Monday, March 3, 2008

Knit-N-Style Vest


I love this part of it. The yarn though is another story. Karabella Soft Tweed. Karabella is usually a fabulous yarn as is their Aurora 8 that I will be using on the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket (from Interweave Knits). This Soft Tweed blocked into a totally different fabric. The vest that I thought might be on the small side is actually too large and not because me messing up the blocking. Another problem with the yarn is what I call, slubbing! It's like an unspun plied with a tightly spun strand. Even when knitting with it the yarn would bunch and I'd have to continuously smooth it out. The huge problem with that was the piecing. I couldn't use the yarn because when pulling it through it would do the same thing then break. I tried numerous times. Then I started piecing it with DMC floss! Yep, actually did one side seam with that then I said forget this it's too big anyway I'll sew it on the machine. Is that a complete no, no in knitting? It worked just fine with a few machine adjustments. I put a plate over the feed dogs so it wouldn't tear at the yarn then I had to pull the seam through by hand. I had the stitch length on the widest setting (basting) and the foot I left up. Make sense? It worked!
Here's the model photo from Knit N Style so you can see how the front panels fold into the collar and below how they meet in the back at a 'V' and then you add a tassel.

2 comments:

Nana Sadie said...

You did a great job! It's lovely!
(((hugs)))

Anonymous said...

A friend of mine always machine sewed her hand-knitted sweaters. She did it first because she ran out of yarn, but the machine sewn side outlasted the yarn side.