Smoke rings July 2013 Giveaway

The Falling Leaves Smoke Ring

just now it does not look much like leaves, after blocking it will magically transform.

The smoke ring is a wonderful versatile garment. Not only does it keep your head warm but also your neck too and if you make it large enough can provide

 soothing warmth to shoulders. It is one of my favourite fall and winter garments that i keep close at hand.

The Smoke ring originated in Europe during the Medieval times. They were known as a Wimple and most were made from heavy quality cloth fabric. 

I do not know when people started to make them from yarn.

Do you know ?

Smoke rings are just so stylish and look equally lovely draped around the neck.

They can be knit in a variety of yarns depending on the warmth and softness required.

Me, i prefer anything with qiviut. The softness and warmth is unsurpassed. Even yarn blends with only 10% qiviut provide a softness that you will not find in any other fibre or yarn so much so that the garment can be worn next to skin without irritation.

The yarn blend above is our qiviut-queen. 10% qiviut-10% cashmere-10% silk and 70% merino.

This months give away 2 winners drawn at random to win the yarn to knit the falling leaves smoke ring. Colour shown above is natural, all you have to do is tell us what colour you would choose from these colours here: www.cottagecraftangora.com/qiviut-queen-merino/4557554607

Open to knitters world wide, 

please only 1 entry per person,

RUNS FROM: 3rd July 2013 TO 31st July 2013.

TENSION: After blocking test piece Shown below 6'' wide X 3'' inches long.

I consider my self quite a loose knitter so you may need to test knit on a larger needle. 

To test your tension cast on 23 sts on 5 mm-US #8 and work 1 full pattern repeat then wash gently, block, dry,  measure and adjust needle size if required.  The smoke ring should have drape and be of a loose comfortable fit.

THE PATTERN- Falling Leaves:

*** at this stage i'm not sure how many yards are required probably 3 to 400yds***

with the correct size circular needle cast on 93 sts.

Join to work in the rnd, place st marker amd knit 1 rnd then begin pattern below.

1: (RS) k1, k2tog, k3, * yf, k1, yf, k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k3; rep from * to last 7 sts, yf, k1, yf, k3, sl 1, psso, k1.

2: and all alternate rnds knit all sts.

3: k1, k2tog, k2, * yf, k3, yf, k2, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2; rep from * to last 8 sts, yf, k3, yf, k2, sl 1, psso, k1.

5: k1, k2tog, k1, * yf, k5, yf, k1, sl 1 k2tog, psso, k1; rep from * to last 9sts, yf, k5, yf, sl 1, k1, psso, k1.

7: k1, k2tog, yf, k7, * yf, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yf, k7; rep from * to last 3sts, yf, sl 1, k1, psso, k1.

9: k2, yf, k3, * sl 1, k2tog, psso, k3, yf, k1, yf, k3; rep from * to last 8 sts, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k3, yf, k2.

11: k3, yf, k2, * sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2, yf, k3, yf, k2; rep from * to last 8sts, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2, yf, k3.

13: k4, yf, k1, * sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yf, k5, yf, k1; rep from * to last 8sts, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yf, k4.

15: k5, * yf, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yf, k7; rep from * to last 8sts, yf, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yf, k5.

16: knit.

rep these 16 rnds until work measures 20'' inches long.

My daughter Kyanna

''Flower Bud Smoke ring''

This is the flower bud smoke ring...folded in half and to the left you can see the cable.

Here's the Flower bud pattern:

With 5mm - US Size 8 Circular needles cast on 109 sts, join to work in the rnd, place marker.

(Note on rnd 11 of every pattern row the last 2 sts and first 2 sts make a cable) To do this, k to last 2 sts, slip these 2 sts onto a cable needle, hold at back of work, remove st marker, knit next 2 sts, replace marker then knit the 2 sts from cable needle, continue the rnd incorporating the 2 sts just worked.

Rnd 1: k3, * yf, k2, p3tog, k2, yf, k1; rep from * to last 2 sts,k2.

Rnd 2: knit.

Rnds 3-6: rep 2 rnds above.

Rnd 7: k2, p2tog, * k2, yf, k1, yf, k2, p3tog, rep from * to last 9 sts; k2, yf, k1, yf, k2, p2tog, k2.

Rnd 8: knit.

Rnds 9-12 rep rends 7 and 8.....on rnd 11 insert cable as outlined above.

Rep the rnds above until work measures 20'' inches long.

Next, knit 2 rnds and then cast off all sts sewing in any loose ends.

I'm thinking of knitting another smoke ring pattern using the same yarn but i have this lovely Tundra green that i would like to try !

Best of Luck with your entry !

Texting mitts and Qiviut Yarn Giveaway for June 2013

This Months gorgeous little selection 226 grams of yarns spun into 2, 3, 4 ply some pure qiviut, some blended and some white pure cashmere.

We have been very busy lately working on qiviut knitwear building stock for the coming Fall season and with lots of my own projects too...... there's just not enough hours in the day !

When out and about on my travels quite a few customers have asked for the Texting mitt pattern with the picot edge and leafy cuff. The mitts take about 45 grams of yarn so this little lot above could make 5 pairs.

Who would you knit them for ?

