Noro Reversible Cable Neck Vest Knitting Pattern

Noro Reversible Cable Neck Vest

What Is Being Made

The Noro Reversible Cable Neck Vest is a seamless knitted vest designed with a reversible construction, allowing the garment to be worn on either side. This easy-level project features a sophisticated cable pattern throughout and is worked flat using circular needles. The finished measurements span widths of 15½ inches (39.5 cm) to 19 inches (48 cm) across the back shoulders, with a total length of 34½ inches (87.5 cm), making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various body sizes.

Techniques Used

This vest employs several advanced knitting techniques to achieve its reversible, professional appearance. The primary construction method is seamless knitting worked flat, which eliminates the need for seaming while maintaining clean, finished edges. The garment features prominent cable work as its signature design element, with cables running throughout the body of the vest. An additional specialty technique used is Double Knit I-cord (DK1C), which is worked over 5 edge stitches at the beginning and end of every row to create a refined, reversible edge finish. The pattern also incorporates short-row shaping for the right armhole opening, allowing for custom fit adjustments. The reversible nature of the design means that knitters must pay careful attention to stitch orientation, as stitches are worked differently on the right side versus the wrong side to maintain the reversible quality.

Stitches Used

The Noro Reversible Cable Neck Vest utilizes a focused set of essential stitches to create its distinctive reversible cable pattern. The primary cable stitches are:

• 4-st RPC (Right Purl Cross): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold to back, knit 3 stitches, then purl 1 stitch from cable needle. This creates a right-leaning cable cross with a purl accent.
• 4-st LPC (Left Purl Cross): Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold to front, purl 1 stitch, then knit 3 stitches from cable needle. This creates a left-leaning cable cross with a purl accent.
• Double Knit I-cord (DK1C): A reversible edge treatment worked over 5 stitches, alternating knit and slip stitches on the right side (with yarn in front slipping), and the reverse on the wrong side, creating a neat, finished edge that looks identical on both sides.
• Ribbing: The vest incorporates knit and purl ribbing in various configurations, including [k1, p1] repeats and combinations with the cable stitches, providing structure and elasticity.

The cable chart pattern features an 18-stitch repeat, allowing for consistent patterning across the width of the vest. Stitch markers are essential tools for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points throughout construction.

Materials

The Noro Reversible Cable Neck Vest is crafted using Noro Silk Garden yarn in colorway #8, with yardage requirements of 12 skeins for the smaller size and 14 skeins for the larger size. This yarn choice provides beautiful color variation and a luxurious fiber blend suitable for a reversible garment.

The pattern requires two circular needles in sizes 7 and 5 mm (US sizes 7 and 8), each measuring 32 inches (80 cm) in length. The smaller needles are used for ribbed sections and edge work, while the larger needles are used for the main cable pattern. Additional notions include cable needles for executing the cable crosses and stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points. The recommended gauge is 22 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) when measured over the cable chart pattern using the larger needles.