Live Long and Prosper Tunic

While I was knitting away on my Summer Breeze socks I was idly thinking about clothes (reading Phryne Fisher novels will get you thinking about clothes) and the kinds of clothes that I like to wear and what I could make out of the mounds of fingering weight yarn that I have in my stash.  I like tunics and long vests.  Things that I can wear over leggings and with boots.  I do love boots.  I went for a simple A-line vest, long enough to wear with leggings, with an asymmetrical front.  The left side stops at the neck edge of the shoulder, and the right side comes all the way across and overlaps.  The style was inspired in part by the dress tunics from Star Trek:  The Next Generation.  I ginned up a quick pattern in Sweater Wizard to get an idea of the yardage I needed and then went to peruse my stash and came up with this lovely yarn.

It is Fingering Merino Cashmere by Sundara Yarn a fingering / 4 ply yarn that is 70% Merino, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon and has 500 yards / 150 gram.  The color is Bluebell and is reminiscent of Science Officer Blue from the Original Star Trek, and Spock has always been one of my favorite characters, hence the name of the project.  I wanted a splash of color, and some more refined finishing on the edges so I dug out another skein of Sundara Yarn.

This one is Fingering Silky Cashmere (new) also by Sundara Yarn a Fingering / 4 ply yarn that is 65% Cashmere, 35% Silk and has 420 yards / 100 gram.  The color is Tangerine Guava Twist.  I decided to start with an i-cord cast on, and then I will work an i-cord around the edges to finish it off.  I-cord can be so tedious, but it does look lovely when it is finished.  Knitting with this yarn was like knitting with melted butter, it felt slippery and insubstantial and has a tendency to fuzz.  I'll have to add some vinegar to the water when I soak the vest for blocking. I decided to work a simple cable on the front section that overlaps at the shoulder, just to add a little visual interest.


Pattern:  Live Long and Prosper Tunic by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  Fingering Merino Cashmere and Fingering Silky Cashmere by Sundara Yarns
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)