Friday, June 20, 2008

Day three: CASTING OFF

Surely this is the best of times? That moment of new adventure and fresh starts? The yarn is at your feet, the needles in your itching-to-be-doing hands, and we are about to begin. Here, then, is the instant of endless possibilities when everything lies ahead stretching out in our own personal horizon….and to know other virtual buddies are doing exactly the same thing in multiple spots is all kind of thrilling, don't you think? You may be in a pool of solitude yet you are never alone.

Let's get our feet wet…first choose the yarn for your leading edge, in this case the front opening edge of your vest. There's no need even to decide whether you want to go fitted or tabard at this stage as both versions begin with the same front panel. Have you decided on your opening color? I began with the marine blue sea but perhaps you'd rather begin with the sand and wade towards the ocean? In any case, take the yarn in hand with your guide spread somewhere nearby and…

...cast on the recommended stitches. Yes, I know some of you have already waded forth and that's fine too——everything's good, any approach, any whim.  If you'd like to make your vest longer right from the start, you can easy add 5-10 extra stitches here without throwing anything off. You decide. I recommend starting with four rows of seed stitch to fortify your leading edge. There. How's it going?