I finished this vest last month, right after my sister’s birthday on the 17th… but since time and space separate us, I was not able to give it to her until yesterday.  Belated photo shoot!

Cedar Vest
Pattern: Honeycomb Vest – Knitty, Spring 2008
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, “Cedar” colorway
Source: The Mannings, East Berlin, Pennsylvania
In stash since January 2008
Needles: Size US 4 and 5 circulars

I modified the original pattern slightly – changing the stitch pattern from a small cable to an undulating rib pattern I found in a Japanese stitch dictionary.  It is so simple and proved to be a much happier knitting experience than the tiny cables.  I couldn’t have those bad feelings going into a garment for my sweet sister!  As usual, I also modified the pattern to knit in the round rather than dealing with lots of seaming at the end.  I knit up to the armhole decreases, and then separated for front and back, working one at a time.  This technique seems to save me lots of headaches with seaming!

The yarn choice was simple:  I bought this yarn specifically thinking that it would be a great color for Sarah.  Her dark hair and complexion works so well with the richness of this goldenrod/pumpkin color.  Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool is such an amazing yarn with such depth and texture.  I love working with it.

I knit this vest for two Ravelry knit-alongs:  Vest-uary (since I started it in February) and for the National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathlon (NaKniSweMoDo).  This was my second vest for Vest-uary(remember my first?), and my fourth garment for NaKniSweMoDo… and I have already finished my fifth too!

…Another garment to make Sarah smile!

My sister’s “Cedar” vest…

(almost complete in time for her birthday next week!)

…is very similar in color to a certain mister feline in residence…

*meow*

I was lucky enough to have a Monday off after a long weekend of Yoga Teacher Training (next post!)… here is what I did on my “off” Monday…

Brussel sprouts are one of those vegetables that really suffer from overcooking.  The bad reputation that they have received over the years is undoubtedly from the mushy bitterness that comes from keeping them on the stovetop far too long. 

Miniature cabbages and such a pretty green!  I picked these up at the market and found a recipe that sounded like a delicious way to use them.   I didn’t really grow up eating Brussel sprouts, but in recent years, I gained an appreciation for the little cruciferous veggies! 

Brussel Sprouts Risotto
3 c Brussel sprouts halved
1 T oil (olive or canola)
1 c chopped apple (peeled)
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chestnuts or walnuts
1/2 c vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the Brussel sprouts in boiling water until desired softness (better al dente than over done!) In a large skillet, combine oil with apples and onions and cook over medium-high heat until soft , about 3 minutes. Add Brussel sprouts, nuts, broth, and seasonings. Cook, stirring frequently, until broth has soaked in, about 5 minutes.

Risotto made with oil and veggie broth on the stovetop (followed the arborio rice instructions from the package subbing oil for butter to make it vegan) and added some onions, some crushed garlic and a dash of seasalt and ground white pepper.

Kris often prefers his food with a bit more salt than I do, so he also added a few sprinkles of soy sauce to the top and reported that it tasted good… you can easily experiement with some different seasonings!

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I cast on for my sister’s birthday present late last week, and I was looking forward to a day of knitting progress yesterday.  I can happily report that it went as planned:

This is the Honeycomb Vest pattern from Knitty, and I am using Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool in the “Cedar” colorway. The original pattern uses a small cable stitch, and after I swatched a few repeats, I wasn’t feeling the love.  I thought it was very pretty but it was too tedious… so I pulled out some of my stitch dictionaries and found a textured stitch that wouldn’t make me dread knitting this vest. That is way too much bad juju to put into a vest for my little sister!  I found a simple broken rib pattern that slightly resembles the honeycomb stitches, and I am zipping right along with it. Since I changed it up a bit, I am now calling it the Cedar Vest – that seemed fitting.

I love this yarn – one of my favorites, for sure.  I made the Glee Tee with it in 2007, and when I saw this yarn last year at The Mannings, I picked it up immediately.  The color was too amazing to pass over… and I think it will be a great color for my sister too!

…I am planning several other gift knits this year – mom is next (her birthday AND Mother’s Day), and she has already chosen a pattern, and then I have some great ideas for my other sister’s birthday this summer… and lots of baby knits on the horizon… I love to think about all of the possibilities, but now I need to get those fingers flying!

A vest in two weeks flat, and I could not be any happier with it! Do you get that feeling when you are plugging away on a project and you can actually visualize yourself in the future using/wearing that project? You see yourself so happy that it is now in your life. You look at it admiringly and try to remember life before it. You could easily wear it everyday – making it part of your “uniform”.

My Tess Wrap Vest is this kind of garment. My own personal uniform.

…A beautiful lightly variegated moss stitch vest uniform….

