FO: Veronik Avery Halter Vest

I still have a few ends (out of approximately four thousand nine hundred seventeen) to weave, but this one is basically finished. It'll be wearable before Mad Men is over tonight.

Stats
Pattern: Halter Vest from Veronik Avery's book
Yarn: Bollecine Dolly (superwash DK)
Needles: Addi Turbo 6s. Stitch gauge was spot on, row gauge was close enough.

Notes: I have a TON of leftover yarn, something like six unopened balls, almost enough to knit the vest a second time. This is despite pattern modifications that increased the amount of yardage I needed.

The modifications were:
- eliminate waist shaping. Nobody needs to see knits clinging to my ample middle.
- add bust darts to give the girls more breathing room
- narrow the back from the waist up to improve overall fit
- lengthen the vest by about 3 inches (around 7.5 cm)

I have a narrow back and a bit of acreage up front, and I must say, the combination of bust darts and back shaping really gives me a good overall fit with this pattern. I may start modifying all of my patterns along similar lines.

This was a fast and easy knit, and it would have been even faster and easier if I'd bothered to do the math for my modifications in advance. Instead, I modified the pattern on the needles, and paid for it when I had to rip and repeat a few miscalculated sections.

But I love the way it came together, and the halter shaping is very clever. Avery is rapidly becoming one of my favorite designers. I would knit another one of her patterns in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't trust her yardage requirements. This is the second pattern in the book with huge -- and I do mean huge -- discrepancies between the amount of yarn specified and the amount used. But when the patterns are this good, we can forgive a thing like that.

This is my second project with Dolly. This is one of my favorite yarns, despite its tendency to lose body after the first washing. I think it's made for drapey designs with elegant lines. It has a hand almost like light silk after that first washing. Soft and flowing and very, very nice to the touch.