Wow, you’re a knitting machine!
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Thank you! I truly feel like one lately.
Beware the giant project dump…
Project Title: Memory Quilts
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Uniform Memory Pillow
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Wool Shirt Memory Pillow
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Memory Loveys
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Hannukat Kids Aprons
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Christmas Kids Aprons
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Christmas Potholders
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Cookie in a Jar Mixes
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: French Vanilla Hot Cocoa Mixes
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Seasoning Blends
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Pirate Potholders & Seven Seas Trivet
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: 14 Scrunchies of Holding
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Cloth Napkins for Mom’s kitchen
House: Gryffindor!
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And a few more…
Project Title: Open Wide Pouches for MIL
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Open Wide Pouches for Nieces
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Framed Rabbit Lino Prints
House: Gryffindor!
Light purple for my mom’s black, white and purple kitchen.
Silver for my MIL.
Project Title: Holiday Porch Decorations
House: Gryffindor!
The tall birch branches in these pots are actually lighted, and on a timer, so they come on at dusk each night.
Project Title: Boxing Day Casserole
House: Gryffindor!
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Project Title: Ska Camp Shirt
House: Hufflepuff
Squeaking my last one in for the year, fresh out of the dryer! Testing my pattern alterations for my AS project with this wild fabric. Definitely more to do, but pretty proud that I got it to a wearable place at all.
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Project Title: Nana’s Cranberry Bread
House: Gryffindor!
LC Contest Item: Great LC Bakeoff Entry
Project Title: Amelia Pinafore Apron
House: Gryffindor!
I’ve been wanting to make myself a new apron for ages now. Something that would fit well, have good coverage, and be comfortable enough to wear that I’d forget I even had it on. I found the pattern on Etsy and looked for some plain black linen at Joann’s, but couldn’t find any. While digging through my stash for possible quilt backings, I found this piece of fabric, a sturdy cotton Japanese import. I didn’t have enough for the entire apron, so I used some plain black for the straps, waistband, ties, and pockets. I love how it came out, and wear it all the time. I have just a little of the fabric left, and hope to make Ada a matching one for her birthday.
Project Title: ‘Thankful’ Basket
House: Gryffindor!
Project Title: Mermaid Dolls
House: Gryffindor!
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Project Title: Fingerless gloves: Pink
House: Slytherin
Project Title: Fingerless gloves: Winter speckle
House: Slytherin
Project Title: Fingerless Gloves: Black speckle
House: Slytherin
Project Title: FIngerless Gloves: Gold
House: Slytherin
Project Title: White Ballet Shrug
House: Slytherin
Project Title: Green Ballet Shrug
House: Slytherin
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End of Term Feast 
Welcome to the End of Term Feast! I have checked the school hour glasses, and the points stand thusly…
Ravenclaw: 2 students, 60 points , for an average of 30 points per student.
Hufflepuff: 4 students, 540 points , for an average of 135 points per student.
Slytherin: 2 students, 570 points , for an average of 285 points per student.
Gryffindor: 1 students, 590 points , for an average of 590 points per student.
Congratulations to Gryffindor House!
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Congratulations, Gryffindor! 
Congrats Gryf and congratulations to everyone who posted something- you made stuff and that’s great!
Congrats Gryffindor!
Everyone’s made so many nice things!
Ok Friends, we finished out ‘test run’ of the returned HPC. What did you guys think of it? Did you find yourself participating more, with the easier Header, and not having to have a prompt? Or did you find yourself participating less, or the same as before? Would you like us to continue? Or have you guys moved over to other -alongs?
I’m looking for as much info as you can give me here. I want us to collaborate on this if the HPC is to continue! Please don’t respond with ‘It was great! Thanks for hosing!’
Personally, (and surprisingly) I felt like I participated either the same, or slightly less often. And oddly, I forgot numerous things I had crafted over the Term, as I hadn’t kept track of them with Hermione’s Homework Planner, as I had in the past. I ended up doing a few posts over the Term, then a few giant project dumps as I racked my brains trying to remember all the stuff I had made all term. When I’ve used the Homework Planner before, it helped me remember not only to post HERE, but also to make full project posts on the site for my work.
I honestly felt a bit adrift here on LC, as I attempted to participate in other -alongs, but didn’t fully engage (in most of them) there either. I had numerous projects I could have posted in the Stitchalong, but just kept forgetting to do. I did manage to follow the conversation and continue to post quilt projects in the Quiltalong, and posted a few things in the Christmas Craftalong as that deadline drew closer. But I think I missed having this Craftalong to post EVERYTHING in. I do so many different crafts, and most of the other -alongs focus on one medium, so only some of my work counts there. This is the one I feel like everything I make works for. But having said that, I will admit to still feeling a bit burned out over the HPC, even as I miss it.
On a positive note, it was easier to do House Points, without having to scroll back and forth across the spreadsheet to find various categories. But it wasn’t so dramatically easier that I wouldn’t consider going back to project prompts again, if that’s what people wish for. Now that Ada’s a toddler, and not nursing, it is a little easier to carve out time to do point tallying on my desktop with two monitors, which makes it easiest.
I do know that I did NOT appreciate ending the -along at New Year’s. Back when pinkleo & I originally divided the year into quarters, we specifically chose to have our Term end at the end of January, so that folks could get through their holiday burnout, and have time to get those Christmas crafts posted, without feeling so rushed. I think if I do this -along again, I will go back to ending the Winter Term at the end of January again.
