Argyle Vest-Along!

finished

2006-10-30T16:38:00.000+01:00

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.

My WIP

2006-10-28T05:08:00.000+02:00

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!

almost halfway done

2006-09-30T06:40:00.000+02:00

I've knit a little more than this picture shows, but I'm almost to the end of Chart A. I am so in love with this pattern that it's scary.

I took it in to school today to work on in art class (thank god I do textile work, so my teacher didn't say anything) and everyone kept coming up to me and feeling it and asking about how I'm making it. I love that...except I think I went a bit overboard with my explanations.

And the best part? My boyfriend asked me to knit him an argyle sweater vest for Christmas.

And now, a question: I'm really confused about how to set the steeks. Can anyone explain it to me step-by-step? I know I have to put 11 stitches on scrap yarn, but I don't get when to cast on the 9 stitches or how to get the gap in between the rows.

onto the steeking

2006-09-22T18:03:00.000+02:00

i got all the main knitting done, and now i need to steek the neckline. (i skipped the steeking of the arms & back of the neck and knit the front & back flat. the excess fabric some people got scared me).

2006-09-18T05:53:00.000+02:00

Hello all. My name's Ashley and I'm new around here. This vest is my first attempt at knitting in the round, colorwork, and steeks, so I'm being boring with my colors and sticking to KnitPicks Merino in Vanilla and Cinnamon. I had a bit of an ordeal tonight when I realized that I had swatched with one size of needles and had knit all of the ribbing on a different size, so I re-cast on and am doing well.

I'm going to be around here a lot, asking for help because I have an inability to comprehend directions (ahhh I'm especially scared of the steeks) so I'm sure we'll all get to be life-long friends.

2006-09-13T00:41:00.000+02:00

it's done! it's done done done!!!! here's a picture of the insides. i'm soo jazzed with the results. sooo much better than the first one. more pictures and what not here

C'est fini! (no really, it is)

2006-09-11T03:00:00.000+02:00

Ha ha! Its done! Photo compleate with my geek glasses! (I am proud of my geekage!) full yammering on about the pattern and the finished vest can be found over >>>> here

Skull vest nearing completion

2006-09-09T07:40:00.000+02:00

i've got 15 rows to go until i'm crochetting steeks, baby! whooot! and they won't be on a GIGANTIC vest this time!!!
for all that were interested, i posted a PDF of the skull chart i made in the sidebar of my blog.

C'est fini!

2006-09-08T05:08:00.000+02:00

WOO! So the vest is blocking and smells a little funny. I wrote a bit more on it over here
I think it is going to be a winner-but-not. I didn't really knit this because I would wear it all the time, cos I won't. I live in Oregon and it doesn't really get cold enough alot of a double thick hot vest and it is that cold, one generally wants sleeves. But it was fun to knit and the whole steeking thing was fun! Although I don't think I am the type of person that should do alot of big color work projects :/ not really my thing it seems.

errata

2006-09-05T17:35:00.000+02:00

i didn't check all the archives here, but the first couple months, and am wondering if anyone knows of any errata on this pattern? on the first page of the pattern when you start increasing after the waist, the pattern seems to be saying decreases when it means increases. anyone else notice this?

anyway, i've just finished the waist and will start those increases. just have to refigure my math. my row guage is smaller than what i swatched. no problem so far, as i wanted the vest to be just a bit longer than the pattern would create, but i figure i better get it right for the bust. i also have to look closer at how these steeks are going to be made. i don't understand at all why i'll be casting on more stitches at the neck? this pattern is going to be a bit more challenging than i thought.

second time around

2006-09-01T05:59:00.000+02:00

i've just finished the swatch for my second attempt at this vest. i'm making it for a dear friends birthday (on the 17th, must be finished by the 15th), and because she adores skulls, i think i've found a way to incorporate them into the argyle pattern. what do ya think?
i'm again using the Knitpicks Merino Style (cause i love it and believe that it'll work this time) and 3.25 mm needles (i think). hopefully, after the swatch is all dry and unpinned, i get gauge.

We Have Steeks!

2006-08-30T04:05:00.000+02:00

Blogger is being a pain so pictures and such on steeks, cutting and all that jazz will be here

The Second Wave

2006-08-21T07:50:00.000+02:00

I actually started this KAL in the first round, but dropped out when it became clear that my vest is wicked small... Here's a pic of as far as I got:

Now I've decided that I messed myself up by swatching on bamboo, but knitting on metal, so I'm ripping back, and knitting the whole enchilada from scratch on bamboo. I also caused myself problems by using two colors - light blue and gray - that were tonally almost identical, so whenever I knit in anything less than optimal light I made mistakes in the pattern. I'm not considing this combo instead:

I hope I can get enthused enough to finish this vest again - I think I got really confused about the sizing, because I knit super tight, and it was very hard to figure out if this had any chance of being a wearable garment (for instance, my knitted argyles are very tight and constipated, rather than clearly defined).

My First Post, Awwwwww.... : )

2006-08-21T05:37:00.000+02:00

Wee! This is my first KAL. I'm loving my first fair isle project. This is not a very recent photo, its about 2/3 through the waist shaping on the 36". It has been so fun to see everyone else's finished vests!

another black & gray

2006-08-21T04:36:00.000+02:00

i love all the fun color combos i've seen here, but i couldn't resist the classic black & gray as it's perfect for me for work. here's my swatch, but i've now cast on and have finished the first 4 rows of pattern after the ribbing.

i couldn't get row or stitch gauge, so i'm following the pattern for a larger size to compensate for my stitch gauge being off & just re-calculated the pattern for my row gauge. i think i should be able to "make it work."

