Freeport Shawl Collar Vest

Freeport Shawl Collar Vest...I have worn this each day since I completed it and have received many compliments. Some are saying it is their favorite of my knits so far. You've gotta try this pattern! There could be endless possibilities with the color combos really.....I had fun with my garnet red stripes against the backdrop of the brown. I am honored to have my photo up on The Brown Stitch's blog, as she is showing samples of what projects people have knit using her patterns. You can check it out and see her other cool patterns over there.

...and look at the texture...

 

Definitely love it even more after blocking. Blocking just makes every stitch fall into place and lay smoothly and I got a bit of length out of it too. Photo shoot outside today by my wonderful husband.

 Shown before blocking.

Shown blocking.

Here's my version of Freeport Shawl Collar Vest by Elizabeth Smith. View her blog, The Brown Stitch and you can get her pattern there too! Or off Ravelry. She's on my sidebar link to the right! Mine was done with less than 3 skeins of Cascade Soft Spun, and less than one skein Malabrigo, both non-plied. I used a size 10 needle throughout. Of course I can never wait to model and wear my finished items before blocking, so I am wearing it here prior to blocking.

 Shown before finishing armholes and blocking...I tried it on and it fits! I am always so happy when this happens. You do a project and make modifications and hope that you got the gauge right and that it all works out fine. Usually it does! In this case, I think I got the correct needle size, gauge and so far it looks like this one will be a winner. Cute pattern!

After a few more rows I will bind off the collar and start on the armhole stitches.

Working on the short rows to shape the shawl collar here....

The Freeport Shawl Collar Vest... a lovely pattern. I liked the stripes in garter stitch and in contrast to the main stockinette body.  Since my yarn is a Cascade Soft Spun with brown and flecks of a red in it, I chose a Malabrigo in burgundy as my accent color for the stripes. Both yarns are soft and not plied. I am doing the medium size on size 10  circular needles. This pattern is seamless from the bottom up. Then you work the front pieces upward separately, putting one side on hold while knitting the other. The back is also knit upward. The stripes are made by alternating to the contrast color every two rows, and done in garter stitch. The shoulders will be sewn using a 3 needle bind off and the shawl collar will be picked up and short rows used to shape it.

Here is the piece layed out flat. You can see where you bind off stitches at the underarm. Modifications: I am omitting the waist shaping called for in the pattern, as well as omitting the "fake seam" called for down the armhole to the hem.I could have probably done the waist shaping, but thought it might be snug on me. It probably would've been just fine if I'd done it.

I think it's coming along well and soon I'll be ready to put the back stitches on hold while I finish knitting up the other "front" side. 

I am working on the picking up of the collar stitches now and getting ready to do the short row wraps for the shawl collar.  It's a cute pattern and vests are my new favorite thing so I look forward to finishing this one.

I am very happy with this pattern and recommend it.  Note: I would not recommend the Cascade Soft Spun necessarily as it seems to "crease" a little bit. Odd, never had a yarn do that. But it then shakes out. Maybe since it is so soft.

Eternalism "Earth" Vest

I am on a vest kick it seems and on mid-winter break so I am like a knitting machine! Another vest caught my eye recently out of Winter/Spring Knitscene 2011. The Eternalism Vest by Talitha Kuomi: The construction of the vest was intriguing. Done up in the most beautifully hued wooly yarn. I happened upon a completed sample vest at Serial Knitters in Kirkland and was able to try on the store sample and chat with the lady who knit it in this exact yarn. This was helpful to correctly assess my yardage.

Here is the scrumptious, yet expensive yarn, Schoppel Wolle PUR. Made in Germany and every gram is yummy. I loved this yarn at first sight in the magazine and was delighted to see it in person. It appears felted and is so soft that I want to walk barefoot in it. I love it so much! My husband took one look at it and said it looked cool. Indeed, it is very amazing yarn. It plumps up when you knit with it and then further after blocking. As I said, rather pricey. So I ended up returning to get just one more skein as my size is the 37 and would require about 2.5 skeins of goodness. I knit mine on size 10 needles. The pattern calls for 4 skeins in my size, however, as I mentioned mine is only taking 2.5. Each skein is 150 m. or about 165 yards. These are the same colorway, called "Earth", just different colors showing in my balls below:

The hemline is genius. After casting on and knitting a few rows, you make a purl ridge and then continue stockinette a few rows, then you turn the hem on the purl ridge and...

You pick up stitches on the cast on edge using a spare needle to coincide with the same number of cast on stitches. This is so you can then knit the folded hem, wrong sides together, right to your piece. Makes sense once you do it.

This produces the most substantial and cushy hemline. It gives it some weight and is neat, tidy and finished looking.

Here's the reverse side of my hemline.

Once you reach the top of the back piece, the stitches at back neck are placed on a holder.

Then you cast on for your right front of the vest, knitting upward to the armhole and then across the back of the neck...

You use a slip 2 purlwise, k1 at this portion and that is making these little ridges you see. Markers are placed at this back neck portion where you will later seam this to the back.

You continue merrily knitting along, now knitting down the left front of the vest and do a little reverse shaping as you reach the armhole and a bit of casting on and increases to do so.

As it appears this snowy and cold Seattle morning...Almost nearing the finishing stages.

I love this knitting weather and the results of this beautiful pattern and yarn! I love knitting with it SO much I don't want to be done with the last few rows. That's how much I LOVE this yarn. I love it so much I think I want to marry it! I don't want this project to end. I ended up with a half skein leftover, as you recall I omitted the patch pockets on the pattern. I may do a cute pair of fingerless gloves to match. Or just snuggle up with the yarn and sleep next to it!

Americano Vest

Here's the completed Americano Vest from the Berroco Chunky & Vintage Chunky Booklet #302. Completed using size 10 needles and Cascade 128 Chunky. It took less than 3 skeins.

Showing my back yoke seam that I kept visible for a "design element!" I am hunching over sort of, don't know why. I thought maybe I was making it look "flatter" that way.

Trying out buttons...after finishing off the edging and blocking.

This image is a photo I took of the project page of "Americano" out of the Berroco Vintage & Vintage Chunky Booklet #302, a lovely vest pattern I fell in love with. All the projects are named after locations in my Seattle area and vicinity. This booklet was my final purchase when my local yarn shop closed this past year. I was unable to find the called for yarn on a recent trip to another yarn shop, so chose a Cascade 128 chunky yarn for this project. It is very soft and felt great working up on a size 10 needle.

This vest is worked in pieces and has some great textures and angles that make it intriguing to work and to seam up. Shown below in pieces being held down by some random objects!

I love the front pieces and the K3tog that makes a nice faux seam up the front, then angles off as you continue in a K2tog.

I chose to do the back yoke seam as a visible seam, because I felt it would be fun to do so, considering all the other texture and seams that are visible in this project.

The edges do curl so blocking is imperative. An edging will be placed around the neckline and buttons will get added. This is turning out to be an adorable vest! I have done the size 38.

A quick and gratifying knit!

With alot of visual interest and angles. I learned that M1K doesn't mean make one, then knit one! I knit this with the memory that some of the time I was working on it was spent as my friend was going through a very hard time in which she lost her husband. I knit some of it while sitting with her mother. I knit some of it after hearing that her mother in law was blessed by my teaching her to knit, so she could knit at the hospital by his bedside and felt as if I were right there with her. In these times I feel knitting is my gift from God. To me, and to others.