Mill Ends Giveaway for July 2014

More bobbin ends !

We have been making lots more yarn lately & that means bobbin ends.....too good to throw away !

This lovely lot is 367 grams. Spun into 2ply lace, 3ply worsted & 4 ply sock weight

The blends are Qiviut-Cashmere-Silk-Angora rabbit-with one or 2 small skeins of 100% Magical qiviut all natural shades. 

Click on the picture to enlarge it !

Because there is so much yardage & weight i thought i would divide into 2 lots so there will be 2 winners.

To enter simply head over to Ravelry, join our ''cottage craft angora mill'' group & 2 winners from the group members will be drawn at random on the 1st of August to win a 183 gram lot.(If you are already a group member then no need to do anything...your already entered )

Rules:

Must be a member of our Ravelry group.

If you enter you declare that you are willing to share the project you knit or crochet with our ravelry group in the photo/projects section.

Open to knitters/crocheters world wide.

Runs from 5Th July TO 31st July 2014

Here is the link to our Ravelry group:www.ravelry.com/groups/cottage-craft-angora-mill

Best of Luck to you !

Please check back soon.....we have a Name that yarn event coming soon.

This is the yarn

A blend of 50% Baby Alpaca 50% Qiviut spun into a worsted weight, will be available in 3 Natural colours

The two winners drawn at random are Ravelry group members: lorainec & Lynn-marie.....congratulations! 

100% pure qiviut mill ends giveaway for January 2014

 2014-mill ends !

We made it through the Ice Storm but lost our connection due to the ice destroying the internet tower ! Without the internet connection I found I was less distracted. This gave me chance to catch up on more orders & get them mailed out ASAP.

                    Have not had time though to work on the special post I planned for January

The pillow knit from ''The Little Prince Batch of Yarn'' will have to wait until February after I finish all my qiviut sweater orders.

The yarns above are what I found laying around on bobbins. Skeined & washed. A gorgeous lot of 2ply & 3 ply magical qiviut shown here:www.cottagecraftangora.com/musk-ox-yarns/4521339631  These yarns will knit some lovely texting mitts.....more than 1 pair. Different shades from about 4 different batches of yarns but all PURE LUSH QIVIUT !

                   This month we will draw at random 4 winners, YES 4. This gives more people a chance to experience just how FANTASTIC Qiviut yarns & Knitwear are.

I will be updating this post & add my texting mitt pattern later in the week.

 To Enter: Simply tell us that you would love to knit the text mitts above & your entered !

Open to knitters world wide.
Only one entry per person.
Runs from: January 5th TO  31st January 2014

The Pattern:

you will need, a total of 40 grams of yarn for each pair.

1 set of 3.00mm D.P.N's

1 pair of straight needles 3.5mm

3 st marker (2 same colour) 

wool needle.

The leafy cuff is knit lengthways then the lace cuff is stitched to the cast on edge of the mitt. Mitts are circular knit with a Picot edge to finish.
Use a single strand of 3ply yarn for the leafy cuff & for the main part of mitt use 2 strands of lace qiviut held together.

Tension: 7sts = 1''inch X 9 Rows = 1''inch 

These mitts fit the average person. You will need to adjust your needle size to get the correct tension.

To Begin, with D.P.N's cast on 42 sts, divide sts thus 14-14-14, join to work in rnd, pm & knit every rnd until work measures 8 cm.

Begin Thumb Inc's:

Thumb shaping is knit on needle #2

1: k18 sts, pm, m1, k1, m1, k1, pm, k to end of rnd.

2: & all alt rnds, k without shaping.

3: k18, sm, m1, k3, m1, sm, k to end

5: k18, sm, m1, k5, m1, sm, k to end

7: k18, sm, m1, k7, m1, sm, k to end

9: k18, sm, m1, k9, m1, sm, k to end.

11: k18, sm, m1, k11, m1, sm, k to end.

Next rnd, k18, remove marker, put 12 sts onto a holder or waste yarn, remove other thumb marker. make/inc 2 sts & continue knitting across closing the gap.

Continue working in plain k rnds until work reaches just past your knuckles.

Picot Edge:

At beg of rnd, * k1, yo, k2tog, rep from * to marker.
Next, k 6 rnds then bind/cast off all 42 sts. Turn the edge to inside & sew inplace catching the purl side loops & using only light tension on the yarn so the sts are even & neat !

