Knitting Reflections & Planning for the Next Season

Even though we're quickly approaching August (like right around the corner), my knitting thoughts are now focused into the next season. I love the cooler weather. I tend to get warm very easily. I will still be knitting a lot of short sleeved or 3/4 sleeved garments well into the Winter season. Even some lace garments will get knitted. That's my plan.

I have collected some wool yarns over the last year from closeouts, clearance bins, and sales. Mostly worsted weight and a few chunky yarns. I plan on looking at my spring/summer patterns and knit them into fall/winter garments using the wool that I have in my stash.

As fast as I'm trying to knit my summer garments, I know some will not get a chance to be casted on this year. Most of them will have to wait another 6 months before I think about them...again. I now need to focus on transitional garments in the appropriate colors and textures.

I've already ordered the Little Blue Sweater and the Lush & Lacy cardi and have the patterns in my hands. I ventured out today to another LYS with my friend, Sarah, and was not able to find the right bulky cotton blended yarn I needed for Little Blue. So, after doing a little stash diving, I came up with a merino chunky yarn that fits the bill. For Lush & Lacy, I plan on using Cotton Ease from my stash as well. At least one of the garments will be in a cotton blend.

I also plan on knitting another Shrug This! in a cotton blended yarn. I'm using Berroco Love It Colors (blue, sage, yellow, pink) yarn. It's a wild colored yarn and I hope I get the correct striping of colors instead of a pool of colors. We'll see. I will have to re-calculate the number of CO stitches based on the yarn I'm using which is worsted weight.

Oh, did I mention that Ravelry is using my three previous shrug pics on their main Shrug This! page? Way cool!

I also have a jacket called Tibet that's been sitting in my queue since I joined Ravelry. Yarn was purchased awhile ago and has been patiently waiting.

I have two scarves that I hope to get started in the next few weeks. One is a called a shoulder scarf that I hope to knit up with the Fiesta Rayon Boucle yarn. This will be a fast knit on large needles. The other is the Swirl Scarf that I mentioned a few posts back. This will be a nice long knitting project involving knitting in the round and picking up stitches using DPNs. I'm also looking into using the magic loop technique for this project.

I haven't started any major garment projects. I've been really, really good and knitting up my WIPs. We'll see how long that lasts.

More Knitting Ideas and Thinking Ahead

DH is on travel. I've already watched my chick flicks for the evening and did some knitting. It's late and I'm still on the Internet. I came across some lovely patterns that I wanted to share.

I keep coming across this cute cardi. The more I see it, the more I really like it. I'm intrigued with the stitch elements. This appears to be a quick knit project. This could be worn casual or dressy. If I choose the right color, this would make a lovely transitional garment from warm to cool weather.

Vogue Knitting Sideways Cardigan by Deborah Newton

I'm also intrigued with fair isle knitting. I really like the style of this dolman top. The color possibilities are endless. Even if I skip the fair isle treatment, I could do a different stitch pattern for the sleeves or even knit this as a two-tone top. Could do this in contrast or monochromatic colors.

Vogue Knitting Fair Isle Dolman by Jen Jarvis


This beautiful top caught my eye. Yes, the color is beautiful as well as the style. I like the wide scoop neck. I imagine this would be a wonderful knitting experience. Nothing boring about this top. I might have to try this one.

Interweave Knits Little Blue Sweater by Simona Merchant-Dest

I'm thinking about tackling this cute Sweater Babe's Lush & Lacy cardi. I like the diamond lace pattern and I think the slightly gathered peplum in the back is darling. So is the sleeve. Who couldn't resist the little pockets in the front?

For those of you who are interested in my previous cabled vest project, you can find the pattern here for the cable & lace vest by Rosemary Drysdale. I happened to be visiting Elann's site and came across the pattern.

Now, it's really late and I better go and get some Zzzzzzzz.

Happy Knitting!

Fall Preview of Interweave Knits

I just received an email for the Fall preview of the Interweave Knits magazine. Looks like a great upcoming issue that I'll be anxiously awaiting for at my LYS.

