I knit so I dont kill people —bumper sticker spotted at Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival For Adrienne Martini, and countless others, knitting is the linchpin of sanity. As a working mother of two, Martini wanted a challenge that would make her feel in charge. So she decided to make the Holy Grail of sweaters—her own Mary Tudor, whose mind-numbingly gorgeous pattern is so complicated to knit that its mere mention can hush a roomful of experienced knitters. Created by reclusive designer Alice Starmore, the Mary Tudor can be found only in a rare, out-of-print book of Fair Islestyle patterns, Tudor Roses, and requires a discontinued, irreplaceable yarn. The sweater, Martini explains, is a knitters Mount Everest, our curse, and our compulsion. I want one more than I can begin to tell you.
