I realized this morning that I forgot to check the erratta for the vest pattern before I started working on it. (Pepper!! You must remember to do this every time!!) I’m glad I realized this now because it turns out there are two entries correcting the pattern. Luckily I haven’t gotten to them yet. [http://www.glampyre.com/fitted-knits-errata ~ corrections for pg 84 & 85]
More ideas to avert future mistakes:
I am still working on the ribbing at the bottom of the vest. I didn’t get a whole lot of knitting done this weekend because I was socializing with actual people. My therapist would be proud… ha ha. I am having a slight internal debate about the 8.5″ measurement for the ribbing. Do I measure it laying down flat or should I stretch out the ribbing fully (as it will go around my beer belly)?
When you stretch it, it gets between 1-2 inches shorter. I ran a tape measure down right below my bust and I don’t want the vest to be any shorter than 8 inches from there. So, in conclusion… I am going to stretch it out and actually measure the 8.5” while I am wearing the piece.
I am trying hard with this project to think about the whole thing before I get started – you know, like an actual careful knitter. Planning ahead has made me decide I am going to try a 3-needle bind off or kitchener stitch on the shoulders rather than BO and then sew together later. I need to remember this so I can (a) remember not to bind off and (b) maybe end one row short to eliminate any stitch allowance in the pattern.
Further, in my efforts to plan ahead I actually made a copy of this pattern that I am using to write notes/reminders to myself and cross off rows as I complete them. No more trying to decipher millions of sticky notes that I leave in my book. Hopefully being organized will pay off.
And going against the plan of planning ahead, I should admit that I only half-heartedly swatched this sucker. Hopefully it will turn out okay. This is the first time I ever swatched in the round and in pattern and it turned out into a big mess. My gauge was nearly double what it should have been – I think that is because it was insanely loose. But rather than go through the whole ordeal again, I just bumped down a needle size and am hoping for the best. I just now had the idea that I am going to put a lifeline at the top of my ribbing. Then if it turns out that my gauge is way off when I am knitting the bust, I can just frog back to that point and go down one more needle size (or up?).
Hooray for planning ahead! If only I could do that in my life as well as my knitting. As far as I’m concerned these days, any potential problem that could arise in my future school/career is future Pepper’s problem and not mine. In knitting at least, present Pepper will take some responsibility for her actions.
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