A Knit Along for Oorki, my child’s vest pattern, or what they call a tank top across the pond. The KAL begins tomorrow February 1st 2018. It’s the final installment from the book A Year of Techniques, by Jen and Jim Arnall-Culliford. Oorik challenges the knitter with colorwork and … the most difficult technique of all: STEEKING!! It really isn’t the most difficult, but it may be the scariest if you’ve never done it before. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT. Just start knitting. You will be guided through the process in the KAL. Watch Jen’s comforting video hosted on Mason Dixon Knitting’s super website.
Look at my last post for a whole slew of super-cute pictures of Oorik and the darling spirited model!
I think a vest is a perfect place to start because you don’t have much at stake, especially when making a child’s vest. I have a Craftsy Class: The Fair Isle Vest where we make an adult sized vest, using DK weight Shetland Wool, so the project is still quick. My Voe Vest is another quick adult option as it also uses DK. I’ve got a Voe Vest WIP using Rowan Felted Tweed.
In any event the first step is to SWATCH for color and gauge.
Here’s a great trick when you just want to swap out a color or two, wrap the possibilities on a card, or a clothespin which for some reason is another favorite thing to wrap. Or a ruler, I use rulers too.
The middle card above is the original colorway, with a different blue swapped out in the top card and a more somber group of colors on the bottom card, for those who eschew sweet colors for kids.
Arnall-Culifford Knitwear offer kits in these three colorways.
Original (left), Different Blue (middle), Muted (right)
I am going to just use colors I’ve got in my stash. Which is about a thousand colors. You don’t even want to know. Just ask Ella at The Woolbrokers…To make my choices easier I’m using ribbing from a Bousta Beanie WIP, so I’m swatching with Uradale Yarns 100% Organic Shetland wool.
Uradale Yarns 100% Organic Shetland Wool
It’s just the right amount of stitches for a generous and in my mind perfect swatch or if I like it, I can keep going and have a vest before you know it. We’ll see. I’ve only got a few colors so I’m determined to make them work to my liking. I may not just swap color for color…I will probably rearrange them a little.
OK!!!! That’s it! Ready Steady GO…tomorrow. After the super eclipse blood blue Moon.
Yarn Info:
Kit colors used above, all Jamieson & Smith :
Original
2ply Jumper Weight 9144 (pink), 66 (yellow), FC15 mix (blue)
Shetland Supreme Jumper Weight 2006 Gaulmogot (2006)
Turquoise
2ply Jumper Weight 9144 (pink), 66 (yellow), FC34 mix (turquoise)
Shetland Supreme Jumper Weight 2006 Gaulmogot (2006)
Grey background / Green peerie
2ply Jumper Weight FC15 mix (blue), 28 (dark yellow), 29 mix (green), 203 (grey)
Uradale Yarns 100% Organic Shetland Wool (the yarns I’m using)
Moss Heath (green)
Laebraakk (grey)
Flukkra (white)
Deergrass Heath (red)
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