This vest is very simple and straight forward, it’s like a big rectangle blanket knitted bottom-up in seed stitch, which you wrap around you with two top-down knitted sleeves inserted. Around the sleeves and shoulder it’s fully fashioned into shape which makes the vest fit in a slick way. The vest as it were hangs on the shoulders and sleeves.
It’s worked in a double thread of Drops Alpacca and the gradient stripes of the body (blanket) are created by using up 2 threads of Drops Alpacca. You will need 18 skeins of Drops Alpacca and a size 5mm (round) needle.

In June 2015 I added the pattern in Lana Grossa Ragazza Lei, which makes an even chunkier and warmer vest. It also makes the seed stitch stand out really nice. You will need 21 skeins of Lana Grossa Ragazza Lei and a size 10mm needle (if you knit on 12mm it makes the structure too loose in my opinion

In project pictures you can see different color ways I have created, that can inspire you to create your color way.

Difficulty level: The body blanket is super-easy and straightforward square with only armhole shaping, so should be easy and straight forward. The sleeves are a little more difficult, I think you need to be quite an experienced knitter to make the top-down seamless fully-fashioned knit-in sleeve.
In the way I’m describing the pattern I do assume that you know the basic knitting techniques such as casting-on, increasing, decreasing, as well as understanding how to work knit/purl variations to create seed stitch and rib. How to pick-up stitches along an edge and how to yarn under and slip a stitch etc.