Get Simple Style with this Easy Vest Knitting Pattern

I love Japanese knitting patterns. Of course not every designer from that country has the same style, but in general, many Japanese knitting patterns have a spare but stylish look, with just enough details to make them interesting to knit and wear.

Take this vest knitting pattern, UraUe by Natsuko Iida. It’s a pretty, relaxed vest worked in half fisherman rib and stockinette. The neckline is shaped with short rows. It has a bit of a high-low split hem and is reversible. It includes an optional cowl you can wear over the vest to make it look like a turtleneck, or wear it separately.

Best yet, this pattern, which is available on Ravelry, has been designed to work with DK weight or super fine yarns. Both patterns are sized from XS to 4XL, a chest measurement up to 63 and 64.5 inches, respectively. It’s intended to be worn with 5-9 inches of positive ease.

If you want to explore Japanese knitting patterns more, I have a couple of book reviews on Japanese knitting stitches: Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida and Japanese Stitches Unravled by Wendy Barnard. These books offer stitch patterns that you can incorporate into any project you like.

There are translations of Japanese knitting pattern books available on the market, which are a good way to practice with Japanese knitting patterns. Typically Japanese patterns don’t include a lot of (or really any) written instructions, instead presenting the pattern as a chart. Techniques are explained in a section at the back of the book, and detailed schematics of the pattern show you how to build your project.

It’s quite different from the way patterns are usually presented in the west, but it’s fun to trust yourself to understand them (because you probably already know what you need to know to knit them). If you need more prompting to try Japanese knitting patterns, check out this post from Skein with 10 reasons to love Japanese knitting patterns.

If you’ve ever worked with them I’d love to hear about your experience!

Next Pattern:

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply