Mill Ends Giveaway For December 2014

100% pure Magical Qiviut Bobbin ends.....LUSH !

Finally got most of our Christmas RUSH orders sent off, been making lots of pure qiviut sweaters in the light worsted weight 3ply Magical Qiviut...... I tried one of the sweaters on. They are VERY SOFT BUT VERY' VERY WARM, TOO WARM FOR ME !

   I may have more time to work on the blogs & finally make some items for myself !

This month its more mill ends. This lush lot (shown at the top of the page) is mostly 2 ply lace weight yarn in their Natural state

but i could hand dye them for whoever should win to any of these colours below:

 Colours are (Clockwise) Bordeaux, Burnt Orange, Raven Black, Arctic Red, Slate blue, Arctic cherry, Turquoise green, Arctic Blue, Purple, Turquoise.

Now because the yarns are from several batches there will be a shade difference in the finished dyed yarn, some will be dark & some will be a lighter shade ! To enlarge any image just click on it.

To enter the December giveaway tell me what you would knit with the yarn & What colour you would choose - Natural as they are or hand dyed !

Open to everyone, runs from December 1 st to December 31st 2014

One winner drawn at Random.

Merry Christmas♥

Winner of the Name that Alpaca/Qiviut yarn & another Giveaway

    After much deliberation we decided to go with an Inuit                                         name...anana Qiviut

Afterall our wonderful qiviut fibre comes from the Far North & it was about time we paid tribute to the Wonderful Inuit community.

The winner of the skein of anana qiviut yarn is Brandon who entered so many names it was a real challenge to pick just one. Anana meaning 'Beautiful'.

Thank you to all who entered there were so many lovely names that would have complemented this yarn very well. So many great entries it has taken us 3 days to decide !

Brandon you win a 100 Gram skein of this Beautiful yarn, please contact me with your details at:

cottagecraftangora(at)hotmail.com....congratulations to you !

The October yarn giveaway is one of these little Gems !

To enlarge & see more detail click on the image !

 Winner will receive a 100 gram skein of our lace weight Magical qiviut with 720 (ish) yards

in your colour choice. The colours are: 

(TOP ROW) Raspberry, Arctic blue, (Bottom row) Purple, Arctic Red.

All you have to do is tell us what you would knit & what colour you would choose.

1 winner drawn at random

Runs from 11th October to 31 st October 2014

open to knitters world wide ! 

Toronto Knitting Frolic & yarn giveaway for March/May 31st - 2014

TORONTO

Frolicing Sheep Poster Designed by Heather Brady 

Its Show Time

And this is the first show of the year for us !

What can i tell you about the 'Frolic'......

It could very well be the best show in Eastern Canada. The Venue hasn't changed locations in years & i think it is one of the most beautiful locations to have a fibre event from a building stand point.
 The Frolic came to its current location on Apirl 16Th 2005

I love how the Vendors are dotted about in different rooms. There is plenty to see & occupy the mind with everything you could ever want to supply your crochet/knitting Addiction.
             The first Frolic show was held in 1998 at the Bloor Street United Church about 150 people attended. The Organizing committee of 5 & the Current President Carole Adams work incredibly hard to bring this great show to life giving their time for free.

              Today's show see's over 2,000 people through the doors thanks to the Dedicated work of the Down Town Knit Collective whose Goal is to 'share the advancement of knitting through the sharing of idea's & techniques, education & Community involvement' their goal appears to be working not only in the number of people that attend but the fact that they have chosen such a beautiful place to host & will continue to do so for years to come.

                                               A quiet little spot to sit in the Japanese Garden

                                Natural Light Filled spaces can be found everywhere in this building !

This brings me onto what we will give as a 'Raffle Prize'....this year we decided to give a $100 Gift certificate spendable at our booth on Frolic day, so if you happen to be the Lucky winner just stop by the booth & present your gift card & you can carry off 100 bucks worth of products.... all our yarns, even the pure qiviut!

For those readers who can't attend i have this.....

