I've just finished reading (literally, in the bathtub tonight) Knitting the Threads of Time by Nora Murphy. I'm not usually one who reads much about knitting, as I'd much rather be knitting, or reading knitting patterns to lead to further knitting (you get the idea). Plus all that talk of plies and wefts and weights makes my head spin (pun intended). But this book is different. Following Murphy's quest one dark, cold, Midwestern winter to make her son a sweater (having never knit a sweater before in her life) while simultaneously teaching me thousands of years of textile history centered around women's extraordinary genius, patience, and hard work is a piece of literary art. I won't ruin the end by telling you whether or not she gets the sweater completed or about the fabulous knitting shaman she meets along the way, but I will tell you this: if you have (or had) ovaries, you like to knit or sew or crochet, and you have a few hours to spare (it is a pretty short book, 197 pages), you should read it.
But, back to the really important stuff (feel free to fake gag on my egoism if you will)...I just finished my OWN first sweater. Well, technically I have knit Oliver a sweater (but it was so tiny!) so that doesn't count. I roughly followed a pattern I found in this Vogue book from the bookmobile:
I say roughly because...well, let's face it, I'm not super good at following directions and I like to be creative. In other words, I make a LOT of mistakes. That's ok! That's part of the fun, right? Here's the finished product:
It has a Mobius loop in the front:
I added some buttons to each side.
Oh, and I've been also knitting my first pair of mittens, but that will have to wait until another day, because I only have one of them finished. But here's a pouch I made awhile back:
It's lined with stars!
A big thanks to my eldest son for taking the photos for me!
