Angel Snape

Tracy S has created this absolutely brilliant angel Snape for her Christmas tree using my knitting pattern. I think he looks even more like Alan Rickman than my dolls do. I hate to think how many detentions Tracy is going to receive as a result of doing this, though.

Young Snape and Lily Potter

Inspired by The Prince's Tale sequence from the final Harry Potter film, here are very young Severus Snape and Lily Potter, back when life was happy and James Bloody Potter hadn't messed everything up.


Lily is wearing a simple blue dress with a purple trim. Severus is wearing an ill-fitting jacket (see, it was intentional, not just bad knitting), a cream shirt with tiny buttons, and navy jeans. In the film, if you look very carefully, you can see that he is wearing the classic misfit footwear combo of socks and sandals. I'm glad he didn't carry this look into his adult life. It was too hard to knit microscopic socks and sandals so he just has black shoes.


These two dolls are teeny tiny, compared to my usual 14 inch adult figures. They are around 9 inches tall, so they should be in scale with the adults.

These two youngsters were a special order for an Etsy customer, but if you'd like these for your collection, drop me a line.

Snape treasury

Excellent Snape treasury on Etsy curated by Sharon (who has a very Snape friendly Etsy store). Thanks for including knitted Severus Snape: you are awarded ten house points.

Lots to love in this treasury, but my favourite is Quacked's Severus Snape plush keyring. He looks like he has seen something really hideous (Lily snogging James, probs) and is hiding inside his robes.

Wizarding Winter Fair 2011

Knitted Severus Snape will be appearing at the Wizarding Winter Fair in Macclesfield on 16th December 2011. In fact, rumour has it that you may be able to win him as a quiz prize. I don't know how happy he'll be about that...

If you fancy winning Severus, as well as enjoying a wizarding craft fair, bake sale and an evening of Wizard rock, buy your tickets now! £5 in advance or £7 on the door.

The Wizarding Winter Fair folk advise: "WIZARD ATTIRE IS STONGLY ENCOURAGED. SPOT PRIZES WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE BEST COSTUMES. STRICTLY NO MUGGLES ALLOWED. By attending you are helping to raise funds for ALOHOMORA 2013, and in turn our chosen charities!"

Moody stuff

If you're looking for a quick Halloween costume project, this could be just the job: Kelly's crocheted Mad Eye Moody patch.

You'll be needing a 4mm crochet hook, black, blue, white, light brown yarn, a tapestry needle, stuffing, two buttons and elastic.

Free pattern here so get stitching!

More Captain Jack

Another photo of Captain Jack enjoying the wind in Worthing - more photos on my Knit For Victory blog should you want to see them...

Captain Jack and Captain Barbossa

More visitors to the Slytherin common room today. Here to teach a module on Pirate Studies are Captain Jack and Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean. They were a special order for a special Etsy customer.


I think I might develop Jack into a knitting pattern, because he is a great project to make - lots of little scarves and bits and pieces, perfect for the impatient knitter. You're never far away from finishing the piece that you're on!

Hermione Granger doll

Sorry, yes, I know, she's not in Slytherin, and at this rate I'm going to be banned from the common room and mucking out the Thestrels for the entire autumn term. But here is my Hermione Granger doll. She was a special order for an Etsy customer.


I'd like to think that she is as bossy and as know-it-all as the real-life non-knitted Hermione. She's gone off to a new home already, but if you'd like a Hermione doll of your own, drop me a line.

I'm currently working on some Pirates of the Caribbean dolls but after that I've got a bit of a special Harry Potter idea in the knitting pipeline (Is that technically a knitline? Probably).

Bellatrix Lestrange doll

Here is my new Bellatrix Lestrange knitted doll, created as a custom order for an Etsy customer. Bellatrix is awesomely evil, and has suitably mad hair, which you can style in a range of just-got-out-of-bed-and-killed-someone ways. She is wearing a skull pendant and has a figure-hugging bodice and flared black lacy skirt.

This is the first doll that I have knitted with bosoms, so I will award myself ten house points for that achievement.

