Year of the Horse knit waistcoat pattern

Every year I design a new Lunar New Year pattern and this year is a larger project!

This is a pattern to make a stranded work waistcoat worked in the round, from the bottom up, and with steeks. The charts in my patterns are large; many people use Knit Companion when working my patterns. You may also work on a computer to make the charts larger (this is what I do) or print on large format paper.

This pattern is intended for knitters who are familiar with complex colourwork charts and understand gauge/repeat and its relation to finished size. Finished size of your garment is determined both by needle size/gauge AND number of side panel repeats. I have included approximate suggested finished sizes, but there is room for change (any changes may result in changes of yarn amounts). There is a brief tutorial about the Ladder Back Jacquard technique as well as written and link instructions for steeking.

yarn:

2 Ply Jumper Weight by, Jamieson & Smith; Fingering; 100% Shetland; 125yds (115m)/25g

approximate yarn amounts {A is dark, B is light}:

26 stitch gauge - colour A 145 (180, 217, 248) g / 650 (806, 975, 1112) yds / 595 (737, 892, 1016) m; colour B 61 (75, 91, 104) g / 274 (340, 411, 470) yds / 250 (310, 375, 430) m

28 stitch gauge - colour A 130 (162, 195, 229) g / 585 (730, 878, 1030) yds / 535 (668, 803, 942) m; colour B 50 (62, 75, 88) g / 225 (279, 338, 396) yds / 206 (255, 310, 363) m

30 stitch gauge - colour A 136 (175, 215, 268) g / 613 (788, 963, 1203) yds / 560 (720, 880, 1100) m; colour B 56 (74, 90. 113) g / 250 (332, 406, 507) yds / 228 (304, 371, 464) m

needles: (circular needles 32in/80cm)

26 stitch gauge - 2.75mm & 3.25mm

29 stitch gauge - 2.5mm & 3.0mm

32 stitch gauge - 2.25mm & 2.75mm

gauge:

26 (29, 32) sts and 26 (29, 32) rows = 4 in/10 cm over stranded stockinette patterning on 3.25 (3.0, 2.75) mm needles

Some knitters work stranded and corrugated rib at different gauges than single colour - change needles, as needed, to keep gauge the same throughout.

approximate finished sizes (suggested):

26 stitch gauge - 37.5 (46.5, 55.5, 64.5) in / 96 (118, 141, 164) cm

29 stitch gauge - 35 (43.5, 52.5, 61.5) in 89 (110.5, 132, 153.5) cm

32 stitch gauge - 31 (38.5, 46, 53.5) in / 78.5 (98, 117, 148.5) cm

additional tools:

needle, st markers (6), st holders, 4 - 6 buttons (15mm)