Sweater Vest Finished

I finished the sweater vest almost a week ago, last Sunday to be exact. But it has taken me this long to take photos. I am extremely pleased with how it has turned out, not only the correct size, but lovely and thick and soft too. The cabling has made the fabric very stretchy with is another bonus. The ribbing at the neck and arm holes also turned out better than I expected. I chose not to count the stitches around the arm and decided to just pick up as many stitches as would look best, and I was all prepared to rip out if they looked too different. But they look fine. I can't wait til Christmas when my father-in-law gets to see it! I really hope it is what he wanted.

So now that the sweater vest is completed, I have cast on for my mother-in-law's wave shawl. The colour is pale eucalypt and it turns out I really like the colour, it is not as yellow based as I thought. I think I will have plenty of this yarn left over, I tend to overbuy ALL the time. But I think it may go well with the Oceania, (which is a dark green and the yarn I'm using for my tangled yoke) and I may make a Tempest cardigan. Although the wools are both 5ply (sport) I think they'll go with the pattern well. And it will mean I have enough yarn for another project without having to shop!

I hope to buy a second hand pot soon specifically for dying. Then I can get started on dying the cotton I have into colours I would like more. So this week has the tangled yoke flying along, I have finished the body to the arms and almost completed one arm, and have begun the wave shawl. Not much progress there because I really want a light weight cardigan now that the weather is heating up a bit. I should have no problem finishing the shawl for Christmas as we still have a couple of months to go. Thankfully!

Not Much Knitting

Over the last few days there has not been much knitting, housework, kids, visiting old friends, etc all seem to get in the way. Not that that is always a bad thing. Sometimes putting the projects down for a few days can reignite the passion felt before! The monotony of housework and the satisfaction of a job well done (especially if the house is neat and tidy) can be very rewarding. And catching up with friends is always great, especially when 5 hours fly by, absolutely fabulous!

I have almost finished the sweater vest, which is great because I am eager to start my Wave Shawl for my mother-in-law. I prefer to have minimal projects on the go, or I find I forget about them, lose my place or my momentum. I have almost finished the second side of the front, and once that is done, I will just need to sew the shoulder seams, then pick up stitches around each armhole and the neck, do some ribbing and Voila! Finito! 2 Chrissy presents down, more to go!

I am so anxious to finish my tangled yoke cardigan, as it is a lightweight cardigan, I have wished it was already done as the weather has been glorious lately, especially today with a forecast of 29C. In the sun it is hot and lovely, but I always get a bit too cool in the shade. Hopefully it will be completed in the next few weeks as I have only 23 or so rows until I have completed the body and need to start on the sleeves. Cannot wait until I reach the "tangled yoke" pattern itself, looks like so much fun! Last night I managed to get a fair few rows done at the drive-in when Brian and I went to see The Town. Excellent movie. Not something I woud normally see, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. We did go to see a double feature, the Expendables being the second film, but had to leave early as my sister was in a car accident and my dad, who was babysitting the kids, had to go get her. She is fine, car is dented, but nothing serious.

Today is set to be a quiet day at home, hopefully knitting and listening to podcasts. Although there are some serious dramas going on in my household (to do entirely with my sister who is living with us) I hope to tune them out and enjoy what should be a beautiful day.

Sweater Vest Progress

This is the progress so far on my father-in-law's sweater vest - as requested! I have finished the main body and have seperated for the front and back. On the back I am about halfway finished, still have 5" or so to go, but it's going fairly quickly now. I have already used over 500g 10ply (worsted) superwash wool, so it is getting kinda heavy!
I am making this sweater vest according to my own pattern, as I couldn't find a pre-designed pattern that I really liked. So far it is going well, and I have used a few calculations for the armholes and the v-neck that will be on the front. Still hoping to get it finished by Christmas, which shouldn't really be a problem, I have plenty of time.