Our Dear Boy had grown out of all his woollies.  It was time to make something bigger.

We talked together about the elements it must include like a hood and a zip. We talked about the elements it might include like particular colours and patterns.  Armed with this knowledge, I cast the bones, made the offerings and made the woolly spell of wearing…

And now Our Dear Boy has this…

I sketched the idea, worked out measurements and stitch counts to a standard DK gauge. It is bottom-up, raglan, hooded cardigan worked seamlesslessly in the round with  a steeked front opening. All the patterning takes place in the top ten centimetres of body and neck prior to uniting body and sleeves.

The front is steeked to the neck. I used a crochet steek for this one and knitted an I-cord finish. Then stitched the zip in after blocking.

I am rather proud of the hood. After the short row shaping for the back neck, I cast off to give a stable structure to the base of the hood.  After picking up those neck stitches, I knitted back and forth for an inch then increased every other row at the back raglan markers for about an inch, then every 4th row. Once the necessary depth was reached I knit without shaping for a couple of inches then decreased every other row for an inch at the same markers to shape the curve of the crown.

Then, and this is the bit I am really pleased with, I knitted back and forth between the centre markers, knitting two together into the sides like a knitted-on border. This created a top to the hood that was shaped along the sides rather than along the back centre. Ah, the things that work themselves out as you fall asleep!

Motifs are from Mary Jane Mucklestone’s book 150 Scandanavian Knitting Designs (2013), specifically #38 and #55. I also used the longship motif #38 but altered the spacer motif to a bigger, more ornate shield. I altered stitch counts to centre the design along the front opening.

Our Dear Boy wears it…voluntarily. He even enjoyed the photoshoot.

Ravelry notes here.