"I don't need one.. so if you don't want to knit one that's fine. But it is sort of a tradition..."
So my answer was, yes, Tetsu expects a Christmas sweater. I'd better get knitting.
I went off to a smallish craft shop and looked at yarn. Since I don't even know what pattern I want to use just looking at yarn wasn't very helpful. I found some very pretty white tweed yarn with a lot of speckles of color in it. Well, it might be nice for me, but for Tetsu? I looked at the other colors in the same yarn. Hmmm. The orange is striking, but would Tetsu wear an orange sweater? I think not. I gave up on the pretty speckled tweed yarn and came home with empty arms.
In the afternoon Tetsu and I went off to the mall, with the purpose of just looking in the yarn shop there. I really wanted to be left alone with my ponderings but Tetsu doesn't much like the mall and he had nothing he wanted to shop for. He stuck by me in the yarn shop. Oh well.
"See any yarn you like? Anything here you want to wear?"
Tetsu browsed the aisles and pointed to a pretty display of colored swatches in tweed with colorful speckles. Hmmm. Does that look similar to what I'd found earlier?
"So. What color do you like?"
"I like all of them. They don't have the white though. How about a little bit of all the rest of the colors?"
Great idea! A simple straight striped sweater. No fancy cables or color changes. I just might be able to knit up a sweater in time for Christmas. I bought a couple balls of each color and started planning. Too bad there wasn't any of the white but it is too much to hope that the white yarn I'd seen earlier might be the same... A close match? I decided to go back to smallish craft shop and check out that white yarn.
THE SAME YARN! I bought a couple balls and now have a complete set!
I loved your story. Wish mom used nicer yarns and would knit me a vest. My husband just says Tetsu is a traditionalist which is nice.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty yarn. I'm sure all that yarn will make a great sweater.
ReplyDeleteLove the yarn and the kitty paws on the left!
ReplyDeleteTanya, isn't it amazing how things work out sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI'v always loved those speckled yarns too. Traditions are lovely, but yours is very time and effort consuming; I do hope that Tetsu will wear this year's offering. I only once knitted anything for Christopher. I started a jumper when I was pregnant with Number One Son. He was born on 2nd December and my time disappeared, so Christopher had a Christmas package with nearly all the separate pieces, the zip and the rest of the wool! I did finish it for him eventually, and he wore it until it fell apart.
ReplyDeleteOh! I love the yarn with the specks, all of it. I think it is wonderful that Tetsu would give you his honest opinion about the yarn. I was going to suggest that you work on something different this year, such as SOCKS! I bet he'd love some hand-knit socks, and they are fairly easy to do, too! About a dozen of the pairs I made one year ended up in Kagoshima (omiyage).
ReplyDeleteBeautiful yarn and cute speckles, Tanya! What a heartwarming Christmas tradition you have.. Happy knitting :)
ReplyDeleteI'll love seeing how you use these in a sweater. If I lived closer, I would love to come to your house and take knitting lessons. :)
ReplyDeleteTraditions are there to be honoured :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's some pretty yarn you've purchased!
I can't wait to see your progress (and the smile on Tetsu's face when he receives his sweater ;-)!
Kind greetings,
Ann