Posted on by ReginaMary

If You Love Something, Set It Free

Or some such non-sense. The premise here is to not have attachments to things or people. If they are meant to be in your life, the cosmos will see that they are.

I am prepared to share a story. It’s a funny story. I can say that now; at the time it elicited a different response. Fellow creator and blogger Tierney recently share a quilting mishap brought on by her partner, John. I am sharing this story for Tierney because, well…misery loves company.

I knit myself a Felix pullover. I wrote about it here. It was lovely. It fit to a ‘T’. I could not wait for the cool weather to wear it. Would I wear it to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival? Why not? It was prance-worthy. If it were a cardigan, I might have just busted a few buttons off. OK, that is a slight exaggeration. Regardless, I was super happy with the sweater.

It was a Sunday afternoon. My sweater had been blocking on the dining room table. It was also mom’s 94th birthday and she was over for dinner. As I cleared the sweater from the table, mom commented on how lovely the sweater was.

“Is is for me?” she asked. Of course it wasn’t. But that didn’t stop my husband from stating:

“YES! Yes it is!”.

::the camera pans to our heroine who is now in the kitchen sucking down red wine::

“Gimme a minute”, I tell him as he struggles to find a way to take back his comment. “What can I do?” he asks?

“I don’t know what I was thinking!” he stated.

“Gimme a minute.” I reply.

::our heroine consumes more wine::

She replies: “It’s ok, sweetie. If she wants the sweater, she can have the sweater.”

::our heroine consumes more wine…::

Upon walking her home that evening, she ducked into the bedroom to try on the sweater. It fit her beautifully. I am 5’6″ and she is 5′. How this sweater fit both of us so well is a mystery, but it did. She was beaming. The sweater was meant for her after all.

Hello, webs? Send more yarn, STAT! This shade is deeper in real life. It will be perfect for the next version of the Felix Pullover.

Donegal Tweed for Felix 2.0

More googly-eyed tomfoolery abounds. My boss received some peppers from a colleague’s garden. It appears I cannot be left alone for a minute.

Somebody stop me!

In knitting knews, I am doing something a bit out of my comfort zone. My friend Katherine asked me to join the Stephen West MKAL. I’m not a huge fan of Stephen West’s designs, but I have been told they are a fun blend of knitting and engineering madness. The only requirement for me was that the 5 skeins would have to come from stash. I chose the following:

  • Shawlography by Stephen West
From top to bottom: Miss Babs (Babette)-Thankful, Suburban Stitcher (Silky Single)-Sage, Emma’s Yarn (Hella Hank)-Mood, Shirsty Cat (BFL Sock)-Druid’s Rest, Jill Draper Makes Stuff (unk variety)

These yarns have been residing in my stash for a while. Miss Babs was purchased at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, Suburban Stitcher from https://suburbanstitcher.com/, Emma’s and Shirsty Cat were acquisitions from the Long Island Yarn Crawl. The mystery skein of JDMS was kindly gifted by my bff Jennifer and selected by her son, the ever-yarn savy Enzo. The vibrant blue adds the recommended “pop”. Thanks kiddo! The result is dynamic and I am truly enjoying the experience! Working on a project that uses 5 different skeins of yarn is something akin to herding cats. Here is how I am handling the rodeo:

By Jove! There is method to her madness!

Ziploc bags keep the yarn manageable and the ball bands are marked with the color sequence. Don’t knock it til you try it. If only I could tame all my loose ends with ziploc ::sigh:: Isn’t the shawl fun though? The key for me was choosing yarns I love in mellow colors (Enzo’s ‘pop’ excluded!)

Another project on the needles is a sweater for my son, Alexander. This is going to be a cozy hug of a knit when it’s done. The pattern is Of the Sea Pullover by DROPS Design. The pattern was published in 2007 and consists of a basic 6×6 rib, raglan sleeves and a mock turtleneck (which I may or may not keep). The yarn is Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky in Deep Charcoal.

I have more to share, but it will have to wait for another day. Consider yourselves fairly warned.

As we head into the Thanksgiving Holiday here in America, I have so much to be thankful for. I count you all amongst my blessings.

