Get Dayana Knits blog posts by e-mail:

* indicates required

AttenTION! My Mega Military Jacket, A Free Pattern by Cheval Blanc

Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


I'm a major free pattern hound. I scour the internet for freebies, and even have a very special friend who would give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money (Sue, I'm looking at you! 😘). But how could I keep them to myself? They always go right onto my Facebook page!


Visit Dayana Knits on Facebook for limited time freebies!


I think the trajectory for this jacket pattern went something like this. Ravelry >> Pinterest >> Unintelligible Russian Site >> Slightly Less Unintelligible Russian Site >> French Company with Beautiful Free Patterns: Cheval Blanc.

I lived in Montréal for 10 years and thought I knew all of the French yarn companies. Anny Blatt, Phildar, Bergere de France... but Cheval Blanc? Never!

Well, look at this free pattern I found! (Never mind a ton of other ones. If you download, remember to scroll past the French for English and other languages.)


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc


This is CB13 Veste No. 18. Alluring title, no? Well, who cares. It's just so damn cute, unique and totally exaggerated. I had to make it. And rename it: Mega Military Jacket.


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


There are no Cheval Blanc yarn vendors in the North America yet, so it was time to stash dive. I don't hoard a lot of bulky yarns, they're usually expensive and take a ton of space. BUT I did have something nice and loud: Noro Obi from The Cashmere Goat in Camden, Maine. It's a mix of wool/silk/mohair that, of course, self-stripes.


Noro Obi, photo by Dayana Knits blog


I have a love/hate relationship with Noro. It's not because of the random pieces of straw, the unexpected changes from Bulky to Fingering weight -- not even the random KNOTS that jump the color order! Nope. My problem is an utterly OCD imperative to match the striping on each side.

I cut and spliced until I had 1 yard of yarn left to match these suckers. It was HELL!


Noro mitts knit by Dayana Knits


And I have, like, 40 mini balls of Noro from infinite splicing for this epic pullover for my husband (a free pattern, too!):


Balkan by Brandon Mably, knit by Dayana Knits


The issue with matching Noro is having enough yardage to do it. Some balls start in the wrong place, or the striping goes in the opposite direction. Sometimes those knots jump completely to a new place in the color order, so you are often working with small pieces to add to balls that don't have the color you need AT ALL.

But I only had the exact yardage I needed for a solid pullover, no extra! UH OH.

I got to thinking -- wait. I don't have to match the body of the pattern at all, because it's covered by the fronts! All that really needed to be impeccably matched were the military plackets and the sleeves.


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


I must say, it was rather liberating to knit that body in Noro without caring. My heart did sink though, when I ran out of colors to match at the very end of the shoulders (compare the top of both sleeves):


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


Can you believe that really bothered me? I'm crazy.

I do adore how this thing came out. I was even able to dive into my button stash to find a set that reminded me of shiny military patent leather shoes. Those don't actually do anything -- they're sewed down. I recommend sewing down the points, too, to prevent rolling.


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn


My Mega (Rainbow) Military look was accomplished. All from stash!! And it really is a very quick knit.

I strongly suggest you play on the Cheval Blanc site. There are currently 506 free patterns in English, Spanish, French and German (each .pdf has every language, so KEEP SCROLLING FOR YOURS!). There are also some excellent pay patterns. Here is just the first page of recently added patterns on Ravelry:


Cheval Blanc patterns from blogger Dayana Knits


A note to those who'd like to make a pattern from Cheval Blanc. I did find a typo in the English version of my pattern that was not in the French version. If you are confused about something, go to the French pattern first and scan through the numbers or Google Translate. It's very clear that the patterns are written first in French and then translated.


See my Mega Military on Ravelry


Mega Military Jacket knit by Dayana Knits, free pattern from Cheval Blanc in Noro Obi yarn



Leave a comment, I love comments!

SaveSaveSaveSave

Comments

  1. D, it is beautiful. Personally, I find all Noro yarns very limp. I have used Kureyon, Silk Garden and Tokanatsu. I would never use any of them again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree on the limpness... no spring to the fibers at all! Also, some break rather easily. And yet -- I still have Noro in my stash because of the colors. Same with Madeline Tosh Light -- I know it pills and never looks as good as it began, but I can't stop buying it for the colors! 😑

      Delete
  2. Wow. This one jacket looks really lovely and awesome to wear. Especially in the winter season, it will be warm and comfortable to wear.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are so innovative, and PATIENT! I love your salute! :-) Oh my gosh, the Cheval Blanc ravelry page is great. Thanks for the lead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SO glad to spread the word... freebies for all! :D

      Delete
  4. Thank you so much for your information about Cheval Blanc. I would never have known about it on my own. I always look forward to your next email. You are an inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Way cool! I've learned to just chill out with Noro color changes. Now you're making me feel guilty! (But I've never made a sweater with Noro.)

    ReplyDelete
  6. great job! I have the same "problem" with Noro, but I have learned to sometimes just let it do it's thing. Not sure I can pull this style off, but I'm going to check out the site to see if there's something I can knit. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your choice of yarn gave this pattern an amazing new life from the ordinary to the wow factor.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this jacket - especially in Noro. A single color makes the eye go right to the buttoned area and I don't think it is attractive. However, in Noro, the color changes breaks it up. Just went to the sight and couldn't find the pattern. What is the number? Thanks. Love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen, here it is: https://www.laines-cheval-blanc.com/en/patterns/277-model-jacket-cb13-08-free-knitting-pattern.html

      Be aware that the English is in the same pdf as the French, so just keep scrolling.

      So glad you like the blog!

      Delete
  9. I really appreciate the information you provided regarding Cheval Blanc. On my own, I never would have learned about it. I eagerly await your next email every time. You are a source of motivation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Make sure you sign up for their emails, they are still making tons of great patterns.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment! :)

Click to contact me

Most popular posts in the last 30 days