New Year's Eve Dreaming and Scheming

Every year my DH and I spend our New Year's Eve with a fire in the fireplace, some lovely appetizers and a bottle of champagne. We dream and we plan things for the future. It is the perfect way for us to spend the evening. When the kids came along, they became part of the evening here and there - this year while #1 son chose to play on the Xbox for a while Miss America joined us and started looking through a book I had picked up at the library - Nicky Epstein's Block By Block. The book as a series of blocks which you can knit up and then make blankets or sweaters - while it wasn't my cup of tea, Miss America saw a block with three ruffles and got inspired.

Here's her New Year's Eve dreaming and scheming...first she sketched up some of the blocks and how they could work in a sweater. Then she broke it into good ideas and rejects.




















Once she settled on the ruffles, she sketched up the sweater she wants me to make. We had a discussion of color (the DDP is her signature color of Deep Dark Purple). Notice in the top right corner she signed the sketch with her fancy designer signature. We also discussed yarns...first she asked for cashmere. After I got over choking on my champagne, I told her the sweater with ruffles which EATS UP yarn would cost $400-500 in cashmere. I told her we might find a blend with cashmere (she noted it as crappy cashmere - very funny child). I also suggested bamboo which was in the sweater I knit for my sister and came out soft and ruffly.

I guess I have my work cut out for me for 2011! I've already tried to figure out how to do the ruffles and knit it in one piece. This is going to be a fun challenge and so will finding an affordable yarn.

I love that she dreamed and schemed on New Year's Eve in the tradition her parents have for years.