Total knitting career highlight here, dear friends. My verbose thoughts on why this vest makes me wildly happy are on the blog.

Here are my notes on all the nitty gritty:

• Worked the whole thing in 3x1 garter rib instead of 2x2

• Had to do a little bit of finessing to get the stitch pattern to match up correctly at the side seams. In order for the front edges to be symmetrical, while keeping those side seams perfectly matched, one front piece needed one more stitch than the other and I had to adjust one of the armholes by one stitch so that the armhole edges would match, as well. (They don’t quite on the back because I didn’t think about the armhole aspect until after I’d finished that piece and was casting on the first front.)

• Knitted the back as written except worked the armholes to 9” instead of 8.5”

• My pockets are different from the pattern with regard to size, placement and edge treatment: Worked the fronts to 5” ending with WS, marked off the 19 sts I wanted to be the pockets (beginning and ending with 3 knits), worked the next four rows with those 19 in 1x1 rib, then bound off the 19 on the next row. For pocket lining, CO 21 sts: 2 selvage plus 19 in pattern. Worked to 4.5” ending with RS row and BO one stitch at each end. Join lining to front on next row (WS). This put the lower pocket edge at the top of the waistband ribbing. And because the column of stitches alongside each pocket edge was in garter, it was already a straight line of stitches with a purl bump to whipstitch into on every other row. Perfect!

• Button band worked (on US5) such that button holes are on the right front and buttons on the left front. Slipped the edge stitch on RS rows and knit it on WS for a clean edge along the band. (Opposite edge in stockinette for seaming to the body.) Had to add a little length to the band — probably more like 52” than 50” because I had added to the armhole depth and blocked it out a bit longer.

• Instead of seaming ribbing around the armholes, I picked up 100 sts and worked in 1x1 rib for 3 rows before BO.

• Blocked it out to 40” chest circumference (5.5” ease) and 23” length, an inch or two longer than I meant it to be, but it’s good!

Oh, and details on this modified Wiksten tank are also in the same blog post.