This is the Wicked, finished, blocked and modeled. This is my first sweater, started in January and finished in August. Despite the pooling, I am very proud.
In one of my recent posts one of my friends commented that the trouble I had had with Wicked has convinced her to never start knitting. Whenever I hear someone say something like that I have two very strong gut reactions. One is, 'More yarn for me!'. The other is, 'How sad. You don't know what you're missing.'.
Yes, this sweater took forever and yes, I had to rip it back a lot and try things again. It was a straightforward pattern, but it wasn't easy for me. I struggled, it's true. But now look what I have: I have a garment made with my own hands to fit no one else but me. I have a sweater made from 100% wool, which is tougher and tougher to find these days. My sweater is warm and soft, thicker than anything store-bought, and it clings to me where I want it to. The sweater's boat-neck is nice and wide, and it sits on the edges of my shoulders just the way I hoped it would. The sleeves are comfy and over-long, which is my favorite way for sleeves to be and which I can almost never find in a store-bought sweater. Roll your eyes if you will, but wearing this sweater feels like wearing a warm hug. It feels just right.
And you know what? My next sweater will probably be a lot easier and will go a lot quicker. There is a learning curve for these sorts of things. Just look at my first pair of socks, for example: they took forever (May 2006-January 2007) and they came out weird and too big and at first I thought I would probably never knit another pair of socks again because they were such a pain. But now I knit socks all the time, they're not that hard and they don't take too long and THEY'RE AWESOME! And maybe it'll be like that with sweaters too: the first one takes a while but I learn, and it gets better.
So. I also wanted to share that last night another friend had a New Kitten Party to honor her new kitty. It was of course lots of fun and there was dancing and wine and snacks... and these:
These are Cat Poop Cupcakes. I made them firstly to honor the new little cat but also because I promised I would and because they crack me up. They were, you can imagine, a big hit. The original version is over here.
4 comments:
Wow! Congratulations. I'm so very impressed with your sweater completion. You rule.
Also, new kitten parties? That's a fabulous idea. Do you think I could throw an old kitten party? My kitty's almost 14.
:)
Don't get me wrong; I envy and am in awe of knitters. That being said... more yarn for you.
I think your sweater looks awesome. Fine work!
P.S. My mom is soooo getting that cake on her birthday this year.!
Oh don't worry, I didn't take offense or anything and I realize that learning any new craft is a huge commitment in terms of time, money and patience so I totally understand why people don't take up new things. I know I've stayed away from learning how to quilt, make soap, make paper etc. because of that very reason. I've just heard a lot of people say that before, and it always makes me think.
What a great sweater. I think I may just be inspired enough to try a tank sweater that I've been intending to knit.....
Those cupcakes are SO funny. Thanks for sharing. I just may have to make that cake this Halloween.
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