Cashmere Vest
Easy
MATERIALS (for size 42):
First yarn: 125 gr. of pink yarn 613 (or other color of choice);
Second yarn: 150 gr. of pink yarn 30 (or other color of choice) – of which 130 gr. for the tank top and 20 gr. for the clutch;
Needles n. 5;
Wool needle with a rounded tip;
A handful of small pearls;
A zipper 16 cm long;
A decorative metallic butterfly;
A small piece of matching lining fabric.
STITCHES USED
With needles:
Garter stitch.
Stockinette stitch.
With needle:
Stem stitch.
Lazy daisy stitch.
Satin stitch.
GAUGE
10×10 cm worked with size 5 needles and with the two yarns used together in stockinette stitch equals 16 sts and 19 rows.
INSTRUCTIONS
Tank top – back: cast on 70 sts with size 5 needles and the yarns used. Work 4 rows in garter stitch, equaling 1.5 cm in height. Continue in stockinette stitch. At 37 cm total height, for the armholes, bind off 4 sts at the sides, then, within the 2 edge sts worked in garter stitch, decrease 1 st every 2 rows 6 times (=50 sts). To decrease 1 st at the beginning of the row, work 1 simple decrease (slip 1 st knitwise, at the end of the row work 1 simple decrease (slip 1 st knitwise without working it, 1 knit st, pass the slipped st over the worked knit st)). At 56 cm total height, work the first and last 11 sts in stockinette stitch, the central 28 sts in garter stitch for 4 rows. At 58 cm total height, bind off all sts.
Tank top – front: work as the back. At 40 cm total height, for the neckline, divide the work and continue the two parts separately. Within the 2 edge sts of the neckline, which are worked in garter stitch, decrease 1 st every 2 rows 12 times, 1 st every 4 rows 2 times. At 58 cm total height, bind off the remaining 11 sts for each shoulder.
Clutch: cast on 24 sts with size 5 needles and the first yarn, doubled. Work 4 rows in garter stitch. Continue in stockinette stitch. At 26 cm total height, work 4 rows in garter stitch and bind off the sts.
FINISHING
Tank top: sew the shoulders and sides. With the crochet hook and the first yarn, finish the neckline and armholes with a reverse single crochet round. With the needle and the first yarn, doubled, embroider as shown in design 1, working the stems in stem stitch, the leaves and petals in lazy daisy stitch, the pistil in satin stitch but with the second yarn. Decorate the pistil, the tip of each leaf, and the stems with beads.
Clutch: fold the rectangle in half and, on one of the sides (the front of the clutch) embroider the stem as shown in design 2, with the second yarn doubled. Decorate the stem and the tips of each leaf with beads. Sew the side parts of the doubled rectangle and insert the zipper along the opening. With the lining, make a small pouch, securing it inside the clutch with a slip stitch. Attach the butterfly to one corner.
NOTES:
COLOR CHANGE:
When changing color in a ribbed work, work the first row with the new color entirely in knit stitch on the right side of the work, to prevent contrasting color knots from showing.
COLOR BLOCK KNITTING:
If some colored stripes are made up of an odd number of rows, use double-pointed needles to avoid having to cut the yarn at each color change. To make the stitch more even, before ironing the garment, wrap it in a damp cloth and leave it for a few hours (or overnight).
