Cashmere V-Necked Vest, Completed!
So here it is, completed. On the recipient, who was pleased with its feel and fit, and therefore, so am I. Am still sick, but I had to log on and put all the specs down before I forget:
Pattern: My own, adapted from Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. I used the one for set-in sleeves and adapted it to a vest pattern.
Yarn: Filatura Lanarota 100% cashmere, 140 m. per 50 g skein.
Gauge: 5.5 stitches to the inch on size 5 needles. I used my old Susan Bates grey metal circulars. These are the best, really, my favourites over all bamboo, wood and Addi whatsits.
Yarn Review: I’ve said it already, this yarn is less than perfect. It is soft, no doubt, and also cheap, and if you’re really looking for cashmere and get it at a bargain, go ahead. But it is very, I mean very, loosely plied and splits like nothing else I’ve seen. Also, it has very poor stitch definition and you can barely count stitches or rows, even in stockinette. It doesn’t shed as much (a tad more after washing, but not that much, really). The skeins were oddly made up into very small circles; it was a pain to wind them into balls, and although I didn’t really tug hard, it doesn’t seem that strong to me. But all said and done, it’s very soft and looks warm and inviting. I also have four skeins left and have to figure out how to use them up!
Haven’t done much else since this was finished… except for a few
rows of the faux Russian stole. More on that next week, hopefully.
It looks really, really good. I like the length.
That looks just great! Very nice job.
I like my Susan Bates needles, too. I actually don’t notice that much of a difference between needles except that some yarns work better with metal and some better with wood. *Shrugs shoulders indifferently*
I like your blog and admire your knitting. As you’ve probably figured out, since I’ve commented twice now.
I’m hijacking the comments because it occurred to me that if you hadn’t seen Nina Paley’s animated Sitayana, you might like it. It’s at http://clusterfunction.com/video/ninapaleydotcom/Sitayana/
(Sorry about the long URL – your comments won’t take HTML.)
/hijack
Welcome to the knitting blogs! I like the grey vest, I also made a sleeveless top by omitting the sleeves of a sweater in the Ann Budd book. Jane
Thanks all, for your kind comments! Uccellina, thanks for that link. I hadn’t heard of Nina Paley, but am going to look at those comics in detail now..
Verrrry nice! And professorial. No, seriously. Under a tweed jacket with elbow patches? What could be better!
I hope you get done with revisions so you can indulge in some more fun knitting!
Oh, hey, and I thought of you reading the Madhur Jaffrey editorial about Indian mangoes!