Tuesday, July 19, 2011

yarn along - cardigans and vintage book love

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I am always happy to join Ginny for her Yarn Along... And this week I am especially happy that I have finally started knitting my very first sweater! I am making the Knitting Pure and Simple Children's Neckdown Cardigan for Chloe, to be followed by one for Chessa of course, though I do realize it could be quite a while before I get that far.

I have wanted to knit sweaters almost forever it seems. When I was about 20 I had a favorite thrifted orange sweater, and I always wished it had a hood, so I decided that someday I would definitely have to make myself an orange hooded cardigan. But first a red cardigan for Chloe, and then a green one for Chessa, and Jason has requested a brown sweater.

There is something else extra special about this sweater... my dear friend Melanie and I are knitting these cardigans together for our sweet little (big) girls. We wish they could play together, we wish we could knit together, now we kind of are...

And here is an extra special book, one that was included in the books Chloe received for her birthday. A wonderful vintage book full of fairy tales from around the world, with a print date of 1910. I find it amazing to hold a book in my hands and imagine who held the very same book more than 100 years !

I never did get to share what I made Chloe for her birthday, besides the pinafore, so I took a couple quick picture this afternoon, though you can't see her completely.

A summer maiden, traveling through the countryside perhaps...


Oh dear friends, there is so much more I would like to be sharing with you. This summer has been keeping us so busy, I guess summer is just like that sometimes. We are certainly enjoying it though, and I hope you all are too!


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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Best of luck to you on the sweater! I'm working on my first as well. I, too, have a favorite thrifted orange sweater...but it's crochet - from the best thrift store EVER - in Boulder (the Hospice one if you ever get that way...especially on 50% off day!). It has a hole in it know, but I keep it...one day.... Love the maiden. So beautiful!

Julie said...

What a lovely summer maiden! I just came here from Melanie's blog... love to see that you're both working on the same thing. :-)

a little crafty nest said...

Renee...How exciting to begin your first sweater! I'm just finishing my littlest fella's green cardi that Melanie finished for Ezri ages ago. Boy, she can really click her needles quickly! Renee, that summer maiden is soooo beautiful! She reminds me of my summer girl:) And that book looks delightful ~ a real treasure. Like you, I am smitten by old old books. But you probably know that already! Happy summer sunshine days to you, my friend!
xo Jules

Linda said...

The sweater sounds gorgeous, how lovely to be knitting it along with a friend. The birthday gift is so beautiful and I love the look of the story book. It is wonderful to visit this space again dear Renee.
Warmly
Linda
xo xo

karen said...

what a beautiful story book. I love the summer maiden:)
Good luck with the cardigan and the future sweaters you have planned!

sherene said...

We have a very old copy of little women. Inscribed with a christmas wish from one young girl to another, in 1904. I love reading it and their friendship weaving into that favorite story.

Mama Ash Grove said...

Dear Renee, we are at about the same point ont he girls' cardigans! I am wishing Ella had chosen red, because in my head I had this in red with vintage white buttons. But alas she did not want red. I suppose with Chloe's dark hair red is perfect and Ella's light hair lavender is perfect, sort of like Mary and Laura. :) Now we need blue and pink hair ribbons. . .
Oh we are so much alike, vintage books! Ella got vintage books for her birthday, from that same exact time period: Bobbsey Twins books. I am very interested in that Fairy Stories one, and now I think I'll look it up on Abe Books.
<3

suzy said...

What a beautiful post. The needle felt figurine... sigh :)
Funny, I just wrote a post on the importance of fairytales for children!
What a treasure that beautiful book is!

Ellen said...

Love the bold red color. Will the sweater have a hood too?

Jen {Wife, "Mom", Knitter} said...

Best of luck on the sweaters!

Just remember to take it one stitch at a time.

Tonya Gunn said...

How wonderful to be knitting a sweater. I need to make one for the baby... and am trying to decide on a pattern. Love the vintage book and your needlefelted maiden..

Always wonderful to visit you Renee.
Warm wishes, Tonya

Anonymous said...

Those books are simply precious. I love vintage books as well. I have a fabulous old copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Kathy said...

Congratulations on your first sweater! My first was a Baby Surprise Jacket, which I recently finished and I'm knitting another now. Maybe I'll work my way up to a grown-up sweater for myself sometime, too. I adore vintage books and stories from long-ago -- there's something magical thinking about who else might have owned a well-loved book and what joys the stories inside may have brought to other families! (Stopping by from Ginny's Yarn Along)

Unknown said...

I am eager to watch your sweater progress. I hope to make sweaters for my three kiddos this year too. We shall see.

kyndale said...

I love old books like that. I have a few from my great grandmother that I keep on meaning to read.

Kelly said...

super gorgeous craftiness there mama :)