I went out to buy new jeans this weekend. A simple thing, really. You go to a store which sells them, you try on a pair or two, and you buy some. Easy. In. Pay. Out. Done.

Well, not so much. First, there’s the genetics thing. Dad is about 6’2″ and Mom is about 5’2″. Guess which of them “won” when it came to determining height for my sister and me? Yep. Mom. Like it would have killed Dad to have given me an extra inch or so of leg, a little more height? But no. I’m just about 5’3″ and shop in the petites section. Which, okay, fine. Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft–two of my favorite stores–both have perfectly good petite sections and usually, buying things like trousers in the correct length is no trouble.

But jeans. See, here’s the problem with jeans. They shrink. Not necessarily the first time you wash them, or the second time, or even the third. But eventually. And then the perfect-length jeans you came home with are an inch above the top of your shoes and simply unwearable in anything other than a flood or–if you’re desperate and stretching matters–possibly over a pair of boots. (Not, I might add, a practical solution during the summer.) And so, I try to shop the regular section, not the petite section, for jeans. Except, of course, different styles have different inseam lengths. So sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Not only that, for whatever reason, as I browsed through the Ann Taylor Loft store on Saturday, different pairs of jeans in the exact same style (and theoretically cut from the same pattern and sewn to the same specifications) were fitting, well, differently. I normally wear a size 6 in pants (don’t ask me how–I wore 10s and 12s for years and then one day, 6s were fitting. I really have no idea). But of this one, specific style I tried on three separate pairs–one pair in a 6 was too big, one fit fine, and one in a 4 actually fit perfectly. A four. There’s no way I wear a size 4! (In fact, I bought this beautiful green jacket in an 8P and it fit perfectly. First try. That’s much more like it.)

Anyway. I ended up finding two pair of jeans to buy. Also that jacket. And, did I mention they were having a “Buy 2 Get 1 Half-Price” special”? Or that I happened to have a coupon in my purse good for a 20% savings off of a sale over $200? Well, it’s possible that I may have bought another item or two or three as well . . . Really, I got a great deal. I love shopping trips like that! Six items for about the price of three of them. I was surprised while putting things away, though–everything was in shades of blue or green. Not a speck of red or orange, gold or brown, or any of the autumn colors I usually gravitate toward. I’m thinking that’s a good thing. (Variety being the spice of life, or something like that.)

There was actually a sweater (or two) that I was tempted by, but I held strong. I try very hard not to buy sweaters I could just as easily (in theory) make. I have no objections to buying myself those really fine gauge, twin-set kind of sweaters, for example. They’re great to wear–lightweight, can be dressed up or down, go with anything–but boring to knit. I’m really not that interested in getting 10+ stitches to an inch. So–buy those. No problem. The occasional other sweater, if it’s on sale for a really good price. Yeah, I’m not above buying one. Sometimes you just want to be warm and looking fabulous right then, not three months from now, after buying the yarn, the pattern, and spending hours in your favorite knitting chair.

But then there’s the joy of making a sweater that just comes out perfectly. Like the one Kersten blogged about this weekend. That sweater is so gorgeous, I think I’m in love. Interesting? Check. Unique? Check. Can be worn for casual warmth? Check. Can be dressed up (say, with pearls)? Check. Cables for interest, but not so bulky they’re going to make you look like you just gained 10 pounds? Check. In fact, the whole design is body-skimming and looks like it would hide any, oh, waistline bulge you were hoping to camoflauge. And the best part? I could buy the pattern (you know, if I were really that interested) for under $4 and from the looks of the Karabella yarn it calls for, could actually use some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in that fabulous, rusty orange, that I actually have in my stash right this very minute.

You know what this means, don’t you?

I’ve really got to get a move on with that Union Square Market Pullover of mine. I pulled it out of the knitting bag to breathe tonight and actually read the next section of the pattern. I’m in luck! I don’t have to deal with scary, short-row calculations until the back is completely done! I’m just at the spot where I need to split for the armholes, and then basically, it’s a straight knit up the back, with just a couple rows worth of short-row shaping at the very top. Four rows, I think, not really enough for my completely-different row gauge to throw things too far off in terms of shaping. Which means I can actually knit this for a while longer before being confronted by the scary math. What joy! Calloo, callay!

And, lest you think less of me for being intimidated by the math, let me just say this in my defense. It’s not just the stitch gauge that’s completely different. (You remember my ranting about this when I started the sweater, right?) It’s also the row gauge, and the shoulders and general shaping on this sweater is being done by short rows. I don’t have the numbers handy at the moment, but since I am getting far, far fewer rows per inch than the pattern calls for, if I were to knit the number of short rows specified, well . . . let’s just say the sweater would be somewhat . . . mishapen. I need to figure out a way to do approximately 2/3 the number of short-rows in the front, all while shaping the neck-flap of the sweater, making sure I get the same number of rows as are in the armholes in the back, and while making sure I end up with the correct number of stitches for the shoulder seams. Do-able? Absolutely. But definitely intimidating. And I’ve been avoiding sitting down with my calculator to figure this out for weeks.

Is it any wonder I’d rather struggle with the unpronouncable but lovely H.H. shawl? But, really, it’s time I stood up to confront this fear. Faced it head-on, just me and my calculator!

. . . Or at least . . . um . . . it will be . . . you know . . . er . . . when I’ve got the back done. There’s really no reason to rush these things . . .

Hey, and, not to toot my own horn or anything, I was actually the first one to comment on Wendy’s post today. Pretty impressive, huh??

Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning // 2 Comments »