Hogwarts after Hours: Hufflepuff Edition

Welcome to another edition of HOGWARTS AFTER HOURS!

Today we venture in to the Badgers den!

First up, a Spin-a-long! There is a special going on this week organized by kazpatch. It's not over yet, so anyone spinning should head on over!

The puffs also love their Pets! Head on over & check it out! Lots of cute critters are sure to be displayed!

Tavelista seems to have organized the Hufflecleaners. Do you need motivation to clean & organize ( I mean who doesn't? Ask my parents how bad it is!)?  Then maybe this is the thread for you!

We all love food, but the Hufflepuffs have The Swedish Sous-Chef. Recipes and ideas galore!

Whatcha Reading? That's the Puff library! Talk about what you're reading or listening to.

Last, but certainly not least is the Sock KAL. Who doesn't love to make socks? Who needs encouragement?  Maybe you should make your way to the Sock KAL & get some encouragement and if you're lucky a muffin or 2!

Thank-you Hufflepuff for all your fabulous things!

Terrific Tuesday!

Oh hey! What's going on? It's Tuesday again? *sigh*

But, today is a terrific Tuesday for two very specific reasons:

Reason 1:



Yep! I finished my Kink, blocked it, and sewed on a button! It's all ready to be gifted to a very special Grandma!

Reason 2:

I finished my Huron!!!! I never thought I'd be able to knit a sweater in less than a month (actually... I knit it in 10 days), especially given that my two previous efforts have taken somewhere around 3-5 months to finish! I need to wash it, and I'm hoping the hemp gets less scratchy, but I'm still in love.

Reason 3 (I was never good with lists anyway):
I'm home for an entire week! And then I have less than a month before I'm moving back home for an internship and I will never have to return to the University again!!! That makes me very very very happy.

Have a great Turkey Day, everyone who lives in the U.S.

Boo-yah Tuesday!

Boo-yah is the word of this post, as many things have been accomplished, both in the Cup and in the real world, since we last spoke.

First, I finished my cardigan:



as well as a skein of fingering to DK weight (depending how thick it got) yak, silk, wool blend from AVFKW's Essential Luxury Club:

This was originally destined to become an Abby, but after further deliberation (and the fact that some spots were too thick for the gauge of the pattern), I've decided instead to make it into Kink. More to come on that front.

Both the cardigan and spinning were turned into Detention.

I turned in a pocketed scarf to Herbology that I designed myself, and you can read about over here:


And right now I'm working on a mystery sock (only two clues released so far, and as you can see, I'm done with the first clue on both and the second clue on one) for Care of Magical Creatures:


As well as a sweater vest for Defense Against the Dark Arts:


Also, my OWL got approved, and the pattern page is over here if you so choose to check it out.

As you can see, things have really been rolling along, so I give you a big BOO-YAH on this wonderful Tuesday!

Drive-by Tuesday

Hey everyone! This is going to be a snappy post since I'm short on time and long on pictures!

I finished up my Naiad socks:


And my Celaeno:



And participated in the Hufflepuff House Pride Exhibition with this rad sock bookmark:


So now I'm back to working on my cardigan that I started in July:

Although I have steeked the rest of the front AND one armhole.

See you all next week!

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

HI THERE!

I'm just stopping in for a bit to give you guys a little update on what I've been working on for the past week.

I managed to finish my chain mail socks for Charms:

I also conjured up a magical washcloth to apply the honey soap that wards off flesh-eating hags for my Potions class;

I also practiced more spinning, but this isn't for a class (unless you can think up a story for History of Magic's assignment...)


