What a cleverly constructed project, scrumptious Garter Stitch broken up by the neat finishing of I-cord edges, the Sophie Hood by PetiteKnit gives enough to keep you interest peaked, it grows quickly for instant satisfaction and the rhythm of this knit is incredibly soothing. I’ve claimed for years and years that there is a lot of mindfulness in knitting – OM ॐ – through each and every stitch, and this is clearly present in the Sophie Hood. No wonder this is a design that knitters want to do again and again!

For my Sophie Hood (link to PetiteKnit) I really wanted to indulge in the lush colours and heavenly fibres of Stolen Stitches’ Nua Worsted (Merino, Yak and Linen), so I chose to do mine on a 4.5mm needle. The pattern suggests 5mm, so I went for the largest sized version, but with the ‘strethcyness’ and flexibility of the garter, I found it really does not make much difference for the finished size. I needed about 5 hanks (250g) to complete my hood.

A note on the size grading though. The Sophie Hood is graded in three sizes, however this is related to the length of the ‘scarf’, the size of the hood stays the same. However, it is worked flat, you start from one tip and work to the width of the scarf, before shaping the hood, and then go back down to the tip on the other side. All shaping is done along the edges using increases and decreases (no short rows or anything like that) so to create a larger hood, simply work a few more increase rows to your desired width, shape the hood, and just remember to work as many decrease rows on the length going back down again.

The Sophie family, from Petiteknit, counts to three lovely designs by now, crafted over the same construction, they are all adaptable to any yarn and needle size. I’ve literally lost count of how many of these we have facilitated over the last few years, but it must be hundreds.
Depending on the size and texture you are after, you can basically use any yarn, really, but here are my favourite pairings (lovingly tested and approved of by our wonderful customers over the past few years).

Sophie Scarf

The Sophie Scarf (link to PetiteKnit) calls for a combined DK weight, to add that luxurious softness you’d want right next to sensitive skin without loosing the structure of the fabric itself, the pattern suggests using a combination of two strands held together. I would claim that a softer, smoother, caressing your skin combo, than Fyberspates’ Scrumptious and Cumulus simply does not exist ‘out there’! Use similar colours together, or choose two different ones to create a gorgeous marled effect between the two. To complete your Sophie Scarf you’ll only need one of each.

Sophie Shawl

The Sophie Shawl (link to PetiteKnit) calls for a worsted weight option, again prioritising softness and also a little bit of drape to this squishy design, we always turn to Hey Mama Wolf’s Skadi when recommending a yarn for this shawl. Made from Merino d’Arles, the softes sheep’s fibre there is native to Europe, you’ll end up with such a warming gentle embrace when wearing your finished creation. To complete the shawl you’ll need two to three hanks depending on whether or not you’re going for the larger sizes.