March Class Ideas

I've actually managed to be on top of things this month!  

P.S. Don't forget to check out the post below this one, about tagging and finishing up Ravelympics projects.

Charms: Banishing Charm

Banish a WIP or some old stash

IF and ONLY if you have no WIPs or old stash, make something in honor of Prof. Flitwick.

Straightforward, and much appreciated!  I only managed to finish one of my WIPs for Ravelympics Quidditch, so I for one will be attempting to finish some long-suffering projects.  If you're one of the lucky few with no works in progress, or without any old stash you've been "meaning" to make something out of for years, you get to be a bit creative and work up something for Flitwick, to commemorate Neville banishing the poor professor around the classroom.  Links to the Harry Potter Wiki have been flying around today, so I'll point you there first.  Interestingly, Flitwick is part goblin, so that could lead to interesting Gringotts-related projects...  The sword of Gryffindor was also goblin-created, so perhaps a sheath?  Okay, I've gotten pretty far off on a tangent here... 

Flitwick frequently falls off his stack of books when excited.  Maybe he needs something with some traction?

He was also particularly fond of Fred and George's swamp at the end of Book 5 (which happens to be my favorite passage in the entire series). I also think of feathers when I think of Prof. Flitwick. Swish and flick! Something with a feather and fan pattern?

History of Magic: 1st Wizarding War

Make something to honor a member of the FIRST Order of the Phoenix:

Sirius Black
Edgar Bones
Caradoc Dearborn
Dedalus Diggle
Elphias Doge
Aberforth Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore
Benjy Fenwick
Arabella Figg
Mundungus Fletcher
Rubeus Hagrid
Alice Longbottom
Frank Longbottom
Remus Lupin
Minerva McGonagall
Marlene McKinnon
Dorcas Meadowes
Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody
Peter Pettigrew
Sturgis Podmore
James Potter
Lily Potter
Fabian Prewett
Gideon Prewett
Severus Snape
Emmeline Vance

The sky's the limit!  The aforementioned Harry Potter Wiki may be of use.

Transfig: Evanesco, Vanishing

Vanish seams! Either use kitchener, or convert a seamed pattern to a seamless pattern.

Been meaning to knit some top-down socks?  How about a little dice bag?  Maybe a lace scarf knit in two identical pieces and seamed together in the middle?

I don't know the first thing about sweater construction, so I won't offer advice on how to convert seamed patterns into seamless ones. 

But I (Kiki) can point you in the right direction. Jared Flood had a series of articles in Vogue Knitting describing the process. It is really easier than it sounds!

Potions: Hellebore

Craft something to protect you from evil.

I'm sure by now you all know my cat is evil.  She likes to chew on my toes (no, really. when she's bored, she creeps up under my computer desk and bites my feet).  Maybe some thick wool socks could help protect me?  

What kinds of evil are you exposed to regularly?  Snow, wind, exhaustion, hunger?  Scratched up dining room floors?  What kinds of evil are you exposed to on a less frequent basis?  In-laws, long falls, burns?  I'm sporting a severe burn on my arm at the moment and am really wishing I owned some nice thick oven mitts...

Hmm, maybe I should just fully encase my body in thick wool.

DADA: Lockhart and memory

Make something that commemorates a favorite moment or something you'd like to forget.

This is so wonderfully open-ended!  What are your favorite memories?  What kinds of things do they involve?  Trips to Disneyland or foreign countries, life-changing decisions you've made, emotionally intimate moments with a significant other (you know the ones I mean--like when you feel as if your souls are connected and everything is right in the world)?

What would you like to forget?  That one time you did that one thing (or something worse) and hoped no one found out?  How much you drank that one night?


CoMC: Acromantula webs
Make something representative of a web, including lace or silk.

Mmmm, silk.  I feel like this one is pretty obvious, and our lovely professor has already specified your project needs to follow the 50% rule, so you don't need to use pure silk.  That said, silk hats and gloves are sooo yummy.  Go to town and make yourself something luscious and indulgent.

And remember, lace projects don't have to be huge!  You can do something simple and beautiful in a month, easily.  Or, if you went to Stitches and bought some of feministy's yarn, you can pair it with one of her patterns. :-)

February Class Ideas

Time is just flying by! I apologize for the lateness in getting this post up; March's will be right on time (she said, with her fingers crossed behind her back...)!

Transfig: Make something scary.

That's it.  Just make something scary.  What scares you?  DPNs, magic loop, spiders, tiny needles, acrylic, spiders, cold tea, spiders?  Use a technique you've been avoiding, or make a furry bag out of something vile and acrylic.

DADA: Unscarify something that scares you.

(Yes, I just made that word up.)

So, let's revisit that list of things that terrifies you: steeking, spiders, colorwork, seaming, two socks at once, spiders.  Pick one and make it funny, or cute (I was going to link an amigurumi spider here, but looking at them gave me the shivers-ugh!), or easier to tackle.

There are bonus points for Transfig and DADA if you make two separate projects and somehow link them together.  So make a scary icky fish for Transfig, then make sushi for DADA (no, not the fish to sushi amigurumi--you'll have to make two separate projects to get them counted for both classes).  Or make something out of horrifying acrylic for DADA and then make a baby blanket for a friend out of nice, soft, not-evil (ha, I laughed when I typed that; there's no such thing as not-evil acrylic) microfiber.

Potions: Make something hateful.

Very, very similar assignment to Transfig this month, but with some subtle differences.  As with Transfig, the hate can be for any part of the construction: the technique, the materials, the finished product, the recipient.  Generally you've got a reason to hate something.  Is there a technique you KNOW you don't like using?  A fiber you're allergic to (if you're strongly allergic, don't try to go this method. I'm talking about mild discomfort here, people. Mild.)?  Can you make something for someone, knowing they'll hate it? You'll get bonus points for schadenfreude, and making that person have to pretend to like your gift.  This is your chance to make that Weasley sweater for a 16-year-old.

