tasket basket crafts

"Hermione's Tea Cup" Mini Pin Cushion

2008-08-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

I used verybigjen's flickr tutorial to make this mini pin cushion for my partner in a recent HP swap on Craftster. I named it "Hermione's Tea Cup", just for cute.

"Hermione's Tea Cup" mini pin cushion:

The "coffee" (or "tea") inside the cup is the mini pin cushion from the tutorial, and then I made a felt "tea cup" to go around it! The cup is a double thickness of felt. The fold at the top of the cup forms a slightly rounded lip.

Embroidered all around, pins in Gryffindor colors up top:

It is very small:

Of course, because its base is a tiny bottle cap! The pins won't go through the bottom of it, and it's a way to reuse.

And here it is again, with some other Gryff goodies:

Craft Info:

Made for: rosesanplacebos
Swap: "I Miss Harry Potter Swap"
Date made: Early June, 2008
Pattern: Bottlecap pincushions HOW-TO by verybigjen for the bottle cap pin cushion (the "coffee" or "tea"); for the tea cup and embroidery, I just winged it.
Materials: Bottle cap, felt (brown and cream), fiberfill stuffing, embroidery thread (brown, cream, red, and gold), straight pins (red and gold) for presentation

Small Gryffindor Items

2008-08-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

My dear daughter and I made some little Gryffindor items for a recent HP swap on Craftster.

Mug cozy, crochet flower brooches, tea cup mini pin cushion:

Two crochet flower brooches in Gryffindor colors:

My dear daughter used cotton yarn to make these lovely brooches for me to send to my "Gryffindor" partner. I also used them as an embellishment for the Gryffindor scarf presentation.

Backs of flower brooches:

Both the brooches have lovely vintage buttons:

The buttons are sewn on with the cotton yarn in the contrast color.

I ordered the cotton yarn from Patternworks at the same time that I ordered the acrylic for the scarf. (Summer is not the greatest time to be looking in local shops for autumn colors, so I ordered online and hoped the colors would be "right".) I didn't know when I ordered the cotton what we would make with it, but I'm really pleased with the summery brooches that the DD made with it.

Gryffindor Mug Cozy:

I knit up this mug cozy as an "extra". It took maybe 20 minutes, tops. I used the same red acrylic as I used for the Gryffindor scarf. It also has a vintage button.

The mug cozy, open:

It's knit in a k1-p1 rib, with a crochet border and crocheted tapered ends. The tapered ends help it fit through the mug handle.

The mug cozy, on a mug:

The tea cup mini pin cushion will have it's own post, coming soon!

Craft Info:

Made for: rosesanplacebos
Swap: "I Miss Harry Potter Swap"
Date made: Early July, 2008

Mug Cozy

Needles: size 8 bamboo
Hook: G
Yarn: Utopia worsted-weight acrylic
Color: Pomegranate
Other materials: Vintage button (yellow-gold color)

Brooches

Made by: beauootifulsooooup (DD)
Hook: F
Yarn: Reynolds Saucy cabled worsted-weight cotton
Colors: Cranberry and Butter
Other materials: Vintage buttons (maroon and yellow), brooch pins, thread to sew on brooch pins

Making the Gryffindor Scarf: The S.P.E.W. Tote

2008-08-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot of fun participating in the two Craftster HP swaps I've done so far. I have also received some cool stuff! While crafting for the most recent swap, I loved having a HP project tote to use for my HP swap project: the wonderful S.P.E.W. tote that ShardaeDobby made for me in my first swap was my project bag for the Gryffindor scarf I made for rosesanplacebos in the next swap!

S.P.E.W. Tote with Gryffindor Scarf WIP:

Because I love this bag so much, I carry it everywhere. So I've made it my own by adding pin-back buttons!

Craftster Buttons on the front of the S.P.E.W. tote:

Crafty Like Ice Is Cold:

Well, yes. ;-)

Craftster Pirate Pin:

Knit fast, die warm! Arrrgh!

