FO Friday

Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest, $5 pattern
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool, from stash (1.5 skeins, approx)
Needles: US 10, 29" and 16" Circulars
Modifications: I shortened the hood by an inch and a half. I picked up fewer stitches for the sleeves (45) and for the button band. Otherwise I kept straight to the pattern.
Notes:
The buttons you see here do not match at all and I intend to replace them someday.
I really want long sleeves on this. I sadly do not have enough yarn. Though I would if the hood wasn't so enormous. Which it is, even with knitting less of it.
There are some button band issues (there always are- that's why I hate button bands.)

• I picked up stitches unevenly so the hood is half floppy.
• A lot of the button band is pretty floppy, actually.
• Since I picked up the button band on 29" needles and it was HUGE, I couldn't see that the right and left fronts actually have a different number of stitches and, therefore, ribs. This means that the buttonholes on the right front are perfectly spaced, but the buttons are not. I'm not sure how noticeable that is, but I am far too lazy to fix it.

 Overall I am very happy with it. For one thing I have more room in my under-bed stash box and it actually closes now. Also I think it is pretty cute. I don't wear vests very often, but maybe having this wardrobe addition will change that.
The hood really is huge though:

I know a lot of people used kitchner stitch for the hood, but I used a 3-needle BO just like the pattern said. The reason was that my Central Park Hoodie has a 3-needle BO and I like how it turned out nice and pointy. With this project though, I think I should have gone for the kitchner because I don't think I'm going to be wearing the hood up very often and when it is down the seam is just glaring. Luckily it's on my back so I don't ever have to look at it. But I feel bad for whoever is waiting in line behind me!
Many people on Ravelry noted that the hood was so big it felt heavy. I don't really notice it at all. It just makes my back extra warm. I'm all for warmth. In fact, ravelry user yards-of-yarn added some gauntlets to her hoodie and I think I may take a page from her book. I should have enough yarn left over for that. Who knows, that may be my FO next friday!
But really. The hood is huge.

so huge it is scary

My head isn't down in that picture either. I am looking straight at the camera. I would love if Debbie would add a "not-quite-as-voluminous hood" option, because the hugeness of the hood pretty much renders it unwearable. Like, I truly could have had sleeves.

 But it is still a nice quick vest. It took about a week, and that's with a few frogging incidents and me putting it aside one day because I was sick of looking at it. I was planning on making a Shalom next, but now I'm looking forward to knitting something NOT out of Cascade Ecological Wool.

I love how invisible mattress stitch is! I have only made 4 garments that require seaming: The Central Park Hoodie, The Hardcore Sweater, The Cable Car Coat, and this one. With each one, I gain more confidence. Now I won't shy away from a pattern just because it is knitted flat. I still love knitting in the round, but I also love how working flat means your project stays portable for a longer time.

I did finish one other object this week: A heartfelt ring, to replace the ring my (now ex-) fiance once gave me.

This project was at the suggestion of one of my owlie friends, who said " I think you should make a heart felt ring to remind you that we all love you!" when I turned to them with the news. It really does make me feel better. It is great to have such a loving community, especially when something like this happens. The heart looks a bit wonky because, well, I made it at like 2 am because I couldn't sleep. But it's okay because my heart is kind of wonky right now anyways.

That's it for this week. I'm going to be knitting up a storm for a while, I think.
"Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises," and all.

As always, check out Tami's Amis for more FO's.