This month we are trying to protect against hexes. Since hexes are often not so nice spells there aren't very many specific hexes that we know of to try to protect ourselves against them.
While the class prompt specifically suggests trying to resist the Twitchy Ears Hex and the Toenail Growing Hex, there are a couple of others you could choose from.
Twitchy Ears Hex:
Pick any hat or head covering that also covers your ears, and you can protect yourself.
Toenail Growing Hex:
Any socks or slippers could fit here. If you make mini socks, remember to make a pair. The pair doesn't have to match, but there must be 2 socks. Unless it is a stocking and you sell the story that it is for Mad Eye Moody to protect his one real foot from the Toenail Growing Hex.
Other Hexes:
Bat Bogey Hex - A scarf or cowl would work perfectly here, just as long as your nose is covered.
Hurling Hex - Thought to be the hex used by Quirrel to throw Harry off his broomstick, gloves that would help you hold on to things would fit quite nicely.
DADA is a Wildcard class for January for the Chocolate Frogs.
Showing posts with label class tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label class tips. Show all posts
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Transfiguration January 2011
Happy New Year everyone, the partying has slowed a little and classes have begun.
This month our Transfiguration Professors must of known how much we over-indulged last month, they are letting us relax in the library. Don’t bet on the relaxing part though as I’m sure there will be lots of Vampires, Werewolves, Psychopaths, Deadly Viruses and maybe even Birds suddenly appearing.
Our Professors have ask us to pick a book, Harry Potter books and other J K Rowling’s books are not acceptable. They have issued this ruling on Comic/Graphic Novels,
To make a sweeping generalization, if it comes in issues and is flimsy, it’s a comic and not allowed. If it is bound like a book, it is allowed. If anyone has a title to suggest that seems to be in a grey area, please let us know!
Once we have picked our book we must: 1)Tell them which book was picked. 2) Craft something related to your book. Must be an HPKCHC approved craft (knit, crochet, spin, weave or dye). This information and other FAQs can be found in the page section of the header. 3) Let them know how your project relates to your book. 4) Don’t forget to add your yardage to the post also.
Projects that fit this class are endless.
Examples:
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (Star Wars)
Your project can be something a character might wear (sweater, socks, hat, mittens) or use (bag, washcloth, dishcloth) or part of a setting (blanket, pillow, flowers, birds)
The Professors hinted that there might be bonus points for exceptional book reports or picking a favorite book of the Professors. We need to start stalking these Professors, if you find out anything to help others please put your findings in the comments section.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
September Charms Suggestions
With just two days left this month, you might be thinking "How in the world can I get something done for another class?"
If you haven't completed Charms yet, there are several quick and easy projects that you can make.
What about a baby hat? Even if you don't have a little one in your home at the moment you can gift it to a friend or possibly donate it to a local hospital to put on a newborn.
What about fingerless gloves? They give your hands protection while giving you freedom to use your fingers.
Maybe a finger mustache to disguise yourself while breaking into Gringotts?
The sky is still the limit! You can do it!
If you haven't completed Charms yet, there are several quick and easy projects that you can make.
What about a baby hat? Even if you don't have a little one in your home at the moment you can gift it to a friend or possibly donate it to a local hospital to put on a newborn.
What about fingerless gloves? They give your hands protection while giving you freedom to use your fingers.
Maybe a finger mustache to disguise yourself while breaking into Gringotts?
The sky is still the limit! You can do it!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
September DADA Suggestions
Have you ever wanted to be someone else?
This month's DADA class will allow you to do precisely that. Every student is to take a swig of Polyjuice Potion and turn into someone else in the House Cup. As long as they are a current player in the House Cup every student is fair game. It does not matter if they are in your own house or in a different house.
Just like Harry and Ron needed to borrow Crabbe and Goyle's shoes and larger robes from the laundry room when impersonating the larger boys, it would serve you well to know a little bit about the person you will be transforming into.
Are they married, single, dating? Do they have children? What kind of job do they have, or are they still in school? Any outside hobbies beside knitting/crocheting/spinning/weaving? Do they have a favorite color listed in their profile? What about pets or a favorite animal?
Just pick a person who you might want to impersonate and look at their profile, projects page, and recent posts to get a sense of who they are.
As far as what project to make, that's the tricky part of this class because any pattern that you pick can help you transform into someone else. A hat that makes you look like a juggler, or a pair of mittens to make your hands appear to belong to someone else. Is the other person known for making a lot of toys, or maybe they make and wear a lot of shawls.
Something to keep in mind is that you must disguise yourself as someone else in the House Cup, not spouses or children.
When you turn in your homework don't forget to share who you are disguised as and how your project helps you to become a believable duplicate of that person.
As always, if you have questions as to if a project works, feel free to comment here, in the Class Suggestions thread in the Lion Pride group, or in our Common Room.
This month's DADA class will allow you to do precisely that. Every student is to take a swig of Polyjuice Potion and turn into someone else in the House Cup. As long as they are a current player in the House Cup every student is fair game. It does not matter if they are in your own house or in a different house.
