You know those days that start with spilled coffee on your desk and broken eggs on the kitchen floor? The kind where you just need easy, repetitive knitting and maybe some puppy snuggles to reset? That's exactly the kind of day I was having when I started working on Nydia.

Before that day, I’d already fallen in love with the addictive, potato-chip textured lace stitch from my Indira shawl and cowl—so easy to memorize you can practically knit it in your sleep. Once it got in my head I couldn't stop thinking, “What if I put this in a sweater?” So I did.

As this sweater became my go-to project through quiet evenings after long work days, it felt like finding comfort in my stitches. I could rely on the rhythm and familiarity of the repeat to melt away any stress or cares. The name Nydia—which means a safe place—felt right.

Nydia is a versatile pullover worked seamlessly from the top down in DK weight yarn with compound raglan shaping. It features a scoop neckline, but you can throw on the optional separate cowl to change up the look entirely. It's also cropped. (Yes, I know. My dad’s exact words were, "That’s a little short, baby . . ." when I showed him my second Nydia, and I had to assure him it's a thing.) But here's the beauty: you can totally make it longer if that’s more your style, and several knitters have!

This is the sweater you’ll reach for when you need something that just works—you just have a couple choices to make. So are you team cropped-with-cowl, or are you making it your own with a different length? I can’t wait to see.

You know those days that start with spilled coffee on your desk and broken eggs on the kitchen floor? The kind where you just need easy, repetitive knitting and maybe some puppy snuggles to reset? That's exactly the kind of day I was having when I started working on Nydia.

Before that day, I’d already fallen in love with the addictive, potato-chip textured lace stitch from my Indira shawl and cowl—so easy to memorize you can practically knit it in your sleep. Once it got in my head I couldn't stop thinking, “What if I put this in a sweater?” So I did.

As this sweater became my go-to project through quiet evenings after long work days, it felt like finding comfort in my stitches. I could rely on the rhythm and familiarity of the repeat to melt away any stress or cares. The name Nydia—which means a safe place—felt right.

Nydia is a versatile pullover worked seamlessly from the top down in DK weight yarn with compound raglan shaping. It features a scoop neckline, but you can throw on the optional separate cowl to change up the look entirely. It's also cropped. (Yes, I know. My dad’s exact words were, "That’s a little short, baby . . ." when I showed him my second Nydia, and I had to assure him it's a thing.) But here's the beauty: you can totally make it longer if that’s more your style, and several knitters have!

This is the sweater you’ll reach for when you need something that just works—you just have a couple choices to make. So are you team cropped-with-cowl, or are you making it your own with a different length? I can’t wait to see.

Is there a type of garment that you haven’t made yet? Perhaps you've never knitted (or worn!) a vest before. Or maybe you’ve already made a few and you’re looking for a pattern that feels fresh—something quick, transitional, and size-inclusive for the season ahead.

I was in the first camp when I tuned into an Instagram Live one afternoon, where two besties talked all about a vest-along they were about to participate in. As they excitedly chatted about silhouettes, textures, and how they’d style a vest, I couldn't think about anything else. Before the live even ended, I’d grabbed the nearest notepad and scribbled a few rough sketches based on another pattern I had in test knitting at the time.

The first sketch was heavily cabled, front and back. “Keep it simple!”, I thought to myself. But it was the third sketch—the last one on that notepad—that stood out as “the one.”

I started a spreadsheet and ordered yarn faster than it took you to read this sentence. One package was coming from another state, the other from a couple hours north of me. Tracking said nearly a week. Torture!

To my relief, the yarn arrived four days sooner than estimated, and just in time for me to work on it while podcasting and watching You’ve Got Mail with my own bestie during her visit from Canada. There’s something special about knitting with someone you love in the room, even if you’re both just doing your own thing.

As I made progress on the pattern and then worked on a second sample, my husband—completely unaware of what (or who!) had inspired me to drop everything else—started calling it the Bestie Vestie. I loved how that name rolled off the tongue. It was cute, memorable, and different from anything I’ve named before.

The icing on the cake: 90 test knitters helped bring this pattern to life, and so many of them said the same thing—this is the best-fitting thing they’ve ever made. If you decide to make one too, whether as your first vest or a new one to add to a growing collection, I hope that it’s your Bestie Vestie yet.

It all started in spring 2021, just days after I finished knitting the Nydia pullover. With one skein of that beautiful yarn left, I imagined a matching hat with the same textured stitch and lateral braid detail. I excitedly cast on, expecting to finish it by the end of the weekend.

It didn’t work out that way. Another project called—a sweater!—and the hat got set aside. Weeks became months, and when I rediscovered the nearly finished hat in early 2022, I picked it up to work on the crown shaping, but it didn’t come together the way I wanted. Back into the project bag it went.

Then, at the beginning of 2023, after test knitting the Nydia Cardigan, a few testers asked if there’d be a matching hat. That question sparked something, and my initial excitement came rushing back. Unable to find my original project, I cast on again with the details still alive in my mind. And this time? Everything clicked. The crown shaping came together in a single day.

I cast on another, then another, and just kept going—working with different DK weight yarns, adjusting stitch placements, and fine-tuning every detail. Each hat flew off the needles. Before I knew it, the Nydia Hat had evolved into not just one but two variations in sizes graded to fit the whole family.

A generous group of test knitters helped me confirm the pattern worked, and several made multiple hats for themselves and loved ones too. And just like that, after all those years, the Nydia Hat was finally ready for the world.

I was knitting a second Nydia pullover when I turned to Instagram to ask my followers a few this-or-that questions that would help me decide what to design next. One question was, Cardigan or pullover? In response, a test knitter I’d worked with several times asked me a question of her own: What about a cropped Nydia cardigan?

I became obsessed with the idea immediately. Completely. I couldn’t think about anything else. Within days I’d bought yarn—a warm golden yellow—and cast on a swatch. But just to make sure I wasn’t being biased, I asked my Instagram followers what they thought about a cardigan version. They responded with a resounding yes. They wanted it too.

I cast on the cropped yellow version with 3/4 length sleeves first. As I was working on it, I realized I also wanted to make a full-length version—in a deep red, with long sleeves. Two completely different cardigans, using the same top-down pattern as the foundation. But the moment I slipped them both on, I understood why I’d felt the need to make two versions. They felt completely different to wear.

The full-length one is classic, office-ready, the kind you throw on when you want to feel polished. The cropped one is a party cardi—fun and energetic, the kind you reach for when you want to feel like yourself. Even during the photoshoot, I felt the shift when I changed between them. The energy was different. How I moved, how I stood—it all changed with the color, the length, and the sleeves.

That’s what this pattern offers you: the chance to make the version that matches your life. Cropped or full-length; 3/4 sleeves or long. Mix and match however you want. Because a cardigan should work for you, not the other way around.