Mirror Vest

Do knit a swatch.  The gauge you enter here, and the gauge you knit your sweater with must match, or  your sweater won't fit.  Poor fit problems are more often caused by failing to achieve gauge, rather than not knowing your size.  I advise you apply the chain stitch trim to the swatch to make sure you can cure any tendency of the edges to roll. Save your swatch to practice applying the chain trim.
Enter number or rows and stitches you are measuring the gauge over.	stitches by rows.	I cast on 46 stitches and knit 80 rows. I used my transfer tools to create eyelets to let me measure the width of exactly 40 stitches and length of exactly 60 rows.
Enter dimensions measured after washing and blocking. (If the dimension doesn't change when you wash and block the swatch, pull "same" below.)	inches wide by inches tall.
This is calculated based on the dimensions entered in the boxes above.	stitches/inch and rows/inch.
Enter the tension setting you used to knit your swatch.  (Bond users, enter the key  plate and just understand all references to tension setting as keyplate.)	Tension

Enter Sweater Design Data.

Design Your Vest Shape

Pick a misses dress size, and the program will recommend values for all the boxes below.  You can also pick "custom" and modify these to your liking. If you are customizing, you can find handy size information here: Women and Men's, children & teens.	Misses's size: custom46810121416182022	Click for larger image.
Enter the Chest width of the vest. This should equal the wearer's chest size plus 1 to 4 inches.	inches.
Enter the Shoulder width of the vest. This should be the wearer's shoulder width plus a little more.	inches.
Enter the Total Length of the vest: Sweater length is a matter of taste and current fashion.  I used 20" which hits me about 5" below  my waist and well above my hips.	inches.
Enter the Armhole Depth for the vest: The absolute minimum value for the depth is equal to 1/2 the width of the wearer's upper arm plus an 1".  Most people want even deeper armholes, particularly on vests. (The value I suggest makes very deep armholes, as you can see above.)	inches.
Enter the Shoulder Slope for the vest: This affects the shoulder shaping. It is a very, very difficult quantity to measure.  I advise making it 1/2" for an adult with very, very square shoulders (or if you like shoulder pads). Make it 2" if  your shoulders slope a lot.  I used 1 for my sweater.	inches.
Neck Width before adding the neck trim:	inches.

Estimated Yarn Requirements:

Abbreviations:

Instructions

1. Cast On:
1. Set machine  tension to .  Thread with vest  yarn.  Set machine to knit stockinette (N on brother.) 
   
2. Raise needles to work position.  (Make sure there are at least  needles in rest to the right; you will need to raise these as you work the neck.)
   
3. Latchtool cast on from left to right over these needles.  Take care not to cast on too tightly or it will be difficult to knit the first row.  Pull needles all the way out, push cast on against gate pegs.
   
2. Begin COR; set row counter to zero, knit    rows. 
   
1. Note: Check that work isn't hanging on the gate pegs for the first few rows. If necessary, pull needles all the way out, pull work off gate pegs, then push against needles. Hang weights as soon at it is possible to do so without jamming the carriage.
   
3. Shape neck:  (Increase stitches.) 
   
1. Begin COR. Do the following  times
   
• ** Raise one needle on the right hand side.  Use two prong transfer tool to shift two stitches on the right over one needle, filling the needle you just raised.   Fill empty needle with a loop from the stitch below the stitch to the right.  Knit 2 rows.**
  
2. Next:
   
• More two needles on the far right hand side into work.  Use two prong transfer tool and shift two edge stitches to fill the the closest empty needles on the right.   Ewrap over needle furthest to right.   Knit 2 rows. ** 
• The illustration shows what I did. Before "b", needles up to 75 were in work. I moved needles 76 and 77 to work. I used my two prong transfer tool to shift the stitches on 74 and 75 one needle to the right.  The I  ewrapped over needle 77, and took the photo. Afterwards, I used my 1 prong transfer tool to lift the bar below the stitch on needle 73 and placed it on needle 74, filling it.  Then I knit. 
  
3. There are now needles in work on the needle bed and RC= .
   
4. Shape shoulders. (Decrease stitches.)
   
1. Begin COR.   Knit rows.
   
2. Do the following times:  Use 2 prong transfer tool to shift right hand stitches in one needle  to the left. Take the empty needle out of work. (This decreases a stitch.) Knit  rows. 
   
3. Do the following times:  Decrease 1 stitch on right as described in step b. Knit  rows.
   
4. Decrease 1 stitch on right as previously described. Knit rows. 
5. There are now needles raised on the bed and RC=. 
   
5. Shape armhole:    
   
1. Begin COR.
2. Latchtool bind off stitches on right hand needles.  Take needles out of work.
   
3. There are needles left in work.  Knit rows. RC=.
4. You've reached the first mirror point.   (The carriage may be on right or left. Depends.) 
   
