Oatmeal

This is Oatmeal.  It is to me what Plain Vanilla is to Norma.  Y’all know what I’m talking about.  This is my comfortable, "go to," everyday sweater.  "You’re wearing that again?"  It’s a cardigan, but I always wear it buttoned.  It’s not knit very well (I wasn’t purling correctly at the time), but I love it — the yarn, pattern, fit, pretty much everything!  There’s hardly any shaping, and it’s mostly stockinette with twisted rib from the shoulder to just below the arm.

I originally knit this sweater in Debbie Bliss DK Merino.  It turned out a little too small for me and none of the girls liked it, so it marinated until I finally frogged and started knitting it again last month.  "Eh," I wasn’t thrilled.  I used some of for Mom’s Natalya mitts (which she loves, by the way, and they aren’t scratchy at all).

My sister had been visiting from Kansas when I was knitting the original and she decided to cast on, too, with stash yarn that she just happened to be hauling around in the trunk of her car!  Once back in Kansas, she decided that she just wasn’t into it, so shipped it to me.  Voila!  Oatmeal, my favorite sweater.  I think it’s about two years old — from Vogue Knitting, a special issue in 2002 devoted mostly to men’s sweaters (pattern #22).  The yarn specified was Adrienne Vittadini "Emma" (cotton/viscose/silk).  The yarn from my sister’s stash was Classic Elite "Mackenzie" (70% wool, 30% silk) tweed.  I wore the sweater to Katie’s LYS on Saturday (more on that in a minute) and the shop owner and a customer both described it as "oatmeal" — with no prompting from me — and likened the yarn to Peace Fleece, for those of you who know what that’s like.

So, Oatmeal is kind of my standard.  And it’s the standard to which I’m comparing St. Brigid.  Really, all I want is a sweater that looks good and fits.  Right now, it looks pretty much right on, and St. Brigid will be a little bigger when blocked.  Perfect.

On Saturday, Ali and I made a mad dash to Kate’s school because her roommate was moving out; the ‘fridge and microwave were the roomie’s, so they were going, too.  Katie could certainly survive without a microwave, there being one on the floor kitchen, but absolutely nothing is safe in the community ‘fridge, so we went to buy a mini for her room.  We ended up with both for less than $140.  Ali had to be back for work on Saturday night, so we couldn’t linger long, but we had a great time — went out for lunch, did a little shopping, had a car wash (it was a gorgeous day!), and visited Katie’s LYS (literally, right around the corner from her dorm).

The LYS was small, but nice.  Lot of samples.  Samples help sell stuff, ya know?  I now have a mitten pattern on back order — flip-top mitts — for Ali — and she made me get the Donegal Tweed yarn for them already.  I fell in love with the Clocks vest sample, from Folk Vests, knit from Mission Falls 1824 Wool, and bought the book.  (It’s been a folky few weeks ’round here.)  I’ve seen that book a number of times before, but that sample did it for me.  And I wear vests.  And there are other intriguing patterns in that book.  I don’t know when I’ll knit it, but I will.

On Sunday, I was in my PJs — at least for most of the day — celebrating International Pajama Day and having a big bowl of Cheerios for breakfast 1:00 p.m.  I was the only one home for much of the day, which means that eventually I had to walk the dog.  So I did have to put on some real pants, but believe me, they were COMFY!

Since I was dressed, we went over to watch the Super Bowl and have pizza at Mom’s.  The only good thing about the Packers not being in the game is that I could relax and knit — and I did.  I’m mid-way through the fifth repeat and I think it likely that St. Brigid’s front will be done by the weekend.  Woohoo.  I’ll cheer about that since the Eagles gave me nothin’!