Artists Hand scarf...the giveaway

This is the lace scarf  knit from 'artists hand yarn' as part of our competition . Is knit from yarn number 1, measures 10'' X 52'' and is just so lightweight and soft, complete with a beaded slide that you can remove. Enter the competiton below for your chance to win this scarf and a 100 gram skein of this Gorgeous yarn !

yarn giveaway-win a skein of 'artists Hand' yarn

Here at cottage we are asking for yarn color name suggestions for our new 'artists hand' yarns 90% Qiviut- 10% Merino. To enter choose a name for each of the 5 yarns above, leave your suggestions in comments section and the person with the 5 best names wins ! To make it fair for everyone it will be my business partner who decides which entry wins
As this type of yarn is sooo special we would like the colour names to reflect the yarn content....think Qiviut - Musk Oxen - Tundra -Arctic Circle....flowers of the Tundra....check out Google and see what you can come up with !
Competition is open to everyone....world wide, closing date: December 31st 2010.What you win: 1 -100 gram skein of artists hand And a lace scarf 52'' X 10'' knit from 'artists hand yarn' the winner will be announced on this blog new years day( if i havent got a massive hangover...lol)...get your thinking cap on !

Shrug knit from musk ox yarn

A very simple way to construct a shrug is to knit the basic rectangle shape. this very versatile garment when knit from 100% qiviut or qiviut blends makes a wonderful back and shoulder warmer that's whisper light. You can easily knit your own shrug in any type of stitch design simply by knitting a rectangle shape.Measurements: S: 38'' X 20'' inches deep. M: 42'' X 22'' L: 46'' X 22'' XL: 50'' X 24'' The garment is knit length ways, casting on the sts for the left arm and knitting until you reach the right arm. To find your size, measure how long you want the sleeve to be X by 2 (for both sleeves) and then measure across the width of your shoulders/back or measure the width of your fav sweater. Once complete stitch the arm seams closed 2.5'' inches short of arm pit.......Voila

musk ox -fingerless gloves

''Going mad for teal''.....Knit from 100% musk ox yarn. I knit these with 2 strands of our lace weight yarn together on 3.75mm straights for the long cuff section & then changed to 3.75mm D.P.N for hand & finger section.....small project can be knit over the weekend. Added a sprinkling of beads as i'm a big bead fan !

I found this colour quite by accident. The gloves were supposed to be 'slate blue' but i added too much dye so i ended up with Teal.....loved the colour so much i had to get some teal nail polish & a gorgeous teal eyeliner. As i'm a big fan of Betsey Johnson i found a pair of froggy earrings in teal too. Teal is the colour this year.....even hollywood stars are mad about teal.....love it !

Arctic musk ox Blend cardigan Pattern.

Knit from our new Arctic Qiviut blend of 30% Qiviut- 20% Merino- 20% Silk- 30% Baby Alpaca- at $7.95 per 25 gram skein its a Luxurious little bargain. I knit this on a 3.5mm and used our 3 ply. I am pleasantly surprised with the results, the sweater is so soft warm and the fit is wonderful- close fitting and not too bulky in size XL.Perfect to wear with a thin t-shirt or a cute Cami-top. The colour is a natural sort of oatmeal. I don't usually go for this type of colour but this has a special sheen to it and the baby alpaca adds halo. I didn't want buttons for this so i opted for a single sterling silver clasp i bought from a silver dealer in Israel ....still hasn't arrived as yet ( i buy from Israel as much as possible to score Heaven points)

Old Shale Stitch or feather and fan pattern has been around since Victorian times.... makes for an easy knit stitch on the run. This pattern is so easy. Even if you have never knit a cardi before you can do this. The is similar to a short sleeved cardi  from http://www.flossyanddossy.blogspot.com/. Wendy, is a designer of everything Vintage and has Oh so cute wiggle

 dresses at a very reasonable price for her quality workmanship. flossy and Dossy also manufacture wedding dress at very reasonable prices. Check her out and grab yourself a little something special.

Tension: Over stocking st on 3.5mm needles -24sts X 27 Rows = 4'' inch square.

