Photo copyright: Jared Flood
It seemed somewhat appropriate that my year of all things Jared should begin with a pattern whose name is symbolic of transition. "From the ashes the Phoenix shall rise." I experienced profound loss in 2011 with the loss of my father, but I'm still standing and dreaming big.
All symbolism aside, "Ash" by Amy Christoffers also happens to be a brilliant pattern strangely reminiscent of one of my beloved sweaters from the past--a gray, diamond cabled Benetton sweater I purchased in Venice on my 18th birthday. Given that it's still several sizes too big on my considerably larger post-18-year-old body, I think it's safe to say that I must have looked completely lost in it back in the day. What can I say? It was the 1980s. The entire decade was oversized.
Me and my fabulous knitting posse have been tossing around the idea of "the perfect cardigan" for months now, and when I saw Ash in Brooklyn Tweed's newly released Wool People 2 lookbook, I instantly recognized it as The One. It didn't occur to me at the time, but on a subconscious level, I must have recongized that it offered a sleeker and more modern interpretation of my old Italian flame. So off we went to Fibre Space in Alexandria to gather wool for our dream cardis.
There, I zeroed in on a versatile gray colorway tucked into the corner of the store's fingering weight motherload: Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Stormcloud. This is the pattern recommended yarn, which should be held double throughout in order to add weight and texture.
And just like that, the reincarnation of my teenage Italian love was born. I hope to offer a few progress reports between biscotti breaks and the ocassional Fellini flick.
