Today my oldest daughter Rebecca leaves for Iqaluit in northern Canada, taking with her husband Jared, 23-month old daughter Naomi, and new baby due in March. She and Jared are considering a post there as assistant pastors. This is appropriate after 4 years of graduate school, both their degrees being in divinity with the idea of becoming ordained Angilican priests. There are not many opportunities for mentoring in the US, so they had to look to other countries. Am I happy with the idea of them possibly going so far away? No. However, I’m proud of them, and must content myself with that.
Since I can’t go with them, I will do what all passionate knitters do when stuck at home while others are off on a wild and exciting adventure…..be it the Olympics or the Arctic: make my own knitting adventure!! So today I cast on 168 stitches on size 2.5 needles and begin a sweater for little Naomi. The hope is to finish the sweater in the 19 days they are gone. Eventually before the new baby is born, I will knit a matching sweater for her as well, but for this trip to Iqaluit, I’ll work on Naomi’s. Into it I will pour my prayers, my wish-I-were-there’s, and my love.
The challenge is going to be this yarn: The light purple is Baby Dale yarn (100% Merino wool), my guage coming out as 6.25 sts to the inch. The dark purple is two kinds of yarn, since All About Yarn in Columbia, MD did not have enough in one brand. They are the Baby Dale and
Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% wool, 33% acrylic, 12% cashmere). The DB yarn guage is exactly 6 sts. to the inch and the yarn is a bit more dense. So how am I going to blend these? There is a plan at least. I will start off with the Dale yarn and knit up to the yolk of the sweater, where there is break in the pattern. Then I’ll switch to size 3 needles, and the DB yarn, decreasing a few stitches. I’ll let you all know how it turns out.
The pattern is #24703 from a Dale Garn book #247. In this pattern is an entire set, but I am only making the cardigans. Thank you for good wishes and prayers for this adventure, but more importantly for the adventure to Iqaluit. (I can almost spell this town from memory now.)