I just finished my second hand knit sweater (for other knitters, here's the Ravelry page)! I came across this yarn on clearance, and it's a blend of wool and nettle. One of my very favourite fairy tales is "Six Swans" (you can read it here if you'd like), in which a sister has to make six sweaters out of nettle (or sometimes other wild plants, depending on the version), without speaking or laughing for six years, in order to save her six older brothers from an enchantment that turned them into swans. Juliet Marillier wrote a beautiful adaptation called Daughter of the Forest, and I've read several neat short stories based on the tale as well. So when I saw this knitting pattern, with its swans across the yoke I absolutely could not resist the idea of knitting swans out of nettle! (I learned just last year while reading Women's Work that people did used to make woven cloth out of nettles, treating them much like flax to get linen out of it, but of course for most of my life I've imagined the pain of spinning the nettle plant as it's found in the wild.)

This is definitely a more casual sweater, what with the cheerful pink colour and swans and thicker yarn, but luckily I lead a casual life! I've worn it with trousers a couple of times, but yesterday I decided to try styling it with a skirt. The swans emphasise my broad shoulders, so I tried to add some extra weight to the bottom with leggings, and then bookended/echo the cream swans with a light pair of socks. I'm not sure I was entirely successful (clearly I need to wash these leggings so they stop wrinkling at the knees! lol) this time, but I'm looking forward to finding some good combinations with it. I hope it's not too juvenile; the yarn wasn't available in any flattering neutrals, hence the pink. I think next time I knit a sweater with animals on it, I'll probably stick with all neutrals to balance things out.

It was quite cold outside yesterday afternoon (12 F/-10 C with a wind chill of -6 F/-21C), so for my walk I bundled up in snow boots, my sturdy vintage coat that kept me perfectly warm (another victory for wool!), and more handknits in the form of a hat and mittens (I really ought to knit another pair; I'm wearing these almost daily now!). I popped Thistle into her sweater before taking the outerwear photos so you guys could see her bundled up too. This is a cashmere sweater I made for her by thrifting a large men's sweater, felting it just a bit in the machine, then cutting off the sleeve & cutting a couple leg holes (easy & cheap). It works well, but I think I'm going to have to knit her a sturdier sweater/jacket to layer over it on days as cold and snowy yesterday! Luckily she's adapted to the cold & happily frolicked around the woods for about an hour without any complaints.

All feedback welcome as always.