If anyone outside of Montana has noticed…it has been extremely cold for October. I happened to be in Helena, Montana last weekend and experienced a record low of 15F. Luckily, I was wearing the Montana Sweater Co. Sweater Dress. Knitted with alpaca fiber raised at the Alpacas of Montana Ranch…it was perfect. Light weight and soft soft soft soft soft. It doesn’t lose its shape, it doesn’t bag or stretch out at the butt, and it’s warm.
I had been in invited to visit relatives I hadn’t seen in 30 years, so I decided to let the knitting rest for a day and make a break for it. I pulled on the sweater dress, belted it, popped my feet into my boots, and off I went for the 1. 5 hour drive through wheat fields, past the headwaters of the Missouri River, round the bend through Townsend, and into the state capitol city of Helena. The wind blew, the temps dropped, and dropped, and dropped. My car decided it wanted to go flat in one tire , the parking brake decided to get stuck after I had used it in town five miles before arrival. When I pulled into my cousins’ driveway the smell of something burning made me think I might actually be on fire. Fortunately, my cousin’s husband is a car mechanic! A retired mechanic, in need of something to pry open, tighten, and oil. So while he tinkered with my tired stubborn car, the girl cousins traipsed off to lunch and later to a jazz concert at the Helena Civic Center.
The sweater dress is like a favorite pair of jeans. It is dressy without making me feel like I have to hold myself in and act dressed up. Several people commented upon it (always a sure sign something is working) and my kind cousins made the friends they ran into throughout the day touch my sleeve and really “FEEL IT”. I didn’t mind. The sweater dress is such a favorite of mine, a classic, a fashion necessity, that I will keep it in Montana Sweater Co’s inventory until Alpaca quit growing their marvelously soft and warm fiber. Available in custom sizing.