Dots and Dashes: Ombré in Morse Code

I am, and always will be, a sucker for ombré. It makes me happy to see colours fading from one to the next. Whether it’s a cool tonal palette or a whole rainbow of hues, it puts a smile on my face every time. This custom Strange Brew yoke is one of those happiness-inducing blends – the perfect pairing of a simple, graphic pattern and a sunset of warm, inviting colours.

My inspiration

I was flipping through one of my many stitch dictionaries (everyone does that, right?), and I came across a pattern in knits and purls that I really liked. It was simple, just a few purls that stood out among a sea of stockinette. It stuck with me… But rather than going for texture, I wanted to apply the approach to colourwork – and the idea for a Morse Code yoke was born!

This dots-and-dashes design seemed tailor-made for a little ombré, so I pulled out some bits and bobs of Brooklyn Tweed Arbor in a warm, pleasing palette – and fought my urge to use a neutral as the main colour. Instead of the grey or cream I was gravitating towards, I went with an intense, deep teal.

A sweater for Bodhi

I love trying out new ideas on kid sweaters. It’s the perfect playground for my yoke ideas, and the result is a wearable little work of art. I followed the Strange Brew instructions for the size 8-10 with the wedge design option. Bodhi is only six, but I wanted to give her a little room to grow in this one.

I worked this sweater from the top–down. I cast on according to the Strange Brew instructions, worked a small increase round, followed my chart (below), and then knit a final increase round to get to the total stitch count. I then worked the short rows, body, and sleeves per the pattern. I focused all the fun in the yoke, keeping the body and sleeves plain.

Bodhi is so pleased with her fall sweater. I started it at the beginning of lockdown in March, and it was ready for her to wear when she went back to school in September. Bodhi is still little and smitten with anything her mum makes her, so she wears it all the time!

More Strange Brew

Will Emily and I every tire of yokes? Probably not! If you want to join us in our yoke obsession, we have lots of resources:

Strange Brew Directory: Check out all of our Strange Brew yokes (including charts) here.

A Week of Colour hats: This series includes strategies for choosing a colour palette.

How to Strange Brew: A series of posts on using the Strange Brew pattern to create your own unique sweater!

~ Alexa