Just like Harry and Ron needed to borrow Crabbe and Goyle's shoes and larger robes from the laundry room when impersonating the larger boys, it would serve you well to know a little bit about the person you will be transforming into.
Are they married, single, dating? Do they have children? What kind of job do they have, or are they still in school? Any outside hobbies beside knitting/crocheting/spinning/weaving? Do they have a favorite color listed in their profile? What about pets or a favorite animal?
Just pick a person who you might want to impersonate and look at their profile, projects page, and recent posts to get a sense of who they are.
As far as what project to make, that's the tricky part of this class because any pattern that you pick can help you transform into someone else. A hat that makes you look like a juggler, or a pair of mittens to make your hands appear to belong to someone else. Is the other person known for making a lot of toys, or maybe they make and wear a lot of shawls.
Something to keep in mind is that you must disguise yourself as someone else in the House Cup, not spouses or children.
When you turn in your homework don't forget to share who you are disguised as and how your project helps you to become a believable duplicate of that person.
As always, if you have questions as to if a project works, feel free to comment here, in the Class Suggestions thread in the Lion Pride group, or in our Common Room.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
May Herbology Class Suggestions
This months Herbology class follows the old rhyme - April Showers bring May Flowers
This class is another one wide open for interpretation because projects can range from as simple as a crocheted flower to pin on to a hat or shirt, or as complex as a shawl with a flower pattern, and everything in between.
The class has been split into two different options. The first being to create a flower embellishment. This is likely to be the quickest and most popular option, but also one with the most possibilities. Each flower will look unique and different based upon the yarn chosen and the flower you pick. Knit, crocheted, or needlefelted flowers will be accepted for this option. The item that is embellished by the flower you create does not need to also be created for this class. Making a sweater for DADA? Embellish it with a flower for Herbology, and you have two FOs together in one and class projects for 2 classes. Purchased items and items made previously (House Cup or not) can also be embellished with the flower that you make, but the points are given for the flower only.
Option 2 is to create an item with a floral motif on it. This is where fair isle socks (or iPod cozies or mug cozies, etc) would fit in, as well as lace items (bookmark, scarf, shawl, etc.) with a flower pattern. Large or small, it doesn't really matter, as long as it looks like flowers.
This class is another one wide open for interpretation because projects can range from as simple as a crocheted flower to pin on to a hat or shirt, or as complex as a shawl with a flower pattern, and everything in between.
The class has been split into two different options. The first being to create a flower embellishment. This is likely to be the quickest and most popular option, but also one with the most possibilities. Each flower will look unique and different based upon the yarn chosen and the flower you pick. Knit, crocheted, or needlefelted flowers will be accepted for this option. The item that is embellished by the flower you create does not need to also be created for this class. Making a sweater for DADA? Embellish it with a flower for Herbology, and you have two FOs together in one and class projects for 2 classes. Purchased items and items made previously (House Cup or not) can also be embellished with the flower that you make, but the points are given for the flower only.
Option 2 is to create an item with a floral motif on it. This is where fair isle socks (or iPod cozies or mug cozies, etc) would fit in, as well as lace items (bookmark, scarf, shawl, etc.) with a flower pattern. Large or small, it doesn't really matter, as long as it looks like flowers.
If you are super inspired by a certain color and want to dye yarn or spin something, PM the professor because the biggest part of this class is flowers.
Knitting:
springing up flowers - dishcloth
Knitted flower for bike helmet
fair isle flower sock - socks
upside-down daisy - hat
Crocheting:
Flower Dishcloth
Headband with flower
Flower square - granny square
Hawaiian flowers - blanket
Modell 14 - Bolero - shrug
bloom scarf
As always, if you have questions, feel free to ask!
May DADA Class Suggestions
This month, anything and everything is fair game for DADA. With your Extendable Ears you are to dive into the queue or project page of another player in the House Cup, specifically a player in any house other than Gryffindor.
The trickiest part of this assignment is to make certain that the person is a current player in the House Cup and that they are in a different house. It is a little bit easier to find projects that have already been made. CherrySprinkle first brought it up in the common room, and I'd like to expand on it here. You may want to have multiple tabs or windows open for this, but it's not required. First, bring up the pattern page for any item in your queue that you would like to make. On the Projects tab for the pattern you will see two drop down menus just under the different tabs. From the drop down menu on the right (Projects from all users is the default setting) you can select just the HPKCHC group. This will show you projects made from that pattern by members of the House Cup group. Not all members of the group are currently playing in the House Cup, so you will need to cross reference the person you wish to stalk with the master list for this term, found here.
The other option for finding a possible project to make is to look through someone's queue. This is a trickier and more time consuming process, but is still doable. The easiest way to find someone who you have a large number of projects in common with can be found on the main People tab of Ravelry. Scroll down, and at the bottom you will see neighbors. This area has a selection of people that you have both completed and queued projects in common with. Again, these people might not be playing in the House Cup or even be in the House Cup group, so you would still need to double check the House lists.
When you turn in your final project, make certain to credit the person whose queue or project page you stalked. ScarlettB and her TAs are trusting each of us to operate on the honor system that we did look through the queues and projects pages of others because it would be insane for them to try to cross reference and check that everyone is properly playing by the rules.
