Fall 2011

Okay, so I'm apparently not all that great at this whole planning thing, but I'm really, really, really going to try this time!!!

September

• Veyla fingerless mittens (for the Gryffindor Fingerless Glove Along September Challenge)
• At least one Grandmother's Favorite washcloth
• A few Wave blanket squares (for the Gryffindor Scrapghan-A-Long)
• A dyeing project
• Finish The Brightest Witch of Her Age for Detention

October

• At least one more Grandmother's Favorite washcloth
• A few more Wave blanket squares
• Summer Flies shawl
• Finish Dad's Vampy Sweater for Detention

November

• Commuter Fingerless Mittens (for the Gryffindor Fingerless Glove Along November Challenge)
• At least one more Grandmother's Favorite washcloth
• A few more Wave blanket squares
• Finish My Vampire Muse for Detention

Advanced Studies

• Four pairs of Bella's Mittens for my Arithmancy OWL (A Vampire Slumber Party, An Obsessed, Vampire Stalker, The World's Only Clumsy Vampire, and Just Like a Real Vampire)
• Gryffindor Hogwarts Scarf for the Order of the Phoenix

Quidditch

• TBD

I'm going to stick as close to this plan as possible!!! Third year, HERE I COME!!!

On another note, I started listening to a new podcast yesterday. Two fellow Gryffindors, naturallyknitty and StarKnits, started it not too long ago, and they're so much fun! They're sisters, and their podcast is appropriately called The Weasley Sisters. It's a knitting/spinning/Gryffindor podcast, so if you're interested in any of those things, you should definitely check it out! You can subscribe for free on iTunes!

My Rest-of-July Knitting Plan

I'm trying to get in the habit of blogging more often. Of course, it's been difficult to type anything lately, especially a long-winded blog post, because Salem thinks my boobs are the perfect place for a nap. I mean, really, have you ever tried typing with a kitten napping on your boobs?? It doesn't help that he thinks the perfect time for a nap is when I'm on my laptop and therefore paying less attention to him than he likes.

So, I've noticed that I tend to spend a lot more time planning to knit than actually knitting. Another way of saying this: I spend way too much time on Ravelry. My current effort to remedy this is a knitting plan for the rest of this month, along with weekly knitting goals. So, without further ado:

My Rest-of-July Knitting Plan

• By the end of this week (Sunday, the 10th):
• Knit 3 more balls on Dad's Vampy Sweater.
• Knit Hermione's Deathly Hallows hat.
• Knit 2 more panels on My Vampire Muse.
• By the end of next week (Sunday, the 17th):
• Finish knitting Dad's Vampy Sweater.
• Knit 3 more panels on My Vampire Muse.
• Finish knitting first Wave blanket square to block and measure.
• By Sunday, the 24th:
• Weave in ends, block, etc. Dad's Vampy Sweater.
• Finish knitting My Vampire Muse.
• Finish blanket squares.
• By Sunday, the 31st:
• Block, seam, etc. My Vampire Muse.
• Knit Summer Flies.

It's a lot for me, but I'm going to try really hard to get it all done!

My HPKCHC Plan for the Spring 2011 Term

It's the 1st!! Classes were posted super early, right at midnight PST (or PrincessOnica time, as it's known in the House Cup group), and excitement was so high, you could taste it! So, as of today, here is my plan for the term:

May

• Stirrup Socks for History of Magic
• House Hat for Ancient Runes (which I'm teaching this term! Squee!!!!)
• Helix Gloves for Charms
• Washcloth for... a class. I'm not sure which one yet.

June

• Godric's Hollow Hat
• Yummy Beret

July

• Sitio Stockings
• Romantic Fingerless Gloves

Advanced Studies

• Love Bites-for Him for my Muggle Studies OWL

Quidditch

• Quaffles: TBD
• Hallows:
• Elder Wand: Bella Swan's Baseball Scarf (if approved)
• Resurrection Stone: TBD
• Invisibility Cloak: Gryffindor Scarf

On a non-HPKCHC note, I restarted my fitness program today! So far, so good!

An Overview of What I've Been Up To

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged (Well, on my personal blog, this blog, anyway--I wrote for the HPKCHC Blog from January to March.)

What is the HPKCHC, you ask? Well, the HPKCHC is the Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup. If you're a Harry Potter fan, and you're on Ravelry, you should check it out! January through March was my first "year" at Hogwarts, and I was one of two First Year Bloggers. Anyway, if you'd like to read about my experiences being a First Year Gryffindor, here are linkies to the blog posts I wrote:

• January 14
• February 4
• February 11
• February 18
• March 10
• March 18

Now, the last time I wrote for you guys, I was still working on my first project. Boy, have I been a busy bee since then! I've completed quite a few projects, although none of them have been especially big. Rather than bore you with a list of all the things I've learned to do, I'm going to post pictures of some of the things I've made:

I've also been experimenting with Kool-Aid dyeing:

As you can see, most of the stuff I've done so far has been fairly simple, but I plan on changing that this "year" (I'm a Second Year Gryffindor now in the HPKCHC.). Yep, I plan on making a couple sweaters and a few really long scarves in the next three months. :) I'm even going to try my hand at designing (a scarf, nothing major)! Ravelry linkies to some of the stuff I've got planned as of right now:

• Love Bites-for Him (a sweater for my dad)
• 2 Werewolf Hats
• Stirrup Socks, Yoga or Pedicure Socks, and a few other pairs of yoga/dancer's socks
• Several more hats, such as a House Hat (from the book Charmed Knits), Yummy Beret, and Godric's Hollow Hat
• A Hogwarts Scarf (Gryffindor, of course!), Bella Swan's Baseball Scarf, Rosalie Has Been Bitten, and Seattle
• Several pairs of Bella's Mittens
• $5 in Paris (a sweater for me!)

Ooooooh, I'd also like to share my knitting library! Seeing as my very first blog post, back in November, was about my lack of any and all knitting books.

• Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter
• DomiKNITrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
• Knit Christmas Stockings!: 19 Patterns for Stockings and Ornaments
• Knitting for Dummies (2nd Edition)
• Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool (which is a spinning book, not a knitting book, but still)
• Romantic Hand Knits: 26 Flirtatious Designs that Flatter Your Figure
• Sensual Knits: Luxurious Yarns, Sexy Designs
• Stitch'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics
• Vampire Knits: Projects to Keep You Knitting from Twilight to Dawn

Well, I could keep adding to this blog post, but it's getting really late (3 AM where I am), and I'm getting sleepy, so I'm going to end it for now. I'll write again soon though! I won't stay away for four months this time, I promise. ;)

~Niccy