Charmed, I'm Sure

I am so excited to be finally leaving the city for awhile. I am going to the beach for the weekend, which is why I have been too busy to post the last two days and probably won't be able to post again until Monday or Tuesday.

I have many new things to write about so we shall not be short on topics, but they unfortunately have to wait.
Yesterday I received some knitting books, all of which will be mentioned in future blogs, after I have had a chance to try out some of the projects.

However, I do want to spotlight one of these books now because it is absolutely amazing and I will be coming back to it after I have made a few of the patterns.

Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter, by Alison Hansel, is a paperback knitting book published in May 7, 2007. Alison Hansel became a Harry Potter fan while she was on bed rest with her twins. When her twins were born she was inspired by Fred and George (from the books) to design knitting projects about the series. Just as J.K. Rowling was inspired by her daughter to write, so to was Alison Hansel inspired to blog by her sons and then to go on to publish a book.

As I said earlier I haven't had the pleasure of knitting any of her patterns, but I have already fallen in love with the book. I have been charmed by Harry Potter and I know many of my readers have been too. Being a Harry Potter fan I have browsed through several people's interpretations on many of the knitwear shown in the movies, but have usually always come up slightly disappointed. No one seemed to catch the style and magic of the outfits in the movie. Everyone seemed to have the knit graphs for the Hogwarts logo, but no sweaters or cloaks to put it on. This is where Alison Hansel is different. Her book actually replicates many of the outfits worn by the characters. From quiditich sweaters, to house scarves, and even Harry's golden snitch socks. Each creation looks like it was taken straight off the set of the newest Harry Potter movie.

Alison Hansel even designed an owl to sit on a child's shoulder. The patterns are easy to understand and each project has several beautifully taken photographs. It is easy to imagine your own interpretations of her work as you flip through the pages. Alison Hansel even lists the projects in terms of wizarding levels. A beginning knitter becomes a level 1 or 2 wizard. Each project has an introduction describing either the place it first appeared in the series or the inspiration for the design from the movie. These projects are sometimes like a walk down memory lane, especially if you haven't watched the first few Harry Potter movies in a while.

I think I have gushed about this book long enough as I want to leave some surprise for when you open the book for the first time. I encourage you to buy it as $10.19 is an excellent price for a knitting book, especially compared to the $30 list price of some. Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your purchase, and I will see you back here after I take my own spellbinding journey to the beach.

God Bless.