Friday, March 30, 2007

Time to introduce myself

Hi everyone I'm Mandy. This is the first time I have had to stop and say hi since I joined the blog! I am a SAHM of 3 boys that all love Harry Potter as much as I do. I have all the books, movies and video games. I made a pattern for the pygmy puff's in the Half Blood Prince that is on my blog. I've got a hat pattern that I am tweaking as well. I am getting ready to start a Weasley Sweater for my youngest son I am using tahki dognal tweed. I am currently listening to book 3. Thanks for letting me join it is fun seeing what everyone is making!! Happy knitting!!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Hufflepuff Socks

Since there is absolutely no way that I can complete 2 socks size 15 double e width by April 2, I am submitting the one sock incomplete for your viewing. Opal Uni is the black thread ( 2 skeins ) Fortissma Sock yarn in white and gray, and Yellow is an acrylic sock yarn. I actually like the socks and Jesse really thinks the sock is cool looking.
I re-watched GoF and I still prefer the books by far. The movie to me was extremely disjointed and without reading the book many of the scenes don't make sense.
I re-read Books 1 -3 while knitting a sweater for a customer. Enjoyed them so much.
Karen A.

Prisoner of Azkaban

I am almost finished w/ Prisoner of Azkaban book on tape (one more tape to go). As we head into Easter, I realize that the Easter Holidays are mentioned in the book as well. Interesting. When everyone is leaving the Shrieking Shack w/ Peter Pettigrew why is the immobulus curse not used? It would have been easy to have Peter turn back into a rat and then immobilized him and stuffed into a pocket. But it does set the scene for books later. I really like the way chocolate is the cure for the dementors. What is a bottle brush tail? Crookshanks bottle brush tail leading the way.

Now for the movie discussion: I did watch the movie before I finished the book. The movie went along w/the book for awhile anyways. I would have liked seeing Harry zap the fake dementors. Also when Peter Pettigrew changed into a rat the last time, his clothes stayed behind. Now when he changes back to being a human (not a pretty visual picture) he will be wearing nothing. On a warmer note, there are alot of knit items in this movie. I especially liked the twins hats during the winter Hogsmeade outing.

Just For Fun

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Canary Yellow Robes

"The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the pitch, wearing canary yellow robes. The captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded.-Prisoner of Azkaban."

I just thought this was a great few lines..I oft feel I leave people looking like they have lock jaw and it pleases me immensely.

For Your Contest Consideration

Sal! The Slytherin Hedgehog.




You know Voldemort didn’t cuddle up to a teddy bear as a kid. He’d have wanted one of these. Except maybe with fangs….

Readers get first glimpse of final Potter

Here's an article with the new cover. The item mentions an "adult cover" and a "children's cover." In the past, I've seen two different covers depending upon whether you purchase the UK or the USA version of the book. Personally, I prefer the UK versions . . that is why my pre-order is with Amazon.ca. They do seem more 'adult' to me.

UPDATE: Doing some further digging, the link above must be for the adult cover/UK edition. The children's cover/USA edition is here.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Ravenclaw Tie Complete

Here is my completed Ravenclaw Tie for the first part of the contest.



You can read a bit about how I made it and what I might do differently next time here.

I already posted a little about it before and you can read more about the beginnings of the project here.

I wanted to do something in my house colors and I had been sorted into Ravenclaw. My main constraint, however, was that I wanted to do something using stash. I have a lot of stash, but I don't have a lot of any one color. I discovered that I didn't have any blue or bronze yarn, but I did discover a wee bit of blue and bronze fiber. So I quickly spun up the fiber (it was only a wee bit) and I combined it with some of my handspun Wensleydale heathered navy yarn and created a tie.

Why a tie? I didn't want to make anything directly from the movies, but I was somewhat inspired by the movies. In the movies, the students do wear ties under their school robes. But the ties are not knit ties. I happen to like knit ties and have two knit ties (commercial made) that I do wear once in a while. I had always wanted to try my hand at making a tie, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. Since I didn't have much blue and bronze, I wanted to make something that would show off the little I had, so it had to be a fairly small project. However, it turned out taking longer than I thought it would.

