Tag Archives: Harry Potter

Reducio!

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On Wednesday, I talked about Ravelry swaps in general.

Today, I want to share my most recent swap package!

This was a package for a Reducio swap.  It’s a group where everyone makes miniature Harry Potter… things.  The only requirements are that you send a miniature sock (in honor of Dobby), a miniature…something else, and the whole package has to fit in a small mailing envelope.

The ladies (and the few gents) of the Reducio group are all super sweet, kind and thoughtful (as well as giant nerds), which makes this swap a joy to participate in.  You know your package will be well-received by your swapee (as well as the whole group when the pictures are posted).

This month’s swap theme was Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes!  Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is a fabulous joke shop in the Harry Potter Universe.  So, I included a bunch of teeny versions of their merchandise:

A micro Pigmy-Puff (he’s about a half-inch long):

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA “Patented Daydream Charm” (It’s actually a tiny paper diorama in an inch-wide tin):

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, of course, a miniature sock (it fits nicely on my pinky finger).  I actually used my “Socks by the Numbers” pattern for this sock, but I used US0 needles and a Sock Number of 16!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI loaded these little guys up with a few other tiny Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes projects into a little box (it’s about 4″ square and 1″ deep),OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPrinted out an invoice,

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd sent it on its way!

I’m tickled pink by all the little projects in my package-  It makes me feel like a little kid making props for playing make-believe (except that Ive got better crafting skills than I did as a kid!).

Have you ever made silly stuff like this for a swap?  What did you make?

Knitting Sweaters for Others

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A handmade sweater is a labor of love.  A labor of love that deserves to be worn until it practically falls apart at the seams.  And then it deserves to be darned and worn for a little longer.  And then for another fortnight.

After writing this week about all the knitting in Harry Potter, I’ve become slightly fixated on the Weasley Sweater.

thCA0MCQT1Molly Weasley, the mother of Ron, Ginny, Fred, George (and about a half-dozen other characters), sends her children a “Weasley Sweater” each year for Christmas.  Her handmade sweaters are the butt of an annual joke to her kids, and, admittedly, the image of the extra-large Weasley family all going to Christmas dinner, sporting matching sweaters emblazoned with their initials is pretty funny.  But, I always get little pangs of sympathy for Mrs. Weasley, who must have spent hundreds of hours knitting away by the fireside, listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network, making sure that her children stayed nice and warm in drafty old Hogwarts Castle.

Weasley[1]So, how do you avoid becoming a Molly, with all your hard work going unappreciated?

First, ask if your recipient even wants a sweater.  (Unless you’re 100% sure they will appreciate it, and really want to make it a surprise, always ask.)  Mrs. Weasley has been knitting these sweaters since her kids were tiny, and now they’re expected (and kind of dreaded, like tax season).

Second, try to figure out what kind of sweater your recipient wants.  Ron always gets a maroon sweater, not because he likes the color, but because his mother likes how he looks in maroon.  If you knit a sweater for someone in a color they hate, it’ll never get worn.  Which would be lame.

Third, think about where your recipient lives.  I’m making a big, fluffy sweater for my grandmother, who lives in Wisconsin, where extra layers are always helpful.  I once made a cabled wool pullover for my husband (which actually turned out really great), but he can almost never wear it, because Seattle never gets cold enough to warrant that much wool.

And fourth, think about if your recipient will actually appreciate all the time and effort that you put into the sweater.  I limit my knit gift-giving to my family and my knitting friends, otherwise they just don’t “get” it.

tumblr_lpsdihVFdI1ql72zio1_500[1]So go for it!  Make someone you love a Weasley Sweater (or a Jones Sweater, or a Robertson Sweater… whatever your last name is.)  Just make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

Knitting in Novels: Harry Potter

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In honor of NaNoWriMo, I thought we could talk about books and novels.  Specifically, knitting in books and novels.  Sometimes it’s a sneaky, subtle part of a book, and sometimes it seems like it’s almost a main character.  I don’t know about you, but whenever I come across a mention of knitting in a book, I always get excited, as if I just saw an old friend make a cameo.

So, without much more ado, let’s jump right in to my favorite book series of all time. Harry Potter (obviously)!

Knitting isn’t a big part of these books, but it peeks its wooly head up more than a few times.

In the first book, when Harry is first being introduced to the wizarding world, Hagrid breaks out his tent-like yellow knitting on the journey.  (Just like all of us trying to pass the time on a long commute.)

Mrs. Weasley is a well-known (and prolific) knitter, who spends her days knitting sweaters for her seven children (plus Harry).   (Sure, they’re a little tacky, and the kids don’t really appreciate them the way they should, but it’s the thought that counts, right?)Ron-Harry-Potter-Christmas-Sweaters[1]Hermione even learns a knitting charm to help her knit the piles of hats that she tries to use to set the Hogwarts house elves free.  (Can you imagine how much more you could get done if you could use a knitting charm? My whole house would probably end up covered by a gigantic knitted house-cozy.)

Knitting_charm[1]And, even Professor Dumbledore, while not a knitter himself, is a big fan of the art.  More than once, he mentions his love of warm woolen socks, and once he reads a muggle knitting magazine while waiting for a couple other characters to finish a conversation.

