Cabled Riding Jacket (AKA: "My Great Matter")

I'm wearing Teva Durham's Cabled Riding Jacket, that I've come to think of as "My Great Matter."

It occurred to me last Summer, while watching the miniseries The Tudors, that just like King Henry VIII, I too had a "Great Matter." For those of you haven't watched The Tudors, or are not anglophiles, King Henry VIII had a problem he referred to as his "Great Matter." It preoccupied his every waking moment. It was his desire to marry the beautiful Anne Boleyn. A feat impeded by his already being marriage to another woman, Catherine of Aragon. Only the Bishop of Rome had the power to grant him an annulment, which he was not willing to do. King Henry VIII's petitions for annulment fell on deaf ears. So annoying when you can't buy a legal ecclesiastic opinion, when you own an entire kingdom. Life is just not fair.

So how is it that my cabled riding is similar to King Henry VIII's "Great Matter"? Simple. The moment I saw the Cabled Riding Jacket I was captivated by its beauty. I. Wanted. It. But the pattern was all wrong for me. The design was ill suited to my petite body frame; the pattern was not easy to downsize; and all the different cables made reliance on gauge speculative. But I had to have it anyway. So I embarked upon a path fraught from the outset with problems. But my passion kept me motivated and, at long last, two years later, *sigh* consummation. After all that, I do believe I'm happier with my Cabled Riding Jacket than King Henry was with Anne Boleyn. There won't be any frogging in the town square.

The modifications that I made to the original pattern are too numerous to recount. To give you an idea of the extent of "downsizing" that I did to the pattern, I only used 8 out of the 13 skeins recommended for the small size. But I will share with you in broad strokes my knitting tips on how to downsize a pattern:

Knitting Tip: How to Downsize a Pattern

If you would like to make a knitting pattern smaller there are several ways to go about it. First, look at the design elements. If the design has a cable then you can reduce the number of stitches in each cable. For example, in this sweater the cables are written for 5 stitches. I reduced the cables to 4 stitches. You can also reduced the number of stitches in between each of the cable motifs. Or, you can also eliminate some of the cables entirely. In this sweater, I eliminated 2 columns of cables down the back. Another trick is to use a thinner yarn and smaller needles than the pattern calls for. If you study a pattern carefully, you can find lots of creative ways to reduce the overall size.

Particulars: Cabled Riding Jacket, Loop-d-Loop; Mostly Merino (77% Merino & Corriedale wool/ 23% mohair); Sumac colorway; US 8 needles; Modifications: too numerous to recount. I would not recommend this pattern except to a very experienced knitter.

Serendipity

Serendipity is finding a dog that looks good with my new sweater!

Until next time, be well, love well, and persevere on things that matter to you. It keeps life interesting and challenging. No guarantee that it will bring you happiness, though, so chose wisely. Do you have a "Great Matter"? Simcha and I would love to hear yours!