Here's a few garments that caught my eye:

I love this pullover. The lines and drape is very eye catching. I could almost see knitting this in monochromatic colors. Yes, I'm looking outside the box on this one. I do want to learn to knit with two different colors. That's one of my goals for next year.

Interweave Knits Scoop Pullover by Cathy Carron


Here's a really stylish cardi with a unique pocket design. This garment uses worsted weight yarn. Right now, I could see a lot of different yarns used for this project.

Interweave Knits Farmer's Market Cardi by Connie Chang Chinchio


I guess you can tell that I enjoy knitting cropped cardis. This one would be a cool project to knit and also uses worsted weight yarn. It's a good overall length for me and great style.

Interweave Knits Maple Street Cardi by Cecily Glowik MacDonald

Seeing there are at least 3 interesting garments to knit, I will be anxiously awaiting for the arrival of this mag in mid-August.

Cabled Vest in Sage - Completed

It took me awhile to knit this vest. About two weeks. The seaming and finishing only took a few hours to complete. So, I present to you my cabled vest called Sage and its review. Enjoy!

Cabled Vest - Plymouth Fantasy Naturale in Sage. Actual color


Name of Pattern:
Cabled Vest from the Tahki Yarns Terra Collection, Spring/Summer 2008

Tahki Yarns Terra Collection booklet

Designed by:
Rosemary Drysdale

Pattern/Garment Description:
Cropped sleeveless lace vest with cabled fronts.

Size(s):
Small (38), Medium (42), Large (44-1/2), & XLarge (48-1/2)

I made size Small. The vest came out slightly smaller in width because of the type of yarn I used...mercerized cotton. See additional information below.

Yarns Used:
Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale in Sage. This is 100% mercerized cotton yarn. Lovely sheen and the stitches form beautifully. The yarn tends to split a bit, but it's not a problem for me as I know how to handle this type yarn.

This yarn is heavy worsted weight with 18 sts/4 inches (#8 needles) and comes in 140 yard hanks. This heavier worsted weight yarn pulls the garment in length slightly which will cause the width to be slightly smaller. If I had used a non-mercerized heavy worsted cotton yarn, I'm sure the vest would have had a slightly looser fit. This is my personal assessment.

I used 3.5 hanks of yarn.

Gauge:
18 sts = 4 inches in lace pattern stitch pattern

I was right on gauge with this yarn.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular Needles: 40 inch in size 8
Cable needle (size 8)
Stitch markers to mark beginning of armholes and to mark the button placement on the placket
Crochet hook to help pick up stitches around the shoulders
Yarn/tapestry needle with bent tip
4 buttons - 5/8 inch

Techniques I used/Things I learned:
Basic techniques that I've used before on other projects.
- Long tail cast on
- K2,P2 ribbing
- M1 - used two types of M1s to knit the increases along the sides
- K2tog & SSK - for the lace pattern and to knit the decreases along the front edges
- YO - for the lace pattern
- CB4F and CB4B (cable stitch patterns)
- Knitting 4 buttonholes
- BO in pattern
- Pickup stitches along neckline

Two front sections with stitch markers marking button placement on the left placket and matching buttonholes created on the right placket

Close up of the front plackets

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
I basically knitted the garment according to the instructions. I made an oooops in the front section. Instead of knitting 8" before BO at the front placket, I knitted 9". I was knitting merrily along and forgot to measure. I bound off and then continued knitting for a few inches and realized my mistake. Must remember not to knit and chat at the same time. :)

I was suppose to pickup about 110 stitches around the front and back neckline which would allow me to start with K2 and end with K2 on the RS. I've learned from previous projects not to pickup every stitch, so I just picked up stitches randomly and came up with 96 stitches. I knew 96 wouldn't work because when divisible by 2 it would give me an even number. So I tinked about 10 stitches and picked up 8 stitches for a total of 94. When divided by 2, the resulting number was an odd number. This would give me the starting K2 and ending K2 around the neckline.

What I Like About this Pattern:
A somewhat challenging pattern. The cable and lace patterns kept my interest. It turned out to be a fun project.

