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Posted on | May 7, 2010 | 6 Comments
1. Austin Hoodie, 2. Sleeve detail, 3. Sweater Detail, 4. Hood Detail. All photographs courtesy of and property of Parikha and Hemal Mehta.
Ysolda thought I was being a bit stingy with the photos on the last post and suggested I post a few more; a request I’m only too happy to comply with. Again, the lovely Parikha served as both model and photographer, and she couldn’t have done a better job with either. I’m so thrilled with how the photos turned out. There’s a very calm, yoga-like quality to her poses and photo composition, which complements well with the feel I was aiming for with this hoodie cardigan.
I contacted Amy last fall, a couple of months before the Knitscene where I’m profiled was due to come out. I had really enjoyed creating the Geodesic Cardigan and I wanted to design a companion piece to it. I’ve long admired Madelinetosh’s colors in the Ravelry photos of other people’s stashes and Amy’s base yarns were the perfect combination of classic knitterly fibers and special, one-of-a-kind treats. Originally, I was thinking of her Prairie or Tosh Lace to create a drapey fabric similar to the Geodesic. But Amy mentioned that she was developing a new yarn, a lighter version of her very popular Tosh Merino, that she was very excited about and would I be interested in using that instead. I had barely finished reading her description of it before I hit the reply button.
Fortuitously enough, Amy was scheduled to visit NYC before Rhinebeck to give a talk at Knitty City; so I got to meet her, fondle some of her gorgeous yarn, and talk to her in person about my indie design. To my delight, I discovered that Amy’s sweater sensibilities aligned pretty closely with mine — we both prefer comfortable sweaters we can lounge around in; so she was on board with my idea of a casual hoodie cardigan with just a smattering of detail.
I’ve written a bit about my first impressions of Tosh Light before, but I’ll expand on it a bit more now that I’ve worked with it. I’ve always liked the look of single ply yarns, but hated their tendency to pill. I don’t know how it’s possible, but Tosh Light doesn’t seem to pill and it’s sturdier than your average single ply yarn. But it’s the color that really sets Tosh Light apart. Somehow, Amy has managed to make Tosh Light glow. I would have guessed there was some silk content in there, but nope, it’s 100% merino.
I’m really thrilled at the reception that the Austin Hoodie has already gotten. Thanks to Amy for donating the yarn for this project. And of course to Parikha for her gorgeous photos.
One more note about the yarn… Tosh Merino Light isn’t widely available quite yet. Amy included it in her Magolia Society yarn club and has been posting batches of it on her etsy site, but from what I understand, you have to be quite vigilant and ready to pounce as soon as an update goes up. She’s debuting it at TNNA in June and I believe it should make its way to your local yarn shop shortly thereafter.
A few more parting detail shots:
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6 Responses to “More Austin Hoodie”
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May 8th, 2010 @ 8:23 am
It really is so beautiful Connie! Can’t believe how prolific you are continuing to be what with now working full time too!
May 8th, 2010 @ 10:26 am
Beautiful! The yarn and design really complement each other!
May 8th, 2010 @ 11:40 pm
Bellisimo Connie! Love your attention to details… the sweater is stunning!
May 11th, 2010 @ 7:22 am
I love this cardigan and the colour too. It’s so calming.
May 22nd, 2010 @ 11:02 am
Very nice design and using a lovely yarn
August 6th, 2011 @ 4:53 pm
8/6/11 Hello. I am working on the Austin Hoodie and have a question about the cuff design. I am not sure if I am to knit through the back loops for the rest of the cuff or just in the first row? My LYS says just the first row. Hope you see this somehow. Thank you.