Juniper Moon Farm Flower-Front Vest Knitting Pattern

Stargazer Flower-Front Vest by Pamela Wynne

What is Being Made

The Stargazer Flower-Front vest is a cropped or regular-length sleeveless garment designed to be worked flat from the bottom up. This knitted vest features decorative cable and flower-front detailing, offering versatility with two length options: a cropped version measuring 17¾ to 19¾ inches in length, or a regular version ranging from 22½ to 24½ inches in length. The vest is available in seven sizes from XS to 2X, with finished bust measurements ranging from 32¾ inches to 56¾ inches, making it suitable for a wide range of body types.

Techniques Used

This vest is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create both structure and visual interest:

• Bottom-up construction: The vest is knitted from the cast-on edge at the bottom upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment and adjust length as needed.
• Worked flat: Rather than working in the round, this pattern is worked flat on straight needles, requiring seaming to join pieces together at the end.
• Seamed construction: Pieces are sewn together using a tapestry needle, creating finished seams that join the front and back panels.
• Cable techniques: Decorative cable stitches are incorporated throughout the design, particularly in the flower-front detailing that gives this vest its distinctive character.
• Reverse stockinette stitch: The pattern employs reverse stockinette stitch as a base fabric, which creates a textured, bumpy surface that contrasts beautifully with cable elements.

Stitches Used

The Stargazer vest incorporates a variety of essential knitting stitches to create its finished fabric and decorative elements:

• Stockinette stitch: The primary fabric stitch, worked as knit stitches on right-side rows and purl stitches on wrong-side rows, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric.
• Reverse stockinette stitch: Used as the main stitch pattern for the body, creating a textured appearance by reversing the typical stockinette orientation.
• Ribbing: A knit-one, purl-one (k1, p1) rib pattern is worked for the cast-on band, creating an elastic edge that measures approximately 2½ inches.
• Cable stitches: Specialized stitches that twist and cross over one another to create the decorative flower-front detail.
• Decreases: The pattern includes sk2po (slip 2, knit, pass slipped stitches over), k2tog (knit two together), and ssk (slip, slip, knit) decreases for shaping.
• P2tog tbl (purl two together through back loop): A specialized decrease worked through the back loop for specific shaping areas.

Materials

The Stargazer Flower-Front vest is designed to be knitted with specific yarn and needle requirements:

• Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Stargazer in color #01 Nebula. For the cropped length, knitters will need 3 to 5 skeins of 100g each, depending on size. For the regular length, 3 to 6 skeins of 100g each are required.
• Needles: US size 4 (3.5mm) straight needles for the main fabric, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge. US size 2 (2.75mm) needles and a 16-inch circular needle are used for the ribbed cast-on band and other edgings.
• Notions: Stitch markers to track pattern repeats, waste yarn for holding stitches, and a tapestry needle for seaming pieces together.
• Gauge: The pattern is designed to be worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 30 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements.

Pattern Overview

The back panel begins with a flexible cast-on using smaller needles, creating 98 to 170 stitches depending on size. A knit-one, purl-one ribbed band is worked for approximately 2½ inches to create a stable, elastic edge. The knitter then switches to larger needles and