Enter Culdesac

The Button Selection

On Saturday I got myself to Tender Buttons (946 N. Rush St., Chicago) and took a look around for something that might complement Culdesac. The result is pictured above. I got 6, because I know, no matter what I do, how well I secure them, if I didn't get 6, then one of the middle buttons would get lost somewhere and Culdesac would be forever bereft.

Since Saturday night was spent with family, I didn't get the chance to weave in the last ends and attach the buttons until Sunday morning. And I chickened out with regards to doing anything like permanently attaching the buttons. I decided that I would wait until my sewing expert mother shows up at my house for Thanksgiving and have her show me a few things. I attached the buttons with those handy little-bitty safety pins made for buttons. These things, to put it bluntly, rock. Especially for those of us who are sewing impaired.

Culdesac Catches Some Rays

Here's the finished product! I left it unbuttoned so the inside could be seen a little bit. For some reason I like the way the back side of the cable band looks. It also gives some idea of how the front and back shapings work together.

Culdesac Flipped

I know these pictures are similar to some I have shown in previous days, but today I was finally able to get some natural light shots, and I think it brings out the cables better. Here's one last shot of the vest, buttoned and hanging.

All Buttoned Up

But it is really easy to make a vest look good on a hanger. The real proof is seeing how it fits on the intended wearer.

Culdesac Front (left) and Side (right)

These pics are probably the best I have with regards to the true color of the vest. The hubster claims that digital cameras have a real difficult time processing reds due to the way they deal with light handling. For a look at the back of the vest and how it hangs, click here. Here's the mandatory silly action shot. I was trying to do the twist... good thing all the neighbors were inside this morning!

To say that I am pleased with the result of this knitting operation would be an understatement. My only regret is that I don't have more blouses and turtlenecks that I can wear with it! Vests have been an essential part of my wardrobe since high school. My mom and grandmother made most of the ones I wore (and still wear). It's kind of cool to have one created with my own fingers. Can you guess what I will be wearing to work tomorrow?

So, what did I learn from this project?

• I like my cables isolated and elemental. I completed this project because there were neat cable elements interspersed with fast knitting sections. This satisfied both my my need for higher brain activity and my need to see something come together relatively quickly.
• Everyone should learn to cable without a cable needle. After you get used to coping with the abject fear of having stitches floating free of your needle, it speeds things up greatly. I wouldn't use it for cables wider than 6-8 stitches across, but it's perfect for 4-stitch crossovers.
• I am beginning to understand shortrowing. I still haven't completely figured out how I would incorporate short rows into a design of my own, but at least I am getting a feel for what can be done with them.
• Merino wool is yummy and DK weight wool is not to be feared for being too fine.
• Stockinette selvedge stitches make life a lot easier.
• Elsebeth Lavold is my new favorite designer. Not only do I love this design (and others I have seen), I really liked the fact that the pattern was well written and relatively error free (about the only thing I found "wrong" was that the button spacing was a little narrow). That said, it's not a "turn your brain off and roll" sort of pattern. But if you read carefully and know how to count, everything is clear.
• I still hate picking up stitches.

This pattern has an "advanced" rating in Knitter's, but if you like it, you should go for it -- don't be daunted by the rating system. All the shaping is easy to do, and there's not very much about the cabling that is complicated either. Probably the only thing that is difficult is that you have to pay attention to the instructions and do a lot of counting. It's definitely not mindless TV knitting, but it's not out of reach either. In fact, it's a great way to learn some new things, and if you've never done cables before, it's a very gentle introduction.

Yardage estimates appear to be good, as well. I completed the project with about 1/2 a skein left -- even with a swatch (I had bought an extra due to my general paranoia about these things since I had never knit a pattern out of Knitter's before). The Matchmaker worked out well as a substitute for the Debbie Bliss yarn. A lot of folks have said they think this should have been done in Lavold's Silky Wool, but I really like a bold solid color for this project. I'm not sure that the tweedy quality of the Silky Wool would have been exactly right. (But that is personal preference for this project... I've met the Silky Wool in person and can't wait to have a good excuse to knit up something with it).