Don't go to Europe before you go to Boston

“They didn’t come, Mom,“ Elizabeth managed to choke out, “they never came,” barely contained tears in her voice.” Almost 500 miles away, she’s waiting for the car I had hired to take her from the Boston airport to her rented apartment outside the city.  A car that didn’t come.  Not only had I paid them weeks in advance, I had trusted them with my firstborn’s safe passage through a strange city.  They took my money and left my sweet child all alone with no car and no friends. While Elizabeth was very  mature, having found and secured a prestigious internship after just one year of college, she was barely 18, and very much a small-town girl unfamiliar with navigating a city’s transportation options.  Her 2011 flip phone was not much help, but I was home at the computer and together we planned a course of action.  Then on her own she purchased a rail card, read the map, figured out which lines to take, and how to get to her apartment in the suburbs—all pre-Uber.  Was it stressful?  You bet—especially for me, but in the end, it was incredibly empowering and gave her the confidence for a semester in France and then a 6-week post-graduation trip through Europe with her friend, Madeline. 

Elizabeth’s Boston fiasco was a bit like how it can feel to knit our first sweater.  It’s all very new, there are a lot of things to learn all at once --choosing a yarn, deciding what size to make, swatching, knitting, seaming, finishing. With so many moving parts with a sweater, our first sweater must be simple so we can learn to navigate unfamiliar territory in a safe environment and be successful.  Success builds our confidence and allows us to enjoy the process more.  Elizbeth is a smart and resourceful young woman and I’m sure that she could have made her way through Europe without the benefit of the Boston experience, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun.  She would have been stressed by the uncertainty of navigating the train system, changing money, and so forth.  Having already learned those skills in the relatively safe environs of Boston, she was free to enjoy everything a European adventure has to offer.

Similarly, we could jump right into a complicated pattern for our first sweater.  Knitters are a smart bunch, and I’m sure most could do a challenging sweater right off.  But it wouldn’t be much fun. Rather than enjoying the pleasure of the beautiful yarn and relaxing into the process, we’re overwhelmed by the mechanics and the details.  That’s why our My First Sweater Class features a simple design that’s perfect for your first sweater.  You’ll learn important components of sweater knitting, from choosing a size, understanding ease, accurate swatching and measuring, and making invisible seams.

The Keisha sweater is simple, but stylish – very much in keeping with the current trend toward minimalist design. Clean lines and simple shapes.  The Keisha sweater is exactly that kind of design. 

Even if you’ve already knit a bunch of sweaters, you’ll enjoy the My First Sweater Class.  Packed with tips and tricks, you’re sure to learn something.  Ask questions, make comments, and join the community of other knitters committed to knitting beautiful sweaters. 

I look forward to seeing you in the class -- you are always welcome here.

~Ellen

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