HSKS Trivia 1

Trivia

1. "What happens if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" "Throw it away and punch him on the nose." Which two people are talking?
Harry and Ron

2."If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest." Who say this?
Ron Weasley

3. When sitting on the wall next to Professor Dumbledore at the beginning of the book, who does Professor McGonagall bet was the wizard responsible for the shooting stars seen by Muggles over Kent?
Dedalus Diggle

4. Known by the students as Nearly Headless Nick, what was Nick's actual name?
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington

5. When venturing into the Dark Forest with Hagrid for their detention, who is the first centaur Harry and Hermione see?
Ronan

6. We know that Parvati Patil was sorted into Gryffindor house, but what house was her twin Padma sorted into?
Ravenclaw

7. What colour do the flames turn when you use Floo powder?
Emerald green

8. What colour tie was Cornelius Fudge wearing when he came to take Hagrid to Azkaban?
Scarlet

9. After running away from the Dursley's, Harry took up a room at the Leaky Cauldron. What number room did he stay in?
11

10. While Ron, Hermione, and his other classmates are in Hogsmeade, Harry stops in for a chat with Professor Lupin. What did Lupin tell Harry he had just taken delivery of for their next lesson?
Grindylows

Picture Scavenger Hunt
The pictures can either be posted on your blog or you can link to them from your blog.

Harry's Aunt
Whomping Willow
Cornelius Fudge
Buckbeak
Emma Watson

sort of like swatching..

Today I worked on my bag for the swap, it is all done but for a fixture I need to pick up on Tuesday (when the stores reopen).

Since I was drafting the pattern myself, I had to go search the house for a geometry set (you'd think with all the math being done around here that wouldn't be hard). Right angles confirmed I made a mock up out of an old shirt that didn't work out quite right. It was definitely worth doing the mock up (which I almost never do), it enabled me to work out what kind of seams to use where - though I did have to make a few more modifications on the final project. Then I took out the fabric for the project, (why did I buy 1.5m of it when I hardly needed a foot....). I learned some interesting things while working with the actual bag material:

1- I like natural fibers best even in sewing
2- fray check will actually re-solidify on this stuff and peel off
3- circles suck (well I figured that out with the mock up, but they really suck with slippery, synthetics)

But the bag looks lovely - though I'm not sure if I should/am allowed to post pictures if it is for a swap... I'll put some up eventually. And now I have enough material to make another 6 at least.

Anyway, back to the nightie I go, I'm nearly to the waist shaping.

Wool gathering

Today was a good day - as most of it was spent shopping or knitting (and I finished Iter, bonus).

I went to Lettuce Knit to pick up some of the necessaries for a couple of projects and my HSKS2. I noticed a red in the Euroflax I didn't see before, I think that is what I want to use when I do one for myself. I also picked up some Mini Maiden (half silk, half wool) it is soooo soft. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, I'll probably stash it and then collect a few more in matching colours then maybe do a shawl or some such.

My next stop was Lee Valley, where I got dowel rods to make into needles (and a book on the navy). I am ever so excited to try it, I love the idea of being as involved in the total knitting process as possible so making the tools ranks way up there on the 'how cool is that' scale. [It remains to be seen if I can execute, but I look forward to trying anyway]. BTW: that store is amazing! It was a very dangerous place to go into, I'm terribly lucky I didn't leave with plans for a roll top desk or a boat...

Question: could pen blanks be used to make effective spindle shafts?

Later I went back to Michael's for a few things and hit up Fabricland for bag making supplies - I think ours might be closing. After that I found a few things I still lacked at Zellers.

The rest of the night was knitting- I've finally got started knitting the nightie from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I am very much enjoying it, I'm nearly finished the lace at the bottom for the back. (Which is a good thing since I need to have it done soon, very soon...)

HSKS Questionnaire

And it begins! My first swap and swap-y (-ish?) stuff.