First gauge swatch...

2006-08-20T23:07:00.000+02:00

Hi, I have just started to swatch. Since the yarn I want to use is something from my stash, 100% lambswool in a very thin 3ply, I have to use it double. It turned out nice in the swatch, but I'll have to wash and block it now to see how close I am to the gauge required. Wish me lcuk!!

Back from vacation

2006-08-19T09:46:00.000+02:00

Both Fi and I would like to apologize for not having checked the Vestalong email for a couple of weeks. We now have two new members and three more invited! This is quite a success, and I hope you all are knitting along nicely. I'm glad to see so many of you have reached the end of it with a garment you love and will wear. Not everyone (myself) did...

Happy knitting!

almost there...

2006-08-14T04:11:00.000+02:00

I have 46 rows to go before cutting steeks, I might pull an all evening-er. I've measured for fit, and the vest is 1 inch longer than it's supposed to be, but across the bust, waste and bottom ribbing, it meets the expected measurements when stretched slightly. Here's to putting some faith into "agressive blocking".

Results

2006-08-09T15:36:00.000+02:00

The pattern calls for 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches. With Telemark using size 4 Brittany Birch needles I got 24 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches. I plan on using it and just bumping up a chest size (or 2) to make up the difference and just going with it over all because the row gauge matches. Hope that helps some of you with your decision on yarn.

Telemark Swatch

2006-08-07T14:00:00.000+02:00

My 2 balls of Telemark arrived from Knitpicks and I like it. It's softer than than WotA. In fact, I can't stop rubbing it. My shmoo said he'd wear a sweater of it, and that I should send a swatch of it to my mom (who says she's allergic to wool) to test out because it feels that nice.

Don't get me wrong, it's no Dale Baby Ull, but it is nice. I can see using this for several other projects if it doesn't work out for this vest. But I am babbling here.

Here's the start of my swatch, I'll let you know of the results once I get it finished, washed and blocked. Colors are Northern Green and Rosemary.

done! finished! complete!

2006-07-28T01:58:00.000+02:00

awesome!

I knit from the extended sizes pattern - which was a good decision - but beware, chart A of the extended sizes is all off - well, I *think* it is anyway. The stitches in the pattern don't match up with what's on the chart - but it's easy enough to put straight.

I love this thing! I'm planning on making another one one day - but for now I'll give my achey hands a rest.

New Yarn Possibility

2006-07-27T05:59:00.000+02:00

what's the general consensus on the new yarn Telemark from KnitPicks being good for this vest? i think that it might be easier to get gauge with...plus, visions of a Tangelo & Aubergine vest dance in my head.

Your not the only one!

2006-07-24T05:30:00.000+02:00

I'd sort of stalled out on my vest - mostly because I swapped from a metal circular, to a bamboo circular, and it seems like it's totally changed my gauge. The work knitted on metal is super tight, but I'm getting a much looser gauge on the bamboo. I really, really dont' want to tear out and start again, but at the same time I want this to be a great garment that I love wearing. Hence the stall, maybe I'll start again now that I see there is another Vestalonger!

Yeargh!

2006-07-20T05:31:00.000+02:00

Hi, I'm new to the KAL (because my email was filtering out the invite for a while). I'm knitting the vest in KnitPicks Merino Style (aww crap!) in fog and iris (grey and purple). I'm 3 rows beyond the armhole steeks, but I am unfortunately working backwards. Life lesson: If you screw up a project for the 46724598635th time, and then leave it gathering dust for two weeks, frogging back feels like progress.

Deep V Argyle Back Support Belt

2006-06-21T01:03:00.000+02:00

After I finished all the hip increases, I thought "that still looks kinda small"....but I kept on anyway... today I finally let the logical part of my brain win, and I took it off my circulars & onto a scrap piece of yarn to try it on. Then, I re-measured my gauge & found that I am kinda way,way off. I'm using Knitpicks Merino Style.

My question is this - to those who have used this wool - how much can you stretch 'er out during blocking? Should I save myself some disappointment & start over, this time really making sure I've got the right gauge? I'm also considering doing some major 'big girl' overhauling of the pattern & figuring out how to add another of the argyle repeats to give some more width? Or, I could be the best friend in the world & continue knitting this one for a smaller friend of mine.

Any insight?

Just in time for summer!

2006-06-13T04:24:00.000+02:00

A super-thick, hot, wool vest!

I don't know about the rest of you that used KnitPicks Merino Style, but I'm wishing I'd used a sport-weight merino. The gauge for Merino Style is clearly so much bigger than what Eunny called for in her pattern (Eunny, are you sure you didn't use a sport weight??). Love the pattern, love the look, not so happy with my FO. The fabric is wonderfully solid and firm, but the areas where the steeks are folded is so lumpy!

If I come across some great sport-weight merino for a super-low price, I may make this sweater again as it's a great, modern design which totally goes with my wardrobe. But this FO my friends, will most likely not make it out into public. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the other Merino-Style-er's fare with their sweaters!

It Happened

2006-06-11T06:32:00.000+02:00

Yup, I ran out of yarn. As you can tell from the extremely sad face I'm making, I'm not taking this setback very well. I guess I have no choice but to do another Knitpicks order to get another ball of Merino Style in Storm. I can deal with the delay if that means I can stick a little sock yarn in my shopping cart too...

Is there anyone else still out there?

2006-06-09T05:59:00.000+02:00

Cause I'm still here! I just cut my steeks so I should be done in no time.

