The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits - Severus Pullover and Dumbledore's Warm Socks

I am really excited about getting to be a part of The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits issue from Interweave this summer. I've been a fan of Harry since the first movie came out, and worked my way through the books starting when my son was old enough to read chapter books.

My Severus Pullover is inspired by what Professor Severus Snape might wear if it became necessary for him to wear Muggle clothes, such as for a covert mission for The Order of the Phoenix. Since he often had to wear poor-fitting clothes as a child, the adult Snape owns only a small number of garments that are excellently fitted and of top quality.

The Severus pullover features a central column of off-set cables reminiscent of flickering flames, flanked by narrow, serpentine cables. The sleeves feature the same serpentine cable, which travels the length of the sleeve and forms a saddle shoulder. Snape is often described as sweeping “bat-like” through Hogwarts in his wizard’s robes, so the sleeves of the Severus pullover are minimally tapered, as Snape does not care for restrictive sleeves.

My second project included in this magazine are Dumbledore's Warm Socks. Dumbledore’s Warm socks are designed especially for spending long hours in ancient, drafty castles. They are worked primarily in a specked rib pattern, whose heavy texture promises warm feet. Near the top of the sock, the initials “A P W B D” - for Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore - are worked across the front of the sock in contrast colour using duplicate stitch on a back-ground of stockinette-stitch squares fitted neatly into the specked rib pattern.

In "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," Dumbledore laments that he has once again received books for Christmas when what he longed for was a pair of thick, woollen socks. He never again mentions this desire in any of the books.

This is thanks to a conversation between Harry and Mrs. Weasley the summer after second year. After a day of buying school supplies in Diagon Alley, Harry has dinner with the Weasley family at The Leaky Cauldron. Conversation turned to Harry's recent release of Dobby the elf via the gift of a sock. They begin talking about the value of a good pair of socks and Harry casually mentions what Dumbledore told him in front of the Mirror of Erised. Mrs. Weasley, overcome with gratitude to Harry, who, with the assistance of Dumbledore, has recently saved Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets, vows to include Dumbledore in her Christmas knitting and to keep him well supplied with woollen socks every year.