Jun
Getting Started with the Yarn Situation
So you’re gonna need yarn obviously and honestly the type matters way more than I thought it would when I first started. I made this Hufflepuff scarf back in spring 2022 and used Red Heart Super Saver because it was cheap and I figured yellow is yellow right? Wrong. The color looked so flat and sad compared to what I had in my head. Now I usually go with Caron Simply Soft when I’m doing Harry Potter stuff because the colors actually look like they belong in the wizarding world instead of a craft store clearance bin.
For house scarves you need the right color combos and this is where it gets specific. Gryffindor is scarlet and gold but not like orangey gold, more of a mustard situation. Slytherin green needs to be dark and moody not bright grass green. I learned this the hard way. Ravenclaw is blue and bronze which everyone messes up and does silver instead but whatever, most patterns online do silver anyway. Hufflepuff is yellow and black which is actually the easiest to find yarn for.
The Basic Scarf Pattern That Everyone Starts With
The house scarf is like the gateway drug of HP crochet. You basically just need to know how to chain and single crochet or double crochet depending on how thick you want it. I prefer double crochet because single takes forever and my hands start cramping.
Chain like 25 stitches for a decent width scarf, maybe 30 if you want it wider. Then just crochet back and forth in rows. The stripe pattern is usually about 10 rows of one color then switch to the other color for 2 rows then back to the main color. That gives you those thin stripes like in the movies. You could do thicker stripes but then it starts looking less like Hogwarts and more like a regular striped scarf.
When you’re changing colors don’t cut the yarn every time unless you want a million ends to weave in later which I definitely don’t. Just carry the yarn up the side and crochet over it when you’re not using it. This was something that annoyed me SO MUCH when I first started because I didn’t know this trick and I spent like three hours weaving in ends on that first scarf while watching Stranger Things season 4 and wanting to throw the whole thing away.
Actually Measuring the Thing
Make it long enough to wrap around your neck twice comfortably. I usually do like 60-70 inches total length. You can try it on as you go which sounds obvious but I always forget and then it’s either too short or ridiculously long.
House Beanies and Why They’re Trickier Than They Look
Beanies require you to know how to crochet in the round which isn’t hard but it’s different from flat crocheting. You start with a magic circle or chain 4 and slip stitch it into a circle. Then you increase stitches as you go to make it flat and round for the top of the head.
The annoying part is figuring out when to stop increasing and just go straight up for the sides of the hat. If you increase too long it becomes a plate instead of a hat. If you stop too soon it doesn’t fit over anyone’s head. I usually do increases until the circle measures about 4-5 inches across then stop and just crochet even rounds until it’s deep enough.
For house beanies you can do stripes like the scarf or do the main color with a contrasting brim. I made a Slytherin one in summer 2024 during that heat wave which was stupid timing because who needs a winter hat in July but I was stress-crocheting because work was insane. Used Caron Simply Soft in Dark Sage and the silver was I think Dove or Gray Heather? Something like that.
Golden Snitch Patterns
Okay so the Golden Snitch is actually fun to make and people love them. You need gold yarn obviously and white or cream for the wings. I’ve used Lion Brand Pound of Love in Gold before and it worked fine.
The ball part is just a sphere which you make by crocheting in the round, increasing for the first half then decreasing for the second half. Stuff it with polyfill as you go. The wings are the tricky part because they need to look delicate and feathery.
Most patterns have you crochet flat wing shapes and attach them to the sides. I’ve seen people do them in white, cream, or even a sparkly yarn. The sparkly ones look cool but they’re annoying to work with because the thread splits constantly. You need to make the wings symmetrical which means actually paying attention instead of just crocheting on autopilot while watching TV.
Some people add a loop at the top so you can hang it as an ornament. I usually just make them as little decorative balls that sit on shelves because my cat knocks down anything that hangs and I got tired of finding them under the couch.
Sorting Hat Attempts
The Sorting Hat is basically a cone shape with some wrinkles and character to it. Start with a circle for the brim, then work your way up in a cone shape by not increasing as much as you would for a regular hat. Brown yarn works best, something that looks old and worn. Red Heart Super Saver in Coffee is actually perfect for this even though I usually avoid that yarn.
To get the wrinkly talking-hat look you can skip stitches randomly or do some decrease stitches in weird places to make it scrunch. Adding a face is optional but makes it more recognizable. You can embroider eyes and a mouth with black yarn or use buttons for eyes.
I’ve never actually finished a Sorting Hat that I was happy with though because they always end up looking like a witch hat or a gnome hat instead of that specific wrinkly personality the real one has. It’s one of those things that looks simple but getting the character right is harder than the actual crochet technique.
Amigurumi Characters
If you want to make actual character dolls you need to learn amigurumi which is Japanese stuffed crochet toys. They’re made in continuous rounds without joining which means you need a stitch marker to track where your rounds begin and end or you’ll lose your place constantly.
Harry needs black yarn for hair and robes, skin tone for the face and hands, and you can add glasses with black wire or just embroider them. The lightning bolt scar is usually embroidered with red or pink yarn. Ron needs orange or rust colored hair. Hermione needs brown hair and if you’re making her Yule Ball version you need pink or purple for the dress.
The basic body pattern is universal: a head sphere, an egg-shaped body, arms and legs that are basically tubes, and whatever accessories. The clothes are either crocheted directly onto the body or made as separate pieces.
