The Tale of the Traveling Sweater

Knitting baby gifts for special  families in my life is something I do with great joy.  I know I have talked about this before.  This last creation was for the first grandson of my dear friends in New Hampshire.   We once lived in the same neighborhood many many years ago.  Their daughter was my daughter's first baby sitter.  Our family left the area moving to Boston only to return to find out they actually were moving to the Boston area and we were moving to Nashville.  Through twenty three years we  have continued to keep up, at first with Christmas cards, pictures and letters, now through the internet.    

This past summer we had the chance to spend a day with them while visiting Boston.  How wonderful it was to catch up on all the news, face to face.  We had a great time at lunch.  Afterwards we walked around stopping to chat only to begin walking again and chatting more.  Twenty three years vanished with a blink.   We shared pictures of our children and grandchildren.  We stopped for cannolis and talked more.  Much too soon the day passed and they needed to head back to New Hampshire.  During one of our conversations they shared the good news their son and daughter-in-law were expecting a baby boy.  Before our visit was over I was already thinking color combinations and designs for a his sweater. 

I think I shared the beginning of this project, oh maybe, sometime in August.   I love cables, but have never knitted a complete sweater in those tricky little curves.  I was so excited to begin.  There might have been a few complications.  I am not for sure if this was the first or the third time I took it back to the beginning.   If I am not happy, it always goes back to the beginning.

Knowing I had a few trips planned I knitted on and off feeling secure with my timetable.  I took it with me on a trip to St. Louis and finished the back.  I had great plans of knitting on the way to Sweden, but in my careful planning and packing I picked up the wrong needles.  It stayed folded neatly packed in a ziploc bag. 

The holidays put me a little further behind than I would have liked, but I was able to work on it little by little still confident I would have the sweater on its way before the baby was a month old (I always try to knit 6 or 9 month size).  Christmas afternoon, after all the excitement was cleared away and I was packed to leave for the beach, I once again had a block of time to knit.   I almost finished one sleeve before putting it down for the night.   I gathered all my supplies, being especially careful to pack all the tools I would need to finish.    I double and triple checked to make sure I had my pattern, measuring tape and a sewing needle packed.   Yes, I was confident this sweater would be finished before my feet ever touched the sand in Florida.  Ha!

December 26th would be the day to finish.  Not yet across the state line I finished the right sleeve.   I pulled out the smaller needles, checked the size, perfect.  Feeling sure of myself I  pulled out my yarn bag to take out the pretty aqua wool.   All I could say was, "You have got to be kidding me!".  Well, I probably thought a few other things as well, but I didn't say them out loud (I hope)  and I am not going to type them here either.  Yes, I had been so careful, I left the contrasting yarn back in my knitting basket by my chair (you remember, the chair the snake might have been sleeping under once upon a time).

 Yes, it took me a little longer than I would have liked.  The sweater was sent a few weeks later than planned,  but each stitch was knitted with pleasure and love.  (With all my lack of organization, I did have quite a bit of reading time.)  The sweater that traveled far and wide was finally completed, washed and blocked and sent on it's final journey last week just as I once again left for St. Louis with yarn and the correct size needles packed for the next special baby sweater.  You can be sure I had a check list.

Saturday evening I received an email from my friend.   The package had arrived and delivered to the babies parents.  I received another email just a few minutes later with an attached picture of the baby wearing his sweater.  I was very close to jumping up and down....

It fits!

(I can't wait to share with you the next project)