Last FO of 2010: Greenwood Cabled Vest

Ah, Rowan Lima.

Lovely, smooshy, soft baby alpaca with a touch of merino and nylon. Rich colors with slight heathering for depth. Braided i-cord-like construction for subtle texture. 

More splitty than a brigade of pre-teen gymnasts.

Rowan Lima, how I love and hate thee. Knitting with the stuff is a pain -- or, rather, trying to pick up a dropped stitch, or trying to cable without cable needles is a pain. The loose construction makes finding the open loop of a dropped stitch a real challenge, even with the help of a full-spectrum lamp. But the result is a subtly textured knit with a silky soft finish.

I bought my Rowan Lima last summer in Sisters when driving home from a workshop that I was leading in Bend, with the Greenwood Cabled Vest in mind. 

Finally started the project in November, and finished it near midnight on New Year's Eve, just as Jack Lemmon got engaged to Joe E. Brown in Some Like it Hot. Except he was "Daphne" at the time... well... you just have to see it. I steam-blocked it this morning, and hoorah, it fit!

I knitted it up a little bit small, knowing that the alpaca would grow when washed. Even with just steam, it relaxed enough that I got just the fit that I wanted.

And from the back, to show off the cables:

I think it came out quite nice. The yarn and the pattern complement each other beautifully.