Shalom My Friend!

I finally finished my Shalom Cardigan!


And this is why I love living with mom...
Shhh....she doesn't know I stole the buttons yet!

Queen of Kitchener

I finally got up the nerve to do the tubular bind off on the collar part of my sweater. It's basically kitchener stitch, but crazier because there are about 300 stitches. I'm cheating a little bit. You're supposed to do 2 rows of double knitting (it's in the video). I pretty much just started slipping the knit stitches onto one really long double pointed needle and the purl stitches on another. So here's the picture...You can see my double pointed needles, the rediculously long piece of yarn on the darning needle, the circular needle I used to knit the dang thing and about 20 stitches cast off. Since taking the picture I have 80 stitches bound off and it's looking much nicer. I actually think doing it more like kitchener is easier than trying to follow the instructions for the tubular bind off. Theoretically I'm getting the same effect. It's really stretchy and looks nice! Although it's tempting to stay up and knit, I have to get some sleep. I'm way too tired lately.

Procrastinating

I've got Thanksgivingitis. I dont' know what grad students have to be at school today. It's kind of stupid. No one else is here and brain is pretty checked out.

There is a chance that knitting productivity is directly proportional to my stress levels. So, convenienly I'm knitting like crazy! I finally finished My So Called Scarf. I finished one sleeve for my Gathered Pulloever Sweater, but then I ran out of yarn. I know I have more, but a big chunk of my stash has disappeared. I probably tried to put it some place safe, but now it's just out of sight. I'd be better off just having a huge pile of wool in the corner of my room to scramble through every time I needed something. Whoever inspired me to organize my stash was an idiot! I've never done any serious cable work, so I took on the challenge of the Estes Vest. The challenge isn't the cabling, it's reading the stinkin' pattern! It's just not real clear and the charts are whacko. From what I hear the i-cord edging is a pain. I'm not looking forward to that. Maybe I'll get to wear it before summer hits. There are some other works in progress, but since they are for other people I'll keep them secret for now. Let's clarify that I am NOT committing to any Christmas knitting!

Last night was knitting night at Barnes and Nobles. We had a nice group. There was a new lady who kept talking about her "Arian" knitting pattern. Cracked me up! What do you do in a situation like that? I wanted to correct her and tell her that I was pretty sure it was "Aran" not "Arian" and that peole might get the wrong idea. Then again she really got on my nerves, so I ended up letting her continue to call it "Arian" and snickered to myself a little more each time.

With all my projects I've run out of stitch markers and today is payday, so I think I'll head to River Knits and splurge on a pack of stitch markers. It's good to be back in the blogging world.

Time to get serious...

I have been a horrible blogger lately. Exciting things are happening! Last Thursday I hit the road before the sun was up and drove all the way to Knoxville by myself. It was fabulous. I visited my dear friends, the Burkholders. We went camping in the Smokey Mountains and Friday morning we all went climbing! Even the kids! Talk about a fantastic trip! Friday night I got to chill out with my Euro-travel buddy, John in Louisville. Getting home was...well...frustrating. Between a speeding ticket (I was seriously NOT speeding...I just didn't know I was still in a construction zone) and all the major roads and interstates being flooded, it was quite an adventure. Got home all the same though.

Monday was my first day of school. Yeah! The research project is going well. My first day was 10.5 hours, but yesterday was a normal day. Well, not exactly. I had to be on campus by 7am. Today I don't have any research-related responsibilities which is nice. My statistics homework is nearly done! Good thing since it's due tomorrow! I have a meeting with Dr. Boushey in a few minutes. Hopefully some of my lingering questions will be answered!

Martin's socks are still a work in progress. Sock one is about 2/3 done. I don't know if I can do the other sock strait away. Might have to work on a sweater for a while. I'd much rather knit sweaters than socks! Of course, someday...some sweet day...I'd like to knit my self a pair! My next sweater pattern comes from the summer Interweaves Knits magazine; the Apres Surf Hoodie. Won't that be fabulous in cashmere? I have 51% cashmere 49% wool in a neutral color. I think it will be perfect for that sweater. The pattern has several concepts I'm not familiar with though, so I might go crazy. Step one: provisional cast on. How hard can it be, right?

Ok...meeting time!

One last thing to check off...

