Ann's Vest & Not Akoya's

I fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it & immediately bought it. Then the problem started - I could not find the perfect yarn from my stash to cast on. I can't believe that there is none in my stash that will be suitable for the pattern. I was on the verge of buying more yarn when I decided to take a break & not think about this project.

Then one day, I was going through my stash for some lace weight for another project & then it hit me - I can knit the vest with 2 strands of lace weight & not be limited with using fingering weight. I found 2 skeins of lovely lace weight - Madelinetosh Lace & Ixchel Bunny Cashmere Lace in  different shades of blue. I did a swatch & it was perfect - 1st time in my knitting life that I achieve the right gauge. This is a good sign & I cast on.

The knitting went smoothly & I enjoyed the easy to remember lace pattern & the minimum shaping .....

The vest is knitted sideways starting from the right side & ending at the underarm of the left side. Then the left side is casted on & knitted to the underarm & joined (with a 3 needle bind off) to the other piece. With this method, the right & left fronts have lovely scalloped cast on edges. This is quite a clever construction.

The only issue that I have with this pattern is the finishing which is picking up the stitches around the arms & neck & then casting off. I decided to try crochet & with some expert advise, I crocheted 2 rows of single crochet around the arms, neck & even did the bottom portion of the vest - it turned out perfect.

I love this vest & have already worn it once & I am sure it will be a regular piece in my winter wardrobe ( the color is most accurate in this last picture).

Today is Good Friday & the start of a 4-day long weekend as well as the school holidays. So have a Good Easter holiday .........