CROMARTY!October 18, 2004

She is finished. Hot damn, she's freaking done!

Specs:
Pattern: Alice Starmore's Cromarty, from the book Celtic Collection
Yarn: Koigu Kersti merino, in a shade that has defied duplication (trust me on this one)
Needles: 1(US), because I'm out of my mind.
Yarn Provider: The Threadbear Boys. In return for it being a shop model for a while (sadly, during the winter as timing would have it), they provided (most of) the yarn (I felt guilty about my row gauge and bought some of it). So I'll be wrapping it up and sending it out this week. Whew. And I'll welcome her back with open arms (after wearing it just once, today, meeting with Mariko and Marie).

A little bit closer:

I'd show you the back, but it's just more of the same. I tried to get the obligatory lying in on bed shot, but this is all that wanted to show up. The camera kept getting all the squiggles confused.

And a few more friends, because after working on this off and on (as yarn allowed) for eight MONTHS, it's just 'bout time to break out the bubbly. The Double-barrelled Em:

And my new favorite, The Iris:

Because it's a partay, and a BIG one, one simply must have a Whack Rabbit shot (also known as Spirit Fingers Gone Wild, Uncensored):

Yeooooowww!

Comments

[jody]

oh wow! huge congrats! it's gorgeous. beautiful work. i'll bet the kersti feels just positively yummy on the skin.

[Ann]

Z said, "She looks pretty!" And you do, and that is a damn gorgeous sweater...

[jackie]

That's gorgeous!! A serious accomplishment!

[J Strizzy]

"These are not Spirit Fingers -- THESE are Spirit Fingers!" You just keep lobbing me the movie lines, and I'll keep quoting 'em back.

Cromarty is beautiful, dear. Can't wait for it to come back from Threadbear and become a permanent part of your wardrobe...

[Nathania]

You're too damn cute, Rach!

[Emma]

Fan-bloody-tastic !
That's a most beautiful sweater.Great knitting. :0)

[ann]

you look like a right fair lassie in that sweater!

[Vicki]

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! It's GORGEOUS! Love the color and all your pics -- so cute! I'd say it was worth the angst. Hope it comes back to you soon.

[maryse]

as long as those aren't "jazz hands" all is good.

i love the neckline on that thing and those cables look like fun.

i think i have that book by the way. i may have to follow suit, but of course i'll knit it up in crap yarn because as my husband would say, i'm cheap.

[Melanie]

To quote you: WOW!!

The sweater is amazing and looks great on you.

[chris]

Wow . . . no, really, WOW! I love it -- the color, the cables, the poses, the squiggles . . . just freakin' amazing!

[alice]

a. that's a beautiful sweater! quite frankly i didnt dig it that much in the book... but, NOW i do!
b. i love the colors behind you. i'm very much a bold-colors person. my bedroom is yellow and bright purple, my living room and kitchen are blue and green. think crayon colors. yay!

[Evelyn]

AWESOME! So glad to finally see Cromarty...along with all those cables on tiny needles. You must be MAD woman! I'm glad you are crazy enough to tackle this project so that I don't have to! :-) I have enough trouble just weaving in ends when I'm done knitting...

[Kyle]

OMG! That's a beeYOUtiful piece of knitting; you look absolutely Divine! I actually am most excited that your Cromarty is coming to Threadbear--I live 2 miles away from the new shop. I'm waaaayyyy excited to be able to worship your knitting in person.

[Marie]

LOVE It!

[Anne]

Oh, honey, lovely.

Just lovely.

[Sharlene]

Oh my goodness she's a-gorgeous! Well done Rachael. :)

Did you ever figure out if the specs were wrong for the yarn or if you had just underestimated? I've got my eye on doing an AS this winter and I'm wondering if I should over-estimate my yardage requirments.

[Jackie]

That is unbelievable. I must make one. Am I crazy?

[michelle]

Whoo!! Quite an accomplishment and it's bee-u-ti-ful!

[Cari]

Yeooowwww!!!!

Indeed.

[froggy]

that is one gorgeous sweater. the design is amazing and the talent is takes to knit it is even more impressive. well done! and those poses are just too cute!

[Karen]

Wow! That is just beautiful! And on size 1's no less. It looks great on you.

[Emily]

YAY!! It looks great! I agree that yours looks better than the one in the book... possibly because you are so HAPPY!

[claudia]

You are just so darned cute.

[Jennifer]

Damn woman, is it legal for a gal and a camera to have so much fun together? You rock. Oh... and sweater is great, too!

