Hoar Frost

Hoar Frost is a new addition to my Organics Collection, a series of designs that are inspired by the natural world, or by the work of other artists who take inspiration from the natural world.

The colourwork of Hoar Frost is inspired by macro-lens photography of frost forming in nature, something that I find mesmerising and beautiful.

CONSTRUCTION

This garment is worked top-down, in the round. After the neckband, short row shaping is incorporated to optimise fit. The majority of the yoke features a stranded colourwork pattern. Once the yoke is completed, stitches are separated into body and sleeves, which are each worked separately and in the round. The colourwork pattern continues in the upper part of the body and sleeves, after which each are worked in stockinette and finished with a half-twisted rib edging.

SIZING GUIDE

This garment is graded into sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Recommended positive ease is 3+” / 7.5+ cm at the chest circumference.

Finished Garment Chest Circumference:

33.25 (38.75, 41.5, 44.25, 49.75) (52.75, 58.25, 61, 66.5, 69.25)“

83 (97, 104, 111, 124.5) (131.5, 145.5, 152.5, 166, 173) cm

SAMPLE

The wearer is 5’10” / 178 cm with a 37” / 92.5 cm chest circumference. The sample has been worked in size 4, giving the wearer 7.25” / 18.5 cm of positive ease at the chest. To accommodate the height of the wearer, an extra 0.5” / 1.5 cm of depth has been added to the yoke, and an extra 2” / 5 cm of length has been added to the body and sleeve length. The sleeve extension has not been worked.

GAUGE

Using 3.25 mm / US size 3 needles, or needle size required to meet gauge, 26 stitches over 34 rounds in both stockinette stitch and colourwork, wet blocked, creates a 4x4” / 10x10 cm square.

YARN

The sample has been worked using Hedgehog Fibre’s Oh So Fine Merino fingering weight base (100% Merino; 425 m / 460 yds per 100 g) in colourways Artichoke as the Main Colour and Pine as the Contrast Colour.

YARDAGE (includes ~10% excess)

Main Colour:

908 (1038, 1147, 1229, 1418) (1493, 1521, 1599, 1719, 1763) metres

993 (1136, 1255, 1345, 1551) (1633, 1664, 1749, 1881, 1929) yards

214 (244, 270, 289, 334) (351, 358, 376, 404, 415) grams

Contrast Colour:

263 (299, 336, 358, 410) (431, 449, 470, 511, 525) metres

288 (328, 368, 392, 448) (472, 491, 514, 559, 575) yards

62 (70, 79, 84, 96) (101, 106, 110, 120, 124) grams

TOOLS & NOTIONS

2.75 mm / US size 2 circular needles (to work neckband, cuffs and waistband; varying cable lengths would be helpful)

3.25 mm / US size 3 circular needles (to work yoke, body and sleeves; varying cable lengths would be helpful)

1 marker

scrap yarn

tapestry needle to weave in ends

SKILLS REQUIRED

-long tail cast on

-joining and working in the round

-working half-twisted ribbing

-working left and right lifted increases

-German short row shaping

-reading colourwork charts

-working stranded colourwork with two colours

-long tail cast on with two colours

-working a repeating pattern of decreases

-decreasing using K2tog and SSK

-standard bind off