Dinky Manor

I just spent the last hour unravelling a sweater vest I made seven years ago so I could harvest the yarn for another project.

I know. I know.

My April Crafty Crap Challenge is to complete as many unfinished sewing and knitting projects as I can, not add to my yarn stash.

But one of my big OCD Tweaker rules that I live by in order to keep Dinky Manor free of clutter is the “1 in, 1 out rule” for clothing. Since I never manage to live in a house with decent closet space, this rule actually helps me maintain a well-edited wardrobe full of clothes that all get regular wear. Any time I add a new garment, something of equal bulk has to leave my closet.

I love Fiesta’s hand-dyed Watermark yarn. It’s really beautiful. I fell in love with the yarn at the knitting store and convinced myself that it was just the florescent lighting that made me look terrible when I held the skein up to my face. Ooooh. It is so gushy and soft.

I bought enough skeins to make Stephanie Japel’s sweater Boob Holder. Watermark is so nice to knit with.

I looked terrible in the Boob Holder. Perhaps it’s because, unlike Stephanie, I have no boobs. Then I saw Stephanie’s actual sweater on Vickie Howell, the adorable host of the show Knitty Gritty. It looked like hell on her too.

I blamed the pattern. Even though the pattern is free, and beloved by busty knitters everywhere. Because how could such beautiful yarn be at fault?

Also, since, the Boob Holder was a convenient fall guy (fall sweater?) I had no problem ripping apart the entire sweater and reknitting the yarn into an old school sweater vest.

The sweater vest fits me perfectly. Every time I wear it someone asks me where I bought my cute vintage sweater. Everyone loves the yarn.

I can count on my fingers how many times I’ve actually worn this sweater. Because I look terrible in it. It’s me. I can’t blame the Boob Holder pattern. I can’t even blame the yarn. I still think it’s gorgeous. It’s still gooshy. It’s still fun to knit with. Alas, the Caribbean color way just makes me look a little green around the gills. Not a flattering look.

So, the sweater vest has been purged from my closet and will rise, phoenix-like from my knitting needles as a birthday present for my husband’s oldest sister. She’s blonde and blue-eyed and looks fabulous in sea foam green and aqua.

So I don’t feel so bad about adding yarn back into my craft crap stash or tearing out hours of knitting work…again.

Another thing out of my house + handmade gift + no money spent = total win for me.