Slytherin Sock Syndicate

  Day 21 Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade is a mundane plant with magical uses. Belladona is poisonous and unsafe for human consumption. In magical lore, aconite combined with belladonna was applied as a magical ointment by witches to make themselves fly. “Bella donna” is Italian for “fair lady”, originating either from its usage as cosmetic for the face, or, more probably, from its usage to increase the pupil size in ladies. PROMPT:  4 stitches on Sock A.  Using either a dark or shiny yarn to represent the dark, shiny berries and a contrasting color for the background, knit the CHART linked. For toe-up socks, start at the bottom right at 1. For cuff-down socks, start at the top left at 1. The gray stitches are omitted for the 68-st sock and included for the 72-st sock. CHART

Day 20  “What would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?” Snape asks. Wormwood is a plant referenced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by Professor Snape. In the wizarding world it can be used for healing potions as well as elixirs of death. Wormwood in real life is an herb that’s used to treat gastrointestinal issues and is also found in some liquors such as Vermouth. To take this one step further I’d like to mention a hidden message behind this quote in the series. Apparently Asphodel is a type of Lily which means ‘my regrets follow you to the grave’ and Wormwood means ‘absence’ and references bitter sorrow (Marie Claire). Which might mean that Snape is trying to say that he bitterly regrets Lily’s death. Furthermore, according to Snape, the combination produces a drought of living death. So maybe he’s also saying life without Lily is like a living death. Prompt Knit 5 rows on sock A. Using green for the wormwood and black for the living d...

 Day 19. Blackthorn, which was a very unusual wand wood, had the reputation — in Garrick Ollivander's opinion well-merited — of being best suited to a warrior. This does not necessarily mean that its owner practised the Dark Arts (although it is undeniable that those who did so will enjoy the blackthorn wand's prodigious power); one found blackthorn wands among the Aurors as well as among the denizens of Azkaban and Death Eaters. It was a curious feature of the blackthorn bush, which sported wicked thorns, that it produced its sweetest berries after the hardest frosts, and the wands made from this wood appeared to need to pass through danger or hardship with their owners to become truly bonded. Given this condition, the blackthorn wand would become as loyal and faithful a servant as one could wish. PROMPT 6 rows on SOCK B In a dark brown or black for the branch and a color from your favorite superheros uniform, knit the CHART  linked. For toe-up socks, start at the bottom righ...

 DAY 18 Asphodel (also known as Royal Staff) is a member of the lily family and has long and slender leaves. It is found worldwide, and was known to grow in the Hogwarts grounds. The plant was not native to Great Britain or Ireland, and required special, well-drained soil to grow. Muggles used to believe the plant grew in the underworld. Sixteen known types of the plant existed, each with their own needs. Asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus) is a relative of the lily and native to Europe.  The ancient Greeks associated it with the death and the underworld, believing there was a meadow of asphodel in Elysian Fields, and considered it sacred to Persephone, goddess of the spring and queen of the underworld. Asphodel was once believed to be a favourite food of the dead, and so was commonly planted near graves. Prompt 7 rounds on sock B using a very light colour for the flowers and a darker contrast for teh background. knit the CHART linked. For toe-up socks, start at the bottom right at...

Day 17 Leaping toadstools are ingredients in potions like the Invisibility Potion and Baruffio's Brain Elixir. They can be found in the Forbidden Forest and purchased at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley for three Galleons. During Harry's second year at Hogwarts, Ernie Macmillan asks Harry to pass him a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology class. PROMPT: 8 stitches on Sock A. Using red for the toadstools and something that evokes the Forbidden Forest for the background, knit the CHART linked. For toe-up socks, start at the bottom right at 1. For cuff-down socks, start at the top left at 1. The gray stitches are omitted for the 68-st sock and included for the 72-st sock. CHART  

 Day 16 Dried nettles, stinging nettles. "All right, class, today we will learn to grow Nettles. Now, wipe those prickly expressions off your faces. This will be fun! I have prepared a lecture on the proper way to grow Nettles. Eyes on me, please." — Professor Sprout to third-year Herbology students[src] Nettles were used in potion-making: like Swelling solution, dried nettles were used in the Boil-Cure Potion and the Hair-Dying Potion. Nettles were presumably the main ingredients of beverages like nettle wine and nettle tea. Nettles could also be made into a soup, and were rumoured to improve the glossiness of one's hair.  Also known as witch hazel Nettle may refer to several species of plants of the genus Urtica in the Urticaceae family, though Wonderbook: Book of Potions explicitly identifies the variety used in potion-making as Urtica dioica. Historically, healing properties were attributed to nettle, and it was included in the Nine Herbs Charm of the Anglo-Saxons. Pr...