Two incredibly disparate ideas

I believe I forgot to mention that I recently had the pleasure of meeting Ann Budd. Yes, The Ann Budd, prolific knitwear author and editor at Interweave Press. We didn’t have a chance to speak much, but I feel this is incredibly noteworthy for two reasons: One, it’s Ann Budd; two, we met at the Denver Roller Derby. Ann Budd. Roller Derby. Wrap your head around that. I’m still having trouble with it myself.

But speaking of Ann Budd (who I am happy to report was wearing knitwear to the roller derby!), she recently blogged about the photo shoot for Lisa Shroyer’s upcoming plus-size sweater book. I’m a fan of Lisa as a person and as a knitwear designer, so I’m super excited to see how this book turns out.

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Temperatures are starting to seriously warm up here in northern Colorado. I walked outside at the end of the work day yesterday and exclaimed, “Ugh, it’s warm.” Now, the “ugh” part of that was mostly shock—when I left my house yesterday morning, my car told me it was approximately 42 degrees. When we left the office, it was very close to 80. I just wasn’t expecting that much of a difference (though obviously, everyone else does, since they kind of laughed at me and told me I was crazy). At least it’s not humid, though!

Warmer temperatures bring about an adjustment in knitting choices, too. I’m so close to finishing my Vivian (just have to do the hood!), and I’m both excited and downtrodden. Excited because I’ll have finished my Vivian! Downtrodden because the next few months won’t afford many opportunities to wear a heavy, handknit, bulky cardigan.

Enter the new Spring+Summer Knitty! As usual, with any Knitty issue, there’s a veritable gobsmacking of wonderful patterns. There’s Torreyana, the gorgeous shawl that can be knit in what seems like a million different sizes (a slight exaggeration); Wanderer socks, with their delightfully unexpected sole construction; Miriam Felton’s Anthemion shawl with it’s delicate lace (and how cute is Miriam’s dress?); and the Que Sera cardigan which is just absolutely darling.

But my heart, and indeed my knitting brain (which is different from and takes up more headspace than my regular brain; you know what I mean), has been captured and held hostage by Petrie. I have not been able to get this tank out of my mind since I first saw it.

It’s simple. It’s drape-y. It has just enough visual chutzpah to grab your attention but clean lines and breezy fit to flatter pretty much any body shape. And don’t even get me started on the boatneck hem—I will swoon!

Ever since I first saw this pattern, I knew I had to make it. So I started looking around online for yarn options, thinking “Oh, the Berroco Pure Pima that was used in the sample has lovely drape, and would be a perfect choice for these warmer temperatures, and would look wonderful on me in a blue shade and could be worn with a cardigan or over my new blue and white dress” and on, and on. There was no reason to not knit this sweater, I mean, aside from not having the yarn, wanting to finish my Vivian, and wanting to knit my Whisper Cardigan, for which I do have the yarn. No reason at all.

Today, I asked a coworker if the yarn shop down the street carried Pure Pima. I hadn’t thought about this before, but I should have: I wouldn’t have to pay for shipping and I assumed the yarn in stock would be about the same price as any I found online. She said that yes, in fact, they did. So now I have 9 skeins of Berroco Pure Pima in the Caneel Bay color (it’s a lovely, lovely blue) and a desperate urge to cast on right now.

It’s going to be a long afternoon, working on that Vivian hood. But things must be done in their proper order. Or so I’m going to keep telling myself.

(Ann Budd! Roller derby!)