A tale of two vests: getting the fit you want

May 08, 2026

Do you struggle with getting the details of fit just right when knitting a sweater vest? My upcoming KAL/class for Knitting your vest life is going to guide you through the steps. Let me give you a sneak peek of what we'll cover over four weeks by comparing two vests with different fit.

Version 1: top photo: Knitting your vest life in camel, color smoky lilac

Version 2: bottom photo: Knitting your vest life in cashmere, color sea glass.

Comparing vests

When designing Living your vest life, I knit two versions: one in June Cashmere's 100% camel DK yarn and one in June Cashmere's 100% cashmere DK yarn. The two yarns are spun the same and yield the same gauge. Each yarn has similar properties, too: hollow fibers, lightweight, warm, and yielding beautiful stitch definition and similar drape. Choosing either yarn to knit this vest will give you a wonderful garment.

What's really different about the two samples is the fit. Let's break it down.

Determining the fit you want

When looking at the fit of a multitude of knit vests, most that I found placed the armhole shaping right at the edge or slightly over the edge of the shoulder. The neck shaping I most often saw was rounded and quite shallow. Taking these cues, I took my measurements and set out to shape my vest to those specifications.

While the finished result fits me well, I realized it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I wanted larger armhole space and more shaping in the armhole - pulled in away from the shoulder. I also wanted the vest to be a tad shorter; not cropped per se - I wanted it to sit on top of my hip bone for a bit more modern look - about 1 1/2- 2 inches shorter. I also wanted the neck opening to be a bit larger and finally, while I was at it, I wanted the bottom ribbing to go higher into the sweater to bring more attention to it. That's the detail I repeated on the back of the vest so I wanted it to stand out on the front, too.

I had the body measurements right and had achieved the overall fit of 2 inches of garment ease for the vest (that's the ease on top of the stretch of the fabric). And I had a vest I would wear - and did wear both days at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival last weekend. The mornings were a chilly 40 degrees and the days, not quite 60. In fact, as I stood in line for morning coffee, I was comfortably warm. I could see that if I added sleeves, I would have been perfectly warm. . . It was exciting as it was the first time I wore a garment knit from our camel yarn. It was delightful!

Anyway, I digress. On to Sample 2.

Vest 2: The fit I wanted

In the cashmere version of the vest, I made all the changes - see how the armhole is more shaped and indented? The armhole and neck openings are larger. I also shortened the vest and lengthened the ribbing. The vest shortening meant fewer buttons.

I'm really pleased with the second vest simply because these were the details I realized I wanted. I didn't change the body dimensions of the vest - there's still 2 inches of fabric ease. I will wear both vests and enjoy them but it's the fit of the cashmere version that I like the most.

Getting the fit YOU want - join the KAL

The point of the KAL (really, it's a class) is to guide you to getting the fit you want without making two vests! The KAL/class and pattern (pattern is written based on the cashmere version of the vest) are free with the purchase of 4 or more skeins of our DK yarn - either camel or cashmere.

For the KAL, I'm going to share with you how I found the shaping I wanted. There are things you can do ahead of knitting that will affirm for yourself your style and goals. We'll discuss how to take measurements and how to use your swatch to help with fit - beyond using it for gauge. We'll talk about the elements of the vest and how you can modify the pattern to make it your own, and what that means for yarn quantities. Finally, we'll look at knitting techniques used in the making the vest.

The goal is for you to take these lessons and apply them to any garment you make.

I hope you'll join me. We start May 22. Find all the info here:

Knitting your vest life KAL • pattern • kit