lil red sweaters

This evening I could and potentially should be doing one of many of the following: cleaning the kitchen, laundry, canning bone broth, making date balls, assembling and cooking a squash casserole, figuring out what to do with a crap ton of mystery peppers, reading one of the many amazing/insightful books we have, cleaning and organizing my office/craft room, making a Waldorf baby doll, sewing pants for Akilah, or crafting one of the many more things I have pinned to my "Make" board of Pinterest. And the list goes on and on and on...

Instead I am sitting in an almost dark, breezy room, listening to the fall crickets (I really have no idea what they are, but they sound like crickets so I am just going to run with that), and knitting a little red sweater for Akilah.

Now this is not just any little red sweater, it is:

1. The first sweater I have ever attempted. - I have been knitting on and off for ooooh 19 years. After knitting hats, scarves, blankets, shawls and more scarves for that long, I was ready for a change! And a challenge.

2. I actually started this sweater last December for Akilah for her 3rd birthday. It obviously never amounted to much... Last week I picked it up again, but could not remember where I left off, so I took it apart and started over. And then proceeded to need to start it over 2 more times because I kept messing up. Now I have hit my groove and am about ready to divide for the sleeves!

3. Probably one of the last things I will knit for awhile with brand new yarn. Damn, yarn is expensive (especially when a little someone will eventually grow out of whatever I make and the chances of us shrinking, accidently felting, ruining said garments is actually pretty high)!! Plus the obvious - there are so many sweaters already out in "material rotation" waiting for homes. For the yarn of course... This past weekend I went to the Clearance Center (Goodwill. Big bins to sift through. Pay by the pound. Amazingness.) and thrifted a few sweaters for their yarn. Go me. Lots of knitting projects ahead. I love autumn!

4. This project is also my lovely nighttime relaxation activity! I am still being productive while avoiding the aforementioned "to do list". It is also a perfect thing to do while sitting and listening in meetings (such as while I sat in Staff Forum today.)

So yes, I WILL finish it by Halloween (much sooner at the rate I am going) so that Akilah can be a ladybug.