Knitting and The Little Engine Mentality

My daughter, Sarah  recently made the most gorgeous cardigan. I've knit hats and scarves and bears and even a baby sweater, but making yourself a cardigan or sweater - well, that's a REAL knitter in my book, or at least that's the bar I set for me to feel like I can say I'm really, really a knitter.

I've been looking for the perfect pattern, one that's not too intimidating but not boring. It can't make me look bulky or matronly. It has to look cute with jeans or nice slacks, be worn almost year 'round. That's gonna be a challenge, moving to Texas.

Alas, I just couldn't find the perfect pattern. But look how cute Sarah's pattern is! So I decided to copy her, make the same one she did. Not that I'll ever wear mine while standing next to her, wearing hers. She's tiny and a much more advanced knitter. But at least she can answer the 99 questions I'm bound to have once I start clicking needles to make this. (I've found this theory to work well with cell phones and computers too - buy exactly what your kids have and they can answer all your techy questions.)



Drats! They stopped carrying it here in the States. What? Order internationally? Oh my, I've never done that! Then I decided there was probably no good reason I couldn't do just that, since they seemed to have the pattern in abundance there (where it originated.) I went online, found it, saw the price but had no clue how much '4.90 pounds' including shipping was. L.O.V.E. Google - within seconds I found out it was $7.65, which ends up being less expensive than what Sarah paid here in the States. (I did have to pay an additional 90 cent foreign rate exchange fee on my credit card bill.)



It arrived in a little over a week! All the way from England! with super fun postage on the envelope! Getting this envelope in the mail is the closest I've come to relating to Princess Diana who I had a deep, abiding affection for. (And yes, I know I'm cheesy, but every little girl has a princess hiding somewhere inside her.) I walked to my mailbox and there it was, easy as pie.

Yesterday I went to my favorite local yarn store and with some help from the owner we decided on 15 balls of this beautiful yarn. It's Gedifra yarn in the color 'Fiorista red', light worsted mostly cotton. Perfect! The color is a rich coral. I'd been saving my allowance for this purchase, and was very happy to cash in my filled up frequent shopper card. I somewhat understand what the owner did with her calculator to figure out how much I needed. That lesson can cement better another day. Learning to knit can be a bit like peeling an onion, one layer at a time. I don't have to peel away all the layers today.

Actually knitting it - that's a whole 'nuther ball of wax (or yarn.) Just like the little engine, pulling up that hill, (with someone pushing from behind) I think I can..... I think I can..... I told my daughter, aka knitting teacher, if I die anytime soon, please tell Dad to let me leave this world in the sweater, since the yarn cost more than anything else in my closet. It should look fabulous with a cream t-shirt and my favorite jeans.