Yesterday a few of us went to Belfast. I really didn't want to go home and have to say that I never made it to Belfast the whole time I was here. They're kicking off a Titanic festival there and a part of the not-so-festive-festival was a free bus tour to the shipyards and around the city. It was actually quite interesting learning about the people who made the Titanic, Olympic and Britannic. We were allowed in the dilapidated buildings that once housed the drafting room where the ships were designed. We walked around the dry docks where the hull of the ships were launched into the water and the dock where the ships were held while they were cleaned and had finishing touches put on. It was quite spectacular to imagine the sheer magnitude of workforce needed to build the ships. I really enjoyed the tour. If you're up towards Belfast I recommend you go. Free tickets are available through the Tourism Information Office and the tour leaves daily at 2pm from the front of City Hall.

Knitting is going well. I've turned the heal on the socks I'm knitting for my swap and hope to have them done by the time I get home. The double magic loop method has gone by the way-side for the time being because it's just not fast enough for me. My so called scarf is now more than 1/3 of the way done and it's really beautiful! I'll have to post a photo soon.

I'm leaving Ireland on Friday and I've said it before, but it's still true...leaving Ireland is horribly sad, but I've got so much to go home to. I'm dying to see my little niece and nephew again. My sister has a new dog, Albert and that awesome new van that I haven't seen yet. Of course there's Baxter who I can hardly wait to start running around with again. Keeping busy shouldn't be a problem! Keeping busy before I leave shouldn't be a problem either. Packing is a pain. (it's my own fault for having too much stuff) Speaking of packing, I better do a bit of that before I head out to lunch.

For better or worse...

Disclaimer, this post has nothing to do with marriage!

Yesterday was such a wonderfully productive day. I was walking all over town running errands. The best part is I got all but one done! I even stopped in a few charity shops and found more yarn. This yarn thing is becoming a bit of a problem. It's to the point that I think I have a stash that would rival anyone else! I've yet to knit anything with mohair, but for whatever reason I really like it and seem to keep buying it. Knitting group was fun. Trish and Harriet and I smushed on one couch together. We had lots of fun knitting and laughing!

I'm starting to get really sentimental about leaving Ireland. I was such a softy last night. Sniffing and trying to hide tears as I looked at all my happy stuff that has to be packed. Then all hell broke loose! Our electricity bill is 90 euro more than usual. I wasn't in Ireland during the billing period, so at least I can't be blamed. Everyone is furious about it. So a huge fight broke out. Mostly between two of my house mates who don't get along that well anyway. I got stuck in the middle. I'm no drama queen, but since I was already a little emotionally charged, and ended up yelling at both my roommates. Pretty sure I even used a few curse words. They weren't having a rational argument. It was so dumb! One of my roommates and I were still friends and laughing at the end of the night. Got the silent treatment from the other one. Oh well, I survived my first major drama queen even. Hopefully it will be the last.

Today I'm busy writing thank you notes to all the people who've made my time in Ireland so wonderful. Better get back to it.

Oh and by the way...I'm officially coming home. March 8th, I think. It's a Friday.

Do I really have to pack?

Mom and John are back home safe and sound. I sent them with quite a bit of stuff and a strange collection of stuff too! Mom's carry-on was full of steins and beer glasses that I've collected from pubs here and there. John's carry-on was packed with those pretty dishes mom and I bought when she was here this summer. Plus, mom had an extra checked bag full of maps and guidebooks and various random clothes and such. Even though mom and John took a bunch of my stuff home with them I still have a lot to pack.

I really enjoy having all the free samples of lotions and such from make up counters and hotels. Unfortunately I rarely end up using them. But I'm too stingy to give them away. So I'm going to try to use them all up! I don't know how my body is going to react to the bombardment of new products, but I'll give it a try.