Finally, I do still love the magic of the world of Harry Potter, even as I find myself fatigued and at a loss for what to do with our -along. I started listening to the audiobook for Sorcerer’s Stone while quilting over the last few days. When I do a re-read of the books (which I used to do annually, but haven’t now in a few years), I usually skip the first book, and jump into the second or even the third. I forgot how truly magical, and how foundational the first story is. Here’s to hoping I rekindle the magic in my heart this year.
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I know I found myself doing project dumps and interacting less than I would have liked to. But, I don’t know if it was because I always lose steam at the end of the year from the chaos of social engagements, or because of the format. I both enjoyed not having to fit the project to a category, and missed it, simultaneously. I really missed the homework planner because I can never remember what I’ve posted and, like you, it reminds me to create a topic for my project… something I am really behind on now (always? lol). I’m probably going to be posting in a lot of the other craft-alongs (socks, knitting, destash, quilt, 50/year, all year), so if you want a break, I’m okay with that. But, if you are up to hosting, I will play along. I love the whimsy of this craftalong!
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I think I posted about the same. Tried more to post when a project was finished now instead of waiting and make a dump. But I did that too, as I got very distracted there with xmas. I do miss the prompts. It is so fun to plan! But at the same time, its nice to just be able to post everything you have made without trying to fit into a prompt. I know there were the Headmistress prompts, but I had some difficult finding a craft that would fit, but thats just me.
But I know I post most in the HP-along, rather than the other alongs, even though I try to post there.
It do sounds good to have the term end at january so one have time to think before the term ends. I will definitly continue to join and post if you start another HP-along, but if you need a break you need a break, and thats totally okay.
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I’ve loved this along for ages. It can spark creativity when a prompt gives you an idea you wouldn’t have self-generated and it can be a mental puzzle to fit the projects one has made into the prompts for points lol.
Personally, I’ve been a bit adrift in general for months just due to family stuff and job changes, etc., so I’m hoping that 2024 is more settled and conducive to creating and crafting more regularly, being able to do swaps again…
I know I read through every post that was made and feel I was less involved than usual, again that could be real life related more than anything here.
As for the HPC format, etc. It’s hard to pin down, isn’t it? It’s nice to be able to just plop a craft down without fitting it into anything, but also the prompts added to the world-building and “magic” theme of the thread. I know there were head mistress challenges, so not zero prompts, but maybe adding back in some class/wizarding world prompts for the theme and magic building along with the “anything goes” style of this test run could be a way to go where the prompted posts are worth more points? Are the tallies a selling point? Maybe removing the points and instead one tries to complete a semester of prompts like a report card or bingo card? IDK. That runs into how to declare a house winner I suppose. If each house has only one or two players how do you mark it out for a winner… ?
I think upping the world building a bit would be fun, the other big question is how many players will you have? If the numbers aren’t enough to make it chatty and vibrant then maybe it isn’t worth the work you have to do to make it function at a level higher than this? It’s a conundrum. I feel like this was just a ramble of nonsense but hopefully something in this blarby wordiness was useful. 
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I wanted to participate more, but life is chaotic, I never know what to say on others’ posts other than “that looks amazing!” (which is very true but also repetitive), and only sporadically remember to take pictures of what I make. That being said it was great to be back with the group! The HP Craftalong is what really got me into crafting back on the old site and has been a huge inspiration for me over the years.
I really enjoyed the prompts in the past and appreciated the ones we had this time around. But I know they are a lot of work to create and keep track of. If we wanted to low-key add in a few more prompting opportunities, maybe we could treat the classes more as “independent studies?” We could start with a list of the standard classes and then we have to say how our project helped us learn about Divination or Numerology. It would bring back some of the storytelling elements while hopefully not over complicating the set-up and organization process.
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What about jumping put of the castle and embracing the story world at-large? Like prompts for things to fit in to shops or places in the stories, “gifts” for characters (like, you make a nice kitchen accessory for a friend but the prompt story is that it’s for Mrs. Weasley or something?) kind of like a “fake swap” using ideas like the I want to live in the burrow or Madam Malkins that we did before. just something that popped into my head just now.
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Loving this idea!!!
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I would say I probably posted about the same or a little more than normal - there were definitely whole terms of the original setup where I just couldn’t handle the idea of “facing” the homework planner and never really got started, so the lower hurdle to entry was measurably better for me. But I don’t think having prompts alongside a lower pressure option would be a detriment - I like the idea of having the option but not the requirement to engage with the world building part. I will also say that my personal connection to the HP universe has waned somewhat in the intervening years, so that probably factors in as well.
If HPC didn’t come back, I would probably try to transition over to the 50 Projects thread, since that was my original everything-along when I joined the old site. I have the same problem where I don’t have time or brain space to post in multiple craftalongs for each medium - it has to either get dumped in one place or not at all. My crafting style is very “ooh, new shiny thing” so posting whatever actually gets finished versus following a list seems to work better for me.
I will also mention that the Advanced Studies does seem to be a unique thing that I don’t know where I’d get the motivation to specifically work on those longer projects (not that it’s not possible, but just don’t know of an immediate translation). Hope this is useful!
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I also found I missed the commentary from folks on their crafting process, in what would have been ‘Brief Description’.
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