into the dirt! You’re a little stunned at first as ACME anvils aren’t usually seen in the wizarding world, but you know your muggle lore. Then you realize your face is in a surprising amount of pain and you feel short of breath. What is this coming out of your mouth? Laughter?! Of course! This is quite literally the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen all year! Haha! You’ve done it! You got that boggart all right! You let out a whoop and then continue down your path, giving the anvil a loving pat as you walk on by.

You have defeated the boggart with laughter, the best weapon of all! Craft something that will make us laugh.

---

EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!
You remember your happiest moment in life and you draw your strength from it. Your silvery patronus guardian charges down that creepy dementor-boggart and it withdraws back into the wardrobe, the door closing with a loud snap. Your patronus circles the wardrobe a few times before giving you a sweet look, reassuring you that the boggart is dealt with, and then it slowly fades away. You feel…good. Like you could do anything. With this new found confidence, you race past the wardrobe and on through the maze.

You have defeated fear with happiness and warmth. Craft your corporeal patronus or something that evokes your happy memory.

This could have gone either way, but I summoned my patronus!

The wardrobe gave a renewed shake and black tendrils of dense, cold fog seemed to roll in from under the hedges as the door swung wide. This time, it wasn’t pink, lacy knitting coming to get her; no it was a dementor.

“Velvet, you ninny, of course it’s only a boggart playing dress-up as a dementor,” she chastised herself aloud, swallowing hard and tugging her Hufflepuff hat down further over her head. She wracked her brain furiously, her wand still out and at the ready.

The dementor floated serenely towards her, oozing deadly menace with every inch it advanced. Velvet scrambled backwards, until her shoe caught in a root and she tumbled over backwards.

“What would Hermione do?” she whispered furiously, scrambling to her knees. “Or Harry?” Her heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears as the creature drew closer and closer; so close she could see every detail of it’s hooded appearance.

And then suddenly, Velvet had it. She recalled with a giggle how Legolas Greenleaf (prince of Mirkwood and all-around studmuffin) looked in the cowl she had made for Flying homework last month. The memory warmed her as Velvet remembered the summons MadMoon had given her for the Trophy Room—for her very first trophy nomination ever!

With that happy thought firmly in mind, Velvet drew back with her wand and let out a piercing cry:

“Expecto Patronum!”

Blinding white light erupted from the end of her wand and a large, killer rabbit patronus materialized. It took one look at the dementor before batting it aside with one huge paw. The boggart fled for the wardrobe, and Velvet let out a giddy noise of relief.

“That’ll do, bun,” she told her patronus. “That’ll do.”

(Yes, I was nominated for the Flying Trophy in September!  I did not win; but it was cool anyway!)

Task 4: The Portkey

 It worked! Your spell worked perfectly! You clear the obstacle and head down the path at a near sprint. You can see something glowing directly ahead of you. As you head into a clearing, you can tell the glowing is coming from the Triwizard Cup. You look around and see no one else. The Cup is yours! As you grasp the handle, you feel the familiar tug of a portkey behind your navel. When the howling and swirling finally stop, your feet slam into the ground and you find yourself…

Tell us where the Triwizard Cup portkey takes you and craft something to represent that place. It could be anywhere in the world, or even beyond.

Anywhere I wanted to go?  There's one important place that comes to mind: Shadowmoor!

VelvetKey landed in the middle of a dusty road with a thump! followed by an “Ouch!” as she tripped over what looked like an elf.

She did a double-take. Well, he had the pointed ears of an elf, but his coloring was all wrong for a house elf. That, and he was wearing normal clothes (by wizarding standards), and he was holding a shield and mace. Upon closer inspection, it was rather evident that his skin had a marbled, pebbly texture.

“I…uh…yikes!” The stone-like elf swung at her unexpectedly, and Velvet did the first thing that came to mind: she blocked his downward blow with the Triwizard Cup! Thanks be to Merlin, the Cup was made of strong stuff and his mace glanced off. Velvet took the opportunity to roll to one side and scramble to her feet in a flurry of black robes.

