Seasoned Sweater Vest - Free Crochet Pattern

***You can find the PDF version of this pattern by clicking HERE. Ad-free, and printer-friendly! For the free version, scroll down within this post.***

(This blog post is sponsored by WeCrochet)

Hey you, and happy Thanksgiving week! I’m like reeallllly excited to share the newest pattern here on the blog with you. I think I’m so pumped because this new sweater vest is kinda like a magic trick. It’s worked up in one piece, zero increases or decreases. Yet, looks FABULOUS. It drapes and flows in all the right places, plus really completes an outfit.

I chose to do a simple double crochet in back loop for the stitch, and it adds just enough texture. Plus that fringe does this piece some good too!

The yarn used for the Seasoned Sweater Vest is from the brand spankin’ new website, WeCrochet. It’s a sister company of KnitPicks, which I’ve always loved… Basically they decided us crocheters needed a spot of our own for yarn, patterns, kits, tools and more. I’m excited about this idea, and look forward to seeing the new yarns and patterns pop up over there. I’m really crushin’ on this free sweater pattern they’ve got over there now…

I hope you appreciate the simplicity + beauty of this piece! :)

***You can find the PDF version of this pattern by clicking HERE. Ad-free, and printer-friendly! ***

Seasoned Sweater Vest Pattern

What you’ll need:

-fingering (1) weight yarn, I used WeCrochet Palette Yarn in color Rooibos (see notes for yardage)
-size h (5 mm) hook, or size needed to obtain gauge
-yarn needle
-scissors

Gauge:

19 double crochet and 9 rows equals a four inch square

Abbreviations:

ch=chain, dc=double crochet, BLO=back loop only, st(s)=stitch(es)

Notes:

——---Sizing & Yardage Info———

XSMALL/SMALL
fits 32”-34” bust, 22” long
approximately 1100 yards of yarn, plus 60 yards for fringe

MEDIUM/LARGE
fits 36”-39” bust, 23” long
approximately 1350 yards of yarn, plus 60 yards for fringe

XLARGE
fits 42” bust, 23.5” long
approximately 1725 yards of yarn, plus 60 yards for fringe

PLUS
fits 46”-48” bust, 24.5” long
approximately 2205 yards of yarn, plus 60 yards for fringe

-”ch 2” at the beginning of each row do not count as stitches

-this vest is very forgiving in size because it’s got an open, flowy front. size in photos is size xs/s

-this vest is worked in one piece from side-to-side, working rows length-wise. sleeve holes are worked into the piece, you can see a picture of it completed below

Pattern:

***XSMALL/SMALL

Row 1) ch 106, dc in 3rd ch from hook and across (104 total sts)

Rows 2-35) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row (104 total sts)

Row 36) ch 30 (not too tightly, this is for the sleeve hole), skip 30 sts, dc in BLO of remaining sts (104 total sts- 30 ch, 74 dc)

Rows 37-77) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row—in row 37 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (104 total sts)

Row 78) repeat instructions from row 36

Rows 79-113) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 79 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (104 total sts)

finish off, weave in ends. scroll down for assembly.

***MEDIUM/LARGE

Row 1) ch 110, dc in 3rd ch from hook and across (108 total sts)

Rows 2-43) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row (108 total sts)

Row 44) ch 34 (not too tightly, this is for the sleeve hole), skip 34 sts, dc in BLO of remaining sts (108 total sts- 34 ch, 74 dc)

Rows 45-93) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 45 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (108 total sts)

Row 94) repeat instructions from row 44

Rows 95-137) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 95 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (108 total sts)

finish off, weave in ends. scroll down for assembly.

***XLARGE

Row 1) ch 112, dc in 3rd ch from hook and across (110 total sts)

Rows 2-55) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row (110 total sts)

Row 56) ch 36 (not too tightly, this is for the sleeve hole), skip 36 sts, dc in BLO of remaining sts (110 total sts-36 ch, 74 dc)

Rows 57-117) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 57 you will work dc’s into previous rows’s ch’s (110 total sts)

Row 118) repeat instructions from row 56

Rows 119-173) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 119 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (110 total sts)

finish off, weave in ends. scroll down for assembly.

***PLUS

Row 1) ch 116, dc in 3rd ch from hook and across (114 total sts)

Rows 2-69) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row (114 total sts)

Row 70) ch 40 (not too tightly, this is for the sleeve hole), skip 40 sts, dc in BLO of remaining sts (114 total sts- 40 ch, 74 dc)

Rows 71-145) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 71 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (114 total sts)

Row 146) repeat instructions from row 70

Rows 147-215) ch 2, turn, dc in BLO across row— in row 147 you will work dc’s into previous row’s ch’s (114 total sts)

finish off, weave in ends. scroll down for assembly.

