Paintbox Yarns Living Your Best Vest Knitting Pattern

Paintbox Yarns Living Your Best Vest

What is Being Made

The Living Your Best Vest is a colorful slipover vest designed for intermediate knitters. This garment is worked in a striking two-color colorwork pattern using Paintbox Yarns Wool Blend Super Chunky yarn in Crimson Red and Magenta Pink. The vest is available in seven sizes ranging from 32-34 inches to 56-58 inches chest measurement, with finished chest measurements from 38¾ inches to 63 inches and lengths between 19¾ inches and 22½ inches. This makes it a versatile project suitable for various body types and can be customized to fit different sizing needs.

Techniques Used

This vest is constructed using seamed construction and worked flat on straight needles, making it an accessible project for knitters who prefer not to work in the round. The pattern employs colorwork techniques that require managing multiple yarn colors throughout the knitting process. The seamed approach means pieces are knitted separately and then joined together, which is a traditional method that provides structure and stability to the finished garment. When working with super chunky yarn, one stitch is added to each piece for making up, ensuring proper seam allowances.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches and decreasing techniques appropriate for colorwork. Key stitches and abbreviations used include:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches as the foundation of the fabric
• Purl two stitches together (p2tog) for decreasing
• Pattern two stitches together (patt2tog) for decreasing within the colorwork pattern
• Slip, slip, knit (s2kpo) – slip next 2 stitches onto the right-hand needle as if to knit them together, knit 1, then pass the 2 slipped stitches over the stitch and off the needle – for a centered decrease

The pattern is worked in a repeating stitch pattern, with instructions to repeat figures in square brackets as directed throughout the pattern rows.

Materials and Tools

The vest requires Paintbox Yarns Wool Blend Super Chunky yarn, available through LoveCrafts. Yarn quantities vary by size: 5 to 7 balls of Crimson Red (A) depending on size, and 1 to 3 balls of Magenta Pink (B). Each ball weighs 3½ ounces (100 grams). Knitting needles required are US 11 (8mm) and US 13 (9mm) sizes. The pattern also calls for one stitch holder and a safety pin for managing stitches during construction. The recommended gauge is 9 stitches and 14 rows to a 4-inch (10-centimeter) square when worked in pattern using the US 13 (9mm) needles, which is typical for super chunky yarn projects.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this project is suitable for knitters with some experience who are comfortable working with colorwork patterns and managing multiple yarn colors, as well as executing various decreasing techniques. The use of super chunky yarn makes stitches easy to see and work with, while the seamed, flat construction provides straightforward piece-by-piece assembly.