I'm worried that I'm going to run out of yarn for the neck, but I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it. Cross your fingers for me!

Have you sent us an email lately?

2006-05-31T14:28:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone...

Linster and I, who are supposed to be hosting this Vestalong, realized today that none of us had checked the email account (vestalong [@] hotmail.com) for ages. (I thought she had, and she thought I had...) So, naturally, Hotmail have closed the account and subsequently deleted all messages.

Which means... that if you have tried to email us for the last month, we have not gotten your email, and please, please send us another one. The hotmail account has been reactivated, the email address remains vestalong [@] hotmail.com, and we promise to check our email every few days!

Once again, sorry,

Fi & Linster

Question

2006-05-27T17:09:00.000+02:00

Back of Argyle vest
Originally uploaded by Southern Knitter.

Hello everyone! I've been reading this KAL for quite awhile, but this is my first post. I am having a bit of trouble figuring out part of the pattern and was hoping that someone could help me. I am almost finished knitting the vest, I am knitting from Chart A36, I have just place that large amount (it was 39 for me) of stitches onto my scrap yarn (i used an extra needle) and I cast on the 9 stitches like the pattern calls for. Here is my problem to go from where I cast on those 9 sticthes to the other shoulder is a really long float (too long in fact). So I was wondering how you ladies did this. Did you make that long float like my picture shows, or did you cut the yarn and work it was two different sides? I appreciate any and all advise and tips. Thank you so much!

the cutting has begun!

2006-05-24T17:41:00.000+02:00

i finished knitting the body yesterday morning and started cutting the steeks last night. actually i only cut one arm hole because it was a litte emotionally draining and i couldn't do it all in one night.
here's a pic of the vest before cutting. i haven't taken any pictures of the cutting or crochet but i'll try tonight. um, my arm holes look a little long! (which is weird because my row gauge had been a little short.) anyway, fingers crossed.

- Carolyn

Ready for a fresh start

2006-05-22T16:09:00.000+02:00

Although the picture doesn't do the deep colors justice, here is the new plum colored yarn that I've bought! I'm happy about the change and ready to start... eventually. The need of a vest doesn't seem as urgent as it did in March/April anymore, but I am determined to learn steeks and get my vest finished over the summer! See you around!

Another FO

2006-05-17T19:39:00.000+02:00

Finally done!
Two weeks ago, I finished the Deep V the first time. But I wasn't too happy with the fitting, since my shoulders are very small compared to ... let's say ... my waist. So I tried to knit the arm bands tighter and re-block the whole piece, but then it turned even worse. I decided I had to cut off some cloth to make it fit. First I frogged the arm bands, then I picked up stitches for new ones. I think the pattern says "decrease 1 stitch 5 times" in the original armscye shaping. Me, I continued to pick up stitches diagonally 6 times more, and then straight up to the shoulder. The photo shows how much of my knitting that was lost. 2-2,5 cm I think. To secure the stitches this time, I used my sewing machine and then cut off the extra material. And now it fits.

I am one happy knitter!

First Deep V progress pic

2006-05-17T00:14:00.000+02:00

I've passed the start of the neck steek! I love these colours and I love the shaping BUT (and this is a big BUT) I'm nervous about the gauge. I knit, washed and blocked a swatch on 4 mm needles and hit gauge almost exactly. This baby, in its unblocked state, is measuring half a stitch more over 4 inches and is ending up measuring like a small instead of a medium. I should trust my swatch, right? Is this going to block out big enough?

Done - minus blocking...

2006-05-14T18:55:00.000+02:00

I finished the knitting on the sweater! Now all that remains is to block and tack down the steeks. And let me tell you - she fits like a glove!

Update on the Blue and Gray

2006-05-10T18:44:00.000+02:00

As you can see the difference between the pale blue and pale gray is Very subtle. This is making it hard
to keep the pattern completely accurate, because I usually knit in less than optimal lighting. I've made
quite a few mistakes - the most notable of which is forgetting to purl the faux 'seam' stitch. I'll drop it
tonight and let it ladder down, then pick it back up as a purl. I'll also duplicate stitch the few places where
I've made color work mistakes when I'm done with the vest... As a good friend said, "sometimes you just
need to knit through it!"

Glad there are some fellow vestalongers at my stage on this project!

Swedish flag?

2006-05-09T14:14:00.000+02:00

I get the feeling that this will come out looking like blue and yellow- the colors of the swedish flag- rather than blue and lime green. Maybe I should stop here and reconcider my choice of colors- what do you guys think? I really really don't want to look like a flag.

I came, I knit, I steeked

2006-05-05T16:43:00.000+02:00

Check out my blog - I steeked last night! It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it'd be. That first little snip of the knitting was rather heart-stopping, but the rest went smoothly! I'm going to be putting the arm and neck bands on this weekend and hopefully the sweater will be blocking mid-week! Huzzah!

Completely steeked out!

2006-05-05T01:21:00.000+02:00

I finished! Yay, just in time for 75 degree weather! :) Here's a pic, all the specs are on my blog. I'm glad that I got some practice with the steeking - I've already started Carpathian Black Roses from Norsk Strikkedesign (not too tricky), and have plans for Season of Light and Something Something Else from that same book (methinks it will be quite difficult). Thanks for the advice, and good luck to all those not yet done!

Coachella + Knitting. Bad Idea

2006-05-01T21:12:00.000+02:00

I took my argyle vest to Coachella music fest this weekend. What was I thinking? Sun, Musical
over-stimulation, tiredness, led to some major mistakes. I have ripped back to the ribbing, and
am starting again from that point.

