A Super Bulky Vest to Knit and Wear Right Away

In 2022 for Christmas I got myself a mystery yarn grab bag from Lion Brand Yarn, and in it were a couple of skeins of super bulky yarn. Because it was almost the beginning of the year and I was trying to challenge myself to use my stash, I knit it up right away into a hat and a little vest.

(This year I bought myself the yarn to make Linger from Knitty’s Deep Fall issue. Can’t wait to cast on.)

If I were using that yarn again I’d still make a vest but it would probably be Vest is Best from Crafts Everywhere.

This cozy, boxy, hooded vest has a kangaroo pocket (this time of year I want pockets in everything) and is super quick and easy to knit. I almost wrote “to knit and wear this weekend” in the headline, but I don’t know when you’re reading this or how fast you knit, but it should still be on and back off your needles pretty fast.

The pattern comes in five sizes and uses US 19 (that’s 15 mm) knitting needles. It’s rated for intermediate knitters, but it would be a good first garment project if you’ve never knit a sweater or vest before. It’s worked from the bottom up in the round to the armholes (which are really deep so actually a lot of it is worked flat), then you seam the shoulders and work the ribbing around the armholes in the round. The hood is worked flat with ribbing added after the hood is worked. The pocket is worked flat and sewn on. And the drawstring can be I-cord or whatever else you’d like to use.

It’s meant to be worn with 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) of positive ease, which is perfect for wearing over a long-sleeved shirt or a light sweater.

You can get the pattern from Crafts Everywhere on Etsy.

[Photo: Crafts Everywhere]

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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