To go with the acrylic hoodie, I also knitted my Mum an alpaca hooded scarf last Christmas; slightly less easy to care for but more luxurious. The pattern is from the Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark book Knit 2 Together. I've knitted a couple of things from this book now, and haven't come across any mistakes or instructions that are difficult to understand. This pattern is another easy one, and the finished product works well.

Another in the catching up series, from last year's Christmas knitting. My mother lives on a farm in Saskatchewan, where it gets to -30 C, and feels colder with a wind. Layers of things that can be machine washed and dried are called for there, so I knitted her this hoodie. I don't usually knit much with acrylic, but sometimes the easy-care nature is important.

My Ravelry notes show I finished this on April 20th, so I guess it's about time I blogged it and put up a picture. I have a few other projects to blog about as well; maybe this will break the logjam.

Koolhaas hat in Malabrigo

The pattern as written works up to 16" unstretched, which I decided wouldn't look good when stretched to fit my 23" head. It took a bit of swatching until I ended up with 5.5 mm needles, which result in a nice feel to the fabric in that crossed cable pattern. It ended up 18” in circumference, and stretches to 26”, which fits comfortably. If I make another one for me, I'll do the extra repeat for the men’s size, as this one only just covers my ears.

I like the colour, and the pattern, but I don't think they go together all that well; the colour changes override the pattern. If I knit it again I'll knit it in a solid colour, and save the kettle-dyed yarns for a plainer pattern, like a brioche stitch or fishermen's rib. You can see the difference on the designer's site (or Ravelry).

It's rated an intermediate project, which is probably fair. I found it a fairly straightforward knit; you do have to pay attention in the decrease instructions and it helps if you can cable without a cable needle, but nothing in the pattern is particularly difficult or hard to understand.