A Charity Roar: A Few Projects!

Thus far this term, there have been a few amazing charity project turned in - I wanted to take the time to share them with you!

First to share her finished project in the thread, Knittingnearsided shared a square made from a thrifted chenile robe! She's got tons left, and I can't wait to see what else she makes with it!

Jeanub shared a baby afghan square in the group, which will be added to a blanket going to a local women's shelter!

I've been knitting away on charity hats for my OWL - but silly me, I keep forgetting to share photos in the thread! Are you like me, and have made items for charity but haven't shared them with the Mungo's for Muggles group yet? If so, head on over and share a photo, grab a badge, and join in on the fun!

A Charity Roar: Classes And Badges

Hello, hello! Another week has come and gone, and we're almost halfway through the month - how did that happen?!

For those of you who think charity first when plotting your classes for the month, this post may be of no help; however, many folks WANT to knit or crochet for charity but just don't know where to fit those projects in, or don't think they have enough time to knock an extra project out.

Never fear, Robyn is here! Below is a list of each class, and at least two knit and two crochet projects (free patterns, all!) that will fit for each class! As a bonus, each project is small enough that it shouldn't take you long to complete at all!

As for where to donate? Send those hats along to me for the Chicago Food Pantry, those scarves, mitts, and such can be donated to nest: Maine if they're made out of wool, and the squares can be made 12x12 and sent along to the Grffies blankets for babies group!


Transfiguration – Dragon

Option 2: Knit, crochet, spin dye, or weave something that displays the characteristics of particular breed of dragon. (provide the specific name of that dragon.) 

• Dragon Scale Keyhole Scarf (Ravelry link)
• Dragon Ribs Hat (Ravelry link)
• Dragon Skin Scarf (Ravelry link)
• Dragon Warrior Square (Ravelry link)
• Dragon Tail Hat (Ravelry link)
• Crochet Block: Scales (Ravelry link)

History of Magic (HOM) – Wizard transportation 

Option 2: Students will do well to remember that magical transportation comes with its own set of risks. Consider or report on first-hand observation the dangers involved in your chosen form of transport. 

For this option, story matters most -  hats, scarves and such would be wonderful ways to protect against fire burns while traveling by Floo Powder or to protect from splinching!

Arithmancy – Tessellation or Bees 


Option 2: Craft something with bees on it or relating to bees. 
 

For this option, there are a number of hats that look like hives or honeycombs!

• Honeycomb Hat (ravelry link)
• another Honeycomb Hat (ravelry link)
• crochet Honeycomb Hat (ravelry link)
• Honeycomb Beanie (ravelry link)

Potions - Craft something you can make in a short period of time that is just fabulous. 

Craft something quick and fabulous?! Just pick your favorite thing to knit or crochet and whip it up; don't forget to donate it to charity though! 

Muggle Studies – Muggle oceans not wizard 

Option 2 - Craft something inspired by marine biology.

• Stinky Fish Hat (ravelry link)
• Half Fish Beanie (ravelry link)
• Angel Fish Washcloth (ravelry link) - use this one as a blanket square!
• Slippery Fish Fingerless Gloves (ravelry link)
• Man's Little Fish Socks (ravelry link)

Care of Magical creatures (CoMC) – Quintapeds

Option 2: Transfigure! Use up your stash yarn or fiber and “transfigure” it into something new!

This is the perfect chance to use up that lingering stash! Those odd acrylic balls everyone has laying around in their stash work up into blanket squares in no time!

DADA – Random spells 

Option 2: Deflect the Antler Jinx! Craft something to protect your head. 


Option 3: Cast the Corn-Flaked Skin Jinx! Create something textured.

For either of these options, consider a hat!

Charms – Unbreakable Vow

Option 2 - Craft gloves, mittens or fingerless mitts to represent the way that the Unbreakable Vow wraps around the hands.

These are always in need - donate them to your local shelter or send them off to nest: Maine!

• Toast (Ravelry link)
• Maine Morning Mitts (ravelry link)
• Camp Out Fingerless Mitts (ravelry link)
• Owlings (ravelry link)
• Garter Stitch Mitts (ravelry link)
• Basic Fingerless Mitts (ravelry link)
• Beginner's Wrist Warmers (ravelry link)

A Charity Roar: Welcome To A New Term!

