Rowan Vest Top Jumper Knitting Pattern

Rowan Vest Top

What is Being Made

The Rowan Vest Top is a sleeveless knitted garment designed to fit bust sizes ranging from 81-86 cm (32-34 inches) through to 122-127 cm (48-50 inches), with five size options available: S, M, L, XL, and XXL. This is a classic vest construction suitable for warm weather wear, featuring a fitted silhouette achieved through strategic shaping at the sides and armholes.

Techniques Used

This design is worked using the bottom-up construction method, meaning the garment is knitted from the cast-on edge upward. The vest is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, and pieces are subsequently seamed together to create the finished garment. The construction involves picking up stitches along the sides to create the side panels, demonstrating intermediate shaping techniques suitable for a Skill Level 1 project.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The primary stitch used throughout is stockinette stitch (abbreviated as st st), which creates the smooth, classic fabric base of the vest. Shaping is accomplished using standard decreasing techniques including K2tog (knit two together), P2tog tbl (purl two together through the back loop), and sl 1, K1, psso (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over). The side panels incorporate a 2x2 ribbed pattern (K2, P2 repeating), which provides elasticity and definition to the side seams.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Rowan Vest Top is designed to be knitted using Rowan Summerlite 4ply yarn, a lightweight four-ply weight yarn ideal for creating breathable, delicate garments. The pattern is photographed in the colorway Pure White 417. Yarn quantities required are 4 x 50gm for size S, 5 x 50gm for sizes M and L, and 6 x 50gm for sizes XL and XXL.

The pattern calls for 3mm (US 2/3) needles (one pair for working flat). The recommended tension is 28 stitches and 36 rows to 10 cm measured over stockinette stitch using 3mm needles, which is important to achieve the correct finished bust measurements.

Additional Construction Details

• The front and back pieces are worked identically using the same shaping sequences
• Armhole shaping is achieved through multiple rows of decreases worked at both edges
• A stitch holder is used to hold stitches during construction
• Side panels are created by picking up stitches along the side edges and working in ribbed pattern
• The pattern includes detailed row-by-row instructions with stitch counts for each size at every shaping point