Firstly, a huge thank you for all the comments last Friday on my saggy vest disaster. It really meant a huge amount to me to just get some sympathy and virtual hugs.

I did stuff the whole vest in the corner of my bedroom and ignore it for the weekend. I was cross with the pattern, with myself for not doing enough measuring beforehand and just feeling very disillusioned. I was sorely tempted to fetch some yarn from my stash and start a new project; it’s not as if my queue isn’t lacking in jumpers and cardigans. But I am very, very stubborn about some things and I wanted a vest, dammit! I’d bought a new shirt ready to wear underneath it and I was determined that it wouldn’t go to waste (I can’t wear the shirt without something over the top unless I buy some less-colourful underwear..!).

I was ready to frog to the point before the first steek was set, as I couldn’t see how else I could frog it. But Lien suggested in the comments that I just unravel the shoulders to a suitable point. In the end, I had nothing extra to lose by trying this, so why not? The snowy weather and a house full of people put paid to my plans for fixing the vest after the weekend, but Mr B is back at work, the school is open and I sat down this morning to start.

Fortunately, I hadn’t woven in the ends very much, so unpicking all the ribbing wasn’t too much hassle. I painstakingly put the reserved stitches from the armscye and neck shaping onto spare needles or yarn and then began the terror of the great unravelling.

What I hadn’t thought about was the fact that there would be so many ends.

Each row is two strands of yarn, cut either end by the steeking process. So for each row I had to find the right brown and cream thread and unravel them. It took a long time. But finally, I was happy with the result and grafted the shoulders together at the new finishing point.

I’ve lost the back neck shaping, of course, but without knitting backwards and forwards there’s no way to recreate it, as I can’t re-steek. But after trying it on, even with the dangling threads and needles around my neck, I’m much happier:

Once the ribbing is redone and I have reblocked it, I’m hopeful that I’ll now have a wearable vest. Though I also have lots of crinkly yarn which I think will need unkinking before I can reuse it. It’s never easy to fix something, is it?!