The overall measurements are: Length-back-24''. Width - 21''

Sleeves: length - 19'' - Width at top of sleeve -17''

Width at Front: 22'' includes the front bands/ribs. These measurements are approx; and are based on my knitting tension and the garment after blocking.

You will need :

1 pair of 3.00mm needles , 1 pair of 3.5mm needles, stitch markers, wool needle,

15- 25 gram balls of Arctic blend 3 ply by http://www.cottagecraftangora.com/

Clasp or buttons to close at collar.

The pattern:

With 3.5mm cast on 130 sts then follow this pattern throughout for the back.

1: (RS) Knit.

2: Purl side.

3: K2, * (PM)-place a marker, K2 tog ( 3 times), YO, K1 ( 6 times), K2tog (3 times).Rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.

4: Knit.

Repeat the above rows until work measures 15'' inches long ( no stretching). Next, change to regular stocking st on the next knit row, work until back measures 17'' inches long.

Under arm shaping: Cast of 5 sts at the beg of next 2 rows. then DEC 1 st each end of the next 4 rows. Work straight until armhole measures 9.5'' inches deep. Shape shoulders: cast off 6 sts at the beg of next 4 rows. then cast off all rem sts purl side.

Right Front:

Cast on 76 sts. Work as for back keeping pattern correct, shape armhole, cast of 5 sts on the beg of next knit row, then 1 st at the beg of next 4 rows. work until armhole measures 6'' inches then shape neck front by casting/binding off 15 sts.Next DEC 1 st at neck edge every other row until armhole measures 9.5'' inches. Next cast off 6 sts at shoulders edge every other row 2 times. cast/bind off remaining sts.

Left front:

Same as right, reverse shaping.

Sleeves:

With 3.5mm cast on 58 sts. Follow pattern as set and place markers between so you always know where your at. Work on the 58 sts for 6 pattern repeats, then inc 1 st each end, work another 2 full pattern rep then inc 1 st each end again. Continue to inc 1 sts each end every 2 full pattern repeats.(that's 4 rows = 1 pattern repeat). Continue as set until work measures 10' long(without stretching).

Next change to stocking st. continue to inc 1 st each end every 4 rows.When work measures 17'' long inc 1 st each end every 2 rows until 100 sts, cast/bind off purl wise.make another sleeve.

Next :lightly press and steam all edges using silk or wool setting on iron. Sew up all seams.

Front bands: With (RS)  facing you, 3.00mm needles pick up & knit 136 sts from right front and K 2, P2  for 6 rows, cast off in k and p sts. Repeat for other side. You may find that you want a wider band, simply knit more rows till you happy with the width of the band/rib !

Neck: with 3.00mm needles pick up and knit 130 sts, k2,p2 for 6 rows, then cast/bind off knit and purl wise.

Please let me know if there are any errors......have fun !

  

100% Qiviut cabled cardi- part 2:

Ok so i have started the Left Front and boy is it going fast working on 4.00mm's & only 73sts & 2 cables. I love doing cables so much that i can't put it down. The back of the sweater weighed a total of 95 grams so the fronts should take at least 10% more.....this means with all my odd ends of batches i should have enough to finish the cardigan. The left sleeve is now finished & i have started the right. I can't wait for it to be done so i can weigh the whole thing to know exactly how much yarn our new pattern will require ! At this stage i'm enjoying every st.........but what color should i dye this ? At the moment i'm into Black, Purple & Raspberry !

Coloring a Qiviut sweater is quite nerve wracking......i just know i'm going to be stressed all the time its in the pot even though i kind of know what i'm doing. The pieces of knitwear have to be dyed before stitching them together this allows the dye to get even coverage, the bands have to be knit after dyeing so we need to add enough yarn to the dye pot too, but what color ?

Qiviut cabled hat & mitts

Hand Knit from 100% Qiviut, i knit theses with 3 strands of 2 ply together.....they are so soft, thick & warm. This set is sold but i can make more. The set above sells for $260.00usd Or knit them yourself....patterns on our site at www.http://www.cottagecraftangora.com/