Knit a Cozy Vest for Fall

October 5, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I have probably told you this before, but I spent a long time not being a vest person. But when fall hits where I live, that’s all I want to knit, and most of what I want to wear.

Lion Brand Yarn technically calls this one a cardigan, the McInness Cardigan, to be exact, but I just see a long vest that’s open at the front and perfect for all your fall activities.

Take one look at this thing and tell me you want to wear anything else at the pumpkin patch or going apple picking. I didn’t think so.

This is a really easy project, worked in one piece back and forth in rows from the bottom up. The front bands are integrated into the sweater so there’s no finishing there. The pieces are divided at the shoulder seams and worked in three parts separately (each of the fronts and the back). The pattern calls for binding off and then sewing the shoulder seams together, but you could also hold all the stitches and either do a three-needle bind off or graft the stitches together if you’d rather.

The collar is then picked up and knit from the top of the garment, and the armholes are edged with applied I-cord.

The pattern comes in six sizes, with a finished bust measurement ranging from 36 to 56 inches, or 91.5 to 142 cm. It isn’t meant to close in the front so you can choose the amount of ease that works for you to have a good fit across your back.

This looks like a great project for TV knitting or if you’re traveling or watching sports in person or at home. It’s pretty in a solid color as shown but would also be great with stripes or using a multicolored yarn. It’s a great blank canvas that you can make your own in lots of different ways.

You can grab the pattern as a free download from Lion Brand.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn.]

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Hexagon Knitting Patterns

Knitting squares, rectangles and triangles can get boring after a while, so why not throw in some different shapes, like hexagons?

I started thinking about hexagons because of Amy Gunderson’s Rainbow Remnants cowl (see it on Ravelry), which uses all your sock yarn leftovers to make hexagons worked from the center out and joined as you go so there’s no seaming. She also works over the yarn ends so you don’t have to weave in a million ends either.

This reminded me of the classic Beekeeper’s Quilt knitting pattern from Tiny Owl Knits, which has long been a bucket list project for me. It uses little “hexipuffs,” which are tiny hexagon shaped pillows that are stuffed to make your blanket extra cozy. This one also uses sock yarn but each motif is worked separately and then stitched together so there’s a ton of finishing work. But it would be amazing to have on the back of your couch!

Or you can make a blanket that’s one big hexagon, like this Hexagon Baby Blanket from Lion Brand Yarn. It’s worked in sections so you can change color with each piece or alternate self-striping colorways as shown if you like. Or make it a stash buster.

Hexagons of course remind me of quilts, because my parents have a couple of Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts my great-grandmother made. If you like that classic look and want to make it in knitting, try the April Showers Bring May Flowers blanket from Needles and Balls. Each hexagon is worked separately so you can make your project as big as you like, using whatever yarn you have handy.

Or try the Knitted Hexagon Cushion, a free pattern from Greedy for Colour. These hexis are worked in strips so you could use the same pattern to make a bigger project if you wanted. As written it calls for DK weight yarn but you could experiment with other weights as well.

Fun shapes and stash busting knitting inspired by quilts? I think these projects might hit everything I love in a knitting project!

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