Today is two-for-one day.
If you’ve been paying any attention to this blog over the past four and a half months, you’ve probably heard me whining about something called the Brennan Cardigan.
It was a major project that I undertook in July and it really was a beast in my life. As I told a friend last week, it was my effort to purge myself of any sort of commitmentphobia I might have ever had. For four and a half months, I was dedicated to this thing.
But you’ve probably been wondering. What the heck is it?
It’s a sweater. More specifically, it’s a sweater designed by Glenna of Knitting to Stay Sane. Like me, Glenna is a fan of Fox’s hit TV show, Bones. And back in 2006, she saw the first season finale of the show in which Dr. Temperance Brennan (played by the lovely Emily Deschanel) wore an amazing long cardigan with a shawl collar. And Glenna designed a pattern for determined knitters to create their own cardigan. (For more details, check out her first post and her second post on her blog about it.)
About two years ago, I found this pattern and noticed that the skill level was intermediate. It required some skill in cabling and some skill in making sweaters. Two years ago, I had neither. But I kept the pattern in the back of my mind.
Then, this past summer, we learned that Bones would have a longer hiatus than usual due to Emily Deschanel’s real-life pregnancy. Somehow, this long hiatus inspired me to say, “I must make the Brennan cardigan. Now.”
I trotted off to Knit a Round in Ann Arbor and bought eight skeins (a grand total of 2000 yards) of Stonehedge Fiber Mill’s Shepherd’s Wool in a lovely lilac.
And then, I started knitting. Four and a half months later…or this past Saturday, I was finally done.
Today, I wore it for the first time. And I’m in love. In. Love. I love the yarn, the fit, the color. I’m soooo warm in this thing; it is absolutely perfect for a Michigan winter. When my colleagues were complaining about being cold at lunch today, I didn’t admit to how freaking comfy I was in my warm, snuggly sweater. And that’s a credit to a great yarn and a great design.
Jenny and Mom helped me out by taking pictures of the sweater. All I can say about it is that I love it. Love.
And I have almost 500 yards of yarn leftover. I smell a lovely cowl coming up in my near future…but more on that later. For now, I think I’ll be moving into this sweater until further notice.
And tomorrow, I’ll be back for WIP Wednesday to tell you all about the great Jane Richmond scarf I’ve got on my needles…
A Large Cup of Tea and a Long Book 