Yesterday I stopped by the bookstore to buy a knitting magazine to cheer myself up after mom and John left. No joy there, so I checked the knitting books. They had a book called Nursery Knits for only 2.99! I bought a few copies to give away! So exciting! I also got a book called Knitting Patterns for Dummies. It's good actually. Maybe it's because I'm a dummy, I don't know. But I'm working on taking a baby sweater pattern and turning it into a TusaRebecca size pattern. I did some ratio math (thanks to all that GRE studying) and figured out some basic measurements. Now it's just a matter of trail and error. The yarn I'm using is kind of ghetto. It's kind of the color of a green bell pepper and used to be in the form of several really ugly ponchos at a St. Vincent's charity shop. Perfect yarn for testing out a pattern for a cozy sweater that I'll probably only ever wear around the house anyway. I'm having fun with my first pattern design.
I don't know about the rest of you knitters out there, but I can't work on one project at a time. I get too bored. The socks are first priority, but it's nice to have a few other projects to keep me entertained!

It ended up being a pretty busy day considering my plans were to go to the grocery, go home, do laundry and take a nap. I went to Collin's Barracks (aka National Museum of Ireland). They have a nice exhibit about the history of military in Ireland. It's not chronological though, so there was no way to really piece the history together. Maybe I'll go back and try to sort things out. Last night Kevin and I went to see Sons & Daughters at Wheelon's. Great show. Really had a lot of fun. Katharine was supposed to go, but never got around to buying a ticket and it was sold out.

So now I'm going to knit and contemplate how all the stuff in my room is going to fit into two suitcases and one carry-on. Should be interesting.

Sock ripping clarification...

So the socks I was knitting...it was going really well, except that I just didn't like the pattern. It's got an knit to together, knit 3, ssk in the center front of the sock. Maybe I do ssk wrong, but it always ends up bulkier than the rest of my stitches and so it just looked dumb. I thought about finishing the socks for myself later, but I don't want socks that look dumb. That was the kicker. So I ripped them. Now I'm doing a slip stitch rib that's going a bit faster and still looks nice.

And for the knitting stash confessions...
Mom and I bought a HUGE lot of yarn at a charity shop for 5 euro! There's some lovely brown aran tweed and some natural colored wool and beautiful blue and a lot of odd green, plus other bits and bobs. We're talking a ton of yarn! We went to This Is Knit yesterday and I got 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss SoHo to make a My So Called Scarf with. I already have about 3 inches done! Might I put a plug in for Lisa at This Is Knit. She is soooooo nice! Every time I go in there she's all smiley and has loads of ideas and encouragement. I bet she's never mean to anyone.

Magic!

I finally figured out the magic loop method! It's not looking pretty yet, but I have high hopes that if my patients holds I'll make it through another few rows and things will look a little better.

Yesterday I went out to Blackrock to my favorite knitting shop...This is Knit. Lisa is awesome. She's got great ideas and isn't pushy or snobby and has the most scrumptious yarns. Since mom doesn't read my blog I can post this. I bought her a huge hank of wool. Actually it's 55% Bluefaced Leicester Wool and 45% silk. The brand is Fyberspates Yarn from Wales. I also got mom a pair of beautiful Peace Fleece knitting needles. This way mom can knit herself a scarf while she's here. Very fun! Kevin's been bugging me to knit him a hat, so I made him pick and buy his own yarn. The boy has good taste and picked some Mirasol wool that's a wool, alpaca, silk blend.

All my post-flood thank you notes are written and ready to go in the mail so now I have to stop in town and grab stamps and get them in the post. Tomorrow is knitting group, so I'll have an excuse to knit for a few hours and won't feel guilty about it. Very exciting!

Twas the night before Christmas...

Twas the night before Christmas and everything was stirring in our house! We had all the family home plus the Aikens came for a while too! I think it's the most people we've ever had for Christmas. Christmas morning I got to be with Juan and AnnLaura while Aurelio discovered Santa had left him toys! It was great. Of course Aurelio sat in the middle of his new car track with lovely cars and trucks all around and played with a roll of toilet paper. Ah to be one again!

I got some really amazing presents. The best presents are the ones that you would have never thought to ask for but realize how much you want it when you open it! Pretty much every present I got fit in that category! Pretty awesome really.

By the time I gave Martin his socks in progress there was only about 1.5 inches to go before the heel. I got good and started on the heel turn, but now I need a wee little bit of help. I'm going to be selfish and start another project. I want a pair of fetchings to wear with my new red coat. Lime green! Too tired to night, but tomorrow for sure!

(ps...I stole all the photos from AnnLaura and Annie)

Sorry about the red-eye buddy!



Are we hot or what?



Oktoberfest here he comes!



