Cherry Red Folk Pocket Vest: Free Crochet Pattern
Introduction
This little Cherry Red Folk Pocket Vest is a sweet, simple make for anyone who has just mastered single crochet and wants a real garment to show for it. It's worked as one plain red rectangle, folded in half, with a few quick seams — no neckline shaping, no shoulder math, no complicated stitch counts to track. Two tiny pink patch pockets and a row of pink button loops give it that folk-inspired charm, like something from a storybook. The finished vest is soft, light, and just right for a 0–3 month baby, with a straight top edge and open armholes that make dressing easy.
Materials Needed
- Yarn: Fine (2) weight, 100% acrylic. Color A (cherry red): 300 yards. Color B (pink): 50 yards.
- Hook: 4 mm (G-6).
- Notions: Tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, 4 small pink buttons (about 3/8 inch), scissors, stitch markers (optional).
- Finished size: 0–3 months — chest 16 inches, length 9 inches.
Abbreviations
- ch — chain: yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook.
- sc — single crochet: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.
- sl st — slip stitch: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook.
- st(s) — stitch(es).
- Rnd/Row — round/row.
Gauge
24 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches in single crochet. Work a small swatch in single crochet and measure a 4-inch section in the middle; if you have more stitches than 24, go up a hook size, and if you have fewer, go down.
Tips Before You Start
- Keep your turning chains loose and your single crochet tension even — this vest has no shaping to hide uneven edges, so consistency matters.
- Count your 48 stitches at the end of every few rows; a dropped stitch will throw off the fold and the side seams.
- Before seaming, fold the rectangle and check that the front and back line up at 24 stitches each — mark the fold with a stitch marker.
- Try the vest on (or lay it flat against a baby-size top) before sewing buttons so the loops sit where they close comfortably.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Vest Body (Color A)
Ch 49.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across (48 sts).
Rows 2–36: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across (48 sts).
Fasten off.
Pockets (Color B) — make 2
Ch 9.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across (8 sts).
Rows 2–6: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across (8 sts).
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Button Loops (Color B)
Join B to the right front edge at row 18.
Loop 1: Ch 4, sl st in same st.
Loops 2–4: [Ch 4, sl st in next row] 3 times (4 loops total).
Fasten off.
Edging (Color B)
Join B at the bottom right corner.
Rnd 1: Sc evenly around the entire outer edge — bottom, both front edges, armholes, and top — working 3 sc in each corner (stitch count will vary; keep the edge flat and even).
Fasten off.
Assembly and Finishing
Fold the body in half widthwise so the front and back are 24 stitches each. Sew the side seams from the bottom up to row 18 only, leaving the upper portion open as armholes. Sew the two pink pockets flat onto the front at rows 22–28, positioned 4 stitches in from each side edge. Sew the pink buttons on the opposite front edge, directly across from each button loop. Weave in all ends neatly on the wrong side. Block lightly by misting with water and pinning to the finished measurements (chest 16 inches, length 9 inches); let dry completely before buttoning.
Pro Tips and Variations
- Swap the pink for cream or mustard for a different folk look, or work the pockets in a contrasting stripe.
- Make a larger size by adding stitches in multiples of 2 to the starting chain and working more rows, keeping the side seam at half the body height.
- Add a simple sc border in Color A around the pockets before sewing them on for a little extra definition.
