Intarsia Vest (2025)

Pattern by Ruth Doherty

I designed and crocheted this vest using lace-weight mohair and alpaca yarns in red, orange, and blue. I was inspired by the bright orange yarn to select the rest of the color palette. The analogous red yarn enhances the piece's warm tones, while the complementary blue yarn provides an eye-catching contrast to the orange. I designed the vest to be reversible with a rounded neckline on one side and a high neck on the reverse. Additionally, I designed a unique color-blocking pattern on the front and back, using the intarsia color-work technique. By using fine, fluffy yarns, I created a lightweight, drapey fabric with a soft halo. Due to the differing fiber contents of each color of yarn, the blue yarn is slightly thinner and creates a more translucent fabric, while the fluffier red and orange alpaca yarns create more opaque sections, which add to the contrast between color-blocked sections of the design.