A while ago, my husband and I were watching the show Power and the main character had on a lovely navy blue shawl collared vest. My husband leaned over and asked, ‘could you make me something like that?’ and I immediately responded yes. I ordered blue yarn…and then later he said he didn’t want a blue vest. Why does this man do this to me every time? LOL So I decided to use this opportunity to try a new to me yarn, Berroco Remix and make up a vest for my husband.
I’m pleased with the end results, although I questioned myself the entire way. You also get to see his hat I knit him!
I went with Remix yarn because he doesn’t like to be too hot (or smile in photos) and it’s a mix of non-wool that’s light and has a soft drape. I randomly picked the color patina, it’s a grey brown with flecks of white so I paired it with dark grey buttons from my stash. Remix knits almost like a Noro silk blend but I didn’t feel like it was as fragile as when I knit my rainbow cardigan with a silk yarn. Now I love the end results of the yarn so much I want to knit something for myself in a pink or teal color. I took about two months to finish this because I just didn’t want to do all the stockinette for the body but in the end I finished it for him.
I based this around the instructions for a saddle shoulder sweater from the Knitter’s Handy Book of Top Down Sweaters. I made garter stitch saddles and trim since the yarn is so tweedy I didn’t think anything else would really stand out. And I used short rows to make the shawl collar. Since I used garter stitch I didn’t have to pick up the wraps, they just blend right on in. I could’ve gone bigger with the collar but I always worry it’ll be too big until I’ve finished it. I also use a stretchy bind off to make sure it lays flat. I think I could’ve added a touch more length to the body but he seems to be okay with the finished item. And hopefully he will wear it often. This was a pretty good project to end my 2018 on, now on to many more!
FO: The Shawl Collared Vest
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