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Ravenclaw

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars? um, I hadn't thought about it. I've been using clover bamboo ones and the knitpicks ones of late. I guess I like the bamboo better, but I'm not terribly fussy. I usually use either 2.25mm or 2.75mm (sometimes 3mm) at 6inches long.

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? I've been thinking about trying some of the other woods. I like to knit with something between 2.25mm and 2.75mm for socks, and probably 6 inches long.

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? I don't have really strong preference, but if pressed I like the movie colours better.

5. Do you have any allergies? Nope (though I may claim tarantulas, liver or squash if cornered)

Dishcloths and beads

First off: Tomorrow is the last day for sign-ups at the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap so go sign up!

So yesterday I finally got the car and made it to Michaels - which in my humble opinion is generally useless for knitting - but it is not bad for beads and baking stuff and it carries Bernat craft cotton, which most real yarn stores do not carry.

Bernat is wonderful for dishcloths, so I picked up a whack of it, in solids and some matching variegated colours and started making my first Ballband dishcloths from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I have one done already (well except for weaving in the ends) and another more than half done. I'm thinking I'll now start a Bernat stash for the sake of dishcloths...

But mostly I wanted to get to Michael's for beads and assorted bead related things. For you see, the HSKS kit includes stitch markers and I figured that was the perfect excuse for me to make some. I've never used fancy ones myself - usually just plain jump rings or the little plastic disks, but I'm always game to try something new. And I now have - um- 6 sets of either 6 or 4 markers, and plans for more. I made them in Ravenclaw colours (see previous post about why I'm in Ravenclaw) and Slytherin (because that is my real house) and purple (because my birthstone is amethyst). I have plans for ones in Gryffindor and Huffelpuff colours too, but I need to get back to Michael's first. I'll try to make that trip tonight or on the weekend, and pick up some more stuff because my OC personality has decided this is fun and therefore I need to make dozens and dozens of them.

(fun and pretty)

(and apparently I was having a problem with the focus....)

Socks socks and more... socks

I finished my first knee high! (also my first garment of my own design to be completed - if a sock can be said to be of my design....) It fits and is - amazingly- knee high. Now I need to knit the other one and then I'll do the post pictures and put the pattern into some semblance of sense and post that too. (Writing up patterns = way harder than designing and knitting it in the first place). Unfortunately it is June and the humidity has hit ergo I have little desire to wear socks at all let alone knee highs.

I've also started knitting the Chevron socks from elann.com. The initial cast on is a bitch, but it seems to be knitting up nicely. I'm using some self patterning blues and white that I had in my stash (the selection of this yarn being inspired by the next section). This is my second toe up sock, the first having been the test knee high (which is why it didn't have a mate). I'm not sure how I feel about this method - I don't think it was the best for me for knee highs -shapely thighs do not accommodate dpns (and I don't have enough circs in small/same sizes to knit them that way). I like top down, but I was stubbornly determined that I would not let the pattern defeat me. So I managed the toe shaping and learned how to make left and right leaning increases in the process. Anyway I'm liking the pattern and since fit beyond the foot is not my issue on this sock I don't think the toe up is going to matter much going forward.

(Here's what the sock looks like:)




And the last socks - I went and signed up for the Hogwart's Sock Kit Swap 2. I heard about it while listening to the SSK podcast (BTW - those things need warning labels the number of KALs etc. that I've wanted to join and yarn/roving to buy is just scary!) I joined, I am excited. I get to make up a package of goodies centered around sock knitting goodness and connect with other knitters. This makes me happier than it ought to, but it's been (and promises to continue to be) a stressy summer so I figured why not have the fun anyway. In order to participate I had to first be sorted, there were 5 quizzes listed on the side bar for that sort of thing, I did them all, I was sorted into all 4 houses!! I went with Ravenclaw, since it won the tie breaker - hence the blue based socks-, but I found it terribly amusing. FYI- if you are interested sign-ups are open until June 21.