“What magic is this? Teleport? Are you one of the dark witches that has haunted Shadowmoor these last few months?” the elf demanded.

“What are you talking about?” the second-year Hufflepuff student demanded. “I got…” she bit off the word ‘portkey’ before she could reveal too much about herself. “This is all an accident! I didn’t know where the teleport would take me!” VelvetKey insisted, very carefully not reaching for her wand.

“Audrick!” came a new voice, and Velvet whirled to see a group of odd folk clad in bright red and yellows. “Stay your weapons,” the woman in front ordered. “Allow me to cast a truth spell before you begin caving in skulls.”

“Hey, no, wait, I’ll just tell you the truth,” Velvet said insistently. “I got a bad…teleport spell and ended up here. Where is here?”

“The oasis known as Shadowmoor,” an armored fighter said from behind the leading lady. “I am Boaar. This is Kelyn, leader of the Battle Healers’ Guild. She means you no harm, strange traveler.”

For the moment, Audrick the stone elf had lowered his mace, which Velvet counted as a good thing.

“Ah, okay then,” Velvet replied after a moment to catch her breath. “I don’t suppose you’d have a portal or something back to…England?”

Confused looks crossed the Battle Healers’ faces, but one elf with spectacles spoke up. “It might be the strange portal the shaman conjured last night holds the answers you seek. No one has dared enter it; the magic it throws off is dark and mysterious.”

“Sure, I’ll try that!” Velvet said, still clutching the Triwizard Cup and trying to look more in control of the situation than she felt.

“First, the truth spell,” Audrick spoke up. “The truth spell or I shall have no choice but to defend the oasis of Shadowmoor from this unknown threat.”

Kelyn, so called, scratched at the base of one of her little red horns that poked up through the honey brown curls on her head, and sighed. “Very well,” she replied. “Miss…what is your name?”

“Velvet. VelvetKey,” the Hufflepuff student responded quickly. She told herself she could put up with a truth spell; she had nothing to hide; it would be fine!

“Miss Velvet. Hold still.” And Kelyn murmured a spell verbal quietly before placing her hand on Velvet’s shoulder.

“All right, Audrick, what do you want to know?” Kelyn asked the stone elf.

“Are you a dark witch?” Audrick said immediately.

“No,” Velvet answered honestly.

“See? Now can we take her to the portal? Perhaps she’s the one who is meant to enter it,” Kelyn said, snugging a red and yellow capelet around her shoulders. When there appeared to be no objections, she signaled to the rest of the Battle Healers.

Shortly, they approached a long, low building, from whence issued merry singing and (from the sound of it) some good-natured brawling. VelvetKey quirked an eyebrow and wondered if they served a butterbeer as good as Madame Rosmerta’s.

“There,” said Kelyn, pointing to a strange, black archway. “Look into the mists and tell us what you see.”

With a gulp, Velvet did as she said. The gray mist in the doorway swirled at her approach, but nothing appeared. Her grip on the Cup began to slip from the sweat on her hands, and Velvet knew she had to do something. Perhaps something simple, something to shed a little more light on the situation…

She took out her wand before thinking it through. “Lumos!” she said, and a bright light appeared.

Audrick’s mace was in motion before Velvet knew what was happening. “A witch! She must have a cloak versus truth spell on her!”

The spectacled elf stepped in the way. “Run!” he shouted to Velvet.

“This should protect you from whatever’s through there,” Kelyn said, whisking the capelet from around her shoulders and settling it over Velvet’s. “Be safe, and remember the people of Shadowmoor!”

Without time for pause or thanks, VelvetKey jumped into the portal. It was like stepping through a waterfall; an invisible substance seemed to pour over her, and the entire time Velvet thought to herself, I wish I were back in the Den, I wish I were back in the Den!

THUD!

She landed in an armchair, and the Triwizard Cup clanged to the floor. She was home again, fresh from the oasis of Shadowmoor, with a red and yellow capelet to remind her forever of her visit.

