The Details:

I made the Braided Fog Vest as a gift for my sister; as a result, I was absolutely merciless about getting gauge. I initially swatched using size 8 circular needles and came out with a swatch that was gorgeous in its drape, but about two inches too large all the way around. As my sister is quite petite, I re-swatched in a size 6 needle and came out much closer to what I was looking for. I hit the stitch gauge, but came out a 1/2″ short on the row gauge, after (unpinned) blocking.  As the swatch had a decent amount of give in the length, I moved forward with the size 6 needles, deciding to stretch and pin it to the right length when I blocked the final garment.

The Vest pattern itself is fairly straightforward, although it gave my hands a good workout. In particular, the Left Cross Cable was a dream for me to knit, even though it involved two cable needles. You’re moving a lot of stitches when you do these cables, so it can get a bit tough there toward the end of the cable. However, the Right Cross Cable has a detail that I didn’t quite understand when I swatched, and as I completed the first panel. Essentially, the Right Cross Cable moves all the stitches on the right all the way over to the far left. It’s a traveling cable, so there are a field of purled cable stitches (which sit on their own cable needle) that get knit before those ultimate stitches. However, it’s a braided pattern, so whereas in a standard cable-left you just hold all your needles in front of the work and do your thing, in this one, you first have to put your cable needles to the back. You then knit your first cable stitches, and then resolve the stitches on the remaining cable needles. Doing this second cross is where I floundered. I finally figured out that I couldn’t keep that needle in front of the second needle effectively while I knit the stitches on my left knitting needle; instead, I passed them through my work, behind the stitches I just knit and in front of the stitches on the remaining (to be purled) cable needle. The end result makes a difference, as the cables have a difference level of depth when you actually cable them properly. I realize that this written method is a bit confusing; if you are struggling with this, simply contact me and I’ll be happy to walk you through it.

I also realized that my final gauge was coming out a bit narrower as well as shorter than my swatch. We all know that this happens sometimes, and especially when we are working with cables.  The width of the panel is actually the length of the garment, so this makes a difference. Upon final construction, my finished garment is actually two inches shorter than the recommended length. Additionally, I debated knitting an additional pattern repeat to each panel, and finally decided against it (after all, the swatch was so springy). In retrospect, I regret this. The finished garment is three inches narrower than the pattern calls for. While the vest is fine for my sister,  part of what makes this garment so luscious to look at is the overlap in the front. I have overlap, just not as much as I’d like.

Lastly, a commentary on the yarn. I would advise using a yarn that has a tighter twist than the one I used. While the end result is fine, I split the plys quite a bit while working on it (particularly while working those aggressive cables) and that was a bit frustrating. Note that this same yarn was fine for the Wanda Estelle Poncho, it was simply not up to the job on the Braided Fog Vest, despite my usage of blunt needles.

Ultimately, I left this vest up on my mannequin for several days just so I could enjoy how it looks before it made its way over to my sisters for its permanent home. I would absolutely knit this again.