Serenity Free Crochet Vest Pattern

A sea of gorgeous neutrals paired with a slight shimmer makes this free crochet vest pattern as stunning as it is versatile. Great beginner project made from two simple rectangles! The free pattern is below or you can purchase the ad-free, printable PDF here.

This free crochet vest pattern is in collaboration with Lion Brand Yarn. This post contains affiliate links.

Ordering this Shawl in a Ball yarn was totally an impulse move. I was just captivated by how the all the neutrals played together wrapped up in the skein and figured I make a plan for it later.

I set to work designing a very simple free crochet vest pattern that I hoped beginning crocheters could tackle with confidence and experienced crocheters could make in their sleep. It turned out to be really fortunate that I kept it so simple.

Last weekend, my dad suffered a brain injury mountain biking. Despite being a very experienced biker and wearing a helmet, he crashed into some very hard Rocky Mountain rocks. My week was filled with worry, hours in the ICU, more worry and luckily, some mindless crocheting to sooth my nerves.

I'm so happy to say my dad is recovering really well and just needs lots of time for his body to heal. While our world was turning upside down, priorities coming into crisp, urgent focus, I found myself so grateful to be able to crochet to bring some serenity a situation that was entirely out of my control.

I finished the last several rows of this free crochet vest pattern while sitting quietly in the ICU waiting room and even photographed it in a field right behind the hospital. Bless my sister, Mich, who was willing to model it for me even after a day of hospital stress, tears and cafeteria coffee. Now that is a good sister.

Because this Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball yarn has so much yardage per ball (enough to make an entire shawl, as you might have guessed by the name!), this free crochet vest pattern can actually be made with only two-three balls of yarn, depending on the size you're making. I indulged my monochromatic-loving-heart with a colorway called "Namaste Neutrals," but if vivid colors are more your thing, there are several beautiful color combinations in this line of yarn, all with a little shimmer of gold or silver woven throughout. (You can see them all here!)

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Serenity Draped Vest Free Crochet Pattern

Purchase the ad-free, printable PDF of this pattern here.

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Explanation:
A sea of gorgeous neutrals paired with a slight shimmer makes this draped vest as stunning as it is versatile. The use of extremely simple stitches and construction allow the yarn’s beauty to shine through and make this pattern appropriate for beginners or more advanced crocheters looking for a good Netflix project.

Supplies:
• Lion Brand Shawl In a Ball (Weight: 4/Medium - 481 yds, 5.3 oz)
- Namaste Neutrals   2 (3, 3) skeins (see overall pattern notes)
• Tapestry needle
• Size J (6.0) crochet hook
• Stitch markers or safety pins

Sizes/Measurements when laying flat:
Sample pictured is a S/M.
S/M: 32” wide, 25.5” tall
L/XL: 38” wide, 30.5” tall
2XL/3XL: 44” wide, 30.5” tall

Gauge:
9 tr = 4”
4 rows = 4”

Abbreviations and Glossary (US Terms):
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
tr – treble crochet
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
rep – repeat
st – stitch
sk – skip
tch – turning chain
MC – main color

Overall Pattern Notes:
• If you’d like your vest to look fairly symmetrical in its striping and you’re purchasing yarn in a store, look for two skeins that are both wrapped with the same color of yarn on the outside. If you’re shopping online and unable to choose specific skeins, simply unwind one skein until you reach the color that the other skein begins with. Then reattach unwound yarn when the partial skein is finished. This isn’t foolproof, nor is symmetry necessary, but it’s just something to keep in mind if you’re interested.

• Instructions for size S/M are listed, with sizes L/XL and 2XL/3XL following in parentheses. S/M (L/XL, 2XL/3XL)

• Vest is created my making two large rectangles and seaming them together.

Rectangle

Make 2. If symmetrical-ish vest is desired, begin each rectangle with a new skein.

Foundation Row: Loosely ch 149 (159, 159)

Row 1: Loosely sc in second ch from hook and each ch to end of row; turn. 148 (158, 158)

Rows 2-4: Ch 1, loosely sc in each sc; turn. 148 (158, 158)

Row 5: Ch 4 (counts as tr), sk first sc, tr in each sc to end of row, tr in tch; turn. 148 (158, 158)

Rows 6: Ch 4 (counts as tr), sk first tr, tr in each tr to end of row, tr in tch; turn. 148 (158, 158)

Rep Row 6  14 (17, 20) more times.

Fasten off.

Seaming

Notes:
• The only noticeable difference between the “right” side and the “wrong” side of your rectangles will be evident in the single crochet rows. Be sure to seam vest with either the RS or WS facing out on both rectangles.

BACK SEAM: Lay rectangles out flat with initial Foundation Row chains touching. Use stitch markers or safety pins to pin a seam length of 68 (71, 71) tr stitches. With a doubled over piece of MC yarn, join rectangles from the bottom up using the mattress stitch.

SIDE SEAMS: Use stitch markers or safety pins to pin a seam length of 24 (27, 27) tr stitches. With a doubled over piece of MC yarn, join rectangles from the bottom up using the mattress stitch. Repeat for second side.

Take a deep breath, wrap yourself in your Serenity Vest and count your blessings. 🙂

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