Political buttons on the back of the S.P.E.W. tote:

"Obama '08" and "Women for Obama":

I agree with Norman Solomon on this issue: "The best way to avoid becoming disillusioned is to not have illusions in the first place."

"Freedom Is Participation In Power" and "Ignore Your Rights & They'll Go Away":

I added these to the bag very recently. I've had them for years, but they've been just collecting dust for a while. I decided that if I'm going to keep using the Obama buttons -- and I am -- these need to come back out and play as well. (FISA, anyone?)

American Flag Peace Symbol:

This is the button that is most visible when the bag is on my shoulder: it is positioned so it sits to the front when the bag is worn. This is also one of my earliest political buttons. I bought it way back in 2001 when -- suddenly, tragically -- the peace symbol was obscure and old-fashioned no longer. I chose the one with the flag because peace is patriotic, of course.

Gryffindor Scarf: POA (Trapped Bar) Style

2008-07-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

I knit a Gryffindor scarf for my lovely partner, rosesanplacebos, in the recent "I Miss Harry Potter Swap".

The scarf, tied with a ribbon for presentation:

I used the atypically.knit pattern to make this scarf, with some modifications, such as making the fringe a bit longer than the pattern calls for. I also used larger needles and cast on fewer stitches to get the width.

The scarf with fringe, and small Gryffindor items:

The little Gryffindor items were "extras" for the swap: crochet flower brooches made by my DD and a knit mug cozy made with the scarf's MC yarn.

I made the scarf's fringe about six inches, the same as the length of the large MC stripe. The atypically.knit pattern calls for a fringe of about four inches, but I think the longer length is a bit more feminine. Rosesanplacebos encouraged me to use creative license on this scarf (and believe me, before making an item of this scale, I ask a ton of questions!), so this is what I did with the fringe. If I were making this scarf for a guy, I would probably use the fringe length from the pattern.

The scarf, laid out:

It's about 8.5 feet long and about 8 inches wide.

Because it is knit in the round, the scarf is a long tube. Here are some shots of the edge of the scarf (the scarf is folded in half, then rolled up).

The scarf, rolled up:

Rosesanplacebos posted a lovely action shot here in the swap gallery!

Craft Info:

Made for: rosesanplacebos
Swap: "I Miss Harry Potter Swap"
Date: Mid June - Early July, 2008
Pattern: atypically.knit pattern, with modifications: larger needles (size 10), co 72 stitches, made fringe about 6" long (same as length of large MC stripe)
Needles: size 10 bamboo 16" circular
Yarn: Utopia worsted-weight acrylic, Pomegranate (MC) and Maize (CC)
Dimensions: About 8.5 feet long, 8 inches wide

Other posts about this scarf:

My post at Craftster:

Gryffindor Scarf! POA (trapped bar) style

Rosesanplacebos's posts at Craftster:

HP Craft Swap at Craftster: Summary Post

2008-07-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

June and the beginning of July was Harry Potter crafting! The "I Miss Harry Potter Swap" at Craftster was lots of fun. My lovely partner, rosesanplacebos, had lots of green items on her wists, so I made her a fun HP shopping tote set:

And some other stuff!

The whole swap package:

More posts to come detailing all the crafts, and other info from the swap!

Swap Info:

Swap: "I Miss Harry Potter Swap" at Craftster
Swap Gallery: "I Miss Harry Potter Swap Gallery"
Crafting Dates: June 2 - July 10, 2008
Date Sent: July 10, 2008

Posted at Craftster: (this section will be updated with links as posts are made on Craftster)

rosesanplacebos's posts (the crafts I made, that she received):

My posts:

Gryffindor Scarf! POA (trapped bar) style

Patchwork Lunch Bag

2008-06-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

DD has been in an art program at a local college for these past two weeks. The weekend before the program started, I made her a lunch bag.

The lunch bag:

With front flap open:

We used scraps we have accumulated from our own sewing and from a grab bag of scraps I bought from cascadelemonade's etsy. DD looked through all the scraps and picked the ones she wanted in her lunch bag. I then made them into strips, cutting them down if needed or placing shorter bits together into longer strips.

