Cozy Oversized Vest Knitting Pattern

I don’t want to be the one to say it, but the fact remains that summer is almost over, at least if you’re reading the school calendar where I live. Yes, it will probably be warm in a lot of the Northern Hemisphere for a long time to come still, but it’s never too early to start thinking about knits for the fall and winter seasons. Or even better, stitching up things that you can use now and still wear when it’s colder outside.

I think the Oversized Vest with Asymmetrical Front from Cascade Yarns falls into that category. This roomy, boxy vest, designed by Deborah Newton, is worked in wool, so it might be a little warm to wear as a shirt in the height of summer, but it’s a good extra layer for cooler evenings (or buildings) and it will be the perfect extra layer when it’s a little cooler out.

It’s worked from the bottom up in one piece on a long circular knitting needle up to the armholes. it comes in six sizes up to a finished bust measurement of 61.5 inches, and is meant to be worn with 7 to 10 inches of positive ease.

The original used wool yarn, but I think you could use wool or cotton blends with good effect, too. The textured pattern used on the vest is pretty easy to memorize, but the pattern is rated for intermediate knitters.

This pattern is available for free from the Cascade Yarns website.

Need more vest patterns to get you through the transition into fall? I recently collected a few of my favorite vest knitting patterns. Or check out this cute, super simple and fast bulky vest knitting pattern that I made earlier this year. You’ll be happy you took an afternoon to stitch this one up when that first unexpected cold snap hits!

[Photo: Cascade Yarns]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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