So much fun! It was fun to knit, it’s fun to wear, and the directions were super easy to follow.

12/9/2010-
My daughter absolutely fell in love with the Woodland Hoodlet, so now I have to make it! I’m excited, I haven’t knit anything like this yet.
I really haven’t quite started, but I did a swatch using a bulky yarn rather than super bulky. Since I knit large I went down to a size 13 needle and I almost made gauge. I’m probably taking a gamble here, but I’m going to try to make this in a large and hope that it fits my daughter. I will measure as I go to see how close I am to the pattern sizes.

I tried to find a deep red in a super bulky yarn, but there just weren’t that many choices, and most of them were way too expensive for an inexperienced knitter like me!

12/27- finally cast on! The yarn isn’t easy to deal with, but hopefully it will work.

1/3- I’m finished with the front and working on the back, which is going quickly. I lost my way on the front and had to rip back, which is nearly impossible with this yarn. I found my place again by counting the bobbles. Otherwise this is a hard pattern to figure out when you get lost.

1/9- Started on the hood today. I’ve learned a few new things with this project. Kitchener stitch was interesting. Not difficult, but easy to forget where you are. I also learned that I was picking up stitches incorrectly. I had always picked them up on the needle and then began with the new yarn. The way this project is worded I realized I was doing it wrong and learned the correct way.

Overall things are going well, but I’m not thrilled with the yarn. It’s a little too fuzzy for my taste.

1/13- I finished knitting the hood last night. I ended up going an additional 2 repeats past 16 in. because my daughter wanted a looser hood. Since the yarn isn’t quite as bulky as called for, I think this was a good decision. I’m going to block the hoodlet today and try to make the tassel. I’ve never made a tassel before and I’m not too confident about how the roving yarn will hold up as a tassel. Last night, the skein I was using wasn’t as tightly twisted as the other skeins and felt weak if I pulled too tightly.

And it is VERY fuzzy. I started using my battery operated de-fuzzer thingy from knitpicks- which is MAGIC by the way- but it doesn’t seem to work as well at defuzzing this yarn. It works WONDERS on pills on wool, though.

1/15- Finished drying and it fits wonderfully! I wasn’t sure about blocking because the yarn is only 20% wool, but now the braided edge on the back lays nicely.

I noticed that the knitting around the bobbles is more see-through than when other people used the Rowan Big Wool. Not a problem, really, just an observation. Also, the blocking takes out some of the squishiness, but the garment lays so much nicer and you can really see the cables and bobbles.

Now off to attach the tassel! I made three trying to get it right- one way too big, one a little bit too small, and one just right. 3 little bears anyone?

Done! Tassel made and attached thanks to this video.

Final thoughts: My 13 year-old son saw my 18 year-old daughter wearing this and said, “You look like a bell.” Of course she and I looked at each other and immediately thought of Belle- from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Sure enough, in the winter scene while they were singing the “Something’s there that wasn’t there before” song, Belle is wearing a cape that has a top portion that looks very similar to this hoodlet.

If I were making another one I would try to find the Rowan Big Wool on sale. I’m not too fond of the Bernat Roving. I think I may prefer the Lionbrand Thick and Quick over it, but Bernat had a better red.

I made an extra tassel, trying to get the size right, and I’m glad I did, just in case the current one gets matted looking or gets pulled off. Not a bad idea to make an extra!