For intermediate knitters

The jacket is a feast of color and pattern accomplished by stranded knitting with no more than two colors per row using the simplest of knit combinations -- knit2purl2 rib. The effects are amazing, as richly complex to the eye as the mosaics and carpets of the Moroccan Berbers, for which the jacket is named. I began knitting this while in Morocco with my band of merry knit travellers and it will become one of the projects for the Moroccan 2010 knitting tour.

But you can experience the color adventure without leaving your home. Hit your stash for lovely yarns or go foraging for new beauties. Though I used a little of everything for this (all weights with thinner yarns doubled), wool would work perfectly as would anything hand-dyed. By adding a row here and there of ribbon (Louisa Harding’s Sari), I oomphed up the richness of the surface. Mango Moon’s beaded Chakra yarn was also knit into the k4p4 bodice to add more texture.

Though the jacket is designed to both hug the body and fall above the hips, it’s easy to modify the design to suit your preferences. Consider making a vest. It’s endlessly adaptable and a lovely thing to knit as you watch the color play unfold across your needles.

Add buttons or not. I show the jacket both with a shawl pin closure on the yoke. Consider your options, dive into your stash and knit yourself a magic carpet of rich color and pattern.

Measurements are your own. I’ll explain how to work with your gauge to size this to fit your body. The design is very adaptable for ample proportions with slimming vertical stripes that keep the eye moving.

The pattern is lavishly illustrated and 17 pages long with a section on Stranded Knitting 101. Why $15? Because it’s really not just a pattern but more of a mini workshop with plenty of narrative for a life beyond knit code. Also, a bit of me comes with my patterns: I provide support both through my group here on Ravelry, on my web page, and through private emails so you never have to go a knitting adventure alone.