Front Panel

Here's the front right panel with six diamonds, making it about 36" long. I used two creamy whites for the neck, one is silk.

 As you can see it is much longer than most of the vests I have made. I used one size larger needle to make this happen and I could reduce the length easily by removing the last set of diamonds.

I wish you could see how the combo of creamy yarns combine to make a matte and shiny stripe.

Swatching

 I started this yesterday and by bedtime I was sure that I had veered down the wrong path. The multi-brown-gray was way too red and the variegated yarn that I used with it was too light and would draw attention to itself and would be right at your middle. So I ripped it out, and decided to keep to grays and cream at the end. 

 I have the most yarn in the darkest gray and will use that for the sides (underarms) and keep the diamonds in stripes up the fronts and back.

 I am much more confident that this will look elegant and will work for most ensembles.

Preview

This first version was done all in Picasa, while the second one was done in Photoshop. The Picasa version was practically instant and not jaggedy edged. I like it better.

 

The first one has been brightened and the second one has not. Your choice.
As you know you can click on the image and it enlarges, twice.
Below the first one done in Photoshop and the second in Pinterest. I could clean that one up a bit more. Of course in Pinterest I am cropping and that squares up the sides. Won't work with an uneven quilt.

Christina B's Jacket

The finished jacket length is 33" which I am guessing is going to grow a bit due to the partial cotton content of the Taiyo yarn.

Here it is on me, and it hits me mid-thigh. I am 5'4" so it is really long in the sleeves. I will sew on the buttons of course.


I used 4 Taiyo at $18 each and 8 Poems at $9 each  = $144 USD + postage to your address.

Sleeveless-ish version

The first shot is with the sleeve extension and the second is the shortened version.

 I took the sleeve down as far as I could go without encroaching on the side seam which might make the whole thing too tight. Because of the vertical rows of the knit, it wants to follow the shoulder line into the arm. But as you can see from this photos of me wearing it, it is straight up from the side seam.

 

Vest Idea

Tangier yarn: 47% Silk, 19% Acrylic, 17% Cotton, 17% Rayon

and Nashua Superwash wool: Aran: 50% Wool, 50% Merino

Magenta October Gift

 Magenta October Gift....11.5x24" Silk and cotton, hand dyes, fused and machine quilted, hand embroidered. $300.00

Lowering the neckline

This is the view from the shoulder seam. In the previous designs I didn't have a seam and joined the front and back by picking up stitches and knitting the shoulder triangle attaching  both sides.
Now that I have done it this way I think I can pick up and knit a half hexagon from these triangles. Or at least I will try.
Essentially, the back is straight across at the neckline and in order to meet it I added a tiny triangle atop the last half diamond (the triangle knit after the last diamond). The tiny triangle is decreased on each edge, like the very bottom triangles at the hem.

Here's a view of the top of the neck, so it is obvious how wide the back neck became, the way I ended it. I am going to try knitting the fronts and back together with a three sided unit, but first I will make a swatch and figure it out stitchwise first. I don't like seams, as they are lumpy.

Here's a diagram of the last unit and the decreases. Those interior decreases will be Sl 1, k2tog, psso. The edge decreases will be just knit 2 tog. I think...haven't done it yet.
Best wishes!