Crochet patterns online - Mary's Square Vest

Thank you Mary for submitting what we hope will be one of many crochet patterns online. This delightful soft looking little vest is Mary's invention. She has also sent us photographs of other vests which would be suitable for little boys as well.

She lives in Florence, Italy and is part of a group that meets at a local cafe.

Another first for the site is this photograph of the knit and crochet group to which she belongs, who also crochet for charity. She wrote:

"Here's a photo of the ladies at "our" knit cafe busily making squares for k-a-s. It was fun! as I left at the end of the evening, they all kind of threw their squares at me and laughed. I wasn't expecting them to finish squares that very evening, so it was a wonderful feeling. We'll be sending more in April."

Mary was also the crocheter of the wonderful squares shown here. The author of these crochet afghan patterns for squares is Jan Eaton.

Crochet Instructions
Mary used a bulky wool yarn and a 6mm crochet hook and the finished size of the vest was 10 inches long, and 11 inches across the chest. For bigger sizes, just make bigger squares.

Start with a loosely crocheted chain of 33.

First row: hdc in 3rd chain from hook, and all the way across.
31 hdc including first 2ch which counts as first hdc here and throughout.

Second row: ch 2 and turn. hdc IN BACK LOOP ONLY of each hdc of previous row. 31 hdc.
Repeat row 2 until the square is the desired width.

Turn the square and single crochet along all sides to give it a nice finish.

Make 2 squares and sew them together leaving a space of 7 inches at the top for neck, and 5 inches on sides for arms.

Add a shelled decoration to the bottom for finishing - attached yarn to any single crochet and sc in same space. skip 3 sc, dc ch dc ch dc ch dc, in next sc, skip 3 sc continue from * to * around bottom edge."

Please send us photographs if you make up this crochet pattern as I am sure Mary will love to see them, as we will. And of course as soon as they are on their happy little owner, we will take pictures and post them to the site.

You may like to look at, or contribute to, our other crochet patterns online. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm in crocheting for charity and thereby supporting knit-a-square's project to help keep the abandoned children and AIDS orphans of Southern Africa warm.

Here are the postal instructions for getting your squares and garments safely to Africa.

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