Make another cuff. 

Leafy cuff pattern- make 2

Cast on 8 sts on with 3.5mm straights 

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

2: p6, inc in next by knitting into front & back of it, 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, 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, sl1, psso, k5, k2tog, k1.

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

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

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

15: k4, p1, k1, p5, yb, sl1, 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 off 5 sts using p2tog as first of these sts(1st is on right needle), k1, p1, k5.

Rep these 18 rows another 2 times then bind/cast off all 8 sts.

with 2 right sides facing sew lace cuff to edge of mitt cuff. 

Knit Thumb: Pick up the 12 sts from waste yarn, join to work in rnd & knit 8 rnds.

Cast/bind off the 12 sts. 

This is the 4 lots. I tried to match them up as best as i could with a shade difference between the cuff
& mitt part. To work with this odd yarn you will need to Divide all your 2ply lace weight yarn into 2 lots knitting in a sequence & repeat for the other text mitt......if i have time i will divide them for you & bag the yarns for left & right mitt in 2 small bags & most likely ball them for you too so you can start knitting the moment you open the little package !

This a pair I'm working on knit from Qiviut-Queen yarn in Raven Black. (70% Merino-10% qiviut-10%cashmere-10%silk) Even with only 10% qiviut in the yarn blend you can feel the difference in the warmth & softness, the blend has just the right amount of Elasticity too to make great socks that are quite Durable ! 

   

Raw Musk ox fibre & Mill ends- give away for November 2013

From this....

                                    60 grams of raw dawn

 To This........

200 grams of mill ends

This month's give away i thought i would include some raw musk ox down for the hand spinners out there !

                     Its quite easy to de-hair on a small scale. You simply break off a small piece, hold the down firmly & with the other hand try to remove as many dark black guard hairs as possible until your left with just soft fluffy down.

For best results you need plenty of light & work over a white surface such as a sheet of paper...the black hairs show up quite clearly !  

                      The yarns are a selection of 100% qiviut, qiviut & cashmere, qiviut & silk, qiviut-queen-yarn. The Inuit blue skein is qiviut & silk, a 60 odd gram skein i found in my stash.....will never get around to knitting with it so some other knitter may as well have the use of it to make something beautiful & spectacular! 

Runs from 12 th November TO 30 th November 2013

open to everyone world wide.

Two winners drawn at random, one winner will receive the yarn & the other will receive the raw musk ox fibre.

I'm getting in the mood for Christmas. I just finished my Christmas shopping on line-i never buy from physical stores anymore, its beautiful to avoid the crowds & shop while enjoying a Huge glass of Red wine !

snow has come to the Adstock Hills. This is what i woke upto this morning

Simply tell us what Crafty gifts you hope to receive this year from Santa ?

Best of Luck !

The Shetland wool blog monthly giveaway is posted, this month its for a fair isle Throw already knit & ready to gift.....here: www.shetlandwool.blogspot.ca

Mill end giveaway for October 2013

330 grams of Mill Ends

Not the post i intended to write for October but i am totally bogged down with mill work & knitwear orders so this will have to be short & sweet !

All natural bobbin ends in 100% qiviut(small amount) with some 2 - 3- 4 ply blends in there too for a total of 330 grams in scrumptious cashmere, qiviut, merino, silk.

Tell Us What would you knit ?

1 winner drawn at random.

Open to knitters world wide.

Please only 1 entry per person.

From: 12 th October to 31 st October 2013....best of Luck !

August giveaway, more mill ends & another Smokering pattern

The Chevron Smokering

Last months post was about smokerings and again this month. The smokerings i knit last month are now in Germany....my daughter Kyanna went to visit friends for 2 weeks and needed a few gifts to take along....the friends father got qiviut socks, the mother received my best smokering and johanna a lovely Bordeaux lace smokering which is why i'm knitting more smokerings again this month. 

They are the perfect gift.

August is the month that i start my Christmas knitting.

When do you start ?

I love how the wavy edge looks in this Tundra Green I want to do this one a little different from the 2 smokerings i knit last month. As you can see its almost finished. Imagine the cast on edge(wavy end) as the part that frames your face and the end on the needles is going to have eyelets to thread an I-cord through and attached to the ends of the I-cord  lovely fuzzy Pom-pon's ....all from 1 skein of qiviut-queen-merino yarn

This pattern will look stunning knit from mill ends. Mill ends in similar natural shades.

