knitting in progress

So, here's what I've got on the needles:

a) a pair of mittens for my mom. Yeah. So, the deal is I'm making mittens from handspun for some family members, but for my mom, the yarn I spun up isn't enough. So, I found some teal malabrio, but.... that's also not enough guessing a previous pair of mittens, so I'm casting on with noro (green at the moment) and doing the cuffs in a natural brown from on line... and so, with four different yarns, maybe it will work out. I've been doing a pattern on the backs of the mittens, but I may just do stripes with this one, because of all the yarn switching.

b) a handspun garter stitch scarf. Years ago, years ago, I made all this yarn as my second spinning project. I was making it into a heavy, unattractive sweater, but now I'm unknitting the sweater into a big, soft, autumny scarf.

c) socks for me.

and not yet started: socks for my dad.

And I'm a person that likes only doing one thing at a time.... ah, the holidays...

ah, the last weeks of summer

I've been busy this summer, some family things, some other things, some school-related. I am trying to master a new spell, but with the ban on young wizards using magic outside of Hogwarts, well, I admit it's been difficult. But. I'm hoping, and gazing longingly at new starting materials. But I'd better see if I can make the first one first.

I also have tried a few new things with potions, some turned out happily, other's not so much, but that's the way of experimentation. You don't get to be a famous, sought-after romantic figure of a witch by sitting around and doing what other people have done. Actually, there's a lot of that too, no reason to sit around reinventing the broom... but at some point, you know, you just have to reach for the next height, whether anyone has been there or not.

potions homework, displayed

this is commercial shetland yarn (sport weight) dyed in a manner I'm going to call gradual immersion - you have a pot of dye, and every five minutes or so feed more yarn into it. So, the part in longest is the darkest. The tutorial on knitty has the yarn coming out at different times, which seemed unnecessarily messy to me.


Monarch yarn. I was debating between blue and pink and chose pink. I'm going to overdye the yellows and orange (and maybe the black, which isn't as dark as I'd hoped - also, kinda greenish) next week - mostly with random spots of color (mostly brown, red, and orange). Because it's dyed in a line rather than a loop - it'll produce a mirrored image stripe sequence.

hey, neat!

It looks like I won a House quiz! And Hufflepuff won the House Cup!

Both excellent things. I love being in Hufflepuff. :D

I wonder what I will get?

reflections

I was a bit brief about my kit, as I was hurrying out the door to a meeting. But I want to post another picture of my bracelet - soon. I love it so much, and you can hardly see it in the picture I took last night. I have been wearing it since I got it out of the box!

And here it is:


Actually, I couldn't be more happy with everything. Thanks, again, Avada! I've got my bracelet on and my pin on my bag, and those various knitting supplies in my knitting bag.

So, this meeting I went to? It was a local witch gathering at the Three Broomsticks. Well, it was supposed to be. But, although Genvieve and I had dispatched many owls with invitations to this event, it was just her and me. But I had a butterbeer and a chocolate frog, and we knit and talked about knitting and patterns and yarn, and potions, and it was very much fun. We hadn't seen each other in a while! We left when they were closing, and then stood in the street talking. Obviously, we need to get together more. But we were perplexed by all the witches who had said they would come and stood us up.

It is a strange phenomenon, our local group - it is full of witches who continually send in owls about how there are never meetings, and how they can't wait to have meetings, and then, when there are meetings, it's usually just me, Genvieve, and Lenora (who couldn't make this particular meeting). We find this behavior to be... amazing, in the old fashion sense.

my kit came!

The lovely Avada Abraxam sent me my kit! It's wonderful.

Here is the required stuff:

the yarn! so wonderfully autumny. The bag is completely adorable, so lovely! (I'm in awe - everything I try to felt turns out wonky...) The pattern looks amazing, the needles are just the size I wanted, and sweet stitchmarkers.

Here's a close up of the stitchmarkers:


And then the extras! So many extras!

a fancy chocolate bar, two Soaks (I've heard a lot about it!), a Hufflepuff colored bracelet (fits perfectly!) denoting my undying devotion to Ron Weasley, a bumper sticker, Ravelry pin (ooh, I so wanted one, too! I am such a Ravelry addict), a knitting themed ruler (to replace my forceps themed ruler!), pretty yarn and a pattern for a mini sock, and two little red point protectors.

Thank you so much, Avada! What a great kit!

quidditch

1. When Hagrid returns to Hogwarts after being sent to see the giants with Madame Maxime, Professor Umbridge questions him on his late return to school. She suspects that Hagrid had been to the mountains, but where does he tell her he has been?
d. South of France

2. Professor Umbridge comes to Hagrid's Hut and searches his cabin one evening (as she believes Harry, Ron and Hermione are there visiting him at night when they are not supposed to). When she walks past the place where Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry holds his breath. True or false?
b. False

3. A stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl is one of the members of the Advance Guard who rescues Harry from Privet Drive. What is her name?
a. Emmeline Vance

4. What is the name of the witch who was killed two weeks after the photo of the original Order of the Phoenix was taken?
b. Marlene McKinnon

5. Which two fifth year Ravenclaw students does Dumbledore choose to be prefects?
d. Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil

6. Which house was Rose Zeller sorted into?
d. Hufflepuff

7. What is the color of Murtlap's essence?
c. Yellow

8. Name the Ravenclaw girl who became prefect in Harry's fifth year.
b. Padma Patil

9. According to a healer's portrait at St. Mungo's hospital, which disease was Ron suffering from?
d. Spattergroit

10. Which book did Harry give Hermione for Christmas?
a. "New Theory of Numberology"

Padma Patil
Hannah Abott
Percy
Dumbledore's Army
Cedric Diggory

bonus: Twilight