Project of the Month: The ‘Vested Interest’ Vest
Hooray for October! The leaves are slowly changing here in the Lower Mainland, we have had a hint of cooler weather and our fall sweaters are out at last. For the October project of the month we are featuring a squishy, warm, hug of a sweater vest called ‘Vested Interest’ that was knit up in Cascade Yarns Cloud, a chainette worsted weight yarn, that you may not be familiar with yet. Read on for all the cozy details!
Janice, Baaad Anna’s amazing class coordinator, is pictured above wearing the Vested Interest vest knit in Cascade Cloud in colourway Dark Moss.
The Vested Interest vest is a pattern from a Sugar Bush Yarns collection called ‘Canadian Warmth’ that features 11 beautiful patterns that will keep you warm all winter (you can snag a copy in our online store for only $2 if you’re quick!). With easy to follow instructions the vest is knit in sections (back, front right, front left) and then seamed before adding the neckband, armhole bands and pockets. Finish it off with buttons from your stash or find some fun ones at local stores like Button Button (closed for browsing but contact them at buttonbutton@telus.net to find the perfect buttons) or Dressew (order online or you can shop in person again starting on October 8th).
Vested Interest vest view from the back.
Cascade Cloud is a chainette yarn that you might look at and wonder how to use. Chainette (meaning ‘little chain’ in French) yarn looks like a strand of yarn that has already been knit. Once knit up, the texture of the vest is thick and warm but not too heavy. That’s in part because of the hollow nature of chainette yarn. Because it is knit before you knit with it, the worsted weight is created from the strands being knit together to make the yarn, leaving the core of the yarn airy and open. Unlike a traditional worsted weight yarn it achieves the same gauge without as much of the weight.
The chainette construction also gives great stitch definition, doesn’t pill as much and has the added benefit of structure that reduces stretching around button holes.
Cascade Cloud comes in eight colours and is a blend of merino (70%) and baby alpaca (30%), which also gives it extra softness. While we used it for a sweater vest it would also be perfect for hats, mittens and cowls. Here are all the details on Cascade Cloud:
- Fibres: 70% Merino / 30% Baby Alpaca
- Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
- Needles: 5.5 mm (US 9)
- Weight: chain-plied Worsted / Aran (4)
- Length: 100 g / 164 yards (150 m)
As with all wool fibres, we recommend washing in cold (preferably by hand) and laying flat to dry.
Another view of the Vested Interest vest, modelled by Janice, Baaad Anna’s awesome class coordinator.
While we chose Cascade Cloud for our version of the Vested Interest there are lots of other yarns you could choose to use for this pattern depending on the feel and fit you want to achieve. If you want a more traditional warm wooly vest you might try two-ply Briggs and Little Regal, or if you want to make a machine washable version you might use Sugar Bush Bold which the pattern used. No matter what worsted weight yarn you choose, we recommend making sure that you gauge swatch first to ensure that your vest will fit just as you hope it will. Check out this great post by Tin Can Knits that is all about gauge swatching.
You can see our full selection of worsted weight yarns here in the online store or you can pop by the store to see them in person during our open hours.
We always have a ‘vested interest’ (groan, but we had to do it) in seeing what you make with yarns you find at the store so make sure to tag us on Instagram @baaadannas with your finished makes!
Happy Fall, fibre friends, it’s the season we’ve been waiting for.
