A Super Bulky Vest to Knit and Wear Right Away

In 2022 for Christmas I got myself a mystery yarn grab bag from Lion Brand Yarn, and in it were a couple of skeins of super bulky yarn. Because it was almost the beginning of the year and I was trying to challenge myself to use my stash, I knit it up right away into a hat and a little vest.

(This year I bought myself the yarn to make Linger from Knitty’s Deep Fall issue. Can’t wait to cast on.)

If I were using that yarn again I’d still make a vest but it would probably be Vest is Best from Crafts Everywhere.

This cozy, boxy, hooded vest has a kangaroo pocket (this time of year I want pockets in everything) and is super quick and easy to knit. I almost wrote “to knit and wear this weekend” in the headline, but I don’t know when you’re reading this or how fast you knit, but it should still be on and back off your needles pretty fast.

The pattern comes in five sizes and uses US 19 (that’s 15 mm) knitting needles. It’s rated for intermediate knitters, but it would be a good first garment project if you’ve never knit a sweater or vest before. It’s worked from the bottom up in the round to the armholes (which are really deep so actually a lot of it is worked flat), then you seam the shoulders and work the ribbing around the armholes in the round. The hood is worked flat with ribbing added after the hood is worked. The pocket is worked flat and sewn on. And the drawstring can be I-cord or whatever else you’d like to use.

It’s meant to be worn with 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) of positive ease, which is perfect for wearing over a long-sleeved shirt or a light sweater.

You can get the pattern from Crafts Everywhere on Etsy.

[Photo: Crafts Everywhere]

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I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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