Sexy Vesty
02/22/10 — FINISHED! I seamed the sides, worked the ribbing around the neck & arms, and wove in all loose ends. The straps are slightly too wide so it looks more like a cap-sleeved sweater… but it’s still good, it’s still good! ;) And my sister, the recipient, loves it so all is well. (Also? I messed up the front center of the neck ribbing… but shh.)
02/20/10 — Finished the straps and back, grafted the shoulders (using 3-needle BO). Now to seam the sides and do the ribbing! But first: I block.
02/16/10 — So I unknit the straps down to 33 sts, increased 5 sts on one side of each strap, cast off the 5 sts, continued neckline decreasing until I had 22 sts, then continued in lace pattern for 7 inches (instead of 8). I’ve done this because I’m working with 10 pattern repeats across (150 sts) rather than the pattern’s 8 repeats (120 sts). I’ve rewritten this part of the pattern as thus:
Front-Right Panel
- Slip 1/4 of the sts to a double-pointed needle.
- Knit in lace pattern to last three sts; k2tog, k1. Turn work, purl back to marker.
- Repeat until 33 sts remain.
- While continuing to decrease this section to 22 sts, increase 1 st at armhole (right side) 5 times.
- When the increases are done, cast off 5 sts at beginning of row for armholes.
- Continue in lace pattern until the armhole measures 7”.
Front-Left Panel
- Slip next 1/4 of the sts to a double-pointed needle.
- k1, k2tog, knit in lace pattern to marker. Turn work, purl back to beginning.
- Repeat until 33 sts remain.
- While continuing to decrease this section to 22 sts, increase 1 st at armhole (left side) 5 times.
- When the increases are done, cast off 5 sts at beginning of row for armholes.
- Continue in lace pattern until the armhole measures 7”.
I hope that helps someone (because I was very confused)!
02/13/10 — Ah! Finally! It’s coming together. The only thing I’m worried about now is fit. I forgot that my vest is 30 stitches wider than the one in the pattern… so I’ve been decreasing as per the instructions. The V-neck is going to be very deep, I fear.
02/12/10 — Just about ready to smash something. After racking my brain (for hours!), trying to figure out what the pattern wanted from me, it finally made sense. However, by that point, I had made a plethora of mistakes so I needed to undo the damage. BUT! In undoing the damage, I actually caused more damage. As such, the vest is now shorter than it was two days ago. I’m putting it away until tomorrow when I’m less frustrated.
02/10/10 — I tried on the vest to see whether to do one more pattern repeat length-wise… and I’ve decided to go for it. I’m worried that if I don’t add the length now, I won’t be able to do it later… so better safe than sorry? ;)
02/09/10 — I had a job interview in Brooklyn today and I took my knitting with me so I would have something to do on the subway. And, just like that, I knit in public for the first time! It was probably a hilarious sight: I’m dressed like a businesswoman in my finest skirt & shirt & boots & coat & handbag… while knitting a bright pink item. But it was nice having something to do rather than blankly staring at the ads or my fellow passengers :P Also? I’m up to four pattern repeats tall and I’m wondering whether to stop now and start the neckline shaping or keep going until I hit 5 pattern repeats and then start the neckline. Oh, decisions, decisions…
02/05/10 — Picked up this project again. Cast on 160 stitches, worked in 1×1 ribbing for 3” and then decreased to 150 stitches over 2 rounds:
- (k30, k2tog) × 5
- (k29, ssk) × 5
01/29/10 — Dropped some stitches and I couldn’t save them. So I frogged the thing (crying the whole time, bah). I’ll start over… soon.
01/28/10 — Decreased to 150 stitches so I will be making 10 repeats of the lace pattern across. I’ve decided to incorporate Kaisa’s modifications into my project… so I will most likely be doing 5 pattern repeats to the neckline.
01/27/10 — Worked in 1×1 ribbing for 2.5”.
01/26/10 — I cast on 160 stitches to accommodate my sister’s larger bust. (And, generally, larger everything. The pattern notes are written for Thumbelina, it seems!)