Encapsulation

If pictures are worth a thousand words, here’s a whole slew of them for you today.

The Misc:

In an effort to cut down on the amount of water bottles we were getting through, Mr F and I got these new Sigg bottles and a water filtration jug. The bottles don’t leach any flavor into the water and the filtration jug makes our (disgusting) tap water drinkable. Not only will it save us money in the long run (over £200 a year!) but it will keep over 300 water bottles a year from being consumed. We already use reusable cloth shopping bags so this is another step forward in that respect.

The two birds with one stone picture. Project Spectrum pink, yellow and green and my new iPod shuffle, Ginger. It is unbelivable how small this thing is and what great sound it produces. I love it!

The ultimate shirt. Yarn and geekiness, what’s not to love? I (of course) saw a picture of the Yarn Harlot wearing this shirt and had to get one for myself (because I am a geek). Also, the Yarn Harlot is a geek! And I never knew it until I saw the shirt. Knitting geeks unite!

The Knitting:

A non-descript multi tonal lumpy stitch raglan sweater.

Mrf. This Rowan Wool Cotton was bought on a whim when I first began knitting because it was on sale. The color doesn’t suit me and the yarn itself hurts my hands to knit with. Before I mastered the art of gauge, it became this rather ugly raglan cardigan. It has been living in my stash for some time, taunting me with it’s fugliness. It is (slowly) becoming one of those schlumpy house sweaters I said I wasn’t going to knit anymore. But at least it isn’t for me.

The beginnings of a giftage Moderne Log Cabin. I have a feeling I am going to be sick of garter stitch way before this is done.

Koigu Sock v2.1. The indecisive Koigu has been frogged for the last time. Plain ol’ socks are safe. Even from this yarn.

 

Knitting For Picky Men

I suppose it happens to many knitters, the desire to knit for their significant other takes hold. Oh, there’s a pair of socks planned (boot socks) but I want to knit my lovely husband a sweater. A gorgeous, warm, stylish sweater because he looks good in sweaters and I like to knit. I’m well aware of the loaded nature of giving handknit gifts. When I was a kid, I NEVER wore what my grandmother knitted me (and it was some gorgeous stuff) because… well, it was knitted. Because there was always one thing that was a hideous color or was itchy or just made you look like you were wearing a knitting machine explosion. Or as Jack Dee puts it, the dreaded squashy package on Christmas day where it all went wrong. So knitting for others (usually) means a whole lot of thinking, researching and most importantly, knowing your giftee.

Whereas a slouchy boyfriend sweater is one of my favorite items to wear, my husband won’t touch them. It has to be fitted. It cannot choke around the neck (usually that means it has to have a v neck). No raglans, no busy cables, no boxy shapes. It has to be soft. It has to be easily cared for or he will deem it “too special” to wear and thus never wear it. It has to be in a color he’ll wear and while he’s fairly broad in his color wearing spectrum, it is almost always emphatically not a color I’d ever be drawn to. It has to be thick enough to be warm, thin enough to layer well. It can’t be too long or short and the sleeves musn’t do that thing where you push them up and they go all loose and shapeless. It has to go well with jeans because that’s all he ever wears. And it absolutely cannot drape or hang like the best oversized and comfy sweaters do.

A quick search has brought up Durrow (too cabley, neck is all wrong), this Unisex Cable Pullover (too cabley, wrong neck again) and far too many overly cabled, tight necked, boxy raglans to mention. I personally love and adore The Jack Ryan Sweater because I’m a big Hunt For Red October fan and I love that sweater but he won’t even entertain the idea (turtlenecks are a big no).

Maybe I’ll just stick to knitting him thick socks instead.