Tuesday 1 October 2013

Harry Potter Scarf Pattern

Harry Potter Scarf Pattern
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For my daughters birthday in October last year, we went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden nr London. It was AMAZING! If you are any sort of fan I cannot recommend it enough. Best day out ever. It's not cheap but it's completely worth the money. (If you are not a fan, stay away, you'll hate every minute. It is definitely for Harry Potter nuts only)

The gift shop however, was a little on the expensive side. We bought a few little bits but the lovely scarves were £40 which was a bit out of our budget. In a rash moment I said "Don't worry, I'll make you one". Just under 1 year later * - whoop whoop, it's finished!

It's knitted on a round needle so it doesn't roll up at the edges but isn't rib.
The good news is - it's all knit, none of that purl nonsense to slow you down!
The bad news is - it's double thickness so that's twice as much knitting!

Here is the pattern, with a simple version first for more experienced knitters. If you are more of a newby just scroll down as I've included lots of pictures and instructions on how to make the colour changes/tassels etc in case you haven't tackled anything like this before. (If you can't knit at all there are loads of great videos on youtube, I've not covered that here!)


Harry Potter Scarf Pattern

3 x 100g balls of claret DK wool (US: Light Worsted, Aus: 8 ply)
(I only used a tiny bit of the 3rd ball, you could squeeze it out of 2 if you made it a little bit shorter)
1 x 100g ball of gold DK
16.5"/42cm circular needle - size 4mm (US size 6)
Any biggish crochet hook


Basic pattern:
Using main colour (m) cast on 60 sts, *work 27 rows in knit.
Change to contrast colour (c) knit 3 rows.
Knit 5 rows in m, then a further 3 rows in c.
Repeat from * until desired length finishing with 27 rows in m
Cast off. Create 28 8" tassels and attach 14 evenly to each short edge, joining the layers as you go.


Now here's the same pattern again with a bit more help:
Cast on 60 stitches with the claret/main colour, then just start knitting in a circle. Go round for 27 rows. You could use a stitch marker but I didn't (because I don't have one and am not really sure how they help!), I just counted the rows when I thought I was getting close. Remember once 27 rows are done you can see 26 stitches. 

Change to gold by making a knot round your claret yarn,

then pulling it tight to the back of the last stitch.

Now just start knitting with the gold yarn.

Once you've done a few stitches it will look like this at the back.

Knit 3 rows in gold.

Remember, as I said above, when you can see 2 stitches that means you have done 3 rows. 

Bring the claret yarn under the gold then start knitting with the claret. Keep the gold at the back for now.


Knit 3 rows in the claret then wrap the claret yarn over the gold that you are keeping at the back. Then just carry on with the claret for another 2 rows. (That's 5 rows of claret altogether) Doing this just stops the gold from looping about too much at the back.


This is what it should look like at the front.

Change back to the gold for another 3 rows.
At this point I broke off the gold with a tail of about 4"/10cm.
Carry on with the claret for another 27 rows. Once you've done a couple of these rows stop and sew the gold end in. It's easier to do this as you go along.



Continue with this pattern until you are happy that the scarf is long enough, just make sure you finish with a 27 rows of claret.

As you knit it will twist up on your lap, just stop now and again to untwist.

I did 14 pattern repeats in total and then the wide claret band and the scarf measures 102"/260cm. It's 7"/18cm wide.

Flatten your scarf, lining it up so all the little steps where you changed colours are lined up at the edge. You can press it lightly with the iron at this point if you want.

Now you need to make the tassels. Cut a piece of thick cardboard 8"/20cm x 3"/8cm. Wrap the claret yarn round and round without pulling it tight.
Cut along the top and bottom so you end up with 8" lengths. You will need 84. Take 3 lengths and fold them in half.

Take a crochet hook and poke it through both layers as close to the edge as you can, pick up the loop and pull it through both layer. Don't pull it all the way through - just half way.

Open the loop out with your fingers, make sure you have all three strands.

Poke the loose ends through the loop.

Pull gently till its nice and tight. 

Add tassels all the way along both ends, about 2 stitches apart.

Lay it down somewhere flat and with sharp scissors, trim the tassels so they are all level.

This is the wool I used, just an inexpensive DK from my local shop.

Now all you have to do is wear it, enjoy it, love it!
She was trying to be cool for my photos, but this is how much she really loves it!

* Can I just say, it only took best part of a year to make because I started it once with more like 90 something stitches and knitted at least 3 foot before we realised it was much too wide. I made that awful decision to undo all that hard work but it was definitely worth it.

