Wednesday, January 8, 2014

HP Madness!

I traveled home last week looking like a big ol' Harry Potter nerd (which is not to say that I am not one, but I'm usually more...discrete about it). I had my Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine in hand to start socks for the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup while listening to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince skillfully read to me by the one and only Stephen Fry (who has nothing more to do with Harry Potter, I just like him a lot :]).


I started a pair of Narcissa Socks in this absolutely gorgeous yarn (Storied Yarns Superwash Sock in the colorway "Star Wars", but perfectly suited to Narcissa Malfoy, I think). Note: wind yarn by hand before you get on a plane. My seatmate was entirely too polite.


The pattern is getting lost in the variegation, but I don't care. These are socks any admiring knitter needs to look at very closely, even in a solid yarn, and they still look really cool to muggles from afar for the color alone. Isn't the picot edge great?! My first pair of socks with a picot edge. You were right, Eliza, the picot totally decided the pattern. :)

I'm still not the biggest fan of knitting socks, but I'm turning into a bigger fan of wearing them, which might convert me on the knitting side a bit more. I took one pair on my trip home and wore them a lot more than the other socks I had packed. I'm wearing them even now, as a matter of fact. :) I have a few sock patterns queued up for the coming months. I'm hoping one or two of them will become as well-worn.

Do you block your socks? I've considered making sock-blockers because they might help me break in my socks sooner and help some of my ill-fitting ones fit better, but I just don't know. What do you think? If you don't block them, do you find you need to wear yours a few times before they fit perfectly? Do certain patterned socks need it and maybe plain ribbed or vanilla socks don't? I'd love to know what your experience is.

Just to round off the geekiness, here's my Deathly Hallows bag from the same shop where I got the yarn. ;)


For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

5 comments:

  1. I love that yarn and I agree that it is a perfect colorway for Narcissa Malfoy. I love the picot edge, its so pretty. I do not block my socks, I have sock blockers, but really only use them to take photographs of finished socks. Typically my socks fit fine when I am done, and lace ones block out on my feet (that's how I deal with lace ones anyway).

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    1. You have the same sock philosophies as I do. :) Blockers would help with the photography for sure. I'm really unsure if these are going to fit, so I might try blocking them....I'm such a sucker for that picot edge!

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  2. Picturing you winding your yarn on a plane cracks me up! I never really watched the Harry Potter movies until recently. My son has read them all and wanted to rematch them before watching Deathly Hallows for the first time. So we're finishing the first part of Hallows tonight. I have seen several Potter-themed knits I want to make, like Of Hallows and Horcruxes and Heliopath. Your socks are incredible. I love the color, cables, geeky sentiment, and that picot edging!

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    1. I definitely smiled at myself a lot. I think the flight attendant thought I was a bit nuts, too. John made me watch the movies a few years ago and I've become a much bigger fan of them than he is. I couldn't read the books, but having them read to me is really fun. I hope you've enjoyed them! I can totally see you in the Heliopath vest. :)

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  3. that yarn is gorgeous! i've been brain storming about things i can add picot edges to recently, and unfortunately, i haven't come up with much... might be time to make some new reading mitts!

    that hallows bag is awesome! major jealousy over here! i want one of the hallows necklaces! and as many things quietly nerdy as i can get away with!

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