A challenging day

Once I learned to knit, I was only interested in knitting sweaters for myself, my mother and father, Rebecca, and my then husband (who learned to knit with me, by watching EZ on public television), and when we all were sweatered out, for my friends. Finally, just too many sweaters and too expensive! So I learned to do Fairisle thinking that it would take me longer to turn one out. Still too many sweaters. I started making socks – Rebecca’s sock drawer is overflowing – gloves, and now lace scarves and shawls, to really slow me down. So it has been a long time since I knitted a sweater. However, I decided that I needed a new one, and one with very specific parameters. I wanted it to be very warm but not heavy – therefore Aran. I wanted it to be shortish so that I could wear it under my jacket without it hanging below the jacket hem like the ones I have now do. This is actually the primary parameter and the reason I need a new one. And it had to have pockets for my hankie. Also, my favorite Aran pattern is the honeycomb, so I wanted it to have that. I have not made an Aran according to a pattern since the first couple which I knit for Becca when she was a tot. So the real problem giving me pause was not finding a design, but how much yarn to get, especially since the honeycomb is a real yarn gobbler. A few weeks ago, I was leafing through a file folder I have of small knitting booklets and articles saved from magazines, when, mirabile dictu, the very sweater was looking up at me. I decided to bring its makings with me on this trip and see if I could come home with a finished sweater. Possible, but not likely. A challenge of sorts though.