Easy Knit Vests are Officially My Favorite

I went a long time without knitting a vest or wearing a vest. I don’t really know why, because once I had one knit vest (which only ended up being a vest because I was too lazy to knit sleeves for it) I wanted ALL the knit vests.

Aside from the joy of not having to knit sleeves, which is substantial, vests are obviously a great way to add a layer to keep your body warm.

I have been known to wear a long-sleeved shirt with a vest, with a sweater on top of that (or vice-versa) to maximize that extra layer since I’m always cold.

As I type this I’m wearing my version of KnitCroAddict’s knit sweater vest, which is a super simple, super bulky cropped vest.

I seriously knit this project in a few hours over a weekend and it is so cozy and nice I want to make more of them, and longer versions, too (I did make mine a couple of rows longer than hers, and used a crocheted edging instead of ribbing).

Grab the free pattern from KnitCroAddict. And share your favorite knit vests! I want to make them all.

[Photo: KnitCroAddict.]

Looking for more Vest patterns to knit? Check out these Vest Knitting patterns on Etsy and these designs on the Sirdar Website.

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I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn.

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done.

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit.

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips.

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry.

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

Book Review – Knitted Tanks and Tunics

How to Knit a Simple Sweater Dress

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