Keep posting girls, very inspiring to be part of this vest-along, even if I haven't exactly done
my part so far...

Mistake in chart A42

2006-05-01T19:44:00.000+02:00

Hi ladies,

Just wanted to post a heads up about an error in chart A42. Starting around row 95ish the argyle pattern on the left side of the pattern starts to get jumbled up and includes some extra main color stitches. It's a not a huge problem as you can just mirror the stitches that are on the right side of the pattern and the argyle is pretty intuitive anyway by the time you've reached this point. I just wanted to let people know that they shouldn't follow the chart for A42 blindly. I've contacted Eunny to let her know too. Everyone's vests are looking beeyooteeful!

-Carolyn

Almost done....

2006-05-01T03:22:00.000+02:00

I've had a little drama with my steeks, but hopefully, everything is on the right track again. (Not panicking is key.) I have pics on my blog - stay tuned for the completed sweater! ...

Ripping Sucks

2006-04-27T04:57:00.000+02:00

I really hate to rip, but there was no way around it. I had more stitches on one side of the steek than the other and the pattern was getting thrown off. I don't know how I ended up that way and it wasn't anything I could ladder down to fix. So, RIP RIP RIP. About 4 inches or so, back down to the armscyes. I'm hoping to make up my lost ground over the rest of the week and weekend and get to the steeks early next week.

How's everyone else doing? I love checking in over here to see how everyone's progressing!

Gauge too tall

2006-04-25T05:24:00.000+02:00

I just finished row 30 of the graph and my work measures 5" tall rather than the 4" called for! Any advise? I hate to give up, it's so hard to get gauge right with stranded knitting. Help! I'm using Knit Picks Merino Style.

world's slowest vest-a-longer

2006-04-24T18:06:00.000+02:00

Blogger is being fussy today so I apologize if this gets posted twice. Anyway, I just wanted to pop in with an updated pic of my progress (such as it is). I've been suffering from an unfortunate lack of knitting time and have only been able to squeeze in one or two rows at a time. I'm maybe 6 rows away from starting the armhole steeks.

Argyle Vest Maths 101 pt. 2

2006-04-24T15:45:00.000+02:00

I think I figured out the maths for my gauge correction... at least my much smarter neighbor, Lisa, did. Lisa
is an artist who works primarily with knitted fabric, so if anyone should know, it's her.

My gauge is averging out at 6.5 in inch, instead of 5.5. So, after doing a few whizz-bang calcuations, we decided
that I should cast on a 40" instead of 34" inch vest. This seems like a very dramatic jump up, but there is a 20%
difference in vest size (or almost 4 inches around) because of my gauge issues.

Casting on now, only God knows if this vest will be for a Giantess or a Dwarf!

Funny Story!

2006-04-23T19:58:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, I called my sister while she was shopping at the mall. As we were chatting, she mentioned that there was a 'surprisingly tall' woman in the store. I immediately got excited, and asked, 'how tall?' and 'is she really slim, too?' She responded that the woman was about 6 1/2 feet tall, but that she was not slim, and then was very curious about why I was asking. I explained to her about the knitalong and the multitude of 'mini dresses' that we have made. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for the mystery woman who will fit into our vests... and I thought I had found her! Sadly, I had not. My sister had a good laugh over the idea of going over to her and saying, 'Do you like argyle vests? May I have your mailing address, please?' Can you imagine? Hilarious!

Argyle Vest Math 101

2006-04-23T19:57:00.000+02:00

Many of you expressed interest in seeing the crazy math involved in adjusting the pattern on my Argyle Vest... Well, here's my attempt to explain it.

First, what's your row gauge? (I got stitch gauge, so I was only concerned with row gauge here.)

Mine was: 23 rows per 4" or approximately 6 rows per inch.
Eunny called for: 30 rows per 4"

What you need to do is look at every section of the pattern (decreasing, straight, and increasing) and calculate the amount of inches Eunny is calling for in each pattern. How many rows, according to YOUR gauge, do you have to knit to get the same amount of inches? When you have that, you can then figure out how often you'd have to decrease to get the same amount of increases/decreases. Then, get out a bunch of highlighters, and highlight the path you should follow in the pattern and note where you should increase and decrease.

As far as the steek placement--Eunny places it about 7.7 inches up from the bottom. How many rows, according to your gauge, is 7.7"? Find out that and that's where you start the steek. I ended up starting mine at row 44 instead of row 58, as the pattern calls for. Using the good ol' cross-multiply-and-divide formula works! I wish I could explain better, but I'm a math dummy!!

In all, I cut about 20 rows from the pattern, which with my gauge is close to 4 inches!, and it's looking perfect. I'm a few inches in on the arm steeks and rapidly progressing to the neck band. If I can knit, knit, knit today, I may be steeking this week!! Huzzah!

UPDATE:
I have 3 more stitches on the right side of the neck steek than on the left!! Ack!! I suppose I should RIP...

Changing my mind!

2006-04-23T19:29:00.000+02:00

I've changed my mind about the colors I want to use for the vest. I tried to post my new color combo choices on this blog today, but Internet Explorer won't let me post pics for some reason and my Netscape browser for some reason hates Blogger today. I tried three times to post it and it just kept quitting on me.
I need help choosing my new colors, so head on over to my blog - yarnbeans.typepad.com - and help me choose, will you? (yeah, I can't post a link on IE either! the little images are not anywhere showing for me, it's just this generic little posting box. What's up with that?)

