This time, sweaters for the boys

Joining Ginny from Small Things again:

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs.  I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

All in a hot and copper sky,

The bloody Sun, at noon,

Right up above the mast did stand,

No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

(from Samuel Taylor Colerige's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner)

 

I have been in the knitting doldrums for two weeks now. I decided not to buy any new yarn before I shrink my stash significantly, and then I started to feel sentimental about the yarn, thinking about what else it could be.  This yarn was bought for Max, the t-shirt for boys in "Knitting in the Sun" by Kate Oates, but I lost my enthusiasm for it.  Once I had the yarn (that was more expensive than what I usually feel comfortable with for the boys), I felt as if they would not, to their credit, want to wear it once it was done.  (No offense meant to Kate, I love most of her designs!)  

 

So instead of knitting, I have been sewing, with not much Erfolg, as they would say in Germany.  More about those unfortunate garments later.

 

Traveling to our weekend destination next to the Frio river, I picked up needles again and started to knit a gauge swatch with my Madelinetosh Sock yarn.  It is an addictive pastime, I really love to knit and I missed it.  The gauge did not work out, I still need a project for my lovely sock yarn (not socks, I want to knit something that you will see with that beautiful yarn), but I started to look in earnest for a pattern to knit with my Rowan Handknit Cotton.

 

I found Fisherman's pullover.  I think some who yarn along have knit it, I have always loved it, and I know it should be knit in bulky yarn, preferably wool - but we live in Texas.  And the way things appear now, we will be in the Western Cape this December, and a light sweater is always handy at the coast.  So far I love knitting with the yarn, and I love the pattern.  I'm learning just enough to make it interesting, and since it is knit in the round I can fit it while I go so I will know soon enough if my calculations are correct.  Calculating the right size involved going one pattern size up since the yarn is one number thinner. Impressive, hey?  I am planning to add three rows of dark blue at the ends of the sleeves and around the bottom edge, since I think the simple lines of this sweater will look better without stripes.

 

And keeping with the nautical theme, we have been listening to Commodore Hornblower.  Jean loves the stories, and while it is not strictly children's literature, it is suitable for him, now.  I love the vocabulary that he is building.  I know that it is not historically accurate, yet I think it will at least provide some context when we study the Napoleonic Wars later this year.