Pete has seen the size of my knitting "works in progress" stash.
He knows that I am currently working on a baby sweater, a stuffed mouse, two pairs of socks and one vest - and that I'm about to cast on some long-overdue gloves for my dad.
He also knows that the sweater I cast on for him in North Carolina (yes, that was in 2010) is off the needles but still not wearable. (There will be sharp scissors, a nervous expression, and a huge leap of faith by me before that day comes.)
And in his words he didn't want his new hat to get lost in my que.
So he knit it himself.
Pete has been knitting as much as me in the past few weeks. Perhaps more. And unlike my slow, methodical progress over many years from hat (to hat, to hat) to mittens (to mittens, to mittens) and up in complexity, he chose a moderately complicated pattern for a beginner and dug right in. (The pattern is here.)
He's fearless I tell you.
I didn't even know how to do the cast on the pattern suggested, so we learned it together. (Old Norwegian in case you were wondering. Thank you, YouTube.)
Pete has his own knitting personality.
He doesn't make a gauge swatch. he makes a "Montessori swatch". (Yes, he made it up.) Basically he knits his gauge in the round, expecting that maybe it will become something functional in its own right. (Get it, education geeks? Montessori swatch? Heh.)
He swears and fake swears at his yarn. A lot.
And he's a wicked fast learner.
After his cowl and hat were off the needles he moved on to fingerless gloves and is talking about how he would like to make them again but modify the pattern so that the fit is customized. I'm guessing he will.
As for me, I'm just stoked to have such a bad-ass knitting partner. We have a guy friend who calls texting or otherwise messing around on his phone "man-knitting".
But this version of "man knitting" - oh, yes - I so much prefer.
P.S. Here is a post I wrote about Pete a few years ago. He's so much more than a knitter, you see.
Love you, babe. x
