it's a book, it's a knitalong, it's harry potter!

No not the baby, the book!

the cover's still in final design stages,
but the final version should look similar to this

Yes, I've been working on a book - Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter - (when boys and baby on the way have allowed me) for the last year and it's almost time! And what a time it is - the book should come out in May and the next Harry Potter movie and book are both coming out right afterwards in July. The book is chock full of fun HP patterns by me and other designers I'm sure you know, as well as many knitter/fans turned designers you might not know. Stay tuned to this blog for details and some sneak peeks of the projects (and maybe even a pattern preview)! And you know we're going to do some Potter-knitalonging 'round here, right?

The Charmed Knits knit-along is up and running! (Because I've got baby L to take care of, the publisher has kindly offered to run the knitalong. They've set up a blog and will be in charge of sign-ups, but I'll be over there posting and hosting too, so come join me!) The publisher has come up with a wonderful idea to kick off the knitalong too. They've generously provided one of the patterns from the book as a free pdf and have teamed up with Warm Woolies to donate hats knit from the pattern to orphaned children in America and elsewhere.

psst... go to the knitalong blog for a link to the pattern pdf!

Of course you're welcome to join and knit any Harry Potter pattern. I'm going to make a hat for sure as well as a few other things once the book comes out. I'll be posting some previews of patterns from the book in my sidebar in the weeks to come. And the book will be available in less than a month! That'll give us two months to knit for the movie premiere and book release. Huzzah!

My master webmaster has set up the sockapalooza 4 sign-up system and it's now in the testing phase. I'm going to shoot for opening sign-ups at the beginning of next week. Here's the 411 on what you'll need to sign up....

If you participated in the last round, you will be able to access your old info and update what needs updating (moved? don't like pink anymore? whatever). If you were in earlier rounds or this is your first time, you'll sign up as a new participant.

Everyone will need to provide a screen name (this will be your first name unless you specify some sort of alias), email, blog url (if you have one), address (this will only be given to the pal knitting for you), your foot measurements, your color, style and fiber preferences, and whether you're willing to ship internationally or not. You can also sign up to be a sock savior in this round in case someone drops out and their pal needs a new knitter. And you can offer to knit an extra pair of socks for a sock pal who did not receive socks in the last round. (Yes, that's right, there were a few knitters in the last round whose sock pals never managed to get socks out to them and they still need socks! And I know there are a few of you out there who would be twice as happy knitting two pairs of socks, so please consider signing up to take on an old pal from the last round.)

Send off date for sockapalooza 4 will be the beginning of August, so that should give everyone plenty of time to get socks knit for their pal. Remember, don't sign up if you don't think you can get socks knit in time. I can't wait to get started!

While I watch the sockapalooza sign-ups roll in, I'm going to get started on a Gryffindor house hat for the Charmed Knits knitalong. Unsurprisingly, I've got a few leftover skeins of maroon and gold yarn in my stash.

Cascade 220

Why don't you join us and knit a hat for charity? In the meantime, while we wait for the book to roll into stores, here are a few teasers...

Atypically.knit's now-classic House Scarves! Isn't this where we all started our Harry Potter knitting? Lauren's scarves are in the book and she's even worked up a new version for us. (And there might just be a couple of other patterns from her in there too. Wink, wink.)

And how could I possibly do an HP knitting book without the weasley sweater? This is a new pattern written for a larger gauge, so it's even easier and faster to knit than the original!

Hope you're getting as excited as I am!

And here's yet another project I've started (without finishing any of the previous projects, mind you). My Charmed Knits house hat (for the knitalong) is underway!

It's stalled here ready for it's gold stripes. It's been stuck at this point for three days, waiting for me to get a moment to wind the gold yarn. Ahhh, life with a newborn. And it doesn't help that the swift is in her room either!

Well, while I'm waiting for the opportune moment to wind my Gryffindor gold, I can show you two more sneak peeks at projects from the book!

It's a wizard hat, just like every student at Hogwarts wears! And to go with it, a wizard robe! Both are super easy to knit and look really authentic.

And do you see Errol up there? He's so fun. I can't wait to make one myself!

I finally managed to wind that gold yarn... and so my first Charmed Knits House Hat is done! (Remember, you can download the free pattern from the book at the Charmed Knits knitalong site!)