[margene]

Hot damn, grrl..that's one gorgeous sweater. You look so great in it!

[melissa]

what can I say, but both you and the sweater are lovely.

[Beth]

What a gorgeous sweater!! WOW!

[Janet]

Gorgeous sweater! And you look like you've lost some weight! What's the secret?

[Sonja]

Wow, Rachel, you look so prettyful. Congrats on the conquest.

[Jon]

Brava! I can only hope that if I ever knit a Cromarty, it comes out half as good as yours!

[spaazlicious]

Eh, you're an @sshole! Here I thought I was immune to all the AS s----, and now I have to go out an buy Celtic Collection and try, and fail, to knit Cromarty, just because you post such awe-mazing pictures.

WTF? What's with the cabled sweater that DOESN'T make the wearer look like a lumpy-wool-afflicted polar bear? Incontheivable!

Lovely neckline and drape. Just to have something in this comment field that isn't flip and joking.

[Becky]

You made me laugh so much! I love all your photos. Ah...laughter is a good thing so early in the morning. (Early as in 8:30 CET...it's early for me and my puffy lil' eyes show it!)

The sweater - and the wearer - are GORGEOUS. I love, love, love that neckline. Your work never fails to impress me beyond words. I wannabe Rachael!

[Cathy]

The sweater is outstanding! Better still, I'll probably get to see it in person as Threadbear is not far from me.

[Wendy]

The Whack Rabbit shot is my fav. :-)

Cromarty is gorgeous. You are gorgeous. Hurray for you!

[Em]

Hurrah! It's magnificent!

(Man, I need to get off my ass and finish some stuff, because more people are doing the Em than I am. And I'm Em.)

I love it when I can read comments and someone else has already taken care of the obligatory "Bring It On" exchange. Thanks, Strizz!

[Carol]

Wowsa! Gorgeous Cromarty!! Definitely worth the effort.

[maeve]

wow. so beautiful! although i must confess, from the progression of poses, I have a sneaky suspicion that the bubbly was broken out before all the photos were finished.... ;)

[Steph]

Stunning.

Sorry to hear you must be separated for a time though.

[Iris]

Absolutely gawjus. Size 1?? Are you kidding? AND you have to give it up? Yeah, right.

The boys would a get a note from me (with a pic of Cromarty) saying, "From my cold, dead hands!"

You are rocking The Iris, girl.

[Lydia]

That sweater is amazingly beautiful, and you look stunning in it.

Wow.

[Sarah]

Holy lord, that is incredibly gorgeous! WHo would have guessed how much that color would flatter you? I really can't say enough good things about it. May I some day have that kind of patience. Hats off to you, once again.

[melissa j]

seriously - wow. :) that is one fancy-pants sweater you got there! and on size 1s no less. i can't even bring myself to knit a baby sweater on 1s - can't imagine what a real-size sweater would be like. you deserve much kudos for this one. spectacular.

[indigirl]

Ah, it's just beautiful!!!!! Congratulations! Mine is destined for the frog pile... at least in the Araucania. Blech.

[Heidi]

Really beautiful...I'm inspired!

Since I'm only four hours from Threadbear maybe one of these days I'll get to see it on display.

[CursingMama]

That is one cool work of art! Those cables are totally amazing!

[Karola]

Wow it's stunning.. so envious that you held on and made it all the way thru to the end! good for you! karola

[Kathleen]

It's done! It's done! It's finally done. I love it. Absolutely goregous. And it looks fab on you. The colors are incredible. Sorry it has to go for a while, I hope Cromarty comes back soon. Congratulations!!

[Judy]

The sweater is fab ! and so are you.
Great work. I am now thinking of doing one.

[Cindy]

Oh its going away?! How wrenching! Wonderful job, I love the color.

[Eilene]

Wow! What a fabulous job on that sweater. And on size 1 needles!! It is gorgeous and I love that yarn that you used. Beautiful color that will go with sooo much!

[Kim]

Holy crap, that sweater is -hot-! I mean, seriously. Amazing sweater, and you look stunning in it. Congratulations!

[Juliette]

Rang a dang ding dong! That is one han'some sweater there little lady..

[susan]

Yay! You did it!

You know, I think if I had spent 8 months off and on with a sweater, I might actually want to take a little break from looking at it! But then, I hold grudges, even against clothing.

