Back-To-School Vest

Are y'all sitting down?  I've actually had this finished since the weekend, but wanted to give it a bath and take some daylight pictures, which are hard to fit in this time of year when there is actual sun and it's not overcast and gray outside.

Without further fuss, then, here 'tis:

Project Specifications:

• Pattern:  Back-To-School Vest from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel. I decided finally on a slightly looser fitting version than that shown in the book, so I went with the size M rather than the usual size S I'd wear and I think it fits very nicely over a long-sleeved shirt.
• Yarn:  Harrisville Highland; colorway "Chianti", but overdyed by me. I had a total of 800 yards (4 200-yard skeins), but I only wound up using 2 full skeins and a wee bit of skein 3.  Plenty left for a pair of mittens and a hat.
• Needles: Size 5 and 7 US.  I decided to use two 24" #7's to knit the body.  That way, I put the front and back half on each (which you have to do when you divide it at the armholes anyway) and I could easily try it on as I went.
• Modifications:  I did a 3-needle bind-off at the shoulders rather than seaming.  I like that MUCH better.  I also only did 3 rounds of purl at the arm openings.  I thought 3 purl/3 knit/3 purl rounds, like at the hem and neck would be too much. I also shortened the ribbing by about 1-1/2 inches at the waist to accomodate my short-waisted'ness.

Overall, this was a really fast, easy knit.  There is some shaping, but nothing difficult and almost half the vest is semi-mindless K2/P2 ribbing.  I like the fit of this and I used up stash yarn, so how can you go wrong?  The yarn softened up considerably after a bath in some Eucalan and I will likely wear it to a holiday party on Friday.

All for now.....

Comments

[margene]

It looks like the perfect knit for our cold weather! Love the color...nice dye job!

[Stitch-n-Snitch]

It looks great. :)

[Kim]

Very nice!!

[PumpkinMama]

That looks terrific! Nice work.

[Karen]

Very nice indeed! The color is wonderful!

[Nicole]

It turned out great! And you finished it so quickly!

[Cheryl S.]

Great job, and a beautiful color!

[Lark]

Very nice looking on you!

[Mary Lou]

Nice dye job - and the knitting. Now, are you really going back to school??

[susan]

Looks great!

[Meadow]

Looks great on you! And the color is beautiful.

[Chris]

Not only a nicely done knit but it looks great on you, too.

[Marcia Cooke]

I really like that! See what happens when you leave off the sleeves? Vests do have that going for them!

[michelle]

It looks great! and I'm still absolutely loving the color. Hmmm, only a bit over 2 skeins of Harrisville? I think I have that :)

[Dannette]

Gorgeous on you!

[Sheepish Annie]

Wow! I love that! I haven't knit a vest in a while...and I love vests. They have no sleeves. Which is good. Very good. And if a vest looks that nice, it isn't gonna miss the sleeves.

Love the over-dyeing, too. Great color for the season.

[Norma]

That's CUTE!!!

[anne]

it looks great on you! very nice fit.

[Teri S.]

That's a gorgeous vest; it fits you perfectly! Great job!

[Laurie]

That looks really good in the mirror shot. Warm, too.

[Cathy]

Good job! Nice color, too.

[Birdsong]

This is WAY cute on you! I bet you will get a lot of wear out of this one, even for extra warmth on a spring ride.

[Margaret]

The color is gorgeous! And it looks like it fits perfectly. Just in time as it seems Winter is already here!

[Karin]

That vest looks good! I would have to do the shortening too.

[Allyson]

I was so happy to find your blog. I just started the back to school vest in some stash Harrisville and wasn't loving the feel of the yarn. But after reading how your vest softened I think I'll forge on! Thanks for the inspiration!