The gift that never was

I wanted to knit something for my dad two Christmases ago, and I decided on the Skye Tweed Vest from Interweave Knits 05 (in no small part because the grandfatherly man modeling it was so cute). I plugged away at it during the long nights in a hotel while I was traveling for work, excited by how good it was looking. As I seamed the front and back together, I had a sad realization. There was no way my father was going to fit in this sweater. Maybe my gauge was off, or maybe the measurements I had asked my mom for were wrong – whatever the reason, this sweater was coming out way too small. I thought about lengthening it, about adding inserts in the sides under the arms, but realized it couldn’t be saved. All that was left to complete was to add ribbing at the neck and armholes, but I tossed it in a corner and knit my dad some socks. I let the vest languish for at least 4-5 months and only finished it when I knew I was going to move from Boston to New York. I couldn’t justify packing an unfinished sweater.


All in all, I think it’s really beautiful, but it’s stayed hidden in the bottom of my closet for ages. This was its inaugural wearing because I’ve decided it’s not the sweater’s fault that I didn’t make it in the right size. It’s snuggly and warm, and good for casual weekend wear. It’s really big on me, but a big sweater on me is better than a too tight sweater on my dad.