New and Improved Vest

When it comes to knitting, I'm a pragmatist.  If I don't like something I've made, I'm willing to try something new in my efforts to transform it into something I *will* like.  Sometimes those efforts don't work out so well - as in the felted hat I gave my brother-in-law last year...it was supposed to be a knit cap that came out way too big - so I decided to shrink it by felting.  It was not my greatest moment.

Sometimes these efforts work out okay, though.  In the case of my vest, the re-blocking (in *hot* water, just to get my point across) was just what it needed to go from "never-ever" to "acceptable" (although not the greatest, as you'll see in my notes).  Here's the finished result:

It's still not perfect, but it's as perfect as it's gonna get...and most importantly, it's wearable.  Here's the stats:

Pattern:  V-neck vest from Paton's Next Steps II (love this pattern book - schematics for every pattern!)

Size:  Small

Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino, slightly more than two balls in purple.

Mods:  None

Notes:  If I made this again, I would go with the extra small - as it is, the shoulders are a bit wide and the waist is a bit large.  I debated rather I would prefer the smaller size or if I should just add waist shaping, but decided the smaller size would be the way to go because: 1)  It's made to go over a button-down shirt, so you need a bit of give, and 2) any extra ease needed around the bust can be accommodated by the v-neck.

There were a couple of errors in the pattern, but nothing major.  Overall, I very much liked the design and would knit from this pattern book again.