In my cup: Harney and Sons Tea, Paris blend. Follow on Instagram @harneyteas

In my earballs: A Charlie Brown Christmas

St. of the Day: St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc and companions.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

ReginaMary

PS. Please say a prayer for Razz; he is having surgery next week.

48 Replies to “If You Love Something, Set It Free”

  1. And all I really wanted was fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. I got a wife to go with them. And she has a mom living across the street that loves me and I love her. And I gave my wife a dog named Razz. nuff said. mic drop

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. I think you should be the saint of the week, albeit belatedly, for gifting your mom the sweater. Your shawl is looking fabulous and I like how you stop your yarns getting frisky. I tried a Stephen West knitalong once. I think I managed 6 rows, but perhaps my memory is being kind and it was less than that. Make-alongs are not my happy place, shawls are not my cup of tea, and Stephen West is a long way from being my favourite designer. In the spirit of living and learning, I learned a lot from that experience. Now, that jumper, though, definitely gets my seal of approval.

    I hope Razz gets through his surgery well and is soon on the mend.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. I will pray for dear Razz!

    The sacrifice of the sweater! I laughed. Bless you. My husband’s never given one away on me but people certainly have helped themselves by laying claim to scarves and garments before I’ve so much as lifted the hook… And I’m TERRIBLE at “no.”

    As always, seeing your posts starts my crochet itch even if I’ve just finished crocheting. When I was in Asheville I stopped by the Earth Guild and purchased an absurd amount of beautiful yarn, so my Thanksgiving plans are set…

    Wishing you and yours a loveliest of holidays, dear! And thanking you for a much-needed laugh.

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      1. Sleep! Eat. …sleep some more. It’s a low-key holiday for us, which is nice, since Christmas tends to be traveling time. This year I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world, with Mom doing so well. A grateful period, indeed, and quite a leap from this time last year!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. A leap for both of us!! My mom is doing well, my brother and sister-in-law have moved back stateside and my sister plans to retire to the US in the next year.
        God is good!!

        Like

      1. My mojo has obviously gone walk about. I can’t muster the urge to look at yarn. Crazy I know.
        Things are going pretty well at college for N. He’s only having concerns with one class. It’s an online class with 900 students. Unfortunately it’s in the field he’d like to major in so it’s been discouraging. Don’t get me wrong, he’s getting a B but it’s not the A he thinks he should be getting. Yes, he’s got really high standards for himself. When we tell him a B is good he just shakes his head and says he can do better.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Online classes are not easy! My son is having a similar experience. He just hooked up with a tutor because he really wants to bump up to an A. It is an important (but ridiculously difficult) class.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. What a great story about your sweater!! Gotta love destiny. How wonderful that she adores it. Love the yarn you are planning for the next one. Thanks for sharing the pattern you are using for our son’s sweater. I’m about to start my first sweater for a man, my hubby, so I’ve been looking at potential patterns. Needs to be simple, no cables. Hope you are enjoying your Stephen West shawl. I too have avoided them so far as they seem too big and too bold for me.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. I loved your mom story, how very sweet! Your new yarn is lovely, and you will love this Felix even more because your mom loves hers so much! Poor Razz, hope the surgery goes well. I am on the hunt for a nice men’s pattern for DH. He will need a sweater this winter, if gas prices do what I think they will. I applaud you for trying an MKAL, especially a Stephen West one! Those peppers are soooo funny!Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours.

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Ooooohhh Nooooo! Well, you do have some pretty new yarn and your Mom is probably thrilled to death to have some of your lovely work. Though I would have been drinking a bunch of wine myself. I love your googly eye highjinks! Sending prayers for Razz 🙂

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  15. Well, your mom’s happy, and you get to knit another Felix, and that’s a good thing since you can harness your experience from the first knit? And five yarns simultaneously–yikes, and kudos to you for managing the knit! Prayers for Razz–hope the surgery goes well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the puppy love. Can you believe that story? The way the conversation evolved was so spontaneous and unexpected, it can only be attributed to divine intervention. My son’s sweater is going to be thick and warm. I just hope it won’t be too warm for him.

      Liked by 1 person

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