Shoalwater and Sidewalk to Seashore

A few months ago, while scrolling through my Instagram feed, I noticed a sketch of a vest that Chelsea posted. It was love at first sight. I was fortunate enough to get to test knit this pattern, and this lovely, unique vest has already become a staple in my summer wardrobe. I posted some sneak photos on my Instagram about a month ago when I finished it, but I just got around to getting some better photos.

This pattern is so well written and thorough, and Chelsea includes all the info you'll need for all the finishing techniques, if you've never tried them before. There are so many things to love about this vest - it's a quick knit, knit with a looser gauge, it's unique, and there's a good combination of stockinette and lace to keep you interested. There are a good number of finishing techniques to this vest like i-cord bind-off and seaming, but in my opinion, they are well worth it and give the vest some lovely details.

And the twisted back? I just love it. I think it's the thing that drew me in in the first place. 

I was initially going to use Hempathy for this vest, but it turned out to be much too thin, so I opted for the yarn the pattern called for, KnitPicks CotLin, a cotton/linen blend. This yarn was pleasantly surprising. It works up nice and soft, and gets even softer with washing and drying.

 

The Shoalwater Vest is a part of Chelsea's newest e-book, Sidewalk to Seashore that she just released. It's a collection of four patterns designed with CotLin, and I am seriously in love with all four patterns. I'm already dreaming of casting on Beachcomber!

Aren't these (and Chelsea!) just gorgeous? And because Chelsea is such a sweetheart, she's offering a coupon code on Ravelry for the first 10 days of the e-book's release! So, until August 22nd, use the coupon code: “beachknitting” and get $1 off any of the four patterns in the Sidewalk to Seashore collection, or $1 off the Sidewalk to Seashore e-book! So hop on over and check out these gorgeous patterns. I know Chelsea has put a lot of time and love into creating these and putting them out in the world, and I'm so happy for her that the release is finally here!