(Author’s Note: Shadowmoor is a LARP chapter I participate in, located in Kings Mountain, NC, USA! It’s tons of fun and it’s always a nice vacation from ‘the real world’! The players I mentioned, Audrick and Athelas (spectacled elf) are pictured below, and you can see a member of the Battle Healers’ Guild watching the fight on the left side.)

So in summary...

Quidditch was basically a choose-your-own-adventure trip through the Triwizard hedge maze!  It was so much fun; I really enjoyed having the choices and the story to go along with it.

As to whether or not Hufflepuff won the Quidditch Cup...tune in next time for the End of Term Summary!

HPKCHC : November Classes (F15) - Throwback

And finally, we come to the last month of the Fall 2015 HPKCHC term: November.

(Remember how my goal was to submit something for every prompt?)

Here's where I fell off the wagon.

And it's not that I didn't do the crafts, because I did...I just ran out of time to submit them (which I totally should not have waited until the last minute to do, I know).

(For what it's worth (FWIW), the HPKCHC challenge closes at 12 midnight Pacific time; I live in Eastern time...so I was up until 3 A.M. finishing my OWL for this term!)

Anyway...the classes I was able to turn in were:

Care of Magical Creatures

This isn't really a pattern; I made the whole thing up myself.

I'd love to release a free pattern in the future, when I've had time to revise it.

Defense Against the Dark Arts

A cuttlefish belt favor, for use at LARP...or y'know, whatever.

Herbology

Another one for the monkey business.

Durmstrang

For my brother; a Christmas gift.

He wanted something nerdy for his desk at work.

Hogwarts

A small pair of slippers for my nephew that I whipped up

while visiting them over Thanksgiving.

So I failed to turn in Flying, Journalism, and support Beauxbatons.  (Oh, and Detention.)

It was really Thanksgiving break that threw me off...and I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo at the last minute.

(NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month; write 50,000 words in 30 days)

I tried to do all the things and ended up spreading myself too thin.  (I also didn't have to write an extra 10,000 words, either...but I couldn't help myself.)

Next time: Quidditch Round XXII!

HPKCHC : October Classes (F15) - Throwback

October 2015 was another full month of all eight classes!  In order:

Care of Magical Creatures

Defense Against the Dark Arts

I carved these stamps for the Paris Mountain 2015 letterboxing event!

And yes, I did tweet both Jensen and Jared, for funsies.

Flying

A Gryffindor cowl for my sister-in-law's Christmas gift.

Herbology

Another wand, made from the free pattern I posted here on my blog.

Journalism

The monkey business persists!

Beauxbatons

Made as a commission for Deevius!

Durmstrang

These are also made from a pattern I wrote and posted here on my blog.

It's my most viewed pattern to date!

Hogwarts

I do get odd commission challenges every now and then; 

this "blue lady" TP cover was one of them!

One month to go from the Fall term of the HPKCHC!  Can she do it?  Can she submit something for every prompt?

Find out in future (throwback) posts!  

But of course, until then...craft on!

HPKCHC : September Classes (F15) - Throwback

The beginning of September brought with it a new term of the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup!

I again sorted into Hufflepuff, after a brief deliberation in which I let Sir Sorting Hat pick between it and Gryffindor for me.

New "robes" for a new term.

My goals for this term were to turn in something for every single prompt, and to get more house points than last term (1,069 was my total for Spring 2015).

So, I submitted proposals for an OWL (Astronomy this time), a BROOM, and went to work on the eight classes offered this term.  Classes change in between terms, but not from month-to-month within a term.

But!  Things were a bit different this term!  For we were hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament!  Instead of having normal classes, we had one class for each of the schools represented: Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts.  The Tri-Wizard champion was determined based on which classes had the most submissions.

Care of Magical Creatures

These stitch markers went into a swap package.

Defense Against the Dark Arts

You may recall that I sometimes carve stamps; this was also for the swap.

