2013. October. So right at five years ago, I started what I thought would be a quick colorwork vest.
I have long admired the knitting designer, Alice Starmore (Link to her website, lots of eye candy). She is from the UK and lives in the Hebrides, where she and her daughter design cable and colorwork sweaters and accessories (tams, mitts, etc) and yarns in the most lush colorways.
I was all enthusiastic and revved up to do one of her designs. My friend, Heather, is also a big fan and kept urging me to take the plunge. I picked a simple one, older and from a commonly available book. The yarns, however, are not available any longer, but I found a good, local substitute in Harrisville Yarns.
So I swatched, figured out the numbers (sorry, Ms. S, but 38 inches in the bust is not a "large"). And cast on, established the steeks (yes, we are cutting deliberate holes in something AGAIN LOL), gradually got up to the under arms. And stalled out. A couple of years ago, I managed to drop off the underarms, set up the sleeve steeks and do the lower part of the bodice. And there it sat.
It's not like I don't like colorwork. I do. It's not that I don't like the colors, the autumn reds and greens are totally my colors. But I cannot get into 'auto pilot' on this part of this project. Fair Isle (which is what this style of colorwork is called) is done with a yarn in each hand - right hand knitting "English" style and left hand knitting "Continental" style plus I have to keep my eye on the pattern chart and the decrease check list (with decreases at the front and back of the armhole/left and right of the center V neck all decreasing at different rates) and the knitting and THINK. It's the knitting equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time LOL.
With smaller projects, like a tam, I guess the pattern keeps my interest and the shaping is a lot less complex, plus hats go quick. And I am SO close to the finish. It's sat with just the upper shoulders, steek/cutting prep and ribbings let to do for a couple of years now (since November 2016)
Like I said, too pretty to abandon. The checkerboard between the coral and onyx markers is the center steek, to be cut on the center white line, then the checker edges will fold back to be a facing once the finishing is done.
So far, since I picked it back up, I've done from where the plastic clip markers are. Not bad for a weekend's work! I need to get a shorter needle since the knitting is stretched to get around and there are still a bunch of decreases and another steek, and just power through this last repeat, which has the back of the neck and shoulder shaping.
I have long admired the knitting designer, Alice Starmore (Link to her website, lots of eye candy). She is from the UK and lives in the Hebrides, where she and her daughter design cable and colorwork sweaters and accessories (tams, mitts, etc) and yarns in the most lush colorways.
I was all enthusiastic and revved up to do one of her designs. My friend, Heather, is also a big fan and kept urging me to take the plunge. I picked a simple one, older and from a commonly available book. The yarns, however, are not available any longer, but I found a good, local substitute in Harrisville Yarns.
So I swatched, figured out the numbers (sorry, Ms. S, but 38 inches in the bust is not a "large"). And cast on, established the steeks (yes, we are cutting deliberate holes in something AGAIN LOL), gradually got up to the under arms. And stalled out. A couple of years ago, I managed to drop off the underarms, set up the sleeve steeks and do the lower part of the bodice. And there it sat.
It's not like I don't like colorwork. I do. It's not that I don't like the colors, the autumn reds and greens are totally my colors. But I cannot get into 'auto pilot' on this part of this project. Fair Isle (which is what this style of colorwork is called) is done with a yarn in each hand - right hand knitting "English" style and left hand knitting "Continental" style plus I have to keep my eye on the pattern chart and the decrease check list (with decreases at the front and back of the armhole/left and right of the center V neck all decreasing at different rates) and the knitting and THINK. It's the knitting equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time LOL.
With smaller projects, like a tam, I guess the pattern keeps my interest and the shaping is a lot less complex, plus hats go quick. And I am SO close to the finish. It's sat with just the upper shoulders, steek/cutting prep and ribbings let to do for a couple of years now (since November 2016)
So far, since I picked it back up, I've done from where the plastic clip markers are. Not bad for a weekend's work! I need to get a shorter needle since the knitting is stretched to get around and there are still a bunch of decreases and another steek, and just power through this last repeat, which has the back of the neck and shoulder shaping.
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