Choices...
I feel overwhelmed by choices. Choices that I have to make everyday about big things and little things. Choices about what to buy, what to eat, where to send my kids to school, normal choices that seem to be made exponentially more complicated by the sheer number of options that we have daily. My girlfriend's grandmother had 8 children and I remember mentioning that she must have been very stressed out raising such a big brood. She looked at me and chuckled - stress? She explained that stress is a modern concept brought about by having too many choices. She didn't worry about crash test ratings or what color car to choose from because there was only one available. She didn't worry about preschools or private schools or public schools because there was only one school in town and all the kids went there. She didn't have to choose between fifty billion types of shampoos and conditioners, she bought the one that smelled the best and since she only had 2 to choose from it wasn't that hard to figure it out. It seems like I can't even wipe my butt anymore without becoming paralyzed by fear about what brand of toilet paper to use. I appreciate having different options but I personally become easily overwhelmed by all the different decisions I have to make. Case in point, I bought a citrus juicer a while back from Amazon. Just a simple juicer and I was bombarded with nearly a 100 different models all with little commentaries from random people about the world. I probably spent 2 hours reading about juicers, 2 hours of my life I will never get back. So 4 hours later after breaking out in a cold sweat I finally picked one. Is it any better then the others? I have no idea. Did reading every freakin' commentary help me make a more educated decision? Probably not, it's just a juicer for Pete's sake. A simple choice between juicer a and juicer b would have sufficed, not juicers a - z squared tenfold. Just too many choices, it's a wonder I get anything done at all.
Luckily this choice wasn't too hard to make. I knit this for myself and was surprised to see that it looked much better on my mother then on me. I'll spare you the self portrait. I've yet to complete a sweater this year that has fit me properly, but considering I've only managed to finish two I shouldn't complain too much.
Pattern - Wicked by Zephyr Style
Yarn - Merino Stretch by schoeller stahl in the Whiskey color way purchased a while back from Elann. It's technically a "bulky" weight but I knit it at a worsted weight and the fabric it made felt wonderful.
Modifications - The only real modification I did was the pocket. The pattern called for it to be knit separately and sewn on, that seemed like too much work for me so I knit it in the same fashion as the kangaroo pocket from Rogue. It's rather simple to do and creates in my mind a more seamless look when done properly. If I knit this pattern again - which I surely will I will change a couple things. It's knit from the top down which makes it easy peasy in the finishing department but it lacks some simple shaping. A few short rows in the back neckline would have made it lay better and sleeve shaping is a must unless your arms are the same diameter at the upper and lower portions. All in all it was a quick and fun pattern that I imagine I will knit again one day.