A couple inches of progress

2006-04-22T23:35:00.000+02:00

I've been working slowly on the vest, but it's coming along. Even though I changed from working with size US4 needles to size US3, my row gauge stayed exactly the same (about 24 rows over 4" !). It probably has to do with some wonky way that I am knitting or else the yarn that I'm using (2 different kinds for the 2 colors - Elegance has some silk in it and is therefore more "slippery"). I don't know - I just adjusted the number of rows and I think it'll be fine in the end. I can't wait for the steeks!

By the way, these colors seem to be hard to photograph correctly - they are actually not this bright in real life.

Modifications

2006-04-22T22:15:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since my last post here. I think I hadn't even begun yet.

And now the end is near. I've had serious row gauge issues and had to recalculate everything from about 10 cm and up. That is, that was when I realized what was happening. I also had to skip a couple of side decreases. If you understand Swedish, there's more of this on my blog.

decreases around the steeks?

2006-04-21T18:32:00.000+02:00

just so i feel better about what i'm doing, could someone tell me exactly what kind of decreases they're working on either side of the steeks? i read the pattern and i think i'm working them correctly (basically i'm going against my instinct of how i would normally decrease) but i'd love some reassurance because some of them don't look so good. for the neck steek (i haven't gotten to the armholes yet), going across from right to left i'm working ssk, knit the steek, then a k2tog. my k2tog decs look good but my ssk? not so good...i can see the two colors of the stitches. i shoulda taken a picture to illustrate but didn't think of before i left the house. thanks, ladies!

My Second Swatch

2006-04-21T17:36:00.000+02:00

This time I've used the same yarn - Brown Sheep Sports Weight - on a size smaller needle - 6s. The fabric
looks much better - the pattern is clearer (though this could be because I actually FOLLOWED the pattern this
time - and the tension is a bit more even. I tried a different color combo this time - brown and grey - but am
not thrilled with it. For the actual vest I'll go light blue and grey for that preppy (or Civil War ) look.

Not sure what the gauge is yet, but I'm guessing I'll just have to "make it work," as Tim Gunn would say.

Edited to Add: Well, my gauge is still troublesome. I'm basically getting about 7.5 stitches per inch, and
28rows over four inches. I'm thinking I should knit one size bigger, and add a few rows in to compensate.
Does this make sense? I am maths dumb as you may guess.

My vest gauge

2006-04-19T04:24:00.000+02:00

Ok... when I posted the pictures of my vest earlier (the pink & white one), a couple of people asked about gauge. I got out my ruler- and here's what I found:

My gauge is 28 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches. Right on rows, wrong on stitches. I'm feeling ok about this gauge- the yarn I'm using (Knitpicks Merino) seems pretty stretchy, and I'm confident that I can block this to the width I want. I was more concerned with getting my row gauge right considering everyone's mini-dress dilemma.

I'm using size 6 (US) Addi Turbos, and am working with the main color (pink) in my right hand and the contrast color (white) in my left- so that the pink is being worked English style and the white Continental.

Hope this will help everyone a little!

Re-Gauging

2006-04-18T20:47:00.000+02:00

Glad to see there are other Vestalongers still! I am re-swatching tonight on a size SMALLER needle on
Eunny's suggestion (my instinct was to go up a size). If that doesn't work I may attempt to tweak the
pattern to work with my eventual gauge.

It would be funny to run into another Vestalonger wearing The Vest. Has anyone ever seen a knitter
out in a sweater they recognized from a blog or a KAL?

Math makes my brain hurt

2006-04-18T16:18:00.000+02:00

After seeing how many of you have ended up with longer-than-desired vests, I decided that drastic action was needed. I enlisted the help of my friends Stephanie and Veronique to puzzle out the math needed to adjust the shaping and placement of steeks and armholes. Check out my blog for the pics...

I wish I had researched my merino options more... Knit Picks Merino Style is a much larger DK weight than what Eunny used and I think I should have been looking for a sport weight merino, based on the gauge Eunny calls for in the pattern. I wish I had found this before I bought the Knit Picks. While it's much more expensive, I think it would have created a much less bulky fabric, and I would have been closer to the mark on gauge. If I make this sweater again, I might splurge on this yarn.

I'm chugging along on the body of the vest and I've already divided for the neck steek. The armholes are coming up soon. I can't believe how fast of a knit this was! Maybe I can actually get a wear out of it before it gets too warm here in NYC to wear a wool vest.

Happy Knitting!

A nailbiter...

2006-04-18T14:06:00.000+02:00

Hi all... though this is my first post, I've been working on this vest for awhile, and am close to being done! Here's my progress:

I love it! Such a satisfying knit, and I really like the colors I picked. Now here's the problem:

That's all the yarn I have left! Ahhh! I don't think I'll be able to make it. The worst part is that I ordered from Knitpicks, so I'll have to wait a week for the yarn to come in. And I'm on a roll!

Oh well... if this is the worst problem I have with this garment, I guess I'll count myself lucky!

-Kelly B.

Open Letter to Knitpicks...

2006-04-15T16:28:00.000+02:00

Hello, Knitpicks...where is my Asparagus? It's been back in stock since April 1...Where is my order?

Where oh where is my yarn???You can't swatch fair isle in one color.....

Thanks,

Julia

2006-04-13T18:57:00.000+02:00

What a hot ugly mess! I find knitting on DPN really tricky at the best of times,
but with Fair Isle it's really gone to pot. The tension is out the window, and it
looks like I didn't really follow the pattern that well. I know that once I start this
piece on circs it will work well though - I'm a pretty determined knitter!

