Doe, a deer, a female patronus...

I received an urgent message from Karen in Singapore a couple of weeks ago.

Hi Becky:
How is your summer going? Doing anything fun for Labor Day? I'm working because it's not a holiday here (boo).
Anyway, as you know, my dog Dingo can't resist bothering Snape. It seems that our esteemed Potions Master is destined to be bullied no matter where he goes. Snape mentioned that since the patronus charm is intended to protect witches and wizards from dark creatures, it might also help him fend off Dingo (surely the darkest creature in my flat). Unfortunately, he's been unable to cast him patronus charm since coming here -- he says it's my fault for making his life so boring and miserable that he can't summon the feelings of happiness required to cast the charm. I say he's been miserable before, and didn't have any trouble then. -- so we were wondering if you could help us out there? If you're not too busy, could you please crochet us a doe patronus? I'd imagine it would need to be in silvery blue yarn if such a thing exists.... What do you think? best, Karen

So I whipped up this deer to protect our dear Singapore Snape... (click on the photos to make them larger)...





She is made with a shiny silvery light blue yarn called Patons Brilliant and the color is Blue Shimmer.
(My Snape says that he had conjured it up for Singapore Snape and that I only think I had anything to do with it). Her eyes are green beads. Green. The color of Lily's eyes. Also, underneath that are silver leaf sequins. She is magical after all.

At any rate, Snape said this patronus should protect Singapore Snape from even the most formidable Grims by shoving it between himself and the Hell Hound. (Or at least it might distract the dog so he could make a clean get-away.)

Having finished that I was ready to send it off but Snape said he had another idea which also might help.
(This is where he began to get all bossy on me).
He insisted that I make a mokeskin pouch with which he could put into it a secret weapon which he said was none of my business.

I told him there were no moke lizards in Indiana and that I would have to crochet a "simulated mokeskin pouch".

He was outraged and began flinging things all around the room.
He said he would have to come up with all sorts of different incantations and modifications and why hadn't I started the darn thing already?!!!! He left the room mumbling coded words like "operation radar" and "brown fur" under his breath.

So, to make a long story even longer, I finally finished the thing here...




He attached some magical beads and feathers to it. I added a cat/moon pin to it and he snorted and said Singapore Snape would most likely rip that thing off of it in two seconds.

I also finally got around to making a houndstooth patterned bag in black and white which I am sending along to Karen.
I'm sure she can find a use for it. Snape liked the bag but scoffed at my present to Karen inside of it.
He said, "Who is she? Some sort of female Indiana Jones?" And I said, "Riiiight. That's it.", and rolled my eyes at him.

So anyway, he grabbed the simulated mokeskin sack and ran off with it.
He's only returned with it just today and said I must send this off post haste.

I wanted to check what he'd put inside but he snorted and said I knew nothing of mokeskin, simulated or otherwise, and that only the owner can retrieve what's inside the bag. I hope this won't be a problem with customs.

So. I'm off to the post office with this.
I hope I'm not too late.

Doe, a deer, a female patronus...

Halloween Throw and Mesh Purse

I've been working on Halloween things for the past month now.
I've been trying to wait until at least October to post them but then I would have nothing to show for September.
Maybe some of you will want to try making one of them before Halloween anyway, so you may as well get started now.

First, I finished this Halloween Throw from Caron yarns.

That link takes you to the pattern. You can use whatever yarns and colors you like.





Here's my afghan. First photo is the front. Second photo is the back. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them).

I used mostly Red Heart and I Love This Yarn.
It was so sunny today the camera made it look a lot brighter than it actually is.
It's a pretty small afghan. About the size of a baby crib.

I made the border by doing the basketweave stitch using candy corn colors.

Next I have a mesh purse I made with black and orange Sinfonia yarn.
It took FOREVER!!!!





Here's the front and back laid on the deck.





And here I hung it up over the deck rail.
I did it tapestry crochet style switching from black to orange and carrying over the next color each time.
It was a difficult and at times tangly mess. It's hard for me to not get all twisty doing the tapestry technique.

Anyway, the yarn is a thinner cotton so it's difficult to even tell it's "meshed" in two areas with a strip of single crochet in between. Maybe I should have stuffed it with things to bulk it out so you could see how stretchy it is.

I added a cute witch pin on it.