HETMAN !

Another experiment with ethnic style. Large and heavy but very easy to knit – this is a vest for Yura, husband of my cousin Anichka (Kostik's father). He is a philologist and an expert in Ukrainian language, culture and history.

Materials:

9 balls of Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky (100% wool), color – Light Grey Heather, each ball 50 g /1.75 ounces – 70 yards;

5 balls of the same Peruvian Highland Chunky, color – Mid Indigo;

2 balls of Peruvian Hingland Chunky, color – Charcoal Heather.

1 ball Lion Brand Microspoon (micro-fiber acrylic 100%), 2.50 oz./70 g - 168 yd/154 m, color – black; for Kitchener cords;

Needles # 10 / 6 mm (or size to obtain gauge);

Smaller needles # 4 / 3.5 mm;

Sewing needle; Crochet hook # 3.

Gauge - 13 stitches in 10 cm/4” worked on garter stitch with needles # 10.

Size – L-XL.

As Yura’s appearance speaks for itself, I wanted this vest to be very simple, with little picturesque details: the front of is made with angle knitting (2 pieces), the back is absolutely ordinary 1 piece, and only garter stitch is used all over the vest. The front is decorated with sewn on cords made of black Microspoon yarn. Simple frog closures.

Note about selvage stitches (ss): Always slip the first stitch in the beginning of each row and purl the last stitch in the end of each row. In such a way you will have a chain of selvage stitches, - one vertical loop for each 2 rows - on each side of a knitted piece. I usually don’t count rows, I count selvage stitches. Another advantage – they look very nice when assembled by mattress stitch.

LEFT FRONT

With Charcoal Heather yarn cast on 124 sts (40 sts – horizontal side, 1 central stitch (mark it with color yarn, on both sides of this stitch we will decrease stitches in every right side row; that will create an angle), and 83 sts of vertical side).

1st row (right side): 1ss (selvage stitch), 37 k., 2k together, 1 k. (central st), 2k together, 80 k., 1 ss.

2nd row (wrong side): 1 ss, 38 k., 1 p. (central stitch), 81 p., 1 ss.

Change color to Indigo and knit 8 more rows decreasing 1 stitch on both sides of the marked central stitch (like in the row 1).

Change color to Charcoal Heather (2 rows will be knitted). Beginning with this row, we start to shape the neckline. Add in the beginning of the next wrong row 1 stitch.

Change color to Indigo and knit 8 more rows. At the same time add 1 stitch in the beginning of 4, 6 and 8 Indigo rows.

Change color to Charcoal Heather and knit 2 rows, casting on in the beginning of the wrong side row 2 stitches.

Change color to Light Grey Heather and cast on 2 stitches in the beginning of 2nd and 3 stitches in the beginning of the 4th Light Grey Heather row. End of neckline shaping.

Continue with Light Grey Heather only, work 6” (15 cm) after the neckline shaping and start armhole shaping: in the beginning of the wrong side row cast off 30 stitches. Then in the beginning of the next wrong rows cast off 2 sts 2 times, 1 st 2 times, work 2 rows straight and bind off.

Make the right half symmetrical to the left one.

BACK

Cast on 80 sts with Charcoal Heather color and work straight 55 ss (110 rows) as following: 1 row – Charcoal Heather, 8 rows Indigo, 2 rows – Charcoal Heather, 8 rows –Indigo, 2 rows – Charcoal Heather, and the rest - Light Grey yarn. Bind off in the beginning of every row 3 sts 1 time, 2 sts 1 time, 1 st 2 times for the armholes.

Work straight 28 ss (56 rows) and begin the back neckline shaping: Work 38 sts, bind off 20 sts and work 38 sts to the end of the row. Continue to work on both parts separately: in the end of the next row decrease 1 st, in the beginning of the next row bind off 5 sts, in the next row bind off all the rest. Work the opposite side symmetrically.



ASSEMBLING AND TRIMMING

Sew only shoulder seams.

Neckline trimming:

With Charcoal Heather cast on 90 sts around the neckline on the right side and work one row (wrong side).

Switch to Indigo color (10 rows): work 2 rows, change needles to the smaller size and work straight 6 more rows. In the next Indigo row work 4 k, 2 k together to the end of the row and work one more Indigo Row.

Switch color to Charcoal Heather and work 2 row straight, then in the third row work *2 k together, 1 yo (yarn over needle)* to the end of the row to obtain a row of holes. Work one more row.

Switch color to Indigo. Work 2 rows. In the third row repeat *4 k, make one* to the end of the row. Work 5 more rows straight. Change needles to the larger size and work 4 more rows straight. Bind off, fold to the wrong side and sew on.

Cords.

For one frog closure make 2 Kitchener cords using black Microspoon yarn and smaller size needles: one 130, another - 110 rows long. Make a node in the middle of the longer one (see the picture).

With cotton color tread mark where 3-5 frog closures will be sewn on (I made just 3). Pin one cord at a time to the front of the vest using a stoarfoam board, baste with the same yarn that was used to make the cord, unpin and meticulously sew on in hands.









With cotton color thread mark a square on the bottom of the front. Inside the square mark the pattern. Make 4 pieces of Kitchener cord for each half-front and pin and sew them on one piece at a time – exactly like for the frog closure. Hide securely all the yarn tails in the cord tubes using a crochet hook.

It is better to sew on the cords right after the neckline is done and before assembling the whole vest.

Armhole trimming:

With Charcoal Heather cast on 90 sts around the armhole and work exactly the same trimming as for the neckline. Assemble side seams before folding and sewing the trims to the wrong side.

THE END.