Knitting for Olive – Olive's Vest – Knitting Kit
Designed by Pernille Larsen – Knitting for Olive
Olive's Vest is a plain, sleeveless slipover worked from the top down in stocking stitch, and it is the sort of layering piece that ends up in constant use. Over a shirt in spring, over a long-sleeved tee in autumn, on its own when the weather allows.
The construction is straightforward. You begin with the folded ribbed neckband, then shape the neckline using German short rows before working the front and back separately down to the underarms. From there the body joins in the round and finishes with a ribbed hem. Last of all you pick up stitches around each armhole and finish with a folded ribbed edge that mirrors the neckband.
It is knitted with one strand of Knitting for Olive Merino held together with one strand of Soft Silk Mohair throughout. The merino gives the fabric its structure and stitch definition; the mohair adds a soft halo and real depth of colour. Held together they knit at 20 stitches to 10 cm on 4.5 mm needles, so a whole vest moves along faster than you would expect.
Skill Level: Intermediate ★★★
There is no chart and no colourwork, and the body is plain stocking stitch throughout, so the knitting itself is calm. The demand is in the shaping and the finishing. German short rows shape the neckline, and the three folded ribbed edges at neck and armholes each have to be picked up evenly and closed neatly, which is where a vest either looks finished or looks homemade. The fit is forgiving, so gauge is not critical, but if you have never picked up stitches around an armhole before, this is a step up from a first scarf or hat.
Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL). Designed with positive ease; please read Choosing your size below before you pick.
Gauge: 20 stitches and 29 rows = 10 cm (4") in stocking stitch on 4.5 mm / US7 needles, with one strand of Merino and one strand of Soft Silk Mohair held together.
The Kit Includes
- Knitting for Olive Merino in your chosen colourway, in the quantity for your size
- Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair in the matching colourway, in the quantity for your size
- Printed pattern in English
You'll Also Need
- 3.5 mm / US4 circular needle, 40 cm and 80 cm
- 4.5 mm / US7 circular needle, 40 cm and 80 cm
- Stitch markers
- Waste yarn or stitch holders
- Wool needle
A note on the needles
You need both needle sizes in two lengths, because the vest is worked at two very different circumferences. The body goes round on the longer needle, where 80 cm suits most sizes and 60 cm is more comfortable for XS and S. The neckband and the two armhole edges are far smaller, so you want a 40 cm needle or the magic loop method for those. The pattern uses circular needles throughout; there is no point in the vest where double-pointed needles are needed.
Choosing your size
Olive's Vest is designed with positive ease, which means the finished chest measurement is deliberately larger than your own. Choose your size from the to fit chest circumference column in the size table, not from the finished measurement. As an example, if your chest measures 98 cm (38½"), size M is the one to knit. Picking by finished measurement instead will give you a vest several sizes too big.
Techniques used
- Knitting and purling, flat and in the round
- German short rows
- Folded ribbed edges at neck and armholes
- Picking up stitches around an armhole
- Working a small circumference in the round
- Holding two yarns together
Why You'll Love It
- A slipover is the shortest route to a finished hand-knitted garment. No sleeves, no set-in shaping, and you could be wearing it inside a fortnight.
- The merino and mohair pairing gives a fabric light enough to layer under a coat but warm enough to stand in for a jumper indoors.
- Positive ease makes the fit forgiving, which makes this a much kinder first garment than anything close-fitting.
- Two yarns in two different quantities is exactly the sort of sum that puts people off a pattern. We have done it for you.
- Nine sizes from XS to 5XL, so it works whoever you are knitting for.