Green Sweater... Done!

I was really motivated to finish the green sweater-vest I started, using a Mary Maxim knitting kit.

It was my first ever top-down garment, knit from the neck to the waist. I'd like to try another soon, just for practice. I had to modify the instructions a bit, counting stitches with each row's increase rather than using markers, as the directions indicated. I tried several types of markers (safety pins, plastic knitting markers) and none of them worked. The safety pins got caught in the yarn and the plastic ones fell out. In addition, I wasn't really sure where to put them... (On the loop of the stitch? Between stitches?!) I wasn't getting the first few inches right, so I tore my knitting apart several times. I realized that I should be increasing in several places (sides of sleeves, front, back) so the counting method worked better for me. I made a chart to keep track of how many stitches I had to knit before increasing based on where the increases should be...

I'm looking forward to wearing the vest on top of a fleece shirt or a long-sleeved sweater. Hopefully it will provide a little extra warmth around the shoulders and upper body.

I made it a little longer than the pattern said, as I didn't want it to ride up when I leaned forward. There was plenty of yarn in the kit for the modification. I still have several balls to spare.

Hopefully, my new vest will be a useful addition to my winter wardrobe!