Home Decor: Keys

We moved into our house in July of 2012, and I still haven't finished hanging things on our walls. 

For a while, I didn't want to hang my keys in my house since I used them in my apartments. I guess I thought it would make my house feel like an apartment. 

We finally got around to putting those keys on the walls in our dining area and it doesn't feel like my/our old apartments at all. 

I'll put up a photo of the whole dining area once I've completed the window treatments. I have a few ideas for the valances (stamped burlap is my top choice), but I'm not entirely sure what I want. 

If you're interested in finding keys like this, you should check out Hobby Lobby. My mom and I bought these keys back in 2010, though, so no promises that they still have something like them. The last time I looked for keys at Hobby Lobby, they were turquoise and pink ceramic. 

WIP: Seabrook Vest

Sometimes I start projects, reach the halfway point, and set them down, leaving them wallowing in the sadness of their unfinished and forgotten state... 

I'm kidding about the forgotten part. I do intend to finish those drop stitch scarves eventually, but they're so boring. 

But here's one I'm really finishing!

I started working on a Seabrook Vest by Berocco for my mom last November. It was a last-minute change from her original intended present (a hat), and I didn't leave myself enough time to finish it. She ended up with the hat, which matches the previous year's cowl, for a Christmas present after all. 

After a couple months of sitting and waiting while I started and finished other projects, I'm finally working on Mom's vest again. I'm hoping to have it finished by Mother's Day. 

My parents visited a couple weeks ago, and I decided to have my mom try on the half of the vest I have completed so far, and she loved it! She liked the yarn and the color, so I'm already calling it a win!

I'm using Berroco's Lustra yarn. It's a 50/50 wool/Tencel blend with a lovely sheen. The yarn is a very soft single-ply with a bit of a halo. 

The vest is all-over seed stitch (I've also seen it called moss stitch). The seed stitch makes one of my favorite fabrics. I enjoy the alternating bumps, and at Seabrook's gauge, the stitches almost look like little stars to me from a distance. 

I'm about halfway through with the vest, and I try to complete at least four rows a day, which is about an inch. Considering I need 56 inches total, I have a ways to go, but if I continue at this pace, I should have the vest finished in a week or so. 

I saw the finished object at my local yarn store and decided it would be a great first garment project. It's basically a rectangle with arm holes. (The pattern is free, too, so if you want to take a stab at it, click the link at the top of the post.)

My selvedge edges look pretty good, but if I have enough yarn left, I'm going to crochet around the edges and arm holes to make them look a bit cleaner. 

Here's to an easy (but not quick in this case) knit!