Qiviut-Merino sweater-construction

I couldnt resist.....i just had to get into the new bags of coloured qiviut.I sneaked out of the mill(i was supposed to be carding angora rabbit fibre) with an armful of yarn and just had to find a quiet place so i could decide what to make with this yarn.I have always wanted a qiviut sweater......but the natural brown-ish grey would never do.I love color.........armed with my copy of Sheila Mcgreggors ''Traditional Fair isle knitting'' i sifted through pages and pages of what appeared to be very complex fair isle designs......i don't have time for complex.......my knitting time for design is composed of  a few minutes here and there! I settled on this boxy design and thought i would incorporate about 6 different colours into the sweater and this sweater will be affordable and easy to knit while using max amount of colour.
I will post pics of the sweater construction at each stage........the actual end design is not yet determined......i will get the feel as the knitting moves along. The yarns used so far are: Natural qiviut brown for the (MC) with hunter green, purple, raspberry and slate blue.
Finished the sweater and was sold before i got a chance to take a picture. At a Trunk show a customer Purchased it 'right off my back'.......I was thankfull i had showerd that morning OMG !

Qiviut-silk hand warmers

I wanted to remake these for the longest time. Several years ago i made a pair of long hand warmers from 100% Angora and they were really well received so i thought i would re-write a pattern for them made from qivisilk.It's very nice to work with.....soft and slippy.Again,i am knitting them with 2 strands of qivisilk together......makes for quicker knitting. I started them on 4 D.P.N but changed to 3 needles to make the pattern go easier.I am still knitting the wrist section and i want to make them quite long.....maybe almost elbow length and i still haven't decided if i should make them all over lace right down to the fingers....you know....across the palms too! Or should i stop the lace at the section just before the thumb insert?

100% Qiviut cabled sweater- sweater construction-part 1:

Today i just had to start a new Cardi,this one will be a roomy XL size. Knit from 100% Natural qiviut. I'm writing the pattern as i go along for 6 sizes. The yarns are from 3 different batches of Qiviut-there's only a slight variation from batch to batch but never the less...the variation is there so i'm trying to work out what will go where.....its an awful lot of work to rip out if i get it wrong !The rib is a 2x2 & is knit on 3.00mm's for 2.5'' inches, changed to 4.00mm for the body. All the back section is knit in plain stocking stitch....all the business will be in the front with cables and lacey bits & 3 buttons to close. I'm having musk ox horns deliverd soon so they can be sent off to an artist who can make buttons (i want to keep the qiviut theme True so the buttons should be made from real Musk ox horn)....your probably thinking how the heck can she get musk ox horns ? Well i buy them from the Inuit. Musk oxen are food for them people(there's no Walmart where they live ! I really wanted to knit this cardi in Raven Black but because i have to work in the mill or studio during the day i can only hand knit in the evening......knitting black in the evening is not good for my eyes so i settled on making the sweater in natural qiviut & then i will dye the completed sweater....if i have the nerve...... after all that work ! Can't wait to start the fronts.....stocking st is soooooo Boring.

And the back is finished....... I like this pic better as it shows the true color of qiviut

cabled Qiviut socks-take 2

So,i have the 1st sock complete and have started the second sock on the straight needles.Still haven't got the pattern into the computer but i will get to that later today.The yarn is soft soft.These will be perfect house socks and i'm not giving them away or selling them.......it's time i kept something for me!

The cable design is knit on 4.5mm straights and then all the sts are transfer to 3.75mm D.P.N

The seam is on the inside leg so no ugly uneven sts are ever seen.The toe is finished in kitchener stitch and again it's perfect.When i come to write and sell the pattern for these....i'm guessing it will be 10 pages long......oooee that will be quite costly to mail or i may just make it an email pattern. So far it looks like it will take 3-4, 22 gram skeins to complete because i'm using lace weight qiviut and knitting with 2 strands together.I will get my daughter to model the socks when they are finished and try to get a better shot of the actual cabled sts.

I think the 1st picture taken outside shows up the cabled sts better!

cabled qiviut socks-50% Qiviut-50% Angora

Sorry about the image quality..........the sun is flooding in my studio

100% Qiviut House socks

And they are finished,i even finished the toe in kitchener stitch (for the 1st time ever)..........i was a right pussy when it came to knitting socks.......absolutely terrified at the thought of sock knitting.The toe is just so tidy and smooth.......i think i'm in love with sock knitting all over again.My next project will be a 50% qiviut with 50%angora.This time i will do a fancy cabled border for the rib of the socks and make it longer and more luxurious............where's my needles.

100% Qiviut socks-ribbed top

These socks are just as soft as a cloud......pity they are not for me! I'm making them with a 4ply 100% qiviut and knitting on a 3.5mm D.P.N.I'm sure they will be super warm and comfortable to wear as ''house socks''.The rib is a nice k2,p2,and measures 7''inches long. By the time i'm done they will have used approx; 55 grams of qiviut........not bad yardage!

100% Qiviut king size bed cover

I really enjoyed making this Blanket and would love to do it again.This was a custom made order going to a couple in Texas.......they will be warm! I machine knit the whole blanket in 3 sections and used my new linker machine to put it all together and added a sturdy rib around the whole perimeter and again used the linker......i love that machine.......it makes finishing so much easier and neater.Made from 100% pure qiviut the blanket measures 90''X 90'' and took 960 grams to complete.This was the largest project i have made todate from pure qiviut and it put a big dent in my yarn stash!

Adult male Musk ox

Qiviut Lace Cap.......very cute and very easy!