Project Details
About 140 yards of DK weight handspun in navy, blue, bronze.
Number 2 needles.
Double knitting technique to create a tube using 2 straight needles.
Pattern of my own creation.

Now I have to start thinking about a project for the second half of the KAL :)

Hufflepuff Socks



They really are the same size just a funny angle. These were started match 24 2pm, I worked 12 hours, drove 2 hours and finished at 11am on Monday March 26. Aren't they terrific??

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Just For Fun

"A bezoar is a stone taken for the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons." - Professor Snape, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

"He hurtled back to Ron's side, wrenched open his jawn, and thrust the bezoar into his mouth. Ron gave a great shudder, a rattling gasp, and his body became limp and still." - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


A Bezoar Goat:


Took my little sister to the natural history museum today and imagine my surprise at finding a Bezoar goat in a display case!

Another Weasley Cell Phone Cozy


I was so inspired by Laura's Weasley ipod cozy that I had to knit one up for my sister. I changed the Ron 'R' to a Harry 'H', yes I know Harry's Weasley sweater is Blue and Gold but I wanted to use yarn leftover from the HP Hedgie.

This is my kind of sweater. Small, simple and a fast knit.

Edited to add the Pattern link for the Weasley Cell Cozy. Apologies for not including it in the first place.

Housekeeping

Hello All!

Just wanting to do a little checking up on everything.

If your name should be in the sidebar and is not, or if it is under the wrong house, please comment below to let us know.

Remember that all entries for the first contest should be submitted next week. Read here for more info on the contest.

I'm loving reading everyone's posts, project ideas and book discussions. I've not been able to start my own project yet due to a very persistant almost 4 year old who wants a caterpillar.
I had been trying to get a hold of the movies to watch as I read each book, but have now decided against it. I'm surprised at how much of my memories of the stories are from the movies, not the books. This will keep the books fresh in my mind, instead of getting them mixed up with the movies. (also saves on rentals -;) )

Happy reading, listening and watching to you all!
Ann

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Hufflepuff Info

Hufflepuff House Overview




Head: Professor Sprout
Founder: Helga Hufflepuff
Color: Yellow and Black
Animal: Badger
Ghost: The Fat Friar
Common Room Location: Exact location unknown, but it's a cellar down a staircase off the main hall

Sorting Hat's Description:
These belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal.
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil.

Hufflepuff Quidditch Team:
Cedric Diggory, captain and seeker (1993-95), Zacharias Smith, Chaser (1995-6)

Hello Fellow Hufflepuffers

I posted once and it disappeared. I am in a knit off over the weekend with another KAL, so I decided to use my Hufflepuff Sock yarn from ETSY. SO Monday I should have a pair of socks to post. Isn't the yarn just too cool???

New Snape Poll

Ok, the first poll didn't work so here's a new one!

I'll Huff . . and I'll puff . . and . .

I'm sorted into the Hufflepuffs!!!

I was waiting for the right moment to post my hello entry because I didn't want to come in right after someone else's post. :) Seems like now's the time so . .

HI! I'm Leslie and I'm new to the group. Em was gracious enough to accept me in and put me into the house I tested for. Yes, the Sorting Hat quizzes all came up with me being in the Big H group . . and I took a total of 8 of them, so I'm resting assured that I'm in my right house.

Everyone here is so far ahead of me on projects and you all have done some wonderful work. I'm so inspired! However, being a "new" knitter (since Sept. '06) puts me in that category of knitting something easy-peasy. So, I'm going to try to find colors for socks. I think that for me it would be just too cool to go see the movie and slip off my sneakers (yes, I'm originally from Buffalo, NY and now reside in Tampa, FL -- they're SNEAKERS, people . . 'nuff said) and stretch out in my handmade Hufflepuff socks!! The thing now is: finding Hufflepuff colors. If anyone has any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to go with the most recent colors -- the buttercream instead of yellow/gold. [UPDATE: I've settled on Lorna's Laces, Shepherd Sock in Charcoal and Firefly. Do you think these colors are acceptable?]

Anyways, hello and all of that good stuff. I'm practicing on my Firebolt for the Quidditch match at the end of this KAL . . so watch out!!

Snape Poll

Hey everyone! I put up a poll and I'm always curious as to what others think about this:

Snape - Good or Evil?