Clearly, I have read (and re-read) the Harry Potter books a few too many times, but, you know what?  I don’t care!  They’re fun, interesting, well-written, clever, and have lots and lots of knitting in them.

What’s your favorite knitting-related book?

Pattern: Hogwarts Scarves in a Weekend

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Sometimes you need a little more magic in your life. Sometimes you need something to keep the chill away while reading your favorite teenage-wizard-themed novels. Sometimes you’re invited to a Harry Potter party, and you need a quick costume accessory.

This Hogwarts Scarf is just what the Medi-Wizard ordered. It’s crocheted at a huge gauge with extra-bulky yarn, so it works up in almost only a few hours. Feel free to make the scarves longer (or shorter) by adding more (or fewer) stripes.

So get out your magic wand (or crochet hook), and conjure up a scarf this weekend!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGet the pattern for free here:

Hogwarts Scarves in a Weekend

Inspiration: Profssor Trelawney’s Poufs

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I’m re-reading the Harry Potter books again (because I’m a grown-up and can read what I want).  And, one of my good friends is having a Harry Potter-themed Halloween party in October (because she’s an adult and can do what she wants), and I want to study up.

I’ve just reached the part where Harry, Ron and Hermione have started taking Divination classes with Professor Trelawney.   If you haven’t read the books (and, really, you should), Prof. Trelawney is the very eccentric (and possibly prophetic) teacher of Divination classes (seeing the future).  She’s a big fan of foretelling Harry’s death, and wears more scarves than Stevie Nicks.

And, she has a very cool classroom, full of low tables and little poufs for the students to sit on and practice reading their tea leaves.

Divination[1]

I don’t put much store in reading tea leaves (except when I’m feeling especially superstitious), but I do love the idea of having a bunch of poufs laying around, willy-nilly.  They seem like they’d make a room feel especially cozy.  Perfect for propping up your feet while you sit with a blanket, a cup of tea, and your dog-eared copy of Harry Potter.

Puff Daddy by Anna & Heidi Pickles3440899265_5f42b4a163_z[1]

Le Pouffe by Julie PhilipP1090228_medium2[1]

Pouffe / Footstool / Ottoman Super Chunky Cable Knit 25″ diameter x 16.5″ high by Erin Blackil_fullxfull.385187280_5b78_medium2[1]

Freedom Sand Pouf by Theresa BoyceDSCN3382_medium2[1]

Pattern: Phoenix Pouch

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA perfect pouch to put things in, decorated with Professor Dumbledore’s familiar, Fawkes the phoenix. This little drawstring pouch is of a size to house a deck of cards, a small camera, or a handful of Bernie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Originally designed for a Harry Potter-themed gift exchange, the Phoenix Pouch would be well received by Potterheads, or anyone else who loves a good fiery bird.

Knit from the top down, the construction of the Phoenix Pouch is very simple. A row of eyelets allow the addition of a drawstring. The suggested I-cord drawstring may be substituted for a ribbon, if you so choose. The Phoenix is created through Fair Isle knitting following the included chart.

Get the pattern here for free!

Phoenix Pouch

Pattern Spotlight: Weasley Sweaters

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I must have mentioned at some point that I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd.  It’s true.  And I’m not one bit ashamed of it.  I’ve probably read through the books at least five or six times.  I even dressed up with my friends to go to the midnight release of one of the last book.  Then we all sat up until dawn reading.  Good times.

One of my nerdier purchases (which is saying something), is my well-used copy of Charmed Knits, by Alison Hansel.  It’s an unofficial Harry Potter knitting book, and it is utterly delightful.

charmed_knits_h_sm[1]

If you’ve read the books, you know that Mrs. Weasley knits sweaters for each of her seven children every Christmas.  And, if you’re a knitter, you know what an undertaking that must be (even with the help of magic!).  It’s one of the ways she demonstrates how much she loves her family and how much pride she takes in protecting them.

harry79034[1]

In Charmed Knits, Alison Hansel has two patterns.  One pattern is for a full-sized Weasley sweater (with sizes running from toddler all the way up to adult XXL).  The other is for a miniature, Barbie-doll sized sweater.  She suggests bending a bit of wire into a teensy coat hanger to turn your tiny sweater into a Christmas ornament.  (It’s pretty much the most adorable thing ever.)  I’ve made both the full sized sweater (minus the big double-stitched letter on the front; I’m a nerd, but not that much of a nerd) and at least a half dozen mini sweaters.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(This is a mini-Weasley sweater I made for my friend Kate’s Harry Potter-themed 29th birthday party.  Also pictured, a felt Mimbulus mimbletonia and a scroll with a magic incantation.  Like I said, I’m a nerd.)

The coolest thing about these two patterns?  They are constructed in exactly the same way.  So, if you’re worried about making your first sweater, why not try knitting up a mini Weasley sweater first, to see how everything fits together before you go?  The two patterns are great beginning sweater patterns; simple, and knit at a largish gauge to make the projects go quickly.

So go find a copy of Charmed Knits, and make your family some sweaters for Christmas.