Classic Elite Yarns Barlow Vest Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Barlow Vest

What Is Being Made

The Barlow is a cardigan vest designed by Susan Mills, originally published in Legend 1708A. This garment is worked seamlessly in one piece from the bottom up, featuring scalloped stripes combined with allover colorwork. The vest is available in six sizes ranging from XS to 2XL, with finished bust measurements from 32¼ inches to 51¼ inches.

Construction Techniques

This vest employs several advanced knitting techniques suited for experienced knitters:

• Bottom-up construction: The entire garment is worked from the cast-on edge upward, allowing for easy customization of length during the knitting process.
• Seamless knitting: The vest is worked in one continuous piece, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Worked flat: Despite being seamless, the piece is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, which is characteristic of many vest patterns.
• Stranded colorwork: The Barlow pattern incorporates multiple colors worked simultaneously using the stranded technique, where unused yarn is carried across the back of the work.
• Lace elements: The Feather and Fan lace pattern creates decorative openwork and contributes to the scalloped edge detail that defines this design.

Stitches Used

The Barlow vest combines several essential stitch techniques:

• Knit and purl stitches: Form the foundation of the colorwork, with knit stitches on the right side and purl stitches on the wrong side in stockinette sections.
• Yarn overs (yo): Create the openwork characteristic of the Feather and Fan lace pattern, which repeats over a multiple of 17 stitches plus 2.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used throughout both the Feather and Fan pattern and the Barlow colorwork pattern to shape the lace and create stitch definition.
• Barlow pattern: A 14-row repeat worked over a multiple of 12 stitches plus 1, featuring the stranded colorwork that gives the vest its distinctive appearance.
• Increases (inc): Used strategically during construction to adjust stitch counts and shape the garment at key points.

Pattern Structure and Details

The lower body begins with a cast-on of 172 to 291 stitches depending on size. The Feather and Fan lace pattern is worked in stripes for 30 rows using five different yarn colors in a specific sequence: 4 rows, 4 rows, 4 rows, 2 rows, 2 rows, 2 rows, 4 rows, 4 rows, 2 rows, and 2 rows. This creates the scalloped stripe effect that characterizes the design. After the lace section, stitches are decreased and then adjusted evenly to prepare for the main colorwork section. The Barlow chart pattern is then worked until the piece measures between 13 and 15½ inches from the cast-on edge at the deepest point of the scalloped edge. The garment is then divided for the front and back sections, with stitches bound off for the armholes and remaining stitches placed on holders.

Materials and Tools

This project requires yarn in multiple colors to execute the stranded colorwork and stripe sequences. Circular needles in two sizes are used—larger needles for the main body and presumably smaller needles for ribbing or finishing details. The pattern is designed for experienced knitters who are comfortable working with colorwork charts, managing multiple yarn colors simultaneously, and executing lace decreases with precision.