Ladies Vest with Ribbed Edging

Back in September, we had Brianna's 6th birthday celebration at a local farm.  While there, I got my hands on some of this beautiful purple wool yarn made from the sheep at the farm.  

I wasn't really sure what to make with it until I found Patricia Hobson's beautiful crochet pattern for this Ladies Vest with Ribbed Edging so I began...it was definitely slow going at times with all I have going on.  

But it was a nice worsted yarn and it worked up very quickly.  I really love crochet for its simplicity and the ease in which you can fix mistakes as they occur.  This yarn was warm and beautiful but a little bit scratchy so I knew it wouldn't do well on bare skin.  I decided this vest would work great as it would layer on top of other clothing and be a good use for a scratchy but warm wool.  

The project followed me around a lot.  It even found itself in daycare and the little ones enjoyed helping me wind up new balls of yarn when I needed them.  Winding yarn is a real favorite activity around here with the children.  

It got put away for awhile as we dealt with Hurricane Sandy - took a mini-vacation and went on a cruise and prepared for the holidays... but one way or another, it made its way back into my hands...

And slowly but surely its form started to take shape.

The ribbing was actually the most time consuming part of the project but it really makes the vest so much more pretty and was well-worth it.

 And just yesterday - Viola!  It was complete.  I'm very excited I actually completed it in time to use this season... usually, I'll begin a project for one season and finish in an entirely different one where I can't wear it!  Now what to make next?  

What are you working on?  Anything good to share?

Off the Needles and Onto the Hook

The coming of autumn brings football season into my home (and a missing husband) and so, knitting and crocheting become my way to keep busy and prepare for the cold months ahead.  Autumn in New England is so beautiful and it is truly my favorite time of year.   My first project of the season was a very simple autumn cowl made with some yarn my best friend and I picked up at our local yarn store.

 Knitting is a perfect way to spend the time when the children are playing outside or napping and because I only watch a small amount of TV, its a great way for me to relax after I put the girls to bed.

 This pattern in particular was really very simple.  Just a ribbed pattern on circular needles.   

But it worked up very quick and it is a nice way to keep warm as it gets cooler.  Today our temps in Connecticut are only reaching the low 60's.  

With one easy project finished and the new-found yarn I scored at the farm we had Brianna's birthday party at this past weekend, I quickly jumped onto Ravelry to see what I could create with this purple wool yarn.

The yarn wasn't labeled of course so for the first time I checked the wpi (wraps per inch) to be sure that it was indeed worsted weight and find a pattern that worked.  I actually prefer crocheting to knitting but I do not often come across as many patterns that I like until I found this on one of my Ravelry searches:

Patricia Hobson's beautiful crochet pattern for this Ladies Vest with Ribbed Edging is just perfect:

Isn't it beautiful?  So now, I have begun working on that and hopefully my nice purple yarn will soon turn into something warm and cozy for myself.

Stay tuned.  

What are you working on?