One Section Finished

I have finally finished the back section of my mom's vest.

 The color below is closer to the actual yarn than the picture above.

 I have cast on the left front, ripped it out after 11 rows as I used the wrong stitch pattern, cast on again, ripped out again.....wrong number of stitches, and have cast on again. I sat with it last night questioning the pattern as I can't finish the pattern repeat with the number of stitches stated, but I believe the problem is just with the ribbing on the bottom as the numbers work for the main pattern. I am slogging through, but I doubt I will ever make another item from this book. I have never encountered such difficulty in following any other pattern. I am not an experienced knitter, but I am an experienced crocheter and I can read a pattern. I know it is partly my inattention, but even the cast-off for the back of the vest had to be frogged due to a misunderstanding with the directions. Perhaps a more seasoned knitter would not misinterpret the pattern, but I really believe that patterns should be precisely written so that all knitters can successfully complete them. Sorry for the rant, but this should not be this difficult. 

I finished reading The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier. 

This is an interesting book that deals with the time of the Underground Railway in the United States. I really liked this book. I won't say it was an amazing book to read, but I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction.

I am joining Ginny for Yarn Along this week. What are you knitting/crocheting? What are you reading? Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are up to.

Thanks for stopping by!