Posted on 9 Comments

Knits in progress

I would like to start this post by instructing Boring Office Guy, who is subscribed via email, to cease reading and destroy this message immediately, lest he spoil a Christmas surprise. Thank you.

Ok, now that he’s gone… let’s talk about what’s been on my needles lately, starting with something for me:

This is going to be the Milady Vest from DROPS design. I got about half of the yoke finished before I abandoned the project for the ones I’m about to show you below, but I am back at it this week. I’m back at it with a vengeance.

Why the rush? Well, allow me to grant you a glimpse inside my psyche: when there is a social engagement on my calendar, I tend to think about what I am going to wear waaaay in advance. It doesn’t even have to be a fancy party. It could just be a simple get-together. My general lack-of-social-life-ness makes me elevate these everyday events into capital E Events, worthy of careful wardrobe planning. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help myself.

So I’ve got a little something to go to on Saturday afternoon. It’s strictly casual, no big deal, but I have it in my head that I want to wear this vest with a long-sleeve white tee, my favorite jeans, patent-leather black clogs, and a pair of copper-and-pearl earrings.

[As an aside, don’t get me started on those earrings. If you are waiting for me to make you a pair, I wholeheartedly apologize for the delay. I ordered the findings two WEEKS ago, and they are still not here. Grrr.]

I’d also like to cut my hair super short, dye it back to my natural dark brown, and wear my new black-framed glasses, but I already chickened-out on the haircut, and the glasses probably won’t be ready for pickup until next week. I did manage to get the red out of my hair though, with a 28-shampoo semi-permanent color that’s a bit too dark for my taste. I hope it will lighten up a touch after my next few showers.

Still, my point here (and there is one, I promise) is that I completely over-think these things. Who has an outfit picked out a week in advance for something as simple as an afternoon jewelry party? I do!

So I’ve been knitting like a demon all week, hoping to have this vest done by Saturday, but it appears to be a losing battle. If I could blow off all of my responsibilities, I might have time to finish, but that’s not exactly practical. I think it’s time to start considering a plan B outfit.

One last thing I need to say about this vest: the pattern for the yoke is probably the most convoluted thing I have ever tried to decipher. I eventually had to re-write the whole thing in a language I could understand. I plan to share my re-writes when I show-and-tell the finished garment, so nobody else has to scratch their head as long as I did!

Ok. Moving on:

These three items are the first in what I am calling the “Cousinly Vest Project.” All three use a modified version of Joelle Hoverson’s Kid’s Vest pattern from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts 2.

I’ll give these vests their own post when the whole thing is done, but for now here’s the gist. There will be four in total, all knit with recycled cotton:

  1. A solid gray, in an improvised size one larger than the largest in the book. This was the first I made, and it’s got some issues. I fully plan (if there’s time) to unknit a good portion of the top half and re-do it.
  2. A mostly-blue, with stripes that fade to red at the bottom, size 9-10 years. I improvised the stripe design and improved upon my mistakes from the first vest. I’m really happy with this one.
  3. A light blue, with dark blue ribbing on the edges, size 3-4 years. I am still working on this, but it’s a quick knit compared to the other sizes. If I hadn’t stopped to focus on my Milady, it would be done by now.
  4. A red, with a multi-colored crochet flower on the front, in an improvised size one smaller than the smallest in the book. I haven’t started this one yet.

I’m using the same four colors of yarn for all of them, so that they tie together without being completely matchy-matchy. I think it would be really neat if we could get a photo of my boys and their little cousins wearing these things together. Probably won’t happen, but it’s fun to think about.

Actually, I also love the idea of doing the same and including my older nephews, too, but I think I might lose my mind knitting all of those BIG vests, particularly when there’s no guarantee they’d even be worn. Who knows what teenage boys will wear? Not me. But given that my own almost-teen refers to my knits as “too yarny” I suspect handknit vests would not be well-received.

It’s interesting to note, though, that the “too yarny” comment has not stopped me from knitting dear Boring Office Guy a vest anyway. Hey, as long as he wears it on Christmas, I’ll be happy. And I think he will. He’s good that way.

So that’s my Knits in Progress report for the time being. How about you? Working on anything nifty? (It doesn’t have to be knitting – any WIP would be fun to hear about!)

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

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Posted on 9 Comments

9 thoughts on “Knits in progress

  1. Just finished a baby blanket for a niece who’s expecting (it’ll be my inlaws’ first great-grandbaby):
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/11418107@N02/8220206978/
    And I made a hat with ears/wings/horns for one of Nell’s friends last night at crochet group. But I haven’t photographed that yet.

    1. I saw that on flickr the other day – I love your color choices. I’m a big fan of not using traditional baby colors. Pastels = blech 😉

  2. I am crocheting right now. madly trying to finish a black angry birds hate for my wife for Channukah. Not done so no pictures yet. Hard to work on it cause she is home post surgery. she goes back to work next week. Just in time

    1. Oh, that sounds like fun 🙂
      It can be so hard to work on projects for people who are in the same room as you… my boys have seen their vests and have even guessed that I am making them vests, but I just keep telling them they’re wrong. I’m lying, they know it, it’s a fun little game, LOL!

  3. Lisa, you are amazing! I absolutely LOVE the Malady vest. When I first saw it, I thought it was a capelet and I think that would be adorable too!! If you decide to try that idea and want a model – I humbly volunteer my services. 😀 BTW, I make my guys wear matching stuff just for pictures too. I usually buy them matching pjs to wear on Christmas Eve so that the pictures on Christmas morning match. Of course they never wear them after that. Love reading your posts!!! ♡

    1. Thanks, Karry 🙂
      And now, thanks to you, I want to make us all matching PJ’s! I did it back in 2007, and it was such fun, but the boys grew out of theirs, and I’ve never liked the fit of mine… I don’t think there’s time for that this year, though. Knitting takes so darn long, there will be no time left for anything else when I’m done!

  4. I’m still working on my Dawn sweater. I have to rip back the bottom and putting it off because of the cables. I’m also busily knitting stars for a garland I have in mind for Christmas.

    1. Knitting stars sounds like one of those great projects that you can squeeze in here and there. I’m going to start doing that with crocheted snowflakes, I think.

  5. […] so far. (I actually met my goal early last week, which allowed me to take a detour and resurrect a sleeping knitting project over the weekend. I’ll tell you more about that in a day or two!). My current goal is to […]

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