[alison]

You finished Cromarty!!! It is just gorgeous, Rach, and you are too funny. I can't believe you didn't do The Rachael! Congratulations -- quite an impressive accomplishment.

[carolyn]

by comment 56, i'm pretty sure you already know you did a great job.... :)

[Cathi]

Wow, Rachael. I know there's not really anything I can say that the previous 56 haven't already, but the sweater is mind-boggling. I didn't think I like Alice Starmore, or Kersti really either, but this sweater is breath taking. I absolutely love reading your blog, thank you for sharing yourself with me. I am waiting, with baited breath, to hear about the place and your new home. Congrats on the wonderful sweater. You conquered her!

[karen]

i had no idea cromarty was going to be so pretty. so many sweaters that people want to make because they're interesting and challenging turn out to be pretty mediocre when it comes to actually being flattering and nice to wear. in this case, even if i can't attest to it being nice to wear it certainly does look flattering.

congratulations on the accomplishment and also on the lovely sweater.

[karen]

i had no idea cromarty was going to be so pretty. so many sweaters that people want to make because they're interesting and challenging turn out to be pretty mediocre when it comes to actually being flattering and nice to wear. in this case, even if i can't attest to it being nice to wear it certainly does look flattering.

congratulations on the accomplishment and also on the lovely sweater.

[Leslie]

You ain't no intermediate knitter no more. You an expert now! Exquisite!

[travelita]

JOY JOY JOY

[Anne-Caroline]

It's gorgeous! I'll cross my fingers for a short winter, so it can get back to you real soon!

[Carrie C]

how FREAKIN' adorable are you in those pics? And what a bad-ass sweater. I can't believe you used 1s to knit it...hello, knitting goddess.

Congrats on such a fabby FO!

[Dana]

Just found your blog. What a delight! I hope your 500 page novel is about a dispatcher! Cops are such a riot. Next time I'm in Half Moon Bay I will find the yarn store. Jeez. And I was happy because I found an all day breakfast place. No Ollalaberries, either. Have you been to Filoli? Alice's Restaurant? I found Filoli by accident... After 28 years of Thanksgiving's in Los Gatos I stumbled upon that beautiful beautiful garden (take your camera). Thanks again for the smiles and vision.

Very impressed with your masochistic size 1 needles. My 15's are giving me wrist rot... maybe I'll switch.

[Amy Boogie]

Hey pretty lady! That's looking mighty good on you. Love the wild photos too :)

[amy]

AMAZING!! What a work of art :) I cannot even imagine doing something so complex...

Everything still crossed on the loan front.. any news?!?

[Michelle]

What an incredible sweater. The cables are so beautiful. It photographs really well too. Your knitting poses are fantastic, some people take them selves way to seriously, but you are always having fun! Love it!

[sUsAn]

I can't believe you did that on 1's!!! WOW is an understatement! Beautiful freakin' sweater, Rachael!

[Alysia]

AWESOME! Congratulations, it's beautiful and fits you perfect.

[heather]

WOnderful job on that sweater! TEENY TINY NEEDLES! How did you not lose your mind! Hats off! Beautiful...

I predict that our dearest whack rabbit dance will soon catch on at weddings!

Take care...and again, WOW!

[Annie]

I didn't read through all your comments, so I'm sure that mine will be redundant, but...OH.MY.GOSH. The sweater (and you!) are amazingly beautiful. Gorgeous work, Rachael!

And, dare I say it, but you have the look of a lady in love!!

[Norma]

It breaks my heart that you have to give it up for the winter!

[babette]

you are an amazing knitter!!!!!!

[Teresa]

Don't know if you'll find my comment here among all 73 (!!!) comments here but Comartry is just TOTALLY AWESOME! And you look SO DARN CUTE in it Rach! I may just have to make a trip up to Lansing to see your awesome work. You *so* rock gurl.

[Felicia]

Beautiful work! Size 1 needles! Oh, I'd be too sad to send this away to be a shop sample!

[Kang]

Very beautiful and the design and colour are very modern.
Hi, I love designing and knitting sweaters. All the sweaters I designed are extremly cute and beautiful. If you prefer, you can visit my sweater website at www.sweaterscn.com

[Ally]

Wow! I'm just casting on for this now-- I found the book in a charity shop and fell in love. Yours is so much mor beautiful than the one in the book. I'm inspired now.

[Gwen Arthur]

Absolutely gorgeous! Was the gauge correct from the pattern in the book? I heard someone say that they had to knit this sweater twice for it to fit correctly.