Basically, if you're looking at a project wondering if you should knit on it or stab the needles into your eyes, you're doin' it right.  (Please don't stab the needles into your eyes.  We encourage small projects for Potions this month.  So it's over before it kills you.)

Charms: Hidden messages, or objects that change.

Oh, this one is so open-ended! (Okay, they all are...)  Just about anything qualifies as a hidden message--binary, runes, inside jokes, illusion knitting...  Sell it. Kiki is mulling over the secret language of flowers. Anything that means something to you that a casual viewer won't see or understand is a perfect hidden message.

Things that change have been covered pretty extensively in the class thread, but the basic idea is that it has to be a complete transformation.  We're talking sushi/fish (yes, the amigurumi this time), chicken/egg, scarf/shrug (keeps neck or shoulders warm, but not both at the same time), or anything else that changes completely from one thing to another.

Herbology: Something you found at the bottom of the lake

It's Gillyweed month!  Grow some gillyweed and nom it, then take a trip into the lake.  All you have to do is knit up something that represents your journey or something you found.  Don't forget to add a short essay about the effects the gillyweed had on you.  I have a feeling more creative essays will get more bonus points this month. :-)

Things you could make: water (waves, feather and fan, etc), lake plants (kelp, coral), fish, mermen, rocks, bubbles, nets, or pretty much anything that might have been dropped into a lake at some point.

Astronomy:  Something from Antichthon, the Earth's opposite

What would you wear to this planet? What would you bring back from it? What colors would it inspire for your own projects (maybe everyone wears yellow hats there?)?  What kind of strange muggle or wizarding technologies do they have?  Remember to include an essay about your experience on this planet.  Like Herbology, Astronomy projects will benefit from more creative and detailed posts this month.

January Class Ideas

Stuck on what to make this month?  Just can't seem to find any inspiration?  Kikipotamus and I put our heads together and came up with some ideas to help get your muse working.

DADA -- Reasonable Resolutions

What kinds of things do you know you can do better?  Can you make more things for yourself?  Can you use more of your stash yarn before buying new yarn?  Can you push yourself to learn new techniques?  Can you make more things for other people (this is mine; I'm a notoriously selfish knitter and I could really be a lot more giving)?

Remember, you may get bonus points for House colors, making the professor laugh, or especially good stories.  DADA is always the place to ham it up!

Rotation 1, Arithmancy -- Droste (things within things)

What kinds of things can be put inside themselves?  Geometric shapes are mentioned right in the class description; triangles within triangles or similar patterns can be worked into shawls, scarves, and even socks, hats, or mittens.

What kind of 3 dimensional things can be put inside each other? Felted nesting bowls?

This is also a great class to spin for; roving with 2 or 3 colors can be spun up and plied so the colors contrast and form spirals of their own (or, a la fosterson, you can do fractal spinning).

Bonus points may be awarded for creative interpretations, large or ambitious projects, self-designed projects, socks, or cute pets or babies!

Charms -- Rictusempra; tickling!

What makes you laugh? More importantly, what makes your friends and family laugh?  Is there anything you have in your queue just because it's such a silly idea (I've got bacteria in mine)?  Can you create something to physically tickle your children/friends/significant other?

What can you do to make the professor laugh?  Remember, she's a Slytherin and you're a Slytherin, so as she says in the class header, it can involve schadenfreude!  Make something mean, as long as it's funny mean.

What cheers you up in gloomy weather? Bright colors, knitted flowers, candy, knitted baked goods? What would you send someone to cheer them up?

Rotation 2, Divination -- Palm reading (gloves or mitts to cover your palms)

What kind of palm do you have? (Look in the class header to sort this out.)  How can you represent that in your palm coverings?  Do you want something with fingers or without?  Not all gloves and mitts have to be knit in the round; some fingerless glove patterns can be knit flat and seamed up afterward if you don't want to do circular knitting.

What other things do your palms come into contact with on a daily basis? Kiki's knitting potholders. What about a steering wheel cover or a cover for your gear shifter?

Potions -- Aconite (Dangerous or delightful)

Option 1. Dangerous--what would be dangerous for you?  Are you terrified of double-pointed needles?  Is there yarn hiding at the bottom of your stash, breeding and trying to take over the world?  Do you have a friend who is allergic to wool (mwa ha ha)?

What foods are you/your friends allergic to? Would it be dangerous for you to knit with Alpaca because you might break the bank to buy more?

Option 2. Delight Dumbledore.  This one might require some research followed by a bit of thought.  Start here and here for refreshers on Dumbledore in the books.  Be creative in interpreting these!  More specifically, Dumbledore was famous for having a sweet tooth--what kind of sweet things can you craft?  Is there some absolutely delicious yarn somewhere in your stash?  Dumbledore had a certain panache (Kiki's thinking of that purple suit)--what other accessories would be outrageous enough to tickle Dumbledore? Dumbledore is also known to love socks (and if I had to guess, I'd say that would earn bonus points, but no promises). As much as he loved Hogwarts, I would think anything that promoted House Unity would delight him.

As your professor says, "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."

Transfiguration -- Organize your queue

What kinds of things matter to you in your queue?  Would it help you to make notes on each pattern about which yarn you plan to use with it?  Can you add tags for noting who the intended recipient is? Would you rather tag by "hat" or by "head"?  Remember, whatever you do, it should be a system that makes sense to you!  Just don't forget to check out the class header to fulfill the basic requirements (tag 20 patterns, move the next 5 you intend to make to the top, and have 3 categories each containing at least 3 patterns).

Be sure to include your reasoning, and if you get carried away and super-organize everything, be sure to note that!