January Goals

I bought more yarn this month. I bought it to make pairs of thank-you socks for the people who wrote my letters of recommendation (successfully, I might add!). I'm also trying to play along with the Harry Potter House Cup (HPHC), so I have some very specific crafting goals each month until I leave Japan. There are quite a few different categories and ways to earn points for your house. You can earn points for a maximum of six classes out of eight offered, so each month I'm trying to get six classes (projects) done. These aren't necessarily knit or crochet only, they can include spinning, dyeing, and sometimes WIPs or non-Ravelry crafts like sewing. There's also Quidditch, with three Challenges, one project each month that must be knit within a specified amount of time with a minimum amount of yarn to fit a specific prompt, and the ability to turn in any projects that don't fit class prompts or are past the six (hah!) to earn more points.There's also Detention, a place to turn in WIPs for house points, OWLs, projects that will take 2 - 3 months, Order of the Phoenix missions, projects that take 1.5 - 2 months, NEWTs, projects that will take up to 4 months, and a variety of House projects and challenges. Slytherin has won the House Cup the last two terms, so are going for a hat trick (three in a row) and to celebrate, are encouraging Slytherins to knit hats, one per month for a personal hat trick or three per month for a hat trick of hat tricks.

I'm trying for the Slytherin Order of the Serpent First Class, an award within Slytherin (my house) for those who really try to KNIT ALL THE THINGS and EARN ALL THE POINTS. I'm sticking with stash and queue only, aside from the thank-you socks. This particular goal includes the maximum six classes per month, as well as participating in Detention, Quidditch, and the Head of House Challenge at least once, along with an OWL or NEWT and an Order of the Phoenix mission. Lee says that if everyone put as much effort into a Real World Problem as they do for the HPHC we'd cure cancer or world hunger or something. He may be correct.

For my six classes, I've got two pairs of thank-you socks, that vest I've been posting about, the penguin keychain, the quick coffee cozy, and all that sewing to close out my sewing area and sell my machine. The elephant and Totoro keychain were Detention projects that also fit the Head of House Challenge, the Pocket Creature was for Quidditch, and I'll be knitting Gwendolyn (already swatched and ready to go) for my OWL and Evendium for the Order of the Phoenix. It's more important to me to get the two sweaters done so I can wear them this year, so if I have to cut back on the class projects to finish, that's okay by me. Order of the Serpent Third Class is for Slytherins who did ten rather than 18 total classes, one assignment in each of the ten classes offered over the three-month term, so I'll be sure I can earn that as well as the Order of the Serpent Silver Serpent, which is for an OWL and an Order of the Phoenix project, if I can't get the big one.

Thus far, the vest is nearly done (needs about 3" over 19 sts for the colorwork to be done, then a wash/block before knitting on the neck and armhole edgings), one pair of socks is nearly done (past the gusset on the second), sewing is moving along (skirt and pillows done, a few box bags under way), and I need to start the last pair of socks for my last class and Gwendolyn for my OWL so I have a chance of finishing it on time. I had hoped to finish a sleeve this month, but I don't think that will happen! To complete the post with a picture, here is my Gwendolyn swatch and supplies, ready for knitting: