The toll makes it tough on my folks. Every time they need to go anywhere off the harbor, it’s $$.
SO nice that your kids all live near you. It’s hard to be away from our families. DH grew up in MI, so we don’t have any family around at all. Except our kids…they’re both in college, but I hope they don’t settle far away from us.
Because of my wool allergy, it has taken me quite a while to find the yarn I wanted to make my CPH. However, I DID find it! I am going to pick up my yarn on Tuesday. It is:
I am using the Black Ragg. The best part about this yarn is that it is completely machine washable and toss in the dryer. This will mean I will get a lot of use from this hoodie. Also, I am leaning towards a zipper as well. It’s cold up here in the “Great White North” so I also need a good closure system.
DH bought me the pattern a year ago and I have been hunting for the yarn ever since then.
I will CO some time next week!!! Yahoooooooooo!!!
Hi Knitter! I like the Black Ragg colorway the best, too! It will be interesting to see how it knits up!
I made a little baby coat for a friend a few months back…a blue-white tweed that looks like this Mary Maxim Starlette Ragg Yarn. I mean to say…the strands looked similar but blue and white instead of black and white.
Here is how the little jacket turned out:
Isn’t my yarn very similar to yours??
I think your Black Ragg will tweed-up/knit-up similarly!
It will be awesome to see yours! 
Yes, this is very similar to my yarn. I am looking forward to starting. I’ve been wanting a CPH since I “saw” your daughter’s when it was finished.
I’ve been eyeing the CPH for some time now and REALLY want to knit one. The cables don’t scare me nor does the knitting and piecing a sweater. What scares me to no end is putting in that darn zipper.
When I go to buy the yarn I was planning on using Knit Picks WOTA, (i didnt read ALL 49 pages). How well would this work compaired to Cascade 220 or the Debbie Bliss yarn ArtLady used.
I’m SO glad others are jumping on board!
I knit about 13" of the back of my CPH, but had to frog about 4" along the way, so I have 9" done. I changed the cable to cross every 8 rows instead of 10–thought it looked better with my gauge.
I GOT THE YARN!!! I now have everything I need to knit my CPH! As soon as I finish this bed jacket I am starting MY VERY OWN CPH!!!
YAY!!! Christine, just cast on! You can alternate b/w the CPH and the bed jacket!
This is a quick knit! I’m almost done with the back already! However, I’m a little bored with it! I think I’m going to CO for “Hey Teach” and alternate projects.
I liked knitting the back because of the viking cable, but the front nearly killed me with boredom. I would definitely recommend doing both side at once so once it is done its done.
I don’t know the yarn except that it felts really well. Here are comments from Ravelry:
This yarn is weird. I’ve tried multiple colors, and it’s very hit or miss. Example: I knit 2 sweaters, one out of the grey and one out of the black. The grey one turned out fine (not the softest, but it works) but the black shed all over the place and just turned out to be far less sturdy than the grey. It would be good for a cardigan, or something you would wear over another article of clothing, but not so great for next-to-skin garments. This yarn is great for knitting toys
For basic worsted knitting, this yarn is a serious bargain. It felts fantastically, too. A nice alternative to Cascade 220 for the budget-conscious who may be tempted to get a bunch of red heart acrylic instead.
i found it to be soft, but full of knots. FULL of knots. i don’t know about their other colors, but i couldn’t get the red to stop bleeding for the life of me. no amount of washing or soaking in vinegar/salt solution helped. aside from the knots and the bleeding though, the finished project came out beautifully.
I LOVE this yarn so far…just finishing a project out of it, so I can’t say about the color bleeding/shedding (fingers crossed I have better luck!) No knots in mine, thankfully. I agree it’s a great substitute for Cascade 220 at an absolute bargain price. Not quite next-to-skin soft, but I’m pretty wool tollerant, so it wouldn’t bug me.
I just made a blanket with this yarn in Tunisian crochet. It was easy to use, reasonably soft and my son loves it. I did not wash it yet, so I don’t know how it holds up the wash yet. I made the blanket bigger then needed in case it will felt.
How funny, I just made a red (Iron Ore) Central Park Hoodie out this & I had no knots in any of the 13 balls I used nor did I have any major bleeding when I washed it. (the water was a little pink, but not much.) I love this yarn, it feels so much softer after a soak in Eucalan and very warm. I haven’t worn it enough to know about pilling though
I’ve used WotA for other items - mittens, felting, etc - my fetchings pilled a little after a lot of hard use.
This yarn makes surprisingly good soakers/longies if knit at a slightly firm gauge. Little pilling, good durability.
I just made my first hat out of this yarn. It’s very soft and worked well.
I think this is a great staple wool.
A little plasticky but a nice inexpensive all wool yarn. Try it and you may be pleasantly surprised.
