Jan 23, 2023 Vintage Redheart 2 ply, 845 Royal Blue and dbl pt #1 needles - probably should go with 0 needles, but they are 2 short. I did continental cast-on of 56st over 2 needles, and started with 4ft of yarn, ending with 7” left over.

ERRATA: I’m thinking there is a mistake in the inches measurements in the hood, in the first translation by Betty Jean. Problem: The translation says to make the 6 rows (1cm) for the garter edge of the hood, then do stockinette for 2 more inches.

However, the French version shows the total width, including the band at 8.5cm, with the garter band being 1cm, that leaves 7.5cm for the stockinette. 7.5cm is just a hair less than 3 inches. Total width is 3 3/8 or nearly 3.5”, including the garter band. I actually made it the 3.5 and had the option to be able to let the garter band turn back, creating another detail.

Last night (Jan 25) I seamed up the back of the hood, (Jan 26, 2023) and tonight I took it back out, as it was truly ugly. I watched videos and realized I was trying to do it wrong and re-did it, but the hardest thing about it is that all the videos show someone with 2 blocks of bound off seams they are going to graft together, and with this hood, it is ONE piece that is folded over, so you can’t easily see the stiches from the other side, as if they were both laying flat in front of you. A lot of back and forth and man the stitches are small and dark blue, and the yarn is sticking to itself. It’s still not great, but I can see a difference and feel good about learning a new technique. I’ve never grafted 2 bound off edges together before. I first bound off on the knit side and thought it must be wrong to have the BO edge so prominent on the side that would show, so took that out and made another purl row and BO in purl stitches (real pain) and then find that the BO is helpful in finding that first stitch you seam into ..UGGGHHH ….
video for grafting 2 BO seams together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBXnyP9pvt8

After I finished that, I picked up 31 stitches, and did NOT include the garter edge in them, as I want it loose to fold back or stand out around his face. I ended up switching to sz 2 USA needles for the cape, as the stitches were so tight, the eyelets couldn’t open.

Jan 27, 2023 I noticed that the capes of 3dhelene included features not in the old translation, so I looked at the French and re-translated it. Finished this morning, but have not decided on the details like bow or pom pom. For now, there is just some yarn ends that I tied under his chin!

ERRATA: I was trying to find out why I did not have the 3 lacy places in my shawl and I thought I was knitting too tight. BUT, I found the problem was that the original translation used a M1 for the increase and that does not cause a lacy opening. I used the YO to create the necessary open places where the lace pattern shows. I have my translated version, anyone can ask me for it and I will send it. I can’t see a way to just put it on ravelry as a download, because it’s not my pattern, just my translation.

Jan 29, 2023 I made a bootie from same yarn and sz 2 USA needles, and wow it is way too tight. I started another bootie with size 3USA / 3.24mm. They look SOOOO huge when one is laying on my hand, after binding off. But, I could hardly believe it, they are the ones that fit his foot and fat little calf.

There was a problem with the stitch count. Pattern says that row 15 will produce 8 increases. I was getting 6. I made one change, which might have been intended already, just not in obvious print. I added a yarn over before the last k1 in row 13. This allowed one more stitch and I was able to get in 7 increases, which were enough to fit perfectly.

ROW 15: There were several ways to approach this increase, what I did was when I knitted 2, I did not take the second stitch off the needle, but knit into the back of it. I chose this way because I didn’t want to worry with right and left leaning increases. But the main thing to grasp was that I used that second knit stitch to make the increase in, and ended with a K1, after the increase sequence, between the asterisks, giving me 7 increases.

BOOTIES: The bootie pattern is from Inma’s Balbutiement pattern. I had to start over a couple of times and was surprised how BIG the bootie looked that fit. I had to use 4 USA needles with vintage 2 ply Redheart sport yarn (different now) and one bootie covered my whole palm, but that is the one that fit. It is much the size as the Kroy sock yarn I used for Natalies Promenade dress, but the sock yarn was much softer!