A simple cardigan vest pattern in brioche rib, with square-set armholes and a square neckline. The shoulders are joined with a 3-needle bind-off. The armholes, neckband, and button bands are picked up afterwards and knit in garter stitch.

Gauge is about 4 stitches per inch in garter stitch and about 3-4 stitches and 10 rows per inch in brioche rib. A totally accurate gauge probably is not necessary since brioche rib is stretchy.

I made the vest with about a 40-45” circumference so it would fit comfortably over other clothes. The armholes are similarly wide, so it will be comfortable over clothing. I didn’t actually know what my mother’s measurements were. I took a wild guess, trying to err on the generous side. It fit, so apparently it was a good enough estimate.

It is made in one piece, all flat knitting (back and forth) except for the armholes. It is a cardigan-vest that buttons up the front. I made it very simple so I didn’t have to deal with any shaping in the brioche rib. Therefore, it has square-set sleeves and a simple square for raising the back of the neck vs the front. All of the edges and corners are softened into curves by the garter stitch edgings.

The pattern is rather modular, so can be customized to make a longer or shorter vest, wider or narrower body, deeper or shallower armholes, and so on. There is a schematic that can be adapted to any yarn, gauge, or stitch pattern.

I was probably influenced by Elizabeth Zimmermann’s percentage system when I made this vest. I had recently completed a bog jacket, so chances are that the modular properties and simplicity of that design influenced how I approached the design of this vest.

Yarn amounts are approximate. The original vest used all of one 5-7 ounce wheel of Fingerlakes Un-Spun and a little bit of a second wheel. I knit with one strand of the Un-Spun at a fairly loose gauge for this pencil roving. The knitted fabric is not very tight.