Enjoy 30% off all patterns until 31 July at 11:59 pm BST to celebrate the launch of the Annie Vest, and the arrival of the summer holidays! No code needed; the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

The Annie Vest is a lightweight sleeveless top with fastenings at the back, worked top-down and flat throughout. You can choose between buttons and i-cord ties to secure the back, and a cropped or full length for the body. The vest is finished with applied i-cords at the armholes and neckline.

You will begin by casting on the right back, which is shaped with increases on the right and wrong side of your work to create sloping shoulders. Here, you will need to decide if you want to finish your Annie Vest with buttons or i-cord ties. Once you have worked the underarm shaping, you will repeat these steps for the left back. You will then form the left shoulder and neckline by picking up stitches along the diagonal edge of the shoulder, and you will then do the same for the right shoulder. You will then join the right and left shoulders with new stitches to form the front panel of the vest, which has underarm shaping to mirror the left and right backs. When the underarm shaping is complete for the backs and the front, you will connect all of the sections of your work together to form the body, which you will work back and forth in rows. Finally, you will apply i-cord to each armhole and the neckline and either sew on buttons or i-cords to fasten the back.

Materials and Fit

Notions: You will need 3 mm / US 2.5 (40- and 80-cm / 16- and 32-in cord) and 4 mm / US 6 (40-, 60-, and 80-cm / 16-, 24- and 32-in cord circular needles. You will also need at least 4 stitch markers, some clip-on stitch markers, a darning needle, and either scrap yarn, spare circular needles, or stitch holders for the resting stitches. If you are making your Annie Vest with buttons, you will also need 12-18 10 mm buttons to finish your work, depending on how long your vest is and how many buttonholes you make.

Tension: 22 stitches x 30 rows in Stockinette stitch on 4 mm / US 6 = 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4 in.

Sizing and ease: The Annie Vest has a recommended positive ease of 5.5–10.5 cm / 2.25–4 in for Sizes A-H and 5.5-15.5 cm / 2.25-6 in for Sizes I-L around the chest (or the widest part of your torso). Please note that if you choose to make your Annie Vest with i-cord fastenings at the back, it will have slightly more positive ease than the figures given here as there will always be some additional slack in the ties.

Size: A (B) C (D), E (F) G (H), I (J) K (L)

Chest measurement (cm): 75-80 (80-85) 85-90 (90-95), 95-100 (100-105) 105-110 (110-115), 115-125 (125-135) 135-145 (145-155)
Chest measurement (in): 29.5-31.5 (31.5-33.5) 33.5-35.5 (35.5-37.5), 37.5-39.25 (39.25-41.25) 41.25-43.25 (43.25-45.25), 45.25-49.25 (49.25-53.25) 53.25-57 (57-61)

Actual circumference of garment at chest (cm): 85.5 (90) 95.5 (100), 105.5 (110) 115.5 (120), 125.5 (135.5) 145.5 (155.5)
Actual circumference of garment at chest (in): 33.75 (35.5) 37.5 (39.25), 41.5 (43.25) 45.5 (47.25), 49.5 (53.25) 57.25 (61.25)

Armhole depth before trim is applied (cm): 20 (21) 21 (21.5), 22 (22.5) 22.5 (23), 24 (24) 25 (26)
Armhole depth before trim is applied (in): 8 (8.25) 8.25 (8.5), 8.75 (8.75) 8.75 (9), 9.5 (9.5) 9.75 (10)

Cropped body length from cast-on edge to hem at centre back (cm): 45.5 (46) 46 (46.5), 47.5 (48) 48 (48.5), 49.5 (49.5) 50.5 (51.5)
Cropped body length from cast-on edge to hem at centre back (in): 18 (18) 18 (18.25), 18.75 (19) 19 (19), 19.5 (19.5) 20 (20.25)

Full length body length from cast-on edge to hem at centre back (cm): 55.5 (56) 56 (56.5), 57.5 (58) 58 (58.5), 59.5 (59.5) 60.5 (61.5)
Full length body length from cast-on edge to hem at centre back (in): 21.75 (22) 22 (22.25), 22.75 (22.75) 22.75 (23), 23.5 (23.5) 23.75 (24.25)

Yarn: For my samples, I used Gepard Hør Silke (70% French linen, 30% Tussah silk; 50 g = 175 m / 191 yds. For the first sample with a button fastening and made to the cropped length, I used the shade Mineral Blue 726. For the second sample with an I-cord fastening and made to the full length, I used the shade Birch Bark 100.

For the cropped length, I estimate that you will need approximately 530 (560) 580 (610), 640 (680) 700 (730), 760 (810) 890 (940) m / 580 (610) 630 (660), 700 (740) 760 (800), 830 (880) 970 (1030) yds.

If you were to also use Gepard Hør Silke, this would 4 (4) 4 (4), 4 (4) 4 (5), 5 (5) 6 (6) balls of yarn.

For the full length, I estimate that you will need approximately 670 (700) 740 (770), 810 (850) 880 (930), 970 (1030) 1120 (1190) m / 730 (760) 800 (840), 880 (930) 970 (1010), 1050 (1120) 1220 (1300) yds.

If you were to also use Gepard Hør Silke, this would 4 (4) 5 (5), 5 (5) 6 (6), 6 (6) 7 (7) balls of yarn.

If you are making the ties, you will need an additional 40-50 m / 50-60 yds of yarn to the amounts stated above. However, this depends on how many ties you make.

You could also use any light DK-weight yarn, or a combination of fingering- and lace-weight yarns. I’d recommend sticking with plant-based fibres like linen where possible as I think this design lends itself to fabric with a lot of drape, but a cotton or even alpaca yarn could work really nicely here, depending on your preferences.

Please note that all figures here have been rounded up to the nearest 10 m / 10 yds to aid legibility, and these estimates are on the generous side.

Techniques include right- and wrong-side leaning increases, picking up stitches along vertical and horizontal and vertical edges, and working an applied i-cord. This isn’t necessarily a beginner-friendly pattern, but there is nothing inherently difficult here either.