The very first thing I ever knitted

Yup. I took a class called "Learn to knit, learn to make a sweater" and every one of us in that class laughed at the possibility. But you know what, by the end of those classes we weren't laughing, we were wearing huge Lopi sweaters that were way too hot & scratchy and we were knitters!

After I finished this sweater I knit an identical-but-smaller one for my son, who put it on, proclaimed it "itchy" [which it was], took it off, and never wore it again. Then I started on an even bigger one for my husband, knit the body of the sweater and 1 sleeve, then got burned out. Put the needles down and didn't knit another thing for about 4 years.

Then one day I saw a fellow hockey mom knitting a scarf while sitting the ice rink and I had a light bulb moment. I could knit something tiny, like a scarf, and it wouldn’t seem so daunting. What a novel idea! So I bought some yarn, picked up my needles and haven't put them down since.

[And no, Dave never did get his sweater.]