I had a stressful Christmas holiday this winter, overwhelmed by many events. Because of these events, I didn’t and couldn’t knit after I cast off the last minutes present on Christmas Day. Then on 2nd January, it seemed I could at least sit back and relax for some moments, so I decided to cast on for a new project for the new year!
Here’s the result: Heartening.
I hope some of you will like this bold yet not too overwhelming vest. Anyway, it’s a quick project, and cost me 3 balls of Soft Tweed only. The knitting was done on 4th Jan, then I lightly blocked it, and took photos on 5th Jan, and wrote up the pattern!
I’ve been wanting to use this heart-shaped stitch pattern since I saw it on Vogue: Dictionary of Knitting Stitiches by Anne Matthews. The cable panel looks complicated but they are combinations of small cables. These easy cables make the vest the perfect project for a first-time cable knitter, or someone who’d like to learn cabling without a cable needle! The vest is knitted in round from waist up to armhole, then knitted in flat for upper front and back. The cable panel is placed immediately above the “waistline”, an eyelet row where you can add an optional ribbon. After shaping necks, use three-needle bind off for shoulders, then pick up stitches around neckline (including those on hold), and knit the collar. No seaming is required! You can adjust this pattern very easily to fit your own curve. And you can choose between two different heart shapes by knitting either Row 18 or Row 18* of the central panel.
However, this is the first time I am writing patterns for sizes other than XS, and my experiences wih larger sizes are very limited, so do forgive me that I couldn’t pretend to speak for other sizes. I planned to extend the pattern for bigger sizes by swatching, but, but, it is not possible for me to do so just now. Your feedbacks are most welcomed!
**Please do let me know if you’d like to reproduce/republish this pattern in any form or you are inspired by it.**
Heartening
(click to take you to Ravelry pattern page)
SIZE
XS/S [M, L, XL] (shown in size XS/S)
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 33[35.4, 39.4, 43.25] inches
Length: 20.5 [21.25, 22, 22.8] inches
MATERIALS
[MC] Rowan Classic Yarn Soft Tweed [56% Wool, 20% Viscose, 14% polyamide, 10% silk; 87 yd/ 80 m per 50g skein]; color: Bramble (shade 004); 3[4, 4, 5] skeins
[CC] Louisa Harding Kashmir DK [10% Cashmere, 55% Merino Wool, 35% Microfibre; 130 yd/ 119 m per 50g skein]; color: 01; about 2m
1 pair of 40-inch (or longer, I use a 60-inch pair) US #8-11/5mm-8mm circular needle (size to obtain gauge)
1 pair of 16-inch (or longer) circular needles in smaller size
1 pair of 16-inch (or longer) circular needles in still smaller size (optional)
Suitable length of ribbon or ribbon yarn. (optional)
GAUGE
12 sts/ 16 rows = 4″ in stockinette stitch
PATTERN NOTES
Rib pattern 1 (waist): K3, p2
Rib pattern 2 (collar): K1, p1
Decrease:
SSk after the marker and K2tog before it.
Increase:
Knit one stitch each from the stitch immediately after and before the marker by inserting needle into the right/left part of the stitch in the previous row.
Central panel:
Working over 20 sts. Cable panel are working on the central 16st between eyelet sections (2 sts each on both side of the cable). Please follow either the chart or the written instruction. Both the chart and the written instruction are for circular knitting and read from the right side. Work eyelet rows in symmetry (ie. either begin with: Yo, SSK, Cable, k2tog, yo, or K2tog, yo, cable, yo, SSK, and do the other the next odd row). Don’t worry if you started these vertical eyelets different than given chart/instruction, you will see how to achieve the symmetry when you go easily.
Written instruction for the chart:
Preparation rows:
1 K2tog, yo, p6, k4, p6, yo, ssk
2 k2, p6, k4, p6, k2
1 Yo, ssk, p6, c4f, p6, k2tog, yo
2 K2, p6, k4, p6, k2
3 K2tog, yo, p5, c3b, c3f, p5, yo, ssk
4 K2, p5, k2, p2, k2, p5, k2
5 Yo, ssk, p4, c3b, p2, c3f, p4, k2tog, yo
6 K2, p4, k2, p4, k2, p4, k2
7 K2tog, yo, p3, c3b, p4, c3f, p3, yo, ssk
8 K2, p3, k2, p6, k2, p3, k2
9 Yo, ssk, p2, c3b, c3b, c3f, c3f, p2, k2tog, yo
10 K2, p2, k2, p1, k2, p2, k2, p1, k2, p2, k2
11 K2tog, yo, p1, c3b, c3b, p2, c3f, c3f, p1, yo, ssk
12 K2, p1, k2, p1, k2, p4, k2, p1, k2, p1, k2
13 Yo, ssk, p1, k1, c2f, c3f, p2, c3b, c2b, k1, p1, k2tog, yo
14 K2, p1, (k1, p1) twice, k2, p2, k2, (p1, k1) twice, p1, k2
15 K2tog, yo, p1, k1, p1, c2f, c3f, c3b, c2b, p1, k1, p1, yo, ssk
16 K2, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, k4, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, k2
17 Yo, ssk, p1, c2f, c2b, p1, c4f, p1, c2f, c2b, p1, k2tog, yo
18 K2, p2, k2, p2, k4, p2, K2, p2, k2
(18*optional way for Row 18: K2, p2, c2f, p2, K4, p2, c2b, p2, k2. You will join the two lines framing the hart this way. This is not shown in pictures.)