I made the beanie style with the paired decreases on the top. I think it looks much more boyish than the standard swirly decreases that hat patterns usually create. I'll have to make a girly beret next.

Gotta say that I loved this Ultra Alpaca yarn! (Turns out the maroon wasn't Cascade 200 after all. The gold is, but I found the label for the maroon and it was Berroco's Ultra Alpaca.) Such a nice hand, very comfortable to work with, soft, smooth, and warm. Next time I'm looking for a lovely, cozy yarn for a cardi, I'll definitely keep this one in mind.

(Stay tuned later this week for another sneak peek at a pattern from the book!)

This is how I knit yesterday. After finding some black wool, I popped wee one in the sling, strapped on a shopping bag to hold my yarn, cast on for a Hufflepuff house hat and walked a rut in the floor.

Well, it's finally here - I got my copy of the book! It's just on its way to distributors now, I think, so it'll still be a bit before stores have it, but it's coming! To celebrate, I finished off my second house hat.

This one is a Hufflepuff beanie I made with Classic Elite Bazic from my stash. (Love the Bazic, by the way - totally one of my favorite kid yarns!) I've always felt like I'd be in Hufflepuff, so I was really eager to finally make a Hufflepuff item. Next up, maybe a Ravenclaw hat, since I like their colors the best of all the houses.

And now, since you haven't seen the book yet, another sneak preview:

These are Dobby's Socks, based on the mismatched pair of socks Harry sees Dobby wearing at Hogwarts in book three (one of which is Harry's old sock) and the pair that Dobby knits for Harry for Christmas in book four (you know, with the broomsticks and the snitches). They were so much fun to design! Dobby is such a unique and funny character and he's a fellow knitter, so I just had to include some sock patterns for him in the book!

(Pssst... you can see a couple of other previews at the Knitpicks site!)

Time for another Hogwarts house hat for the Charmed Knits knitalong! Fellow Knitsmith (and sock designer!) Gabriella just happened to have some Ultra Alpaca in navy blue that she didn't want, so I swiped it for a Ravenclaw hat. This time it'll be a PoA-style beret.

oops, I had to steal the needles for another fab little project!

So that makes Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and now Ravenclaw. Turns out the only color I don't have is some green for Slytherin. So, in the spirit of inter-house unity, I picked up some green Mission Falls wool at A Yarn Over Marblehead on our yarn crawl this week.

Slytherin, Draco, Snape, they're not all that bad, right? Discuss...

"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind."

One more house hat (a PoA-style beret in Ultra Alpaca) done! Just Slytherin left to do.

"And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be."

Can you tell that I'm getting psyched for the next book? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

So says Slytherin!

The Slytherin PoA style beret in Mission Falls wool completes my collection of house hats. Now to send them off to Wiley for Warm Woolies.

Don't think Potter stinks? Then stay tuned tomorrow for a big HP yarn giveaway!

I just got some yarn back that I had for book projects and I'm sharing it with you! There's yarn for socks, gloves, a wizard hat, lots of different house hats (remember, the pattern is available for free on the Charmed Knits Knitalong site and you can donate your finished hat to Warm Woolies with the other knitalongers!) and even some for a wizard robe! All the yarn is as pictured (some yarn might have been used for swatching and unravelled) and in complete skeins.

Rather than do one big giveaway and gift some poor Gryffindor with Slytherin yarn, I'll post each item separately. Leave a comment to the post of any item you'd like to win by noon (eastern time) on Sunday. I'll randomly choose a name from the comments of each post and will notify the winner. If you could send me $2 by PayPal if you win to help with the shipping that'd be great.

Thanks for playing along. Good luck and happy HP knitting!

Perfect for a House Hat or two!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for a House Hat or two!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for a House Hat or two!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for a House Hat or two!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Two skeins: perfect for Wizard Hats!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for House Mittens or a Hip House Scarf!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for a Bookscarf or maybe Mittens!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for House Socks and it's self-striping, so you don't even have to change yarns!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

Perfect for a Wizard Robe!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this yarn. Rules are here.

A copy of the book signed by me and sent to you!

Leave a comment if you'd like to win this item. Rules are here.

And the winners are...

