24. Gryffindor Wins (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."  [...]  
"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."  He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I picked up the colours and fibre types from the Gryffindor yarn (day 10), but made the yarn smoother, and I added a lion charm to it as well as several genuine pyrite beads which shimmer golden. They add a festive touch to this final advent calendar art yarn.
Fibre Types: merino wool, mulberry silk, linen
Colours: red, yellow 
Add-Ins: red thread, pyrite beads, lion charm

23. The Stone (Harry Potter Art Yarn Calendar)

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back...."  All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 

Description: I wanted to capture the dark and ominous situation in this yarn, so I chose dark colours (grey and black), and I added streaks of bright red as a hint of the stone as well as the danger. I spun in flat silver sequins to represent the Mirror of Erised, and a large faceted garnet bead to represent the stone, which is described as blood red.
Fibre Types: bluefaced leicester wool, linen, viscose, mulberry silk
Colours: greys, black, red
Add-Ins: black thread, flat silver sequins, faceted garnet bead

22. As For Me, I'll Be a Knight (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly -- the towering white chessmen had no faces. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 
Description: Colour choices and distribution are kind of obvious again - I spun the yarn so the colours alternate. I was very happy when I found these knight chess charms in my favourite charms shop and ordered them immediately, so there is one of those in the yarn :-)
Fibre Types: bluefaced leicester wool
Colours: black, white
Add-Ins: silver thread, chess knight charms

21. Winged Keys (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys -- look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes -- look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"  

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 

Description: I had to read the scene again to decide on colours, but once I did it was obvious: the key in questions is described as having bright blue wings, so I decided on blues for the wings, and greys for the castle walls of the chamber. I added blueish-turquoisish silk strips to emphasize the wings further, and I spun in silver key charms, too.
Fibre Types: merino wool
Colours: greys, blues
Add-Ins: turquoise silk strips, key charms

20. Mars is Bright Tonight (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

“Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt -- you seen anythin'?"  Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.  "Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."  "Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"  "Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright." 

 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: This was one of the first scenes / sentences wich came into my head when I started planning this advent calendar. Originally I intended to incorporate it in the Forbidden Forest yarn, just as streaks of red and maybe red beads, but then I thought it was too good to be a secondary object only. The colour choice was again obvious, and I added some golden thread because Mars actually flimmers and kind of sparkles when you look at it, and this seemed to capture the effect nicely. I added faceted, firepolished glass beads and tiny matte glass beads with a silver core - all in red.
Fibre Types: merino wool, tussah silk, angelina
Colours: red (and gold sparkle)
Add-Ins: golden thread, faceted red glass beads, tiny red glass beads with matte surface and silver core

19. The Forbidden Forest (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.  "Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood.” 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 

Description: I tried to portray the darkness, denseness and complexity of the forbidden forest. I chose different tones and shades of green (some mossy, some more in the direction of pine trees), dark brown, and black - and I added some white linen and silver angelina to represent the unicorn and unicorn blood. I spun in green thread strung with black glass beads with a rainbowy shimmer, and black leaf sequins, which also have a kind of shimmer to them.
Fibre Types: merino wool, mulberry silk, linen, alpaca, angelina
Colours: different tones and shades of green; brown, white
Add-Ins: green thread, black glass beads with a rainbowy finish, black shimmering leaf sequins

18. Norbert (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I chose black viscose fibre for this yarn, as it is shinier than wool and much less fuzzy. It seemed a good choice for the jet black, leathery dragon and has a nice sheen to it. I added a dragon charm, and some large-ish orange glass beads to represent the eyes. 
Fibre Types: viscose
Colours: black
Add-Ins: black thread, orange beads (matte with silver core), dragon charm

17. Invisible in the Library (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.  "It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is -- try it on." 
 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I decided to combine two things here: the invisibility cloak itself, and Harry’s excursion to the restricted section of the library shortly after receiving the cloak, as he then tries it out for the first time - and as it gave me the chance to add book charms to this magnificent invisibility cloak yarn. I chose to use viscose besides wool, as it seems to have a flowing, watery quality to it and is quite shiny. I also added silver angelina for some sparkle. The yarn is a wonderful mix of sleek and fluffy, matte and shiny.
Fibre Types: viscose, bluefaced leicester wool, kid mohair, silver angelina
Colours: blueish grey, white
Add-Ins: silver thread, book charms

