Wands and Kitties!

Well things are finally starting to come along nicely with my Harry Potter gift bags.... now that I've actually finished all the bags I've made a startling discovery....

ALL THE STUFF ISN'T GOING TO FIT INSIDE THEM!

lol! But all is good because I will just make it into a couples goodie bag and put two or one of each thing in the bag (Don't worry I'll probably make those as well and they are easy as anything to do!)

We'll start this post off with the details of the magic wands.

I went to the local cheapy shop which is just down the street from me, and since it was Halloween time they had plenty of decorations to snag for a bargain! They had some basic plastic magical wands to use for costumes so I grabbed some of them and since they all looked the same I decided to make them all individual.

First thing is that its alright if you cant find a plastic wand there are heaps of tutorials on google to make them out of plain paper,this one is a good example!


You'll need to have some paper towel or toilet paper handy and some plain white glue that will dry clear. Mix the glue with an equal amount of water and then paint the plastic wand and start sticking on the toilet paper. Once you've covered it all set it aside to dry.
Now I wanted to make mine uniform in color, not identical but similar. So I used some black tissue paper and put a few layers over the paper towel in the same way.
And don't worry about getting it perfect the first time around because at this stage you can always cover up and places you have missed with a scrap of the paper you used on the last layer.

You can make them any way you like, to make each wand unique for myself I wrapped some bits of yarn in interesting patterns around them before I started the paper mache. After you have them looking the way you like then just add any extra details with some paint or a paint pen and cover the whole thing in a layer of glue (don't mix this layer with water though) and it will give the wand a shiny lacquered effect.

Now for the kitties!
 There is a free pattern for these kitties found here! but I'll go ahead and write it down on my own blog. (just giving credit where it's due!)

It makes three separate pieces which will need to be sewn together. I'll be using a yarn needle which you can get from any craft store where yarn is sold.
We'll go through this step by step so it's easier to understand.

The Body:

1. Cast on 24 stitches of any yarn in any color in any type on any size needles. (the finished size of the kitten will depend on what type of yarn you have used and what size needles you need, but as we are stuffing this kitten make sure the knitting is tight so the stuffing doesn't peak through!) 
2. Straight Knit 52 rows 
3. Cast off.

Simple right? But it looks like a square of yarn. Fold it in half length ways, and make a stitch in the yarn to hold the place. Now you will have two more edges, and pull each of those to the middle and make a stitch to hold them in place. You should have four corners now and four openings to sew up. Sew up three of the openings and place some craft stuffing inside to fill out the body before sewing the last opening open.

The Head:

1. Cast on 12 stitches in the same yarn you used for the body.
2. Straight Knit 14 rows
3. Knit 4 more rows but knit two stitches together at the beginning of each row. (this will give the head a tapered effect.)
4. Now Knit 4 more rows but increase one stitch at the beginning of each row. (we're gonna fold the head in half!)
5. Straight Knit 14 rows
6. Cast off.

Now you have a shape that slightly resembles an hour glass right? Good! Fold the shape in half where the cast on and cast off edges are even. Stitch around the head, leaving a small opening to stuff, and be sure to stitch around the ears!
Now pick an end of the body and sew the back of the head to it!

The Tail:

1. Cast on 14 stitches in the same yarn as the body and head.
2. Straight Knit 7 rows.
3. Cast off.

Sew the long edge together and across one of the short ends. You should have a small tube with one end sewn shut. If it is big enough you can stuff the tail, but it is not necessary. Sew the open end to the end of the body.

With some black yarn or thread sew on a little face and some whiskers and VIOLA!!! Your very own easy peasy knitted kitten! 

All the BAGS!!!!

So we have finally come to it, the last of the bags and scarves!!!!

We'll start with the awesome set of Harry potter bags found HERE!! Now when and if you try these yourself here are a few tips:
1. 1 normal ball of 8ply yarn will make a bag as large as the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw/Slytherin bags in the photo (the black thing in the background is of course my laptop just for a size reference) Of course you can use any size yarn you like and the bag size will vary.
2. You don't have to have the fringe at the bottom, you can sew the bag up and it will still look nice.
3. Because of all the yarn crossovers on the inside, if you actually plan on using your new bag for anything it would be best to make a lining for it. (I just used a Flat Fats from Spotlight it was enough to do both bags I made in each color with enough left over for a third bag if you choose to make it)
4. The colors I have used are the actual colors recommended in the pattern but you can make them whatever color you like!
5. The patterns also tell you to knit in the round, now I myself am only a novice knitter teaching myself, and I havent quite grasped the ability to do that yet. These bags can be knitted conventionally on two needles and stitched together on the open side. It's barely noticeable.
6. We all make mistakes, I made several when making these bags. I forgot a stitch or missed a color, but here's the thing, at first glance you wont notice at all! So dont think that you need to start completely over just because you accidentally made 6 stitches in the main color instead of 5!

Over all I know it has taken me FREAKING AGES to complete all of these, and considering that I have only done 8 bags it really has been a bit too long. But when you consider we have moved house and had to unpack, as well as remodeling and actual real life work that took me two hours to get too and from every day and working weekends, I really hope you all dont hold it against me...

Now for the scarves!!! I am admittedly still completing these but I have finished the first set (hence the photo)

Now I cant take full responsibility for these, The pattern that gave me the Idea can be found HERE!! but as you can plainly see they dont look alike. All I did was google "Hogwarts House Scarves Images" and there were two types of scarves. The one with chunky blocks of color (as seen in the photo) and then one for the older students which has large blocks and smaller stripes (this is the set I am still in the process of making).
As you can see in the photo the scarves tend to roll up in themselves after you make them, easily fixed by ironing them flat! I have decided to mix it up a bit and only add a fringe to some of the scarves and leave others with a plain edge.

Now for the next item on my to do list: Making the wands! This one's gonna be messy folks!