Well, looks like I just couldn’t help myself. I had to start another Olga’s Vest. I love knitting this pattern! It’s so versatile. Below are 4 of the 12 ways this pattern can be worn. And that’s only 12 ways that we know about…. maybe there’s more.
I was at home thinking about what I wanted to make it out of. “I am going to use up my stash! Ooooh, Habu Cotton Gima, that would make a really cool lookin’ Olga’s Vest.” What I didn’t really think about was that I only had one skein in my stash! Bummer, huh? Oh well, I am still very happy with my yarn choice. So I swatched up the little skein I had in my stash, first I started with the yarn single and thought it looked a little flimsy, so I doubled it. It was perrrrfeeeect! See how pretty it is all blocked?! Hint, hint – you must block your swatches!
So I went to the shop the next day and picked my colors, I went with color #7 Mustard. I thought the color I swatched with #19 Umber was really nice too, just not the right color for me for this project. But let me say it made for a wonderful swatch! So here I am… I am about 1/4 of the way through my vest with my doubled cones, take a look-
I love that color! This particular dye lot of Mustard is a little dustier than usual. But I still love it, I think I’ll wear it a lot.
Now- we all know that I don’t follow patterns right?! So what am I doing different? Ah, I’m glad you asked. Well, of course when I cast on I wasn’t really paying attention (typical me) and I accidentally cast on 10 stitches too many. Luckily this pattern is knit side-to-side…. so it wont be too big… it will be too long. But I don think I mind. The problem is, do I have enough yarn?
When I started this version of Olga’s Vest I knew I wanted to omit the cowl part (I know this part can be a bit confusing for some and I wanted to show that if you feel like leaving it out- it can be done). So that’s a nice chunk of yarn that I don’t have to worry about. Also since you do a provisional cast on, I thought maybe I’ll do the button bands in #20 Gray Taupe. Then I have my favorite color combination “Grellow.” Yes! I was also thinking about putting a grey stripe in the middle instead of the cowl, but someone suggested I put a few stripes…. I am still toying with those ideas. I have a total of 6 cones and I am still on my first two…. I will see how far those two take me before I decide. Tell me your thoughts, what do you think I should do? Stripes? Bands? 1/2 yellow & 1/2 grey (woah! that might be really cool).
So far these are the only modifications I have made to the pattern, but I am sure there is more to come…. I am thinking about adding a slit on the right bottom edge…. maybe with a little decorative button, like Janna’s Tunic. We’ll see what I come up with. In the meantime here are a couple more images of my newest Olga’s VestWIP.
If you are anywhere near Elk Grove, Ca in the next week and would like to take a look at the Olga’s Vest in person, as well as some other samples make sure you visit Knitique, they are hosting my trunk show.
Also, if you happen to find your self at Stitches South, make sure to stop at booth #516 – In the Making will have both my Janna’s Tunic & Olga’s Vest on display. Happy knitting!