PurlbedBaby clothes · Intermediate
Baby vest with square neck
Front and back are the same shape apart from the neck depth. The armholes are cast off and then shaped with a few fully fashioned decreases; the square neck is worked one side at a time, with the other side waiting in hold (or on waste yarn on a hand flat). One shoulder is sewn, the other closes with two buttons or snaps so the vest goes over a baby's head easily.
Suits these machines
- Single bed, punch card
- Single bed, electronic
- Single bed, no patterning
- Single bed (punch card) + ribber
- Single bed (electronic) + ribber
- Double bed with pushers (Passap type)
- Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)
Techniques used
Your size, machine and gauge
Virtual test knit
✓ Virtual test knit passedEvery row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.
238 rows and 13,534 stitches knitted, 24 stitches transferred, 420 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.
| Measurement | Should be | Simulated |
|---|---|---|
| Chest (front + back) | 46–52 cm | ✓ 49.3 cm |
| Length, shoulder to hem | 22.5–25.5 cm | ✓ 24 cm |
| Armhole depth | 8.5–11.5 cm | ✓ 10 cm |
| Head opening with one shoulder unbuttoned | 38.9–82 cm | ✓ 42.7 cm |
| Side seams: front minus back | 0–0.3 cm | ✓ 0 cm |
| Shoulders: front minus back | 0–0.3 cm | ✓ 0 cm |
The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.
0–6 months · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows
Sizes
| Measurement | 0–6 months | 6–12 months | 12–24 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby's chest | 43 cm | 46 cm | 50.5 cm |
| Vest length, shoulder to hem | 24 cm | 26 cm | 29 cm |
| Armhole depth | 10 cm | 11 cm | 12 cm |
You will need
Yarn: Soft baby wool, merino or cotton blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge.
About 40 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).
Also: Tapestry needle, 2-prong transfer tool, 2 small buttons or snaps, Crochet hook for the edges
Gauge swatch first
- Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
- Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
- Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
- Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).
Pieces
Back
Cast on 74 sts, 113 rows. Flat size about 24.7 × 24 cm.
Row by row
- Bring 74 needles into work (L37 to R37). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
- Turned hem: knit 8 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 8 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 018). Remove the waste yarn later.
- Knit 47 rows at MT (RC 065).
- Armholes: cast off 5 stitches at the carriage side at the start of each of the next 2 rows. 74 → 64 sts (RC 067).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 3 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 64 → 58 sts (RC 073).
- Knit 24 rows at MT (RC 097).
- Neck: cast off the centre 28 stitches (L14 to R14). Push the 15 needles on the left into hold, knit 8 rows on the right side and cast off its 15 shoulder stitches. Bring the left needles back to work, knit 8 rows and cast them off (RC 113).
Needle notation
Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.
Row sequence (11)
| Rows | What the carriage knits | Tension |
|---|---|---|
| 1–8 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 9 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 10–17 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 18–65 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 66 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 67 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 68–69 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 70–71 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 72–97 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 98–105 | Stocking stitch · hold 15 | MT |
| 106–113 | Stocking stitch | MT |
Front
Cast on 74 sts, 125 rows. Flat size about 24.7 × 24 cm.
Row by row
- Bring 74 needles into work (L37 to R37). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
- Turned hem: knit 8 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 8 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 018). Remove the waste yarn later.
- Knit 47 rows at MT (RC 065).
- Armholes: cast off 5 stitches at the carriage side at the start of each of the next 2 rows. 74 → 64 sts (RC 067).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 3 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 64 → 58 sts (RC 073).
- Knit 12 rows at MT (RC 085).
- Neck: cast off the centre 28 stitches (L14 to R14). Push the 15 needles on the left into hold, knit 20 rows on the right side and cast off its 15 shoulder stitches. Bring the left needles back to work, knit 20 rows and cast them off (RC 125).
Needle notation
Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.
Row sequence (11)
| Rows | What the carriage knits | Tension |
|---|---|---|
| 1–8 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 9 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 10–17 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 18–65 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 66 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 67 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 68–69 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 70–71 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 72–85 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 86–105 | Stocking stitch · hold 15 | MT |
| 106–125 | Stocking stitch | MT |
Finishing
- Weave in the ends. Steam both pieces flat to size.
- Sew the left shoulder and both side seams with mattress stitch.
- Work a round of double crochet (US single crochet) around the neck and each armhole to firm the edges.
- On the right shoulder, sew two buttons to the back and make two crochet loops on the front edge (or use snaps).
Notes and changes
- There are 6 cm of ease at the chest: enough to wear over a bodysuit. Add 2–4 cm for a roomier fit.
- To lengthen, add rows before the armhole only.
- A punch-card or stripe pattern on the lower body keeps the shaping rows plain and easy.
Abbreviations
- MT
- main tension: the tension dial setting of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
- RC
- row counter. Set it to 000 after the cast on; the steps give the reading at the end of each step.
- sts
- stitches. One working needle holds one stitch.
- L10 / R10
- needle numbers, counted outwards from the centre 0 of the needle bed.
- Hold
- a needle pushed fully forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
- Waste yarn
- a contrast yarn knitted before or after the piece and unravelled later, so open loops can be hung or sewn.
- Fully fashioned
- decreasing or increasing 2 stitches in from the edge with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for seaming.
purlbed.com/templates/baby-vest/ · Virtual test knit passed