Close up of front lace and cable patterns

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
No dislikes.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I rate this pattern as Intermediate.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
Over the last year, I have been slowly collecting the Tahki Yarns booklets. I envisioned tackling these seemingly difficult projects when I got to the advanced knitting stage of my life. In the last two months of my knitting career, I have dismissed looking at the pattern experience. I now look at the finished garment pictures (is there a Wow factor) and then read through the instructions to see if the project is worth my time.

I'm happy to say that I'm over that knitting hurdle and feel I can tackle anything I put my mind to it.

There are no errors in this pattern. The cable and lace patterns went well together. Rosemary did an excellent job in designing this pattern.

The only difficult part of this project was knitting the front right section. I thought I found an error, but it turned out that I needed to reverse the lace stitch patterns as well as the cable pattern. At the same time, reverse the increase stitch pattern and the decrease stitch pattern. The instructions for the front right section is typically what you find in most pattern instructions..."reverse shaping of the left front". I ended up writing my own instructions for the right piece, but ended up not needing them after all.

This pattern is from the Tahki Yarns Terra Collection, Spring/Summer 2008 edition. I highly recommend this lovely pattern.

My TNT vest

Front placket with silver buttons

The back side

I will be back to post live model pictures.

Happy Knitting!

** Update: I came across the cable & lace vest pattern. Check it out. :) **

Knitting - A Fascination

I don't know what it is about knitting, but I'm hooked. For good. When I look back to the beginning of my knitting experience, I never thought I would be knitting garments for myself. I never imagined I would be able to create a hand knit piece of fabric, put it together, and create my own unique masterpiece. My one of a kind. My own hand knitted garment that, well, fits pretty good.

Before now, I never attempted to knit because I knew there was math involved. Too much brain power, I thought. Difficulty level appeared to be really high. Too many unknowns. Crochet suited me fine. Simple blankets, scarves and bags. One single hook to worry about. Years ago, there were hardly any crocheted garment patterns available. Books were really scarce. I actually got bored with crochet. That's when sewing came into the picture.

I experimented with lots of different knit fabrics. Learning about "ease" in the fabric made a huge difference whether the garment was going to fit or not. Too tight or too big. My full bust measurement is 36". In the sewing world, I would select a pattern size that would have a finished bust of around 33" as long as the knit fabric had at least 50% stretch lengthwise. I learned this through trial and error. When I come across fabrics that had less stretch, I would choose the size closer to my full bust measurement. Pretty simple. A lot of lessons learned.

Now, I have no problems measuring myself. I don't have any problems sharing it with you, my readers. I don't have a perfectly shaped body. I'm all over that. Have been for many years. I am comfortable with my size and shape. If I wasn't comfortable, I wouldn't be sewing and knitting for myself. I'd be making things for others, 7x24. How much fun could that be? Lets face it. We are not perfect.

Don't get me wrong, makings things for others is an enjoyable feat, a talent. It gives a me a lot of pleasure when I can give my handmade gifts to others and know they appreciate it. They will use it.

At the same time, I really enjoy making things for myself. I enjoy wearing my hand made garments and accessories. I enjoy the complements I receive. Most importantly, I enjoy using one of my talents and that is teaching. Too many times, I have heard "I could never make that" or "that's too difficult". Well, ladies & gents...let me share something with you. Get rid of the negativities. Get rid of the "box" that you put yourself into. Surround yourself with positive people. Surround yourself with beautiful yarns. There is no fear in knitting. The only fear you will encounter is the one you put upon yourself. Plain and simple.

As you can see, I am a fearless knitter. I'm proud of it. If I had let fear or other people's negativities influence me, I would not be where I am today. You would not see my almost daily posts here. You would have one less blog to read. We would have never met.

As I am finishing up my summer knit wardrobe, I am looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall. I have lots of patterns and ideas in my head and a nice selection of wools in my stash. I do not know what direction my knitting will take me. All I know is I'm going to have fun and knit the projects that inspire me.

The one thing I hope you take away from this post is: There is no fear in knitting.


