Cinema Knits

We get our first glimpse inside the magical and cozy home of the Weasley family, dubbed the Burrow, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I love this scene, from the magical self-washing dishes to the magical self-knitting blanket (I’ll take one of each, please). It’s a down-at-the-heels, comfortable house that seems just the place to relax with family.

The Weasleys have such a magical and loving home, that it is a pleasure to visit, and a stark contrast to the cold home of the Dursleys, which Harry has just escaped with the help of the Weasley boys and their flying car.

There are also a number of noteworthy knits that appear in this first visit to the Burrow. Let’s take a look at them.

First, we spot these knit vests that the twins are wearing.

These vests look really on-brand for Fred and George. At first, I thought they were simply striped vests, but when they are shown closer up during the breakfast scene, they clearly have a texture to them. I’m not sure, but I think this may be a garter slip stitch. If you think it’s something else, I’d love to hear your thoughts, as I had trouble figuring out what this stitch pattern was. If you want to make your own Weasley vest, here are some jumping off points. I tried to find ones that had either stripes or textured stitches. For the solid color ones, you can always add your own stripe pattern to them.

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After the boys are all in the house, we get to spy the secret of Mrs. Weasley’s prodigious knitwear production.

Self-knitting needles!

When I look at this film still, this blanket actually looks a lot more like one that has been crocheted than knitted, despite the magical knitting needles doing the work, but I could be wrong! Maybe magical knitting needles can also crochet?

There are many crochet afghan patterns available of course, but since this blog is Harry Potter Knitting, not Harry Potter Crocheting, I’ll point you towards some knitting patterns. To get the look of the blanket in the film, you could knit any of these patterns in a similar palette. You may just have to knit it yourself though, if you can’t work up the required charm.

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And then Molly bursts into the room to reprimand her wayward children for stealing their father’s flying car, while also politely welcoming Harry to her home. And, boy, is she is a rainbow of fiber!

Her look is so fun in this scene, and I love how its cheerfulness is at odds with the stern reprimand she is delivering onto her boys. I think that something in that incongruity captures a piece of Molly’s character – she can be fierce with her children, but behind it is always her warm love. It makes me think of the Howler she sends Ron which ends with a dissonant congratulations to Ginny for making Gryffindor.

The sweater she is wearing (under the apron dress) is definitely crochet and not knit. If you can crochet, there are a number of patterns on Ravelry for this exact sweater. Just search “Molly Weasley” and you’ll get some options. Since I don’t crochet, I wanted to find some knit patterns that could capture something of the look.

I immediately thought of Shelley Mackie’s Pinwheel Sweater. Knit up in a rainbow of colors, it would give a similar look to Molly’s.

I poked around Ravelry a bit looking for inspiration, and I found so many fun options. I went into this search not particularly wanting a rainbow sweater, but finished it definitely wanting a rainbow sweater! Take a look at some of the patterns I found:

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So much rainbow beauty! Pair your new rainbow sweater with a floral apron or dress and you will be ready to reprimand children for stealing flying cars!

That concludes our first visit to the Weasley house. It was a colorful one. I hope you’ll join me again. Let me know below which knitting patterns caught your eye!