Assembly:

Once done with your vest, you’ll lay it down flat like in the photo above…

You’ll fold the two front, outer sections in right at the sleeve holes, like shown in the photo above. Next you will sew the top outer edges, joining the front pieces to the back, to create your shoulder. You will sew using a loose-handed whip stitch along the very edge on both sides using your yarn needle and a long strand of yarn. Below are the sewing instructions for each size:

XS/S - sew starting on the outside edge and go in about 3-4 inches, or until your own length preference
M/L - sew starting on the outside edge and go in about 4 inches, or until your own length preference
XL - sew starting on the outside edge and go in about 4-5 inches, or until your own length preference
PLUS - sew starting on the outside edge and go in about 5 inches, or until your own length preference

Do this for both sides of the vest.

After the shoulders are sewn, you will begin the fringe. To make the fringe I cut pieces of yarn about 8 inches in length. I grabbed three of those 8-inch pieces and that made one “fringe piece”. To add, I folded my fringe piece in half, and inserted my crochet hook along the the very edge of the front piece of the vest and grabbed the folded side of the fringe piece.

Draw the folded side through, but not all the way…

Then slip your loose ends of the fringe piece through that loop you just drew through.

Pull it tight, and you’ve got one fringe piece complete! Carry on adding the fringe pieces all along both of the front vertical edges of the vest.

Once the fringe is complete, all one needs to do is try it on and give it a twirl! Weeeeeee! What a fun project.. I love the little bit of warmth it offers to the body’s core, plus it’s super cute if you ask me. I hope you love! If you make one, feel free to share over on Instagram :)

Happy hooking!
Meg

The Sunset Sweater - Free Crochet Pattern

I’ve got a cool pattern for ya today… It’s one that’s shockingly easy (made up of only single crochets), really cute, and perfect for the warmer months. It’s an off-the-shoulder, airy sweater that features a ribbed top and i-cord straps over the shoulder. I hope you get to whip one up while the weather’s still toasty. :)

While making this sweater, I think there was about 100 times when I almost gave up because I thought it wouldn’t work. Even towards the end, when I was assembling it, I thought I was gonna have to trash this idea… but once it was all sewn up and finished, I knew I had to share it with the world! I tried it on, smiled and thought oh yeah, this one’s a keeper. I’m really glad I stuck with this one.

But like I mentioned earlier, I feel like you’d never guess this was a very simple and easy sweater to make. I used a fingering weight yarn paired with a larger hook for an airy stitch on the body and sleeves, then just switched to a smaller hook for the top ribbing and i-cord. Seriously, all the pieces are like rectangles. No increases/decreases. That’s a major plus in my books…

Since it’s so simply made, that makes it nice for customizing. If you’d like it longer just add stitches, same goes for the sleeves. I also decided last minute I’d like the bottom part of the sleeves to be unsewn for a nice flare effect.

What you’ll need:

-Fingering weight (category 1, superfine) cotton yarn. I used Knit Picks' Comfy Cotton Fingering in White (linked >HERE<). See notes for yardage.
-7mm hook for the body and 2.5 mm hook for the top ribbing. **Or size needed to obtain gauge (provided below)
-yarn needle
-sewing pins

Gauge:

For the body: 13 sc in BLO by 18 rows equals a four inch square
For the top ribbing: 10 sc in BLO by 7 rows equals a 1 1/4 inch square

Notes:

Yarn Yardage and Measurements:
****Important: measurements are of sweater lying flat, unstretched. This sweater will stretch like crazy, allowing a ton of room bust-wise****

SMALL/MEDIUM:
bust: 28”, length: 15”, yarn yardage: 750 yds

LARGE/XLARGE:
bust: 31”, length: 16”, yarn yardage: 850 yds

PLUS:
bust: 35”, length: 17”, yarn yardage: 1000 yds

-chains at the beginning of each row do NOT count as stitches

-I highly suggest using a cotton yarn for this sweater, because it’s such an open and stretchy stitch. I worry if another yarn is used that doesn’t have the hold the cotton does (like acrylic), it would affect the fit of the sweater.

-the body of the sweater is worked in one piece, side to side. The sleeves are also worked from side to side separately. Then there’s the ribbing that goes along the very top of the body and both sleeves (worked up with a smaller hook). Then there are four i-cords worked up for ties over the shoulder (also worked up with smaller hook).

-the sweater length could be customized by adding more stitches, same goes for the sleeves.