******************

Update

I was catching up on my blog reading and came across Shear Bagatelle's post about a Yarn Personality Test over at FaceBook. Well, I don't normally take tests, but this one peaked my interest.

Here's the results of my test:

"I'm Delightfully Driven!
You want it all and you want it now! But, what's even better is that you're willing to give it all, too. You not only live life, you consume it. You want to experience everything that life has to offer. If you were a yarn, you'd be "Wild Stuff" from Prism."

What a great way to end my post for today! Happy Knitting!

Knitting Thoughts

Swirl Shawl:
I'm not a sock knitter. I don't have plans to knit one in the near future. Sorry sock lovers, I'm in the garment mood. I don't know how to knit with DPNs in a continuous round. That will change soon.

While at my LYS, a friend of mine & fellow co-worker (the enabler she is), mentioned about the new Jojoland yarn colors that came in. After squeezing the heck out of the yarns and looking in the mirror to see which colors look good on me, I knew this had to be made into something special. We have a sample scarf model on display, but I never made the connection with the yarn and pattern. I tried on the scarf and it was pure joy. I couldn't believe how soft it was, even though the scarf looked a bit rustic. Maybe it had to do with the color choice of the finished product. Here is the same pattern but made into a shawl:

Swirl Shawl by Lijuan Jing for Jojoland

I plan on making the scarf version with only 3 rows of the octagons. The finished scarf is roughly 44 inches by 8 inches. About 20 inches shorter than the shawl version shown. The scarf length is perfect for a petite person like me.

I'm hoping to knit two versions in two different colors.

Melody Superwash in MS16 (Teal Green) by Jojoland

Melody Superwash in MS39 (Red) by Jojoland

The colors are absolutely gorgeous. I just couldn't have one color. I chose both. :)

Cabled Vest:
I made more progress on my vest. I'm now knitting the front right section. I had a tough/rough spot when I started to knit the lace pattern and cable. I thought I had run into a pattern error when in fact I was suppose to reverse the instructions from the front left section. That included also reversing the lace pattern stitches as well as the cable. I ended up writing out the pattern instructions for the right section. I tinked the 18th row once as I had added in an extra lace pattern when it should have been the ribbing for the front placket. Then I had to go back and tink the 18th row again as I forgot to knit a buttonhole at the beginning of the row. Once I got over the self-inflicted operator errors, I was well on my way. It actually turned out to be an enjoyable knitting time.

More Knitting Updates

Log Cabin:
I finished a log cabin square. It turned out beautifully. Hope to start the next one while at work.

One square completed, one more to knit

The Noro yarn is very hard and scratchy. I know I won't be able to wear any garments made with Noro Kureyon. The colors are gorgeous.

Cabled Vest:
My front left section is completed. I found several potential buttons from my button stash. I used stitch markers to mark my button placement on the front left. I have casted on the right front and will knit the matching buttonholes.

The fun part is picking out the buttons. I will be using 5/8 inch buttons

That's all for now. Need to gather my knitting and head in to work. Happy Knitting!

Knitting Updates & Pics

New Project:
At my LYS, we are working on a group project called the Log Cabin Blanket by Liz Ungar. Each of us is knitting two squares. Each square has 5 sections of garter stitches. We are using Noro Kureyon. It's my first time knitting with this yarn. All I can say is...the colors are Wow! I love how the colors are developing in each of the sections and then the squares as a whole.

Two balls of Noro Kureyon I'm using


Here's my first section (middle) completed:

Section 1 completed


I am picking up the stitches along one side:

Picking up stitches along one side


Here's the 3 completed sections:

Section 3 completed


I have two more sections to go and then I'm done. It's a quick and easy knitting project.


Cabled Lace Vest:
I am making a lot of progress on the vest. I started the front section on Sunday and re-read the instructions and just knitted what I thought would make sense. Do you know how hard it is to knit the lace pattern and do cable stitch pattern at the same time? To top it off, I had to remember to do an increase for the sides and then remember to do a decrease at the neckline. It was cumbersome at the beginning, but I think I've got a handle on both patterns now (after so many repeats).

