Cable Tie Vest Waistcoat Knitting Pattern

Cable Tie Vest in Noro Geshi

What is Being Made

The Cable Tie Vest is a knitted waistcoat designed for everyday wear. This garment is sized to fit Small through XXX-Large, with finished bust measurements ranging from 39 inches (99 cm) to 53 inches (134.5 cm) and lengths between 23½ and 25 inches (59.5 to 63.5 cm). The vest is constructed as a closed garment, meaning it fastens completely across the front, making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various occasions and seasons.

Craft and Techniques

This project is executed entirely through knitting, making it an accessible choice for beginners despite the structured nature of a fitted waistcoat. The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques that build foundational skills while creating a polished finished garment. The construction utilizes several standard increases and decreases to shape the vest properly.

Key shaping techniques include make one increases, which are worked by lifting the strand between stitches and knitting or purling into the back loop to add stitches without creating visible holes. The pattern also incorporates slip, slip, knit and slip, slip, purl decreases, which involve slipping two stitches individually and then working them together to reduce stitch count smoothly. These decreases are essential for creating the tapered shaping typical of fitted vests.

The pattern includes selvage stitches along edges, which are edge stitches that facilitate easier seaming when joining pieces together. Stitch markers are used throughout to help track pattern repeats and shaping points. The instructions reference chart-based sections where no stitch spaces indicate areas where stitches have been decreased or not yet created, requiring the knitter to skip over these shaded spaces and work only the active stitches.

Stitches Used

The Cable Tie Vest employs basic knitting stitches fundamental to the craft:

• Knit stitch – the primary stitch used throughout the garment
• Purl stitch – used for texture variation and pattern definition
• Make one knitwise and purlwise – increases that add stitches by lifting the strand between stitches
• Slip, slip, knit and slip, slip, purl – decreases that reduce stitches while maintaining a neat appearance
• Slip stitch – used to pass stitches from one needle to another without working them, essential for decreasing techniques

Materials and Tools

The Cable Tie Vest is knitted using Noro Geshi yarn in colorway #3. The yardage required varies by size: Small, Medium, Large, and Medium require 2 balls of 200g each, while Large, X-Large, and XXX-Large require 3 balls of 200g each. This yarn choice provides beautiful color variation characteristic of Noro's hand-dyed fibers.

The project requires two pairs of needles in different sizes to create proper gauge and fabric structure. US size 6 (4mm) needles are used for ribbed sections or initial cast-on work, while US size 7 (4.5mm) needles are used for the main body of the vest. A cable needle is included in the materials list, suggesting cable stitch details may be incorporated into the design. Additional essential tools include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping, and stitch holders for temporarily securing stitches during construction.