Intarsia – knitting with several colours of yarn to form blocks of pattern – is not a technique I use often, but I was inspired to design this jumper by knitting patterns from the 1970s, when intarsia patterns were very popular,

Knitting with several strands of yarn can be a pain, and there were 6 in use at the same time for this jumper! So I devised what I think is an ingenious method – using hair-sectioning clips.

Bobbins for use with this type of knitting are available to buy, but I wanted to be able to have a small ball of each colour – enough to knit a panel on the whole piece. The balls need to be secured when not in use, and this could be done quickly by clipping and unclipping the hair clip roughly 5-10cm from knitting (as seen in the photo below).

The Knitter magazine has given the title of the knit as Aella, who apparently was one of Hippolyte’s Amazons in Greek mythology. She was one of the warriors who fought Hercules when he came for Hippolyta’s Girdle, and was known for fighting well with a double-axe!!