Category Archives: Hogwarts Sock Swap

Hufflepuff Forever!

aMusing Knits, Hogwarts Sock Swap

Wednesday night an owl transfigured into a FedEx delivery man, brought me a magical package.

I tore right into it,

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and found my first pair of Hufflepuff socks and other goodies too!

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My pal sent me a set of Crystal Palace size 1 bamboo needles (I love bamboo needles!), a skein of Cascade 220 in a lovely light blue, a handmade card, a tea cozy, a bookmark made by her daughter (so sweet!), the left over yarn from my sock (Bumblebee by Sock Pixie) and an entire book of sock patterns!!! Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. I have looked at this book and almost bought it many, many times!

After properly squeeing over each item, I tried on my new socks. It was a bittersweet moment. The first sock was too tight to get over my heel. All was not lost though, the second sock fit just fine.

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So Thursday night, I sat down with that first sock and undid the bind off. Then I ripped back one row, spliced another stretch of yarn in, reknit the last row, and re did the bind off with a very loose hand, and like magic, my new sock fit over my heel and I can now show them off!

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Many thanks to my fabulous Hogwarts Sock Swap Round Two pal, Emma Amme Scamander.

Photos hosted by Flicker.com.

Current Netflix: Sweet Land & Project Runway: Season 3: Disc 2

Further Questions from the Hogwart’s Sock Swap

aMusing Knits, Hogwarts Sock Swap
  • What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts?
    • Mr. Bingley, my fabulous, long-haired orange tabby cat
  • While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself?
    • dark chocolate truffles with a hint of liquor (Irish Cream or Amaretto)
  • A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don’t want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail.
    • My favorite coral wrap sweater and tank paired with a light brown suede skirt with a bit of flair at the knee. And then my beaded brown flip flops.
  • What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why?
    • History of Magic, because learning from the past is one of the best ways to prepare for the future
  • Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why?
    • Potions – too much like chemistry but I’d stick it out just to be near Alan Rickman
  • Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do?
    • I’m not exactly sure as I am dreadful at potions. If I’m shopping for potion ingredients, it’s only because I’ve been given the shopping list by a far more accomplished potions master.

And since I’m posting about Hogwarts, I am happy to say I’ve finished sock #1 of the accursed Buffy Birthday socks for my sister and will soon be casting on my pal’s Ravenclaw socks. I have the yarn for the socks, the yarn to send my pal, and I’ve sketched out the bookmark. Now to finally get to work on her socks!

Current Netflix: MI-5: Vol. 2: Disc 4 and Blades of Glory

The Boastings of Malfoy (spoilers)

Hogwarts Sock Swap, ,

“The satisfactions of manifesting oneself concretely in the world through manual competence have been known to make a man quiet and easy. They seem to relieve him of the felt need to offer chattering interpretations of himself to vindicate his worth . . . Boasting is what a boy does, who has no real effect in the world.”

Matthew B. Crawford, “Shop Class as Soulcraft,” The New Atlantis, Number 13, Summer 2006, pp. 7-24. Also available online.

That last line really struck me as I was re-reading book 6 of the Harry Potter series. In books 1-5, we hear a lot from Draco Malfoy. He is a regular presence who give Harry a hard time for being, well, Harry. On the quidditch field, or in potions class, Draco is always there to tear Harry down, insult Hermione, scorn Ron, and brag about his own position. I find it very revealing that Draco never boasts about anything he has actually earned or done. Mostly he rides the coattails of his family name, with no ambitions of his own. He enjoys power and wields it like a spoiled child.

As Book 6 progresses, Draco changes. We meet him first on the train to Hogwarts and he is bragging about his assignment. He is at this point very much as he ever was, but not for long. As the pages turn, he does not brag, he does not scorn, he barely bothers to insult. He is consumed by a secret project of manual competence, repairing the cabinet.

But Draco though quiet, is far from easy. He grows paler and thinner. He is anxious and becomes increasingly socially isolated. In the end, repairing the case is only one part of his assignment. When it comes to it, Draco fails in his mission. He hesitates.

So perhaps manifesting oneself concretely in the world isn’t enough. Perhaps the product one is creating matters almost as much as the process. The ends and the means. It’s not an either or proposition.

Current Netflix: MI-5: Vol. 2: Disc 2 & Jeeves and Wooster: Season 1: Disc 1