Classic Elite Yarns Viewpoints From Folly Cove - Iarrobino Butterfly Vest

Iarrobino Butterfly Vest by Julia Farwell-Clay

What Is Being Made

The Iarrobino Butterfly Vest is a knitted sleeveless garment inspired by a butterfly tessellation design by Elizabeth Iarrobino, a Folly Cove designer. The vest features a sophisticated colorwork pattern derived from the block printing motifs of the Folly Cove Designers and Illustrators collective. This design celebrates Iarrobino's artistic legacy, referencing her contributions to the group before she went on to earn a degree in education from Massachusetts College of Art in 1961 and teach as an associate professor of art at Lasell College from 1962 to 1983.

Techniques Used

• Bottom-Up Construction: The vest is knitted from the bottom upward, allowing for straightforward shaping and fit adjustments.
• Seamless, Worked in the Round: The garment is constructed seamlessly using circular knitting needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.
• Stranded Colorwork: The design employs stranded knitting technique, also known as Fair Isle, to integrate the tessellated butterfly motif across the vest using multiple yarn colors held simultaneously during knitting.

Stitches Used

The vest is primarily worked in stockinette stitch (St st), which provides a smooth, classic canvas for the charted colorwork pattern. The stranded colorwork sections maintain stockinette stitch structure while introducing color changes to create the butterfly tessellation design.

Materials

Yarn: Fresco by Classic Elite Yarns (60% wool, 30% baby alpaca, 10% angora; 50 g = 164 yards). The pattern requires 4 to 6 hanks of color A (5395 Persian Purple, depending on size), plus 1 hank each of colors B (5329 Icy Teal), C (5307 Garden Green), D (5326 Magenta), and E (5302 Citrine).

Needles and Tools: Circular knitting needles in US sizes 5 and 6 (3.75 and 4.0 mm)—24 inches or longer for the body and 16 inches for ribbing or smaller sections. A spare needle in size US 6 (4 mm) is recommended. Additional notions include stitch markers, stitch holders or waste yarn for managing stitches.

Gauge and Sizing

Gauge is 25 stitches and 34 rounds over 4 inches in stockinette stitch using the larger needles, and 25 stitches and 31½ rounds over 4 inches in charted colorwork using the larger needles. Checking gauge is essential before beginning. The vest is available in five sizes: XS, S, M, L, and XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 31¼ inches (XS) to 49¼ inches (XL) and length from 22½ inches (XS) to 26¼ inches (XL). The pattern is shown in size S.

Skill Level

This is an experienced-level knitting project, suitable for knitters with solid foundational skills and prior experience working with circular needles, stranded colorwork, and seamless construction techniques.