Every boy's dream! This kid's got a very wonderful uncle!

And we have a cuff!

Today I was knitting and studying for the GRE. Ok, studying is a stretch, but I did watch the crossword game show for a while. That has to boost my spelling and vocabulary one way or another!

Look though! A certain someone's socks nearly have a cuff! How on earth this are going to get done by Christmas eve is a real mystery! I'm usinga pattern from the book Sensation Knitted Socks. Haven't exactly chosen the pattern yet since I'm still doing the ribbed cuff. Hmmmm...what have I gotten myself into! Time to hop to it!

p.s. if you happen to know who these socks are for, please don't mention it in any comments just in case that person happens to read the blog!

Here, there and elsewhere...

Well, Mrs. Dietel called tonight! It's time to make angels! Every year since Martin was in Second grade (1990) Mom goes over to St. James and helps the second graders make these beautiful Christmas angels out of white handkerchiefs. Most years since I've been in college I've been volunteered to go help. A bit sad to think this is the last year. Mrs. Dietel is going to retire after this year. She's been teaching 2nd grade at St. James since 1966. At some point she was teaching kindergarten because Tony had her for kindergarten. Martin and AnnLaura and I all had her for second grade. So anyway...mom and I will go tomorrow and smile sweetly at all the little children and try to quickly figure out which ones are bad! We must be absolutely mad, because we give each child a needle and let them sew lace on their angel. Some little second grade boys just weren't meant to have needles in their hands! Towards the end Mrs. Dietel usually plays the piano and the children since a song from their Christmas program and generally I'm reminded that I don't have the patients to be a second grade teacher!

My knitting projects are getting a bit out of hand. I can't seem to work on just one project. I finished a pair of flip-top mittens the other night and they're ok. Not great, but kind of cute. The pattern seems to be a bit odd. Next time I'll use a different pattern. I started the Intricate Stag Bag the other night because I found the perfect yarn for it here at mom's house. I'm using navy as the main color and a natural oatmeal color as the contrasting color. I got about an inch done and haven't gone crazy yet. Mind you this is my first fair isle project. Might not have been the best one to start with, but there's not point in taking it easy. Then of course I'm still working on that Irish Hiking Scarf. I think it's about half way done. And tonight I got a bee in my bonnet to start a pair of fetchings for a friend of the family who I love. I don't know when I think I'm going to get this all done. I should only be working on the Christmas knitting, but I want to do it all! Annie...we need to sit and knit!

It's been a blessing and a curse going through all the yarn here at mom's house. Mom had the bright idea to get me giant zip lock bags so I could organize it better. Today was the day for that. Kind of fun to go through. I'm super excited because I found some black and gold yarn! A skein of each! Now I can make a pair of Purdue Boilermaker fetchings or something else lovely!
I have a new (well...new to me) red wool coat that I'm excited to make some accessories for! This is where the curse comes in! I want to knit everything RIGHT NOW! There are only so many hours in the day though. Alas alas!

The crazy life I live...

I've actually gotten work done today! It's not easy getting back into the pace of things, but it's happening. This project will get done!

So this whole Ravelry thing....oh my goodness...one could spend all day entering in information. I have a feeling that once you get going it's not so bad, but it's going to take a serious chunk of time to get everything entered in there! I don't know how everyone else has done it!

I have some beautiful yarn that's turquoise with a thin black thread of what might be mohair or something else fuzzy in it. Let's face it, I'm not a fiber expert and the yarn doesn't have a label. Looks like there might be as much as 300 grams or so and it's about 2 ply. I think it would make gorgeous socks, but there's so much of it that I think I might be able to do something else. I'm hereby asking for suggestions! If you know of a pattern please post it to me! I will take the wool to River Knits tomorrow to see how much of it there is and will post that later. I'll post a photo too. Please though....give me your suggestions!