To make the pieced fabric for the front and back/flap panels, I laid all the pieces out on a lightweight woven cotton and zig-zag stitched over the edges of the strips of the novelty fabrics. The backing fabric makes it easier to sew the edges of the pieces and also adds stability.

I am particularly pleased with the placement of the pieces in the back/flap panel!

Back of bag:

Back of bag with flap open:

The strap is a piece of webbing that Sommersbreezeantique used as a ribbon to wrap a vintage dress I bought from her etsy.

I made loops of turquoise grosgrain ribbon to run the strap through, lapped the ends of the webbing and zig-zagged over the edges.

Detail of the strap attachment and stitching at the strap ends:

The strap is a long loop that runs through the two ribbon loops. When it is worn long, the "bottom" of the loop is under the flap, and the bag hangs from the flap. When the strap is worn short (doubled up), the bag hangs from the grosgrain loops. (This is how DD mostly likes to use it.)

The strap, long or doubled up:

The vintage button also comes from Sommersbreezeantique's etsy. She bought a big lot of vintage buttons from an older lady who did not want her buttons any more, but who did want money to go traveling with her friend. And we bought three big scoops of buttons from Sommersbreezeantique, which included two of these wonderful turquoise buttons. (So we still have one to play with.)

It was a lot of fun making this bag, especially working out the how to place the pieces. I am particularly pleased with the placement of the two pirate pieces, on the front of the bag and on the flap, so they are close when the flap is closed. DD is particularly pleased with the little bit of cowgirl and chicken at the base of the bag.

Close ups of the patchwork detail and vintage button:

I made DD a purse for summer camp last year. Because she has been increasingly focused on her own environmental responsibility and on inspiring our family to live more lightly on the earth, I wanted to make something this year to support her in her environmentalist efforts. A reusable lunch bag is obviously better than a disposable one, but what is less obvious is that using reusable containers in the lunch bag takes up more room than disposable food packaging. Disposable food packets tend to be more closely fitted to the item they contain than we can achieve at home putting food into reusable containers: we end up with more air space throughout the lunch. So I made the bag nice and roomy to fit an eco-friendly lunch!

Craft Info:

Made for: DD
Occasion: Save the world
Date made: June 15, 2008

Fabrics: Front and back/flap: Scraps of woven cotton novelty fabrics (from our stash and from cascadelemonade's etsy); lightweight woven cotton for backing. Sides and lining: lightweight black denim.
Other materials: Strap: green webbing reconned from package wrapping. Loops for strap and button: turquoise grosgrain ribbon. Button: vintage turquoise button from Sommersbreezeantique's etsy. Thread: green, pink and turquoise. Elastic to cinch in the sides.
Dimensions: Front panel: 10" x 10". Back/flap panel: 10" x 16". Sides: 5" x 10". Bottom: 10" x 5". Strap: approx 1 yard.
Construction notes: The bag is fully lined with the black denim (five pieces in the same dimensions as the outside pieces). Dimensions are cut dimensions, before sewing; 1/4" seams throughout. The top stitching on the denim is turquoise and green. There is turquoise, green, and pink top stitching on the pieced panels. There is a casing for the elastic at the top of each side panel made by stitching the outside and lining pieces together.

Meme time

2008-06-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Samsara!

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?:

Ten years ago? 1998, June. Okay, context: the dot coms were booming, Y2K was looming, and George W. Bush was still only a problem for Texas, and not the whole world. So, (relative) peace and prosperity, as they used to say.

On the home front, my little family was living in the Bay Area. The previous summer, the DH, DD and me (pregnant with the DS), had driven across the country to settle in Northern California. I had the baby at home in early 1998, only a couple of weeks after my mother had showed up at our apartment, having left her boyfriend. By June, we were all living in the tiny Bay Area apartment, trying to figure out what to do about the living arrangement.

In 1998, DH had recently gotten his first IT job, and Mom had just returned to IT work after a hiatus of several years. Companies were already gearing up for a smooth Y2K transition, plus they had venture money to spend, so tech jobs were readily available in Silicon Valley. Things were starting to look up for us financially after some pretty rough post-student times.

