Grown up wood nymph

When H and I had just started working, and before my parents retired, we would try to meet up in Devon every autumn half terms and go for a walk on the edge of Dartmoor, down through the woods in all the colours of green, gold and sienna to a stream that hurried and sploshed over the rocky river bed.  We'd go along the stream, up to the top of the wood and back to the car through an Iron age fort in time to reach the pub for rabbit pie and scrumpy at lunchtime.

When Zee and I were little we did the same walk, but we'd run ahead and hide behind trees or pose on tree stumps, or fallen logs. Mum and Dad or sometimes Grannie would walk past with the obligatory,

"Oh what a lovely wood nymph.  I wonder where Carie/Zee could have got to..."

and of course we'd jump out and 'boo' them.  It never seemed to bother any of us that wood nymphs didn't usually wear a bright blue coat or jeans and a rainbow jumper, it was in the mind, as all good make believe is.

Now though I think I've got the outfit.  Well the jumper at least.


These pictures aren't from the woods, just my parent's garden courtesy of Zee who helped take photos when we were down at the beginning of August (as yes, that tells you just how far behind I am on my blogging!).


It's the Grown Up Hoodie pattern by Kira Dulaney in Madelintosh 80/10/10 Worsted in Forestry.

I knit to the pattern with one major and somewhat obvious exception - my hoodie is stocking stitch not reverse stocking stitch.  I just like it better that way and it was easy enough to change, all I added was a single purl stitch either side of the cable pattern on the back and on the pockets and that was that.

It is a great pattern and the yarn is lovely so I have exactly what I set out to get, a snuggly warm cardie for the autumn and those winters nights when Kitty decides she needs extra cuddles (please let her have started sleeping through by the winter, please please).  If I'm being perfectly honest with myself though, I could have improved the fit for my body shape a little better.  I added length because I'm longer than average in the body and I put the extra length after the waist shaping as usual but in this pattern it would have been better just after the ribbing.  Then of course the swatch lied (again) and the jumper grew lengthwise so the in point of the waist shaping is on my hips.  It isn't noticeable though unless you really look.

The other amendment would be to add more height to the back of the hood before picking up the sides. It's a nice big hood and it's great to snuggle up in but on me, having the hood up lifts the front the jumper up off my collarbone.  As I rarely wear hoodie hoods up (I just like them for the scarf-effect of extra fabric around the back of my neck) I'm not bothered by this at all.  This is my first hoodie and now I know for next time what I'll be checking in the schematic.

The buttons on the other hand are a perfect match colour wise and satisfied a longing to use them in something for me, ever since I first encountered and applied them to a baby surprise jacket.  I might just have to put a stitch in the buttonholes though post blocking.

As I said it's not a fail by any stretch of the imagination, I can see this being my go to cardie for a while to come (although it's about to face some stiff competition in the cardigan's I have queued).