When I learned to knit the second time, I made a sweater for El Jefe. Being in college at the time, and it being the '80's, I only had access to yarn from GC Murphy. I knew he liked blue so I paired it with a lovely shade of angry red. Did I pay attention to that little voice in my head saying "uhh, do these colors REALLY go together?" Nooo. Did I swatch? I hadn't even heard of swatching. I only knew I could knit in a straight line and that El Jefe was tall. So I made this monstrosity of a sweater. Note the giant stripe that accentuates the middle! See the long, long arms that dangle like unwanted bell pulls of terror! Observe the boatneck with fear!
But it was my first sweater and I had made it myself. No pattern, no help. And this is why I love El Jefe: when I presented this sweater to him, he tried it on, doubled the sleeves *up to his armpits* so they wouldn't drag on the floor, and promptly announced that he thought it was great. It was so clearly not a good sweater that even I realized he should take it off *immediately* so as not to interfere with his natural coolness.
I found it stuffed in a closet when I visited my parents at Christmas. So I took it home and promptly began to unmake it.
Maybe the little brewers need sweaters...
