FO: Central Park Hoodie

I'd like to make an introduction. Here she is, my Central Park Hoodie, in all her glory.

This was such a great project for me. I love it and I loved making it. This was also my first time doing a KAL and the amount of help and support I received along the way was great.

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie (Knitscene Fall 2006)
Software (as Alton calls it): 8 skeins of Tahki Donegal Tweed in Deep Purple/845 bought from The Village Sheep. I used a full 7 skeins of yarn and probably 20 yards of the next skein (each skein approx 183 yds).
Hardware: Size 6 and Size 8 circulars plus a size 6 DPN for cabling. My buttons are from The Point
Started: January 25, 2007
Finished: February 24, 2007

Details:

Sizing: There was a lot of press around sizing – a lot of people were saying this was running on the small size. The pattern offers 34, 36, 40 and up. I am 5’6 and if I were knitting a t-shirt I would knit a 34, so I assumed that the 36 would be too snug. Therefore I went for the 40. This is definitely not too snug on me – I wish it were a little smaller/more fitted but I still think the 36 would have been too small.

Modifications: I knit the ribbing on the body a little over 4 ½ vs the 4 inches called for in the pattern, so that it would be a bit longer. I also only did 4”ribbing for the sleeve cuffs vs 5” called for in the pattern. I kept seeing pictures with very long sleeves and many times people were rolling them up bc they were too long. I think my sleeves are the perfect length and maybe could be about ½ inch shorter.

Other:
I love this yarn and highly recommend it. It does soften up a bit with blocking but it’s not the softest stuff you’ll ever knit. But it’s gorgeous and incredibly warm. I love the color I chose as it pops and is vibrant and bright, yet it is still a somewhat neutral color. When I went to the Point to pick out buttons, I pulled the sweater out and several people came over to see what fiber I had used and there were lots of oohs and ahhhs. While they were complimenting the yarn, and not me, I felt very warm and fuzzy.

I also had a great experience with the Village Sheep. I have limited experience ordering online but this came lickety-split, which is always greatly appreciated when you're eager to get going.

Front shot is affected by light so not the best rendition of color/depth

more details to come, but

the finished line has been crossed. more (and better) pictures to come but i finished my Central Park Hoodie this weekend. I'm very excited and pleased.

Hobby #200 that I'd like to take up

It’s only a matter of time before I jump on the Apartment Therapy bandwagon. It’s not out of lack of desire; it’s about lack of commitment. And fear.

Every morning on the way to work, I do not knit. If I close my apartment door behind me at 8:40, I am turning on my computer at the office at 9am. I always wonder how Brooklyn-ites get so much knitting done – it’s the commute time. Instead, I read anything that doesn’t require major mental involvement because as soon as I get into something, we’re at Grand Central. I can’t even get through Talk of the Town.

I bought my Apartment Therapy book about 3 weeks ago and have been reading bits and pieces on the train to work. I won’t sit down and read it cover to cover because it will bring me too close to actually having to take action. I don’t have a style bone in my body and it’s quite frustrating. I’m the person who would buy a modern chair and stick it in a country room. So part of it is being overwhelmed, part of it is commitment and part of it, a good part of it, is cost.

In the meantime, I am getting quickly entrenched in these design blogs and just this morning discovered design sponge, which I love.

As for knitting – I’m almost done with the CPH! Here is my sleeve.

With my better half off skiing this Presidents weekend, my agenda includes finishing CPH, going to Woodbury Commons and perhaps selling off the rest of my old records on ebay to perhaps fund something gorgeous like this:

wishing i was in central park

What a b.a.d. week. Last week, that is. Remember when i went skiing two weekends ago knowing that my entire strategy plan was due? Yeh, we'll i didn't work on it in VT and paid for it dearly.

Things settled down over the weekend but at this very moment, I'm in the glorious state of:

I do have some progress to show on Central Park Hoodie. Bad shadow action on the picture, but you get the idea. As of this shot, I had the back done and almost the entire front left finished.

Better news is that i am almost finished with the right side, thanks to my 3 1/2 hour flight from NY to Arkansas this afternoon. When packing last night I probably devoted as much time to knitting project packing as I did to clothing, etc. While I tried to remember everything, I noticed on the plane that I forgot my size 6 needles, which are required for the cuffs/edging on everything to do with this sweater. So basically my 7 hour trip back tomorrow (you'd think they'd have more direct flights to Walmart-ville!) which was was to be entirely devoted to CPH must now be devoted to the sleeve of my Hourglass Sweater, which is feeling fairly neglected these days.

And finally, check out this hot window!

negative 18 degrees?