S.P.E.W Onward!

I finished my first baby hat in my S.P.E.W. project (I am trying to knit as many funky--house elf worthy--baby and preemie hats before July 21 and then I'll be donating them to the local children's hospital). My mother also contributed donating a rainbow crochet beret.



The green hat is my own pattern. I used a stitch pattern form the Vogue "bible" called peppercorn. I knitted in stockinette for an inch and then started the stitch pattern--I ended in a 5 stitch I-cord for about 4 inches (?) and then tied it in a knot, tacking it down to the hat).

Of course I started a new one and I am nearly done with that one. This hat is for a preemie (12 inch head--my babies were born with 15 inch heads) and it's yellow and resembles a beehive. Actually I modified the Bzzz Hat from Stitch N' Bitch nation.

I've been listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on CD--I even cried at the end of that version. Books on CD are great to knit by or clean by (which is what I should be doing). Anyway--am I the only one that wonders why Snape didn't try to expel Harry in this one when he finally had a good reason to? He's been trying to expel Harry since he got to Hogwarts--why stop now?

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

It's The Lame Introduction Post!

Hi everyone!

My name's Kelly, I'm a big HP dork. I actually just finished knitting yet another HP themed object. This time it was Sal, the Slytherin Hedgehog, knit from the Huggable Hedgehog pattern from Fiber Trends.

Hmm.. what else... well, you can find me at my blog: Just A Knit Wit where I tend to babble quite a bit. I've written only one fanfic, a continuation of one of the chapters in Half-Blood Prince, called Memory's End. I'd be happy to stick it up on my writing blog if anyone is interested in reading it.

I think that's all...

Yay Voldemort! (Without the villain, there would be no heros.)

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

HP7 is "green"

Here is a news article about the "greening" of the upcoming Harry Potter book. It's nice to see Scholastic taking the environmental initiative . . especially considering the unbelievable printing run that will accompany this release.

Introducing another Emilee

Good morning. I just joined and I thought I would introduce myself. I'm Emilee, I live in Albuquerque with my fiance', his son, a dog, a snake and 2 cats - Gryffin and Lupin. I enjoy knitting and crochet and a bunch of other crafts, too. I do have a Christmas stocking on the needles for my step son in Gryffindor's house colors. I'd like to make him a Weasly sweater, too. My sister-in-law wants some Gryffindor socks, but she's vegan and I'm having a hard time finding vegan sock yarn, if you guys have any ideas, let me know. You can check out my blog, Auntie Em Knits for more about me.

Happy knitting.

Emilee

Monday, March 19, 2007

Progress Report

I'm nearly done with the Ravenclaw tie. I only have a couple of inches left to knit. So I think that I will get it done, washed, and blocked before the end of March. Now I'm starting to think a bit of what I can do for the second half of the KAL.

In my reading, I've just finished PoA. I watched the movie before rereading the book and I was noticing, in my reading, how much was changed between book and movie. I've also been exploring the Harry Potter Lexicon and am finding it an interesting site to visit. There are lists of differences between the movies and books and I've looked there after compiling my own lists to check if I've caught most of the changes.

As a cat lover, I enjoyed reading about Crookshanks and the rather important role he played. I think I may have to knit myself a Crookshanks cat. My sister knit a cat that I think makes a perfect Crookshanks.

She made up the knit pattern but I'm not sure if she's written it down or not. Even if I had the pattern, it seems like it may be a bit complicated and I'm not sure I would be up to it. I may instead do this pattern with some really fuzzy yarn.

I'm taking a small break from reading Harry Potter to read the latest Richard Jury mystery by Martha Grimes.

Happy Knitting. Happy Reading. Happy Listening. Happy Watching.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

A (repeat) introduction...

I put the first copy of this intro in the comment section of the first post.
Now that i'm officially a part of the KAL, i figured it would be best to re-post it!

