And they call it, hoodie luh-huuuuv

'Member my first Central Park Hoodie? I loved that thing. Still do, in fact. But in retrospect, that was puppy love.

This, this is true love.

Don't get me wrong, the electric bluegaloo CPH is one of my favorite knits. But frankly, I almost never wear it. It simply doesn't get that cold here very often. So it, and my other wool sweaters, only see the light of day once or twice a season.

This baby, however, is a cotton blend. That be LOVE #1. I've already worn it five times in the past week alone! It was 78 degrees yesterday, and I still wore it. Uuuuntil the hot hot air in my car forced me to take it off.

LOVE #2? (No, it's not my butt. Definitely not my butt.) It's knitted all in the round and...wait for it...all. top. down. That's right, I reverse-engineered the entire pattern. It wasn't that hard, actually, thanks to the Bible Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. No seams and a custom-tailored fit!

Dude, I would make such a good spy. Except for the running and the shooting and the secret identities and stuff.

I obviously can't go into too much detail without giving away the pattern or breaking the record for the longest blog post ever, but here's a general rundown of my mods:

• Used a provisional cast-on for the back and fronts
• Used short rows to shape the shoulders
• Joined the back shoulders to the front shoulders with a three-needle bind-off so there would be more stability to counter balance the weight of the hood (and had to fudge it a stitch on each side to line up the purl columns because I'm freakishly anal that way)
• After the shoulders, on the fronts, increased a stitch every other RS row 3x, then did a provisional cast-on to add extra stitches for the neckline
  
• Joined the fronts to the back once the armhole depth had been reached, adding stitches at each armhole with a backwards loop cast-on
• Knitted set-in sleeves top down, decreased from the elbow to a couple of inches above the wrist, then knitted 2x2 rib until the cuff was the perfect length for my under-tall arms
• Used decreases and short rows to create a nice, rounded hood
• Knit the entire border band in one piece (thank you 60" HiyaHiya Interchangeable Cable!)
• Added a zipper instead of buttons

TIP: If you plan to knit this top down, flip the order of the charts. For example, when it says to knit Chart A, Knit Chart C.

And look! LOVE #3: No villagers-with-torches pointy hood this time! I used decreases and some hoodie short rows a'la Cristy (sounds good, don't it? Next time I go to a restaurant, I'm going to order that), creating 6 wraps per side in 4 stitch intervals to add height to the fronts. That turned out the perfect hood for me!

I'm too obnoxious for my cardi, too obnoxious for my cardi, so obnoxious let's part-tay...

LOVE #4: This pattern really is spectacular, any way you knit it. The cables add interest but are easy to memorize, and the multiple purl columns conform to your body without the need for shaping. The finished product is cute and flattering, and really - how can you not love a hoodie!

By knitting it all top-down, I was able to customize it even further to the perfect length, the perfect width, the perfect fit!

Yarn thoughts
LOVE #5: The yarn. Oh, the yarn. I heart this new discovery of mine like I heart Nathan Fillion (but in a completely different way). This is Tatamy Tweed by Kraemer Yarns, a cotton/acrylic blend that comes in several amazing tweed colorways. It's easy to knit with, machine washable and fabulously soft!

It did shed some of those tweedy bits while knitting and in the dryer after the first wash, so I had to trot out the lint brush for a few tees and things. But those were very minor inconveniences and the sweater doesn't look any less tweedy post-shedding.

I just found out that Kraemer has now launched a Tatamy line with solid versions of their tweed colorways, which makes me all kinds of giddy! This may become my new go-to sweater yarn!

Wrap it up
I can't get enough of this sweater! It's so cute and comfy and cottonlicious, I want to wear it all the live long day. In fact, I have some forest green Tatamy Tweed in my stash and am seriously thinking of knitting another one. Because top-down, custom-fit, in a fabulous cotton tweed, it is sheer sweater perfection. (ETA: Even with those two cables twisting the wrong way, which I just noticed thanks to Anonymous which I totally did on purpose. Design feature. And a knittily-engrained life lesson. 'Cause, you know, the world isn't perfect, so your sweater shouldn't be either. ;)).

Top-down Central Park Hoodie
Pattern: Knitscene, Fall 2006 or Interweave Online
Yarn: Tatamy Tweed Worsted, 7 skeins in Oatmeal
Needle: HiyaHiya Interchangeables in size 8 (various cable lengths)
Mods: Knit all top-down, short row shoulders, non-pointy hood, zipper instead of buttons, and a buncha others listed up above