Knotwork Cable Vest

Free Vest Knitting Pattern

You can purchase this vest from my Etsy shop.

This cable vest pattern creates a warm layer using super bulky weight wool yarn. Cable panels run down the front and back of the vest. The design gives an oversized fit that layers easily over other clothes. You knit the body from the bottom up in the round. Then you work the upper section back and forth. Finally you join the shoulders with seams.


Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 36 [40, 44, 48, 52, 56] inches (90 [100, 110, 120, 130, 140] cm)
Length: 25 inches (65 cm)


Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-working cables
-Increasing, decreasing
-Working in the round on circular needles
-Picking up stitches
-3-needle bind off method

Materials: Brown Sheep (affiliate link) Lamb's Pride Bulky, super bulky weight yarn (85% Wool, 15% Mohair) 125 yds/114 m per 4 oz/113 gr skein – 7 (7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10) skeins. Color: Sable.

Needles: circular US #10 (6.0 mm) 24" (60 cm) long and circular 16" long of the same size OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge in stockinette st in the round: 12 sts x 18 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm)

Notions:
- Stitch markers
- 2 pieces 20” long of contrasting color waste yarn to hold stitches
- Yarn needle

Abbreviations:
dpn – double pointed needles
K – knit
P – purl
St – stitch
Sts - stitches
pu&k - pick up and knit
k2tog – knit 2 together, left slant decrease
ssk – slip, slip, knit, right slant decrease
co – cast on
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
as est. – work as established
pm – place marker
sm – slip marker
k5tog : Knit 5 stitches together: slip 3 sts with yarn in back, drop yarn; *pass the 2nd st on right needle over the 1st (center) st; slip the center st back to left-hand needle and pass the 2nd st on left-hand neele over it; * slip st back to the right-hand needle again and repeat from * to * once more. Pick up yarn and purl the center st.
knit into fb : Knit into front and back of same stitch.
LH – left hand
RH – right hand
3/1/3 RPC : Slip next 4 stitches to cable needle and place at back of work, k3, slip left-most stitch from cable needle to LH needle, move cable needle with remaining stitches to front of work, p1 from LH needle, then k3 from cable needle.
3/1 LPC : Slip next 3 stitches to cable needle and place at front of work, p1, then k3 from cable needle.
3/1 RPC : Slip next stitch to cable needle and place at back of work, k3, then p1 from cable needle.
3/2 LPC : Slip next 3 stitches to cable needle and place at front of work, p2, then k3 from cable needle.
3/2 RPC : Slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and place at back of work, k3, then p2 from cable needle.
3/3 LC : Slip next 3 stitches to cable needle and place at front of work, k3, then k3 from cable needle.
3/3 RC : Slip next 3 stitches to cable needle and place at back of work, k3, then k3 from cable needle.
increase 1 to 3 – central double increase: (k1-b, k1) into one st, then insert left-hand needle point behind the horizontal strand between the 2 sts just made and k1 into this strand to make the 3rd st of the group.



Pattern Notes

Cable Panel (45 sts)

Row 1 (WS): K6, p3, k1, p3, k8, p6, k18. (45 sts)
Row 2 (RS): P18, 3/3 RC, p8, 3/1/3 RPC, p6.
Row 3: Repeat row 1.
Row 4: P17, 3/1 RPC, 3/2 LPC, p4, 3/2 RPC, p1, 3/2 LPC, p4.
Row 5: K4, p3, k5, p3, k4, p3, k3, p3, k17.
Row 6: P5, incto3, p10, 3/1 RPC, p3, 3/2 LPC, 3/2 RPC, p5, 3/2 LPC, p2. (47 sts)
Row 7: K2, p3, k9, p6, k6, p3, k10, p3, k5.
Row 8: P5, kfb × 3, p9, 3/1 RPC, p6, 3/3 LC, p9, k3, p2. (50 sts)
Row 9: K2, p3, k9, p6, k7, p3, k9, p6, k5.
Row 10: P3, 3/2 RPC, 3/2 LPC, (p6, 3/1 RPC) × 2, 3/2 LPC, p7, k3, p2.
Row 11: K2, p3, k7, p3, k3, p3, k7, p3, k6, p3, k4, p3, k3.
Row 12: P2, 3/1 RPC, p4, 3/2 LPC, p3, 3/1 RPC, p6, 3/1 RPC, p3, 3/2 LPC, p4, 3/1 RPC, p2.
Row 13: K3, p3, k4, p3, k6, p3, k7, p3, k3, p3, k7, p3, k2.
Row 14: P2, k3, p7, 3/2 LPC, (3/1 RPC, p6) × 2, 3/2 LPC, 3/2 RPC, p3.
Row 15: K5, p2, k2tog, p2, k9, p3, k7, p6, k9, p3, k2. (49 sts)
Row 16: P2, k3, p9, 3/3 LC, p6, 3/1 RPC, p9, k5tog, p5. (45 sts)
Row 17: K16, p3, k6, p6, k9, p3, k2.
Row 18: P2, 3/2 LPC, p5, 3/2 RPC, 3/2 LPC, p3, 3/1 RPC, p16.
Row 19: K17, p3, k3, p3, k4, p3, k5, p3, k4.
Row 20: P4, 3/2 LPC, p1, 3/2 RPC, p4, 3/2 LPC, 3/1 RPC, p17.
Row 21: K18, p6, k8, p3, k1, p3, k6.
Row 22: P6, 3/1/3 RPC, p8, 3/3 RC, p18.
Row 23: Repeat row 21.
Row 24: P4, 3/2 RPC, p1, 3/2 LPC, p4, 3/2 RPC, 3/1 LPC, p17.
Row 25: Repeat row 19.
Row 26: P2, 3/2 RPC, p5, 3/2 LPC, 3/2 RPC, p3, 3/1 LPC, p10, incto3, p5. (47 sts)
Row 27: K5, p3, k10, p3, k6, p6, k9, p3, k2.
Row 28: P2, k3, p9, 3/3 LC, p6, 3/1 LPC, p9, kfb × 3, p5. (50 sts)
Row 29: K5, p6, k9, p3, k7, p6, k9, p3, k2.
Row 30: P2, k3, p7, 3/2 RPC, (3/1 LPC, p6) × 2, 3/2 RPC, 3/2 LPC, p3.
Row 31: Repeat row 13.
Row 32: P2, 3/1 LPC, p4, 3/2 RPC, p3, 3/1 LPC, p6, 3/1 LPC, p3, 3/2 RPC, p4, 3/1 LPC, p2.
Row 33: Repeat row 11.
Row 34: P3, 3/2 LPC, 3/2 RPC, (p6, 3/1 LPC) × 2, 3/2 RPC, p7, k3, p2.
Row 35: K2, p3, k9, p6, k7, p3, k9, p2, k2tog, p2, k5. (49 sts)
Row 36: P5, k5tog, p9, 3/1 LPC, p6, 3/3 LC, p9, k3, p2. (45 sts)
Row 37: K2, p3, k9, p6, k6, p3, k16.
Row 38: P16, 3/1 LPC, p3, 3/2 RPC, 3/2 LPC, p5, 3/2 RPC, p2.
Row 39: Repeat row 5.
Row 40: P17, 3/1 LPC, 3/2 RPC, p4, 3/2 LPC, p1, 3/2 RPC, p4.

