thumbsucking

I've been having fun with Knitting Pure and Simple's topdown kids' sweater (you can purchase the pattern at your favorite shop, or online through Patternfish -- oh, how I love and fear Patternfish!). It calls for a gauge of 4 sts/inch (16 sts/10cm), which is perfect for my beloved Bartlett and Peace Fleece yarns. Of which, it comes as no surprise, I have quite a bit. I discovered that the two smallest sizes can be made using just 3 skeins of those yarns. I've started with the colors I have three skeins of, for solid-colored sweaters. When I run out of those, I will start making stripes -- of course, that will interrupt the mindlessness of the project, but not catastrophically.

Peace Fleece, Brenda's Purple -- it's more a classic purple crayon color in reality; size 6-8

elann.com Peruvian Highland Chunky, color may be Harvest Heather; size 2-4

 

These two are destined for a Lakota reservation in South Dakota, where they will keep someone's little one a little more comfortable this winter. (Not enough -- it's never enough -- but it's something.) The next two or three will go up to Maine, with the same goal.

I told Pat that these sweaters are so tranquilizing -- kind of like sucking your thumb. She immediately christened them "thumbsuckers," which sounds vaguely vulgar to me, but the name has stuck. You will be seeing quite a few of these around these parts as we move into cooler weather!