The Wild Rose vest incorporates Swiss darning embroidery on the knitted fabric. The vest itself is a lovely, fluid pattern to knit. Most of the knitting is done in the round before shaping, and you can then lose yourself in the creativity of applying your Wild Rose motif. The motif is inspired by the way wild roses weave through the hedgerows surrounding Dee Hardwicke’s home in Wales, adding luminous splashes of colour to a background of earthy olive foliage and intertwining stems.

SIZES
1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9)

Recommended ease: 2–4” / 5–10 cm of positive ease.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest Circumference: 32 (36, 40.25, 44.5, 48.5) (52.75, 57, 61, 65.25)“ / 81 (92, 102.5, 113, 123.5) (134, 144.5, 155.5, 166) cm.
Length: 19.25 (19.75, 20, 20.5, 20.75) (21.25, 21.75, 22, 22.5)” / 49 (50, 51, 52, 53) (54, 55, 56, 57) cm.
Body Length (armhole to hem): 12” / 30 cm (all sizes).
Armhole Depth (after edging knitted on): 7 (7.5, 7.75, 8.25, 8.75) (9, 9.5, 9.75, 10.25)“ / 18 (19, 20, 21, 22) (23, 24, 25, 26) cm.
Front Neck Depth (after edging knitted on): 2.25 (2.75, 3, 2.75, 3.25)(3.25, 3.25, 3.25, 3.5)” / 6 (7, 7.5, 7, 8)(8, 8, 8, 8.5) cm.
Back Neck Width (after neck edging knitted on): 4 (4.25, 4.75, 5.25, 5.75) (6.25, 6.75, 7, 7.5)“ / 10 (11, 12, 13.5, 14.5) (15.5, 17, 18, 19) cm.
Shoulder Width (after neck and shoulder edgings knitted on): 4.5 (4.75, 5, 5.25, 5.5) (5.75, 6, 6.25, 6.5)” / 11.5 (12, 12.5, 13.5, 14) (14.5, 15, 16, 16.5) cm.

MATERIALS
Yarn: Laine x Novita 4ply (70% Falklands wool, 15% Bluefaced Leicester wool, 15% Bluefaced Kerry Hill wool, 437 yds / 400 m – 100 g).

Yarn A: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 1, 1) skein in the colourway Woodland Bark (hem and neck and armhole edgings).
Yarn B: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 3, 3, 3) skeins in the colourway Sandy Shoreline (background colour of repeat chart).
Yarn C: 1 (1, 1, 1, 2) (2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) in the colourway Frosted Mint (contrast colour of repeat chart).
Yarn D: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 1, 1) skein in the colourway Pine Forest.
Yarn E: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 1, 1) skein in the colourway Whispering Petal.
Yarn F: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 1, 1) skein in the colourway Earthy Olive.
Yarn G: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 1, 1) skein in the colourway Golden Amber.

Or approx. following amounts of fingering-weight yarn:
Yarn A: 167 (185, 200, 217, 233) (248, 265, 282, 297) yds / 153 (169, 183, 198, 213) (227, 242, 258, 272) m.
Yarn B: 445 (509, 572, 638, 705) (775, 848, 924, 1001) yds / 407 (465, 523, 583, 645) (709, 775, 845, 915) m.
Yarn C: 279 (316, 353, 392, 430) (472, 515, 560, 605) yds / 255 (289, 323, 358, 393) (432, 471, 512, 553) m.
Yarn D: 33 yds / 30 m.
Yarn E: 66 yds / 60 m.
Yarn F: 131 yds / 120 m.
Yarn G: 11 yds / 10 m.

Note! Yarns D, E, F and G are only used on the Swiss darning chart. You will only need small amounts of yarns D, E and G. You may prefer to use yarn from your own stash rather than investing in new yarn for the embroidery that calls for small amounts.

Alternative yarn suggestions are for example La Bien Aimee Merino Singles, John Arbon Knit By Numbers 4ply, or The Uncommon Thread Uncommon Everyday.

Needles: US 3 / 3.25 mm 24–40” / 60–100 cm circular needle (for body), US 2–3 / 3 mm 24–40” / 60–100 cm circular needle (for hem) and a set of US 2–3 / 3 mm double-pointed or 16” / 40 cm circular needle (for armhole and neck edgings).

Notions: Stitch holders, stitch markers of different colours, tapestry needle.

GAUGE
34 sts x 34 rnds/rows to 4” / 10 cm on US 3 / 3.25 mm needles in Colourwork Patt, after blocking.

NOTES
The body is worked in the round from the bottom up to the underarms, after which armhole shaping and neck shaping is worked back and forth in rows. The shoulders are joined using the Three-Needle Bind-Off method. The armhole edging and neckband are worked in the round by picking up stitches and working them in 1 x 1 rib.

When working from the chart, knit all stitches on the RS (rounds and odd-numbered rows). Purl all stitches on the WS (even-numbered rows), stranding the yarn not in use across the wrong side of the work.

You can customize the length of your vest by adding pattern rounds before the armhole or neck shaping, but bear in mind that whatever rounds you add will affect where the pattern repeat ends at the shoulder.