I had a baby in my arms and a little preschooler by the hand at almost all times. DH's tech job took him traveling about 50% of the time. I thought I might just go insane . . . and Mom's health was in decline, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it would get.

I thought it was interesting times, but I was young, and it was the 90's.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?:

It's afternoon. 5 things still to be done today:

Bring the kiddelids home from their summer day programs (Art for the one, Aikido for the other this week).

Bring in the laundry from the line.

Project plan the recons for all the many items the DD and I brought home from the thrift store this weekend. We're going to have reconned wardrobes this summer!

Check my RL email and try to stay on top of it!

Crafting for the Harry Potter swap I am in. Such fun super-secret crafting!

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Homemade nachos
Crisp, sharp apples. Granny Smiths are my favorites!
OMG, brie!
Cashews. Yum!

And what kind of Pastafarian would I be if I didn't say pasta? That's not a snack, though, but I've never met a pasta I didn't like. ;)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Go back to college, study in my field of choice, and go out into the world and apply it.

Make movies (this ties into the above answer) ;) and fund an independent filmmaker I know. Who would probably also be a billionaire in this fantasy. Anyway. Movies would be made.

Put major money into homeschool support organizations and into truly alternative educational institutions. (I'm thinking along the lines of Sudbury here, just so ya know.) ;)

Fund the hell out of the primary election challenge to Nancy Pelosi's seat in Congress. (Why? Hint: "Impeachment is off the table." - N. Pelosi)

Write my novel. And write my own headlines, and ignore my own deadlines.

And so much more! Some of this I will do anyway. Though, clearly, at a much lower price point.

5) Places I have lived:

Northern California
Southern California
Andalusia
Southeastern Pennsylvania
Arkansas
Texas

Not, however, in that order.

6) Jobs I have had:

Costume construction for the theater, both as a college work-study job as well as professionally, after I decided it was time to be seeing to a degree that you can't get in college.

I had another college job in a local comic book shop. Best. Job. Ever.

I've also worked as an administrative assistant, as a desktop publisher, and in IT, designing databases. I have done the teeniest bit of professional videography.

Everything else I've worked so hard at, no one has been paying me to do! ;)

7) People I want to know more about

Flo! She does the most amazing multimedia paper crafts, and writes lots of interesting stuff! Flo, if you would be interested and have the time, I would love to see your answers to this meme.

I can't do five because I don't know five people who blog (yet). If you are reading this, and if you want to share your answers, please do this meme in your blog! And let me know, I would love to read your answers and meet new people!

ETA: Blog posts look better with pictures, so I added one. Of laundry!

Sewing Party Totes: Photos

2008-06-02T09:23:00.001-07:00

A photo post of what we did at my dear daughter's recent birthday party:

The girls made the bags, with some help and lots of support. This is what my dining room looked like:

Three sewing machines!

And these were the party favors (plus the bags, of course):

Needle books with needles and novelty pins, and tiny spools of thread tied with ribbon. They also made button brooches (one of which can be seen in the last photo of the bags, above).

It was lots of fun!

Playing with the Cat

2008-05-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

Just so no one thinks poor Unsuspecting Cat's life is nothing but harassment . . .

Her favorite chair is the green chair. She thinks it is her chair. My dear son does not disagree, but the green chair is also the video game chair. (It's closest to the television, and it swivels around to face it.) So if Unsuspecting Cat is already in "her" chair when he wants to play, he won't move her -- he'll squeeze in and share the chair with her:

She likes to snuggle.

afghans for Afghans baby blanket - wip

2008-05-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a baby blanket for the afghans for Afghans Mother's Day Campaign for Newborns. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to finish it in time for this shipment. It was a bit ambitious: this is my first large crochet project, and, as it turns out, I crochet very slowly. What I have learned is that I need at least a month for a crochet project of this scale. (I knew this about knitting; don't ask me why I thought crochet would be different . . . )

Because this cause is important to me I did make a donation, and I'm going to keep working on the blanket so it will be ready for the next shipment.