The trickiest part of this assignment is to make certain that the person is a current player in the House Cup and that they are in a different house. It is a little bit easier to find projects that have already been made. CherrySprinkle first brought it up in the common room, and I'd like to expand on it here. You may want to have multiple tabs or windows open for this, but it's not required. First, bring up the pattern page for any item in your queue that you would like to make. On the Projects tab for the pattern you will see two drop down menus just under the different tabs. From the drop down menu on the right (Projects from all users is the default setting) you can select just the HPKCHC group. This will show you projects made from that pattern by members of the House Cup group. Not all members of the group are currently playing in the House Cup, so you will need to cross reference the person you wish to stalk with the master list for this term, found here.
The other option for finding a possible project to make is to look through someone's queue. This is a trickier and more time consuming process, but is still doable. The easiest way to find someone who you have a large number of projects in common with can be found on the main People tab of Ravelry. Scroll down, and at the bottom you will see neighbors. This area has a selection of people that you have both completed and queued projects in common with. Again, these people might not be playing in the House Cup or even be in the House Cup group, so you would still need to double check the House lists.
When you turn in your final project, make certain to credit the person whose queue or project page you stalked. ScarlettB and her TAs are trusting each of us to operate on the honor system that we did look through the queues and projects pages of others because it would be insane for them to try to cross reference and check that everyone is properly playing by the rules.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here, in the Common Room, or send a message to me or Stuartsmom, and we will do our best to help!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
March Care of Magical Creatures
It's been a little while since we've had Care of Magical Creatures as one of our classes, so we need to remember to handle the creatures properly. Especially because we are studying the acromantula. The most famous of these huge spiders is Aragog, one of Hagrid's many pets.
Since it's too dangerous to deal with these creatures directly, our professor has wisely advised us to focus on their webs, which are strong, but also beautiful. The only directions we have been given are to make something lacey or make it from silk (or a silk blend). You do not have to do both, but there is a chance bonus points may be given if you do.
With such a wide open class, it might be difficult to narrow it down to single project to make. The rulings have come up in the class thread so far have been that if you use a silk blend yarn it must be at least 50% silk for it to count. The definintion of lace that has been used in this class has been - "Does it have holes in it? Yarnovers? Is it kinda lacey-lookin’? It’s lace! Do it!" from class TA dnatheory.
That's still a wide open interpretation of lace. Some projects that have been turned in include market bags and dishcloths. My personal recommendation is that if you choose to make a shawl or a larger project (scarves included) is to use a worsted weight yarn and larger needles (I like a 10 1/2 in this particular case). There are pages upon pages of ideas for lace items, giving you infinite possibilities. If you feel overwhelmed, feel free to ask for help!
Since it's too dangerous to deal with these creatures directly, our professor has wisely advised us to focus on their webs, which are strong, but also beautiful. The only directions we have been given are to make something lacey or make it from silk (or a silk blend). You do not have to do both, but there is a chance bonus points may be given if you do.
With such a wide open class, it might be difficult to narrow it down to single project to make. The rulings have come up in the class thread so far have been that if you use a silk blend yarn it must be at least 50% silk for it to count. The definintion of lace that has been used in this class has been - "Does it have holes in it? Yarnovers? Is it kinda lacey-lookin’? It’s lace! Do it!" from class TA dnatheory.
That's still a wide open interpretation of lace. Some projects that have been turned in include market bags and dishcloths. My personal recommendation is that if you choose to make a shawl or a larger project (scarves included) is to use a worsted weight yarn and larger needles (I like a 10 1/2 in this particular case). There are pages upon pages of ideas for lace items, giving you infinite possibilities. If you feel overwhelmed, feel free to ask for help!
March DADA Ideas
DADA is the most personal class this month since the Professor is continuing the series of looking at DADA of the past. This time we are looking at Gilderoy Lockhart and learning from his greatest mistake - he did not respect others, and as the result of a backfiring spell has permanently lost his memory.
Your task this month is to take a memory (good, bad, or otherwise) and craft something that represents that memory. It has been ruled that if the project is for someone else, a memory about them or a time spent together is also permissable.
From the professors class description:
Explain your memory as much as you’re comfortable with. (For painful memories that you don’t want to share with the group, please feel free to PM me.) Bonus points for making me laugh or cry, or telling a really good story. No House Color points, because this should be about you, not about house pride
Your task this month is to take a memory (good, bad, or otherwise) and craft something that represents that memory. It has been ruled that if the project is for someone else, a memory about them or a time spent together is also permissable.
From the professors class description:
Explain your memory as much as you’re comfortable with. (For painful memories that you don’t want to share with the group, please feel free to PM me.) Bonus points for making me laugh or cry, or telling a really good story. No House Color points, because this should be about you, not about house pride
March Charms Ideas
In Charms we are studying the Banishing Charm - the reverse of a Summoning Charm.