This is 100% Magical Qiviut in 3ply a huge skein of  Raven Black 140 grams with 567 Yards

To win this you must tell us what you will knit with it, then if you are the winner you must list the project on your Ravelry projects page & share it with our group here: www.ravelry.com/groups/cottage-craft-angora-mill

This Give away Runs FROM: 21st March to May 31st 2014

Rules: if you take part you agree to knit what you said you would knit & that you agree to list the project on your Ravelry page & you agree to share your Ravelry project page with our group ! 

If you do not intend to do this then Do Not Enter !  

                           Open to knitters OR Crocheters world wide.

                                Hope to see you at the Frolic ♥

here is a link to the Down town knit collective to learn more about the guild & what they are currently upto.....website: www.downtownknitcollective.ca

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 ! 

   

Qiviut-Queen-Shrug giveaway September 2013

The-Qiviut-Queen-Shrug giveaway.

Its nearly fall, time to haul out the sweaters full of yarny soft goodness and because its that time of year i Love to have a Shrug handy just incase i'm feeling chilled !

What could be more simple. A Provisional cast on, knit a rectangle(side to side construction), make some increases for body, then some decreases, then pickup and knit all the inside edge rows to form a lovely soft rib, finish sleeve edges with a cute stitch design, sew up seam and your done

Have decided to add some 100% Magical qiviut in our Natural 3ply to the edge of sleeves just to make it a bit more special !

  As you can see this one is nearly finished. Just need to pick up inside sts for rib.

For mine i'm using 'Arctic Lights' colourway but you got options go here:www.cottagecraftangora.com/qiviut-queen-merino/4557554607

to see my updated page of qiviut-queen-colours and choose what colour you would like your shrug to be knit from. At the end of the month 1 winner will be drawn at random and i will send you a shrug in your colour choice and size.....ready to gift or keep for yourself !

 Sewing up seams,

 I used to work for a knitwear designer back in the 80's and my job was to sew up all the garment seams. I developed my own method that i follow so that every time i work by hand the seams are so perfect.
My Method:
*I always use a sharp wool needle so the stitch goes exactly where i want it to go.
*I always use the same tension throughout.
*I always place the both sides of knitted fabric between my thumb and index finger to make a straight line that has the edge protruding a 1/4'' inch.
*I work only 1'' inch at a time and Always put in the same equal amount of sts per inch.... Voila perfect seams !

RUNS FROM: 2nd September TO 30th September 2013
To Enter This months giveaway simply tell us in the comment section what your colour choice would be and what size you require. 1 winner will be drawn at random. Please only 1 entry per person. Open to everyone world wide.

SIZES:
S/M, L/XL. This is a close fitting garment.
17 colours to choose from.

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 

 

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 !

Tundra Fern scarf OR Smokering kit- february 2013- Giveaway

Better late than never ! Been just so busy making yarns and mailing yarns that i never got a chance to post the february blog entry.....its already the 8th....don't know where the times goes !

The Tundra Fern smokering (above)..... this is what i have done so far ! The colour is Hunter green. It's been so dark and miserable that i really need some nice green colour to lift my spirits.

And here's the Tundra fern scarf from the January kit giveaway........

Another chance for you to get a free kit in either the scarf kit or smokering kit.
In comments section simply tell us the kit you would prefer either smokering or Scarf and in what colour from the yarns shown below. ***Please note that the yarns shown are qiviut blends so they take the dye to a lighter shade. The kits im offering are 100% qiviut. Pure qiviut is much darker so the finished yarns are a darker shade too ! Please keep this in mind when you make your choice !

1: Hunter green,
2: Slate blue,
3: Turkey red
4: Purple,
5: Raven Black,
6: Mahogany,
7: Raspberry,
8: Egyptian red,
9: Bordeaux,
10: Navy blue,
11: Not available....sorry !

Two winner drawn at random,
open to knitters world wide,
1 entry per person,
FROM 8Th February TO 28th February 2013.

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 !

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.