Meherwan's (J.) hat - few years ago I saw a friend with a beautiful rainbow stripes hat. She said it was knitted as a simple rectangle shape and then tightened together to create the top. I eyed it doubtfully, but gave it a try, and they became a big favorite: they are easy to knit, they do not have to be a perfect fit and everybody loves them.
   Cast on sts for 18-20" . Knit in rib sts (2 knit 2 purl) until you have 11". That will give you about 2" rim. Sew the sides together to create a cylinder, weave yarn through the top, skipping every other sts (so it's not too bulky) and tighten.
   In these hats I used needles #8 (US), 72 sts and yarn called 'casual cot'n' by 'red heart'.

Here are some of my favorites:

   These vests were knitted as one piece - a rectangle with simple opening for the head. I used garter sts for the arm and neck opening in order to eliminate much finishing work. All that is needed is a little sewing.
   In terms of color I used the three yarn technique - but use what you like:
1. Decide if you want a tight or a big vest.
2. Go to your closet and pick your favorite garment similar to your decision (big t-shirt or tight skinny outfit).
3. Measure it: full height, full length and height till arm opening.
4. Make a gauge piece and if you are using the 3 yarn technique, remember that the vest will get wider, so make it a bit tight.
     Instructions for a medium size (garment is about 19" wide and 18" tall):
With needles #8 US cast on 63sts, and Knit 6 rows.
With needles #9 knit in stockinette st (knit one row, purl the next) for 9" (gauge 13st for 4").
Armhole - knit the first and last 5 sts on both purl and knit rows for 8".
Neck: knit 6 rows (or 7) and on the next row with RS:
knit 18 sts, bind off 27 sts, and knit 18 sts.
Next row - knit 18 sts, cast on 27 sts, knit 18 sts.
Knit 5 rows (or 6)
With RS move back to stockinette sts, but on each purl row knit the first and last 5 sts. Do that for 8".
Knit stockinette sts for 9"
With needles #8 US knit 4 rows.
Bind off, sew the sides and be happy with your new vest!



  

   Richard's vest is done with 2 yarns knitted together - one yarn of variegated fall colors, the others are left over browns that I simply used until I finished the ball, going from the darks at the bottom to light browns on top.
   Again figure out how big (wide and long) you want it and make a gauge piece to determine how many sts you'll need. For a medium size and 12.5 sts per 4" on 10.5us :
9us needles and 58 sts, 7 rows garter sts. (knit each row). Then
10.5us needles, add 2 more sts and knit in St.st. until armhole.
   For armhole edging knit the first and last 5 sts in each row in garter sts ( optional: bind off 1 sts at the beg. of each row twice).
   Start the neck opening at the height you desire by knitting 4 sts (5 if your number of sts is uneven) in garter sts. Increase this area by 1 sts at each side until you have 10 garter sts (or 11) Divide the knitting and start binding off in the middle (add another yarn for the other side) until the neck opening is the right width. If the vest is stil too short, go on knitting straight up (without decreasing in the middle) until you reached the vest length that you want.
   For the back: cast back on the sts you bind off for the neck opening, count to see that you have the same amount of sts as you had before neck opening, and retrace your steps (knit 5 sts at beg. and end of each row until armhole is done)

   These vests are done in rib 2/2 and are made in 3 pieces:
The 'scarf'  that goes around to the back,
A small piece encasing the left waist,
And a bigger piece over the right shoulder. Both pieces wrap around and attach to 'the scarf' in the back.
The right waist is simply ribboned together.

   The vest on the right is done in the weaving style and is knitted in one piece. The white vest is mitered and knitted from top down, not reducing sts on the edges at the top of the shoulder and reducing only every 4th row after that. It would have been better to knit it with either bigger needles or thinner yarn, in order to give it a softer flow.

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