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It’s done! The Summer Vest from this vintage pattern circa 1960 is done!

I know I said I would take this project with me to Corfu to work on there, but once I had made the gauge swatch, I just couldn’t stop. One dc led to another and before I knew it I was wearing it!

Here I am striking the same pose as the classy lady on the left. Check out the beads and I even have wind in my hair. Hahaha

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Initially I wanted to make the vest with the flowers but I  changed my mind. Typical. I like wearing beads and necklaces, so I’d rather jazz up the Vest with jewellery than be stuck with the flowers. After doing my modification (again, typical) of the bottom edge, flowers would have been a bit much.

The pattern asks for a ribbing which I didn’t feel like doing. Ribbings is a bit too old-fashioned for me, so in stead I started with the main pattern immediately and when it was all done, I added the neck & armhole edging pattern at the bottom, plus one row of the main pattern.

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The strange thing about the pattern is its shaping. In stead of shaping in at the waist, it goes out at the waist. I did as the pattern said, so I included that shaping but it’s not the most flattering. Hubby and I actually call the vest the “Pull In Your Tummy Vest” because it looks like I have a bit of a belly.

The body also retains its shape very well. When I stand up after sitting down for a while, the yarn “remembers” the folds so it looks like I’ve got sausage tied round my waist. I’m hoping this will change as the cotton softens and drapes more. I REALLY hope so.

Here are the Summer Vest (a.k.a Pull In Your Tummy Vest) facts:

  • No ribbing and a modified bottom edge – see above.
  • I used a 3mm crochet hook and just under 6 balls of Rowan Sienna in Grasshopper  for size L.
  • I started the gauge swatches on 13 May, and finished the Vest on 26 May.

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All in all, I like the vest. The colour is my favourite thing about it. I’m looking forward to wearing it with summery skirts in Corfu next week. Keep an eye on the crocheTime Facebook page for photos.

I do think however that I like the idea of using a vintage pattern, more than I like the finished item. It’s such a nice thought that the last time someone followed this pattern there were no such things as Ravelry, blogs or Facebook to tell others about it. Now this Vest is retro and vintage, then it was just “the latest pattern by Sirdar”.

Wednesday I’ll start working on Dusky, “the latest pattern from Rowan” (which 40 years from now will be retro and vintage. There’s a thought!)

I’ve done the gauge swatches but this time I stopped myself from going any further. Dusky is done in a 6mm hook with Worsted weight yarn and just like the Vest it also doesn’t have sleeves, so it’s going to be a very quick project.

I’m not going to allow my crochet addiction to get out of hand again: Dusky’s foundation chain will be crocheted in the presence of olives, houmous and feta. THe plan is to start my holiday with a bag of yarn, and end it with a new crochet top. How cool would that be?