I think I'm going to knit a few more rows, block it, and see what I have for gauge.
Wish me luck! I love this pattern, it will look fabulous over a little shirt with a
pencil skirt.

Yarn is Brown Sheep sport weight, and right now I'm getting about 5 stitches an inch
unblocked.

Done

2006-04-13T07:09:00.000+02:00

Here it is in all it's ill-fitting glory.

You may not be able to tell from the above photo but the vest would have worked were it not for the crazy wide and protruding armholes. I have more information and a close up picture on my blog. I think I am going to re-knit but maybe not until fall and until I truly understand how to fix the fit. This knit-a-long has been great though and I look forward to seeing future finished versions that hopefully benefit from the experience and folly of those who have gone before. Whatever you do, know your gauge. I still love the pattern. This is one beautiful fun knit. I just wish mine fit.

Cutting Yarn has Never Been so Fun

2006-04-12T18:31:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone - this is my first KAL. I finally (re)started my vest. I'm not really figuring out the gauge by swatching, so I think I'm just going to start on size 4 needles and adjust the pattern as needed. I get really impatient just swatching all the time. Here is a swatch on which I tried out the crochet steeking - seems to be holding really well (awesome!). The colors are "Grass" in Elegance from Knit Picks, and "Fawn" in Palette from Knit Picks (double stranded). They are more muted in real life.

Eunny's comments

2006-04-12T15:35:00.000+02:00

[Eunny's comments to the last post -- re-posted by me, Fi]

Hi ladies -

I've been following the -along with a lot of interest. I'm so sorry about the size/length/row gauge problems many of you are having - it's kind of been perplexing me, since 30rows/4inches is a pretty middle-of-the-road gauge for a DK-weight yarn.

I'm getting the feeling that many knitters are increasing the needle size to get stitch gauge (which, of course, affects row gauge), not knitting round swatches, or not blocking the swatch aggressively. The best solution I can suggest is to:

1) Swatch in the round!
2) Practice a little stranded knitting. Make sure your floats are consistently generous - if your floats are too tight, your stitch gauge will be way too tight.
2) Swatch for row gauge. That is, make your swatch work out as close as possible to 30 rows/4 inches, keeping your floats loose and comfortable, and see if blocking gets you stitch gauge with that same swatch.
3) Block aggressively. Seriously, soak your swatch in cool water for 15-20 minutes to get things completely saturated, and try to pin it to get gauge. You'll be suprised at how much give there really is.

Hope this helps! If you do end up recalculating the decreases, I suggest marking inches on the chart for your size - if your new row gauge is, say, 24 rows/4 inches, tick off every 6 rows as one inch. Using this "ruler", redrawing your decrease lines should be pretty straightforward - no math needed, just your eyeballs.

Now that I think of it, would someone be able to copy and post this as a new entry to the blog, so everyone's sure to see it? That would be great!

p.s. If you are really unhappy with how your vest turned out, and feel the problem lies with the pattern - email me, and we'll work something out.

Gauge woes

2006-04-10T03:32:00.000+02:00

I slogged through the 2 x 2 ribbing this week and finally made it to the colorwork this weekend. I do mine with a color in each hand, which seems to work pretty well for me.

I have gotten through several rounds and my stitch gauge is right on, yay! The bad news is that my row gauge is WAY off... I'm getting about 11.5 rows over 2 inches (23 rows over 4").

This is a pretty huge difference. After reading about everyone's vests turning out way too long, I'm not sure what I should do. Should I somehow adjust the shaping so that I do the arm holes a little earlier? I need your advice, VestAlong-ers!

Finally starting

2006-04-07T19:40:00.000+02:00

The yarn has arrived- I can finally start! From wonderful Östergötlands ullspinneri comes this incredibly soft Visjö-garn that I've only heard about but now will try out on this vest. And the colors... I've been thinking back and forth, and settled for this springy combination... I really hope it will work!

Steek cutting this weekend

2006-04-07T17:54:00.000+02:00

Here is the finished body of my vest:

I will get to steeking this weekend so hopefully I will have a finished project soon. Can I tell you though...I am terrified it is too long. As I say on my blog, I think I knit an argyle mini-dress. Argh! I am so annoyed with my row gauge calculations. I have always discounted row gauge in the past but for this project, row gauge is critical.

My first KAL

2006-04-05T14:27:00.000+02:00

Hi! Just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Sofie, and this is my first knit-along, and my first vest...as well as first bigger project really! Since I'm not an experienced knitter, I decided I would modify the pattern a little bit, making it in only one color. I know, it kind of takes the argyle out of the "Deep V argyle vest", but I'm hoping it'll turn out nice anyway. This is kind of what I'm hoping it will look like:

Right now, it feels like things are going ok. I started at my boyfriend's mom's birthday dinner (well, not until after the actual dinner), and to my luck his aunt was a "textile crafts teacher" in middle school (syslöjdslärare) , and helped me out! Right now, I've only gotten this far:

The only thing that's really bugging me is the size issue. I'm using the same yarn as Linn did, who now writes, "I shouldn't have gone for the Alpaca. Stupid." For her, the vest turned out much bigger than she thought. I'm thinking about changing to a smaller size (I'm usually 38'), and maybe making it less wide and shorter? Some people have also written that they wish they hadn't made the V so deep. I guess it's not too late to change that either... What do y'all think? Those of you who have finished; do you wish you had done it differently?

my GIANT vest

2006-04-05T06:12:00.000+02:00

oh, it's just freaking huge. think 31" long huge. i'm suprisingly not as ticked off as i would expect. go to the blog to gawk at the picture. i'm going to go cry in a corner.

my tiny vest

2006-04-03T18:34:00.000+02:00

oh man i really think this thing is going to be too small. i'm not ripping at this point because a. i'm not sure about the size and b. i'm really doing it for the learning experience. anyway, my goal for this evening is to finish up with chart a. Also, it seems that unlike most i'm going to wind up with more yarn than i need. i'm jusssst about through with one ball of the main color and still have loads left on ball #1 of the pink color. on top of that i bought an extra skein of each because i ALWAYS underestimate. this time though it seems i underestimated my girth. :( le sigh. let's all hope for a blocking miracle, ladies!