My name is eKNITbeth and I'm a Ravenclaw (Hufflepuff was a moderately close second). To prove it, I have done the research ;D (I sampled a variety automated sorters and HP communities with essay tests, about 8 in all). I would be thrilled that I will be able to post about the HP books (my favorites are GoF and HBP) and movies (PoA is the best). I've shipped Ron/Hermione (and Harry/Ginny, before it actually happened) since the beginning. My husband tolerates my obsession (read: he'll watch the movies, but not read the books--fie). I have not yet knit anything HP related, but I have scouted all four movies thoroughly for every knitted garment/blanket/tea cozy etc. (there are a rediculous number of them! i love it!)Alright, enough already!

Happy Knitting/Reading!
E.

Order of the Phoenix movie

So if Order of the Phoenix comes out it in aprox. 117 days when will it be released on DVD? Not that I am planning on missing the movie- but w/4 kids and life- one never knows.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

How much of a geek...

How much of a geek are you?

Me? Sometimes I scare myself. I reread book 1. Loved it. I still think it's my fav just because it's all 'new', the introduction to the Wizarding world and Hogwarts.

One thing I heard about on Mugglecast #79 (which I love and if you don't listen to it, I highly recommend it) is the 7 'tests' Harry has to complete before getting to the Stone (Fluffy, Devil's Snare, Keys, Chess, Troll, Potions, Mirror) actually reflect the 7 books. You should check it out. Very interesting theories talked about.

Anyway, as mentioned I'm a geek.

How so? (Besides the Potter Podcasts and belonging to a Potter KAL?)
I have book 2 in three forms.
I've got the book by my chair. The CD is in my car. And I have it on my IPod for when I'm doing chores.

At least this way I know I'll get through them all before the last *sniff* book comes out.

As for my Knitting, that's come to a screeching halt. I either have tendonitis or carpal in my left wrist, so my knitting is hidden in the closet for a week. Oh well, I'll be sure to catch up on Harry!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Is this really true

I heard that the actor who played Hagrid, in all the movies, died.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Contest Update!

As posted under the Contest rules, I wanted to remind everyone:
The first contest will be from Feb to April. All projects from these first three books should be submitted by Monday April 2nd, and the winner will be announced the following Friday, April 6th.

If you have a submission, please post about it (again if you've already posted once) the week of March 26th to April 2nd. In the post, please include a picture and a description of what you knit/crocheted and why you made it. Only finished projects need apply ;-) (you still have time to compete; there's Contest Part Two in July!).

A question to the KAL- would you like to vote on it? If so I would ask you to email me (Em) at knitter.natter@yahoo.com after April 2nd, so you can consider all options. These votes would not be released and, while I think they would be a BIG help, they would not be the final factor determining the winner. So I leave this up to all our lovely members, if you'd like to participate. We'll make a decision to voting based on comments.

I'll be sending the contest prize the week of April 9th and it will, more than likely, be determined by what your house you're in. I'll say no more now...

You're all keeping up beautifully! I can't believe how much more fun it is to read the books and knit the projects when there's a forum to discuss it! Thank you for participating so enthusiastically!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Chamber of Secrets Movie Discussion

I finally watched the Chamber of Secrets movie over the weekend- long delay in posting.
Some things that I liked
  1. Mrs. Weasley's sweater was awesome.
  2. The flying car
  3. The quidditch match graphics
  4. Dobby vs. Malfoy at the end
  5. The self knitting knitting needles and the pan washing in the sink.
  6. What is the purpose of a Rubber Duck.
  7. Aragog
  8. Draco's comment to Crabbe/Goyle about reading- goes back to my earlier comment about wizards early ed.
  9. I thought that the movie was well done.
Some things that were kind of wrong:
The Weasley family clock- to big, in Order of the Phoenix Mrs. Weasley carries it around.

I guess that this is one of my Favorite movies. Very entertaining, great graphics and followed the story line.

Hello, My name is Scarlett and I am a Harry Potter addict

Hello, I am Scarlett. Please excuse my tardiness as I am going thru menopause and seem to be terminally forgetful lately, in addition I am prone to procrastination. I finally made it over here today and have enjoyed reading everyone's postings and projects.

I was introduced to HP right before book 4 came out by a coworker. I kept hearing HP mania stuff on the telly, and she lent me the first 3 to read. I was instantly and totally hooked. The feeling that I get from the books is a wonderful sense of connection, identification and fantasy that there really is a wizarding world. I am amazed at the depth of the immagination of JKR and how she creates such a believable world.

