Yarn repurposed from previous project.

Preliminary Thoughts:

• This vest would look good with a leopard print belt to cinch it, IMO. Not into the knitted belt, which will just save me some yarn…

• The pattern is quite clear but it doesn’t provide input on how to do any of the techniques, for ex. M1RP and M1LP, tubular CO and BO. THese are easy enough to look up as required, but I have had challenges with M1RP and M1LP in the past given direction of increased stitch - in the context of what the increases are aiming to achieve. For reference: M1LP: Pick up strand front to back, purl into back of lifted strand. M1RP: Pick up strand back to front, purl into the strand as per normal.

The Knitting:

• I’ve opted to make the first size with no mods and, since I got gauge, it’s knitting up as anticipated.

• I was worried that the armscye would be too deep based on the pattern information. It’s not. Given that this is a drop shoulder, and the armhole depth appears to be determined (why, I don’t know) from the back neck height, the arm opening itself is not as long as the 14” that the pattern advises for size 1. It’s actually 10” long pre-blocking (20” circumference), though it does hang over the shoulder, which effectively drops the armscye depth (to a greater or lesser extent, depending on one’s shoulder width and frame).

• Note: There’s no visual schematic, only some final measurements. I’d have given the pattern a higher rating if it had come with one.

• This pattern really doesn’t hold your hand. If you’ve not worked a double knit band, I would not recommend starting here. It is brief and to the point. Since the V neck is so gradual (over a span of more than 10” of depth on either side), you need to be comfortable picking up into each edge stitch that forms that diagonal part of the band length (band length here is defined as: length starting at left hem, working up to the back neck and then over to the right shoulder, back down to the right hem). I mention this because making sure you pick up into the correct strand as you work through sections of increase/decrease ribbed edging is fussy and a bit difficult to see. In a dark yarn, it would likely be unpleasant.

• Size 1 band length (see defn above) is ~56” and each inch of double knit requires ~20 rows of work (gauge is ~9.5 R per inch on US 1 and each row in double knit actually takes 2 rows to knit). That means there are approx 1120 rows of double knit band knitting. Of course, each row is only 26st, but this seems to go at a more glacial pace than most double knitting (IMO) probably because one works on a US1 needle and dropping stitches is easy to do. I wasn’t in the mood to weigh things but I estimate that the band takes under 50g - my guess is 40g.

• The most difficult element of this project is definitely attaching the band to the garment. I’ve done this on many other projects (patterned and stockinette) and this garment proved the trickiest and the least fun. I do think some instruction would have been helpful. I wonder if the instructed edging on the bodice made it more difficult to attach the band.

• I had to block the band hard, 2/3 through knitting it, to ensure that it would relax enough / wouldn’t be too short in the end. Important: Do not miss any of the stiches on the bodice cuz this is a 1:1 pick up ratio. This is harder than you’d imagine. Also, I was on the fence about whether I should use a US1.5 vs instructed US1. In the end, it all worked out well - but make sure your body stitches are the same length as your band stitches. Since it’s a 1:1 ratio, your only alternative will be to inc the smaller needle, if you’re finding that the band is too short for the body.

• At first the fabric “puffed out” in the upper back neck, below the neckband. This was what I thought might be the dealbreaker / require me to rip out 20 hours of work to start with a larger needle on the band… In the end, during the mid-knit block, I pinned the neck band hard to make it wider, while avoiding widening the 1x1 rib at the back neck on the body. It worked. But in future I’d likely do the first inch of work on the back body (after the cast on row) on a US3 needle.

• The reason I didn’t block sooner, before starting the band, is that I’m going away soon and I want to bring this with me. Of course, I ended up having to block midway anyway, so I lost the time I tried to save. It is easier to knit the band after the body is blocked.

• You cannot determine how this will fit before the band is knitted on. And it will look like crap until you wet block it (when finished). That’s just a feature of its structure.

Final Thoughts:

• This is a really clever knit and it’s beautifully designed. It requires continual concentration / not a mindless project.

• I’d size down if you’re uncertain. I made the smallest size and I wouldn’t want it any larger. I have a sense that this could look sloppy if made too large. Also this yarn has a lot of drape and innate stretch.

• If you hate ribbing, walk away. If you dislike ribbing, know that making this will likely count as a very tedious knit.

• Yarn: This amount of yarn (5.3 skeins) cost about $130 Cdn when I bought it in 2021. As with the Woolfolk SNO (same fingering-weight base), it rips back very strangely - but it’s totally reusable even if frogged more than one time. The yarn felts easily so, when reclaimed can be a bit tricky to unknit. A meaningful amount of the original halo is lost in this process (pilling and felting of the original item also contributes to the loss of some of the initial density). This sounds like TYND is eroded by unknitting. I mean, it does become a bit less plump (though it still plumps up quite nicely on the reknit). Hilariously, the reclaimed yarn still continues to pill in its new finished object. It is not joking around when it comes to being seriously soft :-)(shorter staple length = increased softness = increased predisposition to pill). It’s lovely to work with the yarn on its second go round but IMO its best washed/steamed to remove the ramen-like kinks before doing so.

• I used 225g / 1000y on the size 1 but I did NOT make the belt. I have enough yarn to make the double knit belt version with the remaining 40g I have but I think this will look better when belted with a non-stretchy alternative. Having said this, this garment takes more yarn than I expected.

• I really hope I get use out of this. I don’t have anything comparable in my wardrobe currently and I’m looking for overlayers.

• I think this yarn is perfect for this project - it blocks beautifully (even after multiple uses) BUT I wouldn’t buy this colourway at this point. I also wouldn’t knit this in a dark colour or the band would be a nightmare.

Post-blocked Measurements:

Length from back neck (before band): 23”
Width of band: 1.5” (using instructed yarn this shrank horizontally but I blocked it hard vertically so I’m not surprised)
Circumference at full bust: 38” with the bands NOT overlapping (but the armscye is open so this fits more roomily than it would otherwise)
Diagonal attachment of front to back: 8”
Drop shoulder (not including the band): 6.5”
Length of armsyce opening: 10”
Length from base of armsyce to hem: 10”
Width from shoulder to shoulder (to the opening of each armscye across the front body): 18”

Gauge Swatching

Option 1: Swatching with Lamana Milano to see if I’d prefer to use it. I’ve knitted one swatch held single strand, another held double. I’ve gone down one needle size (from recommended US4) to swatch the single strand and I don’t want to go any smaller in main needle size than this.

US4, Milano held double, 1x1 rib:

Preblocked: 26st and 36R in 4”
Post blocked: 23.5st and 36R in 4”

US3, Milano held single, 1x1 rib:

Preblocked: 31st and 40R in 4”
Postblocked: 28st and 41R in 4”

Don’t think the Milano will work - don’t love the single strand fabric and row gauge is key here for double knit band purposes. And the double strand gets row gauge but is much larger in circ - and I’m already making the smallest size. Off to swatch with a remnant of Woolfolk…

Option 2: US4 Woolfolk TYND - 1x1 rib (yarn repurposed from another project I ripped back)

Preblocking: 31st and 36R in 4”
Post blocking: 30st and 36R in 4”

I actually gauge swatched with some remaining SNO (same base) that I’d also repurposed from another project. But the Woolfolk yarn that I’m using (TYND) has also already been used. It will likely react to blocking in the same way that my swatch yarn did, which is to say without much change post-blocking (from pre-blocked state).