Needles, No. 9; merino wool, or 2-ply fleecy; the former for summer wear.
These cost about 1s. 1d. each, and are the greatest comfort to those who suffer from the cold.
The 2-ply fleecy is the best wool to use, as it does not wash hard.
For the back—cast on 78 stitches, pearl 3, plain 3, in ribs for 140 rows.
141st row—knit 18 stitches; now turn (these 18 stitches form the shoulder-strap); pearl the 18; knit them; turn, and pearl them. You ought now to be beginning the row again, and this time you pearl; and now pearl the 17th and 18th stitches together; turn and knit back; knit a row, taking the 16th and 17th together; turn and pearl back; knit a row, taking the 15th and 16th together. Turn, and knit the row. Go on in this way, remembering always to decrease at the left side, at the end of every row, until you have done 5 ribs altogether. You ought to have 12 stitches on now. Then cast off. These ribs ought to be crossways instead of lengthways.
Now begin to cast off the remaining stitches, until you come to the last 18. Work this shoulder the same as the last.
The Fig. is the right-hand shoulder, the plain and pearl each counting as one rib, making 5 in all.
For the front part of the vest you cast on 78 stitches and knit 125 rows. Begin the right-hand shoulder by pearling, and make ribs as before, only this time you do not begin to decrease at the left until you have done 7 ribs. Reduce to 12 stitches; make 11 ribs and cast off. Cast off the remaining stitches, and proceed as before with the last 18 for the fourth shoulder-piece.
Now sew up these two sides until you get to within 24 rows from the top of the front piece, which is the shortest. You must now join the rest with a gusset, which you form by picking up one stitch, knit it and turn; in every row you must now take up one stitch, and rib them the same as the other part of the vest in 3 and 3. Thus, the first row you have 1 stitch, the next row 2, the next row 3, and so on. When 24 rows are done, cast off. Sew up the shoulders, and crochet a narrow border of small even holes, into which run a piece of crochet wool or white ribbon.