I just thought I'd bring you up to date on the Central Park Hoodie. It's coming along nicely. Last night I finished the hood and I am almost done with the front bands now too. I Cast Off last night only to find that it was way too tight, so I've unpicked it and am contemplating a different kind of bind off instead.
I think I will go up a needle size to start with. That should get me a looser BO and I'm thinking of using a decrease bind off. I'm hoping that this will maintain the elasticity of the ribbing and give me a looser edge.
My second Cameleon hat is still in my handbag and goes everywhere with me. I added a couple of rounds to it yesterday when I took my daughter to get her last allergy shot. I'll be shaping for the crown very shortly, so it's almost completed. Just in time really. If it gets any colder, I'll be needing to wear a hat in bed!
The Pomatomus socks are proving to be a delightful side dish, so to speak. When I get fed up with the Hoodie, I just turn to the socks and the change in pace and needle size is enough to calm a frustrated mind. The intricate pattern is far from annoying, which has surprised me. Mind you, I am still knitting the leg. I may feel differently when it comes to turning the heel or shaping the toe.
Talking of socks, I was interested to read Kate Atherley's thoughts on grafting in this quarter's issue of Knitty. She is an advocate of cinching socks, the only way I had ever finished mine until I came to America. I shall certainly be trying her less pointed cinching method on my Pomatomus socks. The one item that I would consider grafting next time though is the hood on the CPH. It was handy to have the seam easily visible when I was picking up stitches to knit the front band (I did mine all in one piece), but I think that it would look better with the invisible join that grafting produces.
Well, time to break out all my winter woolies again and try to keep warm. Thank goodness I knit!
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4 comments:
For the Hoodie you might want to seriously consider a Knit Two Purl Two Bind Off, otherwise known as a grafted or tubular bind off, for your band. I learned to do that for my last cardigan (for that design class I took at work!) and it is pretty amazing. It has tons of elasticity and does not look bound off at all. There are detailed directions on how to do it in Vogue Knitting.
A word of caution--it is very slow going and requires a lot of attention to detail. Don't plan to carry on a conversation while doing it. But the end results are worth it!
I've only ever used the cinch method for my toes as well! It's so much easier for me! Can't wait to see the hoodie done!
I use the clean edge of the decrease bind of for things like neck shaping and on most bind offs. Knitty summer 2006 has an article on different bind offs. I think I'll go look up the cinching method for the toes now.
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