THE MAX VEST
Your step-by-step guide to making your masterpiece
Hey there, stitch superstar! You’ve just unlocked the secret sauce to making your very own Max Vest, and we’re excited to be stitching it out with you.
This guide will be your BFF through the entire journey. Whether you’re brand new to knitting or just here for a refresh, we’ll take you from “how do I hold these sticks?” to “look what I made!” — one cosy row at a time.
Heads up! You'll need the physical pattern that came in your knit kit as well as this online guide. The pattern contains the specifics, this guide gives you the extra layer of detail.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (Or CLOSE ENOUGH!)
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s warm up those hands and needles. Think of this like stretching before a workout, except comfier, cuter, and way more fun.
Grab some of the yarn from your kit (just a little, you’ve got enough to spare!), and get familiar with the motions. Try out the stitches you’ll be using in this pattern. This is your time to mess it up, try again, and feel things out — no pressure, no judgement, just you and your new fave hobby.
Bonus: practising now = fewer headaches later (trust us on this one).
Slip Knot
Casting On
Knit Stitch
Purl Stitch
Cast Off
TEST YOUR GAUGE
Once you’re feeling comfy with the stitches, it’s time to check your gauge. We know, we know — it sounds technical, but it’s really just about making sure your tension matches the pattern.
Why? Because different knitters = different stitch tightness. And we want your finished masterpiece to fit like a dream.
So grab your measuring tape, knit up a little swatch (there’s a guide for that at the link below!), and let’s make sure you’re on track before the main event begins.
How to test your gauge
THE MAX VEST
If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should measure 7 stitches wide, and 9 rows high when knitted in stockinette stitch on your 15mm needles.
SIZING AND MEASUREMENTS
You can make your vest in 3 sizes. Your pattern is read like this; 1 (2, 3). Depending on the size you ordered you'll follow the corresponding number.
It can help to highlight the numbers that correlate to your size in your pattern before you begin. The circles are also there you help you keep track of your knitting. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
| Pattern Size | AU Size | Yarn Balls | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6-8 | 3 | |
| 2 | 10-12 | 4 | |
| 3 | 14-16 | 4 |
Repeat after me:
“I solemnly swear to knit bravely, unpick calmly, and pretend I meant to do that.
I accept that chaos is part of the craft, and possibly part of my personality.
I will finish what I start… eventually.”
Your vest is made in 2 pieces. We knit the back and front pieces separately. Then you’ll use your darning needle to sew them together. Then you'll add the rib around the arms and finally the v-neck.
THE BACK
We start with the back piece which we knit flat from the bottom rib up to the shoulders. Once done it will look like a big rectangle.
Using your 10mm needles cast on the correct number of stitches.
💭 You're using circular needles, so your stitches will run down onto the plastic tube connecting your needles. That's totally fine!
💡 Your piece of knitting will grow as you knit so don't be concerned if after you've cast on the piece doesn't look wide enough.
We'll knit in rows of 1x1 rib stitch. To create a rib pattern, we knit 1 stitch, then purl the next, then knit the next, then purl the next and repeat.
🧶 Make sure you’re moving your yarn tail from the back to the front of your work between each stitch (bring the yarn in through the middle of the needles) to ensure the rib is executed correctly.
💭 One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
We're going to start knitting in stockinette stitch next. This is where we knit all the stitches in one row, then purl all stitches in the next - we repeat this pattern as instructed.
As you knit the first row, you'll change to your 15mm needles.
💡 To switch to a different size needle we just hold the new needle in our right hand and knit onto it.
In this row, we'll start to do some shaping for our arm holes. We do this by casting off the first and last stitch in the row. Knit the rest of the stitches as normal.
When you reach step 8 you'll start to make some decreases at the start and end of your knit rows. We use two different techniques for these decreases, the reason is they result in the decreases leaning in opposite directions, creating a mirror image.
Cast off your stitches!
When you've got just one stitch left on your right needle, simply cut your yarn from the ball (leaving about 20cm) and thread it back through your last stitch to secure it.
🔥 Nice Work!
