Hooded Cardigan

I've finished knitting my Color Affection scarf/wrap, but I've still got the ends to sew in and then I'll decide on wet or steam blocking.  Quite possibly the latter as I don't think it really needs to be any bigger.

In my last post I said that I'd got 6 x 100g balls of Cygnet wool-rich aran in a light green colour (Pine, it's called) and that I was thinking of making a tunic-style sweater or something like that with it.

That idea was scratched.

Instead, I'm knitting it up into a cardigan for DD1, who is a bit short of knitwear or sweatshirts at the moment (it's her fault for growing).  I had a look through my box file of patterns and pulled out a booklet I bought a while back.  It's Paton's 'Easy Knits' designed for use with their Wool Blend Aran. 

DD1 isn't into fancy knitwear.  She prefers things to be on the plain side; definitely not a flouncy, floral, sparkly girl, but then she is nearly a teenager.  We decided on the women's cardigan, with a hood if I've got enough yarn (I think I do) or a collar if not.  It's this one, but obviously this is the version with a collar:

I decided to fiddle with the pattern though, and knit it from the bottom up in one piece to the armholes, then do the sleeves in the round before joining it all up for the top part.  After a bit of head scratching when my numbers didn't add up - my fault for forgetting that as it's 2x2 rib, I'd need a multiple of 4 stitches +2 - I cast on and by last night I'd done the rib and knitted 28 rows of stocking stitch. 

Progress to date:

The colour's not come out too badly in the photo - it's possibly slightly more green but it's so grey outside today that I've still got on lights in the lounge.

I'll probably make it a bit shorter in the body than the pattern states, simply because although DD1 has a bust size of around 34 inches, she's not tall for her age.  I'm also knitting at what I think is a slightly tighter tension than stated in the pattern because the underarm measurement in the pattern says that the smallest size should come out at 38", which might be a bit baggy, even allowing for some growing room.

Finding patterns for children of DD1's age has proved to be quite difficult.  Children's ones don't go up to a large enough size and adult ones are too big.  Maybe DD1 is unusual in being a nearly-teenager who still likes to wear hand-knitted items and there just isn't the demand for patterns in her size.

This is a mindless knit at the moment, which means I sit there knitting and purling with my e-reader propped up on its deckchair, which suits me fine.  At the end of a fairly long half-term, my brain isn't really up to complicated lace or cables. 

I'm going to do a few more rows while I wait for the postman to arrive as I'm hoping that an order I made from World of Wool on Monday will turn up today.  I got an e.mail yesterday to say that it had been despatched, so fingers crossed.  After that, I've got to go up to Colchester to do some shopping, despite having been to Asda on Monday and Lidl yesterday.  A note came home from DD2's school yesterday saying that tomorrow the children can go to school in fancy dress for a contribution of something like £1 as it's the last day of the half term.  We looked on the Tesco and Asda websites and Asda seems to be my best bet for a Hallowe'en costume in her size (she's 10).  A  bit more notice would have been nice; but at least I don't work weekdays so I'm able to go out and try to find something that she'll like, although I'd planned on not going anywhere today, especially as I bumped my knee on the corner of the coffee table this morning (a definite 'ouch, ouch' moment, which DD2 found hilarious as I hopped around the lounge clutching my leg).  Oh well, the joys of being a parent, eh!

Until the next time, take care :)