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#cottagesweatervest

Pattern Description and Sizing
The Cottage Sweater Vest is a size and gender inclusive made to measure pattern. Because it is made to measure, the sweater vest will be made to fit the specific knitters body. This is achieved through a unique gauge swatch and a series of simple calculations, all outlined and exemplified in the pattern.

The sweater is worked in two pieces, with stranded colorwork on the front panel, although this can be done through duplicate stitch if preferred. The color work on the front panel is customizable as the pattern provides multiple charts that can all be seamlessly fit together for a longer scene. Additionally, the pattern also includes a longer and wider panel option for plus size knitters.

The color work is fairly complex, but if you choose to do duplicate stitch for all the smaller details, the pattern should be suitable for any intermediate knitter who has done color work in the past.

Skills needed
Knit stitch
Purl stitch
Increases and decreases
Stranded colorwork experience recommended
 
Materials
Circular knitting needles: 3 mm and 3.5 mm (optional)
Tapestry needle
Measuring tape
Yarn (see below)
Yarn bobbins (strongly recommended)
3 mm double pointed needles (optional)

Yarn
To knit the sweater you will need sport weight yarn (5 ply), I recommend using 100% baby merino wool, for example Infinity Hearts Baby Merino. The vest can also be knit in a cotton or an alpaca wool, just remember that these fibres may stretch more without bouncing back, so I would block any swatches you make before doing the calculations.

To get an estimate of how much yarn you will need for this project, please follow the steps below:

These calculations are based on a sport weight (5 ply) baby merino yarn of 50 g a skein. If you plan on using a different type of yarn, don’t worry, there will be a conversion explanation after the calculations have been completed.


To get an estimate of how much yarn to buy for this project, please follow the steps below:
 
The Main Colors
Make one measurement around the point on your torso with the greatest circumference. Make sure you use centimeters and wear whatever you might wear under this top once it is finished to ensure an accurate fit. I recommend standing up while doing this, and double checking your measurement to ensure you got the right number.

1. Divide this number by 26. For example, 90 cm / 26 = 3.5 
                        

2. Round this number to the nearest even number: 90/26 = 3.5 = 4 If the number you got is already even, and has a decimal below 0.5, do nothing. If it has a decimal above 0.5, round to the nearest even number. 


3. If you have a longer torso, or you usually find you need extra yarn for a project, round to the nearest whole number. I also recommend rounding to the nearest whole number if your measurement is greater than 96 cm.

This number is the number of main color skeins you will need to complete the project.

For example, since the calculation above equaled 4, and assuming they did not have a longer torso, a person with a measurement of 90 cm would need a total of 4 skeins of main color yarn: that is 2 skeins for the grass color and 2 skeins for the sky color.
 
The Other colors
Aside from the two main colors, this pattern calls for 5 additional colors. Since these are used so sparingly, I have separated them into two groups, according to how much they are used:



Group One – used sparingly:

• C1: The sea, the river
• C2: Trees, outlines



For group one, I recommend buying 1 skein of each if your measurement is below 120 cm and 2 of each if your measurement is above 120 cm.
 
Group Two – used very sparingly:

• C3: Clouds, sheep, house, windmill
• C4: flowers, door
• C5: Tree trunks, roof



For group two, I recommend buying 1 skein of each color regardless of your measurement.

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