Notes on the Aleita Shell

I had this draft saved for a while now. I was going to take a picture of the final washed garment, because it was a sad mess, but I'm not going to because it's a bit too depressing. And a little hilarious. Anyway, read the following knowing I wrote it back in September.

I finally finished my very first adult-sized knitted garment! Yipee!!! The Aleita Shell. It is done! Overall, I am happy with the work that I did, but I have loads of notes, because the perfectionist in me is telling me I could be happier if I knit it again with some things in mind. Let's begin:

Hazzah! I am finished!

Overall pattern rating: 2/5 stars

My personal issues that may or may not apply to you:

1. The yarn I chose, Baby Snuggly Bamboo is fantastic to knit with, but has a lot of ease. By the end, my arm holes have stretched out just from twisting the garment back and forth while knitting it. I must find a better, more careful way of knitting these.

2. Although my stockinette stitch was seriously right on gauge and the overall dimensions of the waist were right on, my stitch where the neck breaks is loads tighter! That part wound up being a full two four inches less wide than what the pattern said it would be. This actually worked to my advantage because the finished product is really too big.

3. I definitely chose the wrong size to make. Without taking into account that my yarn is stretchier, I went up a size when I think I should have stayed with the minimal ease choice. I chose a size that was 1" positive ease instead of the one that would have been 3.75" negative ease. Knowing what I know now, I think it would have been more flattering. At least, the fit would be closer to how I wear my clothes which is with a bit of stretch. I don't like things to hang off me because my perception is that they're too big then. Personally, I feel they're more flattering if they hug my figure more. Obviously, this isn't true in all cases, but in knit sweaters I think it is within reason.

4. I think I made the armholes too soon, but my top part stretched out when I was knitting the front part so the finished product doesn't look too short.

Those are my personal oopsies. Onto pattern modifications and details:

I do not recommend this pattern to beginners, I felt it lacked details in many parts. All in all, I like the design and the concept of knitting it in the round, I just think it needs some more wordage in parts. It's definitely not wrong, but I think it's misleading.

1. I added an inch to the bottom after the hip ribbing because I like things longer, and I think I made a good decision there. I measured my body from under my chest to where I'd like the vest to hit and went from there.

2. You're only going to do two waist increases after the divide in M1 purl. (This is a clarification more for me than for anybody else)

3. When you knit the left and right fronts and it says to do the neck decreases as established, only decrease on the neck side. Technically the neck decrease pattern decreases on both sides and obviously this isn't needed when making the armholes. (I need a freaking blueprint so this detail is important to me!)

4. For the finishing part you're going to be knitting a long cord that you'll then sex around the neck [sex around the neck? what the hell was I doing back in September?? umm STITCH around the neck!] to make the neck hole look nicer. I was totally confused as to why she was giving these directions when I read this.

Those are my perceptions of the pattern. Again, this is my first garment so some of these may be totally learned to most people by now, but for a first-timer, I totally didn't get them. I thought the increases and decreases in the front directions were totally confusing and I had to write out the decreases by row number for the r/l fronts so that I wouldn't screw up.

Finished product was a bit loose, but I wore it to work anyways and I thought it looked pretty cute, but still a little on the big side. After a day of wear it definitely stretched out even more. After I washed it the first time it turned into a huge baggy mess, there really was no way to fix it. I thought about steeking the sides, but it would be too short. Sigh. You live you learn.