Welcome to a new term of charity knitting and crochet, Gryffindors! As we jump into classes, OWLS, Order missions and Quidditch, I wanted to take some time to review how Mungo's for Muggles works, and let you know more about the charity challenges we've got going already!

I'm adevinelife, and this term I've been joined by FlyKytten to bring you not only charity ideas, but tons of charity challenges! We've got two running right now - one that will continue throughout the term and one for January crafters.

January Yardage Challenge

Hey, everyone! FlyKytten here! Robyn and I were talking, and we decided to do Yardage Challenges this term! So, here’s the first!

For January, use up at least 300 yards of fingering weight in a Charity knit. Now, I know some of you (Robyn, I’m looking at you!) don’t like to use fingering weight! You have two options. First, you can step out of your comfort zone and crochet or knit something in fingering weight (say, a scarf?). OR, you can double or triple strand your fingering weight yarn. In the House Cup official submission for points, take your total yardage, divided by the number of strands, and that answer is your amount for yardage bonus. (So, 300 yards, triple stranded, equals 100 yards for potential bonus points.) HOWEVER. That same project, when you come in here to post it? You can count the ENTIRE 300 yards! Stash busting! ;)

When you post your homework, include this tag: M4MJan11YardageCharityChallenge Just in case the profs are giving bonuses for Unity or Charity! ;)

So, hop to it!

LARGE-SCALE CHALLENGE INFO

Looking for a way to give back in large measure this term? Love knitting hats but your family and friends have already reached their hat quota for the winter? Then join adevinelife on her quest to knit hats for a Chicago Food Pantry!

Thanks to the magic of Ravelry, I have the pleasure of knowing a woman who knits hats each year for a Chicago Food Pantry. The first week in December each year they have a holiday party for the children who have used the food pantry throughout the year - and last year over 1,000 attended.

Keep in mind this is just one of many food pantries in Chicago.

My dear Ravelry friend took to her needles a few years ago to try to knit hats for these children, but that many hats is too much for any one person to make in one year (even us magical folk might not be able to do it!), so I’ve stepped in to help her out! Last term I knitted along, and this term I’m calling all charitable Gryffindors who love to knit hats to join in on the fun!

Knit a hat, any hat. It can be for babies, little kids, bigger kids or teenagers. It can be made of wool or acrylic or cotton or anything else you can come up with! It can be for boys or girls, and in solids, stripes or any pattern you can find! Turn said hat into a class, and then share about it here! And then here’s the fun part - drop that hat in the mail to me!

I’ll be collecting hats all term, and sending a (hopefully) GIANT box of hats to my friend at the end of term, to keep ready for next year’s party!

Craft For Charity Thanks To Quidditch!

This term, there's a charity option for Quidditch! You can make up to 15 items, earning 15 points each (for 225 points total!!!) and make some items for charity in the process! Don't forget to share your finished items in the Mungo's For Muggles thread and grab your challenge badges as you finish projects!

Next week, I'll be sharing some ideas for charity projects you can turn in for each class, as well as some simple and fast ways to earn the challenge badges for January!

Welcome Gryffindors, New and Old!

Congratulations on being sorted into the noble House of Godric Gryffindor! All the Houses are awesome, but there's just something about Gryffindor that feels like HOME, and I know I speak for all of Gryffindor when I say that we are more than glad to have you!

There are several things that make Gryffindor different from the other Houses, so I'm writing this as a sort of "Get to Know Your House" message. I'm including lots of links to make it easy to find your way around the Seventh Floor--the Ravelry group where we are located. You don't have to participate in all the activities; in fact, it's very hard to do so, but we do like to have options. ;) They are meant to encourage you to earn more points, but they are all 100% OPTIONAL. Note: Gryffindor House activities require NO extra crafting!!!! Anything you are already making for points should be able to fit in here. We're also sort of known for liking shiny badges, and more activities = more possible badges. So without further ado, here are our activities this term (in no particular order):

• Chocolate Frog Cards: This seems to be one of the primary things we are known for. Hufflepuff has some too, but theirs aren't quite like ours. To get a Gryffindor chocolate frog card, you have to 1) be a Gryffindor, and 2) turn a project in for a class, Quidditch, and/or the Headmistress Challenge. Basically, you get a chocolate frog card for every class you complete throughout the term, as well as for completing Quidditch, and the Headmistress Challenge. AND you get entered into the Gryffindor prize drawing once for every chocolate frog card you earn. For those of you who'd like to keep track of all the chocolate frog cards you've collected, I've created a Gryffindor Chocolate Frog Card Master List here that you can download. I update it every month after the new chocolate frog cards are posted.

