Plymouth Yarn Women's Long Cabled Vest Knitting Pattern

Plymouth Yarn Women's Long Cabled Vest

What is Being Made

This is a women's long cabled vest designed by Plymouth Yarn, featured as Pattern No. 3102 in the Homestead collection. The vest is a sleeveless garment with a sophisticated cable pattern throughout, offering a classic layering piece. It is available in five sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, and Extra Extra Large, with finished chest measurements ranging from 32 inches to 46 inches and lengths from 36 inches to 38 inches. The vest features button closures, making it a functional and elegant addition to any wardrobe.

Techniques Used

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

• Bottom-Up Construction: The body is worked from the bottom edge upward, beginning with a cast-on of 180 to 244 stitches depending on size.
• Flat Knitting: The majority of the garment is worked flat on circular needles, allowing for the management of a large number of stitches while maintaining the ability to work back and forth in rows.
• Cable Techniques: The pattern incorporates cable stitches using a cable needle, with specific cable crosses including C4B (cable 4 back) and C4F (cable 4 front) abbreviations noted in the pattern. These cables create the distinctive textured pattern throughout the vest.
• Seaming: The vest is constructed as separate sections that are seamed together, with the body worked in one piece until the armholes are reached, at which point the front and back sections are separated.
• Ribbed Edging: A 2x2 rib stitch worked flat forms the lower edge, providing elasticity and a finished appearance. This rib is worked for 3½ inches before transitioning to the cable pattern.
• In-the-Round Shaping: The armhole rib is worked in the round, allowing for seamless shaping at the armholes.
• Stitch Markers: The pattern uses 10 stitch markers, including 2 in a contrasting color, to mark pattern repeats, side seams, and construction points throughout the knitting process.

Stitches Used

The Plymouth Yarn Women's Long Cabled Vest employs a variety of fundamental and decorative stitches:

• 2x2 Rib: A classic ribbed stitch pattern alternating two knit stitches with two purl stitches, worked flat. This creates the elastic lower band of the vest and is worked for 3½ inches.
• Stockinette Stitch: The base stitch used between cable sections, providing a smooth canvas that allows the cables to stand out visually.
• Cable Stitches: The pattern features cable crosses worked with a cable needle. C4B (slip 2 stitches to cable needle, hold to back, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle) and C4F (slip 2 stitches to cable needle, hold to front, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle) create the twisted, rope-like texture characteristic of cabled knitwear.
• Increases: The pattern uses purl front and back (pf&b) increases to add stitches strategically during the transition from ribbing to the cable pattern, creating shaping that accommodates the cable gauge.

Materials and Gauge

The vest is designed to be knitted with Plymouth Yarn Homestead yarn in color 06 Oatmeal Heather. Yardage requirements vary by size, ranging from 600 grams (6 skeins of 100g each) for the smallest size to 900 grams (9 skeins) for the largest size. The pattern specifies US Size 9 (5.5mm) circular knitting needles in lengths of 32 inches or 40 inches depending on size, plus a 16-inch circular needle for the armhole ribbing. A cable needle is required for working the cable crosses.

The gauge is critical for proper fit: 16 stitches and 24 rows equal 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US Size 9 needles after blocking, while 28 stitches equal 5 inches in the cable pattern on the same needle size after blocking. This difference in gauge between stockinette and cable sections is typical and accounts for the density of the cable texture.