Knit a Vest That’s Covered in Cats

This might be another one of those posts where all you need to know is in the headline.

Knit vest. Cats? Sign me up.

The Darjeeling Vest by Sangmi Lee offers exactly that.

It’s a stranded knitting pattern worked from the bottom up, with a chart for the sweet little cat faces that are all over the project. It has a round neckline and what the designer calls a “regular fit,” so you can wear it on its own like a tank top or as a vest over a shirt or dress.

The pattern uses DK weight yarn and comes in six sizes. Actual finished measurements of the garment range from 32 to 46 2/5 inches, or 81 to 118 cm. Positive ease of 2 to 3 1/5 inches, or 5 to 8 cm, is suggested, so your body should be that much smaller than the measurement of the size that you choose.

Because I have a black cat (and a tuxedo cat) I of course love that all of the cat faces are black, but you could also change it up so that the cats look more like your favorite cat. Or make most of them black and knit just one of them in, say, bright blue or something, just for whimsy.

No matter the colors you choose, this knit looks like a lot of fun. I peeked at the finished projects on Ravelry and saw that someone also modified it to be a sweater and continued the cat motifs on the sleeves, which is also super cute if you don’t want a vest.

The pattern is available in English and Korean and you can download a copy from Ravelry. And if you’re a dog person feeling left out by all this pro-feline propaganda, be sure to check out her Hundreds of Dogs sweater, also on Ravelry. It’s cute, too, if you like that sort of thing.

[Photo: Sangmi Lee]

Whether you love the cottagecore vibe, are heading to a Renaissance faire, stitching something fun for your Halloween costume, or just want to keep cozy on your fall rambles in the woods, the Wandering Woods Knit Hood from Yarnspirations should be your next knit.

The skill rating is easy, and it calls for worsted weight yarn to knit the hood with an integrated seed stitch border worked in a contrasting color. The hood is worked flat and seamed, then you pick up stitches along the bottom to knit the cape portion.

The cape part is shaped just like a raglan sweater, with increases on each side of four points across the cape. If you’ve ever worked a raglan project before this will be simple for you. And if you haven’t you’ll be ready for your first raglan sweater after this project! The front edgings are worked at the same time as the body, and you’ll finish off with the contrasting bottom edge, as well as I-cord ties for the hood.

This cape is pretty short, just covering the shoulders, but you can knit it as long as you like and even make a full length cape if you’re going for high drama (and warmth!).

There are four size options for the cape, to fit a chest measurement ranging from 28 to 60 inches (71 to 117 cm). As shown the cape edges don’t meet in the front, so if that’s something you want you can work more increases, which will also make the project longer. I’d love a version that’s longer and with a fun clasp to make it even cozier, but you can make it your own way.

The pattern calls for Red Heart Super Saver, but this would be a great project to knit in wool or a wool blend for extra warmth.

You can grab a free copy of the pattern from Yarnspirations, and if you want to make it as shown you can also get a kit that includes the two colors of yarn you need and other supplies if you want them.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

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