HARRY POTTER HOUSE SCARF KNITTING PATTERN
I love knitting sweaters! They’re always ridiculously cozy. And, if the tab completely dedicated to knitting didn’t give it away, Josh and I are huge nerds and are obsessed with Harry Potter. So, for his birthday, I decided to knit him a sweater that was a replica of Ron Weasley’s sweater. I made it in Gryffindor colors as that’s the House Josh is in (as I said, huge nerds). Anyway, let’s get into it!
The Yarn
I have a soft-spot for Knit Picks. Their yarn is ethically sourced and they’re a small business out of the midwest. Seeing that this was a gift, I bought the pricier yarn. This yarn is sturdy, but extremely soft. It’s like wearing a pillow. Unlike some yarns, it creates a thick garment with just one strand. This is not their only tweed, so if you’re looking for something cheaper, you can find it on their site.
HARRY POTTER HOUSE SCARF KNITTING PATTERN
The Pattern
I used this free pattern. Someone generously posted a pattern of the sweater for all ages. There are a few things I would adjust or note about this pattern.
- The chest size is not the finished chest size, but rather your current size. The garment will be 2-4″ of give from the chest circumference you go with. Looking back, this is obvious now.
- There is no letter pattern aside from “H”. I took an spreadsheet and attempted to created my own letter from there. As you will see in my mistakes section, it wasn’t the best solution.
- The pattern maker uses a lot of knitter lingo. While this is great for beginners, do not assume acronyms. Look them up if you’re unsure.
My Mistakes
Honestly, I want to scrap this sweater and start over. I’m actually bullet-pointing my errors because there are so many! Hopefully, this will help prevent the same happening to you.
- I made this sweater too big. (See note above about chest circumference.) It is a long sweater, too. Josh has a long torso and this hit right below his hip. Not ideal. Definitely a wear-around-the-house type.
- I added a cable knit on as an after thought. The original pattern does not include cable knit edges. Josh requested them as he didn’t want the roll that stockinette stitch makes at the bottom of the sweater. The reason why this is no good is because the cable knit came undone! If I had to redo it (and I probably will), I would use a 2×2 tubular cast-on (here is a video, it’s very simple) to prevent the cable knit from becoming messy. Highly recommend if you’re making one for kids.
- I did the letter using intarsia instead of adding it in afterwards. I could of saved myself a lot of time and yarn along with spare the sweater of a weird lump if I laid it flat and added the letter at the end. This is what I ultimately ended up doing, but I took the long way around to get there. If you’re using a letter other than an “H”, I recommend doing the latter instead of intarsia.
Final Notes
Are you satisfied with the outcome? No. Honestly, I want to scrap it and do it over now that I can clearly see my goofs. Had I not made so many large mistakes, I’d probably be fine with it.
Would you recommend the pattern? Yes. But, I’d add my tweaks (start with a 2×2 tubular cast on for hem and sleeves, add letter in last, etc.).
How long did this take you? If I didn’t screw up the letter so badly, it would have taken me 3 weeks between a full-time job and life. Sadly, it took me about 5-6 weeks because of that letter problem.
What skill level is required? This can easily be a beginner’s sweater.
Any other notes? This would make a great gift for the holidays! Especially for any of your Harry Potter-loving friends and family!
