MYOG-SW Capilene Hood Project:

[Bill Fornshell]

MYOG – SW Capilene Hood Project:

With all the recent posts about the SmartWool Shadow Hoody I dug through my box of patterns to find a Vest/Hood pattern I have. I bought the pattern a year or so ago thinking I would use it for an insulated Vest project. The pattern is KWIK Sew Pattern # 2551, it will make a Vest with or without a Hood. The same pattern also has a pattern for just a Hood.

KWIK SEW Pattern # 2551:

I have looked at the Smartwool Shadow Hoody but I don’t like SmartWool products. I had some Capilene Silk Weight fabric in several colors that I have never used and decided I would practice on the Capilene first and then maybe use a different fabric if I didn’t like the Capilene. My first Hood used a pattern I made (the small Hood is 1.07 ounces) and the second Hood (the larger Hood is 2 ounces) used The KWIK Sew pattern. Both Hoods have a draw cord. Both Hoods are shown with my Patagonia #2 Wool Zip Crew.

Smartwool Shadow Hoody:

The Hood pattern I made is designed to sew onto a collar and be part of the garment. It is a three piece Hood like the one used on the Patagonia DragonFly and other jackets. I used my DragonFly to make my Hood pattern.

Three piece Hood – weight 1.07 ounces.

Two piece Hood – 2 ounces.

Worn on the outside of the garment:

Worn inside of the garment:

[Bill Fornshell]

A Teaser for Ryan – #2 Wool Hoody
Patagonia #2 Wool Hoody – Next

I am about finished with the pattern phase of this project. One slight adjustment to my pattern and I will be ready to add a Hood to my Patagonia #2 Wool Zip. The necessary Hood material will come from my original Patagonia #2 Wool Crew. I have made three Hoods out of Silk Weight Capilene for practice as I don’t want to ruin the material from my #2 Wool Crew.

The Patagonia (Merino) Wool Hoody will have a few other modifications. I have an Icebreaker item with thumb-cuffs and something like them will be added.

The Hood will have a draw cord around the face so it can be tightened and/or pulled up over my nose if I want to.

The stock hem on the Patagonia Wool item is made a little long and it is longer on the back. It might be long enough to meet Ryan’s requirement.

I have to think about how a set of “tuck-away” mittens might be added to the sleeves so they will not be in the way. The Merino material does compress small and I have a couple of ideas on how the mitten idea might work.

I guess a day or so will tell if everything works or if I just ruin my wool crew.

[Bill Fornshell]

I have finished the modification of my Merino Patagonia #2 Wool Zip to turn it into a Zip-Hoody.

This was easier than I thought it was going to be. I will still add the thumb-cuff things and maybe the “tuck-away” mittens. I am using 3/32″ shock cord on the Hood and I think I can find a lighter weight draw cord.

My size large Patagonia #2 Wool Zip-Hoody weighs 8.09 ounces. The standard #2 Wool Zip in size large was 6.63 ounces. My Hood added 1.5 ounces in extra weight.

The material I used was from my Merino #2 Wool Crew. I have enough of the Merino left over to do one more Hoody.

[Sam Haraldson]

ACK! Bill, everything looks very professional thus far, but isn’t it hard to cut into that material like that? I can’t even begin to imagine myself taking a scissors to my Arc’Teryx wool.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the nice comment.

The Patagonia Wool is a really nice fabric. It cuts easy you just have to watch the “grain” of the fabric.

Q – “isn’t it hard to cut into that material like that? I can’t even begin to imagine myself taking a scissors to my Arc’Teryx wool.”

A – When I decide to try this project I studied several hooded garments I have. I liked the Hood on my Dragonfly jacket and made my pattern from that one. You note that I made three Hoods out of Silk Weight Capilene first for practice and to tweak my pattern. Then you just need faith in your sewing ability and go for it. Take it slow and focus only on what you are doing (sewing).

You can always buy another Arc’Teryx wool ?? if you mess it up.