The practical application of this spell will be to banish those pesky WIPs that you have laying around. It has been ruled that even if a project has been turned in for partial points in another House Cup class, it can be used again this month in Charms. But if you declared a project in any Detention thread, then unfortunately it can't be used. If you don't have a WIP that can be used, what about taking the most ancient yarn in your stash and finding that perfect project for it.
Don't forget to take before and after pictures of your WIPs, or it won't count.
If you don't have anything in your WIP basket to finish and don't have yarn that's been sitting around for ages, you can create a project inspired by Professor Flitwick himself. Maybe a feather to practice the Hover Charm on? A detailed look of the common spells taught by Professor Flitwick while he was the Charms Professor can be found here.
Of course, if you have additional questions, feel free to ask here, in the common room, the class thread, or PM the professor.
The practical application of this spell will be to banish those pesky WIPs that you have laying around. It has been ruled that even if a project has been turned in for partial points in another House Cup class, it can be used again this month in Charms. But if you declared a project in any Detention thread, then unfortunately it can't be used. If you don't have a WIP that can be used, what about taking the most ancient yarn in your stash and finding that perfect project for it.
Don't forget to take before and after pictures of your WIPs, or it won't count.
If you don't have anything in your WIP basket to finish and don't have yarn that's been sitting around for ages, you can create a project inspired by Professor Flitwick himself. Maybe a feather to practice the Hover Charm on? A detailed look of the common spells taught by Professor Flitwick while he was the Charms Professor can be found here.
Of course, if you have additional questions, feel free to ask here, in the common room, the class thread, or PM the professor.
March History of Magic Ideas
The focus of History of Magic this month is to study the First Order of the Phoenix as formed by Dumbledore in response to Voldemort gathering his Death Eaters.
Our task is to knit, crochet, or spin a project inspired by a member of the First Order. A full list can be found here. At the bottom of the page is the handy dandy table which will clearly identify if someone was a member of the First or Second Order, or both. Professor Angiejude has made some changes and exceptions to this list, so make certain to keep an eye on the thread to see her rulings.
It has been ruled that if a member of the Orders House while at Hogwarts is not clear, you can not assign them a house to make a project work. Though there has been discussion regarding members of the First Order who may not have been in the photograph Moody showed Harry. If you have any doubts, ask in the class thread or message the Professor or TAs.
This leaves us knowing that Dumbledore, Lily, and the Mauraders were in Gryffindor, and Snape was in Slytherin. We also happen to know the form each of these peoples Patronuses took, giving more idea possibilities.
Our task is to knit, crochet, or spin a project inspired by a member of the First Order. A full list can be found here. At the bottom of the page is the handy dandy table which will clearly identify if someone was a member of the First or Second Order, or both. Professor Angiejude has made some changes and exceptions to this list, so make certain to keep an eye on the thread to see her rulings.
It has been ruled that if a member of the Orders House while at Hogwarts is not clear, you can not assign them a house to make a project work. Though there has been discussion regarding members of the First Order who may not have been in the photograph Moody showed Harry. If you have any doubts, ask in the class thread or message the Professor or TAs.
This leaves us knowing that Dumbledore, Lily, and the Mauraders were in Gryffindor, and Snape was in Slytherin. We also happen to know the form each of these peoples Patronuses took, giving more idea possibilities.
For those inspired by the Prewett brothers, they can be treated like Fred and George as inseparable, or you could be inspired by one or the other.
Or what about Snape and/or Lily? They both grew up in Spinner's End, which would be a perfect reason to spin up some yarn.
Think about defining characteristics about the member you have picked. Their hair color, their eye color, where they grew up, where they lived later in life. Your point of inspiration doesn't have to come from the books - the movies are considered just as cannon in the House Cup.
From the class description:
For your homework:
Research the First Order of the Phoenix, knit, crochet and/ or spin an object inspired by one of its members.
Items inspired by members of the second order exclusively will NOT be accepted.
NO SEWING PROJECTS ARE ACCEPTED THIS MONTH.
You must provide a little info or biography about your member of choice and why this object was inspired by him/ her.
Harry Potter DOES NOT count as a member of the First Order.
Bonus points:
Be creative. Good stories. Impressive objects.
No baby/ furbaby points this month. This was a terrible war in which many wizards fell.
Pay your respects and honor them.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
February Transfiguration/DADA Ideas
This month we delve into our fears in this combined class. Our Professors have caught a Boggart and it is our job to study our fears and to overcome them.
From the class description:
For Transfiguration: Make something scary. Either use a technique which intimidates you, or make something that represents the thing you fear.
For DADA: Make your scary thing unscary. Find a way to make your technique easy or your fears funny. Scared of lace? Try doing it with worsted weight on big needles. Scared of rodents? Mickey’s a mouse, but he’s not scary at all.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO BOTH CLASSES. The usual base points/bonus points will be available for completing one class or the other. Just mention which class it’s for when you turn it in.
That being said, if you choose to:
For Both: YOU MUST MAKE SEPARATE ITEMS FOR THESE TWO CLASSES. Our “One Project, One Class” rule is still in effect, since these are still separate classes, so don’t try to make a single thing and turn it in for both. If it’s something that comes in pairs, you have to make a whole pair for each class. You CANNOT do one sock for Transfig and one sock for DADA, and call that done.
