Griffin is the perfect vest pattern for free-ranging kids.

Griffin is a top-down seamless vest with design elements that hark back to the 1970s. It has a fun and quirky construction, a twist on the traditional saddle shoulder that attempts to minimise finishing and the stop and start aspect of traditional saddle shoulders.It can be knit with or without a hood, and features a delightfully easy to knit-in-as-you-go kangaroo pocket. The finishing touch is the gorgeous mitred neckline.

Construction:
Being a saddle shoulder construction, that’s where the knitting starts. However, there’s a little twist to the working here. After knitting the first saddle, you immediately cast on the stitches for the back and the second saddle, and then knit the second saddle. It’s a quirky little process that may seem a bit weird but at the end of it you have two saddles with the back of the garment already joined on.

Sizing:
To fit actual chest measurement of:
15-21: 15/38 – newborn (16/40.5 – 3mths, 17/43 – 6mths, 18/45.5 – 9mths) 19/48 – 12mths, 20/51 – 18mths, 21/53.5 – 24mths
22-30: 22/56 – 3yrs (23/58.5 – 4yrs, 24/61 – 5yrs, 25/63.5 – 6yrs) 26/66 – 7yrs, 27/68.5 – 8yrs, 28/71 – 10yrs, 30/76 – 12yrs inches/cms.
Sizes are set out throughout the pattern in line with the above.

Finished garment circumference:
15-21: 17½/44.5 (18½/47, 19½/49.5, 21/53.5) 22/56, 23¼/59, 24/61
22-30: 25½/64.5 (26¼/66.5, 27/68.5, 28½/72.5) 29/73.5, 30½/77.5, 31¼/79.5, 33½/85
inches/cms.

Finished garment has approximately 2½ to 3½”/6.5 to 9cm of positive ease already incorporated into the sizing.

Skill Level:
Intermediate

Techniques used:
Knitting and purling
Increasing, decreasing
Picking up stitches
Working in the round
German Short Rows

Yarn Requirements:
Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK (100% wool; 246yd225/125g) — HOODLESS: 1 (1, 1, 2) 2, 2, 2 2 (2, 2, 3) 3, 3, 3, 3 HOODED: 2 (2, 2, 2) 2, 2, 2 3 (3, 3, 3) 3, 4, 4, 4 skeins.

OR Madelinetosh Tosh DK (100% merino; 225yd206m/100g) — HOODLESS: 1 (1, 2, 2) 2, 2, 2 2 (2, 3, 3) 3, 3, 3, 4 HOODED: 2 (2, 2, 2) 2, 2, 3 3 (3, 3, 3)4, 4, 4, 4 skeins.

OR WOOLganic Organic Merino 8ply (100% organic merino; 113yd103m/50g) — HOODLESS: 2 (2, 3, 3) 3, 3, 4 4 (4, 5, 5) 5, 6, 6, 7 HOODED: 3 (3, 4, 4) 4, 4, 5 5 (6, 6, 6)7, 7, 8, 8 balls.

OR DK/8ply weight yarn of approximately:
Hoodless:
15-21: 200/185 (220/200, 240/220, 260/240) 280/260, 310/285, 340/310
22-30: 380/350 (420/385, 460/420, 510/470) 560/515, 610/560, 660/605, 710/650
Hooded:
15-21: 310/285 (330/305, 360/330, 390/360) 420/385, 450/415, 480/440
22-30: 530/485 (570/525, 610/560, 660/605) 710/650, 760/695, 810/740, 860/790
yards/ metres approximately.

Garment pictured shown in indie dyed Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK.

An aran weight version of this pattern, designed to be knit in Noro Kureyon, can be found here.

This pattern can be purchased:

• individually

• As a part of the Griffin e-book (with the Aran weight version)

• As a part of the Griffin and Gwendolyn e-book (with the Aran weight version and both weight versions of Gwendolyn)