I made a little Hedwig amigurumi and it was actually easier than I expected because owls are just round shapes stacked together. White yarn for the body, yellow or orange for the beak and feet, and black for the eyes. You can add brown spots with embroidery or use variegated yarn that has white and brown together.
Wands Are Surprisingly Difficult
You’d think a wand would be easy since it’s just a stick but making a crochet wand that actually looks like a wand and not a weird brown snake is tough. Most people use a dowel rod or chopstick as the base and crochet around it tightly with brown or natural colored yarn. Then you can add details at the handle with different stitches or colors.
Or honestly just skip the crochet and use actual sticks from outside and paint them which is what I do now because the crochet version takes forever and looks lumpy.
House Elf Dolby or Dobby Whatever
Dobby is a popular pattern and he’s basically an amigurumi pattern with really big ears and eyes. You need skin tone yarn, I’ve used Caron Simply Soft in Soft Pink or Peach before and it looks weird at first but works once it’s done. The ears are huge and bat-like, probably the most important feature to get right.
His pillowcase outfit is just a simple rectangle with holes for arms and head. The eyes are usually big buttons or safety eyes which you can get at any craft store. Making him look sad and hopeful at the same time is the challenge, it’s all in how you position the eyes and embroider the mouth.
Hedwig Patterns Beyond Basic Amigurumi
Besides a stuffed Hedwig you can make flat Hedwig coasters or a Hedwig blanket with the C2C method which is corner to corner crochet. You follow a pixel graph pattern and change colors to create the image. It’s tedious but looks really professional when done.
I started a Hedwig C2C blanket and got like twenty rows in before I realized I grabbed the wrong white yarn and it didn’t match the rest so I had to either rip it all out or just accept that part of Hedwig would be a slightly different shade of white. I ripped it out because I knew it would bother me forever otherwise but I was SO annoyed.
Deathly Hallows Symbol Projects
The Deathly Hallows symbol shows up on everything. You can make it as a wall hanging by crocheting the circle, triangle, and line separately then attaching them to a background square. Or do it as an appliqué on a pillow or bag.
Black yarn on white background or white on black both look good. The tricky part is getting the triangle perfectly centered in the circle and the line perfectly vertical down the middle. I usually eyeball it which means it’s never actually perfect but close enough.
You could also do it as a graphgan which is a graphed blanket where you follow a chart and change colors to create the image. Same concept as C2C but usually done in rows with single crochet.
Hogwarts House Blankets
A house colors blanket is a bigger project but pretty straightforward. Just pick your house colors and do stripes or granny squares or whatever pattern you like in those colors. I’ve seen people do them with the house crest in the center which requires graphing or appliqué.
Granny squares are probably easiest because you can make a bunch of squares in both colors then arrange them in a pattern when you join them together. Like alternating colors in a checkerboard or doing a gradient from one color to the other.
For a Gryffindor blanket I’d use like… Red Heart Super Saver in Cherry Red and Gold or Cornmeal for the yellow/gold. Make like 48 squares or however many you need for your size blanket then join them with slip stitch or single crochet.
Marauders Map Inspired Stuff
The Marauders Map aesthetic is brown and cream with that old parchment look and tiny footprints everywhere. You could make a blanket or scarf in cream with brown text embroidered on it saying “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” or “Mischief managed.”
Or do a graphgan with the map design but that would be insanely detailed and take forever. More realistic is just doing something in the color scheme with maybe some embroidered details that reference the map without trying to recreate the whole thing.
Time Turner Patterns
A Time Turner is basically two circles connected with a few chains to make the hourglass shape in the middle. You can make it flat as a bookmark or ornament or make it 3D with two crocheted circles and stuff the hourglass part lightly.
Gold or bronze yarn works best. Adding a chain to hang it on makes it wearable as a necklace like Hermione’s. I made one as a bookmark in summer 2024 same time as that Slytherin beanie and used some metallic gold yarn from Michaels, don’t remember the brand but it was in the discount bin and it was annoying to work with because it kept tangling.
Yarn Weight and Hook Size Actually Matters
Most Harry Potter wearables work best with worsted weight yarn which is the medium thickness, usually labeled as size 4. Use a 5mm or 5.5mm hook with that. If you go thinner with like sport weight yarn your project takes longer but looks more delicate. Bulky yarn works up faster but can look too chunky for detailed stuff.
For amigurumi you want to use a smaller hook than the yarn calls for so your stitches are tight and the stuffing doesn’t show through. Like if you’re using worsted weight, use a 3.5mm or 4mm hook instead of the recommended 5mm.
I usually ignore gauge which is probably bad but for scarves and hats it doesn’t matter that much as long as it generally fits. For blankets you might want to actually check gauge or your blanket could end up way bigger or smaller than planned.
Finding Patterns Online
Ravelry has tons of free Harry Potter patterns if you search for them. Etsy has paid patterns that are usually more detailed and polished. Some are better written than others so check the reviews before buying.
YouTube has video tutorials for most basic HP projects which is helpful if written patterns confuse you. I learned most stuff from videos because reading patterns with all the abbreviations made my brain hurt at first.
The Copyright Situation
Technically you’re not supposed to sell Harry Potter crochet items because of copyright but tons of people do anyway on Etsy and craft fairs. If you’re just making them for yourself or as gifts nobody cares. If you want to sell them you’re taking a risk but most small sellers never get noticed. Just don’t use official Harry Potter trademarks in your product names or descriptions if you’re trying to fly under the radar.
Some people get around it by calling them “wizard school scarves” or “house colors” without mentioning Harry Potter specifically but everyone knows what they are.
