Work in Progress (WIP) Wednesday will be a regular feature of my blog, sharing the progress I’ve made on my active projects. I’m not going to list every unfinished project I have laying around the house. I think I have maybe 6 unfinished, hibernating projects, which is not bad, but there is no point updating you when nothing is happening with them! For this first WIP Wednesday post, I have 3 projects to share.
HPKCHC
HPKCHC Spring 2014 Term
The Harry Potter Knitting / Crocheting House Cup (HPKCHC) Spring 2014 Term started on May 1. Before term starts, I usually plan out my projects. I did some of my usual planning for this term, but did not finish or get a chance to write a blog post about it because of getting ready for and attending Maryland Sheep and Wool. Today, I am finishing my planning. I did talk about this topic in the one podcast episode I published, but in case you haven’t seen that episode, I will explain in detail how the game works and how I plan for a new term.
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, May 3 & 4, 2014
Back in February, I turned 40. My parents wanted to do something extra-special for my birthday present. They came up with the perfect idea: all travel expenses to Maryland Sheep and Wool for me and my friends Stacy and Beth! We had an awesome time!
Birch Leaf Shawl
I chose to knit the Birch Leaf Shawl (Ravelry pattern link) because I was looking for a travel project. My sister is in her final year of medical school. My parents and I were flying from Florida to Baltimore to attend Match Day, which is when fourth year medical students find out where they will be doing their residency. I needed a knitting project to take on the trip. My personal criteria for travel knitting are:
- The pattern should be easy to memorize so I don’t have to look at it all the time.
- The project should be easy to pick up and put down, even if I am in the middle of a row.
- The project should take long enough to knit that I will not finish it before I get home.
- The project should require only one or two skeins of yarn.
In addition, I was looking for a project that would fit into one of the HPKCHC prompts for March. The Ancient Runes prompt was about Celtic runes and their connection to trees. One possibility was to craft a a project that represented one of the trees connected to the Celtic runes. Birch trees were on the list.
First Ever Granny Square
I’ve known how to knit for more than 20 years, but I only learned to crochet last year. I tried to teach myself crochet at the same time I taught myself to knit, but never quite got it right. So last year, my friend Stacy taught me how to crochet. In that year, I’ve crocheted dishcloths. That’s all. I wanted to expand my crochet skills, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I discovered that the Ravenclaws are planning a Blanket Square Term for the Harry Potter Knitting / Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC). I decided to jump on the bandwagon.