Some of the restrictions of stranded knitting are removed by twisting the floating yarn more often than usual. Being inspired by the fine gauge Shoppel-Wolle’s Zauberball Starke 6, Selwin explores the Armenian stranded knitting technique with an intricate tiled pattern full of undulating color on the front, and structured columns of stripes on the back. The needles click away with excitement while working through a project using two color-shifting yarns. Keep track of their order, and you’ll be rewarded with a classically-styled, one-of-a-kind vest.

Traditional Fair Isle knitting require no more than two colors of yarn per row, and no more than one inch (5-7 stitches) between color changes in a row. Securing the unused yarn by “locking” the floats every other stitch has been called Armenian knitting although there is no certainty of where the technique originated. Because of the longer floats on some portions of this project, it’s a lovely opportunity to spend some time honing this skill. Using this technique creates an even fabric that is beautiful on both sides.

Finished Measurements:
Chest at Underarm: 31.75 (35, 39, 42.5, 46.5, 50)“
Length: 25.5(26.5, 27.5, 28.5, 29, 30)”

Materials:
Shoppel Zauerball Starke 6 (150 gr, 400 m, 75% Virgin Wool, 25% Nylon):
2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins MC 2137 (grey)
2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins CC 2204 (green)