Stripe-fade Polo (2025)

Pattern by Ruth Doherty

I created the Stripe-fade Polo, using my flatbed knitting machine. The drop-shoulder sweater design incorporates a double-layer collar and button band. I used a gradient yarn to create the background, striping in sections from the opposite end of the gradient, as I knit the panels. While knitting with a gradient yarn leaves plenty of room for chance in a design, I used thoughtful color-management techniques to create matching front and back panels that fade from dark to light and carry the gradient down the sleeves.

By using the flatbed knitting machine, I was able to quickly produce large panels that would take much longer to knit by hand, giving me a chance to test new shaping techniques, such as a sloped back neck and a folded polo-collar. However, there are also unique challenges to using my vintage knitting machine when compared to hand knitting. While corded knitting needles are flexible, enabling me to try on or reshape the fabric while knitting, the knitting machine needles are fixed in place in the flat bed, and only the reverse of the fabric is visible. Creating a garment on my knitting machine requires more forethought and planning during the design and knitting process. Additionally, instead of my hand-stitching skills being my main limiting factor, I often need to troubleshoot the knitting machine during the process, relying on limited resources to solve the problem because it is a second-hand, vintage machine.