Knitting on Honeymoon

The Curse That Haunts Knitters

Knitters whisper about it, knitting magazines debate it, and therapists probably sigh about it: the dreaded Sweater Curse. Legend says that if you knit your beloved a sweater too soon, the relationship will unravel faster than a dropped stitch in lace-weight mohair [1]. Some couples don’t even make it past the initial yoke increases [2]. It’s all a little Mystic!

James & Dr Thomas Tempt Fate

James McIntosh took this curse very seriously. Which is why Dr Thomas (German, charming, and suspiciously persuasive) had to wait until marriage before getting his hands on a James-made jumper [3]. A casual 15 years.

Forget rings and vows—the true test of commitment was whether James would risk his knitting needles for love.

From their home in Peckham (the posh part) South-East London, the newlyweds boarded a train bound for Munich—final destination: Oktoberfest. But first, a honeymoon detour in Northern Germany to the Addi needle factory. Because nothing says romance quite like witnessing the birth of white-bronze Unicorn interchangeable knitting needle tips and Olivewood Click sets.

A Jumper With PROMISE

Standing outside Addi, Dr Thomas pleaded: “Libelling, I desperately need ze hand-knit jumper. And you had to marry me first, otherwise the curse would’ve frogged us ja!” [4]

So James cast on, using PROMISE by WOOLADDICTS from LANGYARNS—a yarn as symbolic as it is soft and ADDI Mystic circular knitting needles. Stitch by stitch, the honeymoon became schnitzel, schnapps und strudel… and 100,000 knitted stitches which are declarations of marital bliss.

McIntosh® #1

The result? The first ever official McIntosh jumper pattern, fittingly named “McIntosh #1.” Designed on a honeymoon train, powered by German engineering (trains and needles), and fuelled by Oktoberfest steins, visiting friends and family along the way - it’s proof that love—and quality Swiss wool—can conquer even the silliest of curses.

The moral? True love survives long train journeys, factory tours, Bavarian beer tents, Strudel for breakfast, and maybe, just maybe — even the Sweater Curse [5].

References

[1] Journal of Lace-weight Emergencies, Vol. 12, “On the Psychological Trauma of Dropped Stitches,” pp. 47–59.
[2] Purlman, K. (2003). Why Raglans Ruin Relationships. SockInTosh Press.
[3] McIntosh, J. (2020). Knititation®: Stitches, Sanity and Sweaters I’ll Never Knit for Boyfriends. London: Spare Room Publishing.
[4] Thomas, T. (2025). “How I Outsmarted the Sweater Curse with Olivewood and Unicorns.” Proceedings of the German Knitting Needle Tourism Society, pp. 88–91.
[5] Anonymous (c. 1950). The Curse, The Yoke, and The Strudel: Central European Knitting Superstitions. Translated from the original Bavarian.

Disclaimer: No knitters, husbands, schnitzels, schnapps, nor strudels were harmed in the making of this honeymoon. Only a few stitch markers were lost in transit.