Country Nights Cabled Vest

Materials

• RED HEART® Soft®: 5 (6, 7, 8, 9) balls 9440 Light Grey Heather
• Susan Bates® Circular Knitting Needles: 5mm [US 8], 16” [40 cm] and 24” [60 cm] long; 4.5 mm [US 7], 32” (81 cm) long
• Cable needle
• stitch holders
• stitch markers
• yarn needle

GAUGE: 16 sts = 4” (10cm); 24 rows = 4” (10cm) in Pattern st using larger needle. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge.

Directions are for size Small; changes for sizes Medium, Large, X-Large and 2X are in parentheses.

Bust: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48)” (81 (92, 101.5, 112, 122) cm)
Length: 23½ (24, 24½, 27, 27)” (59.5 (61, 62, 68.5, 68.5) cm)

NOTES
Vest is worked in one piece, back and forth in rows from lower edge to Armholes. Fronts and Back are worked separately to shoulders. Sts are picked up along edges and Cable Edging is joined by working last st of Edging with picked up sts. Circular needle is used to accommodate large number of sts.

SPECIAL ABBREVIATIONS
K1-f/b: Knit 1 front and back (inc) Knit next st, then knit it through back loop.

PATTERN STITCHES
Row 1 (Wrong Side): Knit.
Row 2: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end.
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: *P1, k1; repeat from * to end.
Repeat Rows 1-4 for Pattern st.

INSTRUCTIONS

Vest Construction Chart

BODY
With larger and longer needle, cast on 128 (144, 160, 176, 192) sts.
Beginning with Row 1, work in Pattern st until piece measures 15 (15, 15, 17, 17)” (38 (38, 38, 43, 43) cm) from beginning, end with Row 4.

Divide for Armholes
Dividing Row (Wrong Side): K24 (28, 32, 34, 38) and slip to a stitch holder for Left Front, bind off 8 (8, 8, 12, 12), knit until 64 (72, 80, 84, 92) sts have been worked and slip to a stitch holder for Back, bind off 8 (8, 8, 12, 12), knit to end of row – 24 (28, 32, 34, 38) sts for Right Front.

Right Front
Working on Right Front sts only and keeping in Pattern st, decrease 1 st at Armhole edge every other row 4 (4, 6, 6, 8) times – 20 (24, 26, 28, 30) sts.
Work until Armhole measures 6½ (7, 7½, 8, 8)” (16.5 (18, 19, 20.5, 20.5) cm), end with a wrong side row.

Shape Neck
Bind off 6 (8, 10, 12, 12) sts at beginning of next right side row – 14 (16, 16, 16, 18) sts.
Decrease 1 st at neck edge every other row twice more – 12 (14, 14, 14, 16) sts.
Work until Armhole measures 8½ (9, 9½, 10, 10)” (21.5 (23, 24, 25.5, 25.5) cm), end with Row 4.
Bind off.

Back
With right side facing, join yarn and keeping in Pattern st, work across 64 (72, 80, 84, 92) sts from Back stitch holder.
Decrease 1 st at each side edge every other row 4 (4, 6, 6, 8) times – 56 (64, 68, 72, 76) sts.
Work until Armhole measures 8½ (9, 9½, 10, 10)” (21.5 (23, 24, 25.5, 25.5) cm), end with Row 4.
Bind off.

Left Front
With right side facing, join yarn and keeping in Pattern st, work across 24 (28, 32, 34, 38) sts from Left Front stitch holder.
Work until Armhole measures 6½ (7, 7½, 8, 8)” (16.5 (18, 19, 20.5, 20.5) cm), end with a right side row.

Note: Don't forget to work the armhole decreases denoted in the instructions for the Right Front when maintaining your pattern st.

Shape Neck
Bind off 6 (8, 10, 12, 12) sts at beginning of next wrong side row – 14 (16, 16, 16, 18) sts.
Decrease 1 st at neck edge every other row twice more – 12 (14, 14, 14, 16) sts.
Work until Armhole measures 8½ (9, 9½, 10, 10)” (21.5 (23, 24, 25.5, 25.5) cm), end with Row 4.
Bind off.

FINSHING
Sew Shoulder seams.

Hood
With wrong side facing, join yarn at beginning of neck shaping on Left front, pick up and knit 12 sts to Shoulder, place marker, pick up and knit 16 (18, 20, 22, 22) sts to center of Back Neck, place marker, pick up and knit 16 (18,
20, 22, 22) sts along remaining Back Neck to Shoulder, place marker, pick up and knit 12 sts to beginning of Neck shaping on Right Front – 56 (60, 64, 68, 68) sts.
Beginning with Row 1, work in Pattern st for 3 rows.
Increase Row (Wrong Side): *Knit to 1 st before marker, [k1-f/b] twice; repeat from * twice more, knit to end of row – 62 (66, 70, 74, 74) sts.
Repeat Increase Row every 4th row twice more – 74 (78, 82, 86, 86) sts
Work until Hood measures 10” (25.5cm), removing 2 side markers, keeping marker at center of Back Neck, end with a right side row.

Decrease Row (Wrong Side): Knit to 2 sts before center Back Neck marker, [k2tog] twice, knit to end of row – 72 (76, 80, 84, 84) sts.
Repeat Decrease Row every other row 8 more times – 56 (60, 64, 68, 68) sts.

Work until Hood measures 13” (33cm) from beginning.
Bind off.
Fold bind-off row in half and sew closed.

Cable Edging
With right side facing and smaller needle, join yarn at lower edge of Right Front, pick up and knit 1 st every other row along front edge of Right Front, Hood and Left Front, end at lower edge of Left Front, place marker for Vest sts, cast on 12 sts.
Row 1 (Wrong Side): K3, p6, k2, knit last st before marker with next st along edge of Vest to join last st of Cable Edging with first Vest st.
Leave remaining Vest sts unworked.
Row 2: Slip 1 knitwise, k1, p1, k6, p1, k2 – 12 sts.
Row 3: K3, p6, k2, knit last st together with next Vest st – 12 sts.
Row 4: Slip 1 knitwise, k1, p1, slip next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front, k3, k3 from cable needle, p1, k2.
Row 5: Repeat Row 3.
Row 6: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1-6 until all Vest sts have been worked, end at lower edge of Right Front.
Bind off.

Armhole Edgings
With right side facing and larger and shorter needle, join yarn at center of Armhole shaping, pick up and knit 68 (72, 76, 80, 80) sts evenly spaced around Armhole edge. Join to work in rounds. Place marker for beginning of round. [Purl 1 round, knit 1 round] twice. Bind off.
Repeat along opposite Armhole.
Weave in ends.