• Marauder's Missions: These were developed last term, and they were so popular that students from all over Hogwarts came up to the Seventh Floor to play. This term, however, you MUST be a Gryffindor (or a NQFY/SoS) in order to complete a Marauder's Mission. You can do up to two, and you can do any mission solo or as part of a team. Joining a Marauder's Mission team is a GREAT way to get to know your housemates if you are new!

• The Weasley Sisters Podcast: Yes, Gryffindor has its very own podcast, hosted by Head Girl StarKnits and Prefect NaturallyKnitty (who are sisters in real life)! They discuss all sorts of House Cup-related things, and sometimes they even have giveaways!

• NEWT/OWL Study Group: A place for us to plan and chat about our Advanced Studies (including OotP Missions). We even have scheduled chat nights devoted to this (although we sometimes have a hard time staying on topic)!

• Broom Cupboard: Links to projects that can be completed in just a day or two (because quite a few of us are procrastinators, and/or we get so caught up in the awesomeness of Quidditch that we forget we have yet to submit something for a class!).

• Take Up the Gauntlet Challenge: A challenge/KAL we're doing this term for mittens, gloves, and fingerless mittens/gloves. If you're planning to make a pair for any point-earning activity in the Cup, please feel free to join us! Oh, and there will be badges!

• Owl Post: RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) a fellow Gryffindor!

• Swap: We have a swap every term! Another great way to get to know your housemates! And who doesn't love swaps?!

• MCMCCM (Mission for the Collection of Muggle Cleaning Cloths for Molly): This term, we're helping Mrs. Weasley spice up her marriage by crafting as many dishcloths (and other muggle cleaning-related things) as possible during the first week of each month. (Oh, the things she does for Mr. Weasley!) If you turn EIGHT objects into one class (the same class, so ONE homework assignment; this is meant to maximize yardage bonus points), you'll be entered into a drawing for a Ravelry pattern up to $5. There will also be badges! (Did I mention we really like badges?)

• Spin-Along with the Weasley Sisters: The Weasley Sisters (from the podcast) are hosting a spin-along! Get out your wheels and spindles and spin for at least one class a month! Spinning is an EXCELLENT way to maximize yardage bonus points, because you earn bonus points for the number of yards multiplied by the number of plies in your yarn.

• Mungo's for Muggles: Gryffindors tend to be very charitable, so we have charity challenges every term (and you can earn... badges!!!!).

• Sock Club: Whether your planning your very first pair of socks, or finishing the last stitch on your 697th, come join us for love, support, encouragement, help, or just to show off your socks!

• Gryffie Gym: Our very own Certified Personal Trainer, Jajigirl, helps us find time to squeeze health and fitness into our crafting euphoria! Sometimes there are even prizes and--you guessed it--badges!

• Gryffindor Shops: Our very own corner of Diagon Alley! Links to shops owned by your fellow Gryffindors, with AWESOME handmade Harry Potter merchandise (most of which is crafting related as well; hand-dyed YARN, anyone????)!

• I'm Going to DYE!: Dyeing tutorials and tips from your housemates!

• Language Practice (for International Cooperation): Interested in learning a new language? Need to practice that language you learned in muggle high school? Take advantage of the resources available here, including the love, support, encouragement, and help your fellow Gryffindors are always there to provide!

• GRRRRRRRR!!!!!: A ranting thread to get it all off your chest.

• Writing Workshop: A lot of professors give bonus points for storytelling. Here's a place to get tips and help if you need it!

• Blankets for Gryffindor Babies: Interested in contributing a blanket square (or two, or three, or four, or more!!!!!) for a baby blanket made especially for a future Gryffindor? There's a thread for that!

