Sweater Vest

Project: circa 2003

I was in my first rebirth period of fiber arts.  Having grown up learning how to sew from my mother, and knit and crochet from my mother and grandmother, these crafts provided a foundation for my future interests in fiber arts.  During my childhood, I loved these crafts, but not nearly as passionate about them as I am now and since my rebirth and resurgence in these arts.  During my forties, after a couple of decades of self-imposed fiber drought, my passion for fiber arts stirred anew.  Starting with the gift of a floor loom which birthed my interest in weaving, I expanded anew into crochet and knitting, and learned how to spin.  We had just moved to Wisconsin’s wintery cold and I wanted to start another project.  This time in knitting.  I wanted to make something for Dave, but after a failure of a sweater a few decades earlier, I thought to abort the tempt of fate by selecting something smaller in scope, but with lots of pattern interest, a sweater vest.

By the way, that first sweater project failure, is a joke from my past.  My mother had made my uncle a beautiful white sweater.  It was hand knitted.  She spent a long time making that.  She got his measurements in secret so as to make him a Christmas present.  He had long complained that she never made anything for him.  Mom was always making handmade presents for everyone. That skill and desire was passed down to me. 

Noro long color gradients.

So then came the reveal.  My uncle opened his present, was agog, and handed out compliments profusely and he then tried it on.  OMG.  The sweater was made for a monkey.  Literally, as he put his arms in the sleeves, they grew magically.  The more he pushed his arm, the longer the sleeve grew, until, OMG, it must have been almost twice the length of his arm.  Never to return to their intended length.  It became known as the monkey sweater, much to my mother’s chagrin and embarrassment.

So, back to my sweater disaster.  It was just a few years into our relationship, and I wanted to make Dave a sweater.  I had a knitting machine, which I had rarely used.  I was determined to use that to make him a present.  So, out came the bulk cone of white yarn.  I relearned how to use the machine.  I very meticulously took a swatch gauge, and converted to a pattern.  I then pursued the machine stitches, watching the pattern gauge chart device on the machine hoping and assuming that my calculations were correct.  Rather than take measurements as it progressed, I left everything to fate, because of course, I knew I had everything right.  So, I merrily went along humming the machine to create that cloth.

The boring, but beautiful back!

I spent hours making the fabric and then piecing together the sweater.  Then came the final reveal.  I simply put it in a box, wrapped it up for Christmas, 1987 I think, and Dave was truly surprised.   Then came the reveal.  Over the head the sweater went, in the arms his arms went, and longer and longer the sweater arms grew.  Yes, the monkey sweater made its appearance again!  I was so embarrassed and disappointed.  Fortunately, everyone had a good laugh.

Inside showing steek.

So, here I am, making and measuring carefully the sweater vest, yet despite my careful swatch and gauging, or so I thought, the vest came out much too wide.  I had to cut and sew the sides to make a steek in order to create a more proper fit.  Oh, well!

 

The project was fun and expanded my skills.  The back was an allover diamond texture.  This was a very tedious piece in a boring color and stretched my resolve.  However, after that was done, the rest of the project with multiple colored horizontal stripes using newly found Noro yarns and that kept my interest alive.  The project was finished with purple blue buttons.  It came out great, and is a beautiful addition to Dave’s wardrobe, even if I say so myself!