help me find the perfect vest pattern!

[ecoteat]

I have a gift certificate for my favorite yarn shop burning a hole in my pocket. I want to knit myself a vest. I've been poring over ravelry and knitty and have a few contenders, but nothing is really screaming MAKE ME! I want to make something drapey, warm, open front, earthy, hip-length, and a free or cheap downloadable pattern. I'm looking at Shalom, Cold-weather corset (but with buttons instead of the lacing), Pasticcio (although I don't think this is really the right one for me, I think it's really cool), Bel, or Redhook (which I LOVE, but I don't want to pay $17 for the pattern!).

Are there any other great vest patterns along these lines that I'm missing? Have you knit any of the ones I'm looking at so far? What do you think about them?

ETA: I'm also considering Boogie and Abrazo even though they aren't open front.

[Knittin' in the Shade]

I just bought Touch of Grey yesterday to make for myself. I'm determined for 2010 to be the year of knitting for ME! I think I'll be doing it in a navy blue Malabrigo. Redhook is so lovely, and the other patterns int he booklet are pretty awesome as wel. (I've had my eye on Grove for some time now)

[ecoteat]

I think I'll go with the Shalom, but with a yoke like this. Now I'm driving myself batty trying to figure out how to merge the two ideas together. There are some mods similar to what I have in mind on Ravelry, but I'm still all befuddled! Then I have to pick a yarn! This is the most ambitious knitting project I've ever done. Eek!

[Knittin' in the Shade]

I'm working on shalom for myself right now, with yarn I unknit from my Babywearer - I've fully accepted that there will be no more babies being slung, so I'm going to enjoy wearing shalom and the fond memories of snuggling my babes in that yarn! It's wool ease chunky, and I'm surprised at how much I'm liking the way it;s working up, LOL!