I had what you could call a good weekend.
My dad and my brother came to visit me, and my house was full of people (4 is pretty much “full” at our place). We also stomped all over Philadelphia, ate cheesesteaks (vegetarian for me, R, and brother Joe, who isn’t vegetarian but is open to new things, and meat-filled for Dad), ate massive Thai dinners, took pictures, drank hot chocolate, drank local beer, baked cookies and played about sixteen hours of Guitar Hero. And while all this was happening, I got to recharge and re-center myself in a way that only happens when I’m around my family. Thanks for visiting, guys, I really needed that. (P.S. It’s a cold day for pontooning.)
It was a nice weekend. And it was improved by the fact that my dad wore the fair isle sweater that my mom knit for him ten years ago. This thing is beautiful. It’s garnered compliments from fair isle book authors at MDS&W. It won a blue ribbon in the Wicomico County craft festival 4-H something-or-other. And yet every time I see it, I’m re-surprised by just how gorgeous it is.

There isn’t really much I can say that would add to the photo, so I’ll just slap up another picture and fawn over it silently.

*fawn* *fawn* *fawn* *fawn*
The funny thing about this sweater is that he never gets compliments on it in public. There was the one errant compliment I mentioned above, from someone who wrote a book on fair isle knitting (whose name Dad has completely forgotten, unfortunately), but other than that, your average guy or gal on the street sees nothing extraordinary about this sweater. It boggles the mind.
Oh, and I also want to add that my mom has knit two and a half of these sweaters. One for my dad, one for herself — a cardigan version in purples and deep rose colors — and the beginnings of one for me.

This one will probably never be finished because the pattern has been lost somewhere in the massive piles of paper and books that swamped our living room for a few years, and because my mom doesn’t knit anymore. I have thought about using Dad’s sweater as a guide and finishing it myself, but the effort and concentration that would take is beyond my capabilities.
But with that inspiration, I’ve redoubled my efforts on my dad’s cardigan. He can’t go through life with only one nice handknit garment, can he? (I mean, he could, but with two knitter daughters he shouldn’t have to.) I’m slogging through the back, which I knit in stockinette to make it go “faster,” but all that really did was make me dread knitting it because it’s so damn boring. But it’s almost done and I’m looking forward to doing the front pieces, which will involve my first miters. Uh, yay?
And further adding to my complete enjoyment of this weekend (weekends continue into Monday for me — don’t hate me, I work very hard the rest of the week), I had a comment from Alice of slippedstitch telling me that I was a blogger who “makes her day” as part of that meme that’s doing the rounds. And to return the favor, here’s a short list of some blogs that I really do love to see pop up on Bloglines (in alphabetical order):
1. A Cold Bright Day in April. Stella knits great stuff and has a sense of knitting-style that’s really close to mine (I don’t think you’d ever catch her knitting a poncho). Plus she’s got chickens!
2. Dogged. You know Ashley, right? She’s smart and funny and knits and sews and makes these stunning quilts and pretty much does everything that a blogger should do without being pushy or showy about it. She’s also one of the first knit bloggers that I read and she continues to inspire me to both blog and knit pretty much every time she posts.
3. Flintknits. I know Pam’s on pretty much everyone’s list, but that’s because she’s awesome. She’s one of the few bloggers I’ve actually met, and I can tell you that she’s just as witty and funny and cute in person as she is on the blog.
4. I May Be Knitting a Ranch House. Sandra is one of the many bloggers on this list whose writing style is instantly familiar and inviting. She’s also got great taste in music and knits some pretty cool stuff. But I’d be totally remiss if I didn’t point out her etsy page: pookeh. I just ordered some earrings from her and I love them so much I’ve been wearing them around the house with my pajamas.
5. Knitting Philistine. Megan is another blogger I’ve had the pleasure to meet in person and she’s got a fantastic sense of humor, which comes through in her blog. Wry, sarcastic, and sardonic, with just a hint of goofiness. And she knits some pretty amazing stuff, too. (Also: Single Sock Swap? Brilliant!)
6. Lickety Knit. Rachel is a blogger who I would love to read even if she wrote about basket weaving or laying linoleum. She’s really funny, and of course, she knits some beautiful things (most recently a couple of sweaters as part of her very productive Year of Sweaters). And she’s a MST3K fan. All the best people are.
7. Pepperknit. Minty is the only person who has ever knit a skirt that actually made me think “oooh, I should knit that.” She’s also a great writer and takes beautiful pictures of her knits and anything else that wanders in front of the camera (people, shiny things, friends, food, etc).
8. Slippedstitch. Is it ok to tag someone who tagged me? It had better be, because I really do look forward to reading Alice’s blog. She’s got a practical take on knitting that is really very refreshing when a lot of blogs go for cute and/or baby-oriented knitting. Plus she writes some of the most interesting and enjoyable patterns out there, one of which was the first pattern from a blog that I ever knit (her clever DNA illusion scarf).
9. Yarnstorm. I know there’s been some controversy around this blog and the book, but I really, honestly love the photos. The lighting is great, the colors are beautiful, and even when the subjects are a little too domestic for me (I am never, ever, going to make a heart-shaped pink marshmallow), I still love looking at them.
10. Zeitgeist. Kate is a grad student (one of many on my blogroll) who somehow finds the time to knit these beautiful socks and sweaters. She’s also a local Philly girl, a contingent of smart and creative ladies who really can’t be over-represented on the internet. Go see her “Cold Hands Warm Heart” sweater — it’s both creative and pretty.
Have a great week, kids.