Where, on his bed of wool and matted leaves,
He has outslept the winter, ventures forth
To frisk a while, and bask in the warm sun,
The squirrel, flippant, pert, and full of play.
The Squirrel
by William Cowper

A walk in the woods, surrounded by oak groves and vineyards. Suddenly, a squirrel pokes its tiny head out of its nest, made of twigs and oak leaves. It carries an acorn in its mouth. For one captivating moment we stare at each other. He fades away, but the pattern of that instant spins in my head.

Squirrel Nest cardigan is a circular yoke that is worked seamlessly from the top down. The neck is worked first, after that, several series of short rows are used for a comfortable and beautifully shaped finish.
The yoke is shaped with increases that are evenly distributed around the entire circumference of the upper body.
Sleeves are then placed on hold and the body is worked toward the hem.
The sleeve stitches are then placed on the needles again and worked in the round toward the cuffs.
The cardigan is relaxed fit and as it is knitted top-down lengths are easily adaptable.
The cardigan is steeked. The front steek is not cut open until after the body and sleeves are completed to allow the cardigan to be held together neatly during the knitting of the latter. The garment should be tried on before cutting to ensure a good fit.
Beginner-friendly as you only work with 2 colors at a time.
Please note that the stranded pattern is charted only.
As the cardigan is knitted top-down lengths are easily adaptable.
Please, read the whole pattern carefully before you start knitting. As the pattern gives detailed calculations for all sizes, I recommend highlighting all numbers related to your size in order to have an easy overview of the pattern.

Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Bust circumference of the finished cardigan: 78 (88, 98, 109, 118, 127, 138, 147, 156) cm / 30¾, (34¾, 38½, 43, 46½, 50, 54¼, 57¾, 61½)’’. The cardigan is designed to be worn with approximately 0-5 cm / 0-2’’ of positive ease.
Model has 85 cm / 33½’’ bust, stands 164 cm / 64½’’ and is wearing size 2.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
A = Bust circumference
B = Yoke depth
C = Length from armhole to lower edge
D = Sleeves length (from underarm)
E = Armhole circumference
F = Cuff circumference

Yarn
Dehesa Lana 100% Spanish Merino wool from Extremadura, 100 g — 250 m
Sample shown in shade natural white — (MC), natural brown — (CC)
MC: 1056 (1239, 1376, 1468, 1.605, 1.788, 1.879, 1969, 2.065) m / 1155 (1355, 1505, 1605, 1755, 1955, 2055, 2.153, 2258) yds
CC: 174 (193, 220, 238, 257, 275, 284, 299, 320) m / 190 (210, 240, 260, 280, 300, 310, 326, 350) yds

Needles
3,25 mm / US 3 circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm and 3,75 mm / US 5 circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm
Needle sizes are recommendations only; always use needle size necessary to achieve given gauge.

Gauge
22 sts and 34 rows - 10x10 cm / 4x4’’ in stockinette stitch in the round and in colorwork pattern with 3,75 mm / US needles, washed and blocked.
You may want to go up in needle size if your colorwork swatch is tight.

Notions
5 stitch markers (1 different for BOR) • waste yarn for holding the sleeve stitches • tapestry needle to weave in the yarn ends • 8 buttons 5/8 inch / 1.5 cm diameter (optional you may need 8 stitch markers to mark the buttonholes) • 60’’ / 150 cm long decorative ribbon for lining the button/buttonhole bands (optional) • sewing thread for sewing down the cut steek edges • scissors