Flying

Why, yes, I have a cut-out of Legolas.  Doesn't everyone?

Herbology

These were for a Lord of the Rings themed swap.

Journalism

Li'l Aragorn was the crown jewel of the LotR swap package; I'm very proud of him.

Beauxbatons

The monkey business continues!

Durmstrang

This is April's cat; we were trying to keep her from losing more fur.

Hogwarts

There's a running joke about how I never make anything for Elrohir.

I decided it was time to shut him up, so to speak.  This was also part of the LotR swap.

Boom!  All eight classes done for the month!

In addition, Quidditch was also Tri-Wizard themed, too.  I'll have to share about that in another post!

And I also captained a Badger Hiking Team!  I'll share more about that too, in a future post.

Craft on!

August 2015 Projects - Throwback

August was another crazy month, but this time for a real life reason: my chica bonita April moved back from China!  She moved in with me and the Panda and began looking for all the things we Americans use to live: a car, a job, a canal, Panama...wait.

She'd sort of missed all of the previous My Little Pony madness, and I wasn't about to let that persist.  The Nerdy Knitter has a 10th Doctor Whooves pattern, and I got it for free during a buy 2 get 1 sale:

April also takes great photos with her tablet.  I just collage.

Some problems with this pattern include:

• uneven back legs; I added stitches to compensate
• lack of pictures for mane and tail construction
• lack of pictures for white collar construction

The eyes and cutie mark were iron-on patches (man, I love that trick!), and his little necktie/collar can be removed so he can be dressed up any way you want (like with a 4th Doctor scarf, let's say).

We then decided to hold a cutie mark ceremony in September when the 4 of us were together (DSCA, Deevius, and April/MerrySioux).

Other projects included a little bunny rabbit:

Free pattern, modified by me to make the arms and legs easier to attach.

A lot of my Not-Quite-First-Year (NQFY) friends sorted into Ravenclaw for the first term, and a couple more have made their way over to Ravenclaw since then.  We have a separate group on Ravelry that we chat in between terms, and one of the Ravenclaws started up a Top Secret project for one of the moderators over in The Tower (Ravenclaw's common room).

Her name is LASH and she was having another baby, but no shower.  The gals in Ravenclaw decided to go through her "baby favorites" tab on Ravelry and pick out projects to make and send to her.  It was really  nifty!  Four girls would agree to do one cardigan, so one girl would get the yarn, start it, leave it on her knitting needles, and then ship it to the next person.  The second and third person would then knit another section and send it on.  The fourth person was in charge of sending the finished project to LASH's friend and co-conspirator, who was putting the gift basket together, and then mailing the needles back to the first person.

It was completely, mind-blowingly intricate and fun!

As a crocheter, though, there were no patterns bookmarked that I could make.  So I found a bunny that LASH had wanted, and searched around for a crochet alternative.  LASH loved it!  She was surprised by everything!

I also learned a new craft: knitting stitch marker making!  

It's really just jewelry-making in disguise...

I gifted these to someone as a prize over in another knitting/crocheting forum; she loved them!  I've made a few more sets since then...really, only a few...

And finally, the butterflies.

These poor things are meant for a dear friend across the pond in the UK.  Her name is Piglottie, and we were thick as thieves during the spring term of HPKCHC.  Unfortunately, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and life got very complicated for Piglottie, and I've rarely heard from her.  We were making butterflies to send over, and of course I totally forgot to send mine.  I now have 4 and still they wait.  I had wanted to make something special for Piglottie, but haven't been able to.

In good time, I suppose.  All in good time.

Minecraft Monster Bag Pattern

This pattern is the first half of my HPKCHC Astronomy OWL!  Enjoi!

