Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pattern: Quidditch Scarf

Now you can create your very own knit Quidditch Scarf to wear and support your favorite Quidditch team (or sport of any other sort, for that matter) in Hogwarts style! This reversible ribbed scarf is simple to knit. With a long, skinny design, this scarf can easily be made wider, longer, shorter, and can be worn long or wrapped around the neck.



This scarf pattern was primarily inspired to mimic the clean lines and blunt color changes of the Quidditch sweaters worn by the Gryffindor Quidditch team in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (below is an image of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley modeling the sweater for us).



In order to knit a scarf to fulfill your own personal team pride, you need to know the appropriate colors of each of the houses. Hogwarts House Colors are as follows:
  • Gryffindor -- Red and gold
  • Hufflepuff -- Yellow and black
  • Ravenclaw -- Blue and bronze (blue and gray in the films)
  • Slytherin -- Green and silver

Pattern: Quidditch Scarf


Supplies
US 10 (6.0 mm) needles
Two skeins worsted weight wool, one dark color, one light color [recommended: Cascade Yarns 220 Wool]
Yarn needle for sewing in ends

Instructions
Cast on 24 stitches in Main Color [MC]
Row 1: Knit 2, Purl 2
Repeat Row 1 for 23 more rows (24 rows total).

After initial 24 rows, switch to the Contrast Color [CC]
Repeat Row 1 for another 24 rows.
Continue alternating 24 rows of MC and 24 rows of CC until scarf reaches desired length.
End in MC.
Cast off.

Finishing
Using yarn needle, sew yarn tails from cast-on, cast-off, and color changes.


Saturday, October 1, 2011

yoda, baby!

Star Wars. Well it has a following, right? Maybe just a little one. My dear husband loves Star Wars. Everything about it. He saw Return of the Jedi for the first time in the cinema when he was a boy. 

He does not know it yet, but for his birthday this year, I made him this fabulous knit Yoda hat.


I took Sunshyne Leland's pattern, Felted Baby Yoda Hat, and edited it in order to fit an adult head. Next year, I hope to sew David a Jedi robe so that he can go all out as Yoda for various costuming events. David also has this idea of making lightsaber whips, which are weapons that Sith warriors use during the Clone Wars and in some of the Star Wars novels. If he made one in green (Yoda's lightsaber is green), it would give the perfect touch.

Here is what I did to make the pattern fit an adult (see full notes on my Ravelry project page):
With US 11, CO 90. Begin decreases after 11 inches.
Ears: With US 13, CO 23 with two strands held together. Follow St st for 3.5 in inches/12 rows
  decrease row
  cont 3 rows
  decrease row
  cont 3 rows
  decrease row
  cont 3 rows
  k2tog
Decrease every other row until 13 sts left.
Follow pattern from here until end.
Flaps: Pick up 24 and continue in St st, decreasing every 4th row.