The Perfect Accessory for Your Sci-Fi Adventures

The only problem with going on adventures in time and space is that sometimes you get a little chilly. If you find yourself needing a little extra warmth while you wander the universe, you might need to knit yourself a Time Skip Collar.

This design from unexfruit is basically a high-necked, zip-front top of a vest. It covers the upper torso and back, with little bits of ribbing along the sides to connect the front and back.

The neckline is double folded for extra stability, and the front, which is shorter than the back, features a separating zipper for ease of wear.

It calls for fingering weight yarn held double, or DK weight on its own, except for the plackets, which are meant to be worked with fingering weight yarn held singly and worked at a tighter gauge. The neckline, plackets and I-cord edging give you opportunities to add color.

The pattern comes in six base sizes with 12 size options for the ribbing at the bottom. The base size corresponds to your back measurement, and ranges from 13 to 17 inches, or 33 to 43 cm. For the ribbing, you’re looking for a size similar to your upper chest circumference, with a bit of positive ease. These measurements range from 33 7/8 to 57 1/2 inches, or 86 to 146 cm.

While this project has a decided science fiction feel, it would be great to knit as a little extra layer for when it’s a little cool outside but not cold enough for a full sweater. It looks good over a long-sleeved shirt, and I’m sure it would be cute over a dress, too. Different colors give it a different look (there’s even a solid color one on the pattern page on Ravelry which is also fun, though I do like the stripes on the designer’s samples).

You can get this pattern as a free download on Ravelry.

[Photo: unexfruit]

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Stitch dictionaries are a fun way to learn new-to-you knitting stitch patterns or to take a deep dive into a particular technique. Debbie Tomkies offers 100 cable stitch designs and thoughts on how to incorporate them into projects in her Cable Knitting Stitch Dictionary.

Each stitch pattern is shown in a large swatch photo and with written and charted instructions. Any special stitches are included on the page. The stitches are rated on a difficulty scale of 1 to 3, and the pattern notes also indicate how many extra stitches you should add to a project if you’re going to work this cable (since cables pull the fabric closer together you need to compensate for that) as well as how many stitches and rows are in the repeat if you want to design a project yourself.

The cables are arranged into sections: classic cables, combinations, all-over panels, creative cables, motifs and panels and cabled edges and borders.

It’s fun to flip through the designs to think about projects you can add a single cable or two to or make with an allover cabled design. Or you could make swatches of different cables and sew them together into a pillow cover or a throw.

At the back of the book there’s a section on general cable knitting techniques, reading charts, working swatches and avoiding errors (though it mentions working the wrong number of rows between cable turns, it doesn’t share how to count rows between cables to avoid this mistake).

It also talks about how to design your own cables, combine cables in a project, choose the right yarn and needles and determine how many more stitches you need to cast on when working cables instead of stockinette stitch. There’s also a glossary of symbols and abbreviations you may find in cable knitting and other patterns.

The book provides a good overview of things you can do with cables, as well as some fun things you might not have tried like infinity cables and horizontal cables. It’s a great book for a designer who likes to work with cables or a knitter who wants to play with different stitches in their projects.

About the book: 176 pages, paperback, 100 stitch patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $26.99.

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