I'll be linking up to these link parties
I've not chosen any yarn with these Amazon picks as it's just too hard to tell online if the colours are right. I recommend a trip to your local wool shop if at all possible to choose the colour you think is best. 


Sum of their Stories
Sum of their Stories

Hello, I'm Julie. I love making things and this is where I share my enthusiasm.

65 comments:

  1. Cute scarf! I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but I really like this scarf!

    Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party

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    1. We are all Harry Potter nuts here! I've linked up at your Sunday Link Party now, thanks for your comment :-)

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  2. How neat is this? My oldest nephew is just starting to get into Harry Potter and I'm predicting it'll be what he wants to start dressing up as for Halloweens very shortly! I can't knit for anything but I still love this scarf!

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  3. I was just wondering what the finished dimensions of this would be. Thanks!

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    1. It's kind of long (just like Hermione's!) 102"/260cm long and 7"/18cm wide.

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    2. Thank you!! I can't wait to get started with mine. :)

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  4. I wish I could knit! I have a huge Harry Potter fan for a daughter and she would love this!

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    1. Why don't you have a go, the internet is full of great tutorials especially U tube, BUT this is a bit of a monster project if you are just a beginner, you need quick projects so they don't take too long and you feel like you are achieving something. How about a tenny tiny scarf that could be a bookmark?
      It's very therapeutic and once you get the hang of it you can knit while you watch TV so you are multitasking!

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  5. I've made a HP scarf myself, in crochet, and I hate to say it... but I do love how they look knitted. :D Perhaps I should learn to knit. :)
    http://divinedebrisjewelry.wordpress.com/

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    1. My daughter was VERY insistent that it should be as close to the one Hermione wears in the film as possible - had to be knit, had to be stocking stitch, had to not curl up! I even counted how many pattern repeats by looking a stills online! I love crochet and knitting, crochet is definitely quicker but each is good for different things generally I think.
      I'd recommend adding knitting to your crafty repertoire, you tube is full of video tutorials which make it really easy.

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  6. This is so great!! I wish I knew how to knit!! I featured you this week at Friday Favorites! Thanks for linking up!
    http://ourlifeinaclick.blogspot.com/2014/11/link-party-friday-favorites-86-features.html

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    1. Thanks so much Heather, glad you like it. Knitting is very relaxing once you get the hang of it - honestly!

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  7. What brand of yarn do you suggest?

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  8. Oops! Just saw the brand. What is DK?

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    1. DK is Worsted in the US and 8 ply in Australia, I don't know if it has any more names around the world. To be honest I think any brand will work. I just went for something reasonably priced and soft. I did choose acrylic so It's not itchy. As it's a scarf tension, fit etc isn't too important, just knit till it's long enough! If it seems too wide after you've done a few inches, rip it out and start again with a few less stitches. I started this 3 times till I was happy with the number of stitches! You'll know if it doesn't feel right. I found this conversion chart which might help with the different types of yarn. http://www.theknittingsite.com/knitting-conversion-tables/
      Can I just say how exciting it is to think someone is actually going to make a scarf using my pattern! This one is still looking good almost 2 years on, it was totally worth the effort to make it. Good luck with yours.

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    2. Isn't DK short for Double Knit? Double Knit is slightly thinner than worsted I believe.
      ( this is a different anonymous than who asked the question, so if you reply call me "2")

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    3. Hi anonymous 2! Thanks for commenting. I was just going by the conversation chart as linked above. I've checked out a few more and some say Light Worsted or Sport to use instead of DK (yes double knit) This conversion business can be complicated, why on earth don't we all have the same? And don't get me started on crochet terms...

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    4. Just the other day, I saw a pattern that used a Japanese knitting needle size 12... aka 5.7mm... size 12 in imperial/UK is 2.75mm, or ~8.5mm in US(they don't actually have a size 12... only 11 and 13). It's just ridiculous..
      BUT I finally bought my yarn for this scarf :) I'm doing it in royal blue and gold (my University's colours)

      - anonymous 2

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  9. Just the other day, I saw a pattern that used a Japanese knitting needle size 12... aka 5.7mm... size 12 in imperial/UK is 2.75mm, or ~8.5mm in US(they don't actually have a size 12... only 11 and 13). It's just ridiculous..
    BUT I finally bought my yarn for this scarf :) I'm doing it in royal blue and gold (my University's colours)

    -2

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  10. I started knitting this a few days ago (already on the third repeat, yay!) in Slytherin colours. I'm so excited to get it finished; thank you so much for making the pattern available!

