Jeff’s Story

Omgosh...I love knitting for Jeff. He is so cool, chill, and laid back. I knew right from the start that whatever I created would be perfect in his eyes. So I took advantage of this rare opportunity, and used this project as a template in which to try new techniques, and to be ok with however it turned out. 

Jeff’s favorite color is red. Everything around him is red. Red, red, red. So choosing yarn was super easy. The pattern on the other hand was slightly different. I had shown him Dave’s sweater and he said “I want one of those!” I was totally cool with that. But not wanting to knit the same pattern I used for Dave, I decided to create this sweater differently. 

I bought a book in Toronto called “The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns” but had never been courageous enough to use it. It’s a book of charts, an explosion of numbers. It reminded me of a calculus textbook for really smart people. It didn’t make sense to me all, but knowing it would teach me more about sweater construction, I gave it a shot. 

In order to create a raglan sleeve, cardigan V-neck from this book, I had to begin at one section of a chart, then jump to another, then back to the first, then to another. It was kind of like following a road map in a foreign country. It took awhile to wrap my mind around these numbers and visualize what they were telling me to do. But I didn’t let that deter me from staying on course. I took my time, really thought these charts through, and allowed them to educate me along the way. 

I give the final product a solid B-. It’s not the best garment I’ve ever made, but it’s still super cute. And Jeff loves it. He was so excited the night I gave it to him. He instantly wrapped himself in it, proud to be it’s recipient. He wears it a lot, warming my heart each time I see him in it. 

I learned a lot from this sweater. The first being that I’m not wild about creating a sweater by knitting together numbers from a chart. You will get from point A to point B, but the charts don’t allow for any sort of shaping, resulting in a slightly bulky and unpolished fit. I also learned never to add new yarn in the middle of your work. It will end up exposing tails when the garment is not in use. And no one wants that!!!

But of all the takeaways from this sweater, I think the most valuable skill I learned is to stop putting such harsh expectations on myself. I enjoy striving for perfection, but when I don’t achieve it, it’s tough for me to see past what I deem as flaws. To Jeff, there are no flaws in this sweater. He doesn’t look at it and see its slightly exaggerated size, or exposed tails like I do. He appreciates it for what it is...an act of love and generosity. 

It’s been nice to watch him love it so much. Seeing him wear it has really helped me appreciate myself more, both as an artist and as a person. It reminds me to let go of the impossible idea of perfection, and to keep my focus on the true intention of my work. Which is to fearlessly step beyond my comfort zone, and create magical knitted pieces that express my love and appreciation for the people I care about. 

In the end, the Universe had a different plan for this sweater anyway. About a month after I gave it to him, he went on Keto and lost 30 pounds in record time. It went from being a bit bulky, to way too big in just a few weeks. Maybe next year I’ll recycle the yarn and return it to him as a one size fits all, perfectly imperfect red blanket!!!