After thinking there was nothing good on Knitpicks, I’m suprised yet again! I had no idea that the yarn I’d bought and loved quite a few years ago was actually this - Wool of the Andes. It’s much more beautiful in person than they display on the website. Knitpicks really should take better pictures of their merch.
I’m actually extremely glad now that I have a gift certificate to KP!
Love it! It is not really soft, but it is not itchy. It’s a great yarn for sturdy cardigans and pullovers. I got the color Pumpkin and absolutely love the shade.
Made hubby a pair of bed-socks using the black cherry. No bleeding at all, not even when washing the first time. He love them and they turned out very soft.
I really like this yarn, it feels great in the hand while you’re knitting, the stitch definition is good. and it’s incredibly warm. The price cant be beat either, for $1.99 per skein you can knit almost anything within budget. I find that it holds up well post knitting and haven’t had problems with pilling yet with this yarn. I’d recommend it to anyone who knits sweaters, hats, scarves, mitts or anything else that requires warmth
It’s a bit thin, but it’s nice for the price. Felts excellent! I made my daughter a sweater out of it and it pilled quite a bit after she only had it on a few hours. So I save it mainly for felting now
my WOTA is full of knots as well. Not too impressed…. would rather have paid a little more to get a better yarn. I guess you get what you pay for.
I made fingerless mittens out of this yarn and it pills quite a bit. I am making a new pair with Cascade 220, so it will be interesting to see the difference. I can’t complain too much, though; Knitpicks sent me the yarn by accident and let me keep it :)
I loved the texture and price of this yarn at first. However I find that it isn’t standing up to the test of time. The sweaters and socks I’ve made with this yarn remain soft after several washes and wears, but it pills so much I am thoroughly disappointed. I find myself wanting to “shave” my sweater 1/2 way through the day. I will try switching to Cascade for my sons sweaters – and will probably invest in the best I can afford the next time I knit for myself.
i’ve never found any knots in any of mine………haven’t done too much washing yet, my largest project was a stole…….
it is pilling a little, on wristies, but they get hard use………
not the softest on the block, but definetely i wear it next to skin anyways…….
i tend to use this as my go-to yarn, mostly for the price…….
Made a ribbed vest and wristlets out of the onyx heather. Love the feel and the color. Unfortunately both piece lost there shape with wearing. They stretch out quite a bit. Washed them both in delicate and now with the TINY bit of felting they are keeping their shape and feel thicker (of course with felting)
I’m not sure how I feel about this yarn. I ordered three colors: chestnut, blue bonnet and pumpkin. The chestnut has multiple knots in it and is very thin while the blue bonnett is smooth and abnormally..plump? The pumpkin is normal so far. It may be cheaper than cascade 220 but the quality isn’t as good.
It’s a good, soft and not too itchy all wool yarn but it bleeds and stains other clothes when worn together. I made a cardigan out of cranberry-hued wool of the andes and when I wore it over a white t-shirt, it made the neckline and shoulderline of my t-shirt pink. Luckily it came off when I washed the t-shirt later.
This yarn is definitely on the thin side for its declared weight. I’d call it light dk if it were up to me.
It’s not merino soft of course, but if you feel inclined to, you can soak it in conditioner once it’s dyed to soften it up.
Stable tension and stitch definition has been hard to achieve for me, otherwise I don’t have other complaints about it. It looks like it’s durable and warm. No idea how it compares to Cascade (which I never tried), but it looks as adequate as 220 from where I stand and cheaper.
I actually like this yarn better than Cascade 220 - it felt softer while I was knitting it, and definitely created a softer, very warm fabric. Used it for a vest and several scarves - about 11 balls total. I didn’t have problems with knots, and was very happy to find that the dye lots (at least for me) were consistent, since I ran out of yarn half way through the vest and had to order more. The finished vest is wearing well so far (but only worn it a few times). It is a great value for the money
This is the yarn I would use for any felting projects. It felts QUICKLY. I mean, really, [B][I]really[/I][/B] quickly. My first felted cat bed made with this felted in no time flat.
I like the way this yarn knits up, but it’s pretty thin and drapey when I used the recommended needle size. On top of that, you have to be really cautious when changing balls of yarn in your project that the color isn’t way different. I have eight balls in the same dyelot of Mist, and one of them is incredibly lighter and more drab than the rest. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until I’d already finished the project. >.<
I’ve used WotA a lot and I’ve never had any problems with it! I’ve made several scarves, a sweater, hats and mittens and they’re all soft enough to wear next to the skin without being irritating. I also think that it’s just a little bit softer than Cascade 220, but they’re definitely comparable. I’ve never had a problem with undesired felting or with pilling, and all the colors I’ve used were consistent within the dye lot. I’ve used about 50 balls of this and I can’t remember ever having a knot, actually.
i am 1/2 through a knee hi sock with this yarn, and i am loving it. it is very soft, no knots, fabulous color (i’m using ‘sapphire heather’).
so far, so good =)
Wouldn’t use this for next-to-skin garments, ever - it’s too scratchy for that. Knits up to a slightly floppy but consistent fabric, for me. Crochets like a dream - no problems with splitting - and felts beautifully, whether crocheted or knitted. I have only found a couple of knots, and haven’t had any problems with color bleeding, knock wood.
