About
Tao Slipover is a worsted-weight, textured, crew-neck vest knit seamlessly from the top down.

The slipover is worked in Tao stitch, an offset 1x1 rib interspersed with purl rows, creating a richly textured fabric that will make you promise yourself ‘just one more round’.

Tao Slipover is a sister pattern to Tao Sweater
Other designs in the Tao series include:

• Tao Beanie
• Tao Headband (FREE pattern!)

Construction
First, stitches are cast on for the back, and increases are worked on every right and wrong side row to shape the shoulders.

The back panel is worked, back and forth, ending with increases to shape the underarm, then left to rest whilst the right and left shoulders are picked up and neck shaping is created.

The right and left shoulders are joined under the front neck by casting on stitches, and the front panel is worked back and forth. Underarm shaping is worked to mirror the back panel, then the piece is joined in the round.

A faux seam is worked down both sides of the body until the piece is finished with a split hem worked in 1x1 rib.

The collar and armhole trims are picked up and finished in matching 1x1 rib.

Difficulty
The difficulty of this pattern is rated as ‘intermediate’. You will need to be familiar with the following techniques:

• knitting flat and in the round
• reading your knitting and working in stitch pattern
• increasing and decreasing in stitch pattern
• picking up stitches

Needles
Tao Slipover is recommended to be worked on 5 mm needles (US 8), with 4 mm (US 6) needles used for all ribbing (or needle size to meet gauge).

Gauge
The following stitch count are taken from the finished garment, washed and blocked and measured over 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in).
The needle sizes below are recommendations only.

Stitch pattern: 17 sts x 27 rounds on 5 mm needles (US 8)

Sizing & Ease
This pattern has been professionally graded into 12 sizes* to fit bust circumference from 75cm (30in) to 160cm (64in).

The slipover has been designed with 5 cm (2 in) positive ease at the bust built into each size. This is a recommendation only; the amount of ease can be easily adjusted by knitting a smaller or larger size.

Sizes:
1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

To fit bust:
75 (80, 85, 90, 95, 100) (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160) cm
30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40) (44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) in

Recommend ease to bust 5 cm (2 in)

Finished chest circumference (cm): 81 (86, 90.5, 95.5, 100, 104.5) (114, 126, 135.5, 144.5, 154, 166)
Finished chest circumference (in): 32.5 (34.25, 36.25, 38, 40, 42) (45.75, 50.25, 54, 58, 61.75, 66.25)

Slipover length (cm): 53 (54, 54, 54, 54.5, 55.5) (57, 57, 58.5, 59, 60, 62)
Slipover length (in): 21.25 (21.5, 21.5, 21.5, 21.75, 22.25) (22.75, 22.75, 23.5, 23.5, 24, 24.75)

Armhole depth (cm): 21.5 (22, 22, 22, 23, 23.5) (25, 25, 26.5, 27, 28, 29.5)
Armhole depth (in): 8.5 (9, 9, 9, 9.25, 9.5) (10, 10, 10.75, 10.75, 11, 11.75)

Yarn requirements
Tao slipover is designed to be knit at a worsted weight gauge. The sample was knit using one strand of Sandnes Garn Peer Gynt (100% wool; 91 m/100 yd per 50 g) held together with one strand of Drops Kid Silk (75% mohair, 25% silk; 210 m/230 yd per 25g)

Approximate yarn quantities required are as follows (sample yarn, including 10% buffer):
Size: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

Peer Gynt (g): 274 (287, 301, 314, 330, 347) (377, 404, 438, 467, 497, 543)
Peer Gynt (m): 498 (523, 548, 572, 601, 631) (687, 735, 797, 850, 905, 989)
Peer Gynt (yd): 545 (572, 599, 626, 657, 690) (752, 804, 871, 929, 990, 1082)

Kid Silk (g): 59 (62, 65, 68, 72, 75) (82, 88, 95, 101, 108, 118)
Kid Silk (m): 498 (523, 548, 572, 601, 631) (687, 735, 797, 850, 905, 989)
Kid Silk (yd): 545 (572, 599, 626, 657, 690) (752, 804, 871, 929, 990, 1082)

If you wish to use the same yarn as was used to make the sample, this equates to:
Skeins of Peer Gynt: 6 (6, 6-7, 7, 7, 7) (8, 8-9, 9, 10, 10, 11)
Skeins of Kid Silk: 3 (3, 3, 3, 3, 3-4) (4, 4, 4, 4-5, 5, 5)

At the time of publication, all sizes except size 11 have been test-knitted. If you would like to make size 11, please contact me at hiveknits@gmail.com, and I would be happy to give you a free copy of the pattern in exchange for feedback on the fit for your size.