BTSS 2011 (Eli Version).....

This years BTSS (Back to School Sweater) for Eli was a challenge. Not because it was difficult to knit, but because I didn't know WHAT to knit. Eli's goal in life, when it comes to his clothing, is to disappear. He wears, what I like to call his "uniform." This involves jeans, a t-shirt (long or short sleeved) and a hoodie (preferably a dark colour... blue, black or grey).  He wears the same thing .... every.... single .... day...... and rarely wears the BTSSs I've knit him in previous years, unless I've had a lazy laundry week or he's been specifically instructed to wear the darn things that I've spent so much time on.  I did consider  NOT knitting him a sweater this year, but he was on his big trip with Opa and Cary when I started and I couldn't ask...... so I thought... better safe than "don't you love me as much as Chey?"........

So back to my dilemma..... what to knit for the boy who won't wear it????

1) He needs at least one decent sweater to wear for "nice" days.....

2) He likes video games and would be more likely to wear a sweater with a connection to a video game, but is at that stage of childhood where "normal" and "average" and "plain" is best.... so that means intarsia (knitted colour-work) video game motifs are probably out...... although, perhaps when he comes home one day with his hair dyed blue and his eyebrow pierced he'll make a request for something that makes him stand out and I can pull out the intarsia motifs again......

3) He won't wear anything with even the tiniest amount of wool and I prefer to knit with natural fibres.... so that means cotton

4) I'm tired of blue, grey and black boy sweaters....

This is what I came up with.... a raisin coloured (colour is truest in the bottom two pictures, but even they are lighter than the reality), cotton, guernsey-ish sweater with a Zelda inspired logo pattern (it's called a Tri-Force) in reverse stockinette on the front...... He was luke-warm about the colour, but immediately recognized the Tri-Force symbol and gave it the immediate Eli stamp of approval......

I made Eli put this on over his PJs... hence, his rather unkempt appearance......	and unenthusiastic posing......

Both kids' sweaters are done and school doesn't even start for another six days... do I RAWK or what!? Now on to my next project.... getting one of my patterns written out, knit and published (on Ravelry)..... stay tuned.