I have all the books in hardback, the latter 3 (books 4,5,6 were picked up at the midnight parties). I was so excited on book 6, that I took a flashlight with me so I could read it in the car on the way home. I read for the next 8 hours until I was finished. I think it is my favorite one so far, but I keep saying that after every edition, so go figure. I also have all of the DVD's. I think movie wise the last two movies were the best adaptations. I have a few collectibles and two sets of pj's of Harry Potter stuff.

I had yet to make any HP craft things. I see wonderful computer generated work but alas, don't have a working printer. And my painting and drawing skills are squibbish. I can't draw a straight line with a rules.

I was weaned on crochet but like the look of knitted garments and this year seriously dedicating myself to becoming a advanced knitter.

So, I am enjoying seeing everyone's stuff so much that I can not decide what to do for my first HP project. The weasley sweater has been ruled out as my hot flashes make warmth unbearable. I could make a scarf/hat set, or dobby's socks, or a S.P.E.W hat or Molly's sweater. Those are my choices and I need to decide soon. I am leaning toward's Molly's crocheted sweater though. What other ideas are floating out there? I defintely need some attire to mark the last book and plan on dressing to the nines.

Thanks to the organizers for hosting this wonderful interactive event and to all the participants. Now that I am here, I am totally here. And getting excited.

FO

I finished the Weasley iPod (formerly cell phone) cozy over the weekend. Here's a photo of it drying:




The neck doesn't roll as nicely as the original and my intarsia's not perfect - but it's good enough for me.

We're planning a Harry Potter event at my store, 3 Kittens Needle Arts, and we just received a large shipment of Plymouth Galway and Encore in the various Hogwart's house colors, so my next project is going to be a house scarf for our store display. Unfortunately, not all of the colors are in yet, so I shall have to wait a week or two (after my vacation next week) to start it.

I'm also trying desperately to finish my current book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (very un-Harry, but interesting nonetheless), so I can reread Sorcerer's Stone. I watched Chamber of Secrets last weekend (I looked for Sorcerer's Stone, but I can't find it anywhere!), but I'd really like to reread the books not just watch the movies. I think the books have so much more depth that can't be covered in a 2 1/2 hour movie no matter how well they're done. I'm hoping to finish The Book Thief tonight.

By the way, I haven't seen any mention of Harry's sweater in Sorcerer's Stone - the one he's wearing along with some p.j. pants for in the the scene where he figures out how to communicate with Tom Riddle's diary. Anyway, it is a maroon or reddish color with three large cables up the front and the rest is done it what looks like a k5, p1 (or so) rib. It looks like it would be a fairly simple pattern to write up - it's just a crewneck, long sleeve sweater.





Monday, March 12, 2007

crochet and knit progress!


i have started the Animal Cracker Hat, making it out of Lopi and re-writing the pattern to make it an easier knit (i hope)











and here are the crocheted sleeves for Mrs. Weasley's sweater that she's wearing in the COS movie. i'm making it out of Paternayan and i'm loving it, except the way the pattern is written is kind of weird. i'm going to conact the designer when i'm done, as i've been making notes along the way. i'm at a standstill for a week or so, as i ran out of green. i'm going to make the body of the sweater out of Nature Wool, in a variagated pink. in the pictures i have, it's hard to tell what the body of the sweater looks like, since Mrs. Weasley is also wearing an apron. so, i'm improvising it but it should be wonderful!

here's a picture from the movie, in case it doesn't sound familiar.

i love the discussions about the books - i keep listening to them on cd while i work on these projects. it helps keep me motivated and makes me feel more involved. i feel like such a geek sometimes, but at least i am in good company!!!!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Felted Wizard Hat

I have searched and cannot find this pattern available. I do not want to infringe on copyright or anything...if anyone has suggestions. I can photo it and place a link to.......
It is titled Felted Spiral Wizard Hat by Valerie Calley 2002, takes 250 yds bulky wool, size 10.5 or 11 dpn and 16-20 inch circular.

PoA Discussion

I've just started re-reading Prisoner of Azkaban. What struck me right away when I started re-reading the books was that Hagrid borrowed Sirius Black's motorcycle to deliver baby Harry to Dumbledore and the Dursleys. And now in PoA I'm struck by noticing that everyone so far, including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are convinced that Sirius Black was Voldemort's second in command.

