What Shall I Wear Today?

Wednesdays, I work.  With a morning rush quite unlike the other mornings in my retired week,  I often get my work clothes ready Tuesday night.  Yesterday, however,  I was not yet finished knitting what I wanted to wear to work today.  My Noro vest was almost, but not quite, complete.  At 7:30pm Tuesday evening, it looked like this.

 Obviously there was knitting to be done.

By bedtime, it looked like this.

 

There's a story behind this vest pattern that deserves telling.  Years ago, when I knit this vest for the first time, I did so because I had been inspired by the one being knit by the leader of our  knit group.  This was a really old pattern even then, and  I felt no copyright infringement would ensue if I asked for a copy.   The  pattern is written for three sizes -small, medium and large.  But on my copy there were no corresponding  measurements to describe those sizes. The leader was knitting her vest as a gift for a friend and I asked  what size she was knitting.
"Medium", she said.  I then asked her how her friend compared in size to me.    

You should know, that I am petite.  Five feet tall and not too big.   In response to my question, our group leader - a retired high school English teacher with a bit of a haughty air - looked me up and down as if appraising horse flesh and said
"Well", my friend isn't very chesty.  If I were you, I'd make a large."

HUH?  Chesty?  Me?  That is something I am so not.  My stubborn streak showed up and I thought  "No one is going to tell me to make a large"  Instead,  I knit a small.  And - it was tight.  Wearable, but tight.  I always referred to that vest as   my   'pride-goeth-before-a-poor-fit'  vest.

Remembering that fit, this time around,  I did some gauge swatches.  I liked the Noro Kureyon best on a 5mm needle.  But that resulted in  a  larger gauge than the pattern called for.  Throwing misgivings to the wind, once again I knit size small. 

And at 9AM this morning, the vest looks like this.  

Ready for work and wearing my new Noro vest.  Pride only in the finished product this time 'round.