Knit Vests to Help Transition to Warmer Weather

Last year I cleaned out my closet and realized that I had about 24 handknit sweaters. This knowledge hasn’t completely stopped me from knitting more sweaters, but it did get me thinking about places in my wardrobe where I might actually need more knit things, and one thing I noticed a lack of was knit vests.

I have a couple of them and I love them for layering when it starts to get a little warmer, like when it’s cool in the morning but hot in the afternoon, or cold in a building but warmer outside. I’ve already knit myself one new vest this year, and with these patterns I’m pretty sure I’ll be making more.

This chunky vest pattern from Daisy and Peace on Etsy is sort of the quintessential vest you think of when you think of knit vests, with a scoop neck and ribbed edges. It uses bulky yarn and is great for beginners since it is worked flat. There are six sizes available.

The Knit Purl Girl has another pretty take on the basic knit vest, this time with a higher, double folded neckline. The Semper Slipover is worked with a mohair blend and a wool yarn held together to make a DK weight gauge. The tops of each side are worked separately, then joined for working in the round.

Minimi Knit Design has another great take on a classic vest, this time with a v-neck. It’s worked in the round from the top down using worsted weight yarn. Sizing ranges from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm actual bust measurement.

One thing about all the vests I have right now is that they are pullovers, but this version with buttons is pretty cure, too. It’s from MMadisonMarie on Etsy, and it uses fuzzy, chunky yarn and has an oversized fir with a V-neck and button closure. It’s worked flat and comes in three sizes.

Or you could make this cute vest with an I-cord tie, from Nicoline Sofie Knit. It’s worked from the top down starting with all the pieces separate, then joining and working the whole piece back and forth in rows. It has I-cord edging, comes in six sizes, and calls for a combo of alpaca and a glittery yarn.

Svetlana Volkov’s Nola Slipover is made with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together to get a bulky gauge. It has a high neck and roomy armholes, with a slightly cropped body. It’s available in eight sizes and you can get a copy on Ravelry.

Knit a Vest with Cabled Details

Knit a Cozy Vest for Fall

Play with Fisherman’s Rib in This Fun Long Vest Project

Next Pattern:

There’s just something about stripey socks that makes me smile. It’s not really any more difficult to knit socks with stripes as it is to work in a single color, but for me, the payoff is pretty big in terms of added cuteness. Let’s take a peek at some fun striped socks you can knit.

I have to start with the Rainbow Panda Socks from Sheila Toy Stromberg because I was one of her test knitters and these socks are delightful. Not only do they have stripes on the toe and the leg above the ankle, they also include duplicate stitch panda faces on the backs of the legs and ears you knit into the bind off at the top. They are so cute and fun to make and sized for everyone from infants to adult XL, so you’ve got no excuse not to knit them for everyone you know. Get the pattern on Ravelry.

Those socks are totally ’80s in their coloring, but if you want to step back to the ’70s, try Jeff’s Groovy Socks by Anne Vally. These athletic style socks have a ribbed body and stripes of two contrasting colors on the leg and you can pick one (or both) of the contrasting colors to use for your heels and toes. These come in three sizes for different widths, and you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

If you’d rather have allover stripes, check out the Easy Striped Socks pattern from Knitgrammer on Etsy. These sweet socks can be worked toe up or top down using whatever needle configuration you prefer. Either way you can make a custom fit sock, but toe up makes it a lot easier to fit your foot (without swatching!).

Add a little more color while maintaining allover stripes with the Hunky Guy sock from Long Beach Designs, which adds a contrasting color for the cuff, heel and toe. These are worked in worsted weight yarn for great hiking socks, and despite the name the pattern says it’s sized for adults and teens.

Summer Lee’s sock patterns are synonymous with happy to me, and her Classic Ribbed Socks are a great example of that. They use three colors and I love the bold red and white, which makes them look perfect for spring. And they come in five sizes.

If you want to add even more colors to your socks (or use a colorful self-striping yarn) try the Collection of Columns socks from Nancy Wheeler (on Ravelry). This one is a pretty standard sock with six different charts for “columns” of stitch patterns you can add to make the knitting a bit more fun. There are mock cables, textured stitches and eyelet options, and the sock pattern comes in three sizes.

And we can’t talk about stripes without adding some rainbow stripes, so be sure to check out the Happy Friends Socks, a free pattern on Ravelry from Monika Soltysik. These fun socks use crocodile stitch worked flat for the cuff, which is then joined in the round to knit the body of the sock with two-round stripes. Use any leftover yarns if you don’t have rainbow colors handy.

The Perfect Socks to Knit for Fall

Knit Socks on a Circular Knitting Machine

Learn to Knit Socks with this Easy Ribbed Sock Pattern

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