Finished

Apres Surf is off the needles and all sewn up. I'm really delighted with the finished result - this was my best ever attempt at seaming and my best ever set in sleeves. I really feel that I've made progress with this project.


Here are the details:

Pattern: Apres Surf Hoodie by Connie Chang Chinchio
Yarn: RYC CashCotton 4 ply in Citron
Needles: 3.5 and 3.25mm addi lace needles.

Alterations: I knitted the body in the round up to the armholes and neck divide and then flat to the shoulders. I knitted the sleeves flat then seamed them before setting them in. I did a normal cast on for the body and sleeves and then did an applied i-cord afterwards instead of a provisional cast on and i-cord bind off. (I did do the i-cord bind off on the hood and it was lovely but took for ever!).


I still need to re-block since the neck and hood edging was added but I've already worn it a couple of times. The yarn is beautifully soft next to the skin and the shape is really wearable.

Progress

I've been knitting away on the Apres Surf Hoodie intermittantly for the last couple of weeks and progress has been good. The short lace repeat was easily memorised so I could pick up and put down whenever I wanted without too much reference to the pattern. The nature of the pattern also spurred me on to do 'just one more repeat'.


I've finished the body now and decided that, rather than leave stitches on a holder, I would just get the hood done too. The pattern is beautifully written and the lace pattern flows perfectly from the body into the hood and also lines up at the shoulders which makes me happy.


I still need to knit the band on the hood and neck opening and the applied I-cord at the hemline (I decided that this would be simpler than a provisional cast on followed by putting all the stitches back on a needle and doing an I-cord bind-off. I also have both sleeves to do.


This knitting has now been interrupted by a couple of other projects (more on which later...) but should be back on the needles fairly soon.

New Beginings...

The Apres Surf Hoodie has been on my 'to knit' list ever since the pattern was published last summer. In fact, it might even have been the reason I bought that issue of Interweave Knits.

In december I went to the John Lewis sale and managed to get enough Rowan Cashcotton 4 ply in their sale for my size - clearly this was meant to be... but then the yarn went into the stash and the jumper did not appear. I just didn't seem to be in the mood for it until really lately (I blame Dad's big blue jumper - I couldn't think about anything else until I knew it was properly finished).


A couple of weeks ago, the yarn came out of the stash and the swatching happened. I knitted two swatches and after washing and blocking, one was the perfect gauge. I liked the look and drape of the other one better though, so I did the maths and worked out that if I knitted the pattern for the 35.5 inch chest in the gauge I liked best, I'd get a size just below the next size up, which should fit me pretty well.


And so I've started something new at last...