Aronie The Kitty Witch

Yes, this is Aronie the Kitty Witch. She started to come to form on 1/25/09 and was ready to protect and ward off evil this morning as soon her Hogwart's scarf was put on.

She wears a black witches hat, and a black cape, with her lucky Hogwart's scarf snugly wrapped around her neck.





Pattern: Amigurumi Kitty Witch
Yarn: Vanna's choice Black and White
Crochet Hook: C 2.75
Scarf Yarn: Parry Hotter colorway from Lorna's Laces, knit in stockinette stitch.

For now, I'm caught up on all my Hogwart's knitting, at least until next month 8) I'm now steadily working on my Swallowtail and will share with you tomorrow.

~~Lady Arabella Carmichael of Gryffindor

Lady Busta Gloves

I have a new project due for my Hogwarts - A Little Bit of Everything swap, for our Potions class. It's so cold in the room where we meet that we were given homework. Homework was to knit or crochet a pair of mittens to keep our widdle fingers warm during Potions class, and it's due today!

I went through 2 or 3 different swatched yarns, over 4 different patterns on Ravelry, and nothing seemed to satisfy me. So, after much procrastinating, I decided to devise a pattern for myself, exactly how I wanted them, and so I started this past Thursday on lunch. I visited Bobbin's Nest Studio for the first time, it's actually right around the corner from my job! Easy access is not good for a yarnaholic like me! I wanted to knit some gloves in my houses colors, Gryffindor, but just couldn't find anything I was happy with. I went with some real pretty green Rowan Felted Tweed in Worsted Weight.

Here's the first finished glove:



When I finished it, I liked it, but it needed something more. I decided to add some Crochet to it, so I did 2 rows of Single Crochet for the rim border of the mittens (around the knuckles), and then added shell stitching to the border of the base of the gloves. Then, I was happy, they turned out nice, and perfect for my Potions class.

I'm calling them "Lady Busta Gloves" because they have a lady'ish flair to them, but also have that bust'em up look to them.







These will be perfect for my Potions class, there small and don't inhibit the movement of my fingers and allow me to work my wand.

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed Worsted Weight, Green
I wouldn't use this yarn again, not for this project. It is nice, but not pliable, I would use a worsted weight sock yarn instead, and will probably make more soon.
Needles: US8 circulars
Pattern: Lady Busta Gloves (not yet written)
Yardage: Less than 150 yards
Methods: Stockinette, Crochet, Knitting in the round

Homework completed by:
Lady Arabella Carmichael of Gryffindor

Since I'm done with my homework now, I can share my recent splurge of yarn.
It's been a bit since I've bought any real new yarn, I've been holding back for months now, believe me it's been very hard. I had to completely avoid LYS's, but the ETSY's do get me now and then.

Some lovely Noro





More Blue Sky Alpaca 100% Organic Cotton yarn



I've also been moving along on my Swallowtail shawl KAL on Ravelry, I don't have updated pics, but will post some tomorrow. Now I'm off to go get another assignment done and also keep going on my Swallowtail. Talk to you later!

A Snitch in Time

I finished this Golden Snitch today, just in time for it to be done for the Hogwarts - Little Bit of Everything Swap.

I went with Raynor Gellatly's snitch pattern, easy, but magical.

I used yarn from my stash bag, and cast a spell on this snitch. It isn't your average snitch, it has a ring of magical yarn around it's belly. If you look closely, you'll see the crystalish yarn sparkle back at you, but you have to catch it first! If you catch this snitch, you'll have the glory and honor of laying your hands on the golden snitch.





(I apologize that you can't see the crystalish magical yarn, I was distracted by the snitches spell)



Until our next meeting muggles 8-) I have some yummy yarn I splurged today to share, but that will come later.

Lady Arabella Carmichael
Gryffindor

Show Your Stitches!

You heard me, show your stitches baby!

Whilst planning my visit to Stitches West this year, I thought it would be nice to show off some knits on the day of my visit. Since I'll be enjoying a full day of Stitches with Marisol I thought it would be fun for both of us to knit the same pattern to sport on our day of wooly dreamy paradise. Marisol being the "shawl queen" that she is was on board fast and opted for a shawl. We went through several patterns being that there is less than a month until Stitches West 2009.

After our searching we singled out one pattern, but before I share, let me say our endeavors took on another level. We started the "Show Your Stitches" group on Ravelry, for anyone that wants to show what they'll be "showing off" when they visit Stitches. So many of us go to Stitches and yet so many of don't show off our Stitches! So, if your've interested, feel free to join the group and share your projects. It can be anything from a glamourous stole to a knitted wristlet. Since there are Stitches every year, were hoping this will become an annual event where each year we share projects that are destined to be worn for visits to Stitches.

For Marisol and I, we are knitting along the Swallowtail! I started the other night, already frogged once because I tried to knit this tired at 11:30 p.m. at night, so teaches me, right!

I'm using the Black Madeira Fig colorway from the Magnolia Society club. I absolutely love this colorway, it's too irresistable and I'm loving how it's knitting up.

This is it's pretty skeined form



Ooh, yummy yarn cake



and voila, here's my seedlet shawl





I'm about 50% of the way through the first round of repeats which hits 195 stitches. I haven't spent much time on it, but so far so good. I planning on sporting this baby with a rich dark brown shirt and some jeans. If I have time I'll knit up some smaller coordinating projects, but for now my main goal is my shawl.

In other news, I've also joined a few groups or swaps... and here they are:

Love Bits swap
A Valentine vampire themed swap for all those gothic goodies 8)

Hogwarts A Little Bit of Everything
Harry Potter themed, obviously, unless you muggles don't know of this magical world? This is the first every HP swap I've been able to join, so I'm super stoked for this one.

My time is getting busy again, I just can't seem to keep it free, but how can you resist fun themed swaps and gorgeous patterns to knit?

Garter Stitch Mug Cozy for Hogwarts Swap

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan all around, I enjoy the imagination and creation of the entire series. For awhile now I've been just waiting to get into a Harry Potter themed swap, for some reason I always seem to miss the deadlines to join. Another swap I thought I missed again was the Hogwarts Swap - A little bit of everything. I wouldn't of known about this swap if it wasn't for my friend Devotion2Knit who posted her membership on her own blog. The deadline had passed, but I sent a PM to the Headmistress anyways, asking to be considered if there were any drops, and guess what!?! I got a PM the other day that there was a drop and now I'm in! I was so stoked when I found out that I quickly started researching the tests for the swap.

So here you go, my first from the swap, Quiz 1 assignment "Make a cup cozy in your house colors and post a picture of it on your blog by no later than 1/10/09".

I've actually been meaning to make some of these for awhile, just never got around to it. This was the perfect pattern for this quiz.

I pulled this from my stash (stashbusting 2009!), hoping it would be ok to use since I don't know my house yet, but I thought it still looks very Potter'ish, we'll see if I score points for my future house.



I don't know the name or brand of yarn, I lost the labels along time ago. It's left over from some Fair Isle gloves I made last year. It's very soft and warm, 100% wool. I gauged that there was enough of each color to make my cozy, I needed worsted weight yarn, so I decided to string these 2 together to make a decent worsted weight.

Pattern calls for the use of DPN's, I'm not a big fan of DPN's, but started with DPN's as instructed. I started last night about 10:30 p.m.



Once I got a good amount into it, I switch to circs, I just love circs.



When I finished the results were perfect, it actually somewhat looks like Fair Isle, doesn't it towards the base of the mug? I couldn't be more happy with the way the 2 yarns knitted up together.









Pattern details:
Garter Stitch Cozies from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 Edition
Yarn -> worsted weight
Needles -> US 7 DPNs
Mug size -> 4' in diameter and 3' in high (pattern is very adjustable)
MODS -> The pattern is an easy ready, but doesn't explain much for the ties. You finished BO with one tie, but you don't really have any instructions on creating the 2nd tie. What I did was take scrap yarn, and loop through the 1 tie I had, then choose a good area towards the end of the top opposite sleeve, and pulled the entire tie through the knitting, and formed a knot. So I only made 1 tie. I actually like it better than the 2 shown in the pattern picture because there's nothing flailing about.

I'm "Lady Arabella Carmichael" for the Hogwarts Swap (I love the name), and I haven't yet found a house, but I've requested Gryffindor, we'll see if I get in.

Until later muggles
8-)