Reversible Minecraft Monster Bag

© 2016 Katie Bobbitt/Velvet Key Creations

Level: Intermediate American Crochet Terms

Materials:

• 300 yards green worsted weight yarn, approx.
• 400 yards black worsted weight yarn, approx.
• 10 yards light purple worsted weight yarn
• 5 yards dark purple worsted weight yarn
• G-hook (4.0mm)
• Stitch markers (or bobby pins or earrings you don’t like too well)
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• 1 yard fabric for lining, plus sewing method of choice
• 2 strips plastic canvas, cut to fit your bag (at the end!)
• 2 large black buttons (1 or 1.5”)

Special Instructions:

Changing Colors (CC)

When CC is noted, do not finish the final yo of the previous stitch.  Take new color and yo, pull through to complete stitch.  Make sure that your yarn tails are on the wrong side of the work consistently, and when cutting colors, leave a 1-1.5” tail in order to tie the colors off so that they won’t  unravel later.

  



  

Directions:

Part One

Begin by making the creeper’s face.

Starting with green yarn, ch 49.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook.  Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (48 sc)

Row 2-7: Sc in each st across, ch 1 and turn. (48)

Note: When changing colors in Row 8, pull yarn tails to the front of your piece, for this will the wrong side (WS) of your work from here on out.

Row 8-14: Sc  in first 12 stitches, CC to black and sc in next 6 stitches.

CC to green and sc in next 12 stitches.

CC to black and sc in next 6 stitches.

CC to green and sc in next 12 stitches.  (48 sc)

Rows 15-28: Sc in first 12 st, CC to black and sc in next 24 st,

CC to green and sc in next 12 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 29-35: Sc in first 18 st, CC to black and sc in next 12 st,

CC to green and sc in next 18 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 36-49: Sc in first 6 st, CC to black and sc in next 12 st,

CC to green and sc in next 12 st.

CC to black and sc in next 12 st.

CC to green and sc in next 6 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 50-57: Sc in each st across. (48)

Note:  Your creeper panel should now be square.  We will add additional rows now to form the mouth of the bag (the portion that will be folded over a piece of plastic canvas and sewn inside to keep the mouth of the bag stiff).  

You may wish to place stitch markers at each end of Row 57 so you know where the top of the square is.

Rows 58-63: Sc in each st across. (48)

Cut yarn, leaving a 24” tail to sew the mouth of the bag.

Tie off all loose ends on the back of the creeper’s face.  Set aside for now.

Part Two

Time for the enderman’s face!

With black yarn, ch 49.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook.  Sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn.  (48)

Rows 2-28: Sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Rows 29-35: CC to light purple and sc in first 6 st.

CC to dark purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to light purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to black and sc in next 12 st.

CC to light purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to dark purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to light purple and sc in last 6 st. 

CC to black before ch 1 and turn.  (48)

Rows 36-57: With black, sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Note:  Your enderman panel is now square!  Time to add the extra rows for the stiff lip of the bag.  You may wish to place stitch markers at each end of Row 57 before continuing.

Rows 58-63: Sc in each st to end.  Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Tie off all loose ends on the back of the enderman’s face.

Part Three

We’ll put the plastic canvas strips into the squares and sew them up!

First, measure the width of your creeper and enderman squares.  They should be about equal; you will cut the strips to the same length so take the shorter of the two as your ideal measurement.

For my enderman, the width was 13.75”.

My creeper was 14.25”, so my ideal measurement will be 13.75”.

Second, fold the top of your panel down on the wrong side, so that your stitch markers on either side of the square are now on top.  Measure the height of this little flap (the last 6 rows of your panel).

For my enderman, the height was 1.75”.  The creeper was 1.5”.

So, I cut my two plastic strips to be 13.75” by 1.5”.

Sew the top flaps down with the long tails you left at the ends of each panel.  For the creeper panel, make sure your flap does not overlap the eyes, or your stitches will show.  Weave in ends.

Slide the plastic strips into the panels.

You will want a little bit of the panels to cover each end, because we are now going to seam the bag together from the outside!   

Put your two panels together, back-to back so that the faces look out.  Take black yarn and attach at the top corner, through both panels.  

Sc around the side, bottom, and other side of the bag.  For the corners, I chained 1 before turning and sc’ing in the same stitch.  Weave in all outer ends.

