The Knitting Fiend

Gaudy Cones

I saw the variegated yarn at Midwest Discount Knitting and exclaimed “Perfect for baby and kid’s stuff!”

The variegated yarn is 2/24 weight; that means two strands knit together is equivalent to a light fingering weight yarn. Perfect for baby clothes. And that’s what I intended it for. Baby things.

But, yes, you heard correctly two strands. Mary advised knitting two variegated strands together would look muddy: “Get a solid color yarn to knit along with it. ” We put our heads together, and decided that, since we didn’t know whether the baby I plan to knit for is a boy or a girl, red, yellow or green would do. I already had a nearly full cone of bright yellow 2/24 acrylic at home, but, I thought red would be a nice carry along too and bought a cone of that color. (My favorite color, by the way.)

There you see the red, yellow and multi-color yarn all posing together. Sunglasses, Quick!

Ok. Now, I may be an adult, but why pretend? I have to admit it; I like gaudy colors. Heck, I like garish colors. And forget that darn baby, I like them for me. Still, these colors are more appropriate for kids and babies, right?

I threaded up my Brother 910, and knit mini-swatches.

Yellow and multi

Red and multi

One look and I thought to myself: “Wow, I like that. I really like that. For me, me me!”

I know those of you with refined taste are rolling your eyes and muttering “Good gracious! A middle aged woman in those colors?”

But things get worse.

You’d think only one adult on the planet could want me to wear brights like this. Not true. When I showed the swatches to Jim, sounding optimistic, he said: “You know…….. uhmmm….. Tube tops have just got to come back in fashion. Why don’t you knit yourself a tube top?”

So, I gave him “the look”. You know the look I mean. The look 45 year old wives give husbands who suggest they go out in public wearing a tube top.

Catching that look, Jim, an experienced and adroit husband, coughed and added, “Or … that would make a great table runner to protect the cedar chest in the room I just painted yellow for you!”

I guess I’ll need to decide: Baby poncho? Table runner? Husband pleasing tube top? I’ll do laundry while I ponder.