-be sure to check gauge for both the body and the top ribbing separately and choose your hook accordingly to assure you have a correctly-sized sweater

Abbreviations:

ch=chain, sc=single crochet, st(s)=stitch(es), BLO=back loop only, sl=slip

Pattern:

——-Body of the sweater:

**FOR SIZE S/M:

ch 49
Row 1) sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (48 total sts)

Rows 2-125) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (48 total sts)

**FOR SIZE L/XL:

ch 53
Row 1) sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (52 total sts)

Rows 2-139) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (52 total sts)

**FOR SIZE PLUS:

ch 57
Row 1) sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (56 total sts)

Rows 2-157) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (56 total sts)

-now you will close up the body by slip stitching row 1 to row 125. You will fold over your body piece so both the short sides are together, like shown in photo above. Then you insert your hook into the BLO of last row, and the bottom of row 1, and sl st all the way across in each st. *It’s important to sl st loosely, or the seam will look wonky. Finish off.

——-Sleeves (MAKE TWO):

**FOR ALL SIZES:

ch 49
Row 1) sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (48 total sts)

**FOR SIZE S/M:

Rows 2-48) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (48 total sts)

**FOR SIZE L/XL:

Rows 2-52) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (48 total sts)

**FOR SIZE PLUS

Rows 2-61) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (48 total sts)

-now you’ll close up your sleeve, just like you did with the body, slip stitching rows 1 and 48 together. I chose to leave the last 15 sts undone, for an open sleeve. Finish off. Repeat for the other sleeve.

——-Ribbing:

ch 11
Row 1) sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (10 total sts)

**FOR SIZE S/M:

Rows 2-255) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (10 total sts)

**FOR SIZE L/XL:

Rows 2-269) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (10 total sts)

**FOR SIZE PLUS:

Rows 2-290) ch 1, turn, sc in BLO across row (10 total sts)

finish off, leave extra long tail to sew to the body & sleeves

——-i-cord:

For the straps you will make an i-cord using your smaller hook you used for the top ribbing. You will need four different pieces: two on the front of the sweater and two on the back. Leave a long tail to sew them to the sweater.

**FOR SIZE S/M:

work 4 i-cords, all 20” long

**FOR SIZE L/XL:

work 4 i-cords, all 21” long

**FOR SIZE PLUS:

work 4 i-cords, all 22”long

Below is a video that shows how to do the i-cord…

Once the body and sleeves are slip stitched together, and the ribbing and i-cords are made, you are ready to assemble your sweater. You will lay your body pieces down, then a sleeve on each side of it to prepare it to be sewn to the ribbing. You must make sure not to stretch your body piece or sleeves at all, in fact, I found it helped to scrunch it together a bit. You can see how I’ve done it in the photo below.

Make sure the sleeves and the body are touching where the armpit would hit on the sweater. Now you’ll pin your ribbing onto the body/sleeves.

You will join the ribbing by matching the top of the ribbing to the top of the body and sleeves, like shown in the photo above. Your ribbing will be shorter than the distance around the body and sleeves so you will need to be stretching the ribbing while you pin to the body and sleeves. It’s designed this way so the top of the sweater isn’t too loose. I actually had to re-pin it a few times before I got the ribbing to match up with the body. Just make sure that the body or sleeves aren’t stretched at all. I started in the middle of the body piece. Note that you are just pinning to one side of the body and sleeves (you’ll flip over the body/sleeves midway, and continue pinning on the other side).

After you’ve pinned the ribbing all the way around the body and sleeves on both sides, you’ll sew. If you left your extra long yarn tail on the ribbing you’ll use that and a yarn needle to attach. If you didn’t just grab an extra long piece of yarn to sew with. You will be sewing along over the very edge of both the ribbing and the body/sleeves using a whip stitch. Be sure not to sew too tightly or it’ll look bunched and wonky. Sew all the way around.

Then you will flip the ribbing up, once you’ve completed sewing all the way around and sew the two short sides of the ribbing together using the same stitch. I sewed it into the back loop of the last row, and it made it look pretty seamless.

***Once the entire top ribbing was attached, I went in on each of the armpits and sewed the sleeve and body together on the underside, since there was a little bit of a gap (since they were only connected by the ribbing). I just made a few passes with a piece of yarn and needle on each side.

After that, you’ll sew on all your i-cord straps. One goes on each left and right side on front and back. I chose to sew mine right above the armpit, but I wish I moved it a bit in (away from the sleeve). I sewed them on by making multiple passes through the cord and body so it was extra secure since it’d be holding up the garment. Once those are all sewn on and the ends woven in, your Sunset Sweater is finished!

I’ll admit, it’s kinda weird putting this sweater on. I usually just slip on the body, then put an arm in each sleeve, and you can tie a bow with your straps over each shoulder. What a fun and cute lil top for summer… I think it’s so cool. Plus it’d look nice with some jeans too nearing the beginning of fall. :)

Feel free to share your finished sweater with me over on Insta! I’d love to see.

Until next time!
-Meg