Slow Knitting: ten months for a blue vest

If you really, really were my friend (my 7 year old granddaughter has learned bff* from her more sophisticated peers), you'd say in a very supportive way, 

"How wonderful that you spent less than a year to knit the vest you talked about on your blog last June."

You would be lying in a kind way to an old lady with a habit. It went with me to New York last September. One day I decided to look up the "errata" for the pattern on the Vogue Knitting site.  I had finished the back. Turned out there was an error in the directions in the very first row!

[What follows is geeky knitting talk.]  It was not something crucial, so I let it go.  Other things were:  how to follow the directions for the special style of the edging around the armholes.  Especially a challenge on the second armhole when, in true current pattern mode, "reverse what you did on previous side" appeared rather than written out instructions.  Even challenged Adrienne, my helper at Close Knit, who had the wit to decode it for me.

Much as I like this distinctive look, I doubt that it's something doable on my own another time.

Then it was too big to carry around.  I began to knit another, more colorful vest with better instructions. Got caught up in knit toys--too many little pieces.  I'm about to return to them.  

Realized I needed to add seed stitch gussets at each side for a better fit.  Finally the knitting was done. For the 5 buttonholes, I used five different vintage buttons in the same family.  Nope. Sewed up bottom buttonhole and removed three buttons.  Usually my style is to wear the front open.

Way too much angst for a vest--maybe for an elaborately figured Nordic sweater but not a one-color vest. Looked pretty good after blocking.  I've worn it often, works well for our uncertain spring weather.  I have noticed that the surface pills.  Still wish there were more choices in yarn of this weight and mostly cotton to use with #7 needles--even #8.

*best friend forever