Onwards to yet another new thing

I've finished knitting my practise Fair Isle piece this morning. The dimensions currently are 14 inches tall by 11.5 inches wide, which, when felted, ought to be just about right. Unless it only shrinks in width. If I lose too much width, there may yet be some minor surgery.

I've one more step before I do the felting though. I wanted to use this piece to practise steeking. I'm going to work on that this evening. Any good bag needs some pockets for keys, phones, and the little things you need access to fast and frequently. I plan to make a steek along one side to insert a pocket. I'm not going to make it straight along the rows, though. I want to see what happens if I do the steek at an angle. I'd like to see how sturdy it is compared to an afterthought pocket, which is usually inserted along the straight line of stitches. If it produces a sturdy enough edging, it may be something I'll use on the upcoming vest.

Plans are moving along on the vest. I'm playing with a traditional palette but a nontraditional yarn. I'm doing this partly because of what is available, and partly because I managed to find an acceptable range of colours. I've got 3 soft almost natural colours for the background and 2 or 3 for the foreground. The 'or 3' part is in case I need a little more pop in the colours. I don't think I will know that until I am actively working it up.

So, I have the gauge figured out, I know the colour progressions to aim for, and I know what size I need to knit to fit the man. All I need to do is sit down and do a little math, to make sure that the designs are going to fit reasonably well onto the stitch count I need, and away I go.

Sounds easy, but I am expecting some challenging knitting ahead. It's just what happens when a thing sounds easy.