Repeat rows 3-18 or 3-18* once.
Armhole decrease:
Work the 4 edge sts as garter st. Do the decrease from right side. After 4 edge sts, SSK.
Before 4 edge sts: k2tog.
PATTERN
Rib edge:
Cast on 95[105, 115, 125] st, join to begin working in rounds. K1, p2, then begins Rib pattern 1, continue to the end of the row. Place one marker on the first stitch of the row, and the 50th[56th, 60th, 66th] of the row, so you will have 48[54, 58, 64] sts for the front (between the two markers), and 45[51, 55, 59] for the back. You will do decrease, and later increase, before and after the two stitches. Continue in ribs for 9 other rows or until desired length.
St st waist shaping
Next row: Start St st, at the same time, decrease 4 sts in this row before and after the marker (marker, SSK, st sts, K2tog, marker, SSK, st sts, K2 tog). Work St st before the eyelet row in every 4th row for 3[3, 4, 4] more times, or until desired width. Work until the piece reach the position where you want to place the eyelet row.
Eyelet row (Waistline):
Yo, k2 tog throughout. Do the last 2 sts as yo, k, so the back will be even-numbered now. Knit 1 row. Move stitch markers onto this row if needed.
Begin the cable panel:
following either written instructions or the chart:
Knit 11[12, 15, 18] sts, Cable panel, knit to the end of the row. AT THE SAME TIME, increase for bust on row 3 of the pattern, following the increase note as in the pattern notes. Increase on every 4[4, 3, 2]row for 3[3, 4, 5]more times, or until desired width. Continue st st for the back.
When piece measures 31[31, 32, 33] cm, begin armhole shaping and start to work back and forth.
Front:
Bind off 2[2, 3, 3] sts at a time, work in pattern until the second stitch marker. Knit this stitch. Turn. Next row: Bind off 2[2, 3, 3] sts at a time. Knit the K st and purl the P st. Then do the armhole decrease as in the pattern note. 1 st at each end on every row 2[2, 3, 3] times, then on every other row 3[3, 4, 4] times. Work until the end of Cable panel. Continue to work armhole and lace lines as before, and first work those 16 sts between lace lines as purl st for 4[4, 6, 6] rows, then knit across for 4[4, 6, 6] rows. Start Neckline: Hold center 10[10. 12. 12] st on a holder or a length or wast yarn. Left front (RS): continue in pattern and k2tog on the last two sts for neckline. Decrease on RS until there are 10[10, 12, 12] sts remains. Shape the right front in reverse.
Back:
Bind off in the same fashion as the front. Decrease until 38[] sts on the needles. Work the armhole shaping and St st in between until 2 rows more than front before shaking the neckline. Shape the neckline as the front.
FINISHING
Using 3 needle bind-off to join shoulders and bind off. Using a pair of smaller needles, pick up 24 [26, 28, 30]st on each side, between those on hold. Join and work Rib pattern 2, using this pair of needles. After 4cm in ribs, change to smaller needles if you’d like to have a snug-fit collars, as shown in pictures. After the collar reaches the desired length, break yarn. Join CC, holding two strings together, and bind off loosely with them.
Block lightly.
I absolutely LOVE this vest. What a beautiful pattern! I’ve been looking for a vest that wasn’t too…vesty, for lack of a better word. This is romantic but still funky. Gorgeous!
thank you! 🙂 I need a vest to cheer me up and it does a great job! ^_^
This is a lovely pattern 🙂
thank you! I hope there won’t be too many errata…
This is gorgeous!!
I am also knitting a sort of pink sleeveless cabled vest (it’s the petersburg from Rowan), so to see yours is a great inspiration!
it’s funny because i saw on ravelry that you knitted the highland stockings, and i am also – trying – to knit them at the moment. it’s a very very slow process with me…. yours lok great!
congratulations on your really nice knitting!
em
[…] Heartening is a cute sweater. […]
It’s adorable! Love that you can wear it with a ribbon, and still don’t have to, since the ribbon holes match the vertical holes.
Good work!
Tora 🙂
em,
I have no idea why I didn’t see your lovely comment earlier, and I linked to check your highland stockings immediately! how gorgeous the purple is!
Tora,
Thank you! I think I am not a ribble type but I love eyelet holes. 😀
What a beautiful vest! It looks very pretty on you! Thank you so much for sharing your pattern. I think I’ll be giving it a try 🙂
[…] than 500 yards of a super bulky yarn and a great charted heart motif make Heartening by amblinglia a welcome extra layer of warmth. The pattern calls for RYC Soft Tweed, but any other […]
this vest looks lovely and i have the yarn.
one question…..did it stretch at all with wear?
[…] PATTERN HERE […]