Thank you to all of you on the sympathy and advice on my hypothetical yarn. I just so happen to have some OdorMute, so I'll try that plus some drying time outside in the hot air. I guess the worse that could happen is I'd have to throw it away anyway. I've now removed all yarn from the lower bins, except yarn wrapped in plastic. I do learn from my mistakes.
Today I wanted to share with you my very favorite thing I ever knitted:
I made it probably 9 years ago, back before Thing 1 was even conceived. I knitted a lot of baby stuff back then because it's quick. I figured if I didn't have babies someday, someone I knew would. This is a Dale of Norway pattern knitted in Dale Baby Ull, machine-washable merino. I remember the yarn cost over $50, which was a healthy chunk of my assistant professor salary. Even though it's tiny, it took a zillion years to make because of the small gauge (size 1 needles) and fair aisle patterns--three colors in the ladybug rows! On top of all that, it was knitted in the round and steeked. It was my first steeking experience, and was highly traumatic (although it turned out just fine). Those were probably my first socks, too.
But the results were so worth it! I've never seen a cuter kids' sweater pattern, and the yarn is so soft and springy. Here's what T1 looked like wearing it, some time around her 1st birthday:
When the Things wore that sweater, people used to stop and ask where I'd got it. I always replied, oh-so-modestly, "I made it."
When you put a lot of time and effort and money into baby clothes, you're faced with a choice: either let them actually wear the clothes and hope they don't get instantly ruined, or save the clothes but never let the kids actually wear them. The Things wore this sweater a lot. It held up very well against two messy, active little girls. I took that picture of it with the socks yesterday, and you can see it still looks nice. And the yarn has only gotten softer.
Hubby and the Things are having a garage sale this weekend (while I'm teaching a class all day--ha ha!) so I've been busy sorting baby clothes. This one definitely goes in the "save" box.
What's your favorite thing you ever made?
3 comments:
That's an adorable sweater - definitely one for the "save" box.
I think my favourite knits would have to be a couple of teddy bears I made a few years ago. I made the first one, for me, but ended up giving it to my sister when she got sick. Then I made a second, again for me, and ended up giving it to my mother, because she was going through a rough time and needed something to make her smile. I keep planning to make another, for me, but I guess I just don't needed badly enough yet!
What a beautiful sweater and your daughter looked so cute in it. It will nice to have her pass it on to her child someday.
That is drop dead gorgeous!! Nice work.
My favorite thing, both in terms of results and the process of making it, was the log cabin baby blanket I just made this spring, using warm and cool shades of tapestry yarns. The woman I gave it to just told me that people have stopped her on the street and offered her money for it (highest bid was over $300!) She turns them all down, and promises to frame and hang it when Jasper's done with it.
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