Leave your entry in the comments section, 1 winner drawn at random.
RUNS FROM 18- JUNE 2013 TO 30 th JUNE 2013.
open to knitters world wide.

The pair shown above is knit from 100% magical qiviut in Raspberry and natural.

I used 2 strands of 2ply held together and our 3ply for the natural leafy border cuff.

Total 44 grams- 260 yards.

To Knit The Texting Mitts You will need:

 any of the 2ply lace yarns shown above,(knit 2 strands tog)

1pair of 3.5mm-US SIZE 4 straight needles,

1 set of 3.5mm- US SIZE 4 D.P.N's

3 st markers.

Wool needle.

TENSION: 7sts = 1'' inch

X

8 rows = 1'' inch

I knit very loose so you may have to go to a 4mm if you consider yourself a tight/firm knitter !

With 3.5mm begin to knit the mitt. 

Cast on 44 sts, join to work in the rnd, pm, and knit 24 rnds.

NEXT MAKE THUMB GUSSET:

1: k19, pm, m1, k1, m1, k1, pm, k to end.

2: and every alt rnds knit without inc. 

3: k19, sm, m1, k3, sm, k to end.

5: k19, sm, m1, k5, m1, sm, k to end.

7: k19, sm, m1, k7, m1, sm, k to end.

cont inc every 2nd rnd until you have 12 st bet markers.

On next rnd, k19, remove marker, slip 12 sts onto waste yarn or st holder, remove 2nd marker, turn work INC 2 sts, turn work back to (RS) and continue to knit around back to 1st marker.

continue knitting in rnds until work measures 6'' inches long from cast on edge.

PICOT EGDE:

k1, *k2tog, yo, k1; rep from *back to beg.

Next rnd knit all sts including yo's and work a further 8 rnds for the turn back of the Picot.

sew picot edge down inside of mitt.

Thumb: with D.P.N's pick up the 12 sts from the waste yarn and 2 edge sts, so you have 14 sts for the thumb. join to work in the rnd and k 12 rnds, bind/cast off all 14sts.

Sew in any loose ends, make a 2nd mitt.

The Leafy Cuff:

 with 3.5mm needles and a 3ply yarn or 2 strands of 4ply held tog k3 pattern repeats as shown below then sew onto the cast on edge of mitt. 

CAST ON 8 STS.

1:(RS) k5, yf, k1, yf, k2.

2: p6, inc in next st, k3.

3: k4, p1, k2, yf, k1, yf, k3.

4: p8, inc in next st, k4.

5: k4, p2, k3, yf, k1, yf, k4.

6: p10, inc in next st, k5.

7: k4, p3, k4, yf, k1, yf, k5.

8: p12, inc in next st, k6.

9: k4, p4, yb, sl1, k1, psso, k7, k2tog, k1.

10: p10, inc in next st, k7.

11: k4, p5, yb, sl1, k1, psso, k5, k2tog, k1.

12: p8, inc in next st, k2, p1, k5.

13: k4, p1, k1, p4, yb, sl1, k1, psso, k3, k2tog, k1.

14: p6, inc in next st, k3, p1, k5.

15: k4, p1, k1, p5, yb, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, k1.

16: p4, inc in next st, k4, p1, k5.

17: k4, p1, k1, p6, yb, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1.

18: p2tog, cast of next 5sts using the p2tog as 1st stitch, k1, p1, k5.

rep these 18 rows another 2 times, then cast off the 8 sts, sew onto cuff with right sides facing together, then make another leafy cuff and you got a pair of lovely open style mitts perfect to gift.....who would you make them for ?

ABBREVIATIONS:

k=knit, sm= slip marker, pm= place marker,

yo= lay yarn over working needle to make a loop st.

 inc= increase by making a stitch, knit into the front and back of the next st to make a new st.

alt= alternate rnds.

(RS) = right side.

k2tog= knit next 2 sts together to form a single st dec.

dec= decrease.

 psso= slip next st from left needle to right needle without working it, then knit next st on left needle, then slip the slipped st over st jus worked.

yb= yarn back to knitting position. 

please let me know of any typo's......Thank you !

Once you haveplaced your entry here...Pop over to my Shetland wool blog. I am hosting a Shetland wool blanket post and need the name for my sampler blanket design......will be adding new blocks to the post over the next few days.... 

www.shetlandwool.blogspot.com 

 

January 2013-Tundra fern kit giveaway

 

The Tundra Fern scarf kit

 

Happy new year.....

Just a quick blog entry as i'm in the middle of knitting qiviut sweaters and the deadline has come and gone.

This months giveaway is for a scarf kit shown above....looks crappy because its not blocked and i'm just test knitting it on scraps of pure qiviut yarn, the kits i mail out will be so much better and contain New yarns from the same batch and the New pattern !

here's the yarn colour choice below

 

To enter just tell us what colour you would like to knit this scarf in :
1: natural-not shown,
2: hunter green,
3: slate,
4: turkey red,
5: purple,
6: raven black,
7: mahogany,
8: raspberry,
9: egyptian red,
10: bordeaux,
11: navy blue,
12: NOT AVAILABLE...... as the qiviut we are working on is too grey and does not take that light azalea colour.

2 winners chosen at random. 
From january 2nd TO 31st January 2013
best of Luck to you all !  

And here is the finished scarf !

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