We’re off skiing this weekend and even though it is -18 degrees (for real) at Sugarbush, I would withstand any temperature torture to escape for a few days.

Hart and I aren’t really what you would call skiers and we’ve actually never skied together before. I used to ski when I was little but “little” was a long time ago and I have only gone a few times in the past 10 years. Hart had a ski house with some of his guy friends when we were in grad school and they’ve had reunions in the last two years, at which time he’s learned a bit. Come to think of it – he had a ski house for 2 years for whole seasons and never once skied while there. Anyway – it’ll be funny. A bunch of us rented a house in Vermont for this weekend so there will be lots of eating, playing games and hanging out.

I brought two sweaters so I’ll be knitting, reading, and well, writing my strategic plan which is due next Thursday, which I haven’t even started yet.

Here is my before picture of CPH and hopefully I’ll have a good after picture, with plenty of progress. I don’t think this yarn is very photogenic. It’s like me in that way.

As for other before and afters, we have been told that our new windows will be installed on Monday and Tuesday. We are back Monday night so my fingers are crossed that we’ll open the door to find a beautiful sight. The probability of this happening is about 7%. We have been told this about 4 times before, the first time was, I think, maybe 8 or so months ago? Just to capture the impact, I took before pictures from our living room. There are 6 more in the back.

If all works out there will be a gorgeous shot of CPH in front of new windows next week.

Gifts in the Sheep Meadow

Here it is and here's the story. I am a long story teller, just be patient.

Last Saturday I walked over to The Point to pick up the Fall issue of Knitscene with the pattern for Central Park Hoodie. Good thing I didn’t decide to wait a few weeks to get the pattern– I stopped into Purl on the way over and almost had a heart attack bc the new issue is out and they didn’t have any of the fall issue left. I almost ran to the Point (not like cutting a 5 minute walk down to two minutes would have made a difference), made a beeline to the back and grabbed it. There were like 14 copies left, but whatever. On my way out, I brushed my hands against the Tahki Donnegal Tweed and told myself to wait.

Fast forward to this past Thursday. It’s 3pm and I’ve had a miserable day. My stress is now becoming apparent as my project, which I now consider my child after 6 months of nurturing, is turning from strategy and an “idea” to execution and reality. I had just left a meeting in which my manager looked at me and said, “my group is falling apart”, specifically referring to the sheet white complexion and lack of smile that has become, along with clothes, my (and the rest of my team’s) every day appearance.

But then we all head into a big team meeting. And at the end of the meeting our VP announces these awards for “making a difference” and well, by god, I got one! I was grateful and flattered and thanked the team. And then as people were gathering their things to head out, my coworker leans over, winks and says, “so what are you going to buy yourself?” Well hello there! It turns out that this award comes with $100!

What am I going to buy myself? Well Donnegal Tweed, of course..enough for my CPH. So of course, I rush to the Point after work, only to find out that “no, we only have 5 skeins left” and “no, we can not order more for you”. Er, thanks anyway.

Get home after (trying to get a table at 'Ino) having, actually, great pizza at some place on Carmine (thank you Hart, thank you Chowhound) and immediately started googling the yarn to order.

I placed an order with The Village Sheep at 11pm on Thursday night and received my yarn at 10am today, Monday morning. Er, hello? Could it get really any better than that? Highly recommend this place.

Above is the gorgeous Donegal Tweed in a deep purplish. Look, I'm a crappy picture taker. I appreciate and covet, well, let's call it what it is, yarn porn, but I can't take good pictures period (no we haven't bought a new upgrade to the 3 mega pixel Le Click of 2007) let alone at 7pm.

Anyway, I heart the yarn and I can't wait to start. I'm even going to join the KAL - this is my first and I'm pretty excited about it.

I shall keep you posted, on this and my Hourglass (first sleeve on the needles). But until next time, here are a couple of post scripts:

ps: I know I keep talking about it but I hate mittens. I don't hate them but I'm having a really hard time with them. I keep seeing people fly through them like they are stinking garter stitch scarfs but I am so confused about the cuff (do I i-cord, should I rib the cuff to make it squishy and er, what is this Italian thing?). It's just making me stressed talking about it so I'm going to stop.

pps: I'm still angry about the Patriots loss. Did they deserve to win? Yes in general, but I will agree that they played terribly against the Colts. Is Peyton Manning the best thing ever and was the reason the Colts won? No, if you watched the game a) he was good but not THAT good and b) really, Marlin Jackson (who played for Michigan, btw) won the game, not Peyton. And I will fully admit that I kind of like Peyton. I think he's a great QB and I kind of love all those ESPN commercials. It's just that, well, I'm just cranky about it.