Tess Wrap Vest
Pattern: DROPS vest, originally titled Sleeveless Jumper with Belt
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino, 1.2 hanks (~650 yards)
Source: Maryland Sheep and Wool, May 2007
Needles: Size US 7 and 8 circulars

…and just because I love it so much – more photos! this time with a yellow top…

Can you tell why I like it so much?   It is just so darn wearable!  If you are familiar with the original pattern, you will notice that I made a few modifications.  The original pattern has a 2×2 ribbing for the hem, and the front panels and neckline.  While the ribbing looked okay (enough to attract me to the pattern) I thought it looked a little odd at the bottom when (inevitably) the picked-up stitch rib portion is shorter than the hem rib section.  I opted to go with a double moss stitch pattern – it keeps the spirit of the original, but adds more depth, in my opinion.  It also did not draw in severely at the bottom edge.  The collar is one of my favorite features of this knit:  I knit it for about 9 centimeters on each side, so I had enough of an edge to turn the collar up or down.  I could have knit even more for a more dramatic flare collar, or even put a few short rows in there for some more differentiation… but I am happy with how this looks the way it is now. 

The yarn was great to work with – Tess Yarns have been a favorite of mine for several years, and this was my first time working with this weight (worsted) rather than the sock weight.  The deep brown was what drew me to this yarn back at the Festival stand in 2007, and it is what I still love about the vest.  There was a little dye transfer on the needles and on my hands, but nothing too major.  The yarn is sold in huge 570 yard hanks, so, I only ended up using about 1.2 hanks, approximately 620-650 yards of the yarn with the Medium size vest.  I still have more yarn – it would make some great hat/mitten/scarf combos, I think.  I am looking forward to May’s Festival so I can pick out another color of this yarn for another future project!  Tess Designer Yarns is always on my list of places at MDSW!

When I first started this vest, I knew that I didn’t want to knit over five feet of knitted i-cord for the belt, so I decided to try my hand at some braiding techniques that I read about in one of my Christmas gift books.  I picked up 200 Braids to Twist, Knot, Loop, or Weave with a gift certificate to the bookstore.  It is an Interweave Press publication from 2007:  “profusely illustrated” (as one reviewer noted), spiral-bound, and very informative.  I see this book as a great resource for all sorts of trims and finishes for knitting and weaving projects. As I flip through the pages, I wish there had been something like this available when I was a child – my sisters and I were obsessed with making friendship bracelets out of DMC floss when we were young, and this book has so many designs that we would have loved! 

There are so many techniques discussed in the book, and it has great photos to illustrate each step of the process.  Yarn is used in several of the samples, as well as ribbons, thread, beads, satin cords, fabric strips, etc.  There is so much you could do with this!

Selected images from the book, 200 Braids...

Following some of the models outlined in the book, I decided to braid some sample yarns I had in the stash alongside the Tess yarn for this belt. Of course, once I started going, I had to make another… and I probably could have kept going to make more and more belts!

Tess Merino / Araucania Pomaire / Zaol Big Cash

 I love how they turned out – simple, quick to make, and uses up some stash! Funny thing is, after making two of the belts, I figured that I preferred the vest without a belt… I like the way it looks open. I have the option to wear the belt if I want, but in the mean time, I can use these braids elsewhere – as hair bands, or as straps for my yoga mat!

Vest-uary Vest #1 complete!

Late last fall, I started thinking about vests.  A lot.  I managed to only knit one vest since then, but my mind hasn’t strayed too far.  That is why Sarah’s idea about a month of vest knitting was the perfect knitalong for me.  I had stashbusting hopes (after that Superbowl Sale last weekend, I have to self-correct) of making several vests this month.  Nine days into the month, and things are shaping up pretty well, if I say so myself.

This is the DROPS pattern “Sleeveless Jumper with Belt”, but for some reason that name didn’t really sound too good to me, so I am calling it the Tess Wrap Vest    I am using some of the Tess Designer Yarns worsted merino that I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival in 2007.  The light variegation of the brown really works for me – I love the depth. 

In place of the ribbed edge, I decided to spice the vest up with some double moss stitch.  It looks similar to garter stitch, but with a little bit of variety.  I plan to do the same moss stitch when I pick up the stitches around the body and the neckline for the collar. 

My fellow knitalonger, K at WestCoastCreative, is also making this vest, and we conferred before the knitalong about modifying the pattern to knit it in the round.  I haven’t had any problem changing it up at all – I have done this with other garments (the Printed Silk Cardi was the most notable) and as long as you split the pattern at the armhole bind offs, it goes smoothly.  

Yesterday, I reached the armhole bind offs and placed the right and left front panels onto stitch holders while I worked through the decreases on the back portion.  Completing that quickly, I moved on to the right front.  This is flying off the needles, and I should be able to finish it before the halfway point in the month.  That means I can cast on for Vest #2, a birthday gift for my sister…

I am looking forward to the belt… I have something special planned!  I hope it works out like I want it to – more details to come! 

…and there is still plenty of time to join the Ravelry Vest-uary group!  you have a good 3 weeks to knit a vest