Riverside Vest Pattern

Designed as part of the Vest in Show collection for A Woolen Affair 2026, the Riverside Vest was inspired by the thoughtful theme of the show, Lean on me. 

A Woolen Affair 2026 is being held at the Hutton Brickyards, on the banks of the Hudson River in Kingston, New York. In this time of leaning on our community, healing, resourcing, and strengthening, we look to the ways of the river waters. From the show’s theme description: “Water that moves, that carries, that remembers. Water that does not resist change, but makes a path through it. Water that cleanses—not by erasing what has been, but by holding it, softening it, and letting it pass.” 

Please read more about this inspiring theme here: https://www.woolenaffair.com/lean-on-me-2026

The Riverside Vest takes inspiration from the show’s water theme and its rhythmic, therapeutic qualities. It features 3D wave-like accent rows, reflecting the river water’s movement. This cropped vest is constructed bottom-up, starting with the entire body and splitting at the underarm to create front and back panels. The front panels have soft v-neck shaping and feature a tie closure for flexible sizing. 

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Sizing throughout the pattern is written as 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9).

The vest has a baseline ease of 0"-2" around the bust (not including any extra room the ties might add). The center ties make the circumference easily adjustable, so you will likely have more positive ease in the finished piece depending on how tightly the ties are tied. If in between sizes, size down if you prefer a closer fit because you can always loosen the ties to increase the circumference. Or, size up if you prefer a more oversized fit.

The pictured sample is a size 2 shown on a 34" bust. Without the ties, the vest would have 0" of ease. In this sample, the ties are tied with about 1" of room in the middle, resulting in an overall positive ease of 1" for the garment.

See full sizing chart and schematic in the listing photos. 

Your Bust Circumference: 28-30 (32-34, 36-38, 40-42, 44-46) (48-50, 52-54, 56-58, 60-62)"

A - Finished Bust Circumference (not including extra room for ties): 30 (34, 38, 42, 46) (50, 54, 58, 62)"

B - Shoulder to Shoulder Width: 13.25 (13.25, 15.25, 15.25, 17.25) (17.25, 17.25, 17.25, 17.25)"

C - Shoulder Width: 2.5 (2.5, 2.5, 3.25, 3.25) (3.25, 3.5, 3.5, 3.5)"

D - Armhole Depth: 8 (8, 8.75, 9.25, 10) (10, 10.75, 11.25, 12)"

E - Neckline Depth: 8 (8, 8.75, 9.25, 10) (10, 10.75, 11, 11.25)"

F* - Body Length: 10.5 (10.5, 10.5, 10.5, 10.5) (10.5, 10.5, 10.5, 10.5)"

G* - Total Length: 18.5 (18.5, 19, 19.75, 20.5) (20.5, 21, 21.75, 22.5)"

*Pattern includes tips for customizing these measurements.

MATERIALS

Sock/fingering (1) weight yarn:
Main Color - 600 (680, 780, 895, 1020) (1105, 1225, 1360, 1505) yards
Contrast Color (total) - 85 (100, 110, 120, 130) (145, 155, 165, 180) yards
Note: The pattern is written using one general contrast color, but you can split it evenly into as many different colors as you’d like. The sample uses 5 contrast colors.

Pictured sample uses: 
Main Color - 2 skeins of Yarn Matter Smooth Sock (40% Silk, 30% Merino Wool, 30% Yak, 465 yards / 100 grams) in “The Longest Night”
Contrast Colors - 5 mini skeins of Terrapin Fiberworks Severn Light Fingering (100% Tencel, 87 yards / 20 grams) in the “Bookworm Fade” 

US G-6 / 4 mm crochet hook, or hook that meets gauge

Stitch markers, scissors, yarn needle

SUPPORT

This pattern has been tested and tech edited. If you need any pattern help, please email me.
Note: Sizes 1, 8 and 9 have not been tested. If you would like to provide feedback for one of these sizes, I can refund your pattern purchase.

I would love to see your finished products! Please use the hashtag #RiversideVest on Instagram and tag me in your photos using @yarnmatter and #yarnmatter. Thank you so much for your support!