WP5 Spotlight: Bolt

 

Bolt comes to us from Finland, where designer Veera Välimäki loves playing with garter stitch, stripes and short rows. Having amassed quite the following for her creations, I was super excited to see what she would create for us! I haven't knit one myself (yet!), but can see this pattern being quite addictive. It has all the ingredients: an unusual item that is easy to wear and fun to style, use of two colors allowing for innumerable combinations, a fun rhythm while knitting, just enough shaping and variety to keep things interesting as you work while still qualifying as "mindless" knitting (perfect for almost any occasion), and a relatively quick timeline. Choosing color is the hardest part for projects like this. Between Veera and I, it's probably not a shocker that we chose a greyscale combination, but just think of all the different variations of color that are possible! I love the idea of Truffle Hunt + Hayloft,  Fossil + Sap,  Old World + Embers.... the possibilities are really endless. The shawl is worked flat and includes no purling whatsoever (hooray!). The triangle on the right in the photo above is worked first, with a 6-ridge striping sequence. Upon completion, the short row section is picked up directly from Triangle 1 and worked in the opposing direction. The short rows create visible wedge shapes in the lighter color and add a slight curve to the overall shape. A short section of the 6-row striping sequence is worked again, then the piece is finished with a length of solid (darker) color. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of Bolt variations are already being created by our readers - have fun! _________ Resources: Bolt is available as a PDF download at Brooklyn Tweed or Ravelry. The pattern is knit with two colors of Loft yarn, shown here in colors Soot and Sweatshirt.