There's something about those Retro crocheted "Granny Afghans" that intrigues me. I can't decide if they are ugly or cool, but nevertheless, I'm drawn to them. It doesn't happen too often, but when I find one in a thrift shop made of wool, I'll often buy it and add it to my stash in hopes of future inspiration.
How could I pass up this one?! The colors are something else, it's in excellent shape, and perfectly felted to make a thick, soft, slightly stretchy fabric.
I finally got inspired to make vest out of it. I've made a lot of these sporty-style zip-up vests. I originally started making them because I love the style and ease of the ubiquitous Polar Fleece Vest, but I don't care much for working with or wearing synthetic fleece. I thought the style would look (and feel!) nice, though, made up of wool fabrics, and I've been sewing several of them a year for some time.
This is my first Afghan Vest.
I used a commercial pattern to cut the pieces. I left the original zig-zag edge on the bottom. For contrast, I used some cream-colored sherpa fleece (yeh, I know, it's synthetic...but it doesn't feel
too yucky!) for the sides and inside the collar. The brown stripes on the front and the outer collar are of fancy, furry brown wool (from my stash). For the armhole binding I used brown stretch velvet; I've found that stretch velvet works
fantastically as a binding for all types of things, and it's readily available in thrift shops in the form of ugly stretch pants and out-dated dresses; large garments that make it easy to cut long strips of binding.
One thing I like about this pattern are the nearly invisible inset pockets on the front. Mine gap a bit; kinda tricky to get them to lay flat when working with the stretchy-ish afghan fabric.
I really like how the vest turned out as an object. As far as a piece of clothing, well, I'm not sure if it's ugly or cool!