[Eric Parsons]

Bill,
I’ve been wanting to this to my R1, to make a version of the R1 hoodie that is hard to come by.

Nice job on the hood, in the pic’s you even got your suffer face on like Jason and roman. ha ha

and I agree with sam, cutting into a $100 or so garment… commited

[Bill Fornshell]

Eric,

My new 2006-2007 Fall/Winter Patagonia catalog shows a
R1 Hoody that they say “It’s back” in the add. $125 and 11oz for what ever size ?? they use. Comes in Black.

Not Wool but it looks nice.

[Joshua Mitchell]

Wow… that is a nice looking garment.

[Jonathan Duckett]

R1 hoody in stock at backcountry.com!

[Robert Devereux]

That looks nice. It's reassuring that somebody has been able to make one. That makes me feel like I could try, although I'll need to practice a bit first.

[Bill Fornshell]

Robert,

For practice I made several out of silk weight capilene first. Work out your pattern, make a few for practice and then go for it.

I would suggest you buy an XXXL or largest size you can for the one you are going to cut up. I had enough material in a size large to make two hoods and a bit of material left over.

It would be easy for Patagonia to add a Hooded #2 Wool item their line.

Time will tell.

[kevin davidson]

Bill, I suggest you rub your modded Patagonia Hoody in their faces (nicely, of course)

---

they will be interested. I find their CS and R&D people very responsive to input. This may prod them into developing one.

P.S. Very nice, Bill.

P.P.S. Incidentally, Patagonia got a lot of correspndence concerning bringing back the classic R1 Hoody—as much as I love my Shadow Hoody, this is still probably the best of show for Winter and Alpinism due to superior wicking and quicker drying than wool. In my humble experience, of course. :-)> But for 3 season backpacking I likes me non-stinkin' merino.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Kevin,

Back in Nov 2006 when I finished the #2 Wool Hoody I sent pictures to a Patagonia CS person I know. Patagonia has a "Unsolicited Ideas Policy" and don't normally look at outside ideas. They were interested enough to have me sign a waiver of sorts and when I did that they agreed to look at my idea and pictures.

My CS friend told me later that if they added a #2 Wool Hoody like mine or close it wasn't likely I would get any credit for the idea. He did say to save all my emails and if a #2 Wool Hoody shows up for sale by them to get in touch with him and he will get me a free or nearly free one.

It would be really easy for them to make as they are making a number of hooded items and the patterns should be easy to convert to a #2 Wool Hoody.

I know that they are adding a couple more #2 Wool items but no Hoody has showed yet.

[Joshua Mitchell]

That would be so sweet if the would bring a #2 hoody out…

[kevin davidson]

Or a #3—that would be about the Shadow's weight.

[Bill Fornshell]

Gee,

It only took you a bit over 2 years to get here with your Merino Hoodie. Two years to market for a new product like this may be good. I am glad it is about here as it should be popular.

I have been wearing my MYOG Patagonia Merino #2 Hoodie for a bit over 2 years. Some for hiking but mostly around the house and it has held up well. It is really great and light to sleep in and I use it here at home on cold days a lot.

[Devin Montgomery]

Interesting new profile pic, Bill. Are you being ironic?

[Bill Fornshell]

"Interesting new profile pic, Bill. Are you being ironic?"

Hi Devin,

Ironic, interesting word.

I was on my way home last night from the hospital after having yet another bit of surgery to remove cancer from my Bladder. This is number 15 since 1997 and twice this year for my Bladder. I am doing fine.

While drving myself home I was listening to the Dennis Miller radio show. He had interviewed Don Rickles, old time comedian, who has just written a book. Dennis had just said that Don was the most "Ironic" person he had ever met. He went on to say his definition of "Ironic" was that Don was the dam funniest man he has ever know.

What is your definition of "Ironic"?

[Devin Montgomery]

That word is thrown around a lot, Alanis Morissette being another culprit guilty of its misuse.

