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The Story:
Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest
When we launched this letter in the first week of July, it was mid-summer when hot days and warm nights seemed like they’d go on forever and we’d never need more than flip flops, tees, and sunglasses. We were full of ideas for summer knitting—tanks, little wraps, a headband, and lacy little cardigans. Yesterday, however—the first day of my summer vacation—I woke to cool and breezy weather. If it wasn’t outright crisp and fall-like, there were definite hints of change in the air. Into the duffle bag of supplies for a week on the ocean went socks and a fleece jacket—relics from a long ago life.
Now that we’re reminded that summer will wane, we’re packing away some of our web letter project ideas for next season, but not so today’s nifty pattern. Cecily Glowik’s vine lace vest is more of a faithful accessory than a seasonal garment. It can go over just about anything—tees, dresses, skirts, and jeans. Cecily used a favorite lace pattern from Barbara Walker’s first book of knitting patterns. It’s a simple four-row repeat with graceful, curving lines.
If you’re new to knitted lace, this would be a good project to start with. The vest is a simple rectangle—there’s no shaping. Cast on for the back, work up to the shoulders, bind off for the neck, and carry on down the fronts to the hem. The borders are worked in rib. Cecily suggests adding a ribbon tie to the two fronts if you’d like to have a formal closure.
The Yarn:
Four Seasons—70% cotton, 30% wool
Four Seasons is a mix of wool and cotton. It might seem like a contradiction to blend wool with cotton, after all, wool is clearly a winter fiber that insulates and keeps you warm in cold months. Cotton is cool to wear and absorbent in the summer. So why put them together?
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more photos
The Pattern:
Here's the free downloadable Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest pattern.
The Stitches:
Vine lace is a simple four-row lace pattern. Right-side rows are the same; they’re simply offset by one stitch. And wrong-side rows are always purled.
Here is more information on decrease stitches and working yarn overs.
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