Finally, I can start!
I just received my Knitpicks order today.... I was holding out for the asparagus color of merino style.
I made a pair of
Pirate Mittens to practice my fair Isle skills, and i am excited to graduate to a bigger garment. I am so glad I found this knit-along. Watching everyone's progress has been a real confidence builder.
My boobs are too small!
Well, that is just the beginning of my issues with this vest... the deep V causes it to just flop open due to my lack of bustiness! Oh, my flat-chested, miserable life! (Don't worry, in general, I'm very happy with myself... just not when it comes to this vest!) Also, the overall length of the vest ended up being a bit more generous than I needed, due to my own error. However, I still really liked making this vest and would definitely consider tinkering with it (making the V a little less deep, and making sure that my row gauge was slightly more accurate) in order to make it a wearable object. I also will DEFINITELY do steeks again, and will add them to projects that don't necessarily call for them, if I think it would work out. Overall, I am happy I joined you all, and will keep checking in on everyone's progress! Yay Vestalong!
Keep on the good work everyone!
I can't say if it's right or wrong, but I've done like that too, and it looks ok. I think it's because only one purl before the markers would look strange. Anyone else has a suggestion?
I'm actually finished with my vest now. Blocked and everything. I always feel that I have to test wear things I've knitted myself a day or two at home, just to make sure it doesn't show my belly or breasts or anything else and that nothing needs to be changed before I declare it finished. This picture was taken while testing the vest, living my hard, active life of a knitter that I portrait in the photo. An other picture will be presented when I've pulled myself together and arranged one where you can see the vest and not only my next knitting project (a new KAL -
the Ferragamo bag) and my big necklace. This will have to do for now!
Is this right?
I just wanted to aska question to all of you who have already started (or finished) knitting this vest.
I just cast on for the ribbing, and am a bit confused by the instructions. It says k1. *k2, p2* to stich before marker, k1.sm, k1,p1,k1, sm, k1 *k2, p2*.
This means that at the side seams, you get a k4, p1, k4 and the regular ribbing for the rest of the body. Is this right? I've never seen a ribbing knitted this way before...
New Kid on the BLOCK!
The first 'block' is that Blogger hates me and does not want me to post my updates. The second block is that I'm currently blocking the vest! I have been trying to upload this picture off and on over the past 24 hours! So, here it is. I tried it on before wetting it, and here is what I think: it is a little long... and that's saying a lot, seeing as I am almost 6 feet tall... and the bust area is a little loose, which is not surprising- I am NOT a busty gal! However, even if the results are not what I hope for, I would be willing to try this pattern again to get a more wearable item. I enjoyed the steeks, and enjoyed the pattern. I have to say, though, that I had PERFECT stitch gauge, but the row gauge was off. How do you change THAT? Not sure.
Just a peak...
... at the pinned deep-V so that you know I'm not lying when I say that
I'm almost finished!! I wrote a long report on the pinning-part onmy blog, so if you're interested, please click my name to the left and you'll get there!
Resistance was futile
Hi all
I finally caved in last week and bought the pattern. Now I'm on a yarn hunt. I'd like to knit this vest in wool, since I'm not such a big alpacka fan, but it's kind of difficult finding wool that's not superwash. I'm thinking I might try
Silke tweed, but I haven't decided yet.
I love seeing all your vests! Beautiful colour combos and lovely knitting. Can't wait to get started myself.
And I'm back
My deep-V break ended this weekend and I've made some progress. The knitting is done. The steeks -done! I think I went a little to brave fora while, cutting not one thread at the time as intrsucted by Eunny, but sometimes 5-6 at the time! I'm too impatient, and it went well so why not? I didn't have a drink (as instructed) either, but a Ragusa* or two went down. I'm planning to do the blocking tonight, and if I do, I will post a picture of it, all wet and pinned!
I have to say that I'm amazed that there are so many of us now! It's great not to be alone when working on something like this!
*My favorite chocolate, it's delicious!
NOT ENOUGH...
Well, the only knitting I have left is 10 more rows around the neck... but this is all the main color yarn I have left!
Of course, I have 1 1/4 balls of the contrasting color left... isn't that the way it always goes... so anyway, I woke up BEFORE 7 AM this morning, thinking about cutting the steeks, since I had finished the pre-steek preparations last night. Now, I know what some of you are thinking... I just bought the yarn on Tuesday, and I have already gotten this far??? Well, I have basically locked myself in my home because of an 'emergency wallet lockdown' subsequent to a very expensive car repair. So, I have nothing better to do than knit! ANYWAY, the steek cutting was VERY exciting, causing me to say, "EEEEEEEEE!" or something equally ambiguous... but now, the yarn store is not open again until Tuesday! Oh, nooooo! So, I'll naturally try to get them to let me swap my extra contrasting color yarn for what I need. I will smile extra sweetly. Like this. :) Happy knitting, all!
