Bookscarf Set

Ever since I made my first bookscarf and wrote up the pattern for it, I have wanted to make more for myself. Early last year I finally got around to creating a complete set with colors from each of the four houses.

Pattern:
My own Harry Potter Bookscarf.

Yarn:
DMC Pearl Cotton (size 5) in Gryffindor colors 815 (red) and 976 (gold), Ravenclaw colors 336 (blue) and 415 (silver), Slytherin colors 890 (green) and 415 (silver), Hufflepuff colors 725 (yellow) and 310 (black).

Needles:
US size 0 (2.0 mm) set of 5 double-pointed (Susan Bates Silvalume).

Hook:
US size 8 (1.5 mm) steel (Boye). Used for the provisional cast-on and for adding fringe, this was the closest size I had to my needle size without going over.

Modifications: (Yes, even though it's my own pattern!)
The original pattern begins with a provisional cast-on and closes both ends with 3-needle bind-off. When I re-wrote and expanded the pattern for Alison Hansel's Charmed Knits, I decided those steps weren't really necessary because the fringe does a perfectly good job of closing up the ends on its own. In this case, the Gryffindor bookscarf was done the original way since the pattern was actually created from it. The Ravenclaw bookscarf was made according to the revised pattern as a simple tube without a special cast-on or bind-off. For the Slytherin and Hufflepuff bookscarves, I returned to the old way. The difference in appearance is nearly undetectable, but I think that the extra steps make attaching the fringe much easier.

Notes:
If I were to make another Gryffindor bookscarf, I would use the slightly lighter and brighter color 783 for the gold. In anticipation of eventually making a Ravenclaw bookscarf with colors in accordance with the books instead of the movies, I've chosen 796 for the blue and 976 for the bronze.

tags: harry potter  knitting  bookmark