Confession

I have to tell you something. It's not a secret, but I feel that if we are going to continue to see each other like this, you should know. I am not a sweater knitter. For years, I was embarrassed about this and then I discovered Grumperina. She is a really talented knitter and she is not a sweater knitter either! It was through her blogging about that I realized that not knitting sweaters does not make me any less of a knitter.

A few years ago, the mother of a treasured student gave me the gift of a perpetual calendar of stitches. She (the mother) is an amazing knitter. She would turn out these gorgeous sweaters for herself and her daughter that I would drool over. Especially knowing that I would never achieve such work. And I swear, she would finish them in mere hours. Not days, not weeks, not months, not years, HOURS. But, back to the book. This book has come through for me on many occassions! I grab it off the shelf any time I am thinking of starting a new project or I get bored with simple knit and purl. Part of why I am not a sweater knitter is because I am not a fan of following a pattern. With this book, I can make a visually based choice and build a "pattern" off of that. Everybody wins. Friends and family get new scarves, wash cloths, hats, and mittens. And I save myself the frustration that I encountered over the winter. After finding some gorgeous yarn up in Concord, I found an A-symetrical sweater pattern that I was smitten with. It was worked top-down, in one piece and I busily knitted away for many nights. Once I got 3/4 of the way down, I decided to try it on. I knew it wasn't going to fit. But knowing and accepting are two very different things. So, after accepting that this sweater wasn't meant for me, I decided that it would be a perfect gift for a mama that I know. She is tiny- of course this great sweater would fit her! NOPE! But, don't despair. I have big plans for this amazing yarn. I will be knitting a number of chunky neck warmers over the summer to sell in both shops!