Stop the Presses!!

Source: ravelry.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Holy smokes! Did hell freeze over? Did pigs grow wings? Did I just grow four inches?? Sadly, no. The answer is no to all of these questions. So what's going on then? Why am I freakin' out?

Get this: Brett has asked me to knit him a sweater!!! Pure craziness, I know! After years of hounding and harassing, showing him endless photos and patterns, and leaving Ravelry project pages up on the computer, I would get no response from him. Brett would turn down each and every pattern thrust in front of him. He simply insisted that he was not "a sweater guy". And it's true. Brett naturally runs a bit on the hot side and the only time I have ever seen him wear a sweater is at Christmas time...when he's wearing his ugly, acrylic, "Christmas sweater". Oh...no, there was also a time when he wore a long sleeved fleece sweater, but that was because we were about to go out and play in the snow.

So imagine my utter surprise when he told me that he wanted me to knit him a sweater! I know he wants to change up his look a bit, especially for work (now that he's got a bit more responsibility), and that he wants to look a little more professional. I guess with age he wants to look more refined? Brett was very specific as to what he wanted though, so I can't really pick what I think would look good on him (darn!). He was so cute in asking and describing what he wanted:

Brett (entering the living room): So...what you knitting there?

Me (knitting at the computer desk while trying to keep an eye on the Munchkin): Just finishing up a sweater.

Brett: I see...is it for you?

Me: Who else would it be for?

Brett: I see...y'know, you could always knit me a sweater...actually, you know what? I want you to knit me a sweater. Can you knit me a sweater? I'd like a sweater.

Me (mouth hanging open): What?? What did you just say? Who are you?? Huh?

Brett: I'm just sayin', I think it would be awesome if you could knit me a sweater.

Me: Are you jealous that I'm knitting the Munchkin a sweater? Is that why you want a sweater all of a sudden? What's going on here?

Brett: No...

Me: ...?...

Brett: Never mind...forget it...

Me: No, no...I can totally knit you a sweater. But you realize that it'll take me a while, right? It's not, like, going to magically appear tomorrow. What kind of sweater are you looking for?

Brett: I want something simple that opens up in the front. Nothing closed.

Me: Like a cardigan?

Brett: Yeah...and I want it to have a collar. But not one that stands up. I don't want to look like an idiot. I want one that's a little bigger and folds over. And nothing with those stupid wooden things either. They're ugly.

Me: Like a shawl collar? You mean toggles? I like toggles. What's wrong with toggles? Toggles are nice.

Brett: Yeah...sure...shawl collar...what's a shawl collar?

Me: I think I showed you a cardigan a few months ago with this exact description and you laughed at me.

Brett: No, I didn't. I wouldn't do that. You don't know what you're talking about. Go knit me a sweater.

Anyhoo, I won't continue on with our conversation. After his brief description I knew exactly what the cardigan should look like and I knew the exact pattern that I could use - Smokin' by Jared Flood (the one that's pictured in the photo above). As soon as I showed Brett the pattern he got all giddy, saying that's exactly what he wanted. He even liked the colour that the sample was knit in, but did comment that it would probably not get worn as much. Brett's colour preference: brown. Something tan. Something Mr. Rogers would wear. Doesn't surprise me considering that Brett's entire wardrobe consists of either browns, green, navy, and white. With random articles of red.

I showed him Brownstone too, also by Jared Flood, and he really likes that one too...minus the "wooden thing". Guess what colour he would like it to be?

Source: brooklyntweed.net via Melissa on Pinterest

If you guessed brown, you're right. I managed to convince him that it would look great in a nice light grey but he claims that he has too many grey sweaters. Oh hunny, you're grey hoodies wouldn't be the same as a grey hand-knit sweater!

I smell a Christmas present right here. Which is a good thing cause Brett is surprisingly hard to shop for (he's one of those Dads that don't need or want anything) and I've already been wracking my brain for present ideas for him. Luck is definitely on my side here cause I'm the one organizing the group Knit Picks order that I'm doing with my knitting group. I haven't submitted our order yet so you better believe that I'm going to add to the list some yarns to make these two patterns with!

I have yet to knit a Jared Flood pattern (other than the Turn A Square hat, and I do have Stilwell high up in my queue and yarn ready and roaring to go for it), and I have yet to knit a garment in a size much larger than mine. I take great solace in knowing that both of these patterns call for worsted and bulky weight yarns and not the fingering weight that I'm used to. Add the fact that both patterns are seamlessly knit in the round and I'm laughing. These should be relatively easy and somewhat quick knits.

Actually, fingers crossed that they will be.