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    1. I'm so pleased that it's working out for you, you should be finished just in time for the cold weather! 3 repeats in just a few days is fantastic, I'm guessing you are a highly motivated knitter. The scarf does have to be super long to be "proper" but at least with the circular needles it knit all the way which for most people really speeds things up. I'd love to see it when it's finished, you could email me or tag me on instagram or something - good luck!

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    2. I hope I will! I've been busy at it constantly, as I know that if I stop I probably wont touch it again for a few months at least haha. I'll certainly post it on instagram once I've got it finished nicely, hopefully that wont be too long away!

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    3. I finished and posted it to Instagram so you could check it out - I tagged you in the photo! =)

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    4. I'm just ridiculously proud, your scarf looks amazing!

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    5. Thank you so much! I just finished a Ravenclaw one too and tagged you on Instagram again - I'm trying to get myself a full set now =P

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  11. I've just recently started knitting, and I still LOVE watching Harry Potter movies (although I did enjoy the books too!) so this little beauty is right up my alley!

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  12. You are a lifesaver!! Thank you so much for posting this! I've tried to make a Harry Potter scarf for years and they ended up being too thick because I used rib stitch, but now that I know how to use circular needles I can remake my hufflepuff scarf and my brothers slytherin scarf, and I can start on my boyfriends ravenclaw scarf and gryffindor for my little sister. Plus a hat and mittens :)

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  13. Hi I'm trying to make this scarf for my niece but having real trouble getting started on the needles. Feels like 60 stitches not enough?

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    1. Hi, glad to hear you've having a go.
      I started with way more stitches on my first attempt, more like 90 but when I'd spent quite a while on it I realised it was way too wide even though it started looking just right. This one finished up 7" wide, with the needles and wool I stated here. I think I'm a pretty average knitter, not especially loose or tight, when I do tension squares from patterns it's usually spot on.
      You can adjust and add more stitches if you like, the way you knit it will be exactly the same, you'll just need more wool to get the long length.
      Remember as it's stocking stitch you don't loose any width with the knitting pulling in like it would with a rib.
      For my daughter it was important that the scarf was as close to the ones in the films as possible, I looked a photos of Hermione wearing her's SO many times to try to get the width and length right.
      Have a look at the photos of my daughter and adjust it if you think you want a scarf that looks wider. She is pretty slim, a UK size 6 if that helps you judge at all. I think you have to knit at least 10 -12 inches before you can really tell how it is going to turn out.
      I don't know how experienced a knitter you are, just watch that you don't get the base casting on row twisted on the round needles,that's such an easy mistake to make!
      Good luck and I hope it goes well.

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    2. Hi I've got going now! Had real trouble joining first round but going great now. On second reapeat and loving it. Might even have it done in time for Christmas!

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    3. How exciting, just knit at every opportunity and you'll be fine! It is so lovely to hear people using my version and photos and getting on well. If you are on instgram I'd love you to tag me in a finished photo so I can see all your hard work. (Or email me a pic)

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    4. Hi. I've finished the scarf and it looks great! I don't suppose you have a glove pattern to match do you! Loads of wool left so thought I'd try them too.

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    5. Wow, that was quick! I'm so pleased it's turned out well.
      I don't have a specific glove pattern but I'm sure you could find a good free one with an online search. I was having a look at photos from the films to see if I could see what kind of gloves they had, one photo had Hermione in a pair of chunky mittens but I think you could just add some gold stripes to the ribbing of a regular glove pattern worked in the claret and they would be fab.
      The leaky cauldron site has listing to craft patterns, you might find something suitable there http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/features/crafts/knitting

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  14. I sent you a picture of my finished scarf (in my university colours) on Instagram! I was a little delayed in finishing it because of my university workload and then it got set aside and forgotten for a bit until I was digging through my knitting things at the end of April (I started it last August and only finished it May 18th). I'm thinking about making another in Slytherin colours :)

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    1. Looks amazing, well done, I'm so pleased the pattern worked out for you.

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  15. I know you stated you used 3 x 100g balls of yarn for the main color but how many yards would that be? I googled it and it said about 300 yards but I want to be sure (especially since the yarn I will be using comes in a pack of 364 yards.

