Anemoi Vest Almost Done

We went from this yesterday ...

N skiing with Grandpa at Sugarbush

to this today ...

Epimedium flowers

I had a great trip to Vermont with the family to see my in-laws, cousins, nephews, second cousins, etc. The girls took to skiing like true Norwegians, the BackBou got some fun, slushy downhill time, and I spent some quality time knitting and doing sudoku. Successful all around!

The Anemoi Vest is almost done, it just needs the clasps, but I thought I'd post about it now.

Pattern: Felted Vest from Felted Knits by Beverly Galeskas.
Needles: US10s and 7s, Knit Picks Options
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted Blue Boy and White Frost
Notes: This is a great pattern. Once I accepted how freakin' long it would take me to felt a vest, I really began to appreciate the well-written pattern. It is not for the faint of heart. The instructions use row counts not measurements, so make sure you have a row counter (which I unfortunately found out is impossible for a child to walk by without punching a few times ... errr). First you spend forever knitting the body. Then you have to knit all the provisional borders in cotton and baste the armholes and the front. Then you felt it. After a brief moment of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment, you start picking up stitches, taking out the cotton borders, and reknitting the borders. In the end though, these borders are beautiful.

They are knit in reverse stockinette (1x1 ribbing for the collar using short rows) and then folded over in a 3-needle bind-off with the loops from the picked up stitches. It is so neat and clean -- it makes up for the awkwardness. This was my first time using my Knit Picks Options. I am a big fan. However, the sharp points did give me a sore left index finger. I had to use a bandage when I was executing the 3-needle bind-off after I developed a cut. Ouch. They are wonderful needles.

The Triskele pattern on the back is needle-felted. This was my first try at needle-felting and it was just magical. I became obsessed with this symbol after a vist to Newgrange 2 years ago. It is considered a symbol for fertility (a spiral represents a cycle of a season, 3 seasons to a pregnancy), but could also represent land, sea, and sky or the eternal. I didn't want to knit this in the garment to be felted, but wanted the spirals to link the vest with the swirls on the hat and mittens. So I had to learn to needle-felt.


Here are some close-ups of the needle-felting. I'm going to experiment some more with it and then maybe do a post about my various results! Lots of Waldorf people use this method to create dolls and animals for the classrooms.

I'll post a picture of the ensemble before the auction on Friday! If you are in the Richmond area and would like to attend the Richmond Waldorf School Auction (Friday, March 30th from 6-11pm), check out the website and COME! There will be tickets sold at the door -- for $25 you get dinner, music, and an open bar. Plus, you get to party with lots of knitters!