Ravelympics

My yarn for my Ravelympics project came today. First, a little history:

Three years ago this spring my long-time boyfriend and I got married at my parents' house. It was completely beautiful and the best day of my life. At the time we were extremely poor and my folks happily paid for everything and worked for weeks to make it beautiful. I have, from time to time, some pretty difficult social anxiety and Jorah and I did lots of things in a more untraditional way in the hopes of alleviating those issues. My folks were up for anything we wanted to do and it really made a difference.

At the time I wanted to do something amazing for them, to thank them for all of their effort and understanding, but first I couldn't think of anything, and then we didn't have any money. I ended up telling them that I would knit them anything they wanted, and that next time they came to visit we could got through all of my books and pick a project. They seemed excited about this and I emailed pictures of sweaters to them for a few months and we chatted back and forth amiably.

Then they came to visit and my mom discovered Poetry in Stitches. Okay, that's cool, I can do that. And then she picked a child's sweater. This Child's Sweater. I can alter patterns, it's cool - she's small, the pattern runs large, I'll just gauge it out.

Then she decided that it had to be machine-washable.

I screamed a silent scream. Spoiler Alert: I am a yarn snob. The task of finding a machine washable yarn, with that particular yellow . . . it was very difficult and I spent lots of time on Ravelry advanced searching for yarn over and over again. I spent even more time buying a ball or two of yarn, swatching, and then deciding that it wouldn't work.

Then I fell in love with Socks That Rock. Machine washable, available in many, many colors. And then I met Heavyweight, and did the math, and it's going to work. After two years of searching for the perfect yarn I am ready to knock the socks off this sweater. I am in Git'er Done Mode.

Yesterday the yarns arrived. Allow me to present my Ravelympics yarn:

Child's Sweater, Page 116
Socks that Rock Heavyweight
Rosebud, Midsummer Night, Brick, Will 'O The Wisp, Bleck, Sand

(For those of you playing along at home, I already had the Brick, you are correct.)

My dad wants an MG sweater with saddle shoulders. I'm thinking Rowan Felted Tweed. I want to make that later this spring too, because this summer is their 30th Anniversary, and I would like them to have their sweaters for it.

I look at this yarn, and February 12th just can't come fast enough!!