String Kryssi Vest Knitting Pattern

String Kryssi Vest

What Is Being Made

The Kryssi Vest is an intermediate-level knitted sleeveless garment designed by Lidia Karabinech. This vest is worked from the bottom up using a seamed, flat construction method. It is available in four sizes: Small (bust 36"/91.5 cm), Medium (bust 39½"/100.5 cm), Large (bust 43¼"/110 cm), and XL (bust 46¾"/118.5 cm), with lengths to shoulder ranging from 20½" to 22¾" (52–58 cm). The finished vest features a structured silhouette suitable for layering over long-sleeved garments.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that add visual interest and construction complexity:

• Bottom-up construction: The vest is knitted from the lower edge upward, allowing for easy length adjustments before binding off.
• Seamed, flat-worked pieces: Individual sections (back and front panels) are knitted flat on straight needles, then seamed together to form the finished garment.
• Tubular cast-on: A provisional cast-on method using waste yarn and a crochet hook creates a clean, finished edge that can be grafted or bound off with a professional appearance.
• Wrap and Turn (W&T) short rows: This shaping technique creates contoured curves without visible holes, allowing the designer to customize fit across the bust and shoulder areas.
• Yarn held together: One strand each of two distinct yarns are held together throughout, creating a blended color and texture effect in the finished fabric.

Stitches Used

The Kryssi Vest employs three primary stitch patterns to create visual texture and structure:

• K1, P1 Rib (over even and odd numbers of stitches): A classic 1×1 ribbing that provides elasticity and definition, commonly used for cuffs, hems, and necklines. This stitch alternates knit and purl stitches to create vertical columns that recover well after stretching.
• P2, K1 Rib (over 3 + 2 stitch repeats): A textured variation featuring two purl stitches followed by one knit stitch. This creates a bolder vertical pattern than standard 1×1 ribbing and adds visual interest to the main body of the vest.
• Stockinette Stitch (Knit and Purl rows): The foundational smooth fabric created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, providing a clean canvas for the ribbed stitch patterns.
• Decreases (K2tog and P2tog): Knit-two-together and purl-two-together decreases shape the armholes and neckline with minimal visible impact.

Materials and Gauge

The Kryssi Vest requires two complementary yarns held together throughout construction. String Amalfi (5–6 balls depending on size) is a luxury blend containing 14% cashmere, 25% lambswool, 22% silk, and 39% viscose, offered in color 729139 bark. Each ball weighs 1.75 oz (50 g) and contains 180 yards (165 m). Sesia Flora Paillettes (7–9 balls depending on size) is a lighter cotton-blend yarn comprising 95% cotton and 5% polyester in color 0665 khaki, with each 0.88 oz (25 g) ball yielding 114 yards (105 m).

Needles required include US 8 (5mm) needles for the main fabric and US 7 (4.5mm) needles for ribbed sections, with a US 7 (4.5mm) crochet hook reserved for the provisional cast-on. Additional notions include removable stitch markers, four stitch holders, waste yarn for the provisional cast-on, a yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends, and a 20" (50.5 cm) two-way zipper for the front closure.

The gauge is 20 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) measured in the P2, K1 Rib pattern when lightly stretched. Achieving accurate gauge is essential for proper fit, and knitters are advised to knit a gauge swatch before beginning the project.