On the bandwagon

There seem to be some things that every knitter knits at least once. A scarf, a hat, a sock, a baby surprise jacket. And until one has knit those things, one may be faced with many crises of self doubt - am I a real knitter? Can I call myself a real knitter when I haven't knit (fill in the blank)? In almost every case, the answer is yes, you are a real knitter, even if all you've ever made are garter stitch scarves. That notwithstanding, it can be deeply satisfying to knit those items that seem to make "real knitters."

Now, I've never really questioned my credentials as a knitter (at least, not much), but that hasn't kept me from feeling woefully left behind a time or two. Like when it seemed everyone in the blogosphere was on Ravelry and I wasn't. And I'm still sad that I missed the Tulip Jacket rage. But I did recently knit one of those "everybody knits it at least once" items. I made my first baby surprise jacket:


It's knit out of Baby Ull, held double on size five (I think, it was a while ago) needles. The buttons are the small bear buttons from Schoolhouse Press.


The pattern is delightful and ingenious, if a little hard to follow at first. And I don't know that it's possible to say enough wonderful things about Meg Swansen's video guide. All in all, it was great fun to knit, and I'm sure I will knit many more in my time as a Knitter.