i need this skill!

i didn't make this...but i like this necklace.
i think i might need to try some bead crochet...and soon!

i am back to working on this scarf.

firenze - classic sagittarius!

Firenze

Firenze is a centaur with white-blond hair, palomino body, and blue eyes (PS15). He trusts humans more than the rest of the centaurs; he let Harry ride on his back in order to bring him to a safe place and helped him understand that Voldemort was lurking in the Forbidden Forest and planning to get the Philosopher's Stone (PS15). At Dumbledore's request, he also agreed to come to Hogwarts and replace Sybill Trelawney as the Divination teacher, an act that caused the other centaurs to consider him a traitor and banish him from their herd. Hagrid stopped the centaurs from killing Firenze, and in exchange, he tried to warn Hagrid that his attempt to teach Grawp was not working (OP27, OP30). Firenze remained at Hogwarts as a Divination teacher, together with Prof. Trelawney, much to the latter's displeasure (OP38). - Anna L. Black, ed. ~ HP Lexicon

here is my amigurumi version of our dear firenze, seen here representing the astrological sun sign of sagittarius (november 22 - december 21) for the HPKCHC divination class assignment. (see earlier post!) not only is firenze a centaur hottie, but he is such a classic sag:

Sagittarius, the ninth Sign of the Zodiac, is the home of the wanderers of the Zodiac. It's not a mindless ramble for these folks, either. Sagittarians are truth-seekers, and the best way for them to do this is to hit the road, talk to others and get some answers. Knowledge is key to these folks, since it fuels their broad-minded approach to life. The Sagittarian-born are keenly interested in philosophy and religion, and they find that these disciplines aid their internal quest. At the end of the day, what Sagittarians want most is to know the meaning of life, and if they accomplish this while feeling free and easy, all the better. ~ astrology.com

this is a smiling firenze on a happy-go-lucky evening, when mars is behind a cloud and his friends are not busy kicking him in the chest.

i actually handed in some homework!

man. the past 2 months have not been my best. i have about had it with real life!

however, i did manage to pull it together long enough to hand in my Transfiguration homework in the HPKCHC for this month. Here's what i posted:

Addreamy of Slytherin here, signing up and turning in my transfiguration homework.

I chose option 2.

2) Taking an object or image from real life and Transfigure it with fiber. This can be done in any way you choose - e.g. spinning yarn to represent the colors of fall, making a knitted version of your cat, making a hat just like one seen on tv (Jayne Hat, anyone?). You are welcome to use a pattern, but you MUST post a picture (or detailed description, if it is from a book) of the object that inspired you - what you are Transfiguring, along with your completed assignment. CLARIFICATION: “Real Life” just means non-knitted. Fictional realms, characters, etc are welcome!

my real life object is a wizard hat. This can best be seen in the following still (I borrowed a muggle camera in order to provide clear evidence that wizard hats are not knit)




I adapted a pattern found in Charmed Knits in order to appropriately clothe Sydney in Hogwarts attire. As you can see, she would now make a good student - or she will in several years. She is only 7 at the moment!



I hope this meets with your approval!

hpkchc update

i have not been around the cup much. in fact, the note i got from my head of house wondering "where are you?"-- i just opened it up tonight and she sent it 2 weeks ago. not sure why the cup was not grabbing my attention like it did the first time around, but the last two weeks? well, they went down the toilet due to the re-org at work.

however, i am working on something now. it is for divination.
can you guess what it is going to be? :D

........

i did not finish the "shiny gold galleons" scarf i was struggling with last month. i used that ribbon i showed you and it did crochet up easy enough, but the sheen pretty much disappeared in the process.


plus...i was running out fast and it was not cheap.

so, i turned to gold cord.


ugh. true, it is shiny as can be, but it is stiff and cruddy for making circles. in the end, i tried just straight chains and intended to coil them up and sew them into flat shiny coins. it looked okay enough...but then time ran out. i threw out all my efforts.

as to crocheting with gold cord?
no.
just no.

niffler leg warmer

i, too, chose to tackle care of magical creatures this past month. my original hope had been to get an early start on my dog's halloween costume. alas, things didn't turn out quite as planned.

Here's what I posted on Ravelry:

Addreamy of Slytherin, here, signing up and handing in my homework.

My Niffler (who refused to come consistently when called, so never did acquire a working name other than HEY!) sustained an injury very early on in the month. I consulted with Hagrid, who claimed that long nasty scrapes were common in Nifflers, but due to the property of their blood, could not be healed magically. Therefore, he cleaned and bandaged the wound, but charged me with the task of keeping the Niffler from licking or removing the bandage.

Have you ever tried to keep an animal from mucking with a bandage? i tried several methods, including a bubble-headed charm (which interfered with the Niffler’s finding function and made it depressed), an impedimenta spell (which i have never managed properly and succeeded only in a series of low brick walls), and even a nasty-smelling potion. That was a disaster. ‘Nuff said.

Finally, i hit on making a “leg warmer” cover for the entire leg. This worked like a charm.


Having now returned my Niffler, i forgot to get a picture of her wearing it, tho, so my long-suffering springer, Sydney, was volunteered to stand in. Unfortunately, her paws are much bigger than the nifflers, so we could only get it on half-way!


The whole thing so traumatized my girl that she then had to take a nap….

working with something new

for the niffler challenge in care of magical creatures, i have chosen this golden "intermezzo" ribbon-yarn from trendsetters. the plan i have is to create a scarf out of golden coins.

so far it is challenging to crochet with since the 5/8" ribbon has its own little holes, but i have made two little circles so far. it might just work. :D

classes posted!

YAY!
HPKCHC classes have been posted today and they all look so interesting, i am not sure what to do. they have a bumper crop of students this go round and i was sorely tempted to get more involved in leadership there. *smacks head*

so for classes, we have

herbology: research project
"Your yarn must be 50% or more from plant origin, ie. bamboo, cotton, hemp, corn. Post must contain brand and fiber content, picture of finished object, and a description of what it was like to work with and how it affects the project. Points awarded based on complexity of project, wit, originality, and evilness. (Trying to bring the evilness into Herbology. Not as easy as it seems, folks, short of having everyone knit with Devil’s Snare…)"

charms: augamenti
"a) create something water-related, be it colours, waves etc. -or -
b) create something a little more literal like a goblet, something that imitates the jets of water or a fire hose (firemen optional but welcome and yes the professor knows where some minds will take this one and that is also fine :D)"

transfiguration: blocking
"Blocking is a form of alchemical Transfiguration, that takes your knitting and crocheted items from mundane to ethereal. Your assignment this month is to knit or crochet an item, and then transfigure it, through blocking, into a work of art."

potions: common cold prevention
"Pepperup Potion - Cures the common cold. You can identify someone who has recently taken this potion by the distinctive steam coming out of their ears for several hours after drinking it. But demand has been heavier than usual this year, and supplies of Pepperup Potion are short. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Knit, crochet, or sew something to keep somebody warm."

defense against the dark arts: “What I Fought On My Summer Holidays” -
"It’s September! The month for the traditional back-to-school essay about what you did on your summer holidays. Explain and show an example of which spell you practiced, creepy creature you fought, or scary Death Eater plot you unraveled over the summer holidays. Extra points for house colors, making the prof laugh, or being especially awesome."

not sure what the quidditch challenges will be...and OWLs...well, they are still out of my league, i think.


:D