The theme for challenge #3 is House Pride.

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin... it doesn't matter what your house! Show a little house love. Don't feel limited by the Sorting Hat either; maybe you could make a gift for the cute little Hufflepuff in your life. I figure the options are endless for you crafty ones! I can't wait to see what you come up with.


The Rules:

1. You have to begin it now, it can't be something you made before the challenge was issued.
2. It has to be related to the theme in some way, but not necessarily in the most obvious way.
3. You can use designs you found online or in books, or you can design something original.
4. You have two weeks from the date of the challenge issue to complete the craft.
5. Your craft can be any artisan craft medium; knit, crochet, wirework, beads, sculpture (bread dough, sculpey, fimo, porcelain clay, wood, stone, clay, metal art clay, glass, etc), food (cake deco, etc) or any other three dimensional object. Sorry, no graphics or pictures; we have other areas on SS that highlight that kind of art.
6. You must post a picture for us in this thread when you're done. Include info about it, what it's made of and such. If you want to share your pattern or include process pictures (how you make it), feel free!
7. This challenge is open and supportive of all levels of ability, from the very beginning beginner to the most advanced artist. All are welcome and praised!
8. Tell us what you're going to do with your final product; keep it, gift it or donate it.
9. First one to post their final project gets to pick the theme of the next challenge!!!

This challenge expires on May 3, 2008. (Though members are welcome to continue posting pics of any of their projects relating to the different houses in this thread after the challenge ends as well as the previous themes.

Here is my contribution for this challenge. It's a knit snake, in the colors of Slytherin house, of course! I have just replaced the photo, as the original one was horrible.



This was a very easy project. I found the pattern on line, here it is - Knitted Snake.

It is worked on double pointed needles, and is very easy to do. Since it is knitted in the round, all you have to work is the knit stitches on every row. I used 10 rows of green alternating with 6 rows of gray and just repeated. I made mine about 24", then stuffed it. I stuffed mine with more stuffing than what is shown on the pattern, because I wanted the snake to have more body (so I can curl it around and shape it, plus it looks more life-like.) I added red eyes which I added with a french knot and then added a tongue with the red.

This is a very good project for someone who is just learning to knit, as it's pretty basic. You can make the snake in any colors and patterns you choose, of course!

Slytherin isn't my house, but I couldn't resist making this beret in Slytherin colours. I might make another in Ravenclaw colours, too. This is from the bernat "Accessory Crazy" pattern book #530140 here.



I should've taken the pic with better lighting, but I took these pics as soon as it was done. I wanted to make sure I could post this before the next challenge starts hehe!

While we wait for the next challenge, I'll go ahead and post something I'm still in the process of working on. For my darling Hufflepuffs, the yellow citrine symbolically is believed to counteract snake poison. The black bead is glass.

I wish I'd gotten this up sooner (I'd planned on being first this time!) but, true to form instead of picking something quick and easy so I can "win" I went ahead and picked a challenge which I had to restart because I ran out of yarn the first time around and had to go out and buy something else. LOL

The crochet part of this is finished, though once I have time to actually to go to a store and look at fabric, I'll line it. I used the graph from this knitting pattern and crocheted the bag in the round using single crochet, size 3 cotton thread and a size 0 steel hook (or you can use a size E hook since they're both 3.25mm (I think that's right might be 3.5), I just don't have an E). Because the size 3 thread is so small I went back up to the strap and added 3 more rows of half-double crochet to give it a bit more thickness.

Hey Guys:

Made a scarf for my best friend Christy in Huffie yellow! Go Hufflepuffs!

I come here with my latest creation. And to fit in with my total blueness, I've made a Ravenclaw inspired necklace - that just happens to match perfectly with one of my jumpers

Made from blue shell, black, bronze and silver beads.

The Huffie scarf I made (posted in my thread) was actually started for this challenge, but I lost interest in the scarf for so many months that I decided to start a new piece for this! Just finished it today =D

I knitted this hufflepuff yellow beret for my sister (am planning on adding an applique flower... we'll see how that goes, hah!):



Forgive the crummy quality, I had to use my webcam. Anyway, got the hat pattern from the lady at the crafts store, used circular needles (5mm for the top bit and 4mm for the brim).

Erm, I think it was cast on 110 stitches, knit in the round til about 4 inches then start decreasing (knit 20, then k2tog for first row. Every consecutive row til the close was knit til the last 2 stitches before the marker, then k2tog). For the brim, purled one row and then 1 knit and 1 purl for ten rows and finished it off with an elastic bind off. Simple enough right? It's my first attempt at making a hat!

I decided to make a Slytherin House bracelet, made from Metallic white crochet thread, (48) green 6mm tigerseye beads, and a green button. I used a C2 crochet hook and a large-eyed blunt needle for this project.

I really liked the metallic white crochet thread because the silver strand runs around the thread and when its in the bracelet, it looks like it is weaving like a snake through the bracelet (though it is very difficult to capture this effect on camera because of how small it is).

Here is a full view of the bracelet:

Sorry for the double post.

I decided to make a Ravenclaw necklace. I used silver lame cord to crochet the links between the beads, the center of the trio of beads is a 10mm medium blue faceted bead (there are 19 of them in total), the two side beads in the trio are 6mm amber bicone beads (38 total). The length of the necklace is 66 inches (yeah, it is really long and looks best tripled up in my opinion.)

Here are some photos:





I particularly like the blue beads because they're part clear and part blue, so it gives them a very airy quality which I think of as synonymous with the nature of the Eagle and therefore, symbolic of Ravenclaw.