Project 38: Traveling Woman

This project was completed in May, 2011.

Traveling Woman is a very popular pattern that's been around a while. The designer re-released the pattern with a host of matching patterns and directions for making the shawl in other sizes and yarn weights. I used the free version to make my own, at long last!





It's a nice little shawlette, and the yarn really makes it. It was also a quick knit, taking me only three days to complete.




Pattern: Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante (the free version; there is also a pay version available)

Yarn: Alina Shea Creations Vines in "dancing in the rain", the club yarn from February 2011.

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) nickel-plated Knit Picks interchangeables.

Rav Page

Mods: I did 3 repeats of Chart A. it's been a while, so not sure if that's a mod or not....

Project 37: Deathly Hallows Illusion Dishcloth

This project was completed in May, 2011.

This dishcloth was my first try at illusion knitting. Very cool!





Pattern: Deathly Hallows Illusion Cloth by Jenn Bragg

Yarn: Natural color is a Peaches & Creme cone of cotton in Ecru; blue is Lily's Sugar & Cream in cornflower blue. I used 34.4 yards of ecru and 38.4 yards of blue.

Needles: Size 8 (5.0mm) boye aluminum circular needles

Rav Page

Mods: none

Project 36: Dane Shawl

This project was completed in May, 2011.

Another lovely free pattern on Ravelry! This is called Dane Shawl.





It's supposed to be a shallow triangle, based on traditional Danish heart-shaped shawls.  I blocked mine to more of a triangle and less of a heart shape.



I think every comment about this shawl in person has started with the colors.  It's all in the yarn, Plymouth Zino.  It's a sock yarn, but it's a fingering weight single (just one ply) and it just seemed like it really would work well as a triangular shawl.



Pattern: Dane Shawl by Jane Tanner (free)

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Zino in color "8", all 436 yards of it

Needles: Size 6 (4.0mm) nickel-plated Knit Picks Options

Rav Page

Mods: I liked the written bind-off but ran out of yarn with about 3 inches to go. So I tinked back a bit and switched to a very loose regular old knit 1, pass old stitch over new stitch, repeat bind-off. I had enough yarn left from that to weave in as the tail, and that was that.

Project 35: The Golden Snitch

This project was completed in May 2011.

In the HPKCHC this term, Quidditch was split into four quaffle matches between houses in May and later hallows or horcruxes in June and July.  The first quaffle match was to make a golden snitch.

Near instant geeky gratification!

Pattern: The Golden Snitch by Melissa Mall (free pattern)

Yarn: Stitch Nation Full o' Sheep in honeycomb and Red Heart Super Saver in soft white, roughly 15 yards total.

Needles: Boye crochet hook, size G (4 mm)

Rav page

Mods: None that I can recall!

Transfiguration OWL, Spring 2011

In the HPKCHC the three-month projects are called OWLs, in reference to the big exams of fifth year students in the Harry Potter series. There is a set of guidelines by subject and to achieve an OWL in the subject you have to propose and complete a project that takes longer than six weeks but less than three months and that presents a personal challenge.

Transfiguration  

Option 1: Knit or crochet and then full (felt) something large, such as a carpet bag, a skirt, a rug. 

Option 2: Knit a large item (adult vest, sweater, large bag) that must be steeked. 

Option 3: Dye and spin enough fiber to produce sufficient yarn to craft a small adult garment. 

Option 4: Demonstrate proficiency with Vanishing and Conjuring Spells by vanishing a large quantity of yarn or fiber and conjuring one or more finished items using the vanished yarns. To truly demonstrate your virtuosity, you must use one new-to-you technique on one of these items, such as first-ever I-cord edging, first-ever socks, first-ever magic loop, first-ever Tunisian crochet, etc. Knitters must vanish a minimum of 1800 yds (this is a change from previous terms); crocheters a minimum of 2400 yds. Spinners - spin a minimum of 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg) of fiber. Machine knitters, please negotiate yardage amount with your Examiner. In line with the House Cup as a whole if a yarn is held double while crafting, it counts as a single yardage (i.e. if you use up a total of 360 yards while knitting a hat holding your yarn doubled throughout, it counts as 180 yards towards stash vanishing)

Name: Needlesnswiffers

House: Slytherin

Year: Sixth

OWL and option: Transfiguration, Option 4: Stash blowing-upping

Project/Pattern(s):
Abyssal made with my own handspun “Swamp Thing” (light fingering weight), 271 yards (15.06% of total)
free pattern online in French and English, stockinette swatch on size 7 needle, aiming for “aérienne” version, although I have no idea what that means. It’s the smaller one I think. Hope.

