Sweater Weather!

To all my knitting friends,

wouldn't this be fun to knit?

I snapped a picture of this billboard

at the Paris airport 

when I was there last summer.

Do you recognize the model?

Hint:  Les Mis

It's a bit cooler and rainy 

this morning in Tennessee.

Perfect day to knit!

Got Sweaters?

I do!

I spent a couple of days last week

visiting my parents 

who live about six hours from me.

Along the way I was able to 

visit two of my favorite thrift shops.

And did I find some treasures!

From textures and colors,

to cables,

I found a mother lode of  sweaters!

If you need me during the next

several days...

...you'll find me in my studio 

happily making new

Sweater Pillows!

A Wee Knitting Project

I just recently completed a sweet little knitting project

for a darling little new, baby boy named Anthony.

Anthony is the first grandchild of

my dear friend Marty.

I first met Marty in a pastry class

when her twins,

Matthew and Susie were infants.

(Susie is Baby Anthony's Mommy.)

It was one of those connections where we both

felt as if we'd known each other all our lives

after our first meeting.

Mark, Marty's husband is

my daughter Kate's godfather.

Although Marty and her family now live far away

and we don't visit often,

we still maintain

a solid connection.

I've had this sock yarn in my stash

for quite a while, always planning

to someday knit a baby sweater with it.

 So, when Marty told me Susie was expecting

I knew the time had come.

The sweater is knit from sleeve to sleeve.

Because the yarn is "space dyed"

the color-change pattern evolves

simply by knitting.

Clever, huh?

I had some yarn left after finishing the sweater.

A little matching hat was needed.

Then, a little bunny that was going along

needed to coordinate,

so he got a matching scarf too!

A big congratulations to

Baby Anthony's parents, Susan and Anthony

and

Grandparents, Mark and Marty.

(Marty...come visit soon!)

This week I'm linking with

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

Look What I Made at Creations by Kara

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Sweater Weather!

Do you have a favorite sweater you reach for time after time, not because it's stylish, but because it's comfortable?

Right now, this is that sweater for me. I knitted this sweater many years ago for my (at that time) husband. After we parted ways, our daughter claimed it for herself and took it off to college with her. When making her move to NYC last summer the sweater was left behind. Not chic enough??? At any rate, it made it's way back to me and I'm happy to have it. It's a classic, even though it's hopelessly too big. I keep planning to reknit the sleeves but they roll up easily enough. Great sweater for wearing over pj's!

I also have sweaters that I never wear anymore, but just cannot part with yet. This "Artsy" sweater is one. I saw this sweater in a shop in Denmark many years ago. Avid knitter that I am, I was also visiting yarn shops during that trip to Denmark and, lo and behold, found a kit to knit it! The directions were all in Danish, but because of its graphic nature, a chart was included. The shop keeper was nice enough to write out the English words for each of the colors represented on the graph. It is probably one of the most challenging sweater I've ever knit--seven stitches to the inch! I might yet wear it again sometime...maybe...

This is a "store bought" Liz Claiborne that I've probably had for twenty five years. It was stylish before Ralph Lauren did the whole Polo thing. I wore and loved it to death. When 9/11 happened my daughter was in middle school and she pulled it out of retirement and wore it to express her love of country. The sweater hasn't been worn in ages, but I just can't let it go. I'm thinking it would be great repurposed as a pillow...

This is a little sweater knitted for Kate when she was a toddler. She looked SO cute in it. Maybe we'll have a little one in the family someday and I can pull it out and say, "Your Mom wore this when she was little like you."


At one time, this was an absolute favorite! I knitted it in white cotton. Note the tiny waist!
Even if it ever comes back in style, I won't be wearing it!


I loved this sweater because of all the textural interest.

This is a hand knit sweater, but not by me. I found this sweater in a gift shop while staying at a resort in North Carolina during a spring trip, again, many years ago. Believe it or not, I got this sweater for $5.00. They had several and I guess they were closing them out. I wish I had bought them all now. It's a very heavy wool, man's sweater. I was able to unravel the sleeves and reknit them. It hits me mid-thigh and it's been my "dog-walking coat" for several winters now. I love this sweater.

I cannot talk about sweaters in my life without paying homage to the Bohus Sweater. This is me, circa 1986, wearing my own cardigan design, inspired by the two pullovers behind me. All three sweaters were knitted by me. The customers at the shop where I was teaching knitting were all knitting this sweater in classes. I kid you not, there were probably over two hundred of these sweaters knitted by my students during that time. We ALL had one or more.

I even did a Christmas-inspired Bohus sweater!

I still have it, but don't wear it anymore.

Now this Christmas sweater I DO still wear. I know, I know...Christmas sweaters are now considered gauche. I designed this sweater using a cross stitch pattern (my love of sheep...)
twenty five or so years ago. At that time I had a custom knitting business and trust me, I sold many of these sweaters. I still pull it out and wear it when I'm decorating for the holidays.

It's oversized, so comfortable and it puts me right in the mood for the season!

One last picture of me at my fashionable (???)best from the distant past. Believe it or not, this was a design from VOGUE KNITTING and at the time, tres chic!

Meow...