16. Quidditch: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"So -- after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating  "Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.  "I mean, after that open and revolting foul  'Jordan, I'm warning you --"  "All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 

Description: Another one of those with obvious colours ;-) I didnt stop at plain green and red, though, but added a bit of yellow to the Gryffindor part and a bit of white to the Slytherin part, as I did with the house yarns which I introduced earlier. I decided on spinning two seperate yarns and plying them together, regulating the tension so some parts will be dominated slightly by red and some by green - just as it’s sometimes Gryffindor who has the upper hand in the Quidditch game and sometimes Slytherin. I also added a broomstick charm to this yarn.
Fibre Types: merino wool, bamboo, linen
Colours: red, green, white, yellow
Add-Ins: red thread, broomstick charm

15. Wingardium Leviosa (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long." 
 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I thought long and hard about the colours for this one, and in the end I decided on something I associate with the air, which is obviously the element this spell is associated with. So I chose light blue and yellow, and I added a small amount of turquoise for more variety and depth. I spun in light blue thread and a gold feather charm, as the subject of this charms lesson is to make a feather fly. Later, a troll’s club will fly and knock said troll out, but that scene is not depicted in this yarn ;-)Fibre Types: merino wool, mulberry silk, linen, bamboo, angelina
Colours: light blue, with highlights of turquoise and yellow
Add-Ins: blue thread, gold feather charm

14. Herbology (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.
 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: The colours refer to the various plants and funghi in the greenhouses, of course. I wanted to present a variety, not only green plants, and I also wanted the yarn to be more interesting, so I added bits of rust red and yellow. I also spun in pieces of commercially produced leaf ribbon, and green glass beads.
Fibre Types: merino wool, mulberry silk, linen, bamboo
Colours: greens, dark brown, rust red, yellow
Add-Ins: green thread, pieces of leaf ribbon, green glass beads

13. Professor Snape (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." 

 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I chose alpaca fibre as it is very shiny, and Snape is described as kind of oily, and having greasy black hair. I added green glass beads for his Slytherin background and also for something we will only learn very late in the series (Lily’s eyes), and grey glass beads as I didn’t think black beads for Snape’s black eyes would be visible enough. Both varieties of beads are of the same type: matte with a silver core, which makes them kind of shine from within altough the surface isn’t shiny.
Fibre Types: alpaca fibre
Colours: black Add-Ins: black thread, and matte glass beads with a silver core: tiny grey ones and larger green ones

12. The Sorting Hat (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. […]For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling 

Description: I chose dark brown for the sorting hat - maybe I was influenced by the Harry Potter movie, as the book doesn’t say anything about its colour, only that it was patched and dirty. I also added some rust red linen, and there is a witch hat charm in the yarn as well - for obvious reasons :-)
Fibre Types: merino wool, linen
Colours: dark brown, rust red
Add-Ins: brown thread, witch hat charm 

11. Ravenclaw (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

…Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  if you've a ready mind,  Where those of wit and learning,  Will always find their kind… 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 

Description: again, the choice of colours is obvious. I spun in metallic thread which kind of seems to have been produced just for this purpose, as it combines blue and coppery/bronze sparkle. I also added shiny bronze glass beads.

Fibre Types: merino wool, hand dyed tussah silk, linen
Colours: dark blue with some lighter highlights
Add-Ins: metallic thread with dark blue and bronze highlights, bronze glass beads

10. Gryffindor (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

You might belong in Gryffindor,  Where dwell the brave at heart,  Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart… 

 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: the colour choice for this is also obvious, and I decided on golden thread and tiny golden sequins for the Gryffindor yarn.
Fibre Types: merino wool, linen, mulberry silk
Colours: red and yellow
Add-Ins: golden thread, tiny golden sequins

9. Slytherin (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.” 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: again, the choice of colours is obvious. I added sparkly silver thread and bright green glass beads. They have a silver core and a matte surface, which kind of makes them shine from within without being glossy. I decided on a wavy ply for the Slytherin yarn to factor in their emblematic animal, the serpent.Fibre Types: merino wool, bamboo flakes, linen
Colours: greens, a bit of white and black
Add-Ins: silver thread, tiny green glass beads - matte with a silver core