Left front with cables and lace pattern

I have a few more inches to knit and then I start the BOs for the shoulder area.


I'm off for the next two days. I have a huge "to do" list. Half of the list are self-inflicted items (computer work, phone calls, organizing, cleaning) and the remainder are tasks I need to take care of for DH. One task requires a sewing project for DH. He originally wanted me to go out and purchase the items. To save money, I suggested I make the items for him. So, I better get moving and crank on my sewing and embroidery machines.

Happy Knitting!

Mini Book Review - The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques

Many times as I'm knitting a garment, I tend to forget the direction of the increases/decreases or which one is the best technique for the particular project I'm working on. Or which edging will work best for my garment.

I've uncovered another knitting book that I wanted to share with you:

The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman

This is another great reference book to add to the knitting bookshelf or for nightstand reading. The material is presented in a simple and easy to understand format. Plenty of diagrams to follow. I love the spiral bound binding as the book lays flat while your trying to knit and read/follow the example. This book is kept right along side of my two other reference books...the Knitting Answers book and the Knitter's Companion book.

Each chapter is presented with Benefits and Drawbacks section for the stitch or technique presented. Valuable and helpful information that gives insight into which cast on method to use, increase/decrease methods and which way the stitches look, selvages, bind offs, and different seaming techniques. Also, included is information on how to pick up stitches (valuable!), knitting borders/bands/finishes, and buttonholes.

If I had to take one reference book with me in my knitting bag, it would be this book. It summarizes a lot of basic knitting techniques that I have and would use in a hand knitted garment.

Book: The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques
Author: Nancie Wiseman
Publisher: Martingale & Company
Publication Year: 2002
Pages: 144
ISBN: 978-1-56477-452-1
Retail: $24.95

A Fun Filled Week

I can't believe how quickly this week went by. I started out on Sunday, meeting with my knitting group and teaching a refresher course on the basics of knitting. I purchased some beautiful yarn from a fab sale at one of my LYS and went back a second time with my friend, Sarah, to help her pick out a fabulous silk/cotton yarn for her first knitted garment project. The yarn is gorgeous. For most of the week, I took pictures for our VBS (Vacation Bible School) at my church. The kids are fantastic and a few will even ham it up and strike a pose for me.

My DH is a wonderful hubby. To celebrate my day, He took me to a wonderful Italian restaurant in Old Town. We had a quiet evening and enjoyed our conversation with a wonderful Italian meal.

Normally, we see two movies a year at the theater. Today, we're planning on heading to the movie theater to catch the 10am showing of HP. Yes, I did say "10am". I don't think we've ever gone to see a movie in the morning. This should be fun.

On the knitting front, I still have 3 projects going at the same time. It's been hard knitting 3 at a time and they all happen to be the back sections which seems to take forever. In the next day or two, I plan on knitting one project at a time so I can feel like I'm completing a garment much faster.

The back piece of Sage is now completed. Hoping to cast on the front left section today.

Cabled Lace Vest back. Note: the stitch markers at the side marking the start of the armhole area


Close up of the stitch patterns


Violet is moving right along. I have a few more inches to knit before I start the BOs for the armholes.

Lace Panel Cardi back piece

In order to move along with Sage and Violet, Charcoal (cabled v-neck top) will be put aside for now. I will more than likely take it with me on my travels in August. It will make a nice Fall garment.

For a quick knit, I will be casting on a Shoulder Shawl that I saw at one of my LYS. I've done some test samples with different yarns. We'll see what I come up with.

I have to share another yarn purchase I made that was 40% off. This Tilli Tomas silk yarn is absolutely gorgeous and couldn't be passed up. DH was happy that I made some special yarn purchases for myself. Saved him the trouble of trying to figure out what to get me.

Disco Lights in Parchment color by Tilli Tomas


Happy Knitting!

It's My Special Day!

I'm celebrating my special day today surrounded with new yarns that I added to my stash and 40% discount to boot! Okay, so how did I get all this yarn and it's only 8am this morning? I took advantage of a sale at one of my LYS, the day before my birthday. I treated myself to some wonderful yarns.