Bellatrix has already gone off to a new home (as has Snape) but if you'd like one, drop me a convo on Etsy or say hello via this blog.

Very moody Snape doll

Every doll that I make is slightly different from the others (as is the nature of hand-made things) and let me warn you that this Snape is particularly moody. I've made some very mellow Snapes in recent months, but this one is in a foul mood and will probably put you in Saturday detention for the next six months. If you think you can handle it, he's in my Etsy shop at the moment.

More visitors

More visitors to the Slytherin House common room today - Captain Hook and Wendy. This is Captain Hook as played by Jason Isaacs in the 2003 Peter Pan film. He's about 15 inches tall and was so much fun to make that he's inspired me to make more pirates, after I've finished a couple more Harry Potter projects that I have on the go at the moment.


Captain Hook and Wendy have already gone off to a new home but you can order them as custom dolls in my Etsy shop, where you can also ogle at more photos.

A special visitor

Today we have a special visitor to the Slytherin House common room, so I hope you will treat him nicely. Here is Colonel Brandon, from Sense and Sensibility, as played by Alan Rickman.

He's about 14 inches tall, around the same height as my Severus Snape doll, and is incredibly dashing and comes with his trademark hat.


The original doll shown in the photos has already gone to a new home, but you can order another one as a piece of custom knittery from my Etsy shop.

Pottermore

Any ideas what Pottermore is going to be all about? And, more importantly, will there be new knitting opportunities?

Harry and Draco knitting patterns

You can now buy the knitting patterns for Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter in my Etsy shop - the patterns for both dolls are included in one 8-page suitably gothic-themed pattern. Put down that wand, pick up your needles, and get knitting, Slytherins!

Harry Potter knitted doll

Yes, OK, I know that I am going to be barred from the common room for a few days for knitting a Gryffindor. But if it makes you feel any better, he has gone off to a new home with Draco and will probably be bullied mercilessly.

Harry Potter was a custom order for one of my wonderful Etsy customers but I am currently working on the pattern so you can knit him and Draco for yourselves.

His glasses are made out of twisted fuse wire and he's wearing a school jumper and robes with Gryffindor house colour trims. Just like the real Harry, it's impossible to make his hair stay neatly down, thanks to a sprinkling of short, thick, mohair chunky wool sprinkled in among the double knitting yarn...

Draco Malfoy doll

The only time I ever did a personality quiz on Facebook ("Which Harry Potter character are you?") it told me that I was like Draco Malfoy (which is what happens when you do personality quizzes on Monday morning before having your coffee). So when I was asked by one of my Etsy customers to knit her a Draco, I was delighted.

Draco is a little bit smaller than the adult dolls, about 11 inches tall, and he's got a slighter build. I based him on Prisoner of Azkaban-era Draco, where he's only just started to get into his evil stride and still has that slightly innocent air of superior swagger. In the photo above he's waiting for Harry to walk past so he can trip him up or shout "Woooo-oooo Dementor" at him.


Here's Draco walking around outside Hogwarts, looking for some first years to pick on.

Draco was a custom order from my Etsy shop, but I will be selling the pattern soon.

Oh - and just to warn you - I have also knitted a non-Slytherin character doll and will reveal all soon. Hope there isn't a riot in the common room.

Lucius Malfoy doll

Here's another Lucius Malfoy doll I have recently knitted as a custom order. He's off on his broomstick to a new home now, but if you fancy making one for yourself, you can buy the knitting pattern for him in my Etsy shop.

Voldemort and Nagini knitting pattern

Now on sale in my Etsy shop - my knitting pattern to make a 14 inch Voldemort doll, and a Nagini who you can knit as long as you like. Voldemort and Nagini knit up on 4mm needles, using the double knitting yarn of your choice. Nagini has a flexible wire inner so you can pose her into all kinds of troublesome positions.


This 8 page knitting pattern has a fittingly gothic feel and is printed on the sort of parchment paper that would be perfect for a potions essay. The cover is card, and the whole thing is hand assembled, with a colour photo of the two cuddly bad guys/gals on the front.


Patterns will be sent by first class owl post, or airmail if you are outside of the UK.

