Valley Yarns Maranjab Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Maranjab Open Vest

What Is Being Made

The Maranjab is a luxurious open vest designed as a wrap-around waistcoat with integrated cable bands. This seamless, bottom-up knitted garment features a distinctive design where cable and rib front bands extend beyond the shoulders to meet and seam at the back of the neck, creating an elegant layering piece suitable for three-season wear. The vest is available in sizes XS through 4XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 35¼ inches to 66¼ inches, designed to fit with 3 to 5 inches of positive ease for comfortable layering over other garments.

Knitting Techniques

The Maranjab employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning the vest is knit starting from the lower edge and working upward toward the armholes. The garment is knit seamless in one piece from the bottom up to the armholes, where the piece divides to create separate sections for the fronts and back. This seamless approach reduces finishing work and creates a smooth, professional appearance.

The design incorporates cable knitting as a primary decorative and structural element. The cable bands are integrated directly into the front bands rather than applied separately, meaning they are worked as part of the main fabric from the cast-on edge. These cables continue along the front edges and wrap around to the back of the neck, where they are seamed together. To achieve clean, professional edges throughout the piece, the pattern uses the slip-stitch edge technique, where the first stitch of every row is slipped with the yarn held to the wrong side of the work.

Stitches Used

The Maranjab combines several fundamental knitting stitches to create its structure and visual interest:

• Stockinette Stitch: Forms the main body fabric of the vest, creating a smooth, classic knitted surface
• Ribbing (K3/P2 Rib): Used extensively throughout the piece for elasticity and shaping, particularly in the ribbed sections between the cable bands and in the body
• Cable Stitch: An 18-stitch cable pattern forms the distinctive wrap-around bands on the fronts. Both Right Cable and Left Cable variations are used to create symmetrical design elements on each front
• Slipped Stitches: Applied at the edges of rows to create neat, finished edges suitable for seaming

Materials and Yarn

The Maranjab is designed to be knit in Valley Yarns Wachusett, a premium yarn blend composed of 70% Merino Wool and 30% Cashmere. This luxurious fiber combination provides both softness and durability, making the finished vest feel sumptuous while maintaining practical wearability. The yarn is available in a sophisticated Dusty Blue colorway as shown in the pattern.

Yarn requirements vary by size, ranging from 8 balls for the smallest sizes (XS, S, M) to 16 balls for the largest size (4XL). Each ball contains 50 grams and yields 163 yards, allowing crafters to calculate total yardage needed for their chosen size.

Needles and Tools

The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles to accommodate different sections of the garment. A US 9 (5.5mm) circular needle measuring 32 to 60 inches is used for the main body, allowing the large number of cast-on stitches to be worked comfortably. A smaller US 8 (5.0mm) circular needle or double-pointed needles measuring 16 inches is used for the armhole band, which involves fewer stitches and benefits from a shorter needle.

Additional tools required include two cable needles for manipulating stitches during cable work, stitch holders or waste yarn for temporarily securing stitches during the construction process, and a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 19 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, measured after gentle blocking. The 18-stitch cable pattern measures 3¼ inches wide when blocked. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the intended finished measurements and proper fit of the garment.

Skill Level

Rated as Adventurous Beginner, the Maranjab is accessible to knitters with foundational skills who are ready to expand their abilities. While the pattern involves cable work and