Part Four

Strap #1 - Fixed length strap

Note: You may want to premeasure a strap you are already using, or take a fabric tape measure and guesstimate how long you want your strap to be.  Then add 3-4 inches to your measurement, for where the strap will be sew inside the bag securely.    My strap is about 60 inches long; I am tall and intend to wear the bag diagonally.

Leave a 12” tail, ch 211.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across.  Ch 1 and turn. (210)

Rows 2-6:  Sc in each st across.  Ch 1 and turn. (210)  Cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail and knot off.  

Note: If you alter the pattern to make the strap thicker, I recommend ending with your working yarn at the opposite end from where you started, so you’ll have yarn to sew with already on both ends of the strap.

Sew strap securely to interior of bag (it will be in the seam between the two panels).

Skip down to Part 5 for lining the bag.

Strap #2 - Adjustable length strap

Note: Additional materials required: D-ring and 1 of the black buttons.

D-Ring Strap

With black yarn, leave a 6” tail and chain 21.

Rows 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in every st across. Ch 1 and turn. (20)

Rows 2-4:  Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (20)

Row 5:  Sl st in each st across. Knot off and cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail for sewing.

Note: My D-ring was 1” wide; if you have a larger one you might want to add a few rows of sc.

Thread this strip through the D-ring, fold it to itself with an overlap of 1.5”, and sew down with the 6” tail.  Weave in ends.

I did two rows of stitches for a secure hold, since D-rings can sometimes rotate with time.

The remaining length of this strip should be enough to anchor inside your bag, where the plastic canvas strip is.  I put mine on the enderman side, since it’s black yarn.

Long Strap

With black, chain 201.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in every st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Row 2: Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Row 3: Sc in first 8 st, ch 1 and turn.  

Repeat twice more so that you have a place to sew your button to.  

Continue along Row 3 with tr until you are 10 sc from the end.  

Turn your work and sl st down the length of the last tr you made. (2)

Sc in next ten st (to the end of the strap). Ch 1 and turn.

Repeat twice more; this will be the portion you sew inside the bag.

Rows 4-5: Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Fasten off and weave in ends, since you will be using the creeper’s green to sew this inside the bag.

Note: You can attach the strap to the other side of the enderman face, instead, but I wanted to try and maintain a balanced design.

Your button should be able to pass between the triple crochet stitches (mine are 1.25”).  Sew button to the end of the strap with the 8 sc stitches.

Note: If your button will NOT fit through your D-ring, then pass the end of your strap through the D-ring before sewing it down.

Sew the other end of the strap inside the bag on the creeper side.   Adjust strap to the length desired and pass button through the triple crocheted stitches where desired.

 

Part Five

Time to put in the lining! Measure your bag vertically and horizontally, so you know your dimensions.

 

I figured that I’d create less work for myself if I folded the fabric to make a pocket and only had to seam up the sides.

I cut my fabric to have ½” seams on either side, as well as 2” of extra fabric at the top.

14” wide + ½” + ½” = 15” fabric wide.

14” tall + 2” = 16” fabric tall.

Once you’ve cut your fabric, seam up the sides (I’m not a sewer, nor do I possess a sewing machine, so I did mine by hand).

Fold the top part of your bag down to expose the inside.  (I did 2.5”, but you’ll be the best judge of how much room you have.)

Sew the lining into the bag; I did mine between crochet rows which turned out nice, since it pulled the fabric into the furrows.  My thread also didn’t show on the outside, so I sewed the entire lining with black thread.

Knot off ends and weave in.

Button Toggle (Optional)

To close my bag, I opted to sew the second black button to the top middle of the enderman panel.  I then chained 9 stitches (make sure to check, if you have a larger button than I did) and attached the loop to the inside of the creeper panel.

And...DONE!  Way to go, you!

These are not approved or endorsed Mojang/Microsoft designs or materials!

Per Mojang and Microsoft, please do not sell anything you make, as this is fanart.

Craft on!