Encore Slytherin: "erinflynn" Erin

Encore Ravenclaw: Sharon F (email at rr.com)

Encore Hufflepuff: "baldsheep" Katherine

Patons Wool Gryffindor: "the misplaced midwesterner" Kim

Wool Ease for wizard hats: "peschiperkins" Julie

Cascade 220 Superwash Slytherin: Melissa (email at cox.net)

Jaeger Matchmaker Slytherin: "meliass" Melissa

Regia Gryffindor sock yarn: "flanthrower" Sara

Wool Ease 10 pack for wizard robe: "unknitted" Kris

Signed copy of Charmed Knits: "love of knitting" Amy and Rose (email at msn.com)

Congratulations! Send me your addresses (my email address is in the left sidebar) and $2 through PayPal if you can and I'll get your package ready.

For everyone else, I'm working on a fun little bonus HP pattern right now, so stay tuned in the next few days...

Are you getting excited?! There's so much going on...

Potter Podcast! This past weekend I recorded a podcast with local knitter, podcaster, and HP fan, Guido of it's a purl man. We discussed Harry Potter with Jane from Porter Square Books. It was loads of fun - my first time doing a podcast! - and it got me thinking about all the things I want to see in the upcoming movie and in the final book. The podcast should be airing in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned to Guido's show!

Potter party at Webs!! The weekend between the movie premiere and the book release, I'll be visiting Webs in Northampton, MA for a book signing and HP party. They're opening the store on Sunday, July 15 starting at 1pm just for us Potter enthusiasts to talk and knit Harry Potter (and do a little shopping - I've already got a list!). It sounds like they've got some neat Harry Potter themed events planned for the afternoon, so come join us.

Potter Parade! Are you planning your knits to wear to the releases? It's not exactly sweater weather this time, so this group has decided to make invisibility shawls to wear at the movie premiere and the book release. Awesome idea!

I was thinking of maybe wearing a hip house scarf or another little surprise something that I'm still working on. Aaack, the clock is ticking!

I drove up to New Hampshire this weekend for a little book signing at a local Barnes & Noble store. Baby L and I sat in on a kids' knitting group actually. I love that lots of kids are knitting these days. It's so cool that it's often they who teach their parents to knit. And I am very glad to hear that my book contains some things that a group of tween knitters could really make and get excited about making.

This coming Sunday I'll be at Webs in Northampton, MA from 1pm - 3pm for a special Harry Potter knitting celebration (scroll down for a small blurb about the event) and book signing. I am so excited about it. Webs! Webs! Webs! Webs! It's like a chant in my head. Many of the Knitsmiths are coming too and I hope to see lots of you there. If you haven't ever visited Webs before, you gotta come see ALLLLL the yarn! Come, shop, knit, and talk movie 5 and book 7 with me.

I won't be going to Minnesota for any book events, but man, have I gotten a lot of requests from there. Knitting must be a big deal in Minnesota! Not only have I had more contact with journalists and book stores in Minnesota than here locally, but also, every time I have a little yarn contest or giveway, I swear at least half the items go to Minnesota! A few weeks ago, I was interviewed for an article in the Twin Cities' Pioneer Press. The journalist also runs her own potter blog, Big Harry Deal. Come to think of it, Harry Potter must also be a big deal in Minnesota. More recently, I was interviewed by another journalist for an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and she also has her own hp blog, The Potter Blotter. (Great name!!) So what is it about Minnesota? Is it as cool as it seems??

Alright, I know you all are wondering what the boys do when mommy's off knitting and book signing. They do this with daddy. All the way to the top!

I finally got out to see the Order of the Phoenix last night!

This was supposed to be a picture of the poster at the theater, but I think it better captures my excitement than the actual poster. Woo hoo! I wasn't disappointed.