WIP photo of baby blanket before adding first green stripe. (By now I am half way done with the first green stripe.)

Craft Info:
Date started: May 4, 2008
Made for: afghans for Afghans, Mother's Day Campaign for Newborns (will not be ready for this campaign)
Blanket requirements: at least 40” by 30”; wool (or other animal fiber); not white or very light colors (bright and colorful encouraged); dense (warm) fabric, not lacy or airy.

Pattern: Bev's Baby Ripple Afghan (with modifications: ch 182 to start; make 2 additional repeats of ripple pattern)
Hook: G
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool (worsted weight)
Colors: Pearl Gray, Sage

Notes:

I plan to crochet wide stripes (finishing a skein and then changing color). I think the stripe pattern will be gray-green-gray-green-gray, but I’m new enough to crochet that I’m not positive. (That is, it may end up more or fewer stripes/skeins at the target length.)

I plan to add a ruffle border around the blanket in gray and green. I'm not sure yet what color pattern I will use for that.

May 26, 2008: ETA:

By now (May 26), I am almost ready to add the next gray stripe, so it's coming along. Now that I am not working to meet the previous deadline, the blanket is slotted in among the other crafts I am doing. There is no update on the afghans for Afghans web site about a new deadline, but I will keep checking.

These photos were taken on May 13, shortly after I added the first green stripe, with the blanket wrapped around the green ball of yarn, because I thought it was pretty:

Unsuspecting Cat and the New Hat

2008-05-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is Unsuspecting Cat:

Unsuspecting Cat suspects nothing, but I have been busy. (She is also known as Should Know Better By Now Cat.) What have I been busy doing? Just look:

Unsuspecting Cat has a new hat:

(Note from Unsuspecting Cat: "Does. Not. Want.")

More pictures:

Crown detail:

Button detail:

As recommended, the fit is loose (the cat is asleep, the hat is falling off):

And Unsuspecting Cat is finally free:

Craft Info:

Date made: April 28, 2008
Made for: Unsuspecting Cat
Occasion: Because good is dumb.

Pattern: How to Crochet a Cat Hat (with modifications)
Hook: G
Yarn: Lion Brand "Vanna's Choice" acrylic
Color: Linen (gray)
Weight: Worsted
Other materials: Vintage button (salmon pink)

Total crafting time: About an hour
Total wearing time: Also about an hour

Important Note:

The lovely afghan was made by my MIL.

Hey Mister DJ

2008-04-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

So my Weird Sisters record purse project was initially delayed just a bit as I worked on acquiring suitable records.

In my first attempt, I purchased three records from the thrift store and brought them home. Not wanting to commit Crimes Against Music, I asked our resident DJ (my dear brother) to approve the crafty use of the records.

The records were small releases by artists from the seventies. One was bad country music. I thought, "Great. No one will miss this!" Thinking that the few folks who had listened to the record in the first place would have moved on to other music by now, that there would be no great demand for the records. Or in other words, that I wasn't "taking away" the record from anyone who would want to buy it and listen to it.

Just one problem: break beats. You see, these "small releases by artists from the seventies" could possibly have breaks on them -- little samples of music -- that a DJ could use.

"It's not even very likely," the resident DJ explained, "but, you know . . ."

"You have to listen to them first . . . "

Yeah. So Mister DJ went home with the records, and I went back to the thrift store. This time with new information: find records by prominent artists whose fans have moved on to CDs (or iTunes). Any breaks from those songs have already been used -- no new discoveries there -- so I really wouldn't be taking music away from anyone, DJs included.

So I came home with three new records -- love songs by famous pop artists from the seventies and early eighties -- and called the DJ if to ask if he wanted to come over and check them out before I used them. When I told him what they were he laughed.

"No, no," he said. "You need to cut those records up."

Weird Sisters Record Purse

2008-04-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

My swap partner for the recent HP swap had a record purse on her wists, so I had to make one for her! The Weird Sisters are the wizard rock band from the Harry Potter series, and I decided they had to have released some albums (though there aren't any in the books -- we both enjoy a loose interpretation of canon.)