Binding off, finally!

2006-04-03T09:45:00.000+02:00

I've had some argyle action this weekend, and tonight I'm having a knit-together at my place and will finish, secure and block tonight. Hooray!

But I must say I feel there's something wrong with the steeks. I know I've never been the most thorough reader of patterns, but I honestly think I got the steeks right and crotcheted with a very wooly mohair, but still it's like it doesn't stick together, and the crotcheted edge wants to slip away, slowly but surely. Maybe the alpaca is too soft for steeking? Does anyone else have these problems, or are everybody else's steeks just perfect and lovely?

Finally, I can start!

2006-03-30T04:39:00.000+02:00

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.

I am dumb

2006-03-27T22:23:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I came really close to ripping this out:

About 15 rows before I was to start the deep-v, I measured my vest and couldn't figure out why it was so long. I mean, I added extra rows but that was to make up for my short row gauge...yeah, that is when it dawned on me. I completely messed up. My row gauge is 26. The pattern gauge is 30. I was thinking that I needed to add rows in order to make it right. I know...so dumb. I got as far as you see above until the moment when it dawned on me, a smaller row gauge number means a longer length per stitch. If I did the pattern as written, it would already come out longer. So by adding rows, I was adding even more length. I got so turned around. In fact, I still get turned around thinking about it.

For about 3 hours I was thinking I would have to frog it. Three long and sad hours. Then I thought that if I just continued with the pattern and played with the spacing of the increases then I could follow the pattern as it is written from here on out, not add any rows, and not be too bad off. I wanted it a little longer anyway. I am just hoping my shaping doesn't look wonky when I am done.

Now the only other concern I have is that I am pretty sure I am running out of the main color yarn. Perhaps it was the several swatches I did but I am almost at the end of my next to last ball and I have 1/2 of the vest left including the collar and arm holes. Is anyone else running into this issue?

But I am still liking the vest. The pattern is very fun and easy to get the hang of. I am still nervous about those steeks though. I am glad there are several of you on here that have successfully completed the steeks. This gives me comfort.

My boobs are too small!

2006-03-26T23:12:00.000+02:00

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!

2006-03-26T11:37:00.000+02:00

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?

2006-03-26T10:49:00.000+02:00

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...

Introduction...

2006-03-25T21:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone!

My name is Lori and my blog is at http://www.yarnbeans.typepad.com. I just received my yarn for the vestalong. It's KP Merino Style in Storm and Frost. I love the colors together and the names of the colors just seemed to go together also. I'm not sure how to post pics on this blog yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon. In the meantime, visit my blog to see the pics. I have to finish my Sockapaloooza socks this week and hope to finish by next weekend. But I will try to swatch this week so I'll be ready to cast on right after that. Everybody's colors are just great!

New Kid on the BLOCK!

2006-03-23T01:51:00.000+01:00

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...

2006-03-22T10:28:00.000+01:00

... 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

2006-03-22T07:07:00.000+01:00

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.

Got gauge?

2006-03-22T04:48:00.000+01:00

Nope, I surely don't. But I am definitely loving the knitting! The yarn - like buttah! The chart - a lot easier than it looks. Getting gauge, well that's a different story.

The stitch gauge is about 3 stitches off. I should be getting 22 stitches over 4 inches and I am getting 25. My row gauge is slightly off as well: I'm getting about 26 stitches over 4 inches instead of 30. I was afraid of this. I committed to buying the needles before knowing I'd get gauge. The yarn recommends a size 5 and the pattern recommends a size 4. I just couldn't imagine going down to 3's, two whole needles sizes from the yarn's label recommendation. My options are a.) knit tighter, b.) take my chances knitting the smallest size and work it out in blocking, or c.) suck it up and buy size 3 circulars and dpns. My first inclination is to do a combo of A and B. Any advice?

now entering stage deep v

2006-03-21T04:24:00.000+01:00

I finally have a progress pic! My row gauge is apparently much different in the garment than it was in the swatch, so I've had to do a fair amount of compensating...seems to be working so far, so we'll see how it turns out. Your argyles look great, and I love seeing all the various color combos.

finally some progress

2006-03-20T17:50:00.000+01:00

got some vest knitting in this weekend while listening to audio books (seriously, audible.com is the best thing that's ever happened to my knitting!). i'm knitting this on size US6 addis. a few posts ago i mentioned that i still wasn't getting gauge with 6s and i finally just decided 'oh what the hell. just go for it!' this probably won't prove the wisest decision i've ever made but, hey, i'll lose a pounds to fit into the thing if i have to. i'm not entirely happy with my stitches though. when i've done fair isle before i didn't have any problem with tension or my stitches looking wonky at all. i was kind of cocky like "what's the big deal with fair isle? easy peasy!" but this argyle pattern! some of my stitches look so tiny and some of them look slanty. i had the same problem with my swatches as well. i'm pulling at them as i go along to even them out but some of them still look pretty crappy. is it the yarn? is it me? is it the needles? is it because this is knit circularly? if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them. (i think it's the yarn.)