**Warning, I'm going to talk about the movie, so if you don't want to hear, skip this paragraph!** Order of the Phoenix was very good - and that's saying something, since I really haaated book 5. Okay, maybe hated is a little strong, but I didn't like Harry in it, certainly didn't like Dumbledore in it and then there were the obvious jerks in the book like Fudge, Umbridge, Bellatrix.... But I really loved the Weasley twins' exit from Hogwarts and was happy to see justice done to it in the film. I was very relieved that Harry's whiny teen outbursts were left out and that the whole Umbridge situation was treated with more humor than horror. Neville was given some good scenes in this one (looove Neville!). And I definitely liked the style of the film and the use of the Prophet to segue between scenes and stories. Overall, I was very pleased with how 5 managed to get all the important things in, still I was left feeling like something was missing. There might have just been too much plot to squeeze into one film to leave much time for anything else, but I didn't get the sense that we really shared what Harry was going through. It was more like we were just sort of being told how he was feeling (by Luna most of the time). I feel like we were more with him in the scenes in the Shrieking Shack and by the Whomping Willow in 3 and through all the Triwizard challenges and at the graveyard in 4. I don't know. Maybe a few more viewings when it comes out on dvd will change my mind.

A few more viewings on dvd will definitely help me better see all the amazing garments they put in there! The costume department did another incredible job with lots of cool new pieces to replicate. There were house vests and cardigans, Umbridge's cropped pink lace sweater, her pink fluffy angora sweater, and her amazing pink houndstooth poncho. We got another peek at Ron's patchwork afghan from the last movie and he's got a new maroon jumper, this one with plaid squares on the front! The Weasley twins were sporting chunky zip collar sweaters with a fun retro/Charlie Brown style zigzag motif and their bright green holiday waistcoats were hilarious! Then there were Mrs. Weasleys' knitted gifts for all of them (you know that the costume department had to have been let loose for that scene!). My favorites were definitely Hermione's Gryffindor striped hoodie (gotta make one of those) and Trelawney's bag. Anyone have plans for knitting these or others already?

And speaking of Harry Potter, listen to my Harry Potter podcast with Guido of It's a Purl, Man and be sure to come to the Potter party at Webs on Sunday (1-3)!

The people at Webs are soooo cool! First, I got to be on their local radio show (which is also online as a podcast). They chat about their lives and their store. It's all very down to earth and fun to listen to. I really enjoyed being a part of their show.

Then, on Sunday, the big day, we had the book signing at the store. They set up a table for me and I put out all my samples from the book.

But that's not all, they had set up a whole potter party table with a Harry Potter cake, Bertie Bott's jelly beans, and "dragon snot" green sherbet punch too! This was like the 9 year-old Harry Potter party I never had!

check out the cake!

They raffled off house color yarn kits and gave away tiny bookscarf kits. There were at least 15 Knitsmiths there (I love you gals!), as well as lots of other Potter (and yarn) enthusiasts!

After chatting with fellow Potter fanatics, I got everything on my yarn list (and more!), including yarn for a baby shrug and baby pants for baby L, yarn for a dolly bag for a friend's daughter, and of course all the yarn for the boys' tiger and lion animals (yes, B has switched from a bee to a lion - he didn't want S getting anything that seemed cooler than what he was getting!). The boys actually greeted me at the door when I got home by yelling, 'did you go to the big yarn store?! did you get the yarn?!' Oh yeah!

All ready for the big book release! I've got my Harry glasses, a Gryffindor beret from my book, and a Marauder's Map shirt I made with some iron-on paper (got the idea from one of the fabulous women at Webs this weekend). I'm listening to Harry and the Potters and am excited to stand in line to get book 7. Then it's out of the country I go, far far away from the internet and the television and the hints and the spoilers. I want to pick up my book and disappear...

No mischief, please. I know there are some "reveals" out in internet-land already and I don't want to see any of them. Thanks!

Like many others, I'm offline, reading my Harry Potter book. I'll just be doing it in a different country far, far away from the internet and for a couple of weeks.

the contents of my 'carry on'

The Potter Party in Harvard Square was AWESOME! First there were the Hungarian Horntails, three little kids who screamed (really screamed) things like "kick Voldemort's butt!" and "Crabbe and Goyle are stupid beaters" into the microphone. Between songs they'd argue about what song was next and the oldest boy (the one with the guitar) would tell the others to stand away from him. It was hilarious, albeit very hard on the ears.

Then came the real punks, Draco and the Malfoys: "Draco, year nineteen and Draco, year fifteen" they said.

Okay, they totally rocked! Their lyrics were so funny - "It's time to party like you're evil! It's time to freak out some Muggles!" -- so Draco -- "My father is rich and your father is dead." -- so meeeeaaaan - "I love my mom. I love my dad too. We all love Lord Voldemort. And we love to hate you." You've got to go to their site and listen to some of their songs. Buy a CD or two. They are great!