So (and maybe this will be answered later - but I've forgotton lots over the years) was Sirius Black working undercover to penetrate Voldemort's group?

If he was working undercover, who were the ones who knew about it? Certainly Hagrid had no worries about him, otherwise he would not have borrowed the motorcycle. I would imagine Dumbledore knew too. But did McGonegall know? So far in my reading, and I'm not yet all that far in the book, it seems that almost everyone (maybe even including Lupin) are warning Harry about Sirius Black. But surely some know that Sirius was wrongly accused. Who are those people?

In PoA, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione go visit Hagrid at night after the Hippograff incident, Hagrid was a bit tipsy. After he sticks his head in water to sober himself and realizes that the three were visiting him at night, he yells at them that they should not be wandering about at night. Is this because he's worried about the dementors, or about Sirius Black? I can't imagine that he would be worried about Sirius Black if he wasn't back when Harry was a baby.

Anyway - those are my questions so far.

I'm hoping that everyone in Ravenclaw (and the other houses also) are doing well and that their projects are going well.

My tie is coming along. I've used up all my blue and bronze yarn in the striping up the front of the yarn, so now I will have to just do the back section of the tie in boring solid navy. I have other projects going as well and will post some new pictures soon.

I am very happy to welcome Jo, our Ravenclaw ghost, and all other ghosts to the blog!

Hello

Hi, I have been reading away and hopefully catching up with all you industrious readers :) I have been thinking a lot about what I want to knit though as my next project when my Yule gloves are done. I was thinking of socks, house elf socks, with all my left over yarns...but then I saw the socks in the new Knitty called Quill and, well, it just struck a cord with me. How Potter-ish :) I'm not sure they are what I will end up knitting but I am in a real mood ofr socks right now so who knows...

Hope everyone is well and happy. I have been having so much fun reading all the posts and commenting like a mad thing! Have a great week!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Attention Hufflepuffs

Hi fellow Hufflepuffs, this is Janet your Prefect checking in w/everyone.
How is everyone doing reading/listening to the books and/or watching the movies? What about projects? April 2 is right around the corner.
As for me, I am going to watch Chamber of Secrets - hopefully tonight. And I checked out Prisoner of Azkaban on tape (hope this tape isn't messed up).

This is a pic of my project: It is a sock being made all from stash- I know that the gray is at least from the late 80's. I am trying different patterns and techniques on this. All the gray has to frogged as the knit one purl one pattern I was doing got lost. I cast on last Sunday the 4th.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Jo's Intro

I've already been sorted into Ravenclaw and Em was nice enough to put
my name under Ravenclaw in the sidebar (Johann).

I would LOVE to be the Ravenclaw ghost!!!

I blog at www.xanga.com/lostarts with a cell phone. Blogger doesn't
support this or the computers I have available at work. So I can
comment, but not blog. This really makes me feel like a ghost!

I'm going to keep looking for a computer to post from (maybe the
library?) but if I find one it'll probably be inconvenient. So I'll
probably continue to only be able to comment most of the time. Being
house ghost would be perfect.

I used to belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), which
is a group of historical reenactors that does the Middle Ages and
Renaissance. It gave me an opportunity to live in the Middle Ages for
a while.

Since that's where most of the lore about witches comes from, I've
picked up a lot.

When I go to the Renfair, I wind up bewildering somebody sometime
during the day. At the last one, I found a fellow Scadian, and we
happily blazoned our arms to each other, while the rest of the group
regarded us as if we were speaking Greek.

I started a Ravenclaw hat in navy and silver on Tuesday and finished
it on Wednesday. I love it, and have started another one in blue and
bronze. I've just finished the rib at the bottom. It should be done
before the weekend.

I didn't remember how the very finish of it goes. I watched PoA again,
but there weren't any hats of this type. I don't think there were any
in Stone, either.

Anyway, I decreased to 3 sts and did a short I-cord, which I tied into
an overhand knot. It's a nice finish, even if it's not correct.


