Link to pattern:  MINI ME MANDALA VEST

I designed this as part of a group of baby gifts for a young friend who is about to be a father for the first time.  I had enjoyed making my friend Sharon’s mandala vest so much I decided to create my own Mini Me version.  Mandala vests for children and toddlers, by necessity, are designed differently than the adult versions, particularly in the center; the triple-crocheted, more open part of many adult versions wouldn’t work on one so small.  Also, I wanted more of a flower motif, for both the center and edging.  But when searching for a pattern, I found that what was available didn’t quite match what I wanted, so I decided to create my own.  Okay – I just started to crochet and this time remembered to write down what I was doing.

This is the result:

This vest is one of those items that, unlike most children’s garments, will be able to be worn for quite a while; it’ll be a bit large when she first starts to walk, but it won’t start being too small until after she is two – an eternity, for a child’s garment.