July 23

How-to: Hogwarts Houses Cake

Hogwarts Cake

Darla at Bakingdom.com clearly put a fair bit of work into the delicious looking Harry Potter cake, but the result looks spectacular. It’s a cake that caters for each house of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, at least in colours if not in volume! Darla has written out full instructions in the post – including recipes for the Spice Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting – should you want to give this a go. So check it out, along with some other of her great Hogwarts themed goodies here: Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts Cake.

Now all we need is a spell for removing cakey goodness from one’s hips! Skinnyramus!

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Movies, Tutorial | 1 Comment on How-to: Hogwarts Houses Cake
December 24

Twas Knitting Before Christmas

Twas Knitting Before Christmas

Twas knitting before Christmas, when all through the castle
Not a creature was stirring, not even a thestral.
The stockings were hung in the Great Hall with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The professors were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of butterbeers danced in their heads.
And Dumbledore dreaming of knitted socks,
And Hagrid of having cakes as hard as a rock.

When out on the staircase there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Past Filch and Mrs Norris who ran mad as hatters
To find that Professor Staarkatt had yarn and a pattern.

Fresh off the needles in various colors
Each pair just what the head of houses would order.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But miniature house scarfs to hang from your ears!

Burgundy and gold or green and silver
Other house color combinations so familiar
All it takes is needles in size zero
And a bit of perle cotton for your rows

“Now Hufflepuff! now, Gryffindor! Ravenclaw and Slytherin!
A wonderful way to finish your Hogwarts gift giving!
To the top of the towers! to the ends of the hall!
Now knit a pair! Knit two pair! Knit them for all!

As she posted the pattern, Professor Staarkatt did shout
“Make sure there’s a pair for McGonagall and Sprout!”
But I heard her exclaim, ‘ere she apparated out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all and just knit through the night!”

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December 10

Ten Points to Gryffindor But Purses for All!

I mentioned in my introduction that you would be meeting some of the people who helped fire up my interest in ‘geek crafting’. One of the very first was my dear friend, Rosemary Waits, or Quietish as she is known on line. We first met on line in 2000 and lived over one thousand miles apart. As the fates would have it, I ended up moving only three and a half hours away from her and we would occasionally see each other in person.

 

It was Quietish who referred me to a couple of on line crafting groups for Harry Potter and, later , invited me to help her and another friend at an area event, Mugglefest. Two weeks before, she mentioned she was working on a Gryffindor scarf to wear that day. I barely could knit garter stitch at this time. There was no way I could create a scarf for myself in that time. Searching links, she sent me one for the sweater I mentioned last week and that was it.

 

There’s been many Harry Potter moments and crafts since there between us, and other friends, but one of my favorites is her HP House Fair Isle Pouch Bags which she shares here along with a link to her PDF pattern for all four houses found on Ravelry. With it’s flat style construction, the bag serves as a nice starting point for a knitter wanting to begin including pockets in their work. The pattern is a Fair Isle and is knitted in the round and includes a bit of basic crochet and some simple sewing to finish. The bags are lined and the pattern contains the graphs for all four house mascots.

If you’re not a member of Ravelry, membership is free and there are many patterns both free and for purchase available there.

 

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Movies | 1 Comment on Ten Points to Gryffindor But Purses for All!