05 Jul Nash Island TIDE Voe Vest

Nash Island TIDE Voe Vest on it’s maiden voyage.  Modeled by Captain Matthew at the helm of the Schooner Olad.

I am always eager to start knitting with a freshly spun batch of yarn, so as soon as this spring’s new batch of Nash Island TIDE was spun and dyed I cast on for a summer knitting adventure in stranded color work.  As with fine wines, each batch of yarn spun possess it’s own subtle notes and unique characteristics based on the annual weather, nutrients, and environmental condition’s influence on the wool harvested.  The Spring 2017 Nash Island TIDE has a wonderful soft lofty feel that blooms beautifully after blocking creating the perfect stranded fabric.  It’s a very good vintage.

Yarn : Nash Island TIDE         Pattern : Mary Jane Mucklestone Voe Vest

I went right to my favorite source for color work knitting patterns and found the perfect pattern match for Nash Island TIDE in Mary Jane Mucklestone’s Voe Vest pattern.  It is knit in traditional Fair Isle style, in the round with steeks.  I loved the easy knitting rhythm of the motifs and found that after the first two sets I was able to knit without referring to the pattern chart.  The only changes I made to the pattern was to use 6 colors instead of  Mary Jane’s version which uses 7 colors, and I added one extra motif pattern to lengthen the body.  (knitting and pattern particulars are on my Ravelry page).  

Sunset cruise on the Schooner Olad ~ Camden, Maine

This vest was a surprisingly quick knit! Which leaves me with one small but enjoyable conundrum… summer has only just {finally} begun here in Maine and I have already finished my summer knitting project.  What shall I knit next?  I’m thinking maybe a small knitting project like a hat to work on aboard my next sailing adventure on the Schooner Olad with Captain Matthew.