In honor of Harry Potter’s birthday (July 31), the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and my recent trip to Harry Potter World, I’m doing a quick post on pottercrafts!
Deathly Hot: The Hallows Tank Top
Just before leaving for Los Angeles to visit the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood, I decided I needed a DIY top appropriate for the 100+ degree F weather of LA in July. Luckily (felix felicitously?), I found this great Deathly Hallows cutout tank tutorial on YouTube. I made my lines extra sharp by using an X-Acto Knife instead of scissors, but either will work. Just swish and flick!
You can still kind of see the chalk lines here. They faded eventually, but I’m probably going to get more chalk on it, seeing as how this is a great top for the rock climbing gym.
See that high stepping move? Definitely the (hor)crux of the boulder problem. 🙂
House Colors Headband -Gryffindor version
The other item I wore that weekend was a headband, in lieu of a house scarf. Even though the Sorting Hat has placed me in Ravenclaw (and my cat too!), I figured that Gryffindor colors were the way to go here. I drew inspiration from the scarf pattern seen in the 4th Harry Potter Movie. But what I’m most proud of is the fact that I made this on the car ride down from Northern California! I actually finished it in the dark!
It’s a little wonky because of that, and the fact that I had no pattern, and the fact that I forgot scissors and cut the back threads with a pocket knife, but I’m sure Dobby would still wear it.
I mostly wore this headband when I went on rides, but once again, I forsee using it quite a bit for rock climbing:
Perhaps it will help me be braver when bouldering! At any rate, I know Dumbledore would approve of this knitting pattern. Need proof? Here it is, book 6:
By the way, this the first Harry Potter themes knitting I’ve done—that would be the Lion Cat Toy from a post in 2012.
In 2012, I shared a list of the Top Ten nerdiest crafts I have made. Recently, I realized I have made enough nerdy crafts since then to have a second top ten list. (And who doesn’t love a good listicle? I am a total sucker for them.)
Here’s the list! I have written about most of these before, but #5 and #1 are brandnew projects!
10. Harry Potter Cat ToyDetails: Knit in August 2012 for a couchsurfing host, first blogged here, based on this pattern.
Nerd Alert: The recipient had two cats named Harry and Ron (brothers!), so of course their cat toy had to be knit in Gryffindor colors. I also gave it a mane, because of course I did.
Bonus Pics:
Harry caught the snitch, er, mouse in his mouth.
Honorable Mention: I recently knit a purple washcloth with the Knight Bus on it. Maybe the pattern did not turn out very visible…OR maybe, the Knight Bus cannot be seen with muggle eyes. You decide.
9. Sweatered Shetland Pony Cozy
Details: Knit in November 2014 for a fellow knitting friend, blogged here, pattern details here.
Nerd Alert: Many knitters make sweaters. A select few knit sweaters for Shetland Ponies. But to my knowledge, I am the only one who had made a sweater for a knitted pony on a beer cozy.
Bonus Pics:
one pint of ale, please.
8. Katniss Cowl
Details: Knit in March 2014 for myself, blogged here, ravelry pattern notes here. Based on the cowl the main character wore in the second Hunger Games film.
Nerd Alert: Did I wear this to see the most recent Hunger Games film? Yes, yes I did. Also, it’s still held together at the side with my cable needle.
Bonus Pics:
7. TARDIS PillowDetails: Knit in December 2013 for my brother, blogged here, pattern details here.
Nerd Alert: You don’t have to be a Doctor Who fan to enjoy this pillow across all of time and space…but it helps. I blame/thank my brother for introducing me to the show. (Also—notice how it’s bigger on the other side!)
Bonus Pics:
6. Adventure Time Washcloth
Details: Knit in December 2012 for my brother, blogged here, pattern from here.
Nerd Alert: Confession—I haven’t seen Adventure Time. I know this is Finn. His face is a little gray but he doesn’t seem to mind.
5. DNA Double Helix Legwarmers
Details: New project! Knit in January 2015, pattern details here.
Nerd Alert: That’s right—that’s a double helix cable! Expertly charted, or so I have read. The original pattern was for a scarf, but I added some ribbing to the top and bottom, knit two of the pattern at a time, and stitched them together in the back to create legwarmers. (And yes—I wear these! To the gym! In public!)
Bonus Pics:
Bringing back the 80s.
4. Battlestar Galactica T-Shirt
Details: Made in August 2013 for myself.
Nerd Alert: Not only did I stencil the signature phrase “So Say We All” from BSG onto a t-shirt—I also made a second shirt for my friend with the phrase “Nothing But the Rain,” an even more obscure reference. Nerdy stenciling at its best.
Bonus Pics:
Starbuck, what do you hear?
3. Sonic Screwdriver Chapstick Cozy
Details: Knit in January 2014 for myself, blogged here, pattern here.
Nerd Alert: Not only did I make Doctor Who’s sonic screwdriver to hold two chapsticks…I may have shown it to a cosplaying Tenth Doctor I ran into. Just saying.
2. Cylon Potholder
Details: Knit in November 2012 for the friend who introduced me to Battlestar Galactica, blogged here, pattern here.
Nerd Alert: Before I saw BSG, I dismissed it as Top Gun with Robots in Space. That is, until my friend convinced me it was about much more than that (like the ethics of what it means to be human—I was sold) and I gave it a chance. To thank her for this, I made her a potholder that not only had a creepy red glowing cyclon “eye” but the words “FRACK” and rounded corners at the top. It’s a terrifying potholder. I’m that kind of friend.
1. The Dungeon Master’s D4 Dice BagDetails: New Project! Knit in December 2014 for my brother, pattern here.
Nerd Alert: I’ve never played Dungeon and Dragons, but my brother leads several D&D groups and has need of dice transportation! Not only did this project require maths to get the exact size of triangle, it also required sewing a zipper. I stitched the numbers in different embroidery threads to make it extra colorful!
Bonus Pics:
(You should be able to get an idea of how to sew the zipper in from these photos)
While I enjoy making things for myself, the best part of being able to knit something nerdy is having something fun to give to the lovely nerdy people in my life. Here’s to ten more nerdy knits!
Details: New Project! Knit in December 2014 for my brother, pattern 
knitbyahenshop 
