Lovemyhusband’s Weblog

   Ok so I decide to knit my husband a sweater for Christmas, mostly because I had been listening to podcasts and some of them mention men’s sweaters and I just really wanted to make one.  But of course when we got married he pretty well told me up front that he wouldn’t wear anything knitted.  Don’t worry it wasn’t offensive.  We are just really honest with each other, and that’s how I think a marriage should be.  It would be much worse for him to pretend to like something to spare my feelings.

   So anyway in the beginning I had decided I wouldn’t make him anything, but then i start hearing stories about how the reason some people don’t like knitted garments and all is because they are afraid they will end up with something in bright colors with lots of cables and bobbles and so on.  hmmm, so boys want super boring stuff.  And this made sense to me cause when i knit my husband doesn’t pay attention, he doesn’t know if its difficult or whatever.  He cant appreciate the work that goes into something.  And I don’t expect him to.  But I still wanted to make something.

   A little more background:  As I’ve mentioned before, my husband is currently in Iraq, so its easy to get some gift knitting time in with no spectators spoiling the surprise.  Unfortunately that also means I’m not really sure what size to make.  My husband is the kind of guy that can gain or drop 30 lbs with no reason.  He’s super tall and last time i saw him, which i believe was in march, he had a pretty average build.  But with the Iraqi heat and the fact that he’s started working out, there is no telling what he’ll be like when he comes home, probably in December. 

  

   So I start thinking about color, and from the podcasts and guys opinions I decide the darker and more boring the better.  So I Tra la la la off to walmart to get some ideas.  And I find some Red Heart in kinda a milk chocolatey color.  Not too brown and not too colorful but dark enough to be wintery.  I think the color name was Cafe.  But then I was thinking, it is for the love of my life, so maybe i ought to get some better quality.  And I’ve got plenty of time so I go home empty handed.  I think in a previous post I talked about going to Michaels Craft Store.  So I start looking around, and it seemed like when i found a color I liked, i didn’t like the fiber, and if i liked the fiber i didn’t like the price, and if i liked the price it was in girly or baby colors.  Sigh

   But my dad happened to be with me and he starts poking around, with his “what about this…. or this”  And I had to explain how much i needed because of course there were some that were the right fiber, color, and price, but not enough skeins.  And then he comes down the isle with three skeins in his hands and says “what about these, they are masculine colors”  And low and behold one of the three choices is Red Heart Cafe.  So I had to get that right?  And really I started thinking that he already told me he wouldn’t wear something knitted so why pour money into something he may not like.  And to make a sweater for him, and I’m making it kinda big, just in case, it was only like $20.  I mean I’ll force him to wear it at least a couple times, and I plan on calling it The Hiking Sweater, because we plan on doing some winter hiking this year.  But if I am lucky and he actually likes it then Red Heart should hold up to machine washings and I can always make him something better next time.

   Oh, I almost forgot, about the color and size.  So since I didn’t know a good size when i got home i started poking around in his side of the closet to see about measuring off of a shirt that I knew looked good on him when he left, and i pull out this long sleeved lite sweater type shirt, and was like, Damn. It was ORANGE. Well to be fair it was like a burnt orange, but still.  I mean I know his fav color is orange, but everyone else said “boring is better, get dark manly colors, guys don’t wear color”  But I still like my Cafe, but at least for next time if I decide to do it again, I have a little more room in the color department.

   Here’s some background on our relationship in case you are curious:
I met my husband almost three years ago, in the end of Aug 2005.  We went out on a date and while i thought he was relatively interesting I decided he was too tall, and I even told him he was too tall for me to date.  An exact FOOT taller than I.  But we talked a little more and I decided to go out with him again.  Mostly because I was dirt poor and kinda hungry.  But then I thought he was pretty cool. So after knowing him about 2 weeks (maybe less, im not sure) and being in the National Guard he was called to do some hurricane Katrina relief in LA. The plan for the boys was three weeks in LA and one week home and so on. So we kept up our friendship on the phone for the first three weeks, and by the time he came home for his first week off we decided we’d not see other people anymore and see where this relationship would take us.  But then during his second three weeks in LA, he started talking about taking a non government contractor job that would pay well but keep him away for long periods of time.  And having tried the long distance relationship thing I told him up front that I wouldn’t do it.  It was too difficult emotionally to have someone so far away and knowing that if they chose they could just break up with you or stop calling and that I wouldn’t have a long distance relationship unless I was married.  So then we decided to do just that. and at the end of his second three weeks we got married on his week home.  He never looked into the contractor jobs and he didn’t go back to LA because he had gotten hurt on his second three weeks and a third trip was optional.  But there you go, our whirlwind courtship and marriage.  We eloped in Eureka Springs, AR.  One of those places were every other business is someone who can perform weddings.  And I count my self lucky because when you marry fast you never quite know what your going to get, but ever since I was young I had a feeling I would just meet someone and it would be fast and somehow I was right.  Of course being an Army Wife isn’t all its cracked up to be.  The other day I got a calendar and of the almost 3 years we’ve been together we’ve actually only lived together about 50% of the time.  And that’s super hard, but when you’ve found the right person its worth it right.  A
   One day a girl I knew said the reason we have such a good relationship is because we never see each other, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, because if she really thought that, then she must have a bad marriage.  But then again most of the people I know have bad marriages, or are divorced and on their second try.  And that makes me appreciate what I have more. And right now I talk to my husband at least 6 times a week, and while I may not get a hug when i need one, i know he’s always there if i want to talk to him. 

   Ok enough sappy crap.  I am so not the over emotional type.  And the whole idea of “romantic” things gags me, but I like telling my story, and while so far no one reads my blog, its good for me, because i have a horrible memory.  So anyways…