"The Boyfriend's Letter-Jacket Sweater"....

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One of the things I used to do in high school (but not college because I had my own by then) was to wear my boyfriends' "letter jackets". Now, I can't remember all the particular boys' names but I do remember how I loved their letter jackets. The jacket was always way too big, the sleeves way too long, and it was always emblazoned with umpteen "JV" and "Varsity" patches for whatever sport the guy was involved in---the more patches, the cooler. (You can click on the picture if you want an up-close look.) (Regard the buttonband facings---the durn things drove me nerts.)

(Once I wore a marching band member's jacket (a drummer guy named Denny), a beautiful letter jacket which had musical instrument patches on it instead of sports ones. I did so love to see Denny accidentally fling away a pair of drumsticks in the middle of a song-- but then quickly pull two new ones out of his strap pockets like Pancho Villa pulling out additional guns, and then resume his drumming with nary a missed beat....)

(It was sexy....especially when the song was "25 to 6 to 4" by Chicago...)

(Denny was a nice guy but I think I... um... left him for a running back on the football team, a muscular guy named Carl. It had nothing to do with a preference for either of the two jackets at hand--- but it had everything to do with the fact that the running back had a cooler car and gorgeous big brothers.)

(Huh...I guess I do remember their names....)

Where was I?

Oh yeah. The Boyfriend's Letter-Jacket Sweater.

Anyway, so I knit the thing too big for me---and I made sure the sleeves hang down off my shoulders the same way a too-big jacket's would. And the sleeves are way too long (which are no problem since the ribbing is flexible and snug enough to hang onto my wrists/arms wherever I want.) And I put varsity stripes on one sleeve---but also couldn't resist someone's suggestion to stick some fair isle patterning on the other sleeve.

(I know, I know....letter-jackets most certainly do not ever have fair-isle patterning on them. But they would if I had invented the letter-jacket.)

Then I went to the sporting goods store and asked for all kinds of sports letter-jacket patches. They gave me bunches of them for free! They're not sewn on yet as I am still deciding on placement. And then I put silver buttons on there to resemble the silver of the snaps which close real letter-jackets.

Anyhoo, that's the story of the Sweater-Which-Refused-To-Be-Sock-Monkey.....

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