Intro and progress
Hi there! I'm Cece (you can find my blog
here). I saw this pattern, and loved it at first sight, but had to wait for the 'expanded' size pattern to come out before I could begin. The minute it was published, I bought it and my yarn! I'm using Rowan Cashsoft DK. I also got my friend Amanda to knit it with me (yes the same Amanda who is almost done a few posts below this).
Here is my progress after a weekend of limited knitting:
The Cashsoft may not have been the best yarn pick for this project, though. It is such a wonderful and soft yarn... but it's also slippery, and superwash - so I don't know if I'll get any blocking benefit. So far, I'm liking the fabric - so I'm going to continue on.
I don't know if you can notice, but I switched around the pattern symbols in my head. I didn't notice until just before I snapped this picture - so I'm doing the CC where I should be doing the MC and vice versa. I don't think you can see the difference?
I'm going to Chicago for work for a few days, and this project is making the trip too - hope to have a lot of progress to post when I get back!
Do I have enough???
Well, I have been knitting like a madwoman, but I am getting nervous: will I run out of my main color? The LYS closes in 2 1/2 hours, and doesn't open again until Tuesday... and doesn't accept returns. Because I am on an emergency wallet lockdown, I don't want to buy a ball of yarn I don't need andcan't return, but I also don't like the idea of running out of yarn! Okay, let's face it: I don't feel like trying to do the math. Anyway, here is another snapshot of the progress.
Hello, fellow vesters! This is my first steeking and knitalong, and I was talked into it by another member, Cece. Of course, as soon as I saw the pattern, I bought it immediately- I love it! One of you mentioned being a bit on the 'tall' side- I can relate! With the new cropped styles, I always end up having to make things longer. I did better in the early 90's when it was cool to wear sweaters long and below the butt! Anyway, above is a pic of my progress so far. I'm using 'Heatherwood Heirloom' yarn, which is an Australian 100% wool. It's a DK, but feels nice and thick and sturdy. I must admit that I've been reading and rereading the steek instructions, feeling a little nervous that somehow, I will make a terrible mess of things. It's a little harder to frog a garment after you've CUT the yarn! After all, what the heck would you do with dozens of two foot lengths of yarn!?!
Anyway, it's great to be here. I tend to get a TAD obsessive with knitting, so with the weekend coming up, I'll probably have a good update by Sunday!
I'm loving seeing everyone's color choices and the photos of the progress- can't wait to see some finished vests!
-Amanda
Where are you?
The silence here is utter! I can see you all working determinedly, too busy to blog about it...
My progress on the vest has been filled with ups and downs, mostly due to my own negligence. Last night I had a major down, and I started another project while my blood pressure slowly dropped. Since I am the long tall Sally of any crowd, I added a few extra rows to make sure the vest covers my middle. I have consistently adjusted the pattern repeat to my own increases and decreases, but since I think I'm such an excellent knitter I don't really think too much about it, and when I had six (6) rows until bind off I found that the only thing I hadn't adjusted was the neckline, who was still on the same latitude as before, giving my deep V vest a deep U in the back. I tossed the vest far far away and cast on a lace shawl instead, which is surprisingly fun to knit. I'm only on row 16 or something, but I like it so far. Hopefully I will be calm enough to frog two inches of the vest this weekend, and then FINALLY cut my steeks, which is the major goal of this project.
Also, I had a gauge crisis the other night. I found that I didn't have 30 rows/10 cm, but 21. I had a chill to the bone, then discovered that if I stretch it to gauge stitchwise, I will also get gauge rowwise. Oh, the constant excitement of knitting, and oh, the benefits of careful blocking!
I'm taking a break
I love that so many in this vest-along seem to be first-timers when it comes to knitting with 2 colors and these steek-things. I guess that the trickiest part will be when it's time for the cutting, but I think that Eunny's pattern will guide us all through it. As long as we read the instructions carefully (Linster!!).
People seem very amazed of this project at my knitting café. Noone seem to know about steeks, and they look at me sceptically when I say that I will knit it ALL in the round.
Good weather and cute boyfriend seem to come my way, so I will pause this knitting for a couple of days, and catch up with all of you when your yarn has arrived!! Good luck, everyone!
Vest-Along admin progress
This is how far I've gotten:
(Cellphone photo taken secretly and hastily since I work in behind glass walls and I don't want my coworkers to know of my dorky blogging habits.)
