bearz in the hood

So I've been a bit rubbish with the knitting recently, as my name might suggest. Due to a nasty inflammation of the tendons in my wrist. Partly brought on by overhammering a computer keyboard, partly brought on by an easter knitathon, partly too much Mario Kart Wii. It's a bit better now. The GP fobbed me off with some paracetamol but it did seem to help a bit. I suspect this may be the placebo effect, but would that work if you suspected it existed? Or possibly moving to a Wiimote + Nunchuk combination instead of using the Wii wheel. Anyway. Look, I finally finished the woolly childHood! Don't have a proper model for it yet (the foetus for which it is intended is still a WIP) so George the bear kindly stepped in for this shot.

It's made from wensleydale longwool, which is lovely to knit with - really soft and lustrous. I picked it up at the rather awesome wensleydale longwool sheepshop. It's size 6-12 months. I did enjoy making this despite the wrist issues.

Things worth pointing out for other people who might make this pattern:

• The button band is knitted in garter stitch, then sewn on to the stocking stitch front panel. I foolishly assumed, as the stitches were lying the same way, that they would line up in a 1:1 ratio, so this is how I seamed it. This wasn't the case: my garter stitch is a little bit slacker of gauge than my stocking stitch. Leading to a very slightly frilly looking button band. I didn't fancy unpicking the seam so I have left it like this as a 'feature'.


• The hood is comically large. Like, about as big as the body. I can't decide whether this is a good or a bad thing.


• I modified the button band to have buttonholes, rather than the suggested snap fastenings, because I felt it went better with the rustic feel of the yarn.


• I didn't block it because I couldn't be arsed felt it went better with the rustic feel of the yarn.

FYI, George is actually a bit of a connoisseur of hand knitwear. Here is the jumper he usually wears. Knitted by a friend of my Mum's when I was a small child. It has withstood many years of battering. And yes, I was born in the 70s.

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