FO: Deep V Argyle Vest...

Pattern: Deep V Argyle Vest by Eunny Jang
Yarn: KnitPicks Merino Style in Moss (3.5 balls) and Nutmeg (2.5 balls)
Needles: US4/3.5mm (24"/60cm) Addi Turbos and US4/3.5mm (32"/80cm) Clover Bamboo circs
Time: ~2.5 weeks
Mods: Adjusted for row gauge difference; wider waist.

Notes:

This seemed to fly by fairly quickly. The Argyle pattern is easy to remember, and the pattern was well-written and detailed. I matched the stitch gauge but my row gauge was about four rows off, so I had to go over the chart and make the proper adjustments.

I knitted the smallest size knowing that the fit up top was most important for this vest. However, my waist is not nearly as narrow as the given measurements. I figured I may as well adjust the waist shaping to my own measurements while I was doing the math for the different row gauge. I'm glad I did this because the fit around the waist is still snug (but in a good way) with an additional two inches. If I had gone ahead with the given measurement...Well, let's just say it wouldn't have been pretty.

I did make a couple teeny mistakes. They didn't really affect the garment and were easy to work around. I accidentally picked up two extra stitches on the first armband I knit. Since it was only two stitches and not even noticeable, I just fixed the rib pattern under the arm by purling four over the side seam. I also cast-on 11 stitches instead of 9 when setting the front neck steek. I didn't notice this until I was almost done knitting the whole thing. I ended up just securing the relevent stitches of the steek were it 9 stitches wide and cut out the entire middle section I didn't need. I probably would have just left it alone and not done anything "fixing" except the extra fabric I had to fold inside would have been too wide.

The fabric is really thick and would have taken forever to dry so I cheated. My parents have a rack you can put in the dryer plus an air fluff (no heat) setting. In fact, now that I think about it, I think the rack is called a sweater rack. Anyway, after soaking the vest I reshaped to the proper dimensions, lay it on the sweater rack, and let the dryer do the work. Normally if I have pieces or lace I pin them out. If I have an entire garment, I just take advantage of the fancy dryer. ;)

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I just started on Colchique. I'm using some Rowan Felted Tweed from the stash that my mom got me. I'm a little concerned that the cables won't show up well in this yarn but it's not a big deal for me. I mostly just want to get the yarn out of my stash but I have no idea what else I'd make with it. I'd also been wanting to make Colchique for a while but it's never been enough of a priority for me to buy yarn for it.

How I spent Friday night...

1) Finished knitting the Argyle Vest.


2) Secured steeks.


3) Cut steeks.


4) Voila!


I found securing the steeks to be a little tedious since I have trouble working the hook. Plus I was impatient to get to the cutting. =P I don't own any small, sharp scissors but my sharpest pair, which are also my largest, worked just fine. Just have to be a bit more careful. Other than that, steeking is fairly painless.

Now on to the bands!

FO: Button-up sleeves...

Pattern: My own; Based on a couple sweaters I've seen and a top from Phildar Tendances (Printemps 1, no. 443)
Yarn: Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton DK in shade 1857 "Lilac"; ~3.5 balls (770yds/700m)
Needles: US4/3.5mm Clover bamboo circ and US3/3.25mm Susan Bates Silverado circ
Other: 8x23mm washable buttons
Time: < Four weeks of knitting.

Notes:

Since the aforementioned Phildar top was the only pattern in that issue that I really wanted to knit, I decided to knit the top without a pattern rather than buy the magazine.

There isn't much more really I need to say about the construction in addition to my previous post. I knitted a folded hem with a purl row at the fold so it wouldn't look so rounded. I also used a bit of short row shaping for the front neck and shoulders. Originally I had buttonholes in the front band but that wasn't stable enough for this type of top. Since they aren't meant to be functional, anyway, I re-knit the band without the buttonholes, sewed in the buttons, and tacked the bottom band to the sleeve on the inside for extra stability.



The most difficult thing to work out on this top was the upper arm and raglan shaping. I'd originally wanted the top to have a slightly loose fit but the sleeves ended up being fitted (although not too tight, fortunately). The math and measurements of the sleeves are probably the only thing I would tweak were I to make this again. Other than that, I am very pleased with my first stab at knitting a sweater sans pattern.

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Right now I'm mostly concentrating on the Argyle Vest. I did swatch for the Colchique but since the vest is moving along rather quickly, I probably won't start on it until the vest is finished.


From swatch to WIP...

I swatched for this in the round on DPNs and created an alternating vertical stripe for a few stitches. I cut down the center of the striped stitches, washed the swatch, blocked, and measured. I found that my row gauge was pretty off so I've been re-calculating the pattern to make up for it. I also knit fewer waist decreases because the original waist measurement for the size I'm working is actually too tight for me.