1) You know how it is when you’re knitting a welcome-to-the-world sweater for your new grand-nephew on the way and you have everything under control, right?
~You’re ahead of schedule (smug smile).
~The sweater is pretty adorable (more smiles).
~And then the little guy arrives a few weeks early. (No problem. Let me sew on these buttons and this puppy is flyin’ south).
~And then . . . you see his first photos on FaceBook (that’s how we do it nowadays) and . . .
~YOU PANIC (well, that’s an exaggeration) when you realize his mother would never put this sweater on him no matter how much she loves you. He’s swaddled exclusively in whites, blacks, and grays with an occasional muted orange or mustard accent. This kid is stylin’, and it makes sense. His early-30s parents live and work in LA in the entertainment and fashion (sort of) industries and are WAYYYY sophisticated in their style. Oversized, vintage, blue buttons on a tweedy background that includes the color ‘Sky Delight Blue’ does not coordinate with his wardrobe. So you set it aside, physically and mentally, until a solution reveals itself to you . . .
~ Several days later you email your (technically ex-) sister-in-law and explain the situation. Everybody down there is ooohing over him so much, and are so sleep-deprived, that they haven’t noticed that you’re late to the party.
~So . . . new criteria: bulky yarn, machine washable and dryable, some natural fiber (wool), black, or better, grey. And a more “hip” pattern. In an unusual move (because you’re in a hurry) you buy a pattern rather than whip up your own using Sweater 101. It looks like something he will be allowed wear because it’s black and white in the photo.
~AND, ultimately, that leads to 2 new videos for YouTube and the first one is done.
CLICK HERE for more of the story, and to see “Cheryl’s Dandy One-Row Buttonhole” (for garter stitch and seed stitch) video, and to find the link to the downloadable written instructions.
I hope your late spring has been exuberant with wild roses and hummingbirds drunk on honeysuckle nectar. (Unless, of course, you live on the other side of the equator, in which case I hope you are settling in for a restful winter that smells of cinnamon and sounds like silence.)
Warm regards,
ch