Oh, yeah!

I couldn't help myself. I went off and started another project. I've been dying to knit this sleeveless vest for Captain Destructo since 2001 and I'm not going to wait anymore. I knit this vest before, while I was on vacation for two months in the States, but I was so pokey about finishing it my son grew out of it before I could even sew the zipper on. I still have the first version here, and even though it has never been worn I am won't to give it away because of the sentimental value tied to it. But I want him to wear that vest! So I've bought the yarn (in an even nicer shade of blue, I think), swatched (again), done the math to lengthen it, bought a 27 cm zipper at my local mercerie, and giddy-ap! Let's get knittin' on a sleeveless zippered vest for my cool kid.

Today while browsing around the Croix Rousse (the old silk district in the city) I spied this in a cosmetics boutique display window: Le Petit Prince eau de toilette! Only in Lyon, people. I so love living here.



Look, Ma! No stair steps!

Knitting: Why, yes! I am. I haven't seamed the Calmer Soul tank yet because 1) I've started sewing the swatches for my swatchy project together (boy oh boy could I just die from the tediousness of it) and 2) I won't be able to have pictures taken of myself - headless or otherwise - wearing the Calmer tank until I get back from my trip anyway. So procrastination is justified.

But what I have been doing is finishing knitting both front pieces of my son's zippered vest. The photo above shows the rounded neckline of one of the pieces; that's where the hood will be sewn on. The right edge is the free edge where the zipper will be sewn in, and I did a double garter selvedge there because those little bumps garter selvedges create are just neat-o. (I would have done a row of crochet slip stitches but the hem of the vest is done in white, and I would have had to join yarn while crocheting. No merci! I love the garter selvedges, though.) Now all I need to do is knit the hood and then pack for my trip. Woot!

P.S. I think I know what I'm taking as my knitting trip project, by the way. I just picked up the yarn for it, and you won't believe it when I show it to you :-)

Take me to Par-ee!

I've been running around running errands the last few days and I've had zero time for knitting. I wanted to finish the hood of my son's sleeveless vest before I left on vacation*, but I've barely had time to cast on and knit a few rows on it. I think I know what I'm going to be knitting en route to Paris. How I love my circs! Makes traveling so much easier.

*Not that there is a rush for me to finish the vest now, which there most certainly is not as temps in France are currently past the 100 mark[!], so having my son wear a hooded knit vest would be whack as we do not live in Air Conditioning Land. (Anyone want to share some air conditioning, please? Put it in a little tupperware and send it over. Will send you a chocolate frog in return.)

The Neverending Finishing Story.*


The hooded vest that launched a thousand finishing hours.

If I could bill the hours I've been spending on finishing my son's tiny hooded vest, this is how some of it would look:

Shape hood using short rows and seam closed using crochet join: 20 mins.

Sew hood (a painful process, it was) invisibly to neck edge of vest: 2 hours.

Fold in double hem of hood and vest and sew down: 1 hour.

Pin and baste zipper to front edges of vest, then meticulously sew down: 45 mins.

Knit facings (not included in pattern; my own wacky idea) to cover ugly ass seams of zipper on the inside edges: 1.15 hour.

Pick up stitches around armholes (another wacky idea) and knit a few rows of stockinette stitch. Decide it looks like crap. Rip out. Pick up again and knit a few rows of 1/1 rib. Decide it still looks like crap. Rip out. Put vest aside and have drink: 2.50 hours.

Knit armhole facings separately. Sew to armholes. Decide it looks grand. Have another drink to celebrate: 1.45 hour.

Bill to: Need a client to whom to bill this.

*Bonus points if you saw The Neverending Story when it came out, not years later during a TNT 80s celebration movie marathon. Tack on extra points if you remember Kajagoogoo and have their "Too Shy" song on cassette. Then come on over and let's feel old together.

Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Okay, I admit it. Captain Destructo's sleeveless hooded vest has been ready for a few days and he already wore it outside, played ball in it and even [eeeeeeeek!] smudged chocolate all over the front of it. To make up for my tardiness in uploading pictures, here's a slew of them for you:




It's not too obvious from the pictures, but I made the vest in the five-year-old size so it's still a bit big for my soon-to-be three-year-old [sniff! They grow so fast] son. And after all those hours I spent finishing it, I'm glad I did. He's going to wear this vest ragged. Every time the sun peeks out and the barometer reads 80-90 degrees outside, this vest is coming out of the closet and onto the kid. (What? And waste all those non-billable finishing hours?) Thankfully, the weather is gorgeous right now and perfect for this vest.

P.S. That's my dog Lucy, who's been with me for almost 8 years, in the picture above. Look here for more shots of Lucy and my son as we took our daily walk today. (See? I told you the weather was gorgeous.)