8. Hufflepuff (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

You might belong in Hufflepuff,  Where they are just and loyal,  Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil… 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I decided to alter the order in which the houses are presented, as it seemed better this way, colourwise - I didn’t want Gryffindor beside the Hogwarts Express, as both contain lots of red, and I didn’t want Gryffindor and Hufflepuff to come after one another as both contain yellow - I wanted a bit more variety and contrast. The colour choice for this yarn is obvious, of course, and I decided to add some beads or sequins to each house yarn. Hufflepuff contains sparkly, tiny black sequins strung onto silver thread which winds around the yarn.
Fibre Types: merino wool, linen, mulberry silk
Colours: yellows, black
Add-Ins: silver thread, tiny black sequins

7. Hogwarts Express (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I chose the colours for obvious reasons, the steam engine being scarlet red, and - I imagine (or am influenced by the movies) - has some black parts as well. I chose no add-ins except fuzzy mohair which I spun in as kinds of clouds, representing the steam.
Fibre Types: merino wool, bluefaced leicester wool, mohair, merino wool / tussah silk blend
Colours: red, black, white
Add-Ins: red thread, mohair clouds

6. Diagon Alley (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.  "If yeh know where to go", said Hagrid. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: This is a small version of the Diagon Alley skein I made a few months ago. I chose a book for Flourish and Blott’s, an owl because Harry gets Hedwig from Hagrid on this day, and one cauldron because Hagrid and Harry argue over buying one made from solid gold. I chose the colours because I somehow imagine Diagon Alley to consist of old grey stone houses and shops, some of which might be painted or tiled in different colours.
Fibre Types: merino wool, linen
Colours: greys, with a bit of dark blue, green, and rust red
Add-Ins: cauldron, book, and owl charms (one each)

5. Harry, Yer a Wizard (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

"-- a what?" gasped Harry.  "A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit.” 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: somehow, blue and white with stars are the embodiment of a wizard’s cloak for me, and by extension for wizardry itself. So this was kind of obvious ;-) There are several golden stars in this yarn, and also some blue/purplish sparkle.
Fibre Types: merino wool, bamboo flakes, hand dyed tussah silk, angelina
Colours: different blues, a bit of white
Add-Ins: blue thread, tiny gold stars

4. Hagrid (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you -- one more word... " 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: I chose the colours and rustic fibre types because they seemed to be perfect for hairy Hagrid ;-) The texture of the yarn is very interesting, and the highlights of bright pink silk strips really make it into something unique. I chose them because of Hagrid’s battered pink umbrella, which is really concealing his once broken wand and allows him to do magic, though he isn’t actually supposed to. There’s also an umbrella charm in this yarn. Fibre Types: merino wool, gotland wool, and other natural wools (some of them locks)
Colours: dark brown, greys
Add-Ins: brown thread, pink silk strips, umbrella charm

3. The Letters From No One (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives -- he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:   Mr. H. Potter  / The Cupboard under the Stairs  / 4 Privet Drive  / Little Whinging  / Surrey.   The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

 
Description: Aunt Petunia is just in the middle of dyeing some of Dudley's old clothes grey for Harry (as a school uniform for Stonewall High) when the letter for Harry arrives. I incorporated the grey of the new uniform into this yarn, as well as the colours of the envelope and emerald green ink, and I spun in two letter charms - as we know, there will be more letters than just the one.
Fibre Types: merino wool, linen
Colours: grey, beige, green
Add-Ins: beige thread, letter charms

2. The Zoo (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.  It winked.  Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.  The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:  "I get that all the time.  "I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."  The snake nodded vigorously. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: dark greens and black represent the dark reptile house. Instead of snake charms, I decided on making contrasting light green parts into coils to represent the snake. The description in the book mentions “glistening brown coils”, which makes sense as the snake in question is a Boa Constrictor, but I made an artistic choice and decided on the light green for the contrasting effect - brown wouldn’t be as visible in the dark yarn (and it seems a green variety exists as well).
Fibre Types: merino wool, alpaca fibre, linen
Colours: dark green, black, rust red, light green
Add-Ins: none, but the light green parts are made into coils

1. Number 4, Privet Drive (Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar)

As promised, I'm going to do a virtual advent calendar thing here on the blog, presenting all the mini skeins I spun for the project (which you can read about here). So, starting today with the only boring yarn in this series (for good reason), let me present the one and probably only

Harry Potter Art Yarn Advent Calendar (Book 1)!

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. 

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Description: plain, boring Privet Drive - looking like a privet hedge, nothing fancy or elaborate,   just like the boring life the Dursleys lead
Fibre Types: merino wool
Colours: green
Add-Ins: green thread, black beads