Hip, Hip, Hoodie !

Yes, the Hoodie is off the needles - in fact has been off the needles for 1 week as I have been hunting around for a zip - no luck! - can't find one (open ended) with the right color, so here it is... zipless ....

I have really enjoyed participating in the Central Park KAL - it has been so interesting reading about what other knitters do & the variations that are made to ONE pattern - how creative! Knitting the hoodie has also been so enjoyable especially when I knitted it in ONE PIECE - there are no seams to sew in the entire garment - 3 needle bind off for the shoulders & the hood, pick up the front bands & arm bands - that's it - NO SEWING - this is my kind of knitting!
As I wanted to put in a zip & after consultation with my blog pal, Cindy, I knitted moss stitch for the bands as sewing a zip on a ribbed band will not be nice - I am glad I did it as I really like the moss stitch band - have a closer look .....
I was a little worried that the moss stitch band will not match the ribbed band but it did! Now all I have to do is find that ZIP & it's done - anyway, I will wear it for now zipless as it still looks great - Lynette wants one too!

I also managed to find time to knit this ......

..... a dishcloth - it was fun knitting this & seeing the cables forming without a cable needle - I knitted this dishcloth in Jo Sharp Soho Summer Cotton - leftover from a summer top - now I can use up my leftover cottons when I find the time.

I will be away for 10 days - it's the school holidays & we are driving up north to Monkey Mia - 10 hours drive one way - premium knitting time - I have a whole bag of projects (for the Jacaranda Festival) to bring along & I will be back to post the FOs (hope there will be lots!).

You Have Voted !

The votes are in - the hoodie will be sleeveless & with a zip - thank you for your valuable comments! I have finished the hood & picking up the stitches for the front bands & will also have to go out & shop for a zip - hope I can find one in the right color!

My goodies have arrived ......

.....a felted bag from Nundle Woollen Mills & 2 skeins of 8 ply merino wool from The Knittery. I saw the bag in the latest issue of Creative Magazine & immediately went on Nundle's online store to check it out & of course ended up buying it - it's really nice & roomy & I will be carrying it to City Nits this Saturday. There are 2 other colors - pink & camel - go & check it out!

As for the merino wool, thinking of knitting a scarf - something lacy or cables - a friend has given me a pattern on reversible cables & it looks really nice - have to give it a try!

Did you notice the beautiful flowers next to the bag - it's the Geraldton Wax in full bloom in my garden & all over WA - they are so beautiful, so take a closer look......

Sleeves or No Sleeves ?

Finished the front & back of the CP Hoodie & now at a crossroad - sleeves or no sleeves. I am actually a vest person as I love to keep my arms cool & plus the fact that the 8-ply tweed that I am using is quite warm. Anyway, here is my Hoodie knitted in 1 piece ....

This is an easy knit & knitted up very quickly as the cables pattern is easy to remember & the shaping is also simple. So what do I do next ???? Well, I will take it a step at a time .....

Here's my Hoodie again but with the shoulders joined. I used the 3 needle bind-off for the shoulders as I usually do not shape the slope of the shoulders. For most of the garments that I have knitted, I find that the shoulder slope doesn't make any difference, so I just knit up the shoulders straight & then bind-off - this gives a very nice & even join which I will not be able to achieve if I just sew them together. In addition for this Hoodie, the cable design on the front & back match perfectly with the 3 needle bind-off. Take a look at how neat it is ....

Great isn't it? Anyway, I will use any technique that reduces the amount of sewing that I have to do. Now for the next step - I will pick-up for the hood & then the front bands & then review the situation again as I have 2 other considerations - zip or button? sleeves or no sleeves? Why can't I make life simple & keep to the pattern - NO, I have to make changes & create more complications !

Jacaranda In Spring

To celebrate the beautiful purple blooms of the Jacaranda, a festival is organised every year in the suburb of Applecross where many of the streets are lined with these trees - November 25 is the Jacaranda Festival & Helen & I are participating in it. We have just confirmed the rental of a stall where we will be promoting the various Community Knitting events (knitting in the libraries, city & cafe) that we organised & at the same time displaying some the luxurious yarns & knits that we have made. In the meantime, we have planned for more knitted projects to be ready for THAT DAY .....

Here's my list of "To Knit" :

1. A Summer Poncho in Cotton from Jo Sharp's book Saturday
2. A Cable Scarf in Jo Sharp Silk Gorgette from Issue 16 of Creative Knitting
3. A Scarf (still searching for the pattern) in 8-ply merino from The Knittery
4. A Scarf in Giotto from Colinette
5. A few pairs of socks in Opal & Lana Grossa cotton

I have just cast on the cable scarf & will knit it as & when (?) there is time - I think I will keep this project in the car & knit whenever my husband is driving.

I have also just learned the Magic Cast-On & will try to cast-on the Tangled Up In Blue socks featured on this blog, Persistent Illusion. This Magic Cast-On is really great for toe-up socks (which I love to knit) & is much easier than short-row shaping. I think I will use the blue cotton sock yarn from Lana Grossa for this pair of socks. Now is to find the time!

My 1st KAL

September 1 - that's the start date of my first KAL when I cast on for the Central Park Hoodie. It was really exciting to be knitting this Hoodie with so many other knitters from other countries. It's also equally interesting to read about the trails & tribulations of the knitters on our own blog, Central Park Hoodie KAL
So for the past 3 days, I have done no other knitting besides the Hoodie & had frogged it 3 times as I was not happy with the size plus the fact that I am using an 8-ply yarn instead of the 12-ply stated in the pattern... plus my intense dislike for sewing... so now I present to you my own version of the Hoodie ...

This is my whole Hoodie - left front, back & right front - which I decided to knit as ONE PIECE & not having to sew the 3 pieces together. It's a long... piece but the cable pattern is quite easy so that works out well. Now all I have to do is to knit up to the armhole shaping & then knit the 3 pieces separately - NO SEAMS! While knitting, I am also thinking of changing the buttonhole edge to zip & as I have not done this before, I have sought expert advise from Cindy & she directed me to this great site, Chicknits where clear instructions on sewing zippers are available. Thanks Cindy!

The yarn that I am using for this Hoodie is Jo Sharp's DK Tweed in Boheme (which is a nice aqua blue with brown specks). Unfortunately, the shade in the picture is not as bright as the actual color (just can't seem to capture the right shade!) Will post more pics later on as I progress on this Hoodie.