Regarding your profile pic, let me pull it up… I was using Webster's 2a – the use of words [in this case an image] to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning. Now, generally, people use their profile pictures to show something they like, maybe a place, maybe something they do. The straight forward meaning of your use of that picture would seem to be "Hey, check out this cool Hummer roarin' through the desert, yee hah!" but I know that you have, for instance, taken a strong position against people running wilderness trails because of the increased erosion it causes. So I thought you might be using you profile instead to show something you didn't like – like the big impact 4-wheelers like that leave on both our wilderness land and collective air. Anyway, it made me laugh, hopefully with you. :)

I'm glad to hear that you're as well as can be expected given that run of surgeries. A friend of mine, with the healthiest lifestyle of anyone I know, has recently been in and out of the hospital for melanoma that has spread to his lungs – a dark irony. Lung cancer for a man who has never smoked a day in his life. Webster's 3 – an event marked by incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.

[Donna C]

Hi Bill,
First, it's great to see that you have such courage and strength to fight your cancer. I'm glad you're still doing what you like to do.

I do have a question about working with the merino wool…did you have to do anything to the raw edges when you sewed the seams? How easy/difficult was the wool to sew? I have an old Singer without all the fancy stitchings but wondered if this project would work with it. Also the same questions for the capilene.
Thanks!

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Donna,

Thanks for your nice comments. I would hope that most of us will find "courage and strength" to fight the many problems live can deal us. I have been blessed with early detection and very good medical care. I like to talk about cancer and let folks know that we don't always die from it and there is life after cancer. I can't do everything I want to do but I can do some things I like and I hope I can do more as time passes.

Working with Merino:

Starting with the Capilene and making a few things out of it for practice helped me get an idea of what the Merino might be like to sew.

My approach to sewing to to just do it. Practice first and then go for it. I even played with the scrap Merino before sewing my hood parts. My impression was that the Merino cut nice and sewed nice. I don't want to use the word easy but I had no problems with it. I was very impressed with the Patagonia Merino material.

My sewing machine is just a home machine and one of the bottom end Brothers. Not from Wal Mart however. My first Brothers was from Wal Mart and I still use it but the newer one is made better. I bought it from a local "Sewing Center" and got free sewing classes when I bought it. The classes helped a lot to understand all the different setting on the machine and the different types of thread and needles. They knew I was making my own backpacking gear and told me to bring in the type of material I sewed with and they would help me with my sewing machine setup for that type of material.

My sewing machine has 16 different stitches but I seldom use more then 3 of them. The straight stitch, zig zag, and and the button hole stitch as a poor mans Bar Tack.

My last thought is that if you can sew some of your own things you may be able to come up with nicer colors then the stuff that is being sold.

[Donna C]

Bill,
I agree about cancer. I've made some changes as well in order to go backpacking…like using a lighter, thinner waiste belt where part of my gut was removed and rearranged. And I have to be careful bending because I feel where they reattached everything. Big deal. : )

Good to know about the material. I wondered if it shredded much but other wools I've worked with really didn't. My Singer was purchased well over 20 yrs ago from the thrift store and I've made a down vest and other things back around the time of Frostline kits were available. I do like the hoody and will give it a go. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi,

I look at the new stuff coming out from several different companies as the seasons change and noticed this morning that Patagonia brought out (for this Fall) what they call a Lightweight Merino Hoody (item number for mens-51195). It is listed at 244 grams or 8.6 ounces. My MYOG version with the short neck zip weighs 8.09 ounces. The Merino Wool used in this new item is listed at 5.2 ounces per (?) as compared to the weight listed for #2 Merino Wool at 4.9 ounce per (?).

It has been 5 years since I made my #2 Merino Hoody. It is still going strong. I wear it a lot on the cool days here in San Antonio, Texas. Yes, once in a while it is cool enough for it. In fact I had it on this morning since we had a low of around 56 (F). It is now off since the temperature is up to around 75 (F).

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