Here is the little basket of mill ends for this month. 212 grams total.. I hope the Lucky winner will get 2 smokerings out of it, one for you and one for a friend.
The two lighter coloured yarns could go to make the pom-pons, the darker shade of pure qiviut could be the cast on edge(the edge that frames the face)-very soft against the skin, with the medium tones as the garter ridges.....or maybe you have other ideas !
 I will wash the yarns so they are all soft and relaxed and ready to knit when you take them out of the bag.

Pattern notes:

This stitch style pulls in the work and combined with my naturally loose knitting gauge you may need to knit with a larger size needle to get the drape required. I used a 5mm-US size 8, you may need a 6mm- Us size 9.

You will need:

5 or 6mm circular needle.

2 D.P.N's needles.

Wool needle
pompom maker.

Cast on 110 sts follow the directions below.
RNDS 1-3-5 purl.
RNDS 2-4 knit.
RND 6: *k2tog,  k2, kmit into front and back of each of next 2 sts, k3, sl1, k1, psso, rep from * to end.
RND 7: Purl.
Rep last 2 rnds twice more. Work 6th rnd again. Then begin at rnd 1 again, rep all until 9 full patterns are complete.
Next knit 2 rnds then make eyelets to thread I-cord through.
Eyelet rnd: *k5, yo, k2tog, rep from * to beg.
Knit another 2 rnds then cast off all sts.


I-Cord.  with 4mm-us size 6 DPN's, cast on 3sts leaving a 8'' inch tail.
 knit 3sts (do not turn work) simply slide the 3 sts to the opposite end of the needle bringing the yarn from behind, putting extra tension on the yarn and knitting the 3sts again. soon the cord will be 24'' inches long. Break yarn leaving a long enough tail to sew pompom to the end and gather up the 3 sts to finish I-cord.

Pompoms. I used a 2'' inch pompom maker and leftover sock yarn in natural color.
Thread the I-cord in-n-out the eyelets then attach pompoms and your done.
Gently wash and block.

To enter August Giveaway tell us in the comments section  

When do you start your Christmas knitting ?

Winner will be drawn at Random,

Open to knitters worldwide.....best of Luck !

From: August 4th To August 31st

Qiviut-Queen yarn contains- 10% qiviut-10%silk-10%cashmere-70% merino.

With only 10% qiviut in the yarn you can really feel the difference in softness. This is a lovely everyday yarn that makes wonderful socks, hats mittens, gloves, sweaters and shawls. 

Qiviut-Queen-yarn has a new price. NOW $26.00 PER SKEIN.

SOLD HERE:www.cottagecraftangora.com/qiviut-queen-merino/4557554607

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 

 

Mill Ends giveaway For April 2013

Another lovely lot........

Been having another clean out. This lot of bobbin ends weighs 230grams, a mix of 2,3 and 4ply. The white you see is pure cashmere.The grey is qiviut blends and the browns are wonderful 100% pure qiviut,  its a nice little lot. the yarns are unwashed so feel a bit yak as they are full of spinning oils and anti-static but i will wash them for you before i mail them. i really think this lot is just too perfect to dye !
            You could make a lovely shawl or scarf. Imagine knitting feather and fan stitch shawl and lining each colour up as you go along working just a few rows or even a whole pattern rep ! Could even start your christmas knitting early....a few scarves for loved one's !

The mill ends lot from last month giveaway has been dyed mahogany......

i love how the dye takes on a different tone and depth throughout and i hope our winner Kathy will send us a picture of the finished whatever she knits !!! that big skein of seasilk/qiviut has taken on an intresting sheen and Kathy requested two silvery looking skeins to be left natural...hope i got the 2 skeins she was talking about correct.

One winner randomly drawn.
To enter and win the natural lot of yarns shown at the top of this page just tell us what you would knit, scarf, shawl or whatever.
Runs from: 6th April 2013 to 30th April 2013.....best of luck !

Check out my shetland wool blog here:www.shetlandwool.blogspot.com this month we need your help to name our new shetland /qiviut yarn......the winner will be sent enough shetland/qiviut blend yarn to knit my new shawl design of leaves and cables, pop on over.....happy Spring time everyone ! 

Winner from March mill ends Give away

The winner drawn at random is Kathy Zelenka......she has requested her yarns will be dyed mahogany & a couple left natural.....congratulations Kathy your yarns will mail out on wednesday.

