Sweater Weather and Selfish Knitting

I’m in the midst of ribbing purgatory. The good news is I’m nearly through (three rows left to go). The bad news is it took me all week to get to this point, and I’m only just starting an adult sized sweater that requires 250+ stitches per row.

The series of events that led me to where I am now, working dozens of rows of 1×1 ribbing in fingering weight wool, are all pleasant ones. I visited my local yarn store, Fibre Space, for the first time in ages; bought yarn, with a gift card no less; ogled gorgeous sweater patterns on ravelry; and got to spend some quality time with wool and knitting needles. Nonetheless, I will be working the next several hundred knits and purls with gritted teeth and an oversized glass of wine at the ready.

I find knitting ribbing about as tedious as reading a statistics textbook. I prefer garter stitch to prevent curling at the edge. But some patterns are just too lovely to pass up, even if they do have ribbed hems. The one that did me in this time is Amy Christophers’ Pomme de Pin cardigan. I love the relaxed fit, simple allover lace motif, lightly structured sewn-in sleeves, and even the ribbed hem and sleeve edges.  It’s a perfect cardigan for a New England summer’s brisk mornings, or, in my case, for an office with temperatures that can fluctuate wildly over a single day.

This is the first sweater I have made for myself since 2011, and it’s been as long since I’ve picked out yarn just for a selfish knitting project. I walked into the yarn store already knowing I would choose Brooklyn Tweed LOFT for my sweater. I didn’t waver on that point, and swiftly collected six hanks of LOFT in the camper colorway. The real struggle was resisting the urge to stuff my basket with all of the other lovely yarns. I managed to escape with only one addition to my sweater yarn – two big, beautiful hanks of Neighborhood Fiber Co. studio sport in Charles Centre that will one day become a small wrap.

Though I am weeks, and perhaps even months, from finishing this selfish sweater, casting on reminded me how much I enjoy knitting for myself. It’s the ultimate indulgence; I get to devote hours and hours to my favorite hobby and after all that 1×1 ribbing and lace knitting is a distant memory, I’ll still have a beautiful garment to show for my effort.

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