When do you retire a coat? Not meaning when you put it back in the closet when it’s finally warm enough without one, but when it’s so threadbare and you’ve patched it up and sewn it back together so often it’s more patch than original material. When the lining is so much swiss cheese. When you’ve had a coat since high school, and it’s been….yikes…almost fifteen years since then.
I think it’s time for me. The coat in question is my level one coat, which means it’s my late fall, mild winter, early spring coat. I also have a level two puffy jacket (moderate to severe winter), and a level three Antarctic expedition coat that luckily I have not had occasion to wear (it was a gift). I put an almost embarrassing amount of thought into my coats, but I also don’t like being cold.
Which brought me to thinking I should knit one! Or just buy a new one, yeah, but as a knitter I take every opportunity I can to buy more yarn. I plan to knit an Edwardian Day Coat from Knitted Jackets by Cheryl Oberle. I think I’ll line it, at least the front and back, and add some pockets so it reads more like a coat than a long sweater. I’ll shoot for a tight gauge to make it more weatherproof and go for a sturdy wool. Or accept the fact that my knitterly ambition sometimes overrules common sense and just buy a new one. I’ll let you know.