5. Hang a marker on the edges. (I just snip some yarn, pull some needles to upper working position and wind yarn over and under the stitches. See illustration to the right.  When you knit the carriage, the strand will be snagged in the knitting  It's easy to pull out when you finish the sweater.  On this vest, marking can help you distribute stitches evenly if you later apply a  trim to the edge of the vest; it has no other purpose.  If you forget to do it, don't worry.)
   

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6. Knit rows. RC=. End COR; move the carriage all the way over so you can cast on
   
7. Raise on right hand needles; latchtool cast on. (Once again. be sure not to do this tightly and make sure the stitches don't hang up on the gate pegs when knitting the next few rows.)
   
6. Mirror previous shoulder shaping, that is, step 3. (You will increase stitches this time.)
   
1. Set row counter to zero. Knit   rows. 
   
2. Mirror 4c:  Do the following times:  Raise 1 needle on right. Use transfer tool to shift stitches.  Fill empty needle.  Knit rows.
   
3. Mirror 4b: Do the following times:  Raise 1 needle on right. Use transfer tool to shift stitches.  Fill empty needle. Knit rows. 
4. Mirror 4a: Raise 1 needle on right. Knit  rows.
   
5. There are now needles in work on the needle bed and RC= .
7. Mirror neck shaping in step 3.  (You will decrease stitches this time.)
   
1. COR.  Knit 1 row. Use transfer tool to transfer 2nd and 3rd stitches from the right edge in 1 needle to the right. Then transfer the right most stitch to the left. Take two empty needles on right out of work. Knit 1 row.
   
2. Begin COR.  Do the following  times: ** Knit 1 row.  With transfer tool, shift 1 stitch to the right to reduce a stitch.  Knit 1 row.**
3. There are now needles in work on the needle bed and RC= .
8. Work to center back.
1. Beg COR.  Knit  more rows.   RC=
2. You have reached the center back.   Hang a marker before knitting the next row.
   
3. This is the second mirror, and it's a big one!
   

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9. Mirror all shaping. The reason this is called the mirror vest, is this: To mirror,
   
1. Reset row counter to zero.
   
2. Repeat steps 2-8 through 8a. 
   
3. Bind off! 
   

4. ---

Trim.

1. Practice applying one row or single crochet as the edging using the swatch.  Attach yarn in a corner. Using a crochet hook in a size you think is appropriate (I used the latchtool), begin working single crochets.  On edges that are rows (like the hem or neck), ** work (1 sc in a row, skip one  row) two times, then (1 sc in a row, 1 sc in a row, skip one row) ** repeat across until you get to the corner. Work 3 sc in the corner.  On edges that are stitches (like the center front or armhole edges), work 9 sc every 10 knit stitches.  Examine the edge. If the chain lengthens the edge, use a smaller hook. If the chain draws in the edge noticeably, use a larger hook.  If all else fails, increase or decrease the number of stitches worked on an edge.  So, for example, work 8 sc every 9 knit stitches.
   
2. Mattress stitch shoulders. Steam edges to minimize curling and make it easier to work the crochet trim.
   
3. With a crochet hook, attach yarn at one corner of the under arm.  Work 1 row of single crochet around the armhole.  Break yarn and anchor.
   
4. With a crochet hook, attach yarn at the hem below the underarm.  Work 1 row of single crochet to the corner, up the center front, along the neck, down the center front, and along the hem to the point where you attached the yarn. Break yarn and anchor. 
   
5. Remove all markers.  Weave in all loose ends, block, fold over neck line. 
   
6. Take a photograph of yourself wearing the vest, blog about it and send me the link!  Or send me a donation. Or email me a picture and let me blog about it. Or...
   

Block

Assemble

• PreShrunk stitch width  = inches.
• Normalized stitch diameter = inches.
• Number stitches in vest =    stitches.

1. The numbers in the three boxes just above.
2. The weight of the vest you knit. (Weigh it at the post office, or any place reliable. Send the data in grams, ounces, kg, lb. etc.  You can use any units provided you tell me which you use.  )
   
3. The yardage and weight of one skein or cone of your yarn. (You can read this on the ball band. Send me the yardage in meters or yards and the weight.  If you list the brand of yarn, that would be nice too.  If it's hand spun,  let me know; it's possible hand spinners don't know their yardage as well as manufacturers or vice versa.)
   
4. Tell me if your vest was knit in stockinette. (If not, tell me what the stitch. I'll compare outcomes.)
5. Tell me the brand of yarn, or yarn "type".  "I don't know" is an acceptable answer.  I just want to keep track of whether the yarn is "plain old ordinary smooth yarn", "boucle", "ribbon" etc. just in case that makes a difference.