I finished this tonight. It’s knit in Dale of Norway Lerke, which my friends Karen and Elizabeth gave me last year for my birthday, and which I cast on and started using this year on my birthday! The yarn is 55% wool, 45% cotton, and it looks like a slate gray in the photos, but it actually shifts color in nearly every light, ranging from a teal to almost purple.
The original pattern is called Cold-weather Corset, by Natalie Wilson, but I quickly abandoned the lace-up feature (and nearly everything else while I was at it) in favor of something more Victorian/steampunk-ish:
The crocheted edging on the hem is called Shell Path, and was originally designed by Sophie T. La Croix in the 1900’s. I used a version written up by About.com writer Sandi Marshall here.
The clasps are from etsy seller BrazenButton – they’re the Eleanor cloak clasps– she has several different styles. The clasps arrived today, and I immediately set about sewing them on (twice– the first time, I spaced them too far apart and the front gapped):
I’m not normally a fan of vests– a vest pretty much has to meet a large number of criteria, including fitting and buttoning high enough that, if pressed, I could wear it without a shirt. Although the armholes are a little large for that on this one, the rest of the vest meets my personal criteria.