 The Whispering Tundra Lace Cap

 ......so easy and takes only 22 grams of either 100% qiviut or any of our 50% qiviut blends of 2 ply lace weight.

Close fitting and fits the average person.

TENSION:over rib section-8 sts=1''inch on 3.00mm circular needle

You will need:
160 yards of pure qiviut 2 ply lace yarn.

1 - 3.00 mm circular needle -max 40cm long

1 - set of 3.5mm D.P.N

10 stitch markers.

Point protectors.

Begin with Ribbed Brim

Cast on 122 sts, join to work in the rnd, k1, (pm)= place marker st, p1, continue in k1, p1 until work measures 1.5',inches long and make a double dec on last rnd so you have 120 sts.

Next: beg lace pattern, change to 3.5mm 

RNDS 1-4: knit 4 rnds.

RND 5: sm, k1, *(k2tog)twice, (yf,k1) 3 times, yf, (sl1,k1,psso) twice, k1, pm(place a stitch marker), rep from* (adding st markers as you go) back to the beg.

RND 6: knit

***rep the last 2 rnds 3 times more, then rep all 12 rnds until work measures 6.5''inches long from beg or until 3 full pattern repeats are made.

 Top Shaping                           

Next: knit 8 rnds in knit stitch and remove markers as you go (leave the beg st marker inplace)

Dec for top shaping:

1: *k8, k2tog ,rep from* to end.

2: And all alternate rows-knit.

3: *k7, k2tog, rep from * to end.

5: *k6, k2tog, rep from * to end.

7: *k5, k2tog, rep from*to end

9: *K4, k2tog, rep from * to end.(here you may want to change to D.P.N)

11: *K3, k2tog, rep from * to end.

13: *k2, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Break yarn leaving a 10'' inch tail, double up yarn and draw through remaining sts,close and sew in any loose ends, hand wash and lay flat to dry or set Iron to silk setting and lightly steam !

Most of the hats i knit have an  I-cord top sewn inplace and i love to add beads for a finishing touch.

Qiviut yarns.....wonderful colours to colour your life!

Our new bright qiviut:Hunter green,Blue slate,Egytian Red(gorgeous),Purple,Raven Black,Bronze,Raspberry,Turkey Red,Bordeaux,Navy blue and Azalea.
All colours are GORGEOUS and BRIGHT.........with all the softness remaining!

step 2:processing qiviut fibers and yarns

This photo shows how the raw fibre looks after picking.The fibre is put through the picker machine and shoots into the picker room through a hole in the wall.This is the stage we add our Anti-static blend......when the combination is just right all the black guard hairs fall effortlessly with little to no damage of the delicate musk ox down.

Step 1: Raw Qiviut(Musk ox)

This is a tray of unwashed raw Qiviut fibre.The 1 step in the processing is to wash,condition and dry the fibres.At this stage the qiviut is full of thick black guard hairs.The next step is to pick the fibers with a picker machine......this opens the fibers so we can add our own special blend of Anti-static products.The anti-static solutions allow the safe removal of the guard hairs without damaging the precious fibers while they are being worked on the machines.

Cabled Qiviut mitts

These mitts are just so soft and warm..........it's like putting your hand into a cloud..............the cabled band is knit first then the sts along the edge are picked up to knit the main part of the mitt............pattern requires 66 grams of 100% qiviut 2 ply lace weight or our 2ply lace weight qiviut blend..............to knit with two yarns together!

The Whispering Tundra Scarf

''The Whispering Tundra Scarf''

Knit from 100% pure qiviut 2 ply lace weight yarn.This is one of the first scarves i made and fell in love with the soft qiviut yarn.The simple design makes for easy knitting on the go.  Knit with a repeat lace stitch that's easy to remember.
       The beads are added to the hem strung in groups of 3 so they hang down over the edge and beads are added in a random fashion over the rest of the scarf again in groups of 3.

I have knit scarf twice. The very first time i knit with lace weight 2ply qiviut on a 5mm needle, follow the pattern below on 5mm's . The lace was very open and floaty
(i think i prefer it that way) the second time i knit it using 3.75mm gives a closer stitch that is more defined and firmer but requires 3 balls-66 grams or 480 yards.
If you want a floaty open lace then 5mm's is the way to go !

Supplies: 44 grams - 2 balls of lace weight qiviut-you can use our 'magical qiviut'' yarn or ANY of our 2ply lace weight blends. To see our yarns vistit our site:www.cottagecraftangora.com
 Has to be a 2ply lace weight though to get the same lacey effect !

1 pair of 5.00 mm straight needles.

Size 6 pony beads- 4gram bag.

To begin: cast on 37 sts. scarf will measure about 8'' inches wide.

Rows 1-4 Knit.

5Th Row: (rs):k1,*(k2tog)twice,(yf,k1) 3 times,yf,(sl1,k1,psso)twice,k1;rep from * to end.

6th Row:purl.

Repeat rows 5 and 6 a total of 3 times more.

Then rep all 12 rows until all your yarn is used up.
Leave a small amount for the Bind/cast off.
Sew in any loose ends. Apply beads as you like for your own personal touch!

ABBREVIATIONS: yf=yarn forward at front of needle.
(k2tog)Twice=knit the next 2 sts together twice.
(yf,k1)3 times=yarn forward at the front of needle(lay yarn over top of needle),then knit the next stitch.
(sl1,k1,psso)twice=slip the next st to opposite needle without knitting it,then knit the next st,then pass the lipped st over the stitch just worked,do this twice.

Look for more patterns and yarns at:www.cottagecraftangora.com