manfriend hoodie...

I've been away from  my knitting machines for over two months and I am going to San Diego at the end of the month to do a workshop for the Machine Knitting Guild of San Diego  on May 2 , 3, 2015. OMG! I feel like I'd better get doing something to get me back into knitting mode. I did make a pair of socks the other day and repaired a pair - knit new feet onto the good-forever ribbed tops - (see blogpost 'Happy feet...April 14, 2009)  to get warmed up and I got energized. I had vaguely promised a man's hoodie pattern around Christmas but I got bogged down with trying to make it too complicated and then tried to simplify and then kind of abandoned the project. On Wednesday, I decided that I had time to make one, mainly because I always like to have something brand new for a seminar and I did get a message from the guy who I had made the vague promise to and it seemed like he was worried about me - it was enough of a push to get me going - I used to work well under pressure and meeting deadlines was my thing! I not only got the man hoodie made (just need to darn in ends, wash and dry and sew in zipper) and the pattern almost finished but I decided that it would make a great session for the workshop and I am madly knitting pieces that I can take to San Diego and use to show the putting-together-on-the-machine techniques - truth, actually, the man hoodie turned out so nice, I was feeling left out and wanted one for myself!
Although fairly basic, it has all the good parts of a nice hoodie, made in mercerised cotton (Bonita from Knitcraft), features zipper front (with a couple of installation options), outside seaming details, including a sturdier, re-inforced neckline for careless wearers, and pouch pockets attached while you knit, all in stockinette...will let you know when the manfriend and girlfriend pattern is ready! two for one!