Note: You CAN make TWO of something that’s not a pair, eg two dishcloths, amigurumis, etc. as long as each meets the requirements for the class you’re making it for. That being said, we will be giving a small bonus for completing both classes, provided your projects are related in some way. You can’t do lace for Transfig and mice for DADA, but if you connect them, we’ll reward that. (As well as the usual house colors/laughing bonuses)
These classes might be the trickiest for people to decide on because it is so subjective to your personal fears and how you deal with them.
For example - I am terrified of thunderstorms and will hide under blankets as soon as I see the first bolt of lightning, but I love rainstorms. So for Transfiguration I'm making socks with a lightning bolt lace pattern on the leg of the sock (Horcrux socks, worsted weight version), and for DADA I'm making a shawl that represents rain drops.
Here are some common fears to maybe start you on the right path - water, heights, spiders, flying, confined spaces, vomiting, death, and cancer are all among the Top 10 Phobias.
If you need help with these two classes, leave a comment, send me a PM, or post in the common room for individual help.
From the class description:
For Transfiguration: Make something scary. Either use a technique which intimidates you, or make something that represents the thing you fear.
For DADA: Make your scary thing unscary. Find a way to make your technique easy or your fears funny. Scared of lace? Try doing it with worsted weight on big needles. Scared of rodents? Mickey’s a mouse, but he’s not scary at all.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO BOTH CLASSES. The usual base points/bonus points will be available for completing one class or the other. Just mention which class it’s for when you turn it in.
That being said, if you choose to:
For Both: YOU MUST MAKE SEPARATE ITEMS FOR THESE TWO CLASSES. Our “One Project, One Class” rule is still in effect, since these are still separate classes, so don’t try to make a single thing and turn it in for both. If it’s something that comes in pairs, you have to make a whole pair for each class. You CANNOT do one sock for Transfig and one sock for DADA, and call that done.
Note: You CAN make TWO of something that’s not a pair, eg two dishcloths, amigurumis, etc. as long as each meets the requirements for the class you’re making it for. That being said, we will be giving a small bonus for completing both classes, provided your projects are related in some way. You can’t do lace for Transfig and mice for DADA, but if you connect them, we’ll reward that. (As well as the usual house colors/laughing bonuses)
These classes might be the trickiest for people to decide on because it is so subjective to your personal fears and how you deal with them.
For example - I am terrified of thunderstorms and will hide under blankets as soon as I see the first bolt of lightning, but I love rainstorms. So for Transfiguration I'm making socks with a lightning bolt lace pattern on the leg of the sock (Horcrux socks, worsted weight version), and for DADA I'm making a shawl that represents rain drops.
Here are some common fears to maybe start you on the right path - water, heights, spiders, flying, confined spaces, vomiting, death, and cancer are all among the Top 10 Phobias.
If you need help with these two classes, leave a comment, send me a PM, or post in the common room for individual help.
February Astronomy Ideas
This month we are studying concept of Antichthon, the opposite Earth. This concept can be manifested into different forms.
From the class description we have a couple of different guidelines to follow that can help us come up with the perfect project.
- Create an item that in someway embodies Antichthon. Ideas include protective clothing that would be needed on this planet (is it hot, cold, temperate, all water, gassy, volcanic?)
- An item that uses colors of the planet (oceans, ponds, deserts, forests, plains, flowers
- A representation of an item used on this planet.
Here are some questions and ideas to help jump start ideas.
What does your opposite world look like?
- Is it similar to Earth?
- Completely different?
- Is it based on video games (Mario, Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, etc) or TV shows or movies (Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Lord of the Rings, etc)?
I am happy to answer any and all questions!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January Potions Ideas
In Potions this month we are looking at aconite, a poisonous plant used in many potions. A folk name for it is "Dumbledore's Delight", which leads to two possible options for class projects this month.
Descriptions copied from class header:
Option 1 - Craft something dangerous. A stuffed chainsaw, a bottle of poison, a whip, a scarf with the Dark Mark, something piratical - there are many options. Be creative! Your professor loves a good story, so use this as a chance to explain why that skein of fun fur is a threat to your very existence, or how entrelac weakens the structure of the universe.
Option 2 - Craft something that would delight Dumbledore. A good story is key here - sell it, and sell it hard!
Knitting, spinning, crochet, and weaving projects accepted.
Bonus points for highly entertaining posts/projects, house colors, and a Secret Method which is in some way related to a book that does not take place in the Potterverse.
So far there has been a lot of speculation about this "Secret Method", but so far no luck in figuring it out. The best guess so far is that it does not have anything to do with Twilight either, but no clue other than that.
More projects have popped up for Option 2 so far with many people cluing in to the two knitting related comments made by Dumbledore in the books - in Sorcerer's Stone with the Mirror of Erised where he mentions that he sees himself with a nice pair of thick woolen socks, and in Half Blood Prince where he says his most famous line to us - "I do love knitting patterns."
