Oobits!

Good morning! Here is today’s pattern release – oobits!

Of all the wonderful Scots words I have used to name my patterns, I think that OOBIT has to be my favourite. Its a word that was new to me, and to which I was introduced by my friend Ivor (whose many talents include an editorial role on the Dictionary of the Scots Language).

Oobit basically means “caterpillar”, and you can see from the dictionary entry that it often appears in combination with the adjective “hairy”. Ivor suggested the name when he saw me making these bracelets a couple of months ago because their stripey and hairy appearance recalls that of fuzzy caterpillars. What I particularly love about the word, though, is the way it combines caterpillar-ness with woolliness: in Shetland, Doric and other mainland dialects, “oo” means “wool” – these bracelets are literally bits of “oo” – or “oo-bits”. “Oobit” also recalls “orbit”, and suggests something circular or revolving. . . .all told, I don’t think there can be a better name for a woolly bracelet!

These oobits are a great way of using up scraps of yarn, and are knitted flat or in the round (there are instructions for both methods). They are then wet-felted, shaped by hand, and dried to create a sturdy bracelet.

Oobits are quick to whip up and make fantastic wee gifts!

I was interested to see how Buachaille felted, and was very pleased with the result. I made several, and found that the key factor was to knit the oobit on a needle 5.5mm or larger to create a lot of space between the stitches. The gaps really help with the felting and shaping process.

This is the sixth, out of seven weeks of club patterns. All being well, the book is due to arrive next week, and will be shipped out to club members shortly after. If we get our skates on we should be able to have the book on general release for everyone in early December.

This week’s other exciting news is that we have found a fantastic space a short drive away in which we will be able to store a whole lot of yarn. We were basically living with the first batch, which was difficult for humans and animals alike . . . our new workshop space will be a much more appropriate home for the tasty skeins which will be arriving in some quantity very shortly. I will keep you posted, but if things go as planned we may well be able to put some Buachaille on general release over the next few weeks! We will make sure everyone is updated via our newsletter, and keep your eye on the shop, which is where the yarn will be available for sale.