A Tale Of Two Sweaters

Once upon a time when I was a little girl there was a sweater. It was an heirloom because it belonged to my father first, and so it must have been at least 30 years old by the time I was old enough to wear it. I wasn't very "girly" as a girl, and so I was happy to have a "boy" sweater. In fact, I thought it was the greatest thing. I remember riding my bike to school in it, and feeling like I owned the world.

One day the sweater got a hole in it, and it could not be repaired. It was discarded and not seen again. I've never forgotten that sweater even if it's been 40 years since the last time I saw it.

The best part is on the back.

It lives and breathes again on my sons over 70 years later because of a little luck tracking down a rare pattern – and most importantly – the very fine work of Gamma Rita.

There is so much fine stitch work involved here. It is a thing of beauty.

Those sweaters are even nicer to look at in person. Each of them took a great deal of work from a woman who knows her craft well and had the patience to knit two of them. I hope my boys treasure their heirlooms as fondly as I did mine.

- L.

P.S. No smiling in the pics of the boys, but you get a wag of the tongue from Nate. You'd never know it in photos, but the boys are quite lively and enjoy smiling, laughing and all the regular things. At this point, the main thing is getting them to sit still when they are side-by-side.