Next giveaway will be posted in a few hours.....more mill ends !

March giveaway- mill ends in colour

The two winners drawn at randon from the february draw are:
Jiminator and Bernie Holberg.....pls contact me so i can mail you your lovely qiviut yarn kits !

I thought i would offer something a little different this month.

Mill ends in your colour choice....

It's time for another clean out. In the basket below are wonderful soft yummie yarns in pure qiviut, qiviut/silk, qiviut/cashmere, qiviut/angora, qiviut/merino all in 2ply, 3ply and 4 ply's - 347 grams total !

I thought you could choose (if you are the winner) 1 colour from the yarns below and i will dye the whole batch in your colour choice. It will be fun to see the various shades of the same colour all in different hue's and tones...... the dye will make an wonderful colour variation throughout the batch.....you could make a unique artsy shawl with 347 grams !

Colour selections below.....select only 1colour !

 To biggy any picture just click on it

1: Hunter green,

2: slate blue,

3: Egyptian red,

4: Purple,

5: Raven black,

6: Mahogany,

7: Raspberry,

8: Turkey red,

9: Bordeaux,

10: Navy blue,

11: Azalea.

 

To Enter: simply tell us what colour you would choose. 

If you are the winner then i will dye all 347 grams for you in your colour choice.

Open to all worldwide.

Only one entry per person.

No anonymous entries......they will be deleted !

RUNS FROM: 02 March 2013 TO 31st March 2013.

Best of Luck to you all !

Winner of December mill ends 2012

The winner drawn at random is ''pam the treadmill knitter'' pls contact us so we can ship you your yarns !

Check out our next blog post on January 2nd for a chance to win a 'Tundra fern Scarf Kit' in 100% qiviut....happy new year !

December yarn giveaway...more mill Ends !

Another Lovely lot in need of a new home !

In this giveaway we have 383 grams  of yarn in 2ply lace, 3ply and 4ply.

small amount of 100% qiviut,

100% angora in lace,

big 100gram skein of qiviut sock yarn (45% qiviut) that went wrong. The nylon has made the colour go a bit streaky so was rejected ......you could die it a solid black & that would probably cover the streaks,

some red 3ply Angora rabbit yarn- 2 skeins,

black 100% qiviut 2ply- went wrong so was rejected !

A mix of some blends with cash & silk,

a bit of 4 ply sock yarn.

One winner chosen at random.
From: 01- December 2012 TO 31- December 2012.

As its almost Christmas....... tell us what you love most about Christmas !

We have monthly giveaways too on out Ravelry group.......join in, you may just wine some yarn.
Each month we will pick at random a member for a free yarn giveaway just for being a group member.

 Members who post photos of their FO's knit from ANY of our yarns will be in with a chance to win more yarn.....yarn will be awarded for beautiful projects !

here's the group link:  www.ravelry.com/groups/cottage-craft-angora-mill

My other Blog: www.shetlandwool.blogspot.ca
Just posted the December Shetland wool giveaway !

November: yarn giveaway- Mill Ends

More Mille Ends.....

Sorry for the delay posting this but i just had to finish all my christmas knitwear.
 Its all done and now i have more time to spend on the blog and ravelry group www.ravelry.com/groups/cottage-craft-angora-mill

Been working on the 'Infinity Lotus' scarf pattern and it turning out lovely.
http://www.theqiviutblog.blogspot.ca/12/09/septemberoctober-lotus-hat-kit-giveaway.
I will write the Infinity scarf pattern ASAP.

                 This month i decided to have a clean out more mill/bobbin ends.
Here they are:

This little lot weighs 425 grams. Mostly unwashed yarn but if i get time i will wash and dry them as they are so much softer after washing !
Contents:
100%Magical Tundra Qiviut 2ply- natural colors and a small ball of raven black,
100% qiviut in 3ply,
qiviut 4ply sock yarn-with 40% qiviut,
Artists hand 2ply,
100% angora rabbit 4ply- that bright pink yarn,
100% Luxurious Buffalo,
Arctitc qiviut wool blend 2 and 3 ply,
50% qiviut/merino,
50% qiviut/angora rabbit,
qiviut-queen merino 4ply.

To enter simply tell us in the comment section 'what you ADORE about Qiviut yarns OR Musk oxen'.

1 winner will be drawn at random and sent the above yarns.
From 17th november TO 30th November 2012.