Jo

Felted Wizard's Hat

I keep checking the comments on Cheryl's blog entry a week or so ago with the great photo of the felted wizard's hat pattern to find out where she found the pattern, but she hasn't told us yet. Cheryl, if you're out there, I'm dying to know where to get it!

Thanks!

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Cell Cozy Beginnings

I started making the Weasley Cell Cozy today. I'm using left-over, unidentified yarn which I think is Cascade 220. It's knit in the round on DPs until the "R", then split and worked back and forth, first on the front of the cozy, then on the back.Unfortunately, as you can see from my photo, the cozy is going to be a bit big for my phone. I think it may fit my iPod, though, which actually needs a cover more than my phone. It's been really quick and easy to make, and I think I'll get it done before too long. I'm in meetings all day tomorrow, but unfortunately they're not the kind where I can knit. SIGH! But, tomorrow evening I should be able to finish up - and maybe watch Sorcerer's Stone.

On the Subject of Wizard Fashions...

As a follow-up to Janet's earlier post on wizard wear I ask you, where are the hats? I forgot the kids were expected to have hats, until re-reading SS and noticing it on Harry's school supply list. J.K. mentions the professors, too, wearing hats in these first two books, but we never see anyone wearing hats in the film (McGonagall is the only I remember wearing the tall, pointed, black hat described in the books; I've not re-watched either of these films, though, so I could be wrong here). Will we see more about hats in the next four books (I can't remember!) and why did the movie versions leave them out? Is tall, pointy headgear only cool in the book wizarding world, but not the muggle film world ;-)?

My S.P.E.W Hat Project

S.P.E.W. #1

I started my first S.P.E.W hat the other day. I am a terribly slow knitter. What I wouldn't give to learn to Charm my knitting needles so they'd knit fast or by themselves. That would take care of my stockinette boredom. Of course, I have been hiding this from my husband. I have a lot of unfinished knitted items I need to finish up.

Anyway, I am going to finish off the top with an I-cord knot. The stitch pattern is called Peppercorn Stitch...it's sort of a bobble. It reminds me of an old lamp my mom had...which inspired me for the next hat....same stitch patt, but this time I'll add a ruffled brim. After that one I'll knit a beehive hat. I am just not sure if I want to knit it in yellow or go for an off ball color...

Lady Live

Sorry I've been so quiet lately. I just wanted to drop a line before I go off to my LYS for some wonderfully Slitherin green yarn.
I'm thinking I want to make maybe a Lady Elenor or Danica type scarf in green and silver.
My house colors... I'm using Lambs Pride Worsted in Pine Shadows and Silver Gray.

You can see that the green has some silvery grey mohair in it, its a touch bluer then most of the greens but I think the two of them together will be very nice.
I also wanted to post this very very addicting Harry Potter game that is online. Its kid friendly too. I've been playing for days...great to play when you are knitting:
You sign up choose a house and start to play. Its a rpg game so its never ending.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Sorceror's Stone movie Discussion

Finally I watched the movie. I kind of discovered it in the VHS movie stash.
Now some thoughts on the movie.
  1. I still think Hagrid's house fits him better in the movie, instead of the wooden one in the book.
  2. School uniforms? I understand the robes, but the clothes and ties. I would think that wizard kids have no sense of fashion and would wear anything.
  3. I really like Mrs. Weasley's cardigan.
  4. Also how could Harry live in a cupboard w/o alerting officials?
Ok now some of my favorite things:
  1. Hermione's wild hair- very wizardry.
  2. The beds w/ coverings
  3. The quidditch match and the announcer.

Monday, March 5, 2007

House Scarf's Beginning

I cast on the night before the Oscars, but as you can see, I have not made a lot of progress in a week.




I am 2 rows away from the next section of stripes. This is one big investment of a scarf. Could take until July 21st to complete! I am not the fastest knitter out there btw.

I still haven't started either book yet. Honestly, I just do not know where the time has been going these past 2 weeks.

Thanks for the Butterbeer recipe in the comments - mmmmm. Butterscotch Schnapps and Cream Soda. Sounds like something I am going to have to mix up for myself.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets discussion

Alright I just finished reading Chamber of Secrets and discovered:
  1. On page 149, Hermione is called Miss Grant, not Miss Granger.
  2. On page 333, Harry is told that Lord Voldermort put a bit of himself into Harry.
  3. We now have encountered 2 of the horcruxes.