I'm just few rows away from the armhole steeks. Swedish along-knitters: What is "steek" in Swedish? As I mentioned earlier in a comment, I haven't really followed the instructions, since I didn't read them carefully. I just read them the normal way, and therefor my steeks are 11 stitches wide instead of 9 and my neck opening edge is bound off and not placed on scrap yarn. I still haven't decided whether to be consistent or do the rest of the steeks as instructed. It's a great pattern though. If only I had read it...
I've inVESTed...
Boy that was a cheesy title...Hello Fellow Vestalong-ers!
I plan to knit this in April - as I too have ordered the Asparagus colorway of the
KnitPicks Merino Style. Alas, it is backordered until 4/7...so that means no vest until the greenery has arrived :( My CC is Petal.
By the time I get my yarn, you will have answered all of my questions about size, gague, steeking, etc! (thanks!) I love watching you all create beautiful argyles...nice work so far!
Thanks for having me!
Thanks for the invite. :)
I have finally decided on my yarn and colors, KnitPicks Merino Style in
Cornflower and
Asparagus. Unfortunately, the Asparagus isn't available until April 7th. Which, honestly, is just fine, I have a ton of projects to complete before I am allowing myself to make this vest.
This will be my first colorwork and my first steek. I look forward to learning from all of you as you proceed ahead of me. :)
Smells like steek-spirit
The steeks are getting closer. Do you think they can smell my fear, will they know that I have no idea of how to tame them? I need a weapon, maybe a 3mm crochet needle?
Have you started to do the steeks? Is it difficult or will everything be very clear when I sit down with a crochet needle and Eunny's description?
Beginning soon
I am here too!
I haven't really begun yet - but I have three entries on this terrific vest on my blog
Stickigt. In Swedish. What can I say - time to knit!
Good and bad news
Look how lovely it is!! I have to get an other project finished before thursday so I haven't knitted that much on my Argyle-baby.
Fortunately, the Argyle is perfect to put in the bag, so there's been some progress. Unfortunately, my throat is itching when I'm knitting it. Do you think the Vest will still itch when it's blocked and finished?
Cheering you on
Hi there,
just wanted to post to say "Hi, I'm here!"- I won't start the vest before april 1st unfortunately, because I am going to Östergötlands Ullspinneri that day, and I've heard so many wonderful things about their "Visjö-yarn", that I've decided to wait with the vest until I get that yarn. Colors- I am thinking modest... the vest itself is so "bold" in the shaping that I feel that the brown/grey scale will be just right. But I might change my mind as spring comes closer :-)Anyway, I will be checking out your progress while I wait for my yarn, cheering you on!
And so, the journey begins...
So, the Argyle has started to grow slowly, slowly from my hands.
My work is also a lille bubbly, as Linsters. But I think I stretch the yarn too hard and not too losely, because it is the white and green squares that are bulky.
It's a lovely pattern, and I love my colors, though I think this pattern will look good with almost all colors.
Kick-off!
Hurra hurra! Today's the big argyle vest-along kick-off day! I can feel a strange sensation taking place...
C'mon, let's all share our progress! I made a false start, since I don't have infants or other more important projects to take care of first, and here's where I am now:
I started out actually twisting the work, despite the urgent request to carefully make sure not to. Fortunately, I had only made a row and a half, so I simply twisted it back in the end of the row, and you absolutely can't tell. Phew!
Next thing is that I suffer from a very long upper body, and no standard pattern ever covers my belly-button. I decided early to make this vest wearable, so my decreases on the way up to the waist are made every 6th row instead of every 4th. I'll have a look when I get to the waist to see if the same thing needs to be done with the increases.
Also, it's quite bubbly, even though I constantly and carefully stretch the work and yarn. I think it will smooth out when blocking, though. I can stretch it, it's not that it's
too tight anywhere, just here and there and everywhere. This could be a nightmare, and I might end up with a fancy dust cloth, but I've decided to keep a cool head until the vest is washed and blocked, which hopefully should be before Easter.
So tell me: how's it going for y'all?
... at the pinned deep-V so that you know I'm not lying when I say that I'm almost finished!! 
The Cashsoft may not have been the best yarn pick for this project, though. It is such a wonderful and soft yarn... but it's also slippery, and superwash - so I don't know if I'll get any blocking benefit. So far, I'm liking the fabric - so I'm going to continue on.
I love that so many in this vest-along seem to be first-timers when it comes to knitting with 2 colors and these steek-things. I guess that the trickiest part will be when it's time for the cutting, but I think that Eunny's pattern will guide us all through it. As long as we read the instructions carefully (Linster!!).
So, the Argyle has started to grow slowly, slowly from my hands.
