Knitting for Boys

(today's post was contributed by India.)

My sons are 9 and 15. They only wear T-shirts and cargo pants. My older son rarely wears a coat, even in the winter, despite the fact that we live in northern Vermont. Occasionally, they will wear sweatshirts. So I have decided that it’s time to knit each of them a sweater for Christmas, because even if these sweaters languish, unworn, at the bottom of a drawer, a closet, or worse, in the corner on the floor under the desk, I will know that I have done my best to keep them warm and to let them know that I love them.

But of course I am not doing this simply to be a martyr. Loren, the 15-year-old, actually likes to be cozy, especially if none of his friends are around. The last time I made him a sweater, he happily wore it at home on weekend mornings, though he never, ever, wore it outside of the house. (As it happens, I am at this moment wearing that very sweater, now long outgrown by Loren but perfect for me. It’s very cozy.) So perhaps he will wear it at least on those rare weekends when he’s actually at home and not out with his friends. And if I’m really lucky, he might even wear it snowboarding. After all, up on the mountain in January or February it is really, really cold, and besides he could cover it up with a snowboarding jacket.

Connor, the 9-year-old, is a little bit tougher. Myself, I am always cold. I wear sweaters eleven months of the year. Connor has a higher metabolism than I do, however, not to mention the fact that he rarely sits still, except on Sundays to watch his beloved New England Patriots play football on TV. So that’s my approach: I’ll make him a very simple sweater using the Yankee Knitter Easy Bulky pattern and Plymouth Encore Chunky in navy blue, but I’ll work the Patriots’ logo across the front. (Does anyone have a chart of the Patriots’ logo? I can’t find one on the Internet and I haven’t yet charted it myself.)

Loren’s sweater, which I just started a few days ago (what, knit two sweaters between now and Christmas? Piece of cake.), is based on the Yankee Knitter Roll Raglan pattern but I’m modifying it fairly severely: changing the gauge, working it in one piece from the bottom up, and using 1” of ribbing rather than rolled edges. I’m also using two colors: Plymouth Encore Worsted charcoal heather for the sleeves and clay heather for the body, with each color used for a narrow contrast stripe in the ribbing.

Wish me luck.