How to Design a Vest Knitting Pattern

I talked the other day about how much I am enjoying vests lately. Another reason I’m liking them is that they give me an excuse to knit something sweater adjacent without actually knitting sweaters, since I have about 24 knit sweaters and don’t really need more right now.

I recently designed a completely basic, bulky V-neck sweater worked in two pieces from the bottom up as a way to teach people how to design a basic garment for themselves.

This vest fulfilled a dream of mine because I’ve always wanted to make something with Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick‘s Hudson Bay colorway, and I happened to be at my local Joann (before all the bankruptcy sales started) and there were exactly three skeins of this colorway, all of the same dye lot, so I figured that was a sign that I needed to take them and make something.

Three skeins isn’t a huge amount of yardage (about 318 yards) so I thought a vest would be a great choice. And it worked out perfectly that I could make the vest I wanted in the right size for me and used almost exactly all the yarn (I think I have about 2 yards left). And that was with only doing a round of single crochet around the neckline and slip stitches around the armholes because I didn’t have enough yarn to do ribbing.

I love it just as it is, though, and the process the post walks you through could be used to make a vest of any size and in any gauge that you want. But to be honest I kind of want to knit another one exactly the same in a different colorway, and maybe with some ribbing next time.

If you’d like to knit your own vest or just see how I made mine, check out the post over at Our Daily Craft. I think this is a great way to learn the basics of designing on a small scale and an easy way to build knitting confidence.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

Twist Your Stitches for a Fun Vest Knitting Pattern

Knit a Vest with Cabled Details

A Beyond-Basic Vest to Knit for Fall or Spring

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If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.

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