Ideas for DADA!

Hello Gryffindors!

The theme of this term's DADA assignment seems to be travel! Here are the prompts:

Option 1: Craft a project inspired by Mongolia or Japan, where Kappas are most commonly found.

Option 2: Craft a project that you might take to the beach on your own future vacations.”
vox8 then adds with a wink, “Or

Option 3: Craft an object that represents one of your past vacations. We realize that some of you may not really be the beach type.”

So! Ideas for Option 1, Japan:

-Japan is heavily reliant on electronics, especially the personal kind. Any number of cellphone/iPod/iPad cozies would work, as would bags for laptops, messenger bags, etc. Here is my favorite iPhone cozy pattern: the iPhoodie.

-Design something with a Japanese character(s) in colorwork or double-knitting.

-The Japanese are known for their beautiful gardens; any pattern that is suggestive of vines, flowers, etc would work. Especially something reminiscint of cherry blossoms or koi fish.

-Other aspects of Japanese culture could be explored, such as the importance of wearing slippers in the home like these, or traditional dress such as the kimono (and there are a lot of baby kimono patterns!).

-Of course you can also look to Japan's topography and climate for inspiration: monsoon (bag), rainforest (socks), volcano tea cosy, island dreams shawl.

-No study of yarn and Japan is complete without amigurumi.

-If all else fails, craft something out of Noro! Those beautiful color changes could only have been inspired by the beauty of Japan and her people.


I admit to being a little stumped when it comes to looking for inspiration from Mongolia, because I know so little about it. But here is what Wikipedia tells me:

-Mongolia's flag is bright red, sky blue, and golden yellow.

-The main religion of the Mongolian people is Tibetan buddhism. Plugging buddha into the pattern search brought up a bunch of ideas. My favorite is these monks.

-Much of Mongolia is covered in desert steppes occasionally inhabited by camels. If nothing else, this is a great time to break out that camel-hair yarn!

-If you're looking for a bigger, more complicated project, Mongolia is a cold and windy place where these sweater and shawl projects would come in very handy. If, on the other hand, you would like a yarn-shopping challenge, go hunting for Mongolia by Dynasty Yarns. This yarn is part mohair, all fluffy and soft. And so pretty!

-Last, if you're feeling rather creative, Wikipedia tells me that Mongolia is the number one most sparsely populated independent country in the world. Those of you with artistic leanings can certainly come up with a project that represents this relative emptiness.

That's it for now! Before the end of the week I will be back with more ideas for DADA's options 2 and 3, and hopefully over the weekend I can post on Potions as well.

Happy Crafting! or, if Google Translate is to be believed, ハッピークラフト！