Ahh... Butterbeer. What is it? We know that it is a drink, for adults and kids. Since books leave so much up to our own imagination- one can only speculate. My interpretation of Butterbeer is that it is flavor of cream soda and liquid Heath bar (chocolate removed) mixed together. Butterbeer is probably very similar to apple cider it can be hard (alcoholic) or soft (juice) served cold or hot.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Joining In

Hi, everyone! I'm Laura, and I'm really excited to be joining this KAL. I own a yarn store in Minnesota called 3 Kittens Needle Arts. Tiffany (Gryffindor prefect) is one of our employees. I was lucky enough to see her Molly Weasley sleeves today at the store - they're stunning!

I started reading the 1st Harry Potter book to my son back before the books started gaining popularity here in the U.S., and I have been hooked ever since. I've read the 1st book 3 or 4 times and most of the other ones at least twice. I want to re-read the whole series before the next book comes out, but I'm not sure I have time. So I thought I'd listen to them on my iPod while I'm driving. I've listened to all of them off of CDs that I've borrowed from the library, but I thought since I have my iPod, I'd just download them onto there and listen that way. Unfortunately, the audio book service I use, Audible, doesn't have the books! WHY?? So now I'm going to have to figure out something else.

I'm not sure what I'm going to knit (or crochet) yet, although I'm leaning toward Hermione's cabled hat or the Weasley Cell Cozy. I also like the idea of a sorting hat. We'll see...

Thanks for letting me join. Check out my blog at www.k5tog.blogspot.com.

Wizardry


I should be getting ready for work but wanted to post a pic of this delightful pattern....I am in a felting frenzy so am going to peruse the stash and whip this up next week sometime.


My House Project

I finally started on a project in my house colors (Ravenclaw - blue and bronze). You can read more of the saga on my blog . I'm knitting a tie.



The yarn is my own handspun and I'm not using any pattern. I'm doing double knitting, which is an easy way to knit a tube using two straight needles. For those who haven't ever tried it, all you do is cast on an even number of stitches, then knit one, slip one purlwise with your yarn in front, and repeat to the end of the row. And then you do the same thing on the way back. This will give a fabric that looks like stockinette on both sides.

I'm going to continue the color pattern until the front of the tie is done or until I run out of the bronze and blue (what you see on the pic is all that I have of those colors).

In other news, I'm continuing to read Chamber of Secrets.

Harry Potter Mania in Oregon...


Greetings from the great state of Oregon!!! I just wanted to send in a quick post before the computer gets packed up for the move to Hillsboro. Currently we live in Tualatin. Both are in the Portland area in case anyone is not familiar with the state. Anyway, I will write more later when I have time.

Angela - Ravenclaw

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Harry and I aren't getting along

Ok I am not doing so well in the Harry Potter thing. DH rented Sorcerer's Stone for me on Saturday, I didn't get around to watching it until Tuesday night. I tried to watch it on the laptop but the device kept restarting the movie. By the time the scene where all first years were gathered in the hall came up I had restarted 5 times. I then attempted to watch it the next am on the DVD player and TV, but fell asleep. In the meantime I am starting to listen to Chamber of Secrets on tape- but the tape is worn out. So now I have to read Chamber in my spare time and re watch Sorcerer's.
As for my knitting I am frogging quite well. Does Frogged items count?
Think I will make myself some hot butterbeer and curl up w/Chamber tomorrow night.

MaryBeth's Intro

Hello Everybody!

I know, I am late.... the belated MaryBeth :)

I AM excited about this! As if I needed more enthusiasm about knitting LOL.

Not only have I been re-watching all the Harry Potter movies, having my son search for where the books have been mislaid, but I have had my hubby getting me the books on audio for me to be able to knit and listen too!

I am so wanting to make some socks for house elves. My friend's daughter is always saying she is a elf (when you ask her if she is Shannon, she says *NO! I am an ELF*, so I call her their house elf :) I want to make her a pair of socks. I am thinking maybe some in Griffyndorf colors for her to wear around the house, nice bulky warm ones. That would start my KAL for this project along very nicely :)

Stay warm everyone!
MaryBeth