OK, for some reason my picture isn't uploading. here's a link to my blog where you can see the progress.

And I'm back

2006-03-20T15:40:00.000+01:00

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...

2006-03-20T04:30:00.000+01:00

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

2006-03-20T02:05:00.000+01:00

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!

Let the swatching begin!

2006-03-20T01:06:00.000+01:00

My yarn arrived last week - I love getting yarn in the mail! I'm using Knit Picks Merino Style in Coal & Fog.

Now I just need to start swatching! And to practice my fair isle technique, I started the Norweigan Stocking. I am doing the two-handed method, which seems to be working out well for me.

Everyone's progress is looking great. I can't wait to get started!

Do I have enough???

2006-03-18T19:19:00.000+01:00

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.

Finally, finally blocking!

2006-03-18T06:20:00.000+01:00

Finally.

The vest is now drying and resting comfortably on my spare bed. Hopefully the measurements will be okay when it's done. I tried it on once before soaking it, and the gauge was, well, wayy off. The whole vest was about five inches too long (mostly around the armholes) and very tight around my post-baby waist. But that will surely be fixed by blocking, won't it?

As I mentioned, I noticed that the vest stretched much more lengthwise along the armholes than anywhere else. Is that because of the steeks? Or because there's such a narrow piece of actual pattern knitting there as opposed to, say, below the front neck steek? Gah, it's too early in the morning to be thinking about this stuff, so I apologize if I'm not making any sense.

In any case, the vest is almost dry, so with a little luck I'll have a picture of it all ready to wear within the next couple of days. In anticipation of this, I expect you all to visit my blog and have a look at the not quite dry version :)

The vest starts

2006-03-17T19:18:00.000+01:00

I have started the vest, finally deciding to knit it on 4's (just because I liked the look of it best) and with my gauge of 24 stitches and 26 rows. In order to make it work, I did the math and am making a larger size in the pattern and then adding rows in order to make it long enough. The math has been making me a bit crazy but I think I have it figured out. Here is my first progress...

2006-03-16T22:17:00.000+01:00

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

intro

2006-03-16T21:18:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! This project is a series of firsts for me, like many of you: first colorwork, first steek, and also my first knitalong.

I'm addicted to working away on the vest any chance i get. My yarn is brown sheep naturespun sport in scarlet and pink please (a burgundy/light pink combo). My gauge was a bit wonky and variable in the swatch, but it seems to be working out - i tried the first few inches on the other night, and it fits so far.

I'm enjoying seeing all of your progress, and i hope to be able to share a picture soon.

2006-03-16T16:20:00.000+01:00

i just received my yarn and pattern yesterday!
it the knit picks merino style in hollyberry and fog. i've got a swatch drying as i sit here.....hopefully, i get gauge and can start on the vest right away.

Almost Done!

2006-03-16T15:36:00.000+01:00

Hey I am here too just been plugging away. I am three rows from casting off the collar. I had to shorten the shoulders so that I had a deep V and not a Hollywood Plunge! Here are the pics. Hope to be able to wear this next week as we still have a bit of cold weather floating in and out of here in NC.

Where are you?

2006-03-16T09:30:00.000+01:00

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!

Not quite so much Gah! anymore...

2006-03-11T15:13:00.000+01:00

One very blurry, three needle bound off shoulder (I think it's the left one). It needs some adjustment though, since the binding off yarn is showing through.

When I had done the binding off, I proceeded to...

picking up stiches along the armhole. I had to do it all over again when I realized I'd picked up 130 instead of 120 stiches...

Gah!

2006-03-11T10:20:00.000+01:00

I'm cutting the steeks now!

Just wanted you to know I'm scared as... well, you know what. Here's how it's going:

Almost There

2006-03-10T19:04:00.000+01:00

Hey guys I am 22 rows from being doen with the body. Pics are up for me now so here is hte pic I tried to post the other day. Whoever fixed it thank you very much! :) I am excited about getting to work the steeks as they are the first I've done. Emily at emileee23.blogspot.com is doing the same colors as me and was fine on gauge w/ the 4's. I'll admit I didn't swatch. I need to though I'm just such a jump into it person. But any way here are the pictures from the other day.

Reminder from Eunny

2006-03-10T18:29:00.000+01:00

Eunny emailed the other day, reminding us all to make sure to check blocked gauge and measurements carefully before starting -- which I thought was very nice of her :) Her full notes on sizing can be found on her blog.

(This is getting me a wee bit worried, since I didn't even swatch before starting...)

A gauge question...

2006-03-10T18:24:00.000+01:00

So last night I did my second attempt at a gauge using 5's. I got correct stitch gauge but am off row gauge by a bit. Do I need to be really concerned about this? Also, I actually like the look of my first gauge done on 4's better then the second one. I am thinking about doing the math and making a larger size of the vest with the smaller gauge to make it fit right. Has anyone else run into these kind of issues?

My Swatch

2006-03-10T05:57:00.000+01:00

You know, I don't know why I don't listen. I kept reading about how people weren't getting the right gauge with Knit Picks Merino Style but did I listen?...no. I worked my swatch last night on 4's. I got 24 stitches and 26 rows. Grrrr. I do not like having to start over but at least I am enjoying the pattern and I love how the colors look together. Here it is:

I messed up the pattern at the top but I still have a good idea now of what it looks like and how the pattern works. And I am loving my colors. So now I am off to swatch with 5's.

I'm taking a break

2006-03-10T04:39:00.000+01:00

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!