Day 208 and Wolf

Red riding hood was a helpless little girl, but the wolf was an ambitious go-getter. Can anyone really fault him for going after his goals? After all, hunger was in his nature.

Hungry for a new kind of project, I started thinking sideways. What are some other things that go around the neck besides scarves and cowls and lariats? Well hoods for one. They go over the head when being worn, but they hang around the neck and shoulders when pulled back. When you think about it, hoods are just cowls that reach a little further. A hood is also among the easiest things to make and require almost no measuring.

Get yourself a tape measure and drape it over your head. Pull it tightly so the ends meet at about the center of your sternum (chest bone). This gives you enough ease, drape and freedom to move comfortably when it's ready to wear. Pick a yarn and a set of needles and make a swatch. Count the number of stitches per inch in your swatch, multiply by the number of inches you measured over your head and cast that many onto a circular needle. I made the first and last 5 stitches garter for a nice flat edge around the face and worked in stockinette for the rest for a laid back and relaxed look. After about 5 inches of knitting, fold the cast on edge in half and sew it together. With the fabric still on the needles try it on. If it seems perfect on the needles, you need at least 1 more inch of stitching (the cable of the needle gives the fabric more stability than it would have on its own which is what the extra inch of stitching is for). In the end I needed about 10 inches of fabric before I was happy with the depth and cast off. For a closure, this is a great place for a pin or a shawl stick or a frog closure. A Cardigan pin clip would be perfect for this project! If you want to add a button flap, cast off except for the last 3 inches and knit a few rows, add your buttonhole in the center and stitch another few rows. Place your button and be on your way.

Use this recipe as a base for other projects too. The hood could easily be added to a cardigan in place of the collar to make your own hoodie as well as to a full sized scarf or a capelet.

I hope to write a more detailed pattern and add it to ravelry's databases in the future.