A Similar Sweater

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Verona, Wisconsin, July 2016. I worked the sweater in the same pattern as this one. Here's the yarn; I used color "Latte."

Finished Reunion

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Verona, Wisconsin, May 2016. It's the same pattern as this cardigan. The yarn is "Merino/Cashmere/Nylon, Worsted" from Sun Valley Fibers.

Another Gift

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Verona, Wisconsin, May 13, 2016. Yesterday I delivered this sweater to another physician who has been at my side for nearly seven years. The design is Alice Starmore's "Irish Moss" from Aran Knitting (newer edition here; available as a kit here). This is one of my favorite designs.

I logged my time on this one; it took 154 hours to knit.

A Pattern Gem

Verona, Wisconsin, January 2016. The pattern for this sweater has been in my queue for over 30 years. Knitters will recognize it as a Penny Straker design (see pullover here; I plan to knit that for Mr. Irene out of this wool, in color "Blue Lagoon"). I worked the cardigan in Blackberry Ridge's Medium-Weight, Mohair-Blend Yarn, color "Light Gray." That's my favorite worsted wool.

The amazing buttons are carved from reclaimed walrus (I think; could be some other arctic beast) tusks. My Toronto Cousin bought the buttons for me during her trip to Alaska. Score!! Here's a closer look at the buttons:

"The Year, in Pictures"

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A Happier Kūčios

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2013. The table will be a little melancholy this year.

Sweater Scape

Suburban Chicago, 1971. I photograph my "finished objects." The arrangement does not feature the first sweater I knitted; I must have given it away by the time I took this photo. The second sweater does appear here: it's the one with the hanger.

Gigi rests on a shawl I crocheted. I'll write more about that later.

Poodle Visit, Today

Our beloved dog breeders stopped by today to check in on their three "offspring." Here is how the doggies greeted our guests:

Verona, Wisconsin, April 27, 2014. Rex is the "designated barker."

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We also invited our friends because my Mom knitted sweaters for them:

Verona, Wisconsin, April 27, 2014. It takes about 160 hours to knit one sweater in this gauge.

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Verona, Wisconsin, April 27, 2014. The pattern is "Duxbury Point" from Simply Shetland 4.

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Verona, Wisconsin, April 27, 2014. The beige yarn is Debbie Bliss "Baby Cashmerino" (Shade 064, "Mink"), and the blue yarn is Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill "Mer-Made" Merino Fingering Weight (Shade "Denim").

SWANTS

Shetland knitwear designers Kate Davies features a post about SWANTS, or "sweater-pants." Artist Stephen West bought an old Norwegian sweater—a Setesdal—at an Amsterdam thrift shop. He then steeked the vintage garment into a pair of pants. Yes, the first thing I see is the codpiece, which looks like it came from a central motif on the sweater's back.
 
Here's a man wearing a knitted jumpsuit. The creator called it an "Aran catsuit."

Mr. Irene has never worn knitted pants—and he'd never wear a knitted onsie. But he has humored me by wearing some brightly colored sweaters:

Madison, Wisconsin, November 17, 1991. Mr. Irene and I attend a post-performance party hosted by our folk dance group, Žaibas. I wear Vogue Knitting's 1991 Map of the World sweater. Note that I altered the pattern by knitting the Soviet Union in red, not pink, and adding Lithuanian as an independent country. I also knit the sweater in Merino Wool (Baruffa's "Maratona"), not in cotton. Mr. Irene wears a cotton (Tahki's "Cotton Classic"), sport-weight Aran based on a sweater, knit in the same salmon color, in this issue of Filatura di Crosa.

Hand knitting peaked somewhat in the early- to mid-1990s (I worked in a yarn shop as a sales girl between 1991 and 1992, so my view may be skewed). The garments were complicated and challenging, and designers like Missoni and Fendi regularly created new patterns. I think if today you want to knit something in that same league, you should turn to some Japanese patterns. Many of the American knitting magazines now target beginner, or "quick," projects.

Fortunately, one of the best designers from the earlier era—Alice Starmore and her daughter, Jade Starmore—still create stunning designs.

Wedding Sweaters

At last, there is a trend in which I regret that I won't participate.

This is what chilly, strapless dresses have prompted. The Aran jumper on the cover of New York Magazine is a keeper.

The background is more interesting than the subjects.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1973. Mom and I pause during a short hike. I can tell it's a short hike because Mom is carrying a pocketbook instead of a knapsack. I am wearing that favorite, aran sweater.

A Favorite, and a Ferret

Brookfield Zoo, October 1972. I wear a beloved aran sweater. The pattern is in the Bernat Book of Aran Knits. I still have that booklet.

The Second One

By the time I finished knitting my first sweater, I was ready to tackle a more complicated project. My Mom bought a nice worsted-weight wool for me in a soft, pink color. I recall that we selected the yarn at Marshall Field's on Lake Street, in Oak Park. Back then, Field's featured a modest yarn department in an annex on the store's fourth floor. The yarn department at Field's stood near the Girl Scout section of the store. I so wanted to be a Girl Scout so that I could wear the spiffy uniforms on display at Field's. But I'll save that story for another post.

The pink color we selected for my second sweater was not an abrasive tone; it was a shade that I still would wear today. Color wasn't the difficult issue for me; selection of a pattern was the tough decision. I wanted to knit something more challenging, but Mom didn't want me to be discouraged by a pattern that was too advanced.

We narrowed down my choices by reviewing the pattern books Mom had accumulated. Mom subscribed to two knitting magazines: Stitchcraft, a British publication to which my friend Kris and I fondly referred as "Witchcraft," and Vogue Knitting. Mom and I found a "beginner Aran" in one of the Stitchcraft issues. I worked on the sweater for about six months.

After I completed it, I wore that pink Aran for many years.

Suburban Chicago, June 1969. The issue of Stitchcraft is on my lap as I work on the pink Aran.

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Suburban Chicago, December 1969. I model the Aran. Do you like my necklace? It's a peace sign.

Let's knit and chat.

When we visited the Lake of Bays in Ontario, Canada, my Toronto Cousin and her friend joined us for part of the stay in the cabin.

Although my Mom had taught me to knit, my Toronto Cousin inspired me to undertake my first Aran knitting project. When she finished knitting an elegant, zippered Aran cardigan for her boyfriend (now her husband), I decided I could do an Aran sweater, too.

I still have the Bernat Aran pattern book from which my Toronto Cousin knit that zippered sweater.

Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada, July 1969. I compare knitting notes with my Toronto Cousin. We're leaning against the knotty pine wall of the rental cabin.

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Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada, July 1969. This is the same photo from which I created a cropped version that I posted earlier.