Knitting a Waffle Stitch Turtleneck Vest

Knitting Needle Size

10 or 6 mm, 11 or 8 mm

Yarn Weight

Weight (5) Bulky/Chunky (12-15 stitches for 4 inches)

Gauge

14½ sts = 4" [10 cm]; 19½ rows = 4" [10 cm] in Waffle Stitch using smallest needles. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge.

Finished Size

Finished Chest: 39 (41, 45, 50, 54, 58)" [99 (104, 114, 126, 137, 147.5) cm]

Finished Front Length: 25 (25½, 26, 26½, 27, 27½)" [63.5 (65, 66, 67.5, 68.5, 70) cm]

Finished Back Length: 27 (27½, 28, 28½, 29, 29½)" [68.5 (70, 71, 72.5, 73.5, 75)]

Materials List

RED HEART® Soft Essentials™: 5 (5, 6, 6, 7, 8) balls 7851 Navy

Susan Bates® Knitting Needles: 6mm [US 10], 6.5mm [US 10½], and 8mm [US 11]

Removable stitch markers

Stitch holders

Yarn needle

Instructions

Notes

Directions are for size Small. Changes for sizes Medium, Large, X-Large, 2X-Large, and 3X-Large are in parentheses.

The vest is made from two pieces: Back and front.

Each piece is worked from the lower edge upwards in Waffle Stitch.

The front is shorter than the back.

The turtleneck is worked starting with Row 1 on the wrong side of the garment so that when folded over, the right side faces out.

Special Stitch

ssk (slip, slip, knit) = Slip next 2 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit to right needle, insert point of left needle through front of stitches, knit these sts together through back loop—1 st decreased.

Waffle Stitch

(Multiple of 4 sts + 2 additional sts)

Row 1 (right side): K2, *p2, k2; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: P2, *k2, p2; repeat from * to end.

Row 3: Knit.

Row 4: Purl.

Repeat Rows 1–4 for Waffle Stitch.

Back

With smallest needles, cast on 70 (74, 82, 90, 98, 106) sts.

Work in Waffle Stitch until the piece measures about 17½ (18, 18, 18, 18½, 18½)" [44.5 (45.5, 45.5, 45.5, 47, 47) cm] from beginning, ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Armholes

Note: When instructed to work in pattern "as established" work the next row of the pattern and line up the stitches as in previous rows.

Next 2 (2, 4, 4, 4, 4) Rows: Bind off 4 (4, 4, 4, 6, 6) sts, continue in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row—62 (66, 66, 74, 74, 82) sts.

Next 4 (6, 4, 6, 6, 4) Rows: Bind off 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 4) sts, continue in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row—54 (54, 58, 62, 62, 66) sts.

Work even in Waffle Stitch as established until armholes measure about 8¼ (8¼, 8¾, 9¼, 9¼, 9¾)" [21 (21, 22, 23.5, 23.5, 25) cm], ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Back Neck and Shoulders

Row 1 (right side): Work in Waffle Stitch as established over the first 14 (14, 16, 16, 16, 18) sts for the right side, place center 26 (26, 26, 30, 30, 30) sts on holder for back neck, join a 2nd ball of yarn and work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row for the left side—14 (14, 16, 16, 16, 18) sts for each side of the neck.

Row 2: Work even in Waffle Stitch as established across all left side sts; with the other ball of yarn, work even in Waffle Stitch as established across all right side sts.

Row 3: Bind off 6 (6, 7, 7, 7, 8) sts then work in Waffle Stitch as established to the last 3 sts of the right side, k2tog, k1; with the other ball of yarn, k1, ssk, work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the left side—13 (13, 15, 15, 15, 17) sts for the left side and 7 (7, 8, 8, 8, 9) sts for the right side.

Row 4: Bind off 6 (6, 7, 7, 7, 8) sts then work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the left side; with the other ball of yarn, work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the right side—7 (7, 8, 8, 8, 9) sts for each side of the neck.

