Griffin is the perfect kid’s pattern for showcasing Noro yarn.

Griffin is a top-down seamless vest with design elements that hark back to the 1970s.

It has a fun and quirky construction 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.

While Griffin looks awesome in Noro, it is equally suited to variegated, semi-solids and solid yarns. It’s a great blank canvas for stripes, embellishments or colour work.

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.

Photos are included to help you along the way with this process.

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 has approximately 2¾-3¾”/7-9.5cm 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:
Noro Kureyon (100% wool; 110yd101m/50g) -
HOODLESS:
15-21: 2( 2, 2, 2) 3, 3, 3 22-30: 3 (4,4, 4) 5, 5, 5, 6 balls
HOODED:
15-21: 3 (3, 3, 3) 4, 4, 4 22-30: 4 (5, 5, 5) 6, 6, 7, 7 balls.

OR Aran/10 ply weight yarn of:
Hoodless:
15-21: 170/155 (190/175, 200/185, 220/205) 240/220, 260/240, 290/265
22-30: 320/295 (350/320, 390/360, 430/395) 470/430, 510/470, 550/505, 600/550
Hooded:
15-21: 260/240 (280/260, 300/275, 330/305) 350/320, 380/350, 400/365
22-30: 440/405 (480/440, 510/470, 550/505) 600/550, 640/585, 680/625, 720/660
yards/ metres approximately.

Original yarn is a rustic loosely spun self-striping yarn with a 2 ply structure.

Please note that if you substitute for another aran weight yarn, this may affect the row tension. The only real effect this will have on the garment will be to slightly alter the length of the pocket and the depth of the underarm ever so slightly.

An 8ply/DK weight version of this pattern is also available here.

Griffin Aran is available:

• individually

• As a part of the Griffin e-book (with the 8ply weight version)

• As a part of the Griffin and Gwendolyn e-book (with the 8ply weight version and both weight versions of Gwendolyn)