Fluffiest set vest, finished

When Hannah of Hannah G. Knits shared photos of a children's boucle vest and put out a call for testing, I applied.

I hadn't taken on a test knit in a few years, not since I knit a sample for Cestari back in 2020. That project was quite the undertaking, considering it was an adult cabled cardigan, knit in pieces, on a deadline. I loved the yarn, had great communication with the yarn company, and learned a lot from the experience, but I was fairly certain I wouldn't attempt another test or sample knit anytime soon, since I had to knit on the sample in all of my free time to complete it by the deadline.

But I saw her sample vest and loved it, and I've been intrigued by boucle yarn and wanted to try it again in a lighter color. The test knit process was so wonderful. Great communication and it was fun knitting the pattern alongside other knitters all around the world. Hannah was helpful and gracious throughout the process.

As for the completed vest, it's adorable. It fits Finn well and is a perfect layering piece right now. The yarn is gorgeous, and it was my second time knitting with boucle yarn (the first time being the Ryg hat, knit in Woolfolk flette, and not my favorite knitting experience). But this boucle yarn was much more pleasant to knit with, the color made the stitches easier to see, and the fabric worked up quickly. I did have to restart a few times when picking up stitches in the vest pattern, and I reknit the i-cord edging twice. I haven't ruled out the possibility that I might go back and knit the i-cord just a tiny bit looser, since the fabric pulls ever so slightly at the shoulders (no fault of the pattern, just my tighter tension with my bind off).

I chose to test knit the vest version, but I absolutely love the cardigan pattern and would definitely consider knitting it in the future as well. I love that the pattern includes instructions for both.

And I am excited to knit with more boucle yarn in the future, since it is the softest, fuzziest yarn – perfect for littles, but also most definitely wearable by adults too.

The pattern just released and can be found for downloadable purchase on Ravelry or on Payhip. Thank you, Hannah, for allowing me to test knit your pattern!