A Big Knitting Step For Me

I am taking a big step for me in the knitting department. I am not the best mathematician so when it comes to figuring out my own patterns, I've always shied away, but necessity is the mother of invention they say, so I am forging ahead.


You see here's the problem. I only have 9 ounces of my Pumpkin Spice blend and I want to make a sleeveless vest. You are probably saying, well why did you make so little of the yarn, and the answer is that when I died the mohair orange a few years ago, I had no idea what I was going to end up doing with it. But now I have decided to knit a vest that has a basic lace pattern to cut down on yarn usage and that will show off the variegated yarn . But I couldn't find a suitable pattern that I liked anywhere, either via Google or Ravelry and I've been looking on and off for weeks. A gal on the Knitters Forum had a lace sequence that she used in a similar circumstance but she had no pattern so I have to work it into a pattern for myself. So I took measurements off of old vests I have, figured out guage and calculated what I needed to cast on. The fact that I was even able to do that was a minor miracle (stop laughing!). Here's the lace pattern that I am doing from the forum post:

Multiple of 7+2
Row 1: (P2, K5, repeat across row, ending with P2
Row 2 (wrong side) (K2, P5), rep, ending with K2
Row 3 P2, *(K2tog, YO, k1, YO, sl1, k1, psso) P2, repeat from * across row
Row 4 same as row two.

This shows off varigated yarn, makes you look slimmer, and also stretches the yarn w/o it being to summery! It makes a nice edge at the bottom because it it technically a rib st.

I guess for the arm holes and neckline I will just modify an existing basic patern that I have (easier said than done). I am approaching this with some trepidation let me tell you. Anyway, I am starting with the back and then I will do the two front panels. If I run out of yarn I will scream, if it doesn't fit I will scream. Wish me luck and any advice is very welcome.

The blue yarn in the photo I dyed yesterday. It is a 50/50 mohair/Corriedale blend that I had commercially prepared into roving a few years ago. It's been spun up and sitting around for awhile and will make a lovely lace scarf gift for my son's girlfriend for the holidays. She doesn't read this blog so I'm not worried about her finding out. Can you see the sheen off of the blue yarn in the photo? This ewe has always had a shine to her wool even before adding the mohair.