Row 5: Bind off all remaining sts of the right side; work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the left side.

Row 6: Bind off all remaining sts of the left side.

Front

With smallest needles, cast on 70 (74, 82, 90, 98, 106) sts.

Work in Waffle Stitch until the piece measures about 3½" [7.5 cm] from the beginning, place a marker at each end of the last row.

Continue in Waffle Stitch until the piece measures about 15½ (16, 16, 16, 16½, 16½)" [39.5 (40.5, 40.5, 40.5, 42, 42) cm] from the beginning, ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Armholes

Note: When instructed to work in pattern "as established" work the next row of the pattern and line up the stitches as in previous rows.

Next 2 (2, 4, 4, 4, 4) Rows: Bind off 4 (4, 4, 4, 6, 6) sts, continue in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row—62 (66, 66, 74, 74, 82) sts.

Next 4 (6, 4, 6, 6, 4) Rows: Bind off 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 4) sts, continue in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row—54 (54, 58, 62, 62, 66) sts.

Work even in Waffle Stitch as established until armholes measure about 4¾ (4¾, 5¼, 5¾, 5¾, 6¼)" [12 (12, 13.5, 14.5, 14.5, 16) cm], ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Front Neck

Row 1 (right side): Work in Waffle Stitch as established over the first 20 (20, 22, 22, 22, 24) sts for the left side, place center 14 (14, 14, 18, 18, 18) sts on holder for front neck, join a 2nd ball of yarn and work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the row for the right side—20 (20, 22, 22, 22, 24) sts for each side of neck.

Row 2: Work even in Waffle Stitch as established across all right side sts; with the other ball of yarn, work even in Waffle Stitch as established across all left side sts.

Row 3 (neck decrease row): Work in Waffle Stitch as established to the last 3 sts of the left side, k2tog, k1; with the other ball of yarn, k1, ssk, work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the right side—19 (19, 21, 21, 21, 23) sts for each side of neck.

Rows 4–15: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 for 6 more times—13 (13, 15, 15, 15, 17) sts remain for each side of neck.

Work even in Waffle Stitch as established, on both sides of neck using separate balls of yarn, until armholes measure about 8¾ (8¾, 9¼, 9¾, 9¾, 10¼)" [22 (22, 23.5, 25, 25, 26) cm], ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Shoulders

Row 1 (right side): Bind off 6 (6, 7, 7, 7, 8) sts then work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of left side; with the other ball of yarn, work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of right side—13 (13, 15, 15, 15, 17) sts for the right side and 7 (7, 8, 8, 8, 9) sts for the left side.

Row 2: Bind off 6 (6, 7, 7, 7, 8) sts then work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the right side; with the other ball of yarn, work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the left side—7 (7, 8, 8, 8, 9) sts for each side of neck.

Row 3: Bind off all remaining sts of the left side; work in Waffle Stitch as established to the end of the right side.

Row 4: Bind off all remaining sts of the right side.

Finishing

Sew the right shoulder seam.

Turtleneck

With right side facing and smallest needles, beginning at left shoulder, pick up and k17 sts along the left front neck, k14 (14, 14, 18, 18, 18) front neck sts from holder, pick up and k17 sts along right front neck, 4 sts along right back neck, k26 (26, 26, 30, 30, 30) back neck sts from holder, pick up and k4 sts along left back neck—82 (82, 82, 90, 90, 90) sts.

Beginning with Row 1 (see Note #4 above) of pattern, work in Waffle Stitch for 8 rows.

Change to medium needles and work in Waffle Stitch for 12 rows.

Change to largest needles and work in Waffle Stitch for 23 (23, 23, 23, 27, 27) rows, ending with a Row 3 of pattern.

Bind off loosely.

Sew the left shoulder seam and turtleneck seam.

Sew the side seam from armhole to markers, leaving lower portion unsewn for side slit.

Weave in ends.

Abbreviations