A Cabled Vest to Knit for Any Time of Year

All this talk of tank tops and summer vacations might make you think I’ve forgotten about our southern neighbors who are heading into winter right now. Of course I try to mix up the seasons of patterns throughout the year because you never know how far ahead someone might be planning or where in the world they might be.

But this is a pattern that I think is pretty good for everyone right now.

The Clancy Vest from Lion Brand Yarn is a fun textured and cabled vest that you can wear as a top by itself or layered with other things when you need to keep warm.

Designed by Irina Poludnenko, it uses light weight yarn so it’s great for wearing when the weather is warm, too. It comes in either three or five sizes (the pattern page isn’t clear) and you can download the pattern free from Lion Brand or order a kit with the yarn and other supplies you will need.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn.]

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Magical Woodland Knits by Clare Garland is a few years old as I write this, but it’s such a fun book I couldn’t resist sharing it. Step into a magical forest full of realistic woodland creatures including rabbit, deer and squirrel, birds and mice, to name a few.

In all there are 12 creatures, and though they are rather small (the wolf is the largest at 14.5 inches/37 cm tall and 18.5 inches/47 cm long), they are so detailed these are definitely not projects for new knitters.

One of the smaller projects, for example, is the robin, at 5/5 inches/14 cm long. It calls for nine different kinds of yarn. Sometimes some are held together, while others are worked with on their own. This pattern only includes three pages of instructions, but the print is rather small and in that time there are six different sets of short rows. None of this makes it too difficult for a knitter with experience reading detailed patterns, working short rows and working with multiple strands of yarn at once, but it’s worth knowing going in that even for small projects you’ll need a lot of supplies and time to work on them.

These are also not meant to be children’s toys, as they can include wires and other supports that could be a danger to little ones.

The process photos often look like taxidermy on a tiny scale, with little animal pelts stretched out and tons of stitch markers showing where and how things go together.

The finished animals are so pretty it’s certainly worth the effort to stitch up these creatures. You might be tempted to make all 12 and set up your own forest scene or use them to decorate your Christmas tree. You can check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

Along the way you’ll also find a little folklore about the animals, charming drawings and pretty photos of the finished animals, too. In the back you’ll find some helpful techniques like picking up stitches, making I-cord and working short rows.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 12 patterns. Published 2020 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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