Here's what I've added to my ever growing stash:

1824 Wool by Mission Falls - This yarn is incredibly soft. I'm expanding my color palette. This will be made into a shrug


1824 Wool by Mission Falls in Granite. Only two skeins to be found. If I don't find additional skeins for a garment, I may end up using this as a border/edge/trim


Fantasy Linen by Plymouth Yarns - This is a beautiful green yarn to be made into a lace cardigan. A wonderful find


Fantasy Linen by Plymouth Yarns - Off White. This was a another fabulous find


The perfect off-white color for my skin tone


Olympic by Artful Yarns. This color is called Paris. Not much yardage, but hope to knit a cropped lace vest with this exquisite yarn


Love It Colors by Berroco in Lucy in the Sky. Love the colors which will make an interesting garment


Today, I'm making another trip to the LYS with blinders on. This time, I'm taking along a friend of mine to see what bargains she can uncover. I'm a terrible yarn enabler. ;)

Then I head to work for a few hours. DH called to let me know that we'll do something later this evening. We had planned to go to the movies, but postponed that for Friday. I'm looking forward to seeing HP that's coming out today. If you watch real closely, you may see a knitted garment or two.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Inspirations - Rowan

I happened to pick up a copy of this large and heavy magazine. I was intrigued by the many designs that caught my eye the first time I flipped through the pages. My friend at one of my LYS commented how this mag would look great on my living room table. Kind of like placing an Ansel Adams book as a show piece. That's how large this knitting mag is. It's too big for my nightstand, so I won't be doing any late night reading with this. lol!

Here are a few of my favorites from the Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine Number 45.

From their Bloom Collection:

Anemone - The ruffles would be an inspiring project


Bell Fower - a simple, but classic look


Lotus - a very feminine look with elegant lace edges


Salvia - a beautiful cropped cardigan with a front tie


From their Evergreen Collection:

Marseille - a simple top with beautiful design elements


Moustiers - this would be a fantastic knitting project as there are several different stitch patterns along with the different color variations to knit


Happy Knitting!

Three in the Running

I have three knitting projects in the works. No two are the same. See, I can really knit one version instead of two.

I started my Cabled V-Neck top called Charcoal. This will be my slow knit while in front of the TV. It doesn't help that I don't watch much TV to begin with. Okay, so this will be my "sitting in the front porch knitting" project. Knitting this in natural sunlight will help me see what I'm knitting. This charcoal color is quite dark.

Cabled V-Neck Top in Charcoal (Lion Brand Cotton Ease)


Many hours later and I only have this many inches knitted


Here's my second project a Lace Panel Cardi called Violet. This will be a slightly faster knit, as I'm knitting mostly in stockinette stitches until I get to the front pieces. Another front porch knitting project.

Laced Panel Cardigan in Violet (Lion Brand Cotton Ease)

The results of a few hours of knitting


And my third project Cabled Lace Vest called Sage. This one gets worked on at my LYS. Another lace knitting project and this one is knitting fast. At the rate this one is going, I might be able to put CeCe back on my radar.

Cabled Lace Vest in Sage (Plymouth Yarns Fantasy Naturale)


A few hours of knitting and I have this to show. Definitely a lot more work completed than my other two projects above

Ophelia in Mediterranean - Completed

Looks like my knitting mojo is fine, afterall. I was able to spend a few hours today finishing Ophelia in Mediterranean. Once I finished the back piece, I couldn't stop. I didn't even stop to eat lunch. I seamed the shoulders, crocheted single stitches around the front edges and neckline area, and then weaved in all my ends. After a quick bite for lunch, I grabbed some yarn and headed outside to sit on the porch. I sat and knitted an i-cord tie. Yes, it was a gorgeous day. No humidity and a slight breeze. Perfect knitting weather. :)

Here is another review of Ophelia. I did make some minor changes for this version. I've also noted similarities with my Cactus version.