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    1. Hi Lauren, here in the UK we only ever buy our yarn and wool by weight in balls so I'm not sure how many yards that is. I would just refer to Mr Google too.
      The band on the yarn I used says 300 metres which converts to 329 yards, and I've looked at a few other brands online, the 100g balls we have here seem to be sold as being around 300yards, does that help?
      If the yarn you have available is 364 yards I would still think you'll need 3 main colour to get the good long Hermione style length, you could probably squeeze it out of 2 balls of main colour if you are on a tight budget and it will just be a little shorter. Or have some left over and make a fab hat too! My yarn was DK which again I think is a little different to what you have, and light worsted is the nearest equivalent.
      I had about 1/4 of a ball of the dark red, the main colour, left over if that helps guide you.
      Good luck, I know quite a few people who have managed to make scarves using this pattern and shared them on social media, they have all turned out fab.

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  16. Hi!! I saw your pattern and would really like to try this out! I've been a crocheter for 13 yrs now and would like this to be my first knitting project. I have a few questions. Using the circular needles will make the scarf look like the front all the way around or in the back will it show where you color changed or will the circular needles help cover that up? And in your opinion which is best wool or acrylic yarn? I've always used acrylic yarn but I want this scarf to be really soft and comfy because it'll be a gift. Thank you for sharing this pattern!

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    1. Hi
      Knitting on circular needles means it's right side all the way round, the wrong side is tucked inside. You are basically making a big tube! We picked this way as it's stopped the knitting from rolling at the edges which knitting can tend to do, and especially so we would get that nice finish all round.
      I chose an acrylic as my daughter (in fact the whole family) find pure wool to itchy. I'm that person in the wool shop who holds all the balls of yarn up to my cheek to check how soft they are.
      The other good thing about acrylic is it can bung in the washing machine.
      I made this scarf with only a budget type yarn, it wasn't expensive stuff but it has stood up well to the test of time, I made it back in 2013 as you can see, it's worn pretty much every cold day and is only a little bit bobbly round the neck now.
      I must warn you, you will find knitting really slow compared with crochet but plod on and I'm sure it will be fab. Good luck!

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  17. How long did you make it ? (sorry for my english)

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    1. Hi Betty, I'm not sure if you mean how long I made the scarf or how long it took so I'll answer both!
      The finished scarf is 102"/260cm long and 7"/18cm wide.

      It took me about 3 months to actually knit it once I got started. I only have chance to knit for a couple of hours at a time, a couple of times a week though. I would guess it was about 48 solid hours of knitting but that's just an estimation. I would think I am a medium speed knitter, not especially fast but not very slow either.
      Does that help?

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  18. Thanks for the info on the striping. I've made 5 Gryffindor scarves but the style with the wide strips. My nephew wants one for Christmas and it will have theses stripes in the Ravenclaw colors. But I wasn't sure how the stripes worked in the more recent movies.

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    1. Glad it's helpful. Like I said I did study the film stills for quite a while counting the stripes so I'm pretty confident this is film accurate. Good luck with your scarf making, to make it for Christmas I guess you will really have to get a wriggle on!

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  19. Quick question! So in total you had 15 golden stripes? Meaning 15*2=30 lol I'm asking if you made 15 double stripes?

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    1. Hi. I did 14 pattern repeats in total. So I had a wide claret band to start, 14 sets of the "gold, thin claret, gold" then a final wide claret band. I'll change the wording in the pattern to make that clearer. Sorry for any confusion.
      Of course you can make your scarf any length you like. I sat and counted the stripes on Hermione's scarf on photos from the films to try to make sure I got it right, but I'm pretty sure an extra set of stripes either way will not be a problem.

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  20. Just finished a "short" version of this scarf for my son's girlfriend. I used stylecraft dk special in claret and gold. I tweaked it a bit because I think this yarn I used might be thinner than the yarn you used. So, 70 stitches cast on = 6.75' wide and I did 9 pattern repeats and the scarf is about 55" long. My son's girlfriend requested the length! I knit a repeat or two each day so it took me about a week to do. Thanks for the idea!!

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    1. Hi Steph, thanks so much for letting me know. The pattern here is just a guide that worked for me with what I had so I'm so pleased you were able to adapt it to make the scarf you wanted to. The beauty of scarves is they can be any length you want!
      I'm thinking maybe I should put tension square info in here, I'm a bit lazy and rarely do a tension square but it might help people using different yarns as they are all a bit different round the world aren't they?
      I'm so pleased it worked out well, I hope your son's girlfriend loves wearing her scarf as much as our daughter does hers.

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  21. Sorry if this is repeat comment, it appears my first one disappeared. I just finished the scarf, with some variations. I used Stylecraft Special DK in claret and gold. I think the yarn is thinner than your yarn, so I used 70 cast on stitches using 4mm circular needles and the width is about 6.75 inches. I did 9 repeats and the finished length came to about 55 inches, as requested by my son's girlfriend. It took me a week doing about a repeat section each day, with a couple days doing a couple repeats. Thanks for the guidelines it saved me a lot of trial and error!

