Fresh off the Needles: Bifurca Vest

After seeing it all over TikTok, I decided to cast on the Bifurca Vest by Teti Lutsak.

The construction is intriguing. The vest yoke is increased at four points exactly like a raglan. But the increases are for the chest and back. I love it, and I love how it makes the colorwork wrap around as well.

I made a size 4 opting to have a smaller amount of ease but still within the recommended range. I used sport weight yarn I've had for years from a shawl kit I never used. I had been holding onto them for the perfect pattern and a way of using all 3 together.

I struggled with the clarity of the color work chart as it requires moving the BOR marker to keep the colorwork between rows clean. There were other parts of the pattern I found unclear as well and guessed what I was expected to do. I'm a confident knitter so it turned out fine. This is not a beginner pattern.

I was nervous about the fit around the armholes. I have a larger cup size than the designer and typical designs assume a B cup. When I finished the underarm, I did a mid-project block to see if relaxing the stitches would ease my fears. I may have made it worse as I saw how the armholes pulled over my bust and considered frogging back to add some more length to the front yoke. The pattern only suggests adding length all around the yoke but that would cause the shoulders to fall pretty far down my arm and I opted not to.

I ended up not adjusting the pattern at all after seen pictures of the finished project on other people and they also had the armholes warped around the bust. If I make sure the front is lifted slightly, the pulling isn't that bad. But you can see that the front hem sits higher up.

I did lengthen the hem by about 2-3 inches. Following the pattern would have left me with a very cropped vest and I wanted to wear it with jeans. I don't think I lengthened it enough though. I should have added another 2 inches.

The vest turned out beautiful and I'm proud of the technical challenges that I worked through. But I don't think I will make it again without altering the bust fit. I think adding short rows around the front of the yoke will help it sit better.