Projects could be made to fit into both categories, but as long as it fits into one or the other, you are good to go.
Option 1 - Craft something dangerous. A stuffed chainsaw, a bottle of poison, a whip, a scarf with the Dark Mark, something piratical - there are many options. Be creative! Your professor loves a good story, so use this as a chance to explain why that skein of fun fur is a threat to your very existence, or how entrelac weakens the structure of the universe.
Option 2 - Craft something that would delight Dumbledore. A good story is key here - sell it, and sell it hard!
Knitting, spinning, crochet, and weaving projects accepted.
Bonus points for highly entertaining posts/projects, house colors, and a Secret Method which is in some way related to a book that does not take place in the Potterverse.
So far there has been a lot of speculation about this "Secret Method", but so far no luck in figuring it out. The best guess so far is that it does not have anything to do with Twilight either, but no clue other than that.
More projects have popped up for Option 2 so far with many people cluing in to the two knitting related comments made by Dumbledore in the books - in Sorcerer's Stone with the Mirror of Erised where he mentions that he sees himself with a nice pair of thick woolen socks, and in Half Blood Prince where he says his most famous line to us - "I do love knitting patterns."
Projects could be made to fit into both categories, but as long as it fits into one or the other, you are good to go.
Monday, January 4, 2010
January DADA Ideas
It happens every year at the end of December and beginning of January - we make resolutions. Here in the House Cup we're not interested in resolutions that will be difficult to keep, it's all about the attainable ones.
What will your attainable resolution be? Work on Christmas gifts throughout the year so you don't have a mad dash in December again? Be a more fabulous you? Get ready for a bunch of babies due in 2010? (Can't you tell which is mine? I know of 2 others due before me!)
Pick any resolution that you can realistically keep this year and knit or crochet any item that is a part of the resolution or is a representation of it.
Some pattern ideas tossed out so far include (but are in no way limited to) ipod cozies, necklaces, headbands, finishing up WIPs (but check with Scarlettb to make certain it's enough work to qualify for a full project this month), eye masks. The sky is the limit!
Ways to earn bonus points are possible for projects in House Colors, good stories, or making the professor laugh.
What will your attainable resolution be? Work on Christmas gifts throughout the year so you don't have a mad dash in December again? Be a more fabulous you? Get ready for a bunch of babies due in 2010? (Can't you tell which is mine? I know of 2 others due before me!)
Pick any resolution that you can realistically keep this year and knit or crochet any item that is a part of the resolution or is a representation of it.
Some pattern ideas tossed out so far include (but are in no way limited to) ipod cozies, necklaces, headbands, finishing up WIPs (but check with Scarlettb to make certain it's enough work to qualify for a full project this month), eye masks. The sky is the limit!
Ways to earn bonus points are possible for projects in House Colors, good stories, or making the professor laugh.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
January Arithmancy Ideas
Arithmancy is our Rotation 1 Course this month and is taught by our lovely Angiejude.
This month we are studying the Droste effect. Have you ever seen a picture of a room, with a picture on the wall, which is actually a picture of the room again, so that the room is repeated over and over again? That's the Droste effect. There are a couple of really cool examples in the header of the class thread as well as several links to projects that could be possible projects.
This month we are studying the Droste effect. Have you ever seen a picture of a room, with a picture on the wall, which is actually a picture of the room again, so that the room is repeated over and over again? That's the Droste effect. There are a couple of really cool examples in the header of the class thread as well as several links to projects that could be possible projects.
Also, both a spiral and helix are special kinds of Droste (the helix idea was confirmed in the class thread).
The following descriptions are copied from Angiejude's class description:
Knit/Crochet:
An image inside the same image (for example: triangles inside of triangles, circles inside of circles…) BE CREATIVE!!! If you manage to knit socks that have little socks inside, I would totally love that. (Many blankets, like the Log Cabin style or a star shaped one have also been approved as they are shapes with the same shapes, especially with color changes.)
or
Spirals. (The Vortex hat has been approved as one example)
Spinners:
Spin a skein with at least 2 or 3 different colors. (Fosterson of Slytherin brought up the mathematical formula for fractal spinning, with an excellent link in post #33)
BONUS POINTS:
They will be awarded according to originality of the project. Surprise me and you’ll get bonus points.
Common sense, people, if you knit a sweater or a lace shawl, you’ll get more bonus points than if you knit a dishcloth. Although, I’ve seen dishcloths that look like works of art… so anything goes!
Babies and pets in the picture make me go “Aw” so you may want to include a couple of those for presentation.
I am trying to knit my first pair of socks this month, so nice socks will be appreciated.
Personal patterns will get you bonus points as well.
Scouring the thread will also lead you to several patterns that have been accepted or rejected.
January Divination Ideas
This month in Divination it's all about palm reading. The focus is on the shape of the hands and the proportions of the fingers to the palms instead of looking at the different lines found on your palm.
Earth palms - broad, square or rectangular shape, and palm length usually is equal to finger length.
Air palms - also square or rectangular with longer fingers than palms.
Water palms - often oval, width is usually greater than length and finger length is equal to palm length.