• Scrap-ghan-Along: Blanket square-along! A great way to use up scrap yarn!

• WIP the 1st! Challenge: Every month, Gryffindors earn a badge if they submit a Detention project on the 1st. Getting WIPs out of the way is a great feeling! There's also a special badge for those who turn in Detention all three months of term.

• HoH Challenge: Our Head of House, Lupingirl, gives us a new challenge every month! You get a badge if you complete it!

I'm sure more House activities will be developed throughout the term. Participate if you want to, but please don't feel like you have to! We all have real lives, and nobody wants you to be overwhelmed! The House Cup is supposed to be fun, so do what YOU enjoy doing.

Again, welcome to Gryffindor! :)

A Charity Roar, Featuring Puffygryffinclaw!

I love it when a good charity crafting story brings me to tears - and that's exactly what Puffygryffinclaw did last week with her story of these cowls!

She's been using up some of her acrylic stash, holding it double to make these gorgeous (and simple to knit!) cowls for her church. In her words, here's what they're for:

My church group had several tables full of baby items as well as adult and youth items. Most of the adult items will be delivered this week to either one of the Family Shelters or a homeless shelter…in frosty Upstate NY, there are many who need our help to stay warm over the cold and snowy winters. Most of them don’t have access to much in the way of laundry facilities, so acrylics are the way to go.

My favorites are still the baby blankets…there is nothing quite as satisfying as knitting a blanket for a baby who may never get another hand-knitted item in his/her lifetime…love and a prayer in every stitch.

I love it! It's so easy to forget there is so much need around us here in the United States, and in places you forget to look. Your neighbors may struggle to pay for heat, and keep their houses colder to compensate. There are folks all around us in our own neighborhood who rely on our city's "heat fund" to help pay their bills in the winter and keep their houses warm. The gift of a simple cowl like this would make a HUGE difference!

Thanks for the reminder that we can always do tons of good in our own neighborhoods, cities and states!

A Charity Roar, Featuring PennyIA

I'm amazed and in awe of what PennyIA did this year - she knit 100 Hats for charity! During fall term alone she managed to knit 20+ for donation - and above is a photo of all of them in a group!

While she's not convinced 100 Hats is the way to go for charity goals in 2012, I think we all need to stand up and give a HUGE ROAR for PennyIA and her amazing accomplishment!

A Charity Roar, Featuring Mio!

This week, A Charity Roar is featuring Mio, otherwise known as Becky!

Becky crocheted up this hat (of her own design!) for September's DADA class to be donated to The Little Hats That Grew, which is a charity in Hamilton, Ontario that collects hats, scarves, and mittens for elementary school children. What a fun way to help out folks in your local area - I'm headed off to figure out if there's something similar here in Omaha!

A Charity Roar, Featuring Slothmuffin!

In this edition of A Charity Roar, we're featuring the amazing work of Slothmuffin, aka Kathleen!

Slothmuffin whipped up this gorgeous Olivia's Hat while watching Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows in September, and fell in love with the pattern while crocheting! This hat was added to her donation pile for the Children Of Pine Ridge, a charity many other Gryffindors knit and crochet for as well!

A Charity Roar, Featuring Jeanub!

Welcome to the newest column here on the Gryffindor blog -  A Charity Roar! Each week I'll be featuring charitable Gryffindors, knitting and crocheting (and spinning and dyeing!) items for charity for their classes, Quidditch, OWLs and more!

This week I'm highlighting Jeanub, who shared a great idea over on the Mungo's for Muggles thread - she makes dish cloths to include in food bags given out through her church!

Turning in a Christmas-themed dishcloth for Arithmancy this month, and shared her story - she and several of her crafty friends work up dishcloths over a period of time, and on the appointed "food distribution day" they add one to each bag of food heading out to a family in need. The dish cloths must be quite a pleasant surprise to folks!

I love the idea of finding a way to give locally to others, helping to brighten someone's day in a new way. I wouldn't have thought of doing something like this, but you can bet it's gone on my "ways to donate" list for the future!

Jean, thanks for your charitable heart!

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Want to share your charitable creations with the rest of the Gryffindor House? You could be featured here next week - simply be sure to share your charitable creations in the Muggles For Mungoes thread!