London Fog Knitted Slipover
Hi there! Today’s post is based on a project whim I had a few weeks ago, that I ended up really enjoying.
First, I’ll tell you how it came to be. I was smack dab in the middle of several sewing projects that all required my attention, and had planned to dedicate my day to them. Instead, I woke up in the mood to knit. Does this ever happen to you? It can be so frustrating to have half-finished projects waiting for you, only to realize you are just not in the mood to work on them. Especially if you have deadlines of some kind to meet, or know that time for crafty projects in your schedule is limited.
I also think that it can be fun to surrender to creative mood swings when they strike. There’s something energizing about hopping into a project that you’ve only dreamed up moments or hours before, and you can end up returning to your other projects feeling creatively refreshed and ready to dive back into them.
However, this is where I should mention that I am very new to knitting! While I’ve been sewing in some shape or form for much of my life, knitting is something that I only took up a few year’s ago. Add to that that I’m mostly self taught (as with sewing), apart from one class I took on knitting dishcloths, and it’s safe to say that the progression of my knitting skills has been SLOW. I have successfully knitted hats and scarves, and have partially completed one mitten - the thumb intimidates me and remains unfinished, silently mocking me from a corner of my office.
Needless to say I still have a lot to learn! I was in the mood to challenge myself a bit though, and decided to look online for a project that peaked my interest. I have an entire Pinterest board filled with free knitting patterns that I could have gone to, but for some reason I went to Etsy first, and I think it was meant to be! In less than five minutes of looking at patterns on the site, I came across one that immediately caught my attention. It was a simple sweater vest with clean lines, made of an easy chunky yarn size. Then I realized it was called the London Fog Slipover, and since I’m a sucker for all things London Fog, I was sold.
Here is the pattern photo that caught my attention:
Pattern Link Here
The pattern was from an Etsy store called Caidree, and the shop owner Sabina designs her own knitting and crochet patterns. When I took a look at the shop, I loved her project aesthetic. Simple, classic, clean-lined patterns that have great finishing details. Here is the shop link!
Etsy Store Link Here
The knitting pattern was an instant download once purchased, so within minutes I had a copy of the pattern in hand and ready to go. I was lucky and had the needle sizes I needed, and pulled out some yarn from my stash that I thought would work. I used a bonus bundle of Lion Brand Thick and Quick Wool Ease in the color Urban Camo.
Yarn Link Here
Since I am such a beginner knitter, it has become my practice to read through a knitting pattern before I start it, and look for any stitch types that are new to me so that I can flag them for further research. Then I pull out my go-to knitting reference - the Ultimate Knitting Bible.
I bought this book when I first got into knitting, because it came highly recommended with great reviews, and I knew I was going to need something to help me decipher knitting pattern short forms, techniques, etc. I have already used this more times than I can count! What I find so helpful about it is the very clear, and descriptive, photos of every knitting stitch imaginable. I have yet to find something I need that isn’t in this book.
Of course, YouTube is also a great reference for free, how-to knitting stitch videos that are easy to follow. In the case of this knitting pattern, some new-to-me knitting stitches that I needed some help with were m1Lp’s and m1rp’s. I was able to find these in my book, which was great, and this video was also super helpful for additional visual reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umyWCaCUCZs
That being said, I found the instructions for this pattern so well organized and easy to follow! I was nervous about having to switch off from a circular needle, to straight needles, and back again, but I accomplished this without any difficulty thanks to the great descriptions. When I was part way through my project I reached out to the shop to let them know that I was loving the pattern, and Sabina was kind enough to offer any help if I had questions along the way. Now that is amazing customer service!
By end of day though I was done the project, and so happy with it!! Take a look for yourself.
I should note that there are two things I did differently then instructed in the pattern. The first is the side slits at the bottom of the vest that you see in the original product photo. I am still developing a consistent and tight tension when knitting, and found that my overall weave came out a bit looser. This could also be because of the yarn I chose, which matched the weight required for this pattern, but may have been slightly thinner than the one recommended. Either way, this is because of my knitting and materials, not the pattern. Because of this though, I was afraid my bottom rib trim wasn’t going to have the same structure that the pattern example had, so I kept the ribbed portion all one piece to make sure that it held it’s shape okay.
Also, one of the final steps in the pattern calls for binding off the arm hole edges, which creates a really nice, finished look around the arm holes. I would have done this step, but by the time I finished the bottom of the vest I didn’t have enough yarn left. I just made it! I am fine with how the armholes look without this additional bind off though, so it all worked out okay.
This is such a great layering piece for spring and fall, and I think the color of this will actually work with many outfits. Of course, this turned out so well that I’m also thinking about all the other colors I’d love to have this pattern in too, so I don’t think it will be long before I knit this up again! That would also give me a chance to try the armhole bind off, which would be another great skill to add to my knitting knowledge.
I also want to note that I have a very long torso, so this pattern turned out looking a little shorter on me than the pattern model. I still think this turned out great, and like the look of shirt tails peaking out of the bottom. However, it would be very easy to adjust the overall length of the vest if I wanted to in future, by simply adding more rows to the straight torso portion of the pattern. Even a beginner like me can handle that!
I liked this pattern so much, I’ve already purchased Caidree’s Gallant sweater pattern, and I’ve got my eye on the Moxie jacket pattern. It might be a while before I’m ready to tackle a larger project like either of those, but when I am these are going to be the first ones I try. In addition to Caidree’s Etsy shop link above, you can also find them on Instagram at @caidree, and on Ravelry.
If you decide to try your own version of this vest, please share! You can find me on Instagram at @velvetarchivesblog. This is a fun, one-day knit that I know I’m going to be wearing a ton until our temperatures here warm up. Today at home is -3…enough said. I intend to get back to spring and summer themed projects shortly though, so keep an eye out for those. Until then, happy crafting!
~Amanda