This vest is made thick and warm like a coat. Dress up with a long sleeve top or thermal and a pair of leggings and cute little boots!

All crochet terms are US terms. If you would like to buy a printable pdf you can buy it here in my Etsy Store.



Materials:
Yarn: Category 4 yarn.
Hook: 6.0 mm
Buttons
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

ch: chain
sc: single crochet
hdc: half double crochet
hhdc: herringbone half double crochet
ss: slip stitch

With 2 strands held together ch 44
Row1: hhdc in third ch from hook and all remaining stitches. 42
Row2: with stitch markers mark the 8th, 13th, 29th, 34th stitch. Ch2 turn, hhdc in each stitch except the ones with stitch markers. We are going to do 3 hhdc in each stitch(referred to as 3 stitch cluster here on) with a stitch marker. 50

Row3: ch2 turn, work 1 hhdc in each stitch across except the middle stitch from the 3 stitch clusters of the previous row. We are going to work 3 hhdc in each of the middle stitches. 58

Here on every row will increase by 8 stitches.
For size 2T:  repeat Row3, seven times.
For size 3T: repeat Row3, eight times.
For size 4T; repeat row 3, nine times.

Making the armholes:

Row1: ch2 turn, work 1 hhdc in each stitch until you reach the middle stitch of first 3 stitch cluster. Work 1 hhdc in the middle stitch, ch 4, work 1 hhdc in the middle stitch of the next 3 cluster stitch. We are skipping all the remaining stitches between the 3 cluster stitches. Work 1 hhdc until you reach the middle stitch of the next 3 cluster stitch. Work 1 hhdc into the middle stitch, ch 4 work 1 hhdc into the middle stitch of the next cluster. Work 1 hhdc until you reach the end of the row.

Now your work should start looking like a vest.

Bodice:

Row1: ch2 turn, work 1 hhdc into each stitch across.

For size 2T: Repeat Row1 of bodice fifteen times.
For size 3T: Repeat Row1 of bodice sixteen times.
For size 4T: Repeat Row1 of bodice seventeen times.

Belt R1: ch1 turn, sc across.

Skirt:

Row1: ch 2 turn, 2 hhdc in ach stitch across.
Row2-5: ch 2 turn, work 1 hhdc in each stitch across.

Edging:

With CC we will crochet hdc stitches along the bottom, go up the front of one side, around the neck and come down the other side and join back to where we started.

Change to CC. Ch2 turn, work 1 hdc across, working a total of 3 stitches in the last stitch of the row. Rotate your work and even work hdc stitches along the front of one side of the vest. Work 3 hdc in the corner stitch and 1 hdc along each stitch of the neck, which is the foundation ch row. Work 3 hdc in the other corner of the neck, and rotate to work hdc stitches along the other front side of the vest. Work 2 stitches in the first stitch of CC, join with a ss and fasten off.

Armhole edging: 
Join CC in the middle of the armhole, facing right side of the vest, work 1 hdc stitch around, join with a ss and fasten off. Repeat for other armhole.

Attach buttons, use the hdc edging as button holes 😊

Add a simple flower if you like or leave it plain 😊

Note: I did start with sleeves initially but decided to keep it a vest. If you want to add sleeves attach your arm in the middle of the under arm and work a hhdc in stitch around decreasing 2 stitches in the first 2 rows. Always join and turn your rows to have the same texture as the bodice. Also, when you join the arm in the underarm be mindful of the direction. You will notice it immediately after a few stitches if the direction is not right.

Sometimes our kids have that favorite jacket that does not have a hood and that is the only jacket they will wear. How i wished there was a way to add a hood to those! So here is something i designed for my son. It is warm and fuzzy and i even plan to layer it with fleece for the frigid weather.

Best of all he loves it! I asked him whether he would like a button on front or just a round turtle neck to pull it over his head and he said he wanted the button. So be it :)



Construction:
The general construction of the hooded collar is to create a horizontal panel wide enough to go around the neck. then create a vertical panel for the hood. This peice needs to wrap around the head.

Materials:
Yarn: Chunky weight 5 yarn, I used Bernat softee baby chunky in white and Bernat softee chunky in Faded Denim
Hook: 7.00 mm hook
Tapestry needle
Wooden buttons

Abbreviations:
sc: single crochet
sl: slip stitch
hdc: half double crochet
YOSS: Yarn over slip stitch.
MC: Main color
CC: Contrast Color
BLO: Back loops only
FPDC: Front post double crochet
BPDC: Back post double crochet

Special Stitch
YOSS: Yarn over, 2 loops on hook, insert hook in next stitch and pull up a loop and pull it through the 2 previous loops on hook.

Below numbers are for size 4-6 years. You can easily adjust to any size. Make your foundation chain long enough to around the neck at the bottom of the shoulders, forming a V shape at the bottom and add 6-7 chains more to it. Just like a collar would sit and allow for some overlap to add a button.

Collar
Chain 54 with MC
Row1: YOSS in second chain from hook and all the way across (53).
Row2: ch1 turn YOSS in BLO across the row
Row3-10: Repeat Row 2until you have reached a desired width(53)

Row11: ch1 turn sc 10, chain 31 or as many ch needed to reach the height from shoulder to crown.
Do not fasten off.

Hood 

ch 31 from Row11 of collar works as the foundation chain for the hood.
Row1: work 1 hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in remaining 29 ch, then ss to base of collar (30).
Row2: ss in next stitch of collar, ch1 turn, sc across in 3rd loop of hdc from previous row of hood (30).

Note: do not fasten off if you know how to carry yarn through rows. Otherwise, fasten off. We will be changing colors every 2 rows for the rest of the hood and end in MC.

Row3: change to CC, ch1 turn hdc in BLO across, ss to base of hood (30).
Row4: ss to next stitch of collar, ch1 turn sc in 3rd loop of hdc from previous row (30).
Row5: change to MC, ch1 turn hdc in BLO across, ss to base of hood (30).
Row6: ss to next stitch of collar, ch1 turn sc in 3rd loop of hdc from previous row (30).

Repeat rows 3-6 seven more times or until 11 stitches remain on collar.

Row 35: ch1 turn, sc across and ss to collar, ch1 and sc in next 10 stitches of collar.
Optional Row36: I did a ch1 turn and a round of hdc all the way around. working 3 hdc in corners and hdc2t on the stitches where hood meets the collar.

At this point the hood part should wrap around the head from centre of one ear to another. We are going to gain some more width from the ribbing.

Fold the piece in half along the red line and sew along the blue line using either ss or sc.

Ribbing
Attach white (CC) with sl on either side of the collar, one stitch away from where hood and collar meet.
Ribbing Row1: dc in each stitch along the rim of the hood, join back to collar with ss skipping one stitch from the hood

Ribbing Row2: ss to next stitch on collar, FPDC in first stich of hood from previous round, BPDC in next stitch, FPDC in next and so on, alternate between FPDC and BPDC across the rim and join with a ss in the hood.

Ribbing Row3: repeat ribbing row 2.

Fasten off and add a button on the collar as shown in the picture. No need for a button hole as we can use the hdc row for that.