Remembrance Vest

Remember that sweater vest I was knitting waaaaay back in November? You know, for Vestvember? Yah, the one to memorialize a decision and execution on a plan? Well hells bells, I finished it! A real garment. That I can wear! The only garment I started and finished for myself in 2009.

The original idea was to make it for PhotoMan, but he deemed the pattern "too bulky". Crazy, right? It didn't take too much argument to switch plans and make it for me, all me. I was secretly thrilled. And here's one for the redemption files: once he saw the vest pieced together, he tried to convince me to let him have it. Thank God it had zero ease on him. Cuz, I wanted this one fer me, I didn't block it big. Heh.

Somehow over the last year or so, I've lost weight. And neglected to measure myself in the interim. How in the world that happened without any attention on my part is a mystery. The result is just a tad boxy. It works fine, but the boxiness translates into a more casual look. If I were to knit this for myself again, I would go down a size or add some waist shaping.

Before I launch any more sweater projects, I need to take careful measurements. I'm thinking of doing that duct tape dress form thing that Wendy Bernard recommends in her book, "Custom Knits". Just need to get a ton of duct tape next time I'm in Home Depot and invite some friends over for a Duct Tape party. Woo hoo!

So I actually finished this project back in early December and have worn it to work several times! For some reason I just couldn't get the camera, the wardrobe and the right light to converge for a good photo shoot. I finally gave up and grabbed a few shots last week before changing out of my work clothes.

This pattern was written by Kirsten Kapur in loving memory of her father, Dr. G, who suffered the terrible Alzheimer's Disease. It felt good to make a contribution toward Alzheimer's research when purchasing the pattern. And Kirsten sure can write a pattern. This one was really easy to follow, fun to knit and makes a very attractive garment!

And the yarn, Classic Elite Skye Tweed. Yup. Discontinued. Dang, it's nice -- after a good soak. A bit dry during the knitting, a bath makes it bloom and soften up real nice. I get the feeling each time I wash it the sweater will get better and better. No signs of pilling, great stitch definition, this yarn was made for cable patterns. And gosh it's TWEED! I so love a good tweed. I'm currently stalking stashes on Ravelry; I'd love a pile of this yarn in gray.

While working on the vest, I raced across town to classes after work and spent four solid weekends in class. Lots of knitting time on the train, and between classes each weekend produced a really quick knit! Classes ended within days of finishing the project! The exam scheduling took a few more weeks to pull off. Wow, December was such a haze of illness and exhaustion. But it's done and I can move on to the next step.

Now, would you buy a house from this vest wearing woman?