Fire palms - square or rectangular, finger length usually shorter than palm length.
This class is very open, with the only requirement being that you make an item that protects and covers the palms. So any kind of glove or mitten (fingerless or not) will work. There are plenty of choices, as the advanced search for Free Patterns in the Gloves/Mittens category yields 111 pages of patterns. The first three are very popular patterns that are all fairly quick to knit- Fetching, Bella's Mittens, and Dashing.
Also, include which type of palm you are protecting with your project in your post even if the object is for someone else. For instance, I am making Urban Necessity Gloves for my husband and he is a Fire Palm, so I would include that information. But if I was making something for me, I would mention that I am an Earth Palm.
Earth palms - broad, square or rectangular shape, and palm length usually is equal to finger length.
Air palms - also square or rectangular with longer fingers than palms.
Water palms - often oval, width is usually greater than length and finger length is equal to palm length.
Fire palms - square or rectangular, finger length usually shorter than palm length.
This class is very open, with the only requirement being that you make an item that protects and covers the palms. So any kind of glove or mitten (fingerless or not) will work. There are plenty of choices, as the advanced search for Free Patterns in the Gloves/Mittens category yields 111 pages of patterns. The first three are very popular patterns that are all fairly quick to knit- Fetching, Bella's Mittens, and Dashing.
Also, include which type of palm you are protecting with your project in your post even if the object is for someone else. For instance, I am making Urban Necessity Gloves for my husband and he is a Fire Palm, so I would include that information. But if I was making something for me, I would mention that I am an Earth Palm.
Friday, January 1, 2010
January Charms Ideas
This month we are studying the tickling charm - Rictusempra - because sometimes you need a good tickle to make you laugh.
This means we can either craft something that will literally tickle someone, like a feather duster that was mentioned in the common room already, or something to make the Professor laugh (which is supposedly easy).
Several hundred posts back a Gryff mentioned a dream she had that involved our own Oriocookie and cupcakes. This then turned into a brainstorming that we should all knit or crochet a cupcake of our own choosing. Charms would be the perfect class for all of us to make our cupcakes and to then turn them in right around the same time, instigating the first House Cup food fight on record.
The cupcakes can also fit into other classes, so don't feel pressured to change your crafting ideas to fit into our mischief, just join in by adding your cupcakes to the project you turn in for Charms. Because most of our talk regarding Charms has been focused on the cupcake idea, if you have any specific questions about if a different project would fit, feel free to comment on this post, ask in the common room, or PM me.
I am proposing that we aim to all have our cupcakes done by January 25th, which is a Monday for us to post/launch our cupcakes into the Charms classroom. Feel free to craft your cupcake(s) way in advance of this, but I'm setting such a late date for launch to accommodate as many busy schedules as possible.
The professor has not listed any specific way to earn bonus points for this class, but I think with as many of us working on this together could land us quite a few bonus points. Just remember that when you post your individual assignment that it still meets with the guidelines for class posting (username, house, picture, fun story).
Look for my post on the 25th around 6am PrincessOnica Standard Time (ie Pacific Time) for the craziness to begin!
Pattern suggestions:
Crochetted Cupcake
Another Crochetted Cupcake
Knitted Cupcake
Pretty Knitted Cupcake
Fancy Knitted Cupcake
Cupcake Dishcloth
This means we can either craft something that will literally tickle someone, like a feather duster that was mentioned in the common room already, or something to make the Professor laugh (which is supposedly easy).
Several hundred posts back a Gryff mentioned a dream she had that involved our own Oriocookie and cupcakes. This then turned into a brainstorming that we should all knit or crochet a cupcake of our own choosing. Charms would be the perfect class for all of us to make our cupcakes and to then turn them in right around the same time, instigating the first House Cup food fight on record.
The cupcakes can also fit into other classes, so don't feel pressured to change your crafting ideas to fit into our mischief, just join in by adding your cupcakes to the project you turn in for Charms. Because most of our talk regarding Charms has been focused on the cupcake idea, if you have any specific questions about if a different project would fit, feel free to comment on this post, ask in the common room, or PM me.
I am proposing that we aim to all have our cupcakes done by January 25th, which is a Monday for us to post/launch our cupcakes into the Charms classroom. Feel free to craft your cupcake(s) way in advance of this, but I'm setting such a late date for launch to accommodate as many busy schedules as possible.
The professor has not listed any specific way to earn bonus points for this class, but I think with as many of us working on this together could land us quite a few bonus points. Just remember that when you post your individual assignment that it still meets with the guidelines for class posting (username, house, picture, fun story).
Look for my post on the 25th around 6am PrincessOnica Standard Time (ie Pacific Time) for the craziness to begin!
Pattern suggestions:
Crochetted Cupcake
Another Crochetted Cupcake
Knitted Cupcake
Pretty Knitted Cupcake
Fancy Knitted Cupcake
Cupcake Dishcloth
January Transfiguration Ideas
This month you can put away your needles and hooks for Transfiguration! Instead, class is all about organizing your queue and to learn how to fully use this function.