Click image to enlarge

Reverse Stockinette Stitch in rows:
Row 1: purl
Row 2: knit
Repeat rows 1-2

Reverse Stockinette Stitch in rounds:
All rounds: purl

1x1 Rib in rounds: multiple of 2
*k1, p1 - repeat from * across the round. Repeat the round.

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: slip the first stitch and purl the last one.


Short Overview of the pattern

The vest is worked bottom-up, in-the-round, up to armholes. Then the back and front stitches are worked separately back and forth. The front and back of the vest features a cable panel. The rest of the vest is worked in the reverse stockinette st. The written instructions and the chart for the panel are in the pattern notes. The vest has an oversized fit. The armholes and the neckline are finished with the 1x1 rib.


Vest

Cast on 96 (104, 112, 120, 128, 136, 144) sts, join to work in the round.

Work 1x1 rib for 10 rounds. The last round work as follows:
*k1, m1, p1* repeat from * across the round. Total sts after the increases 144 (156, 168, 180, 192, 204, 216).

Next round: p14 (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32), pm, cable panel (45 sts) (see pattern notes), pm, p14 (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32), pm, (front), p13 (16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31), pm, cable panel (45 sts), pm, p13 (16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31), pm (end of the round).

Repeat this round, working cable panel (see above for instructions and a chart) until the body of the vest is 16 (16, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17) inches [40 (40, 40, 40, 42, 42) cm]. To make the vest longer or shorter, make changes to the length of the body at this point.

In the last round, starting 5 (5, 5, 5, 6, 6) sts before the end of the round, bind off 11 (11, 11, 11, 13, 13) sts for the left armhole, work as est to 5 (5, 5, 5, 6, 6) sts before the end of the front, bind off 11 (11, 11, 11, 13, 13) sts for the right armhole, work as est to the end of the round.
Front: 62 (68, 74, 80, 84, 90, 96) sts.
Back: 60 (66, 72, 78, 82, 88, 94) sts.

From this point, work front and back separately, back and forth, as est., from 2 balls of yarn.

Back

Work back sts as est for 11 (11, 11, 11, 12, 12) inches [27 (27, 27, 27, 30, 30) cm]. Transfer sts to a piece of waste yarn. Cut yarn.

Front

Work front sts as est for 9 (9, 9, 9, 10, 10) inches [22 (22, 22, 22, 25, 25) cm].

Next row (RS): work 22 (25, 28, 31, 32, 35, 38) sts as est, transfer 18 (18, 18, 18, 20, 20) sts to a piece of waste yarn, work the rest of the sts as est from another ball of yarn.

Work 10 rows, as est. shaping the neckline in the following way: work k2tog at the end of each RS row of the left shoulder. Work k2tog at the beginning of each RS row of the right shoulder. Don’t bind off.

Count how many sts left at each shoulder. Transfer the same amount of sts from the back, for each shoulder. Place front and back shoulders right side to right side and bind off stitches using 3-needle bind off method. Repeat for the other side/shoulder.

Neck Band

With RS facing, starting at the right shoulder seam, transfer the remaining back sts from a piece of yarn, pu&k sts at the sides of the neck, transfer front sts from waste yarn to the needle, pu&k sts along the front and other side of the neckline. Continue to work in the round.

Next round: *k1, p2, repeat to the end of the round.

Next round: *k1, p2tog, repeat to the end of the round.

Work 1x1 rib for five more rounds.

Bind off.


Armhole Bands

With RS facing, pu&k sts around the armholes, starting from the middle of the underarm. Continue to work in the round.

Work 7 rounds of 1x1 rib. Bind off.


Finishing

Weave in all yarn ends. Block.

Have fun!