Class/Challenge/House Pride: Arithmancy
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Fibonacci-striped Square
Project Page Link (if available): n/a
Brief Description: I used the Fibonacci sequence to select how many stripes of each color to use on my small afghan. I found this Gryffindor colors Jiffy Lion Brand (how apropos!) yarn in a thrift store ages ago, finally decided it wanted to be a back-of-the-couch afghan this winter, and finally made it this summer. I ran out of gold yarn on the last set of stripes and, multiple trips to stores later, discovered the gold color had been added to the clearance section of LB's website; anyone who wants any should buy it now.
Project Picture:



Class/Challenge/House Pride: Potions
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: A Timely Reminder
Project Page Link: n/a
Brief Description: Medievals liked to make pictures with a "memento mori" (remember you will die) lesson to them. I figure moderns could use the reminder too, but I'm not much of an artist. I made memento mori sachets stuffed with dried rosemary from my (now dead!) rosemary bush; rosemary is for remembrance, according to Shakespeare, old herbals, and some modern research.
Project Picture:


The back of the sachets have another reminder.



Class/Challenge/House Pride: Divination
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Bad Omen/Good Omen
Project Page Link (if available): n/a
Brief Description: I wasn't going to do anything for Divination, but then I got interested in the wording of the assignment--a good or bad omen. I assume it meant one or the other, but I got interested in the idea of something that could be both. And I thought of crosses and crucifixes. They were originally a device of tortuous execution and the object of horror and shame, because of the pain, death, and criminality they would be associated with. But under Christian thinking they became associated with good, because Christians believe that a particular death on a cross became the pathway to life--that the worst thing that could possibly happen (God took on human flesh and humans brutally murdered him) became the best thing that could happen. Since then crosses and crucifixes have taken on cultural associations with goodness, such as the power to turn back vampires in classic horror fiction.

I made a purple bookmarks (purple has an association with Jesus' Passion in Catholic culture), one with a cross and one with a crucifix. (The cross one was a gift to departing co-worker and earned me a hug!) I also made a purple cord dangling crucifix for my rearview window, sort of an alternative to the more common looped over rosary.

 
Project Picture:

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Sorting Hat
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Ravenclaw Zipper Pull
Brief Description: Fun with Shrinky Dinks again. I made five Ravenclaw crest charms, each a little different, and some generic Hogwarts ones. I was given a blue windbreaker recently--not something I would have chosen myself, but it's okay--and my favorite Ravenclaw crest is becoming a zipper pull on it.
Project Picture:


Sorry for the crummy picture. I'm kind of in a hurry. I hope to post some more photos of projects, if weather doesn't intervene (bad weather can affect owl delivery and other magical messaging systems), but I wanted to make sure I got the Sorting Hat one in.

I thought I liked the idea of a recon challenge better than a non-recon challenge, then I saw this:

Guilt Reduction: get out that old, unused pattern that you bought but never used and either make it or redesign it for your current taste/needs and then make it. (Surely I'm not the only guilty one...)

Lots of people have a pattern sitting around they meant to use, but never have. This could be good motivation to use it.

Or some fabric they've been saving?

I love the way the colors pop on that flowery circles on black background afghan.

That does look like a really good pattern. When I saw he thumbnail, I thought it was an interesting scarf, not an afghan, but it's going to be a pretty afghan.

Okay, SpookyPooky, you just gave me something to pull me up short next time I'm complaining about the heat and humidity. At least the moisture here means we rarely get wildfires.

I like the Fourth Doctor's scarf and replicas of same, but I also like that your scarf isn't the usual Doctor Who scarf. March (or dance) to your own drum.

Teag, I'd always wondered what the secret of perfect housekeeping was. I have to get me some pearls. 

The cover, believe it or not is cardboard from  a cereal box, a paper napkin, some mod podge and paint very easy and very inexpensive to do.

I liked the journal cover and this comment sent me back to look at it again; I wouldn't have guessed how you'd made it.

From the thumbnail, I thought you'd depicted an anime character I didn't recognize, but this is better. Living in a state whose summers have been described as "a hundred days at a hundred degrees and a hundred percent humidity", I understand the concept of an angry sun. Shade is friendly, not the sun.

Congratulations, Gryffindor.


I don't think I mentioned how much I liked the racing brooms in the trophy case.