Argyle Vest-Along!

Monday, October 30, 2006

finished

i'm done. just have to block it, but i'm done.





yarn used: knitpick merino style in coal & fog
needle size & gauge: 5.75 st x 6.5 rows to 1" on size 5
pattern modifications: my stitch guage was close when i swatched & my row guage totally off. but i followed the pattern as written (row-wise) before the waist so the vest would end up longer than what the pattern called for. it seemed like waist was getting too tiny towards teh end of the shaping so I left out last waist decrease. i did not steek the arms or back of the neck at all (and knit from the armpits up flat).

i'm just not that pleased, though. there are a couple reason.

1. i just do not like the way the vest is shaped. i think it has something to do with the steeked armholes. these are not your usual completely straight steeked armholes, but they are not curved as much as normal arm openings. i ended up with a lot of excess fabric at the front of the armholes. i'm also not totally happy with the lower body shaping, but this is all my fault. as i said, my stitch gauge was off, but then when i got past the waist shaping i realized i wasn't even meeting the gauge i swatched, so i modified pattern slightly after waist shaping. and now it's too big above the waist shaping & not big enough below.

how i'd change the shaping:






2. i'm glad i skipped the armhole steeking, but i probably should've just skipped the v-neck steek then, too. exacerbated by the merino style being so thick, the steeks really do add a lot of excess fabric, particularly on the tops of the shoulders, which on mine i think is very unflattering.

3. i made a boo-boo. most people wouldn't notice, but i do:




anyway, i have done so much work on this thing, i can't imagine ripping back or redoing the neck ribbing over yet again, so i think this will remain the way it is. the merino style seems to have felted a tiny bit already (without any exposure to heat or moisture at all), so i don't think ripping it out for the yarn is worth it either. ah well, i'll block it & see if that makes it wearable.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

My WIP

I started this on Tuesday 11/17 and I'm about 3/4 of the way through the first chart. I'm using Cascade 220 in a khaki and rose color combination. Love it!