Finally, the ones we all wanted to see, our hometown HP rockers, Harry and the Potters!

You may have heard their music before and thought that they're not the best band ever, but they were so fun! They really got everyone psyched. "Are you ready to rock?! Are you ready to read?! Are you ready to defeat evil by reading?!" They had us pledge not to spoil the book for all the children who are so excited about it and then they rocked! We sang together about saving Ginny and playing Wizard Chess, what Draco Malfoy's problem is, and how awesome this book is!

Then it was time to head to the Harvard Book Store to get said awesome book. They sorted us by alphabet; I was in Charms.

At midnight, the clock chimed twelve times and we all cheered! By 12:18, I had my book! On my way home from the Square, I drove down a deserted, dark street and passed a young guy riding a big upright bike with a giant basket very reminiscent of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, but instead of a doggie, he had the book in his basket. Awesome. Harry Potter is cool.

See ya in a couple weeks! Enjoy the book, enjoy finishing your sockapalooza socks, enjoy this time.

Maybe, just maybe I've regained my knitting mojo. I brought two projects to Rhinebeck that were for me me me and I actually knit successfully on both of them. Woo hoo!

First, I started one of my favorite projects from my book, Ron's animal crackers hat. Last year I dyed some bulky wool I got at a yarn swap in some fun colors. Turns out I've got the right number of colors with similar variations as in the animal crackers hat. I had no idea when I was dyeing it, but the yarn is perfect for this hat!

On the drive up and sitting in the author tent, I managed to make it a little more than halfway through the colorwork around the bottom of the hat. I can't wait to get to those crazy fun braids!

Next, an actual me-sized sweater: Frances from Laines du Nord "Simple Knits 5". I fell in love with this sweater as soon as I saw it. I think it'll be flattering and has the cute button collar which is crucial while I'm still nursing. I cruised through all that ribbing in the car in the dark and am now on to the stockinette. This is fabulous no-brainer, fool-proof knitting!

The yarn is Jaeger luxury tweed that I found at a Wild & Wooly clearance sale. It felt nice in the bag, is a lovely pink, and was on sale - can't beat that! But now that I'm knitting with it, I'm loving it even more than I thought I would. It's an alpaca/wool blend and the alpaca makes it all soft and snuggly and the merino makes it all sproingy and squooshy. It's so cool. And best of all, it's just for me!

Mojo back, knitting on.

Well, no hat trick for me. I didn't manage to finish my third hat this week, but I did make it through all the colorwork on said hat.

Ron's animal crackers hat, one of my favorite projects from Charmed Knits

Isn't that blue awesome?! I think it'll be a good color for me. And yes, I'm doing the bow and the braids. Oooooh, is this hat going to be fun!

We begin this week's parade of finished projects with one for me because wee one isn't exactly looking photogenic these days. I don't look any worse than I usually do, so here goes. It's an oldie, started many months ago and left lying neglected until now, almost finished, underneath all the baby projects. Drumroll please....it's Ron's animal crackers hat from Charmed Knits!

I love these colors. I can hardly believe that I actually dyed this yarn myself! It seems like ages ago, which it must have been since it had to be before I was pregnant (no chemicals with baby in the house!). And I love this pattern. Eileene, the designer, reproduced it just perfectly (here's the original). The hat itself is neat with its little retro zigzag design and then there's the fun part...

The braids!

Silly, yes, but not too ridiculous I hope. I did change the hat so it covered my whole head and didn't sit, like the original, like a beanie just on the top of the head. It is a hat, after all. But I couldn't leave off those braids!

Now I wanna make that ragg raglan sweater of Ron's (with Jenn's awesome pattern from Charmed Knits). Hey, if I start now, maybe I'll be done for the winter and the release of Half Blood Prince! Is it too early to start planning our movie premiere knits?? (Please say no.)

I spent waaaay too much time on etsy last night. That can't be good. But I did find these:

Kid's Mischief Managed Shirt
Gryffindor Bracelets
Horcrux cards
Harry Potter Handknitted Finger Puppets
Dumble Dormouse
and
my book!