Snape looking almost happy

Just finished this Severus Snape doll as a custom order on Etsy and was shocked to see that he looks almost happy. Maybe he just caught Harry running in the corridor and docked him about 500 house points.

The great thing about making your own dolls is that every single one is different, even if you make the same doll over and over again. Even the slightest change in detail can transform a facial expression from angry, to bemused, to downright miserable. If you're knitting your own Severus doll, it's worth trying out a few expressions before settling on the one that you are happiest with. I often unpick the facial embroidery two or three times before I'm happy with it.

This Severus doll is about to wing off to a new home in the USA but if you fancy knitting your own, you can buy my pattern on Etsy.

How to make doll's hair

If you're making one of my Severus Snape or Lucius Malfoy dolls, do have a look at this step-by-step guide to creating the perfect doll's hair on my sister blog, Knit For Victory.


Warning: does contain graphic shots of crochet hooks being inserted into the back of Severus Snape's head. Ouch. Told you. Sorry. All this pain is worth it in the end, trust me.

Patronus

I've been taking a knitting break for a couple of weeks and have been using the time to try out a few new crafty techniques. (Fear not, I've just picked up the knitting needles again and will be making more toys soon). I've been wanting to knit a doe patronus for ages but have had problems working out how to knit and purl those elegant legs - knitting is well-suited to cuddly and chunky, but thin and elegant is more problematic. So, until I can get my head round that, here's a cross stitch doe patronus, worked on black aida fabric.

It's not for sale (because a) it took too long and b) I like it, so it's sitting on top of my piano at the moment) but if anyone fancies making one for themselves I can email you the pattern for the deer motif.

Snape and Nagini

This can only end badly.

Claire's Snape doll

Claire sent me this marvellous photo of a transfigured Minerva McGonagall keeping a close eye on the Severus Snape doll that she knitted from my pattern. I love it! Claire says that Severus was more or less the first knitting project that she has undertaken, apart from an iPod cosy. So several hundred house points to Claire, and a large plate of Fox's Choc Fudge Crunch Creams for the common room, methinks.

If you'd like to knit your own Snape, you can buy my pattern in my Etsy shop.

Voldemort and Nagini knitted dolls

New in my Etsy shop: Voldemort is about 15 inches tall and is hand-knitted from acrylic yarn. He is dressed in a floor-length evil-chap black robe with flared sleeves and black star fastening at front. He is wearing a jewel-encrusted snake pendant charm at his neck.


Nagini the snake is a whopping 19 inches long and has a flexible foam-covered wire stuffing, so she is fully posable - she's big enough to wrap around any of my Harry Potter dolls (hope she keeps away from Snape). She has a striped top, beige underbelly, ribbon tongue and black toy safety eyes.


Both Voldemort and Nagini are hand-knitted from my own patterns. If you'd like to make your own Snape or Lucius Malfoy dolls, you can buy my knitting patterns, too. Other Harry Potter dolls on the way!

Lucius Malfoy doll knitting pattern

This is my knitting pattern to make a 12 inch Lucius Malfoy doll. Lucius knits up on 4mm needles, using the double knitting yarn of your choice. He'd probably prefer something luxurious and expensive for his coat, but that's something you'll have to discuss with him.

Lucius is wearing an Edwardian-style smoking jacket with silver bead buttons, a grey cravat and a silver-buckled belt. He's carrying his trademark cane.

You can buy this 8-page knitting pattern in my Etsy shop.

Severus Snape plays Scrabble

So, if I've given ten points to Slytherin on a triple word square, that means that they get thirty points, is that correct? No? I think you'll find that I know the rules of this pathetically simple word game better than you do. Detention for the next six Saturdays.

Severus Snape knitted doll

Severus Snape is about 12 inches tall and knitted from acrylic yarn. He is dressed in his trademark Victorian frock coat complete with lots of tiny hand-sewn buttons and is delightfully grumpy.

He is hand-knitted from one of my own patterns and is looking forward to sitting in your house and taking house points away from you at every opportunity.

Buy Severus in my Etsy shop - or why not make your own from my pattern?

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to me.