Tunisian Resolution Scarf with Heirloom Easy Care 8 Ply (dk weight), 321 yards (13.375% of total)
free pattern online, beginning of scarf swatched with my one and only tunisian hook, suspected to be size J

Brigid Sweater with Lion Brand Wool-Ease, 1374 yards (76.39% of total)
proof of pattern in swatch photo, size 9 obtains gauge, significant size modification (see under challenge)

To ensure that these projects achieve the required yardage total since I am mixing crafts, I have created a spreadsheet (stop snickering, you know I can’t resist a spreadsheet!). As you can see, as proposed my three projects will achieve 104% of the required work. If my projects should fall short, I assure you, dear Examiner, that I have no shortage of yarn in my house or items in my queue. I will make it happen, and consult with you as needed. If my yardage should fall short of the 100% needed, I may not know until after the deadline to modify proposals. Since yardage is the goal here and the new technique is satisfied, is that okay? It is also possible that the yardage may fall short of what I anticipate, but still over the requirement for this OWL. My estimates are based on the total yarn available to me for these projects, so I hope that falling short but still over 100% will result in a completed OWL.

Sequence & Challenge: My entire experience with tunisian crochet is my swatch for this scarf, so that is my brand new challenge! I think I want to overdye the finished scarf for Potions class this term, so that will likely be my first project attacked. I will likely work on them all simultaneously to stave off that bringer of doom, Boredom.

Regarding challenges, well, tunisian crochet is brand new to me so there’s that. For the Abyssal, I’m knitting with my own handspun and I’m a pretty new spinner, so I’m hoping to not have any problems with the yarn but you never know. Also, the pattern is translated but still not as easy to navigate as you might hope. For St. Brigid, the pattern is for a cropped jacket. I just don’t see myself in a cropped jacket; I want it to be a full-blown sweater. I will be extending the body to my waist and extending the sleeves as far as I can until I reach a regular full sleeve length or run out of yarn. This is going to be a challenge for me as I am not an experienced sweater knitter so I’ll be learning how to modify sort of as I go. I have lots of extra yarn, plus more in other colors, and a can-do attitude, so I’m hoping that will get me through.

50% Mark: Well, this one is pretty easy. Since the darn thing is based on yardage, I’ll call it at half of the required yardage (proportional to craft) with plenty of math to back it up!

Photos of Supplies and Swatch:

Here are all my swatches out sunbathing.

Handspun for Abyssal:

Heirloom 8 Ply for Tunisian crochet scarf:

Wool-Ease for Brigid:

Thank you for your time!

Herbology OWL, Spring 2011

In the HPKCHC the three-month projects are called OWLs, in reference to the big exams of fifth year students in the Harry Potter series. There is a set of guidelines by subject and to achieve an OWL in the subject you have to propose and complete a project that takes longer than six weeks but less than three months and that presents a personal challenge.

Herbology – Students should be able to easily manipulate organic materials.

Option 1: Knit or crochet an adult-size sleeved garment with multiple cables or an afghan with multiple cables. Garments usually must have at least one complex cable that travels the entire length of both the front and the back body AND at least one complex cable that travels the length of the sleeves, OR more extensive and complex cables in either of these areas. Please note that these are guidelines. The Examiners are looking for projects that demonstrate the student’s ability to follow mutiple cables. Think: all-over cabling.

Option 2: Create an item using freeform knitting or crochet.

Option 3: Spinners – spin a minimum of 600 yds of plant fiber into a plied yarn which is spun and finished in ways appropriate to the medium (meaning no drifting apart cotton singles, no stiff-as-sticks linen, etc.).

Option 4: Spinners – Spin at least 8 oz of fiber into a cabled yarn.

Name: Needlesnswiffers

House: Slytherin - first time I got to type this!!

Year: Sixth

OWL and option: Herbology Option #1 - cabled sweater

Project/Pattern(s): Cassidy

Sequence & Challenge: I intend to complete the sweater in the order the pattern suggests (back, fronts, sleeves, hood) but would like to retain the privilege to adjust this order as necessary and possible. Regarding challenges, this is my second attempt at a Herbology OWL. My first attempt had me run out of time with big chunky cables and chunky yarn. This pattern has demure little cables, lots of them, and uses a worsted weight yarn. Time will be my biggest challenge.

50% Mark: Based on the following percentages, I hope to present 50% of a sweater before the end of June.

30% back
25% fronts
20% sleeves
5% button bands
8% hood
12% finishing work

Photos of Supplies and Swatch

Seven balls of Cascade 220 superwash!

(I have four more in a different dyelot if needed too)

This is my swatch, and you can see the pattern on the screen of my computer.

As far as sweaters go, I’ve finished one adult sweater and it was my Muggle Studies OWL last term. The list of shame of my unfinished sweaters is …. it’s long.

Thank you for your consideration!

ETA: This swatch was made with a size 7 needle! :D