Twist Your Stitches for a Fun Vest Knitting Pattern

In the past few years I’ve developed an appreciation for vests that I never had before. I had knit a few, and I liked them OK, but I guess I just didn’t fully embrace the layering possibilities that they can provide.

You can wear a vest over a long sleeved or short sleeved shirt, over a dress, even on top of a shirt but under a sweater (or over a lighter weight sweater).

Some vest can even double as tops on their own, like the Traveling Vines Vest from Amy Gunderson.

This twisty project is worked in a DK weight yarn and is available in five sizes. The chest measurement ranges from 34 to 70.5 inches, or 85 to 176 cm. It’s worked flat in pieces and, because of the somewhat high scoop neck and arm holes, it’s totally fine to wear by itself or as a vest.

The fun part of this pattern is all the little twisted stitches and cables, which make a very interesting texture that’s fun to knit and to wear. The pattern includes a chart and a written pattern. They look like pretty small cables, but there are a lot of them, so it might help to have a cable project or two under your belt before trying this one.

You can grab the free pattern when you create an account at Yarnalia.

If you want to boost your cable knitting skills, check out my collection of fun cable knitting patterns. And since a lot of these twists are small, you could also use this project as an opportunity to learn how to make cables without using a cable needle. And you can find more easy vest knitting patterns here, and get a little more of the story about how I learned to love vests here. Mostly it has to do with not wanting to knit sleeves, which I relate to a lot right now as I wonder if I could pull off a one-sleeved cardigan.

[Photo: Amy Gunderson]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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