Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Casey Hi-Lo Vest Knitting Pattern

Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Casey Hi-Lo Vest

What is Being Made

The Casey Hi-Lo Vest is a sleeveless knitted waistcoat designed by Rosemary Drysdale. This garment features a hi-lo silhouette with a fitted waist and longer hemline, available in six sizes ranging from Small to 3X. The vest is designed to be worn as a layering piece or standalone garment, with knitted measurements at the bust ranging from 39½ inches (Small) to 61 inches (3X), and back length measurements from 23½ inches to 26 inches depending on size.

Techniques Used

The Casey Hi-Lo Vest employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques to create its distinctive design:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The vest is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easy adjustments to length as you work.
• Worked Flat: The pattern is worked on straight needles in flat pieces rather than in the round, which are then seamed together.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are joined using the Three-Needle Bind-Off technique, which creates a secure, professional finish while simultaneously binding off and joining two pieces together.
• Cable Knitting: The design incorporates cable patterns that require a cable needle to create twisted, rope-like textures throughout the garment.
• Lace Work: Delicate lace patterns are integrated into the design, created through yarn-over and decrease combinations that form openwork sections.

Stitches Used

The Casey Hi-Lo Vest utilizes a variety of fundamental and decorative stitches to achieve its textured appearance:

• Seed Stitch: Used as the gauge stitch and primary background texture, created by alternating knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern. The pattern specifies that gauge is measured at 22 stitches and 27 rows over 4 inches in Seed stitch.
• Right Cable Pattern: A 10-stitch panel featuring a 6-stitch cable crossed to the back (C6B) on Row 7, surrounded by reverse stockinette stitches. This pattern repeats over 8 rows and creates a prominent raised cable element.
• Horseshoe Pattern: A 19-stitch lace panel that combines yarn-overs (yo), knit two together decreases (k2tog), and slip-slip-knit decreases (ssk) to create an openwork horseshoe or eyelet motif. This pattern repeats over 6 rows and features a centered double decrease (sk2p) for shaping.
• Decrease Stitches: The pattern employs k2tog (knit two together), ssk (slip, slip, knit), and sk2p (slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over) for shaping and creating lace details.
• Yarn-Over Increases: Used throughout lace sections to create the openwork effect while maintaining stitch count.

Materials

The Casey Hi-Lo Vest is designed to be knitted with specific materials that contribute to its drape and finished appearance:

• Yarn: NINA yarn by Tahki Stacy Charles, a linen and cotton blend consisting of 77% linen and 23% cotton. This fiber content creates a breathable, structured fabric ideal for a vest. The yarn is provided in 1.75-ounce (50-gram) balls with 136 yards (125 meters) per ball. Yardage requirements range from 7 balls for the Small size to 11 balls for the 3X size, totaling approximately 952 to 1,496 yards depending on size. The pattern specifies color #01 smoke.
• Needles: One pair of size 6 (4mm) straight needles for the main knitting, plus one extra size 6 (4mm) needle for the Three-Needle Bind-Off joining technique.
• Cable Needle: Required for executing the cable crosses in the Right Cable Pattern sections.
• Crochet Hook: A size 7 (4.5mm) crochet hook is included for adding fringe finishing details.
• Additional Notions: Stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, stitch holders for temporarily securing stitches, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, and a 4-inch by 4-inch piece of cardboard for