Andromeda NeckLace

Andromeda Beaded NeckLace

Original pattern by Liisa Ahnell

As always, you may use my patterns for personal projects, but no selling items made from them, and please respect my property and hard work by giving proper credit. (In other words, do not claim this as your own. It makes me unhappy.)

Inspired by the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, this highly adaptable neck piece is designed in a subtle combination of Slytherin colors that looks fancy and expensive, but is really simple to make out of cheap materials. Show some house pride, subtly, whether at the Yule Ball, a fancy date, or simply lounging in your own house common room.

Materials:

1 skein DMC pearl cotton in silver grey

33 (or appropriate number, see instructions) assorted glass beads, green

steel crochet hook, size 7 (exact match not crucial)

1 yard (or more) of ribbon (I used 1.5" wide ribbon)

Size: Crochet part is 13.5" long, but the long ribbon ties make it adjustable. Gauge is not crucial for this project for this reason. See instructions at the end for making this any size you want.

This pattern can be easily adapted for any length. I made the prototype as a choker, but it would be absolutely gorgeous as an anklet, belly chain, garland, what have you. I'll include instructions for changing length

1. Chain 102 stitches, plus 1 (103) for base chain. Chain 1 (104 total) turn.
2. 1 sc in second chain from hook, chain 4, skip 2 ch, sc in next ch, repeat until end.
3. 6 ch (counts as 1 dc and 3 chain of first half loop) 1 sc in next 4 ch loop, chain 5, sc in next 4 ch loop until last loop, then chain 3, 1 dc in sc.
4. chain 6, sc in 5 chain loop, continue to end, finishing with sc in 4^th chain of last 6 chain loop, turn
5. chain 7, sc in 6 chain loop, continue to last 6 chain loop, then chain 4, dc in last chain st.
6. chain 1, slide first bead to work, continue work on opposite side of bead, 4 sc in loop, 4 sc in next loop, slide bead, 4 sc in same loop, in last half-loop, work 4 sc, bead, 1 sc.
7. Break yarn, weave in ends securely.
8. Cut ribbon in half, and sew one piece to each end of necklace.
9. Wear, and enjoy. My favorite ways to wear it are as a necklace, encircling a bun, and as a circlet (not that I have many occasions appropriate for such head wear, but perhaps someday).

Custom sizing:

The foundation chain can be any length, as long as the number of stitches is a multiple of 3 plus 1 at the end. When you have made a chain that meets these requirements, be sure to add an extra chain stitch for turning, so you don't end up short a chain st.

The flared shape is the result of making each row of loops one stitch longer than the last. This makes the piece ideal for draping over feminine curves at the neck, waist, ankles, hips, etc. If you want it to be wider or narrower, simply work more rows in the same way as the others, but keep the proportions of the last row—one more single crochet than chain stitches per loop. When you have finished crocheting the chain loops, count them up and string your beads on the free end of the pearl cotton, and include them as per the normal instructions.

I recommend glass beads, since their weight contributes much to the drape and elegance of the finished piece.

If anyone tries this, I'd love to hear any feedback on ways to make pattern and instructions better--I'm still really new at pattern writing and such.

Cheers!

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding

People, I thought I'd take a moment to share some deliciousness. This evening, I found myself in possession of stale bread, ripe bananas, and a powerful craving for some sweet, sweet, desserty goodness. As I am disinclined to follow a recipe, I came up with the following

Preheat oven to 350-ish. Lightly grease a bread pan. Cut approximately 10 or 12 slices of bread into 1 inch squares and place in a bowl. Toss with 1 tsp. cinnamon. Separately, combine 2 cups milk, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 sliced bananas with whisk. Pour wet ingredients over bread, mix together with 1/2 cup of chocolate morsels. Allow mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, then bake for 30-35 minutes.

Obviously, this was made up on the fly, using my knowledge of the general principles of bread pudding, but it turned out very well. I'd show a picture, but I can't say that bread pudding is the most photogenic of dishes. Very decadent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I would serve this to other people, even!