Another addiction I have is dishes. I love dishes. I said I don't collect anything in my questionnaire, but I lied....I collect dishes. I'm only 27 and i don't even have my own place to live and I have at least 7 sets of dishes. They're all nice too. I've been collecting the white milk glass with the grape pattern on it since I was probably 6 years old. I have trunk fulls of the stuff. Ok, trunks and boxes and tubs and bins! I LOVE Fiastaware! Have a combination of new and old. Most of my dinner plates are new...blue and green. But I have dessert plates and tumblers and serving dishes in all the other colors! I have Christmas dishes (maybe two sets, so I suppose one set is going to my big sister). I bought dishes in Ireland that I think are from the Basque country. Can't wait to have a tapas party with thouse! Mom had a set of awesome retro dishes with concentric circles in orange and yellow and brown. Trust me, they're cool! and I finally fell in love with a China pattern. It's Grace China Formal Garden Pattern. I bought a set at an antique store. Actually my mom did...it's my Christmas present! So there you have it....I confess...I love dishes!

Getting Settled In...

This is the first I've gotten to check my email since Thursday morning. Funny how attached we are to technology. I don't even have a cell phone right now. I'm going to remedy that situation though here in a little bit. I'm enjoying a lovely cup of coffee at Cafe Vienna....my favorite coffee shop at home! The only thing is the side area is under renovation. They have these dumb murals of sea side scenes. I dont' like it. It looks...well....dumb and it doesn't fit with what I think of when I think of any coffee shop. Maybe a tacky Italian restaurant, but not a coffee shop.

Exciting news....I GOT RAVELRY! I don't have time tonight to get things set up, but I'm excited about getting that going one day in the not so distant future.

I also have been raiding my mom's stash. She has some really beautiful yarn. I found some Irish wool....maybe 800 grams of orange (a bright, but pretty orange) and about 500 grams of blue. There's some other lovely wool yarn, but not in large quantities. Enough for scarves and mittens and hats and things like that though. I also got to look through all her needles that have been picked up at thrift stores here and there over the years. I found a new set of bamboo double points that are a nice brand. I just can't remember the brand right now. Ah, man....I can't remember the brand of the other beautiful wooden needles I found either. Drat! The most special needles I found were dark wood with decoratively carved tops. Turns out they were my Great Aunts! I love having a pair of really special needles!

Mom and I went to River City Knits...the local yarn store. They have a beautiful selection. I'm looking forward to going back to find a special yarn for my sock pal. I saw some that I think I want to get for her. I'm excited! Speaking of my sock pal...I've almost finished a pair of socks for fun/slash practice! Good news! They're going to fit me! I was worried I'd mess something up and they wouldn't, but they will!

I've got to go sort out the cell phone situation so that I can be in the communicating world again.

Sock it to me questionnaire...

I'm doing my first sock swap and I have to answer theses questions.

1. How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? My mom taught me to knit a few years ago. The only reason I thought it was cool was because I found out Julia Roberts knit sweaters on the movie sets. Mom came over to Ireland to visit me this July and I relearned. She dragged me to knitting club and I'm hooked now for good. I'd say I'm intermediate. Definitely not advanced yet, but past the beginner stages I think.
   
2. How long have you been knitting socks? I've not been knitting socks long. I've done a lot of practicing. I've started the toe several times. I can't say much about the socks I'm knitting now or else some one's Christmas present wont' be a surprise. Any of you who are thinking...man I hope she's not knitting my socks...relax...I promise I will send you a great pair of socks!
   
3. What are your favorite fibers to work with? I like to work with wool or wool blends. I suppose I'm an amature when it comes to fibers.
   
4. What is your favorite color? I like the colors of autumn...red, orange, yellow, brown. I also really like pink. I'm going to cut to the chase on this though...I think we're basically saying what color socks we want by saying our favorite color. I love surprises and will be happy with whatever you choose! I like wearing rich colors. Not really into pastels all that much. Still...I can't imagine being disappointed with anything you pick.
   
5. What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? Currently I'm knitting something small for my new niece. I can't say exactly what it is since sometimes her mommy and daddy read my blog!
   
6. Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). I knit a sweater with Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in a taupe color with raspberry accents. It was lovely to work with. I would like to knit sometime out of a naturally died, hand spun yarn. Sounds so elegant!
   
7. What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. Anything that feels like it's been made of recycled soda pop bottles! I don't really like the trendy eye lashy stuff either.
   
8. What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) Baxter is the most wonderful dog in the world! He's the real man in my life. Ha Ha! I have a wonderful family, but no husband and no children of my own. I had a cat - Jack - who my mom adopted when I moved to Ireland.
   
