What you need
| Sizes | XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL · To fit bust 28, 33, 37, 42, 47, 52 inches · Fits a chest up to 32 to 56 inches — open-fronted, with a deliberate gap down the centre. |
|---|---|
| Yarn | Chunky wool or wool blend, about 95 yd / 87 m per 100 g: 280 to 770 yards (3 to 8 balls). Garter stitch is the kindest fabric there is for a hand-dyed variegated yarn. |
| Needles | US 10.5 / 6.5 mm circular, 32 inch, for everything; US 10 / 6 mm for the ribbed hem. Everything is worked flat - the needle is long only because the whole body sits on it. |
| Gauge (tension) | 10 sts and 20 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch (ten ridges); 13 sts and 16 rows = 4 inches in 2x2 rib, relaxed. |
Skills you’ll use
- Knit
- Purl (in the hem rib only)
- K2tog
- Binding off
- Three-needle bind-off
- That is the complete list - no increases anywhere, no chart, no right side to remember, nothing to track but the ridge count.
What’s in the PDF
- 12-page PDF, fully written out for six sizes
- A whole page on the hem decrease row, drawn stitch by stitch
- A diagram of the body as one flat piece, showing exactly where it divides
- A construction diagram, a full schematic and a stitch-count table
- A table of safe changes and a page of what-went-wrong fixes
- 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 two different gauges?
The 2x2 rib hem pulls in to about 0.77 of garter, so the hem is cast on with a quarter more stitches than the body and loses them in a single decrease row - k2, [k2tog, k2] to the end.
Is it supposed to hang open?
Yes - the two fronts are cut about 2 1/2 inches narrower than the back in total, so there is a gap down the centre even lying flat. No buttons, no band, no closure.
I'm a beginner - can I really knit this?
If you can knit a row, yes. The whole waistcoat is knit-every-row garter stitch; the only decreases are in one hem row, and the only finishing is two shoulder joins.
