✶ scenemime's crafts ✶

I'm using a beautiful blue DK marino yarn. It's my first time using a primarily non-arcylic yarn and it feels so lovely. I'm using an interchangeable needle set to knit in the round. I've technically tried to knit this pattern before but I used Aran yarn and the proportions were so wrong.

I started the Best Vest by James N Watts on the 18/OCT/24 and, despite having to start it 3 times cause I miscalculated how long I need the tail needed to be, I love it. I'm really proud of how it looks at this early stage and how my knitting uniformity has improved. I did make a mistake at one point where I dropped a stitch but I now have confidence on how to pick them up and so did not frog anything (I'm so reluctant to frogging,,). No I didn't do a gague swatch... But I'm gonna start messing with the pattern anyway so I'm sure it'll be fine. This is on a 80cm long wire for the round yet it will end up being over 100cm round. However, as there is so much positive ease I'm not sure if I'll jump up to the recommended 4.5mm needles and instead I'll use 4mm needles.

Now that I've done just over an inch I think I will stick to my needle plan and make the ribbing a little shorter than the recommended 4 inches as from the pattern it seems that the v-neck and arm hole ribbing isn't quite so long. Although I don't want to crop the vest too much, I want it to sit around my waist if the fitting is tight to be worn primarily over shirts. However if it's oversized then I'll make it a little longer so it can be worn over jumpers and hoodies. I'll be putting the project on hold when I change out my needles in order to start a hat for my mum for Christmas!

As I started this I was getting a little worried that the ribbing was too tight and the body would be too lose, and it was early on. It didn't get too much better as I worked up the body but I had faith that it would settle when I made the shoulder seems and that the ribbing will relax after blocking. The former has turned out to be true, I'm hoping it'll be the same for the latter. Thankfully it's no where near as a tight as it looked on the left. Getting into the groove of stockinette is both relaxing but quite monotonous so this was slow going.

I want this to be cropped, inspired by a photo I saw of cropped and well fitting sweater vest, so I began to split for the sleeves early. I'm so proud of my stockinette on this piece. Thanks to the high quality yarn, that's relatively a thick DK, and having a tight-ish tension it looks very smooth. I was able to take this to lectures, which I'm very thankful for. To me, there is a noticable difference in tension following the split due to purling. Again, praying that blocking will sort it all out