Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest, by Debbie O’Neil, Knitscene Fall/winter 09

Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky in Ocean Heather

Needles: US 10

Notes: I will confess that I was worried about a possible linebacker effect from this sweater, what with the bulky yarn and the lack of actual sleeve shaping.  Not to worry though – I love it!  I knit to a slightly tighter gauge and got a 34″ bust, which is perfect.  Since the sleeves are formed from the bust width, you want a little (but not too much) positive ease.

The yarn was nicer than I expected – I prefer it over Cascade’s bulky workhorse yarn, which gave me uneven tension and painful hands, but it’s not exactly soft.  It’s perfect for this sort of sweater.  I am hoping it won’t fuzz up too badly.  The color is really nice too – a muted teal heather, accurate in the first photo above on my monitor.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow, but does contain one major error – the cable setup row for all sizes is incorrect.  There is a correction posted on the pattern’s Ravelry page.  I chose contrasting buttons because I wanted a playful feel – this sweater is pretty sporty, and I didn’t want it to be too conservative.  I have only one complaint about the sizing – the hood is totally ridiculously large.  I didn’t bother with a photo of it up, but trust me… it looks like I’m wearing a sack on my head.  But besides that I love it – I didn’t want to take it off, even though it’s a warm day out!