Most of us have used our queue as a basic place to toss projects we would eventually like to make. This is our chance to organize things by tags and sets to locate specific patterns faster.
Both of these features can be accessed from the organize tab on your queue page. Specific screenshots have been posted in the class thread already. To find them faster click on the link next to the picture icon at the top of the thread next to where the number of posts is displayed.
The directions per the professors request are as follows:
The elements of an organized queue are:
~Patterns (at least 20) tagged for easy searching
~Next several planned projects (min. 5) moved to top of the list with any necessary notes made
~Categories (no less than 3) created with at least 3 patterns in each (eg: hats, baby items, toys)
The last set is to include a link to your queue or favorites page in your post.
For those of you who do not use your queue, you can tag items in your favorites instead. The only difference is that sets/categories cannot be created in your favorites.
Because we're not actually crafting anything for this class, bonus points are up in the air as the professor has not stated any specific way to earn them.
While several of us have already completed this homework assignment already today, I hope this helps those who weren't 100% how to complete the assignment.
Most of us have used our queue as a basic place to toss projects we would eventually like to make. This is our chance to organize things by tags and sets to locate specific patterns faster.
Both of these features can be accessed from the organize tab on your queue page. Specific screenshots have been posted in the class thread already. To find them faster click on the link next to the picture icon at the top of the thread next to where the number of posts is displayed.
The directions per the professors request are as follows:
The elements of an organized queue are:
~Patterns (at least 20) tagged for easy searching
~Next several planned projects (min. 5) moved to top of the list with any necessary notes made
~Categories (no less than 3) created with at least 3 patterns in each (eg: hats, baby items, toys)
The last set is to include a link to your queue or favorites page in your post.
For those of you who do not use your queue, you can tag items in your favorites instead. The only difference is that sets/categories cannot be created in your favorites.
Because we're not actually crafting anything for this class, bonus points are up in the air as the professor has not stated any specific way to earn them.
While several of us have already completed this homework assignment already today, I hope this helps those who weren't 100% how to complete the assignment.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
November Charms Ideas
Charms this month involves the study of the Impervius and Protego spells.
Impervius - this charm makes something repel substances and outside forces, including water and snow.
Protego - the shield charm causes jinxes, curses, and hexes to rebound on the original caster, or deflects the full effect of the spell.
While your project only has to fit into one of the two spells we're learning, something could fit into both.
For the Impervius charm, just think of something you want to repel - bad weather, pesky or rude people, holiday travelers, etc. Just explain what it repels and why you need to repel it. Just like in Herbology, what you need to repel might be something someone else would not feel the need to repel.
Impervius - this charm makes something repel substances and outside forces, including water and snow.
Protego - the shield charm causes jinxes, curses, and hexes to rebound on the original caster, or deflects the full effect of the spell.
While your project only has to fit into one of the two spells we're learning, something could fit into both.
For the Impervius charm, just think of something you want to repel - bad weather, pesky or rude people, holiday travelers, etc. Just explain what it repels and why you need to repel it. Just like in Herbology, what you need to repel might be something someone else would not feel the need to repel.
For the Protego charm, create something to shield someone (could be yourself) from harm. Hats, scarves, or gloves could all work to shield someone from colds or the flu. Or you could think more abstract. What about something bright and colorful or meaningful for someone to help protect them from seasonal affective disorder (seasonal depression).
The sky is the limit yet again.
Happy crafting!
The sky is the limit yet again.
Happy crafting!
November Astronomy Ideas
I touched briefly on some ideas for Astronomy in our common room already, but I will flesh it out a bit more here.
As long as a project can be traced back to an ancient culture that studied astronomy or a culture found in the HP world, no matter how remote the connection is, it will fit into astronomy this month.
Specific cultures mentioned in the class description or approved in the class thread:
Persian - modern day Iran
Egyptian
Mayan
Greeks
Mesopotamian
Indian - Indian subconteninet, not Native Americans
Chinese
Nubian
Celtic
Centaur (HP)
Aztec
Roman
Not allowed are fictitious cultures, such as Atlantis.
We can knit, spin, or crochet anything that fits into any of these cultures
Bonus points will definitely be awarded to anyone who attempts to interpret the Antikythera mechanism in fiber form, but otherwise no other specific bonus points have been mentioned.
The professor is looking for a good story for this class, so hopefully this list helps to jog your noodle.
As long as a project can be traced back to an ancient culture that studied astronomy or a culture found in the HP world, no matter how remote the connection is, it will fit into astronomy this month.
Specific cultures mentioned in the class description or approved in the class thread:
Persian - modern day Iran
Egyptian
Mayan
Greeks
Mesopotamian
Indian - Indian subconteninet, not Native Americans
Chinese
Nubian
Celtic
Centaur (HP)
Aztec
Roman
Not allowed are fictitious cultures, such as Atlantis.
We can knit, spin, or crochet anything that fits into any of these cultures
Bonus points will definitely be awarded to anyone who attempts to interpret the Antikythera mechanism in fiber form, but otherwise no other specific bonus points have been mentioned.
The professor is looking for a good story for this class, so hopefully this list helps to jog your noodle.
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