I Love Him...but He Can't Touch My Knits!

I love my boyfriend, I really do.  He has his moments, but what man doesn't.  I've come to the conclusion that it's part of the male condition.  They just don't think sometimes.  They throw tantrums.  They yell.  That's just how they deal with things.  However, when I'm about ready to have a meltdown, he's almost always there to keep me from falling apart too badly.

Unfortunately, this is where the story gets sad.  Remember how I was making that entrelac hat?  Well, I finally finished it.  I was so proud of myself.  The end of the pattern was a nightmare.  The hat just didn't want to come together the way it should.  I was pretty miserable.  I couldn't wait until it was done so I could start wearing it.

Of course, I did finish it.  I wore it a pretty good deal.  My boyfriend thought it was cute enough, though, I have to admit, it didn't match anything I had.  Still, I was going to wear it until the end of time.  I'd made it.  It was my first entrelac project and I adored it.  It lived on the floor beside the bed so I could scoop it up and throw it on.  Yes, it was a little too big, since it was made with the wool dreads in mind, but I didn't have them anymore.  Even so, it was perfect and made me happy.  I kind of liked to over-sized feel of it.

One day, unbeknownst to me, my darling boyfriend pulled the laundry together, completely forgetting that I have items that need to be hand washed only.  He threw the hat in there and it went through the wash and the dryer.  This hat went from being just a bit too big to being absolutely massive...as in, out of control massive.  I can't wear the hat anymore.  I don't think I can find a way to make that hat wearable by anyone!  It just exploded!  The hat band is almost twice it's original size!

I have no idea whether it was the bamboo yarn or the washing process.  I don't know what did it to my beautiful hat, but when I realized it, I almost cried.  I loved my hat.  I spent so many hours working on it!  It was absolutely traumatizing.

This isn't the first time my love has destroyed my beloved knit goods.  He felted the outfit I made for my son's first day of life.  He felted a pair of longies too.  It's frustrating.  It's infuriating!  I've come to the conclusion that I need to hide my knitting come laundry day, at least until I can get a washer and dryer so I can start doing it all myself!