Oscar Zoroaster was an ordinary ventriloquist and balloonist in Barnum & Bailey’s Great Consolidated Shows, until his balloon ropes twisted and he floated away to the land of Oz.

The stitch pattern on The Wizard shows off high-contrast variegated colorways with a combination of no-wrap short rows and knitting on the bias. Colors pool between garter-stitch stripes, calling to mind the panels and gores of a hot air balloon. The stole is stretchy and drapes delightfully, curling in slightly at the edges.

This pattern is easily adapted to any yarn weight (just use the right size needle) and any yardage (cast on in any multiple of 2 sts, do as many repeats of the pattern as you like).

The Wizard is part of the Steampunk Oz Collection. Look for Winged Monkeys (two skeins of DK yarn), Glinda (two skeins of fingering-weight yarn), and Wheels (two skeins of fingering-weight yarn).