The Knitting of a Sweater

I've only ever knit 4 things before: this chunky scarf was my very first project from Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller.


These baby booties from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas.

And remember the legwarmers from Never Not Knitting?

Here are the same legwarmers in action just last week.
A while ago, I knit this hat from Knitting for Baby in anticipation for our trip to Chicago and Michigan.
On that trip, Rylie promptly removed the hat from her head, tore the pom pom off and distributed it evenly all over the backseat of our rental car. I'm contemplating replacing the pom pom or deciding to let that one go.

Zipper, not worried about being perceived as cliché

And now the sweater. Wish me luck. It is going ok so far, I've realized that stitch holders would probably have made things much easier for me instead of using double pointed needles with scrap yarn tied around the ends. Right? Well, necessity is the mother of invention, even half-baked inventions. Is there something else I could use for stitch holders instead of buying them? Despite my inexperience, and dropped stitches here and there, I am so motivated to knit right now. When I get out of bed in the morning, I put the coffee on, grab my sweater and knit a row. When I am nursing Rylie, I knit a row. When I am the passenger in a car, I am knitting a row(s), and at the end of the day, Ryan and I relax side by side with a cup of tea - he reads, I knit. Despite all of my other projects, despite all of the email I need to catch up on, despite the proximity of Christmastime, I sit and knit and it is restorative and satisfying, especially as I notice some semblamce of a sweater taking shape.

"Oh yes, that is the armhole isn't it? And this is where the buttons will be sewn on, uh huh, I see."

Whenever I start on a new knitting project, I am surprised by my gusto and how industrious my thoughts can be. I need to be honest with myself and realize that I will never finish all of the projects that I think about. I dream about knitting a blanket, not just for Rylie, but for every expectant mama I know (a lot) and pillows, and cotton towels and stuffed animals and more sweaters and cable knit and this sweater, oh I think about this sweater a lot. 

I read a passage in Knitting For Baby that said essentially every inch of the yarn passes through the knitter's fingers when knitting. Every inch of this sweater/hat/legwarmer/sock has been touched by mama. A lovely thought that each inch is infused with my touch and love. I often find myself daydreaming about when the sweater is finished and how it will look, how Rylie will like it, and what she will think when she pulls it out for her own baby some day. That is, if Grandma doesn't knit her grandbabies all the sweaters they could ever use beforehand. Big plans I tell you, big plans...

**P.S. I just found Ginny's Yarn Along. Perfect timing!