Learn how to embroider flowers on knitted fabric with the Artemisa Vest designed by @studio.fi for Katia´s blog

Hi, I’m Koral Antolín, cocreator of @studio.fi together with my mother and sister. As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved creating things with my hands: from doing cross stitch to designing a lamp. Creativity has always guided my steps, although I never imagined it’d be my way of life. I’m fascinated by learning new techniques and playing with different materials. Some of my favorite techniques are embroidery, knitting, paper flowers, tufting, and drawing. This is why Studio fi is known for creating textile pieces combining linear drawing and embroidery. Female bodies and flowers are our emblem: we love capturing them on weavings, cushions, ceramics, and knitted fabrics. For this reason, we are sharing the Artemisa Vest knitting pattern with you, and we also show you how to embroider flowers on knitted fabric.

We hope you enjoy knitting this vest, designed especially for Katia’s blog. And also, that you have fun embroidering flowers using stem, straight, and bullion stitches. Once you learn how to embroider flowers on knitted fabric, you can customize and update all your garments.

Artemisa Vest by @fabricadeimaginacion

Sizes and measurements

Size: M

• Length: 55 cm
• Back width: 49 cm
• Bust circumference: 98 cm

Materials

• Katia Merino 100% color 40 (stone grey): 10 balls
• 5-mm, 6-mm and 8-mm knitting needles
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle
• Waste yarn

Stitches and techniques

Videos: click on the name of each stitch or technique to see how to do it.

• Knit stitch
• Purl stitch 
• Stockinette stitch 
• 1×1 rib
• Tubular cast-on 
• Bind off at beginning of row 
• Grafting or Kitchener stitch
• Side seam 

Gauge. With 8-mm knitting needles in stockinette stitch and yarn held double:

13 sts x 18 rows = 10 x 10 cm or 4 x 4”

Instructions

This vest consists of 3 sections:

• Front
• Back
• Neckline and armhole ribbing

Work the entire garment double stranded.

There are two ways to join the shoulders and the armhole ribbing to the body:

1. Bind off the stitches and side seam.
2. Leave the stitches on hold on waste yarn and graft together with Kitchener stitch.

To keep the neckline stretchy, do not bind off the stitches to graft the ribbing to the neckline.

Abbreviations

• k – knit
• p – purl
• R, r(s) – row(s) and round(s)
• rep** – repeat what’s between ** until the end of the row.
• sl – slip
• sl1p – with yarn in front, slip 1 stitch purlwise
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• yo – yarn over

Front

With 6-mm needles, some waste yarn and using the tubular cast-on method, cast on 33 sts. [65 sts]

With Katia Merino 100% color 40 (stone grey):

R1: *k1, yo*, rep**.

R2: sl1, *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R3: *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R4-R5: rep R2-R3.

R6: rep R2.

Change to 8-mm needles:

R7: rep R3.

R8: *p1, k1*, rep**.

R9-R12: work sts as they appear.

R13: k.

R14: p.

R15-R54: rep R13-R14 (= stockinette stitch)

Armholes

Continue working in stockinette stitch, binding off at the start of the row:

• 5 sts: R55-R56
• 3 sts: R57-R58
• 2 sts: R59-R60
• 1 st: R61-R62

R63-R90: stockinette stitch

Neckline

R91: k33, leave remaining sts on hold and turn the work.

R92: bind off 5 sts, p to end of r.

R93: k.

R94: bind off 2 sts, p to end of r.

R95: k.

R96: bind off 2 sts, p to end of r.

R97: k.

R98: bind off 1 st, p to end of r.

R99-R102: rep R97-R98.

R103: k.

Bind off all sts or leave on hold on waste yarn to graft together.

Pick up the sts left on hold on R91 and rep R91-R103, except for R92: bind off 4 sts, p to end of r.

Back

Repeat the Front instructions until the Armholes.

Continue working in stockinette stitch, binding off at the start of the row:

• 3 sts: R55-R56
• 2 sts: R57-R60
• 1 st: R61-R64

R65-R94: stockinette stitch

Neckline

R95-R102: rep R97-R98 from the front neckline.

R103: k.

Bind off all sts or leave on hold on waste yarn to graft together.

Pick up the sts left on hold on R95 and rep R95-R103, except for R96: bind off 4 sts, p to end of r.

Armhole ribbing

With 6-mm needles, some waste yarn and using the tubular cast-on method, cast on 51 sts.

With Katia Merino 100% color 40 (stone grey):

R1: *k1, yo*, rep**. [101 sts]

R2: sl1, *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R3: *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R4-R8: rep R2-R3.

R9-R10: work sts as they appear.

Change to 8-mm needles and bind off all sts or rep R9-R10 to leave the sts on hold on waste yarn to graft together.

Neckline ribbing

With 5.5-mm needles, some waste yarn and using the tubular cast-on method, cast on 51 sts.

With Katia Merino 100% color 40 (stone grey):

R1: *k1, yo*, rep**. [101 sts]

R2: sl1, *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R3: *k1, sl1p*, rep**.

R4-R8: rep R2-R3.

R9-R10: work sts as they appear.

Change to 6-mm needles and rep R9-R10 until R18.

Change to 8-mm needles and leave sts on hold to graft together.

Finishes

1. Remove the waste yarn from the beginning of all the pieces.
2. Side seam or graft the shoulder sts together.
3. Side seam the sides of the front and back —except for the armhole area—.
4. Finally, side seam or graft the armhole and neckline ribbing.

Advanced grafting technique

1. First, thread a tapestry needle with the same yarn as the fabric.
2. Insert the tapestry needle into the first st purlwise and come out through the next st on the left knitwise.
3. Pull the yarn lightly.
4. Into the first st of the other piece we want to join, insert the tapestry needle purlwise and come out through the next st immediately on the left.
5. Then, pull the yarn lightly.
6. Repeat until you have joined all the sts.

How to embroider flowers on knitted fabric

Materials

• 50 Mohair Shades by Concept by Katia color 32 (medium blue) and color 48 (orange): 1 bobbin
• Katia Merino Baby color 73 (pastel green): 1 ball
• Blunt embroidery needle
• Scissors

Embroidery stitches used

• Stem Stitch (A)
• Straight Stitch (B)
• Bullion Stitch (C)

Instructions

• To embroider with 50 Mohair Shades by Concept by Katia: cut 4 strands for the stem or 8 for the petals measuring approximately 1 meter, thread them together and tie a knot at the end.
• Use just 1 strand with a knot at the end to embroider with Katia Merino Baby.
• To fasten the knot to the knit fabric: from the wrong side of the work, go through a strand of yarn (A) with the threaded needle and pull until it stops.
• Finish off with a knot on the back of the work at the end of each flower section.

Stem with leaves with Stem Stitch

With 50 Mohair Shades by Concept by Katia color 32 (medium blue) on the needle:

1. Make 5 stem stitches across 2 knit stitches each (B).
2. For the sixth stitch, work towards the left (C).
3. From the back of the work, pull the needle out through the 3^rd stitch (D) and work one stitch towards the left and another towards the right to embroider the leaves.

Petals embroidered with Straight Stitch

With 50 Mohair Shades by Concept by Katia color 48 (orange):

Embroider the petals using straight stitch always working into the center (A,B,C,D).

Center of Flower with Bullion Stitch

With 1 strand of Katia Merino Baby color 73 (pastel green):

With the needle in the center of the petals, make a bullion stitch after wrapping the yarn around the needle 15 times (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H).

Now you know how to embroider flowers on knitted fabric!

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