knit vest – Yards of Happiness

FO: The Shawl Collared Vest

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.
Kendell’s knits
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.
Kendell’s knits
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: Birthday Brioche

I went back and forth on what to make my sister for her birthday this month. I knew that whether it was a full sweater or a vest it would be white but something just kept telling me I needed to knit her the Pommier Vest…so I did!
Birthday brioche
I think I really wanted to put my newly learned brioche skills to work. And despite having a little mistake at the very bottom in the beginning (that I left because only a knitter would notice), I think this was definitely the right project to make for Anne and I know I’m going to have to make this for my other sister and my Mom (and maybe myself too).
Birthday Brioche
You can’t tell as much as I would like in these photos but the contrast color yarn is actually pink and yellow. It’s Knerd String in the color Tang. The white yarn is the Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepard’s Wool Worsted that I bought to initially make my Happy Little sweater but decided yellow was much more my speed. I saved it know it would be perfect for a project for my sister who loves a white sweater.
Untitled
Here’s a better shot of the yarn so you can see all of the wonderful flecks of color in this. When I asked my sister if she wanted pink or yellow (her two favorite colors) in her gift, her response was pillow – pink AND yellow. Alrighty then, I knew I could make that work.
Birthday Brioche
I think this could be a really good starter brioche project if you’re trying to dip your toe into brioche knitting like I was. The vest is small and is super quick to knit since the front panels are so narrow. You’re going to add 7 inches (or more) of brioche stitch to the front by picking up stitches for the button band – why is picking up stitches my favorite thing? I didn’t go overboard on the brioche band because my sister leans on the petite side and I didn’t want it to overwhelm her or appear to swallow her up. I think this was just enough and she can flip the collar down if she wants. All in all this was a super satisfying knit and you’ll totally see this one being knit again.

November 20, 2017 by IamDWJ Categories: Color, FO: Finished Object, Knerd String, Knitting, neutral (black/grey/white), pink, Stonehedge Fiber Mill, Sweaters, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, brioche knitting, brioche stitch, knit gifts, knit vest, knitting, Yarn 18 Comments

FO: A Blue Vest for Mom

Surprisingly, this weekend I didn’t really knit. I think I may have added a row or two to my latest sweater but when I did have a little down time I wasn’t in the mood to knit. Shocking! LOL But I did read some knitting magazines and I gave the Walking Dead season finale my full attention.
Aeon vest for Mom
Over the weekend I invited my Mom to come over and pick up the Aeon Vest I knit for her. I gave her a preview on FaceTime on Thursday and told her it would be blocked and ready for her by Sunday…she came over early Sunday afternoon. My husband asked me why I made it for her, was this a gift? Something special? Nah, she’s just my Mom and I thought she’d like it. That’s pretty much the only reason why I knit.
Aeon vest for Mom
The hardest part for me in completing this vest was all the stockinette body. It was probably less that what I do on a normal sweater but half of the vest is knit in small sections and I liked how it was broken down into smaller chunks. So when I had to join it all together I thought it was endless. I also loved making a pocket for the first time! I might do this again in other sweaters just because I know how to add a slit pocket now!
Aeon vest for Mom
I don’t know if I could’ve made the stitches neater or disappear more but I thought I did pretty well. I should’ve used a contrasting color on the inside so she could have a little fun secret but I figured the blue was so bright and I wasn’t going to run out (I still have a full skein an a half leftover) I might as well just use it.
Aeon vest on Mom
But honestly, the best end result is seeing my Mom tickled to have a new vest I made just for her. She put it on and didn’t take it off for the rest of the day. She teaches English as a second language part time and told me her classroom is a little chilly so this would be a perfect layer for her. I used a favorite stash staple, Berroco Vintage so that it would be machine washable and would air dry quickly and not be too hot since it’s not 100% wools. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better outcome. Now I feel like I need one for myself in a grey or camel color. So what’s on your needles for spring?