Wednesday Checkered Vest

Hi to all my fellow knitters! It seems like a lot of young people are really captivated by the bold style and signature monochromatic wardrobe of this character in the new adaptation, so I decided to give it a try and knit a vest inspired by one I’ve seen her wear. I liked the checkered vest in black and white, the one with the large square. It has a simple design, it’s oversized-which is very trendy nowadays, and I thought it would look great on my daughters if any of them would like to wear it. So, I grabbed some medium worsted yarn and got to work. I made the squares approximately the same as what I’ve seen in the pictures of the original design, and I’m quite satisfied with how the final look turned out. It looks oversized on my youngest (as seen in the pictures, she’s a size XS/S), and fitted on my eldest (size M), who kept wearing it when she came over for the holidays. Thanks to the original creator/designer of this outfit and for the show for bringing such simple garments back in fashion.

Overview:

• Skill level: Intermediate.
• Instructions style: written pattern.
• This vest is worked bottom up. The front and back pieces are knitted separately.
• Yarn weight: #4/ medium/ aran.
• Available sizes: this vest is available in four sizes for adults: XS/S, M/L, XL/2XL, and 3XL/4XL (see detailed measurements below).

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Materials:

• Yarn: Alize Burcum Klasik, 100% acrylic, 3.53 oz (100 g), 230 yards (210 m), in the color "55- white": 2, 2, 2, 3, and the color "60- black": 2, 2, 3, 3 skeins.
• Knitting needles, sizes US 8 (5 mm) and US 10 (6 mm).
• Circular knitting needles, 16" (40 cm) long, size US 8 (5 mm).
• Tapestry needle.
• Ring stitch marker.

Sizes and measurements:

Size	Chest-bust measurements	Waist measurements
XS/S	34"- 36" (86- 92 cm)	26"- 28" (66- 70 cm)
M/L	38"- 40" (96- 100 cm)	29"- 31" (74- 78 cm)
XL/2XL	42"- 44" (107- 112 cm)	32"- 35.5" (82- 90 cm)
3XL/4XL	46"- 48" (117- 122 cm)	37"- 39" (94- 99 cm)

 

Yardage:

Size	White yarn	Black yarn
XS/S	290- 295 yards (265- 270 m)	400- 405 yards (365- 370 m)
M/L	350- 355 yards (320- 325 m)	460- 465 yards (420- 425 m)
XL/2XL	435- 440 yards (398- 402 m)	540- 545 yards (494- 498 m)
3XL/4XL	510- 515 yards (466- 471 m)	620- 625 yards (567- 571m)

 

Gauge: 14 sts and 19 rows = 4" x 4" (10 cm x 10 cm) in stockinette pattern and US 10 (6 mm) needles.

Instructions:

Notes: 

• When knitting the black and white squares, use a separate yarn ball for each square. 
• The vest is worked in stockinette pattern. Bottom, armholes and the V-neck bands are worked in rib pattern (k 2, p 2).
• Switch black and white yarn every 26 rows (which is the height of one square).

Back Piece:

With knitting needles US 8 (5 mm) and black yarn, cast on 88 (96, 106, 120) sts and k one row, then work as follows:

Rib Row: k 2, p 2, repeat to end.

Repeat rib row sixteen more times. Change to US 10 (6 mm) knitting needles  as you work the next row.

Decreasing row (right side): with black yarn, k 17 (21, 26, 33) sts and at the same time decrease 3 (5, 6, 8) sts evenly [14 (16, 20, 25) sts]. Join white yarn, k 27 sts and at the same time decrease 7 sts evenly (20 sts, all sizes). With black yarn, k 27 sts and at the same time decrease 7 sts evenly (20 sts, all sizes). With white yarn, k 17 (21, 26, 33) sts and at the same time decrease 3 (5, 6, 8) sts evenly [14 (16, 20, 25) sts]. [68 (72, 80, 90) sts]

Wrong side row: p all sts, 14 (16, 20, 25) sts using white yarn, then 20 sts in black, then 20 sts in white, and lastly 14 (16, 20, 25) sts in black. [68 (72, 80, 90) sts]

Continue knitting the black and white patches in stockinette pattern. When you have 26 rows after the band, switch the colors and work another 26 rows in stockinette pattern. After three (three, four, four) color switches, and knitting 14 (22, 4, 12) rows after the last switch, work as follows:

Neck Line: 

Row 1: k 24 (25, 27, 30) sts, bind off 20 (22, 26, 30) sts, k to end, then work the right side as follows:

Row 2: p to end, turn. 

Row 3: k2tog, k to end. [23 (24, 26, 29) sts]

K and p two more rows then cast off all sts. Work the other side the same way.

Front Piece:

Begin the front the same way as the back. Continue knitting following the same instructions until you have switched color twice and knitted 3 (7, 11, 15) rows after the last switch. Now work as follows:

V-Neck:

Dividing row (wrong side): p 34 (36, 40, 45) sts, turn.

Decreasing V-neck rows: 

Decrease one st from the neck side for a total of seven (seven, nine, eleven) times, then at every second row four (four, four, three) times. Don't forget to switch colors. Continue the stockinette pattern matching the number of rows and the color pattern of the back piece, then bind off all sts [23 (25, 27, 31) sts]. Work the other side of the V-neck the same way.

Assembly:

Sew shoulder seems together. Sew side seems from bottom edge to the row where the V-neck begins.

Right armhole band: 

With white yarn and size Us 8 (5 mm) circular knitting needles, beginning at the under arm, pick up 84 (92, 100, 110) sts, then work as follows:

Rib round: k 2, p 2, repeat to end.

Put a stm at the beginning of rounds and repeat the rib round eight more times. Bind off all sts.

With black yarn, make the same band for the left armhole.

Neck band: 

With white yarn and size Us 8 (5 mm) circular knitting needles, and beginning at the bottom of the V-neck, pick up 42 (45, 50, 53) sts along the front neckline, and 16 (17, 20, 21) sts to the center back of the neckline. Join black yarn and pick up 16 (17, 20, 21) sts along the back neckline and 42 (45, 50, 53) sts along the front neckline ending at the bottom of the V-neck [116 (124, 140, 148) sts], then work as follows:

Rib row 1: (the black half) k 2, p 2, repeat to end, (the white half) p 2, k 2, repeat to end.

Rib row 2: (the white half) p 2, k 2, repeat to end, (the black half) k 2, p 2, repeat to end.

Repeat rib rows 1 and 2 four more times. Bind off all sts. Sew the white and black rib bands together at the bottom of the neckline. Fold the excess band and sew it as shown in the picture. Weave in loose ends.

 Lastly, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or find something confusing in the pattern.

Happy crocheting/knitting! follow me on Instagram @wiams_crafts and Twitter @wiamscrafts to see my upcoming projects.