malabrigo mecha love


It's done! It's done! And I loooooove it! Happy dances all around! As much as I like to avoid seaming, there is something so satisfying and motivating about how fast the much smaller "left front" and "right front" knit up after knitting the back. 

I love how knitting with bulky yarn gives a 3-D quality to the lace--it almost looks like cables! But all it is is the bulk of a three-stitch SSSK or K3tog! Neat, huh? And I am in absolute love with this yarn and colorway--"Whale's Road" is the perfect name for it. It's so hard to photograph, but there is purple, turquoise, and different shades of navy blue in the mix. For some reason I am totally drawn to dark royal blues and navy right now, and this yarn perfectly encapsulates those shades. This is a superwash Malabrigo, which I am super excited about. I won't have to worry about felting it on accident!

Pattern: Montague Bulky Lace Vest (from the book New England Knits) Link to my Rav project.
Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha (3.75 skeins, "Whale's Road" colorway)
Needles: Size 13 Addi Turbos
Modifications: Like others who have knit this pattern, I added an edging around the armholes to make them look more finished. And to minimize the size--I found the armholes to be a little gaping and large without the edging. I simply picked up and knit stitches evenly around the armhole, and then knit three rows stockinette before casting off. It's the same edging used in my Mom's Vest--simple, but looks nice and clean.


This is definitely going to be in heavy rotation once our temps finally feel quasi-winter like here in Mississippi! (oh, say, December!)

9 comments:

Leah said...

Very pretty! I like large-scale lace, too - lace doesn't have to be delicate.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, gorgeous colour too.

Unknown said...

Lovely! How nice to have a new knit waiting for the cool weather. Better than a new knit that just missed the cool weather! LOL

karen said...

it looks fabulous! I love the way it fits and the drape of the garment is lovely :)

Alicia said...

It looks fabulous! I have a that vest in progress waiting for a collar to be knit on. It's great in the Mecha!

Quick warning, though: I don't think Mecha is superwash. Mecha is a slightly thinner version of their superbulky singles yarn, Rasta. Since both yarns are such thick singles, they've been partially felted to maintain their structure, but that does not mean that they won't felt further and it's a different process from what makes things superwash (chemical treatment). I think you'll want to handwash and air dry that vest.

Alicia said...

Never mind! I just saw on Ravelry that while it is a single, it was made from superwash-treated wool, so it might work out ok. Sorry for the incorrect info! Someone on Rav said their swatch shrunk up a bit but did not felt when they put it through machine wash and dry.

Lisa-24-7 said...

What a gorgeous vest! I love the color and pattern, they go very well together. It looks like this will be getting lots and lots of love!

CathieJ said...

Love the vest, especially in the blue! This looks like something I may be able to tackle.

Emily said...

Thanks for the info! Even though it's labeled as superwash, I'm pretty chicken when it comes to actually washing my handknits in the machine! I'll definitely play it safe! :)

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