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January 12, 2006
Con Mis Propias Manos*
The rumors are true, Zippy has been resurrected! I knew I wanted to knit Jason this sweater, but even as the weather grew cold I just could not bring myself to go back to the Smart Superwash I started with last year. It felt too scratchy to me, and doubling it made for too stiff a fabric. Once I allowed myself to start considering other yarns, the solution was clear: Manos. It's the yarn the pattern calls for, the color selection is awesome, and -- to be honest -- Jason deserves fabulous yarn. Especially for his first hand-knit sweater!
I dragged Jason to Wild & Woolly in Lexington, MA on New Year's Eve to pick out his color. He walked in, looked at the wall of Manos and almost instantaneously said "That one." Ah, to be a guy and decisive about garment colors.
Now I know that people in the Boston area -- including me! -- have mixed feelings about Wild & Woolly, but I went there because I knew they had a particularly wide selection of Manos. (And there is a limit to number of stores I can drag Jason to in one day.) They didn't have enough of the color he picked, so I ordered it. This is when I learned the real advantage to getting Manos at W&W: the Manos distributor is in Lexington, so I got a call the next day that my yarn was already in! Hurrah!
Has anybody ever received their Manos like this? It's 10 skeins, lashed together with three pieces of yarn. I wish I'd put something in that picture for scale, because it's an enormity of yarn. I was actually a little sad to take skeins out to start knitting. (A very little. It is Manos after all.) My only complaints? It catches and splits very occasionally on my needles, and the thick-and-thin took a bit of getting used to. But the color variation and general squooshiness of the yarn more than makes up for it. Yum.
Oh, and one more thing! Alison made me out to be some kind of knitting over-achiever, having arrived with four inches of work before she even started. What she graciously did not mention, however, is that on that very same night (after a long conversation on what "lightly blocked" means) I re-measured my work both with a measuring tape and around Jason's waist only to find that I had no choice but to rip it all out and start again with smaller needles (9s this time). I've done that, and am on the right track now gauge-wise... but I'm sure I've got some catching up to do!
*With My Own Hands
Posted by shannon at January 12, 2006 12:04 PM | For related posts: For Jason, Zippy
Comments
Que bonita! I love it! I also have 4 skeins of Manos in red, and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I'm thinking a vest - I've been wanting one for awhile. Happy Knitting!
Posted by: Carla at January 12, 2006 5:42 PM
The Manos is lovely! He will love his new cardigan.
Posted by: Wanda at January 12, 2006 6:41 PM
An indication of how eagerly I'm anticipating the cardigan: I was sick as hell the morning that we journeyed to Wild and Woolly, but I stuck it out!
Posted by: Jason at January 13, 2006 11:30 PM
great yarn and color choice. i used that color to make myself the Lace Leaf pullover, which i love.
Posted by: lynette at January 14, 2006 4:34 PM
That is a beautiful,beautiful yarn. I cannot wait to watch how the sweater progresses.
Posted by: emmy at January 16, 2006 11:39 AM
I love the Manos! I'm making that sweater for Scott in the chocolate brown colorway. Isn't it amazing how that yarn comes!? I love it :) Manos does ship next day to most of Mass, which makes it especially nice when you order large quantities! I think you'll have enough left. I started with 9 skeins for the 42" size and have one sleeve just about done and 4 balls I think left.
Posted by: Dani at January 16, 2006 3:37 PM
Hey, I'm making the zippered raglan as well. Not in Manos, but Malabrigo, but I totally wished that I could have gotten all my yarn in one GIANT skein like you did. I'm ending up with a bit of color variation from skein to skein that I hope isn't too unbearable for my fiancee. good luck!
Posted by: Jen the Knittinspaz at January 18, 2006 4:56 PM