Knitted Sebasco Vest

The story of this knitting project is very similar to the story of my Linden sweatshirt. Lately I've found myself wearing a ratty old knit vest that's too big for me. It's one of the first things I made when I took up knitting again after my kid left for college. That vest is pretty ugly and not very comfortable, on account of the yarn has mohair in it so it's scratchy on the neck. But, gee, a vest is a nice thing to wear around the house in those dark, chilly days of winter. Time to up my game.

I had a picture in my head of what I wanted for a new vest: open front, simple, and a collar that comes up the back of your neck. I'm someone who owns years of Interweave Knits magazines, plus a fair few books of knitting patterns. Seems like I'd see something that would fill the bill somewhere in that collection, right? But no. I ended up spending $8.00 for the Sebasco vest pattern, by Amy Herzog. I like Amy Herzog, though, and this pattern was just what I was looking for.

And then I tinkered with it while knitting anyway. But not much.

She uses something called the Daisy Stitch to trim the edges. I did a small swatch and decided that, though it's pretty, it was too much of a pain in the neck to do. So I just used good old seed stitch instead.

She also tells you to knit the vest in pieces and then seam them together before adding the neckband. I have never yet managed to seam a knit so that it doesn't look like a kindergartener did it, so I knit the vest all in one up to the arm holes, then divided for front and back to finish. I still had to seam the shoulders and that looks pretty crappy, but at least it's only a few inches.

It just took a few weeks to knit, even at my usual leisurely pace. I put it on before blocking to check the size and ended up wearing it all evening. The collar comes up at the back just right. It's so cozy warm. I love it.

Just like the Linden sweatshirt, this is a nice basic that's worth the price for the pattern. I can see myself making a couple more in different colors. I have a pretty solid yarn stash hidden away upstairs. I'm guessing I have the materials for another half dozen vests snugged up in my yarn closet already. It's an easy, soothing, straightforward knit with a nice product.

My Ravelry notes are here, if you're interested in a bit of the knitty gritty (ha ha ha).

Tensho Pullover

Every so often I cough up a knitted finished object. This is the Tensho Pullover, by Beatrice Perron.

I hear that stranded yoke sweaters are having a moment in the knitting world. No wonder too, because they're fun to make.

I used Cascade 220 in Amathyst and Dark Purple.

It's been more than 45 years since I've knit one of these bottom-up, in-the-round yoked sweaters. It's very satisfying because you slog along through the sleeves and body and then join them up and start decreasing around the yoke like there's no tomorrow. You can go from three disjointed pieces to a finished sweater in what feels like no time.

When I got to the neck I was a bit flummoxed though. I tried it on before adding the neck band and the shoulders wanted to pop up awkwardly, like pigs ears. I was tempted to add another round or two of decreases to bring in the neckline. Luckily, before I got to work I tugged it down forcefully in a fit of frustration and, voila, a boat neck appeared!

Then I vaguely remembered that these stranded yoke sweaters can pull in a bit at the top, especially if your tension for the color work isn't as even as it should be (cough cough). So I followed the pattern instructions for the neckline and did an aggressive blocking. Problem solved.

As usual, I finished this wool sweater just as we're cruising into summer. I'll probably be able to squeeze in a few wearings while we're in our June Gloom season; that's when it's foggy until lunchtime, sunny for two hours and then foggy again by mid-afternoon. And I know I'll appreciate wearing it again round about Thanksgiving.

If you're in the market for a yoked color work sweater, this is a nice pattern that's easy to follow and works up quickly.

My Ravelry notes, such as they are, are here.

Souvenir Knitting

While on our train trip to Chicago I found myself needing a soothing knitting project. Something that didn't have any complicated stitch patterns or confusing structural details. Something that would let me space out while the yarn slipped gently through my fingers. Something that wouldn't inspire the kind of language that would make a sailor blush.

And voila. This is Picovoli, by Grumperina. Top down, one piece, cap sleeved and straightforward.

I used a little bit more than two skeins of sport weight cotton (Berroco Pima 100) that I got at String Theory, a very cute yarn shop in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Picovoli is a free pattern, and it really does knit up quickly. Especially when you're chugging along on the train with lots of prime knitting time.

Hmm. Better concentrate on holding my shoulders back or that dowager's hump will take over.

The pattern includes instructions for a picot edging, but that felt too stressful for me at the time, so I made the un-hemmed version. Even though I knew that that cursed stockinette was going to roll up like a garden hose.

Back view, just the same as the front view on account of back and front are identical

Marina, one of my super-sweet LYS ladies, suggested I try doing an i-cord edging to flatten things out, and that worked a treat. It's my new favorite knitting thing. It's got a tidy, understated look and it tamed those edges nicely. At least they're tamed just now, right after blocking. We'll see how long it lasts.

i-cord edging

Now I'm just itching to knit something with a contrasting i-cord edge.

