Swatchless

While searching for Harry Potter scarves earlier this weekend, I discovered a great resource for Hermione’s knitted fashions.  Here are links to two free patterns for a beautiful fairisle scarf and cable and eyelet hat.  Thanks to JL Yarnworks for doing such a great job of these patterns.

Hermione’s scarf (JL Yarnworks) from the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Hermione’s Hat (JL Yarnworks) from the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I am getting excited to see the Deathly Hallows movie(s).  I wonder what knitted goodies will appear in those films.

What are your favourite Harry Potter patterns?

P.S. If you are a Twilight fan, check out Bella’s Hat pattern…it will keep you warm as a werewolf!

The seventh Harry Potter movie (part one of The Deathly Hallows) opens in theatres on November 19th.

You know that most people will dress up with their Hogwarts gear and make a party of the opening night experience.  Why not knit a scarf for yourself, or for a little (or not so little) Harry Potter fan that you know.

For the Muggles: Wizards like Harry Potter are educated at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  When they enter the school, a magical sorting hat reads their character and assigns them to certain houses which each have different colours and crests.

The houses are:

Gryffindor (gold and red) values courage, bravery, loyalty, nerve and chivalry	Hufflepuff (yellow and black) values hard work, tolerance, loyalty, and fair play.
Ravenclaw (blue and bronze) values intelligence, creativity, learning, and wit	Slytherin (green and silver) values ambition, cunning, leadership and resourcefulness and most of all pure wizard blood

You can sort yourself by various web-based personality tests.  My results seem to say I’m a Hufflepuff.

The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff!

Said Hufflepuff, “I’ll teach the lot, and treat them just the same.”

Once you know what house you’re in, you need to invest in some yarn in your house colours to make your scarf.  There are a few choices you’ll need to make.

Choice 1:  Which movie are you basing your scarf on?

VERSION A:  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

VERSION B:  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The width of the stripes vary between the two films.  Your needle choices and yarn weight will dictate your gauge.  It’s up to you to change colours when it looks right.  Just be sure to keep note of how many rows you knit, to stay consistent.

These scarves are long.  The general rule for scarves is to make them as tall as the person who wears them.  These scarves are probably about six feet long, and being worn on young children.  For an authentic look on an adult, you’ll want to make the scarf at least 7 feet long.

VERSION A: Scarf is about 8-9 inches wide, and stripes are each about 6-7 inches.

VERSION B: Scarf is about 8-9 inches wide.  Main Colour 6 inches, 1/2 inch Contrasting colour, 1 inch Main Colour, 1/2 inch Contrasting Colour

Choice 2: Method of scarf construction.

To make a scarf that lays flat, there are two main options:

1.  Knit stockinette in the round (double thickness, so it takes twice as long and twice as much yarn but looks authentic to the films)

Cast on 100 stitches in Main Colour, join in the round and knit.  Change colours as needed to achieve the stripes.

2.  Make a flat ribbed scarf (not as authentic, but you can finish it faster)
Cast on 50 stitches in Main Colour.  Work in K1, P1 ribbing.  Change colours as needed to achieve the sripes.

No matter what scarf you make, you’ll need to save yarn for fringe at the end.

Here’s a nice video tutorial on “fringe making” by Judy

Goal setting is a difficult art.  Setting a challenging, yet attainable goal is something I struggle with, particularly with my knitting.  The nice thing is that I know that if I don’t meet my knitting deadlines the world isn’t going to end, yet I continue to make lofty goals to challenge myself.

photo souce: Julie P. Miller's Flickr

My self induced challenge this month was to knit a pair of eclipse socks for the movie release June 30th.  Yes, I’m a grown up that lined up to see Eclipse….yes, I’m a grown up that went to a pre-party to watch New Moon again before Eclipse…..We did this before the New Moon movie, and I’m sure that we’ll be doing the same for the next in the series!

The past few days had been far busier, and I was far more tired than planned, and my poor little Eclipse sock was not much more than a toe on the morning of June 30th. It had been carried around in my bag most of the week.  Every time I reached in to grab my keys, or wallet I got jabbed by those double pointed needles.  (I am sporting a bandaid now from a key finding mission).  It was a constant reminder of how I should really take a minute to knit a bit and breathe a bit.

Finally at 4:00PM I had my chance.  I sat in a friend’s blacked out living room, and knit, watched New Moon being projected on the big screen while we all munched on delicious snacks, and had moments to breathe, and be silly.

I knit through the car ride to the theatre (I wasn’t driving).  I knit in line, and was glad that we were inside this time!  Arriving 1.5 hours early to the movie has its perks.  I knit in the theatre waiting for the big show.  I even turned a heel during the movie!  It’s not a perfect heel, but that’s proof that it was done in the dark. I knit at a coffee shop after the movie, and when we got kicked out–they were closing, we weren’t rowdy–I knit at a friend’s house.

Such dedicated crazy knitting allowed me to complete an entire sock by midnight on June 30th.  I’m halfway there!