Interweave SKU: EP2101

Pattern Description from Interweave Knits, Winter 2009:
The transition from deep black to bright white is softened with in-between shades of gray in the Heritage Cardigan. Though gray is also used as a foreground color int he colorwork band, it’s a pale enough gray to read as part of the pattern, rather than as part of the background. Undyed yarns from heirloom sheep breeds knit up into a soft, surprisingly lightweight fabric.

Finished Size: 35½ (36½, 40½, 43½, 47, 50)“ bust circumference, with fronts overlapped. Vest shown measures 35½”.

Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds (100% wool; 120 yd [110 m]/100 g): #950 Bluefaced Leicester (MC; natural), 5 (5, 6, 6, 7, 7) balls; #954 steel gray Suffolk (CC1), #952 mid-brown Jacob (CC2), and #951 Black Welsh (CC3, black), 1 ball each. Yarn distributed by Westminster Fibers.

Needles: Size 10½ (6.5 mm): 16” and 24” circulars (cir). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Markers (m); removable markers or safety pins; size I/9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook; tapestry needle.

Gauge: 15 sts and 21 rows = 4” in solid-color St st; 15 sts and 20 rows = 4” in Fair Isle patt.

Notes:

• The body of the vest is worked in one piece from side to side,beginning at the left-front edge and ending at the right-front edge.
• Take care that you do not strand the unused color too tightly across the back of the work when working the Fair Isle chart because this will pucker the fabric and affect the length of the vest.
• Bind off and cast on stitches loosely for the armhole shaping so the edges will lie flat and match the tension and elasticity of the surrounding stockinette fabric.
• The ribbed lower edge is worked using MC throughout. When working the Fair Isle pattern, use a separate ball of MC and the intarsia method to work the lower-edge stitches, twisting the yarns at the change between the lower-edge pattern and the charted colorwork to avoid leaving holes. do not strand the Fair Isle yarns behind the lower-edge stitches.
• The back armholes are deliberately ½“ deeper than the front armholes.