Kiddo needs a new sweater
A good way to start a weekend is to have friends over for Saturday breakfast. If said friends are in possession of a squeezable seven-month-old, so much the better. And if possible, he should come wearing a sweater you knit in celebration of his birth.
Clearly, River has worn his little Spiral Yoke a lot, even though it’s just now fitting him perfectly. The Dream in Color Classy has pilled all over the place. There are extra pills on the arms, probably from the kind of calisthenics he’s demonstrating here. Structurally the sweater is in fine shape, but he’ll probably grow out of it before the weather turns warm, anyway. So it’s not too soon to start planning something new for him to wear next fall. Maybe a Tomten? I’ve yet to knit one…
As a knitter, I take it as the highest compliment when a garment gets worn to death. My mother only likes to wear her handknit socks around the house in her slippers for fear they’ll wear out and she’ll have spoiled something I made. I say if you love it to bits, you’ve proved yourself a worthy recipient and I’ll make you something new. Remember how the Velveteen Rabbit could only become real after he’d been worn all shabby? The best handknits get to live on in family memory after they’re full of holes, too. River’s next sweater will be in sturdier wool–presumably it won’t be weathering as much spit-up and won’t need such frequent washing–so it can last for his hypothetical brother or sister, and maybe later get folded up in a box in the linen closet, too precious to send to the thrift house, the way my best sweaters from childhood did. There’s a gray sweater with a lupine-blue horse my aunt knit for me that I wore until the sleeves were six inches too short. I hope my own kids will wear it some day. I’ll be a happy knitter indeed if, ten years from now, River’s family remembers that little brown sweater with the interesting blue design on the yoke.
Posted: February 11th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
oh i wish my little alba hadn’t developed wool allergy. this yoke sweater is sooo lovely. and knit a tomten. alba spent most her life in tomtens. i made one tweedy when she was about river’s age. one for her christening in white. and a green one with bobbles that she has worn for two years because i always am a blind follower of elizabeth’s advice to knit the sleeves too long for children’s garments.
Posted: February 11th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
LUV it!! What a perfect baby boy sweater! Really like the color contrasts/combo!!
Posted: February 11th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Aw, just too cute! Serious wear is definitely the best compliment a knitter can receive.
Posted: February 11th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I love it! I will need to knit one of this as well! Colors are really nice!
Posted: February 11th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
huge compliments that the little one has worn it to pills. he looks fab in it too. good show, sarah. cannot wait to see the next one.
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Good to see such a beautiful sweater get such excellent use. I feel the same as you do about things I make. I don’t make heirlooms, I make things to be loved. I’d say it is time for a Tomten! 🙂
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 5:40 am
How wonderful to see a well-loved handknit. I love the neckline on the sweater and the colors you chose. And that little guy is just too cute!
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 5:40 am
I’ll bet the next one will be equally happily well-worn! The spiral yoke is really cute!
I have a beloved bright kelly green knitted vest and skirt with red and black ladybugs on them. I know my mum still has those packed away. I loved them!
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I agree completely, the best compliment is to pretty much wear the knit item out.
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 6:52 am
That is the cutest kid, in the cutest sweater! You knit a real classic and it looks great on him. I want an adult size version of the exact same thing!!
Posted: February 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
So adorable! It looks really cute on him! I can see why it gets worn a lot.
Posted: February 13th, 2009 at 3:54 am
I love that sweater. I am so envious of your knitting! I would love to make one like it for my 15 month old, but I am horrible following anything but a specific pattern. I have EZ’s books but anything that has to be customized makes me nervous! ha ha
Posted: February 13th, 2009 at 7:28 am
I completely agree….a handknit is to be worn to death. Doesn’t it give you a little heart-squeeze of joy to see people enjoying your knits? I love going out with the family and we’re all wearing hats we love that I’ve made. It makes me feel so good inside.
Posted: February 14th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Too true! Knitting may be elevated to an art, but it is still very much a craft in that we are all making things to be *used*.
By the way, how long did you make the arms of that sweater? I am finishing up a FBS (approximately size 0-6 mos), and I have received conflicting reports on how long the sleeves of a sweater for a baby of that size should be.
Posted: February 15th, 2009 at 11:21 am
The true compliment, indeed! And I love how his arms are blurry in the photo–no wonder no pilling!
Posted: February 16th, 2009 at 10:00 am
The truest compliment, indeed! You should be bursting!
Posted: February 16th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I’d much rather that someone wear out something I’ve made, than to never wear it at all, after the hours of work it took to complete. As you say, wearing something to bits means that we knitters will make you a new one!
Posted: February 19th, 2009 at 1:46 am
The sweater colors are beautiful and even more on such a cute baby. I so agree with having items you make loved to death…I’m forever fixing quilts I’ve made for the family because they were loved to death…and that’s a great compliment.
Thanks for sharing.