BUT! The most exciting part of my week was finishing off my OWL scarf pattern (Astronomy) and being marked 50% complete. I'll show you pictures in a minute, but first I need your help on two counts. One: I need test knitters, and who better to test knit than my fellow Cuppers? In all actuality, you could probably finish this scarf in a matter of a week or two, but I took longer because the shaping was a challenge. Hehe. If you want to test knit, you'll need approximately 220 yards of a worsted weight yarn; I used Cascade Venezia and managed to get in around 210 yards of worsted weight, but you would probably do well to have a little insurance. Two: I need a name for this scarf. If you can help on either of these counts, please please please let me know by commenting here or sending me (TheAlexKlein) a PM on Ravelry. And now for the pictures:




That's it for now, but I'll be back next week, hopefully with a finished pair of Naiad socks and a Celaeno shawl!

Badgertastic Tuesday!

Hey everyone! Sorry I was away last week. It was my birthday, and ended up dealing with a lot of real-life issues (including my fridge leaking freon, but let's not dwell in the past).

Anyway, it's a new month with new classes and BOY do I have some stuff to share with you! I'm so excited to share all this with you. First up is homework I only turned in as a partial that I finished up and turned into Detention for points (you all know you can get 10 pts in Detention starting this month, right?!):
The Coquille Shawl


Then I set to work on my homework for DADA, protecting myself from vampires with a stylish (and thick) scarf:
The Rodekool Brioche Scarf

and reverse


After turning in that homework, I dabbled with my Charms homework and my Herbology homework, and have completed two socks (although only one in each pair):
Chainmail Socks (Charms)

Naiad Socks (Herbology)


But before starting on the other socks in the pair, I was overcome by a vision of better spinning, so I set to work on my brown alpaca for Divination, about 50 yards of lace weight singles:


Of course, that leaves me with two other classes that are still to be decided. I'm thinking a reusable bag for Potions, as forgetting them at home is a HUGE bad habit of mine and perhaps a shawl for Muggle Studies, modeling myself after the always fashionable Gabrielle Solis of Desperate Housewives.

What about you? What are you working on?

My, My, How Time Flies

I can't believe there are only a couple more days left before the end of the first month! Today's post includes no recipe, because I didn't remember to photograph it the last time I made it, and I don't really have time now to make a new batch. Alas, maybe next week.

This will probably be a pretty short post, since all I have to show for this week is a small amount of spinning I did to get the hang of energized singles and the small top was only enough to make about 20 yards total of a heavy laceweight/light fingering.

Here is the top in it's unspun glory (the pink on the left):


And here is the spun up version, with dime for scale.


This is only the third spinning I've done, and although I have no idea what I'll use it for (perhaps a Mrs. Beeton-esque project with other leftover fingering/laceweight?), I'm pretty darn proud of it and of my spinning in general.

I'm turning this in for flying since I managed to get through the entire top without having to park the spindle! So proud!

For those interested, the fiber is most likely 100% alpaca, but I got it as a gift and no label.

Anywho, that's the end of my post! I'll see you all next week!

Fish and Chocolate

Made ya look, didn't I?



No, the recipe today doesn't include fish, but it definitely includes plenty of chocolate.

First up, though, is my project I finished this past week, Fish Hat (Dead or Alive)



I turned it in to Defense Against the Dark Arts for my disguise as the wonderful FairIsleFish. It's made from an assortment of worsted weight leftovers (and I think it looks kind of cool).



Next up is my recipe for the week. I think I should probably just make this into my Bisquick recipe of the week.



Doesn't that look appetizing? Yum!



Anyway, onto the recipe!

Frosted Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies:
Ingredients:
Cookies:
1 Cup Bisquick mix
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup baking cocoa
1/2 Cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg

Frosting:
1/4 Cup baking cocoa
2 Tbsp shortening (again, butter is fine as well)
2 Cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with foil.

In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for cookies, and mix until well blended.
Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. I managed to get 10 cookies per sheet.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Look for them to spread a bit, but don't bake too long because the color really doesn't change. Allow to cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Mix frosting ingredients besides milk in a separate bowl. Add milk one Tbsp at a time until it's a good consistency.
Spread frosting on cooled cookies.
Eat (not all at once, though!) with a nice glass of milk.

That's all! See ya next week!