giving the people what they want

I am sure a lot of you were wondering if I finished that sweater.  Maybe you lost sleep over it?  Okay, maybe you didn't, but I certainly did.  Having stayed up till 2 or 3 in the morning for 4 days and then pulling an all-nighter on Friday, I finished it.  As I was seaming the sweater at 7 in the morning on Saturday I had this thought, "I am getting too old for this."  Well, old or not, it was finished just in time for me to get the fixings for the party ready.  Oh, did I mention that I was throwing the shower?  Yeah, I know.

There has been quite a lot said about this sweater already by countless knitters, so I am going to keep my thoughts on the knit to a minimum (scroll to end for that).  Instead, I am going to talk about why I knit this particular sweater for a child that does not belong to me.

About a year ago, my pal Al and I took our kids for a walk in the neighborhood.  It was a hot day, we were talking about my "little knitting habit" and how she wished she could knit (I offer on many occasions to teach her, so don't even start up with the "each one teach one" bit, I've tried people, I have tried).  She said the only thing she really wanted to knit was a "pretty, white or off-white, fisherman-type" sweater with really dark buttons for her daughter (then pushing 2).  It was knitwear so I filed it away.  At that point I hadn't made anything besides scarves and a few pairs of simple stockinette socks, but I knew about Trellis and thought about it, but fleetingly.

During the past year, Al and I have become even better friends than I thought possible.  I met her when we both first moved to the area almost 4 years ago.  She lives down the street, her husband works with mine (sort of), and we decided to start a book club.  And then we started doing lunch on Thursdays (it's the one day of the week I do no knitting during lunch) and it's a high point of my week.  She is hilarious, and hey, we've got to eat, right?  Usually, it takes me longer to develop friendships with people (in real life, the development of friendships here in the blogosphere, it's different, you are all kindred after all).  She (and her whole family, actually) are like family for us.  Special K and I have no family in the area so our friends really do become a support, as well as a social, network for us.  So yes, great friends.  Well, a few months ago, Al told me she was preggers again (she tried to tell me for months actually, but I didn't catch on, it became a game, "let's see if we can get Nova to figure out Al's pregnant."  For whatever reason, I thought she was being hypothetical (I can be ridiculous).  After I finally figured it out, I immediately knew what I was going to make for this new Al-baby.  Trellis.

It had occured to me to make this sweater for Little Sir, but I knew I was going to make it for Al at some point, so I held off.  But just because it's not for him doesn't mean he can't model it (he is, after all, very good friends with Al).

Al is due at the end of July with another little girl.  Well, Trellis is a fits-all-genders sweater, in my humble opinion.  It's nothing that a little pink can't fix, right?

Trellis

Pattern: Trellis by  Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff,  from Knitty

Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool, 2.5 skeins off-white

Needles: US 7 & 8

Notions: 5 buttons bought from the local Jo-Ann's

Modifications: I accidentally used size 8 needles for the collars (it was 5 in the morning, cut me a break)- I actually like the added heft, so hey "design feature!"

I really liked this pattern.  If you have done a few cables, you should have no problem with it. The pattern is easy to memorize and the sweater itself is really fun to knit.  It went by quicker than I thought it would. Had I knit monogamously on the sweater, for say 2 weeks, I think it would have been reasonable (but I am not a fast knitter).

I knit the 12 month size (which is why it's a wee bit on the smallish side for Little Sir who is sporting 18-24 month wear).  The 12 month size has an error for the neck shaping, I think it was on the left front side.  It's pretty obvious while you are knitting and if you use common sense, you will figure it out--something about the pattern designer telling you to do something on the right side of the sweater when you are actually starting on the wrong side, if you knit it, you'll see.  Besdies that one little thing, the pattern is very well-written.  All in all, I loved knitting this sweater, it was pretty easy, pretty quick and the seaming was not horrible at all!  I think the seaming might have been the easiest part, actually (but that could have been because it meant I was almost done and seeing the light at the end).