I used this tutorial: Mod Record Purse for instructions, and this Craftster project for additional inspiration: Vinyl Record Purse (from my partner's wists).

The Weird Sisters record purse:

Both sides:

Each side of the purse is Side One of a different album. I printed out the labels on colored heavy weight printer paper, and used double-sided paper adhesive to attach them over the existing labels on the records. ("Do the Hippogriff" is a song from the HP books, but the rest are not. Loose canon, right? And fair warning: this post only gets geekier from here on in.)

Close up of the labels (Conjuring the Rock Produtions, charmed to play in the Divinaphone):

WS's first album (1978):

Sophmore album (1980):

My two favorite titles are "From the Owlery" and "Arithmancy of the Soul". Just don't ask me what they mean, because I don't know. But that is some Wizarding rock.

I used two layers of records for the handles, and attached the handles and sides with hemp twine (in purple).

Close up of attachment:

The concept of the purse is that it is "partially transfigured" -- that is, transfigured from records into a purse, but still retaining characteristics of the original item. (See what I mean about even geekier?) So, the circles in the lining fabric are reminiscent of records, and the pockets are lined with sheet music fabric, of course.

Inside:

There are two flat pockets on one side; the snap-close pocket is just peeking out on the other side. The ends are pinched and stitched so they fold inward when the purse is shut.

Snap-close pocket open:

Close up of fabrics:

This was my favorite item to make for this swap, and I am so thankful to my partner for allowing me to subject her to my super HP geekiness!

Craft Info:

Swap: "Because We Miss Harry Potter" Swap at Craftster
Swap Partner: ShardaeDobby at Craftster
Date made: March 2008
Pattern: Mod Record Purse, Vinyl Record Purse
Fabrics: Pink vinyl, woven cotton novelty fabrics (pink with colored circles and pink sheet music)
Other materials: Records, heavy weight paper for labels (pink and green), double-sided adhesive, hemp twine (purple), magnetic snap

Posted at Craftster:
Weird Sisters (Harry Potter) Record Purse

"Every Flavour" Shopping Tote with Pouch

2008-04-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

My partner from the "Because We Miss Harry Potter" Swap at Craftster, ShardaeDobby, was really good at asking fun HP questions to help us get to know each other's HP interests. (This was in addition to the swap questionnaire!) Based on her answers, I thought she would like something from Honeydukes! So here it is:

"Every Flavour" drawstring pouch:

Open it up:

What's inside:

Let's go shopping:

(action shot with DD before sending out)

The pouch has a double drawstring, so it stays shut nicely. The drawstrings are turquoise-color hemp twine with plastic beads. I painted "Every Flavour" and the little stars on the finished pouch with a couple of coats of yellow flexible fabric paint. When that was dry, I painted over and around the letters with gold glitter flexible fabric paint to give it a magical effect.

The shopping tote is made from jelly bean novelty fabric: the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans inside the pouch! The tote's straps are the same pink fabric as the pouch. The tote has French seams, so it should be sturdy, and a gusset at the bottom, so it's pretty roomy.

Tote with pouch:

This was lots of fun to make!

Craft Info:

Swap: "Because We Miss Harry Potter" Swap at Craftster
Swap Partner: ShardaeDobby at Craftster

"Every Flavour" Pouch

Date made: March 2008
Construction: Double drawstring pouch
Fabric: Cotton blend woven fabric, hemp drawstring
Other materials: Fabric paint, glitter fabric paint, plastic beads

Every Flavour Beans Shopping Tote

Date made: March 2008
Construction: French seams, bottom gusset
Fabric: Woven cotton jelly beans novelty fabric, strap fabric same as pouch

Posted at Craftster:
"Every Flavour" Shopping Tote with Pouch

Ravenclaw House Scarf, Color Fade Wrist Warmers and Flower Brooch

2008-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

I made a house scarf for my swap partner in the recent HP craft swap at Craftster. Her favorite house is Ravenclaw, and she prefers book colors. I used the atypically.knit pattern and knit it in the round on bamboo needles.

