Feeling a bit cold this morning I borrowed a grey vest that I knitted for my mother some five years ago and which is too big for her. The length is fine and she likes wearing it, but it gives her "wings".
Guess what? It turns out to be exactly my size, so we've decided I'll knit her a new one. There is enough of some beautiful heathery blue wool from Morjärv that's been in my stash for quite a while, waiting patiently for the right project.
As the grey vest is pre-Ravelry I don't have any notes – or I don't know where they are and probably wouldn't recognize them if they turned up – and that wool is a lot thicker, my challenges for this project are:
1) reconstructing the two patterns, since I don't own the book where I found them (Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches by Anne Matthews);
2) figuring out where and how often to increase to get them to blend (the ribbing and main pattern repeats consist of different number of stitches);
3) knit a different size with different, thinner wool and a different gauge – and place the pattern so it becomes symmetrical;
4) last but not least, get the size right this time!
In addition, I'm knitting this vest in one piece instead of three. Why? To try it! Haven't knitted an open vest that way before.
Wearing and studying the grey vest takes me back to the time when I was knitting it. It was summer and I was staying at a colleague's house while she and her husband were away. They have a wonderful little garden where I spent many hours knitting, reading and picking berries. Strawberries, gooseberries, red and black currants, blueberries... Heaven.
3 comments:
As usual, I have total confidence in you. Simsalabim, and there is a new vest (and I wish I could say I owe the books you don't have. What? Have you given knitting books away, or did you borrow them at the library?).
I am like you, I can remember where I was by looking at my knitted mittens and socks and what have you, the place and what I was doing are making connections in my brain. I am not sure if it is like that for all knitters? Could be interesting to know more about.
I looked the vest up on your Flikr and it is lovely. You have quite a challenge ahead of you but I am sure a lot of fun as well. Will you steek at the arms or work back and forth? I, too, remember where I was when I knitted things and can even recall movies or soccer and hockey games I was watching while knitting them. Have a great time on your project. I am sure you will enjoy every minute of it.
Thanks for your comments! It's nice to know other knitters have lots of memories attached to their projects too.
(Come to think of it, it's one of the major things that decide whether I like my finished project or not - what my associations are.)
I'm not using steeks for this vest but divided it into three sections when I reached the armholes. I think steeks are great and practically always use them when I knit sweaters with different colours. Not with just one colour, though - and I think lace is easier to knit back and forth, making the pattern on the right side and just purl on the wrong side.
About the book - never owned it but borrowed it. There's no way I'd part with it if it was mine!
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