Many posters comment on how soft WOTA is, but I knit a vest with it and for me it’s very itchy next to the skin (where the shawl collar touches my neck), and rather itchy all over when I wear it under a jacket. I’m not super-sensitive, either. The only other garment I’ve made that’s bothered me so much was made from Lopi. The vest was made from WOTA heathers, so maybe the solid color wouldn’t itch as much. Since this experience, I’ve saved this yarn for non-wearables such as felting projects. Great yarn selection, great price.
I found this yarn very economical and always come back to it when I’m on a budget. I do think it can be on the scratchy side, but it softened up for me after a Eucalan soak. I have not had any problems with knots or bleeding as yet. As far as pilling, there is some on a sweater I made from it, but it doesn’t seem too bad.
I have to second the felting comments. This is [I]the[/I] yarn I use when I felt because it felts really quickly and looks great felted. I like Swish for things that will go against the skin, though.
I found the yarn to be a great bargain for a basic worsted, but when washed it had a peculiar smell. The smell took several washings to go away.
I know, I know, Gina don’t give me heck!!! I am supposed to be leaving the knitting alone for a while. I could not help myself. I CO for my CPH today while the muscle relaxers were in my system and it didn’t hurt as much to knit. I knit one row ONLY! I was a good girl, I promise. It was driving me crazy having the yarn sitting here and not starting something I have wanted for almost a year now (thanks ArtLady for this obsession)!
I was told by some that have made this sweater that it fits snugly. I wanted to see what size I was going to need and that is why I CO at all. I was thinking a large would do. Once I had cast the stitches on, I had to knit one row to see how stretchy it was going to be. I am now thinking an XL would be better for me because I like to have a bit of room in my sweaters. I prefer it not to be skin tight. So, yes I ripped that and started again and CO for the XL. Now the trouble is going to be focusing myself on the bed jacket and getting it finished when I know the CPH is started and sitting in a basket waiting for me… sigh
Oh, Christine, don’t overdo it! You want to be able to knit long-term, not just today. I know it’s hard to resist yarn that is just calling out to you, though!. I sure hope you’re up to par soon! I know what it’s like not to be able to knit, so I truly empathize!!! I overdid it yesterday, so I didn’t knit much today. I’m close to finishing the back, but I’m still not done. I started a swatch for the "Hey Teach, but even the swatch didn’t get any new stitches yet.
I’m making the size 40", even though I wear a size 8 (M), but my pattern goes all the way up to size 60". I’ve seen your picture, Christine…you SURELY don’t need that size! Is your pattern different than mine? Mine has size 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60.
Yours is the same as mine. I decided on a 44 so it would not fit too snug. I have size large hoodies here, that are t-shirt type material and they fit just right but there is no room for anything but a tank top under them. It won`t be done up all the time so the 44 should be fine, I hope.
Hi guys,
I bought some Jo Sharp silk road DK tweed yarn for my CPH.
(which btw, I’ve been wanting make for a long time).
My gauge came out using a size 9 needle, so I cast on 86 stitches with the plan of making a 36.
Now I’m worried it might not be big enough.
I’ve only just knit the 4" rib.
When I lay it out to measure, it’s only 15" wide…
Is that OK? (sheesh, I sound like a dope)
I’m not sure how far I should go before deciding if it’ll be okay or not.
TIA for any advice.
This pattern is a snug fit, or so I have heard from other knitters. I would say if you take a 36" size, make your CPH in the 40" size. I know that I usually take a Ladies Large (the 40") so I am knitting the 44" one so there is room for a turtleneck underneath and so it does not fit like a second skin. Just my humble opinion.
Perhaps ArtLady would give us an opinion on this?
I find myself wondering why there is no 38. If there were, I would do that.
I also wonder what would happen if I made the 40 using size 8 needles.
I definitely want a turtleneck to fit under.
I definitely don’t want a skin tight fit.
UGh… I’m good at confusing myself!
You’re probably right and I should just frog and CO for the 40. :??
I think that would be best IMHO, since you only have the ribbing OTN right now. I know of one knitter who made a 36 for herself and now she is going to give it away and make a 40 because the 36 is too snug on her even though that is the size she usually wears.
Good luck!
I agree with Christine. Make the bigger size! You can always do the seam in a stitch or two, if it’s a little on the big side, but you can’t really make it bigger without a TON of work.