Ravenclaw House Scarf:

After twenty-one times twenty-two rows, one color and then the next, (and enduring well-intentioned compliments like "Oh, I could never do that! I would want to change colors all the time!") I was ready to either pull my hair out, or knit something fun and quick!

I designed the wrist warmer's color fade as a sanity saver while knitting the scarf. They were an add-on to the swap, but I had to make them.

Ravenclaw Color Fade Wrist Warmers:

The wrist warmers were knit flat on circular needles and then seamed, leaving a hole for the thumb. Using circular needles allowed changing colors each row as needed.

Ravenclaw House Scarf and Color Fade Wrist Warmers:

I noticed only after sending the swap package that the scarf is backwards in this photo: that's the back of the fringe knots. The top photo shows the front.

DD made the crochet flower brooch in the top photo. It's made of wool yarn and felted. The center is a vintage wood and metal button. She also very kindly modeled the items for photos before I sent out the swap package.

Craft Info:

Swap: "Because We Miss Harry Potter" Swap at Craftster
Swap Partner: ShardaeDobby at Craftster

Ravenclaw House Scarf

Date made: March 1-25 2008
Pattern: atypically.knit Hogwarts scarf pattern
Yarn: Lion Brand "Vanna's Choice" acrylic
Colors: Colonial Blue, Honey
Needles: Size 10 bamboo circular needles

Ravenclaw Color Fade Wrist Warmers

Date made: March 25-31 2008
Yarn: Lion Brand "Vanna's Choice" acrylic
Colors: Colonial Blue, Honey
Needles: Size 10 bamboo circular needles (knit flat)

Ravenclaw House Colors Flower Brooch

Made by: DD
Date made: March 2008
Yarn: Worsted weight wool
Color: Blue
Hook: G
Other Materials: Wood and metal vintage button, brooch clasp

Posted at Craftster:
Ravenclaw Scarf, Wrist Warmers and Flower Brooch

HP Craft Swap at Craftster: The Crafts I Sent

2008-04-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

These are all the goodies I sent to my swap partner in the recent HP craft swap at Craftster:

Ravenclaw house scarf
Ravenclaw colors wrist warmers
Ravenclaw colors brooch
Record purse with Weird Sisters albums
"Every Flavour" pouch
Every Flavour beans inspired shopping tote
Crochet lollipops
Luna-esque flower brooch and matching earrings
House colors perler beads coasters

DD designed and crafted the brooches, and DS designed and crafted the coasters. The whole family was very supportive of this swap, and it was a lot of fun.

At Craftster:

"Because We Miss Harry Potter" Swap
"Because We Miss Harry Potter" Gallery
My swap partner's post with her pictures of these crafts
My post of the crafts I received

Craftster Swap: My Partner Received

2008-04-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

My swap partner received her HP swap package from me earlier this week, and she posted pictures in the swap gallery. Now I will post the crafts I made for her as projects on Craftster, and I will post them here.

First Craftster Swap: Sent to Partner, Received from Her

2008-04-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sent out my package to my swap partner in my first Craftster swap on Tuesday, April 1 (no joke).

It was a Harry Potter themed swap, so I spent March crafting HP-inspired crafts.

I received the package my partner sent to me on Friday, April 3, and posted the crafts I received in the "Because we miss Harry Potter" Swap Gallery at Craftster.

When my partner receives her package from me (it arrived at her post office on Friday, she should be able to pick it up Monday), I'll blog the crafts I made.

Small Brown and Pink Drawstring Purse

2008-04-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

I made a purse for my daughter and sent it in a care package when she was at summer camp last year.

The drawstring handle/strap can be worn two ways.

As a long strap:

Or as two medium-length handles (shown here with the bag open, in the first photo with the bag closed):

I also made a little pouch from the pink contrast yarn:

Craft Info:
Date made: June 2007
Yarn: Worsted weight cotton, brown and variegated pink
Needles: Size 10 bamboo circular needles

Posted at Craftster:
First Project Post -- Cotton Drawstring Purse