Sunday, February 18, 2007

Bill's vest

It took a couple of months, but I finished Bill's black vest a week or so ago, and it's a success! He loves it and has been wearing it all the time. He has wide shoulders and a bit of a short torso, so he has trouble finding sweaters that fit properly without being too long. He also doesn't like shallow V-necks. I'm very pleased that this vest fits so well, since I had to do a bit of math -- my yarn was thinner than what the pattern called for, plus I knew from swatching and washing that it would shrink in length by 20 percent.


The reluctant model -- doesn't it go well with his pajama pants? Yarn is KnitPicks Swish (washable 100% wool) -- I used 9.5 balls. The pattern is free online from Berroco: Peter Easy. To end up with a 44-inch size with the Swish, I followed the numbers for the largest (52-inch) size. You can't see any of the details in that photo. (It's like photographing a black cat!) Here's a close-up of the V-neck, in which the colour is way off:


I'm very happy. I've knit him two scarves that he never wears, and I've knit him several pairs of socks that he wears all the time. I must admit, I wasn't thrilled about making a black stockinette vest, but I enjoyed knitting with the Swish, and the most important thing is that it's what he wanted and he likes wearing it. And that it's finished!

15 comments:

Sasha said...

Wow, that looks like a perfect fit, great work!

meg said...

looks fab!

LaurieM said...

It looks great on him. You did a fabulous job!

And at least you didn't have to knit black sleeves as well....

La Cabeza Grande said...

Well done! And it does fit him perfectly. The highest compliment from a man comes when he wears what we've knit for them.

spajonas said...

it looks great! i love knitting with swish too. you'll have to let us know how it holds up over time.

Anonymous said...

You've done a wonderful job! That v-neck is to die for! Now you should feel confident enough to knit anything.

Anonymous said...

I love that neckline -- I've been wondering how to do one just like this -- thanks for the link! It looks great on him. So do his pj's. Hee.

Anonymous said...

The vest looks great. The picture cracks me up because I can readily imagine the cajoling that immediately preceded it.

Anonymous said...

Lovely neck line!

Chris said...

It turned out great - and he's stylin' in those PJs. Hee hee. I know, black items are blog death - but dang, they are often more likely to be worn...

Anonymous said...

That looks great! How do you like the KP Swish? I've had some bad experiences with Knit Picks and have been a bit nervous about trying it...

goodkarma said...

Hooray for a great fit on the man! Those guys sure are picky, and yet they can't always explain exactly what they want. Anyway, this looks like a winner. I hope he wears it all the time.

Cari said...

ooh! I think I want to make that for myself, with waist shaping. Looks great!

Lisa said...

Love the vest. I have a hubby who is 6'5" and only wants knits if they are fine gauge - translation: he's not going to get a sweater that he won't wear. Maybe this vest is just the thing! Thanks for the idea!

mariko said...

Fits perfectly, and I guess he loves it so much that he even sleeps with it on, eh?