New Free Pattern on Ravelry: Asymmetrical Vest in Handspun

Last year I came upon a wonderful and inexpensive fiber for handspinning: Potluck Roving in granite, available from  Ferndale Fiber at a whole lot of stores nationwide. It's soft and dense -- just right for the warm winter vest I spun and knitted above.

How to spin a yarn? I was getting tired of my simple handspinning technique, which worked fine for most of what I wanted to knit but had no "pizzazz," if you know what I mean! A friend of mine -- a wonderful spinner and knitter named Judith Trolley -- introduced me to the work of Jacey Boggs in her book, Spin Art: Mastering the Craft of Spinning Textured Yarn. I loved what I could do with my Potluck Roving.

Since I was hoping to create something simple, I found a pattern online that I reworked to my own specifications: an irregular hexagonal shape, knitted sideways, no seams, no buttons, and all you have to do is cast off and cast on again to make the armholes. Because it's knitted and has an adjustable closure (shawl pin in photo above), it can adapt to many shapes and sizes. Exactly my kind of garment!

The vest is available in my Etsy shop and the pattern is available for free from Denise Kovnat Designs on Ravelry. I know it's mid-summer, but this vest will make a warm and much-needed garment when winter comes!