838 Lido Vest - Waistcoat Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Worthington

Pattern Summary: 838 Lido Vest – Women's V-Neck Waistcoat Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman

The 838 Lido Vest is a women's sleeveless V-neck waistcoat designed by Julie Turjoman and published as a downloadable PDF pattern. Worked in Valley Yarns Worthington, a DK weight yarn, this vest is crafted to be an elegant and practical layering piece suitable for three-season wear. The design beautifully combines two contrasting stitch textures — a ribbed bodice and a mesh lace body — creating visual interest while keeping the construction accessible for advanced beginner knitters ready to explore lace techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a fitted, sleeveless vest (waistcoat) with a classic V-neckline, designed for women. It is intended as a versatile layering garment that transitions well across spring, autumn, and mild winter conditions. The finished bust measurements range from 34 to 57¼ inches across seven sizes, offering an inclusive size range. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in Size 38" in the colorway Navy.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The vest is worked from the lower edge upward, a traditional approach that allows knitters to easily adjust length before committing to the armhole and neckline shaping.
• Worked in the round and flat: The pattern combines seamless circular knitting and flat knitting, giving the finished garment a clean, polished structure with minimal seaming.
• Lace knitting: The body of the vest features a mesh lace stitch, an openwork technique that creates a delicate, airy fabric with excellent drape. Lace knitting typically involves yarn-over increases paired with corresponding decreases to form decorative eyelets and patterns.
• Ribbing: The bodice section uses a rib stitch, which creates a stretchy, textured fabric that hugs the body and provides structure and definition at the torso.

Stitches Used

• Mesh lace stitch — the primary stitch pattern used across the main body of the vest, worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches on US size 5 needles after blocking
• Rib stitch — used for the bodice section, worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows to 4 inches on US size 5 needles after blocking
• Standard knitting construction stitches including cast on, bind off, yarn overs, and decreases as indicated by the pattern abbreviations

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Worthington, a DK weight yarn with a luxurious fiber blend of 50% Wool, 25% Alpaca, and 25% Viscose, sold in 50g skeins with approximately 174 yards per skein. This fiber combination delivers a soft tweed surface with beautiful drape, sturdiness, and excellent stitch definition — qualities that make it particularly well suited to lace and textured stitch patterns. Depending on size, the pattern requires 6 to 12 skeins.

The wool content provides resilience and warmth, the alpaca adds softness and a subtle halo, and the viscose contributes to the yarn's characteristic drape and sheen — making Worthington an ideal choice for a three-season garment like the Lido Vest.

Needles and Notions

• US size 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles in both 16-inch and 32–40-inch lengths for the main body and lace sections
• US size 4 (3.50 mm) circular needles in both 16-inch and 32–40-inch lengths, likely used for ribbing or finishing edges
• Stitch markers, including locking stitch markers, for tracking pattern repeats and sh