Cromarty

I just finished knitting Cromarty by Army of Knitters.  It’s a gorgeously designed jacket that made me fall in love with knitting all over again.

Right before I started this jacket I finished another and there was just no comparison to the patterns.  I honestly learned something about how to properly construct a pattern by making this jacket.  Each step was clearly written but it was more than that, it was how the design elements made sense and enhanced the piece.  The cables and lace went together beautifully and I only made a few modifications based on my size rather than a flaw in the design.

For once, I actually had the yarn I wanted to use for a project just sitting there softly hinting that it would be perfect and enough of it to complete the project and then some.  I used Berroco Comfort in what they called Beet Root, a beautiful burgundy wine color.  The sweater was knit during a Knit-A-Long with other Army of Knitters fans which created tons of fun and loads of help from others who are knitting the same piece.  It was my first KAL and the experience was total encouragement to do another one.

From the beginning of this project when I first saw the picture of the pattern piece, I just had a picture in my mind of what I wanted to do to show off the finished piece.  You see, my mom has all these wonderful horses and I just couldn’t resist dressing up and doing a little photo shoot of my finished garment with them.   My kids all looked at me funny when I suggested the impromptu photo shoot until I put on the outfit with the jacket and they saw what I meant.  My mother was game for my idea and helped big time.  She has such beautiful horses, I had to include them in my photos.  So, just for fun, we enjoyed what turned into a very exciting couple of hours of dress-up, riding a horse and laughter and giggles meshed together in some family fun.

To pull this off, we had to first catch the horses from the pasture.  As a kid, this would have taken me ALL day, but my mom can accomplish this in a matter of minutes.  Take a look:

Once the horses were caught, we picked Gabby which is short for Gamblin On Smoke. She’s an 18-year-old mare who stands 15.3 hands tall.  She’s a gorgeous beauty who will do anything for us and definitely humored us with our little photo shoot.

I have to admit, we took some funny pictures but I did manage to capture some decent photos of the jacket to show it off.  My little niece had on her new lace up boots so we added her to our pictures.  I have read, to take a good picture, use what you have.  I know we have some incredible tools right here on the prairie for just such a purpose and today I chose Gabby and a cute pair of boots!

The sunlight was just right and the weather was like a sun-kissed hug.  I love days like this on the prairie.  It reminds me that living on the farm is a good place to grow.  It’s a good place to learn and live.

Living here is a unique place.  It is a place where surprisingly you can learn a lot from the simplest creatures and experience life in a way not enjoyed elsewhere.  I love my finished jacket it’s a beauty and was such fun to make.  It’s perfectly divine.

I love how simple it was to make and how complicated it looks.  I love the negative ease and the detail of the lace and cables.  The collar is everything I imagined and the fit of Cromarty makes me secretly wonder if the designer had me in mind.