Top-Down One-Piece Set-in Sleeve

(Owls is done but it's just at the shop waiting for Denny to sew the buttons on. Picture shortly.)

There's been something on my needles for the past couple of weeks, quietly designing itself. In the quiet moments between Owls, and lace designs, and technical editing, I've been working on an Idea.

It's a vest. A simple, black, v-neck vest with little rolled edges, from some leftover Karaoke.

But here's the thing.

It's worked in one piece, from the top down. And it has a shaped armhole. (It would be a set-in sleeve it were to have sleeves, but I don't have enough yarn.) And some bust and waist shaping.

I needed to prove it can be done. It's got shaped shoulders and everything! It's as easy as -- nay! even easier than! a one-piece top down raglan. And it's so much better a fit for me and my shape.

Although I'm known to be a curmudgeon about top-down one piece designs, there are a number of things I appreciate about them... love that you can try them on as you go. Love that you can decide about the length of the body as you go - great if you're worried about having enough yarn, or you're not sure about how long you want it. And of course, I do like working in the round.

The edgings are modest and rolled, because I didn't want the shoulders to be too wide, and I liked the simplicity of the shape contrasting with the slightly rough, unevenly-spun nature of the yarn. (There's nothing worse, IMHO, than a vest with armhole edgings extending past the tip of the wearer's shoulders. See the second one down, the pink one with the crewneck on this page. It's a minor detail, I know, but so important in making the vest look like it actually fits properly.)

I've worked the armhole and neck edgings, am past the waist shaping and now I am just going to knit until I think it's long enough, and then cast off. It's like a giant sock leg at this point - round and round and round and round... knit knit knit knit knit knit... I've been working on it in the car, mostly.

And soon, I shall have a vest! I shall write it up!