jelly bean

August 17, 2016







I love this little jacket!  My Jelly Bean is based on the free Coffee Bean pattern, but modified (by accident--I wasn't paying attention) and made larger to fit a two year old.  This was made for no one in particular, but will go in my baby sweater stash which was down very low, as in down to none, so with this addition it's up to one.  I feel so much better when I have a few baby sweaters in the stash so I'll be knitting up a few more.  See the circs in in the last picture?  I've collected most sizes of these 16" circulars which I find perfect for knitting sleeves in the round.  Yarn links (Tosh DK and Rowan Superwash Merino), free pattern link (Coffee Bean), and all other details are on my Ravelry project page.

I helped my son man a garage sale last weekend, so I knit this sweater while sitting in the garage.  It turned out not to be a great weekend for us to hold a garage sale, but the date was chosen months ago and that steam-roller of  a pre-planned event seemed unstoppable.  I think I told you that this year I've been methodically going though each cupboard and closet.  Along the way I've been showing the largess to the kids and asking (pleading), "Do you want any of this?"  They took a few things here and there, but the rest was to go to charity until I had the brilliant idea of holding a garage sale, and if my son would man it, he could keep the money made. We both felt we were getting a good deal.  Now that it's over, and I'm SO glad it is over, I think I felt my house heave a sigh.  Houses like to feel clean and un-stuffed, I'm sure of it.

While going through the house I was determined to be unsentimental and practical.  One thing I sold was my hundreds of record albums from the late 60s and early 70s collected when I was a music loving teen.  I lived in Los Angeles and always had some kind of after school job for the sole reason that with the money I earned, I could buy records and have money to go to rock concerts.  The LA music scene was awesome in the 60s.  We had so many great small clubs and big concert halls.  I could zip though one of the canyon roads, usually Topanga or Coldwater, and be in Hollywood in no time.  I'll never forget seeing Led Zeppelin three weekends in a row at the Shrine when they were cutting their second album, even though their first album hadn't been released yet in the states.  They were unknown, and on Monday I'd come back to school and my friends would say, "Led who?"  They loved LA and were there often and when they were in town, I saw them.  I often went to the Whisky and saw The Doors and Buffalo Springfield many times before they became famous.  So this weekend I said goodbye to the Beatles and Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Velvet Underground, Cream, The Who and, and,--but stop me, I could go on forever.  I thought it would kill me, but guess what?  It did not kill me.  Letting go made me realize that it wasn't the things I cherished, it was the memories, and they are still with me. Just ask my husband! When we have the oldies station on in the car I amaze (annoy) him by knowing every single word to every single song and to prove it, I sing along!  Fifty years later and I still know every word to Subterranean Homesick Blues.  How can that be?  Oh how I wish I would have used those teen brain cells to learn a language or two!  (Just in case you are wondering, my son checked each album and a few were worth a little money and went to private collectors before the garage sale, but most had average value.  Even though some were rare and/or first pressing, we found out that condition is important, and my albums were MUCH loved -- if you know what I mean.)  But the thing that made me smile was that the collectors were mostly young people in their 20s and 30s.  They absolutely loved going through my collection, and there I was knitting my baby sweater.  The irony.

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8 Comments

  1. You not only have excellent taste in knitting and yarn, but in music as well!

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  2. We share the same love of 60s & 70s music, I see. The memory pangs you sent have me wishing I could go back -- just for a quick visit. But I guess I can, in a way, and memories tend to be so much sweeter than the real thing. Thank you so very much.

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  3. Adorable sweater!!!! I love the yellow buttons on the red border.

    Carole

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  4. Love the new Jelly Bean. With regard to song lyrics, all of those were faves when I was a teen, but I rarely could make out the lyrics. Now, when I see the lyrics, I am frequently surprised by what is being said. I guess I just loved the music.

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  5. I know they are just 'things' but I think I would have hung on to the valuable ones. How fun that you still had them. Wasn't that the best music? My very first concert was Dr. hook. Oh my. So long ago.

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  6. This turned out fantastic. I love that pattern and I think a larger size is a excellent :)

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  7. I am truly impressed by the details which you have provided. It is an interesting article for me as well as for others. Thanks for sharing such articles here. baby girl Shimmer Padded Coat

    ReplyDelete

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