sarkle

The first thing I did when samples of our new Ooskit yarn arrived was to pick up the palest grey shade (Riach) and cast on a yoke pullover (I am so predictable!)

The arrival of the yarn also coincided with my new obsession with Norah Gaughan’s Twisted Stitch Sourcebook, and the motifs therein . . .

. . . one of which I adapted – integrating the motif’s embossed lines of travelling stitches with centred double decreases, to shape the yoke.

I love the space in this yoke, and its subtle texture.

When I say that Norah Gaughan’s Twisted Stitch Sourcebook became something of an obsession I really mean it: I will talk much more about this in a future post, but it is a brilliant book that has opened up all kinds of paths for me.

Indeed, working from and with it over the past month or so, I’ve created a small collection of designs all of which feature its adapted and modified motifs.

Each design is made in Ooskit and most are single-skein cold-weather accessories, which you might, if you wish, choose to knit for yourself (or someone else) from our Ooskit sampler . . .

. . .so be prepared, as we’ll be rolling out new autumn / winter Ooskit patterns each Friday over the next few weeks!

After completing our big Bluestockings project, creating and knitting these simple pieces has been a relaxing, meditative process, which I’ve enjoyed enormously. . .

. . . and over coming weeks, I’m going to talk a bit about the process of developing these designs, and how you yourself might use Norah’s wonderful book when creating your own accessories and garments.

But in the meantime, back to this yoke.

In old Scots, “sark” was a word that might be applied to many different kinds of foundation or underpinning: it could refer to a garment, like a shift or undershirt, to the foundations of a building, or to the building materials used to underlay a roof.

Another word deriving from sark – sarkle – referred to a circular fence or boundary – the lines that formed the foundations of a separate piece of land.

Yokes are, of course, circular . . .

. . . and for me, this one has something foundational about it, alongside its circularity.

Perhaps that’s because it’s quite a basic pullover knitted in a plain, light coloured yarn. Perhaps it’s because the yoke is shaped with simple structured lines, that outline the upper body of the garment much like beams or rafters. . .

in any case, its name is Sarkle.

The Sarkle pattern is graded across 12 sizes. I’m wearing the second size here for a comfortable fit over layers, with a few inches of positive ease. Instructions for a pullover of either cropped or regular length are included in the pattern.

I have a short body (and proportionately long legs) and generally enjoy wearing high-waisted, cropped styles, but that’s just me. I’ll be back tomorrow to show you the beautiful Sarkle that Claire’s made, which she’s knitted to the regular length, and in which she looks wonderful.

In the meantime, you’ll find the Sarkle pattern as a single download in the KDD shop or on Ravelry, and Ooskit kits in all sizes in the Riach colourway are available.

See you tomorrow! Enjoy your weekend!