The Incredible Shrinking Cape

I remember getting a few sweaters from my own Biggest Brother in laundry mishaps. A fantastic grey wool one from Garfinkle's stands out. He probably bought it for himself with money earned from working at the Springfield Mall GAP ("Fall Into The Gap"). Newly my sized, I wore it proudly. I liked it almost as much as this cashmere cape below:

I really fretted about splurging on this purchase just before we came house hunting in London. I thought it would be just the thing for airplane travel. And it was. Turns out it was perfect for countless school runs, every single vacation, most weekends, over pajamas and seemingly most days. For a year. In all honesty, I cannot think of a more well worn purchase I've made in a very long time.

I submit photographic evidence of my wearing lots. Here I am wearing it while wooing movers to come back one more time to our rental house.

And then my wearing it all over Paris. Here it is on the street under a Baby Bjorn.

And in a Parisian cab with a bunch of Smalls.

And in a Parisian cafe. So comfy and content in my cashmere cape, I was blissfully unaware of Baby Sister playing with a sharp knife. I'm telling you. It was that good, my cape. It provided me with a mental cone of silence. You should know this was taken about a year ago and not only did Baby Sister not injure herself that day, I didn't even spot this photo until now. Benign neglect, my friends. And a super cape, too.

Then my beloved, luxurious and trusty cape got swept up in my enthusiastic (and seemingly endless) efforts to cycle everything we own between a dishwasher, washing machine or dryer.

Oh, the dryer. No. No. No. I got a first hand tutorial on how to make cashmere felted.

I have to admit though, that just like that 1980s Garfinkle's sweater, it takes a bit of the sting out to see a beloved, mistakenly shrunken garment get a new life. Even more so because it looks absolutely smashing on Big Sister.

Recycling at its finest.
And even more, it's Better After!