Cedar Grove Knit Vest Knitting Pattern (PDF)

A super bulky vest in plain stockinette, worked in the round from a ribbed hem and finished flat - with four seed stitches knitted in at every armhole edge, so the border runs unbroken from the underarm right over the shoulder. No neckband at all: the bind-off chain is the finish.

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What you need

Sizes	XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL · To fit bust 26, 31, 36, 40, 45, 50 inches · Finished chest 30 1/2 to 54 1/2 inches — about 4 inches of positive ease.
Yarn	Super bulky wool or wool blend, about 87 yd / 80 m per 100 g: 290 to 750 yards (4 to 9 balls), one dye lot.
Needles	US 13 / 9 mm circular for the body and straights or a second circular for the yokes; US 11 / 8 mm circular for the ribbed hem.
Gauge (tension)	10 sts and 13 rows = 4 inches in stockinette on US 13; 15 sts and 16 rows = 4 inches in 1x1 rib on US 11, relaxed — both gauges matter.

Skills you’ll use

Knit
Purl
K2tog and ssk
Seed stitch
Knitting in the round
Three-needle bind-off
Not a single increase in the whole pattern.

What’s in the PDF

12-page PDF, fully written out for six sizes
A whole page on the hem decrease round - [k1, k2tog] to the end - drawn stitch by stitch
A page on the seed-stitch armhole border, with both rows written out
A construction diagram, a full schematic and a page of what-went-wrong fixes
The hem arithmetic explained: cast on three stitches for every two the body needs, and one round takes them out
Every stitch count checked by calculation - cast-on, hem decrease, underarm division, necks and shoulders close exactly at every size

Questions about this pattern

Why does the hem cast on so many stitches?

Relaxed 1x1 rib runs about two thirds of stockinette's width per stitch, so the hem casts on three stitches for every two the body needs and a single decrease round - [k1, k2tog] to the end - takes them out. The hem then finishes exactly as wide as the body.

Is there a neckband?

No - the back neck is bound off straight across, the front is scooped, and the bind-off chain is the finish. The neck is cut wider and deeper than it looks so it clears a head without a band to stretch.

Are the armhole borders picked up?

No - each piece carries four seed stitches at both armhole edges, knitted in as you go, so the border runs unbroken from the underarm right over the shoulder.

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