9. Name some of your hobbies. I really enjoy outdoor sports and activities. I like cooking and eating good food. Wine has become more of an interest and I like trying different beers too. I also enjoy board games. I'm moving back home on Wednesday and look forward to hanging out with my dog more than just about anything. He's my pride and joy!
   
10. Name some of your favorite movies? Little Miss Sunshine, You've Got Mail, Once
    
11. Do you like to read? I wish I enjoyed reading. I try to read books on occasion, but I can't remember the last book I actually finished. Magazines are nice because you don't need a long attention span for them!
    
12. Do you collect anything? That's actually kind of a hard question to answer. I suppose I'd say no, but my guess is other people might disagree. I like kitchen gadgets. Especially if they are red. My yarn collection is growing. I suppose I have lots of stuff that could be categorized as a collection, but I still don't count it as one.
    
13. Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? I'm an ipod nano girl.
    
14. What are your favorite type of knitting needles? I have a set of Addi turbo circular needles that I find delightful to work with. I like the colorful nylon/plastic needles though. They're so cheerful!
    
15. What knitting notion could you not live without? Stitch markers. On one surf trip, I forgot stitch markers and ended up ripping a receipt into little strips and twisting them around my needles.
    
16. Who are some of your favorite designers? I have to say....I really like Joelle Hoverson's patterns in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I don't know that I have enough experience to give all the designers out there a fair chance though.
17. Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) I don't subscribe to any knitting magazines, but I do subscibe to Outdoor Magazine. Before I moved to Ireland I had Cooking Light. That's a great magazine!
    
18. When is your birthday? August 25
    
19. Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? Nope...no wish lists.
    
20. Do you have a Ravelry ID? According to antsy....I signed up on November 1, 2007,I am #51769 on the list, 1897 people are ahead of me in line, 7966 people are behind me in line, 83% of the list has been invited so far.
21. If you had a sheep, what would you name it? A boy sheep....Arnold. A girl sheep...Ilene. Those seem like nice sheep names.
    

Knit & Stitch Show

Today was the first day of the Knit and Stitch Show at the RDS here in Dublin. Talk about a little slice of heaven! I'm not sure how I managed to walk out of there without buying any new wool. Well I do...poor student budget and plenty of yarn in the stash! My one little splurge was to take a workshop on spinning silk. Ruth MacGregor taught the class. Lucky for me, I'd used a drop spindle when I was little so it wasn't so new to me. The top-whorl spindle is a bit different though. So now I have a few meters of lime green silk yarn! I bought some more in red and purple. She says if I spin it and then ply it, I'll have enough for a scarf or mittens. I'm thinking mittens. Really bold, colorful mittens!



I haven't talked about my thesis much if at all, but for anyone wondering if I do anything for school...I DO! My literature review is basically done and I'm working on setting up my statistics data base. Joy. I'm still collecting data...I'm the obnoxious person who calls at dinner time to ask if you will participate in my survey. Well, only if you're a breast feeding counselor in Dublin. I'd say most of you are safe from my call! I have two calls to make tonight. Maybe a few more if I'm lucky.

New Addiction...

I've started knitting. Actually, Mom taught me to knit a few years ago, but I never really got into it. She taught me again when she was here in July. Since then I've been going to knitting club on Tuesdays in Rathmines at Cafe Moda. Laugh all you want, but it's great fun! I've gotten to be friends with this really cool girl named Harriet. She's a super knitter. I bet there's nothing she can't do! The rest of the gang is hilarious! Several of them have blogs that they actually keep up to date and last night they inspired me to be better about blogging.

Here's my attempt at upgrading this blog from a simple travel tales blog to a real, updated, open to the public blog. If you look to the right, you'll see my works in progress (WIP) list with photos. I've also added a list of things I've finished. My little brother has a blog now. Well, as it turns out he's had it for a while. It's an exercise journal type of thing. All you have to do it look at it to see I have the most physically fit brother on this planet. He's a stud. He's also the best foster dad for my precious Baxter. Baxter has enjoyed nearly a year of pampering by my Martin and Annie.

Back to the knitting...I actually knit myself a sweater. I'm going to start calling in "the jumper" though because in Ireland sweaters are generally called jumpers and since I knit it in Ireland...well...you get the idea. That's all for now folks!