My Ophelia in Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton - Mediterranean color


Name of Pattern:
Ophelia

Designed by:
Elizabeth Klett

Pattern/Garment Description:
Pretty sleeveless cardi features two different lace patterns: a simple lace rib that mimics curving vines and a more complex pattern that resembles lilies of the valley. The top is knit in one piece to the armholes and then the back and front pieces are worked separately. Shoulders are seamed. Wear it over a pretty camisole on those sultry summer days or over long-sleeve tops for cooler nights.

Cardi is worked in one piece to the armholes.

Size(s):
XS (28), S (32), M (36), L (40), 1X (44), 2X (48), & 3X (52)

Lengths: 20 - 23 inches

I made a size Medium (36"). Normally, I will knit a size Small. This time, I went with the finished full bust size of 36" as this was closer to my measurement.

For this version, I also lengthened by 3/4".

Yarns Used:
Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton (Organic) - used 3.5 hanks in Mediterranean color. This yarn is 100% Organic cotton. A wonderful yarn to knit with. The stitches form beautifully.

Being 100% cotton, this yarn has no elasticity. I ended up lengthening the vest in the shoulder area.

Gauge:
16 sts = 4 inches

Knitting Tools Used:
- Circular needles: 40" in size 8 for this Mediterranean version
- DPNs: size 7 were used to knit the i-cord
- Waste yarn for stitch holders
- Tapestry needle to weave in the waste yarn
- Stitch markers (used several to mark the fronts, sides, back and also the 3-repeat lace pattern for the back. Used two unique stitch markers to mark the side seams of the garment.



Techniques I used/Things I learned:

Here's what I did for this version.

The Bind offs at the armholes:
Worked the BOs for the armholes the same as my Cactus version.

Decreases used for the front edges:
Worked the same decreases as my Cactus version.

Shoulder seams:
I did the normal BO for the shoulders (front & left pieces) and also did a BO for the back piece.

I sewed the mattress stitch for the front left and right shoulders. I sewed only the knitted stitches (not the purl stitches) of the front ribbing. This created a more gathered look at the front shoulders. I am pleased with this look.




The left shoulder (front) bound off


The back piece bound off

Matching the front shoulder with back piece shoulder to do the mattress stitch


The end results - the gathered shoulder


Changes I Made to the Pattern:
As with the Cactus version, I narrowed the front pieces. Did 2 stitch BO for the armholes (front and back pieces). Did 4 stitch decrease along the front edges of the front pieces. In essence, I did a K2tog on the left front edge on the RS in 4 consecutive rows. For the right front edge, I did an SSK on the RS in 4 consecutive rows.

Because I did the 2 stitch BOs at the beginning of the lower armhole areas, that removed the 4 garter stitches (area under the separation of fronts from back). By the time I got up to the shoulder area (ribbing), I had to ignore the instructions for the edges. The instructions assumed the garter stitch was maintained up along the armhole edges. I ended up not doing a 2-stitch decrease before the shoulder ribbing. If I did that my K2, P2 ribbing would have been off.

For the back section, I did the 2 stitch BOs at the armholes. I decided not to match the decreases that I made for the front pieces. One, I did not want to disturb the lace pattern. Two, my back is broad enough to handle any "extensions" in the upper body.


What I Like About this Pattern:
This version in blue is my favorite. This is now a TNT pattern for me.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike. This is a well written pattern. I found no mistakes.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I would rate this pattern as Intermediate. I know I would not have been able to tackle this project without all the knitting experience I had on my previous garments.


Conclusion/Additional Comments:
I will be wearing this a lot along with my Cactus version for the remainder of the Summer and into the Fall. It's comfortable. I can wear a tank or cami underneath for the warm spell and a t-shirt when the weather gets cooler.

Since this 100% cotton yarn has no elasticity, I went ahead and lengthened the upper shoulder area so that the tie/eyelet area sits well below my full bust. This change worked out well for me.

Would I knit this again? You bet. I'm waiting for another yarn to scream "make me into Ophelia!"

I highly recommend this pattern.

I really like this color on me





(Side note: For our date night, DH took me to a Mexican restaurant. It was fab!) What a beautiful way to end a gorgeous day!

Happy Knitting!