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    1. Ah, I have comment moderating on Steph, so I can delete spam before it goes up. I'm so pleased you found my hints helpful. I get very excited when I find out people have found Sum of their Stories useful.
      :-)

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  22. Hello I just started this project and I am almost (3rows away) from finishing my first piece of red it doesn't look big enough compared to your picture. Any suggestions? I do have the correct sized needles

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    1. Hi, What are the measurements of your first red block? Do you mean it doesn't seem wide enough or long enough? On my daughters scarf the piece of knitting is about 7" /17cm wide (that's double though because of the circular needles) and is just over 4.5"/12cm long. How does that compare to what you have?
      If you don't feel it's long enough you could add a few extra rows, but if you do that on each pattern repeat you'll either have less repeats or a longer scarf. It's your scarf so you can make it any way you like! These measurements just worked out well for us.
      You might knit much tighter than I do of course, that would make your work smaller. If that is the case you can go up a needle size (but that's more expense unless you already have one) or add a few more stitches/few more rows.
      what I would say is that it's a scarf so at the end of the day a few extra inches or a few less is not going to make a massive different, a scarf doesn't have to "fit" exactly!
      I hope that helps, let me know how you get on and if you have any more questions. Good luck - it will be fab when it's finished :-)

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. Do I have to use circular needles? How does that affects the pattern and prevent curling? I'm currently using straight needles and my knit stitch doesn't look like your. Thanks

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    1. Hi, I used circular needles, as then you basically knit a great big tube.
      If you use straight needles you will need to do a purl stitch every other row so that you are doing what is called stocking stitch instead of all knit (which is garter stitch and is all bobbly and textured)
      Then when you are finished you'll have a scarf which is twice as wide as you want and you'll need to stitch it up to make the tube.
      It's possible, but I would recommend popping to the shops and buying a circular needle if you can (or see if a knitter you know has one you can borrow) it will be much quicker and if you are putting in all the effort to knit this super long scarf, worth it in the end.
      The reason I made the scarf like that is because when you do a strip of stocking stitch it will curl in at the edges and your scarf will end up looking like a roll instead of a flat thing.
      I hope that helps.

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  25. That's not a harry potter scarf. it should be equal stripes of red and gold

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    1. Hi Anonymous, thanks for visiting and for your comment. We based this scarf on the films and in the later ones they changed from the equal stripes to this which we prefer. You are welcome to make your scarf with any stripe pattern you like. I'm not sure if there is a detailed description of the house scarves in the books. I might have a look and see when I've got a minute.

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  26. This Pattern is by far the best I have seen! Do you have any color & brand suggestions for Ravenclaw and Slytherin scarves? Please send a link if you do!!!

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    1. Thanks, I think your best bet is to go into a local shop which sells yarn and just see what they have that looks right for you - that's what I did here. It's hard to be sure choosing on line if the colours will be what you want.
      If you google Slytherin scarfs you get versions in all sorts of shades of green but I think you really need a dark forest type green don't you, you don't want it ending up like something for St Patricks day! Likewise I think Ravenclaw need a pretty dark navy.
      This pattern was worked up in UK Double Knitting (DK) but should work with a light worsted or 8ply too . Luckily with a scarf the sizing is not too important, as long as you end up with a long strip you'll be ok!
      Good luck if you decide to have a go.

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  27. Hi, thanks so much for the pattern!

    What is the width of each of the gold bands? (I've had to alter how many rows I knit in main colour because of the way I knit, but it's now the same width as yours, so I'd like the secondary stripes to be the same width as yours too)

    Thanks.

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  28. Hi, just wondering what yarn you used for your scarf. It turned out great and I haven't been able to find colors that would look as good. Like what brand did you use? That way I can get it to look as close to this one as possible. Thanks!

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    1. Hi, there is a photo near the bottom of the yarn I used. It was just an inexpensive brand called Mercia from our local wool shop. I chose Claret and Gold. I don't think it's widely available on line though, you could try googling Mercia Wools and see what you get. You might be better just popping along to a local shop and seeing what they have that looks the right shade to you.
      I'm in the UK so we have different yarn names to the rest of the world it seems. I used what we call DK or Double Knitting, I believe it's equivalent to a light worsted or an 8 ply.

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  29. Okay thank you so much!

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  30. This looks amazing, thank you very much! I'm going to give it a try for my best friends birthday, I hope it works out well ;)

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I love to hear your thoughts/comments, thank you for taking the time.