Eye Candi



This sweet spring sweater is a Candi Jensen pattern from Interweave’s Spring ’06 issue. It was a joy to make from the simple single crochet to the lace pattern to the embroidery. I needed to make it larger than the largest size given in the pattern, so I chose a larger gauge yarn and hook and added rows as needed for sleeve and body length. I used TLC Cotton Plus (I love that stuff!) and the embroidered flowers are from my stash of seam bias tapes. There’s something wonderful about making things for myself to wear…but there’s something even more deeply enriching that I can’t quite explain in making something for your child to wear. I showed the finished product to my six year old this morning…she quietly touched the flowers and lace. I set it down to continue getting her ready to go out the door to the school bus. She was just about out the door when she said, “Oh mommy, I want to wear my new sweater!” [melt, melt] I’ve been walking a few inches above the ground all day today. It isn’t pride in having made my daughter something. It isn’t even in her appreciation of it necessarily (although that is a boon!). As I was working on it, she asked how long it was going to take. I told her that every stitch says, “I love you” and that it takes a lot of stitches to say just how much I love her. Maybe the gratification in creating something for a child comes from having a tangible way of expressing your love for them and then seeing them wear it like a halo around them, going with them to school, to play outside, to church, wherever…even when I, myself, can’t go with them. Yeah, I think that’s it…tangible, wearable love.

0 thoughts on “Eye Candi

  1. Christy says:

    Hey Jen. I ABSOLUTELY love to check out your new blog entries and I really love the beautiful spring green sweater you made your little one! I could feel the love even just looking at it. Your work is sooo wonderful! Thanks for sharing it with the world.

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