I finished this adorable sweater for my cousin’s little girl. It was a long time in the making, and I was so happy to send it out this week in the mail at last. (And just in time for the holidays. Didn’t plan that, but so nice when it works out that way.) I got the yarn a few years ago, when we had a booth across from Barrett Wool Co. at a fiber festival. It was so fun to meet those sweet folks in person and I enjoyed knitting with their yarn- I would describe it as light and bouncy. When I came across their Wisconsin Woolen Spun yarn, I was delighted because my cousin grew up in Wisconsin, so it felt meant to be for the project. The colorway is called Blushing, it’s the softest pink, so pretty.

Jeff made me some carved heart buttons in red cedar wood for the project. I ended up making a blooper while I was finishing the band and ended up with one buttonhole, not two like the pattern called for, but I think the sweater looks just as sweet with one button. On a sunny day, I took the finished sweater outside and hung it up in the apple tree to take pictures. The leaves are so pretty when they turn yellow. It would seem with all this talk of knitting sweaters and pretty leaves and such that we’ve got a quiet, slow pace around here… but the pace has not been slow as we get ready for the holidays. I’ve been mailing out orders and gifts and oh my- such a busy time of year.

My heart has been going out to my stepmom, whose mother passed away last week. She has lost two parents in a short time. She wrote: “46 Years of marriage and after 22 days apart, they are back together again.” That makes me cry, it’s so sweet! I wanted to write about it here and wasn’t sure where, but figured a knitting post is just as good as any to share all the things on my mind and in my heart. Zoe gave the best hugs! Seriously. She would just wrap you up and it felt so good you didn’t want her to let you go. It was so hard to see her in her final years struggling with dementia, but I’ve been thinking about my earlier memories with her.

All these random memories have been coming to me- the smell of her garlic bread… creating a fort in a tree behind her home… her bird Jakie looking in the mirror, whistling at himself and saying “pretty bird”…  the time she rushed us to the basement and we hid under the stairs during a tornado warning… and so many more. It’s the feeling behind those little memories that I treasure. I’ll miss you Zoe! I’m so grateful that my son was able to get to know his great grandparents… that you were a part of his life.

P.S. One thing that delayed my progress on finishing up this little sweater? That cute fluff ball (right before I trimmed his hair around his eyes so he could see better!) I was so used to using the window seat in the living room for the place where I blocked my knits for years… that I momentarily forgot it was one of our dog’s favorites spots to lay. While the sweater was blocking there, he came in from outside with muddy paws and jumped up on it. I snapped a quick picture when I spotted the guilty party there (how could I be upset? he was too cute thinking I’d made him a special new sleeping blanket.) He got up, leaving behind a few perfect puppy prints on the sweater. I was nervous that with the light color of the yarn I wouldn’t be able to get the paw prints out, but it was a happy knitting story in the end because a few soaks in some warm wool wash and it was as good as new, thank goodness!

P.P.S. Edited to add: just published this post and then realized that I didn’t share the pattern. Tired brain! It’s past my bedtime. The pattern is the Empire Waist Cardigan by Susan B. Anderson. It’s from her book Kindred Knits– so many cute patterns in there!