Tucked Vestee Pattern #2205

Materials: Clark's O.N.T. Mercerized Crochet, 5 balls of White, size 20. Milward's steel crochet hook No. 6. 9 small buttons. The right front, the left front and the center front band are made individually. The collar is then made and sewed to neckline of vestee.

Vestee. Left Front: Starting at lower edge of vestee, ch 47 (to measure about 42 inches), turn.

1st row: Dc in 4th ch from hook, dc in each ch across (45 dc, counting turning ch as 1 dc). Ch 3, turn.

2nd row: Thread over hook as for a dc, insert hook in sp between 1st and 2nd dc of previous row, bring hook out through sp between 2nd and 3rd dc, thread over, draw loop through, and complete dc. Thread over hook, insert hook between 2nd and 3rd dc, bring hook out through sp between 3rd and 4th dc and complete dc as before. Continue in this manner to end of row (45 dc). Ch 3, turn.

3rd row: Dc in each dc across as in ordinary way (45 dc). Ch 3, turn.

Repeat these last 2 rows alternately until work measures 11 inches in all.

Then to shape neck, with right side of work toward you (the side with the ridges is right side of work), work as follows: 1st row: Work across first 29 dc, turn.

2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th rows: Skip 1 dc, sc in each of next 2 dc, and continue in pattern as before to end of row. Ch 3, turn.

3rd row: Work in pattern across first 24 dc, turn.

5th row: Work in pattern across first 19 dc, turn.

7th row: Work in pattern across first 14 dc, turn.

9th row: Work in pattern across first 9 dc, turn.

10th to 13th rows incl: Work in pattern without decreasing. Break off.

Right Front: Work as for left front, reversing neck shaping. Break off.

To make a piece for back of neck, ch 78 (to measure about 8 inches), turn.

1st row: Dc in each ch across. Ch 3, turn.

2nd and 3rd rows: Dc in each dc, making 5 increases at regular intervals (to increase, make 2 dc in 1st), ch 3, turn.

4th row: Dc in each dc, making 9 increases at regular intervals. Break off.

Sew ends of this strip across last row of both fronts, having foundation ch as neck edge.

Center Front Band: Starting at lower edge, ch 20 (to measure about 2 inches), turn.

1st row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across. Ch 1, turn.

2nd row: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn.

Repeat 2nd row, making a buttonhole after the first half inch and every 1½ inches thereafter, until 9 buttonholes are made. (To make a buttonhole, on one row make sc in each of 7 sc, ch 5, skip 5 sc, sc in each of next 7 sc, and on the next row make sc in each sc and 5 sc in each ch-5.) After the 9th buttonhole is made, work for 2 inch and break off.

Place center front band on top of right front, so that right front edge is in line with center of buttonholes. Sew in position, leaving the edge overlapping right front free.

Collar. Starting at neck edge, ch 160 (to measure 1 inch more than measurement of neck edge of vestee), turn.

1st row: Dc in 4th ch from hook, dc in each ch across, making 13 increases at regular intervals. Ch 3, turn.

2nd and 4th rows: Same as 2nd row of vestee. Ch 3, turn.

3rd row: Same as 3rd row of vestee, making 20 increases at regular intervals. Ch 3, turn.

5th row: Same as 3rd row, but making 25 increases (instead of 20). Ch 2, turn.

6th row: Skip first 2 dc, and repeat 2nd row across, to within 3 dc from end of row, then skip 2 dc and make last dc around bar of turning ch. Ch 2, turn.

7th row: Skip 1 dc, dc in next (1st decreased), dc in next dc working off 2 loops only, dc in next dc working off 2 loops only, thread over, draw through all loops on hook (another decrease). Continue to make dc in dc across, making 32 increases at regular intervals, and decreasing 2 sts as before at end of row. Ch 2, turn.

8th row: Same as 6th row.

9th row: Same as 7th row, making 24 increases. Ch 2, turn.

10th row: Same as 6th row.

11th row: Same as 7th row, making 21 increases. Ch 2, turn.

12th row: Same as 6th row.

11th row: Same as 7th row, making 18 increases.

Work a row of sc closely together all around collar. Break off.

Sew collar to neckline of vestee. Sew buttons on left front of vestee to correspond with buttonholes. Starch lightly and press.

This free pattern originally published in Spool Cotton #81, Neckwear