My project notes are on Revelry here. I'm becoming a big fan of keeping project notes on Revelry. I'm one of those sporadic knitters who will put a project down for months. OK, maybe years. Those notes are a godsend when I'm trying to remember what size I was making, or any little changes (intentional or unintentional) I might have made along the way.

Summer Sweater

Here on the Central Coast it's generally cool enough to be sweater weather right through the summer, yet it's rarely cold enough to require wool. This sweater pretty much hits the sweet spot for our climate.

The pattern is Wasabi, by Wendy Bernard. This is a blank slate kind of pattern. Boat neck, drop shoulder sleeves. It's basically 4 rectangles joined together. It's knit seamlessly from the top down and it's good social knitting. Not much tricky stuff to distract from a good conversation.

side shot

I used a yarn called Bamboo Pop, which is a 50/50 cotton bamboo blend. It was nice to knit with and the fabric is soft and fluid. Which is a good thing, because a sweater this square could easily be a mite too boxy if the fabric had a lot of body.

back view

I see from my Ravelry notes that it took me about 6 month to knit this up. That's only because it spent quite some time resting in my knitting bag. If you kept plugging away at it you could finish this sweater in a week, I bet.

I bought the yarn at Stitches West because I liked the color. I might call it periwinkle blue. Or maybe cornflower? It's a pretty strong color. I used to be able to wear pastels, but since my hair turned grey I feel like I disappear unless I wear colors with some punch to them.

Color is very washed out here, but look at that diagonal ribbing

The pattern called for knit2-purl2 ribbing at the edges. I made my own little mark by doing a diagonal rib instead. There are some instructions for it on Craftsy here. Basically, you just shift the rib pattern one stitch to the left every other row.

We're getting ready to take a train trip to Chicago, stopping along the way to visit family in Minnesota. Nothing like a train trip for some prime knitting time! I'll be starting on Snapdragon, by Marie Wallin. That's if I can figure out the gauge by next Wednesday.

My Ravelry notes are here, if you're interested.

Cocoknits Lizzie

This spring I went on up to Stitches West with a couple of my knitter friends. During our explorations we stopped by the Cocoknits booth. Julie Weisenberger had just released a new book called the Cocoknits Sweater Workshop. She had a bunch of her patterns made up for us happy knitters to try on.
I tried one of the cardigans, the Lizzie, and bought the pattern book on the spot. I also bought 2 skeins of a cotton/hemp blend yarn ($28 bucks). I was so excited, I cast on pretty much right after I got home.

And here it is, all finished, blocked and ready to wear! This was a quick knit for me. Most of the patterns in the book would be, I think. I won't say it was super easy though. The patterns use some techniques that were new to me, so I stumbled around in the beginning. Take a look, for example, at this sleeve.

That lump is the Kirsten Kimono Tee that I have on underneath

Looks like a set-in sleeve, don't it? It fits like one too. But it's done seamlessly, from the top down, using a method I've never seen before. The book walks you clearly through the whole process but I found it a little mind-bending.

I was reading a thread on Ravelry about how many times knitters are willing to rip and redo to get something right. The average seemed to be about three; many folks figured that if the third time wasn't the charm it was a sign that the yarn wanted to be something else and you should set it free to find its true destiny.

This Lizzie taught me that I'm willing to rip and re-do 9 times, if I think I'm learning something. Luckily the challenging parts are all right at the beginning, so ripping was hardly heart-wrenching at all.

I'm super glad I persevered, because I love the way these shoulders fit. I think I might have square shoulders? At any rate, top down cardigans always feel like they're slipping off of me backwards. Set in sleeves, on the other hand, feel much better. Well, this is a top-down, seamless knit with sleeves that fit like a seamed, set-in sleeve. And now that I know how to work the magic, I'll never go back.

back view showing cropped length

The Cocoknits aesthetic is what I would call clean and modern; asymmetrical lines, lots of drape, lots of open fabrics. My knitter friend, Jessica, is tall and slim and stylish. She was born to wear these styles. As a short brick, I feel like I have to approach them with some caution.

There's a write-up in the book that helps you choose which styles and which modifications will work best with your frame. Julie points out that the waterfall neckline works well for us shorties by giving a strong, vertical line, and that by ending both the body and the sleeves close to my narrowest point I can emphasize whatever waistline I have.

I would say that I enjoyed the making and I'm enjoying the wearing. I could totally see knitting this one up again, maybe in a light wool for a bit of coziness. Come to think of it, I have some green Mission Falls in stash that has been looking for a project for years.

If you want to give the Cocoknits method a whirl, they have a Youtube channel with videos that will show you the way.

My Revelry notes are here.