 

And a note about the yarn...it's awesome.  I saw the Washable Wool at the A.C. Moore big box and found it inriguing and added it to the stash.  It's really soft, "so soft it doesn't even feel like wool!" was the common observation at the shower.  I loved knitting with this stuff.  I will probably use it again for kids' knits.  I am not sure how it compares with something like Knit Picks Swish, but I felt like a got a lot of yardage for a good price.  And hey, it's superwash wool.

Al really liked the sweater, and I slept for 16 hours(!) after the party.

My pal Al with a baby that does not actually belong to her.

Comments

[stacey]

that came out adorable! the dark buttons add a great touch....(the baby in the last picture has a great expression on their face!)

[yaiAnn]

Great story, great sweater and you're a great friend! =)

[earthchick]

Oh. My. What a sweater. What a great friend. And, of course, what a super model.

Love the sweet strawberry-wear as well. Well done, all the way around!

[Pat]

Beautiful, beautiful Trellis! and I loved the story that goes with it - Al and baby are fortunate to have you for a friend!

[Kirsten]

I think you need to knit one for Little Sir (bigger of course). He looks dashing in it!
What a lovely gift for your dear friend.

[Kim U]

What a cute sweater, and a generous gift for your friend!

[Allegra]

Trellis looks great! I enjoyed reading your story, and despite the fact that the sweater is a bit small for Little Sir, he looks adorable in it!

[Marie]

Hurray, you made it! The sweater is adorable! Such a classy look with the white yarn and dark brown buttons. Little Sir is a brilliant model, as usual. :)
(I'm still giggling at the baby's expression in the last photo. She looks so affronted! Hee!)

[parikha]

aww, how cute! trellis is such a classic--one that al's peanut can easily hand down to future siblings (if there are any).

is it totally dorky that every time i see this sweater, it makes me think of DNA?

[Ashley]

You are a champ for finishing that thing--but Al sounds like a friend who's worth it!

[Brenda]

Trellis turned out fantastic! I'm sure Al was delighted. You are a wonderful friend.

Little Sir, of course, is a perfect sweater model! No doubt happy because he is on the deck and not the grass.

I'm glad you finally got some sleep.

[Barb]

Little Sir is just the stylin' young man as charming model. Al's baby is so lucky to have such a thoughtful and talented aunty:)

[Kara]

Oh my, you are a good knitter friend. That sweater is totally adorable. You can totally girl it up with some pink. All the late nights were worth it.

[Beth]

It isn't often in our adult lives that we meet a deep friend. How wonderful that you could knit this beautiful sweater for Al's new baby! She will always remember it.

The sweater and the model are both beautiful. Good job on both!

[Johanna]

Great story. Great sweater. Great model!

[Ambrrr]

Trellis = awesome, Little Sir + Trellis = adorable! Perhaps Al won't mind (a few months down the road) sharing a few pics of her little lady and her neat sweater?

[Kristy]

That's a great story! I like it when I can remember what a friend wants and surprise them with it months later :) The sweater looks beautiful, and so cute on your son!

[jen]

Beautiful! I love the story of your friendship. It's so lovely to have such a good friend, isn't it? Hooray for you for honoring her with a handknit.

[Haley]

just discovered your blog through Flickr. i enjoyed this post. little sir is adorable. reminds me a little of my little man. if you have any extra blog reading time, please consider checking me out at:
http://tales-of-a-knitting-mom.blogspot.com/
thanks! if it's okay with you, i'm adding you to the blog link list on my blog.

[Haley]

just discovered your blog through Flickr. i enjoyed this post. little sir is adorable. reminds me a little of my little man. if you have any extra blog reading time, please consider checking me out at:
http://tales-of-a-knitting-mom.blogspot.com/
thanks! if it's okay with you, i'm adding you to the blog link list on my blog.

[Nora]

I just love that it's being modelled by my favourite little boy!

[Karma]

Little Sir is so photogenic and quite a handsome model of mama's handknits! I think he might need a Trellis of his own, maybe in a different color. And the new baby is so precious...

[Felicia]

Little Sir looks awesome in that cardi!

[Theresa]

That is a super story. It's a wonderful story of friendship. And knitting. And the sweater came out great - I love the dark buttons.

[tiennie]

I loved this post and present! Both are fantastic! And Little Sir? What a heartbreaker!