FRONT
The good news! The front is similar to the back. You've already used the techniques in the back piece so you should find this piece a little easier. We'll pick this up a step 6 where you split the piece to create the v-neck.
Here we split the panel into its shoulder sides and cast off a bunch of stitches in the middle to create the V-neck shape.
You'll knit the right side up first and then the left side. So from step 6 you're going to just work the stitches for the first side, back and forth, turning your work at each step.
The rest of your stitches will just hang around on your needle- you'll come back to them later. Once you've finished the first side panel, you'll cast off your stitches for that side.
Then you'll rejoin the yarn by tying it in a loose knot to the bottom of the first stitch left on your needle. You'll repeat the pattern in mirror image for the second side.
💡Just remember you knit all the rows to complete one side before you move onto the next. It will seem a little weird on the first side because you’ve got all the extra stitches sitting on your needle but that’s totally correct.
SEWING TOGETHER
Now it’s time to get to work with the darning needle to sew your front and back pieces together.
Lay your front and back pieces on a flat surface, the right sides facing you. The right side is the side where you can see the 'v's of your stitches.
Sew the cast-off edges of the front panels and the back panel together. It's best if you work from each outside edge and sew inwards so the opening is even.
Then sew the sides together.
For this step we use a technique called mattress stitch. This technique is used when joining pieces vertically and it gives us a nice neat (almost) invisible join. It's also a great technique to hide loose or sloppy edges! 😎
You work this seam through the “bars” of stockinette stitch.
Start from the rib and work up to the arm hole.
We're going to knit in the round to create the ribbeded neckline and arm holes. You've learned the rib stitch already, the only difference is we're knitting in loops or rounds instead of back and forth. You'll use your 10mm needles and stitch marker for these sections.
We knit the neckline in the round, alternating knit and purl stitches.
The v-neck is made a little more complex because we use a few fancy moves to create the 'v' shape in the middle of the front piece.
So first things first. We pick up an even number of stitches in even spacing around the neckline. Pick up one stitch for every row.
Mark your middle stitch at the bottom of the 'V' and mark the beginning of your loop (the place where you start knitting your first loop of rib). These markers will help you keep track of your knitting. A spare piece of yarn or ribbon make a good stitch marker if you need!
Then knit in 1x1 rib stitch around the first loop. The key to knitting in the round is to keep moving your stitches around the needles as you knit.
For the subsequent rows, you'll slip the stitches at the bottom of the 'v' as instructed, this gives us the neat finish you'll see in the product photos.
The armholes are knitted in the round, just like the neckline. This time we want an even number of stitches around the armhole. Make sure you mark the start of your loop so you can keep track. You'll do three loops of rib stitch before casting off!
The last thing we do for every piece is weave in the ends. That’s basically just tidying up the piece so all loose ends are trimmed down and tucked in.
BLOCKING (Optional)
The final step in finishing a knitted piece is to block it. This step is optional and not all beginner knitters will block their work (we didn't always do it! 🤣) but it can improve the overall shape and finish of your piece.
Blocking your knitting is a process where you wet your piece to set the finished size and even out the stitches.
You can choose to block your work before you seam it together, or after. If you block before seaming together you might get a better result with your seaming because the stitches will be more lined up.
Soak your knit in cool water. You only need to let your piece sit in the water for a few minutes and make sure the full piece is completely wet.
💡 You can also use a spray bottle and spritz the knit with cool water if you'd prefer.
Remove your knit from the water and dry it off by rolling it in a towel. You want to get us much of the moisture out of the knit as possible at this point but be gentle! You don't want to stretch the knit.
Transfer your damp knit to a flat surface to block it on. If you've got a blocking mat - great! otherwise a towel will work. The surface needs to be somewhere where your knit can lie flat and can stay there until it fully dries so that the shape sets properly. Make sure it's not a surface that can be easily damaged by having something wet sitting on it!
Arrange your piece so the right side is facing up and the shape is as you'd like it. If you've got a measuring tape you can measure and adjust the piece so it's the correct size.
Allow the knit to air dry - this can take a few days. You can also use a hair dryer to speed up the process, just use a light heat and don't concentrate the air in one spot.
