August yarn and roving giveaway

This month i'm having another clear out in more ways than one ! I just finished cleaning out the end section of our barn to house our new sheep. The first 6 shetland sheep are here and they are so lovely.....i'm really looking forward to looking after them and spinning and knitting all that lovely shetland wool. we have been really careful in our quality choice so that the sheep will have soft strong fine wool for our new fair isle sweaters.....(here's my shetland blog) : www.shetlandwool.blogspot.com not much on the blog as yet but will post lots new stuff over the next few days and will possibly have one or two giveaways !  at the same time we are getting ready for 3 shows, packing yarns etc and have some mill ends in yarns and rovings for this months giveaway......Next few months sure will be busy !

The 1 st show is : www.festivaltwist.org  August 24-25-26, 2012.......this should be a fun show, i will be at the booth on 25th and 26th. A great weekend filled with workshops and crafty crafters. Yarn Harlot will be there along with Lexi boeger, Diane Gonthier, Lousie Lortie, Carol Secord, Tonia Weber, Janet Whittam, Jackie Ottino and 'the yarn bombers.....Les Ville-Laines.

The 2nd show is : www.kwknittersguild.ca/fair  Saturday September 8th 2012. 9:30am to 4:30pm
This is a fab show, one of the best in canada.....you got to come to this show ! It's a great day of just knitting relaited goodies......lots of great vendors all under the same roof....its a day to stock up on all your knitting stuff for the coming winter knitting months.......we even get a ton of American ladies coming to this show its that good !

The 3rd show is a new show for me ! The Woodstock fleec festival www.fleecefestival.com
At this show i will be selling lots and lots of Luxury rovings, batts with some yarns too. I will also have our new line of qiviut socks.......qiviut socks in many different blends and even pure qiviut for those who really need hot socks !

If you get the chance to attend any of the shows please stop by the booth and say hello  !



Also been Busy with Stock taking and spinning more yarns and oodles of lovely rovings, i have some mill ends and bits and bob's that are in need of a new home for this months giveaway.

Lot # 1 above contains: 227 grams of Angora rabbit, cashmere, Buffalo, qiviut, Mohair, Alpaca and Merino all in 2, 3 4 ply's.

Lot # 2 above contains: 240 grams of  Angora rabbit, cashmere, Alpaca, Buffalo, merino and some Mohair again in 2, 3, 4 ply's.

Lot # 3 above contains: 26 gram ball of pencil roving of 50% angora/50% Camel....its so soft ! and also has the 3 little bags of carded 100% grey Shetland wool, red 50% cashmere, silk blend and carded mix of 100% merino for felting or spinning. Will also include some qiviut mill ends in yarns or roving whatever we have on hand at time of shipping !

Lot # 4 above contains: 100 grams of 100% merino for felting or spinning and contains all the colors seen below. The merino is soft and felts really well ! We will also include some mill ends in lot # 4 too of qiviut in yarns or rovings whatever we have onhand at time of shipping !

will choose 4 winners at random: To enter simply tell us of a show, any fiber show that you have attended in the last 12 months.

Competition runs from: 6th August TO 31st August 2012. 

July 2012 competition/giveaway winner

Congrats to 'Injuneau' your entry was drawn at random......pls contact us with your
 name and address so we can get your yarns mailed off to you !
my email address: cottagecraftangora@hotmail.com

check out the next giveaway to be posted in a couple of days !

The Antonio Hat- July competition

 ( the 2 winners from June 2012 oddments yarn give away are:  Innersparkle and Nicole )

             Sombrero de Lana                                           

Staying again this month with the muskox and Anthonio banderas theme as we spun up some of the yarn from 13th Warrior Hides. Because the qiviut fibre is quite old/heirloom quality we have decided to use all of it in a blended type yarn.
We made a lovely NEW blend of 50% qiviut - 50% Cashmere.....sinfully soft and spun into a 3ply that's to die for.....it really is that SOFT !

                                          This is the Natural colored yarn

Despite the picture this yarn is quite light in color, a sort of oatmeal shade. The cashmere we added is very, very white and because of this the cashmere picks up the color in the dye pot long before the darker qiviut so you end up with slightly heathery colored yarns.....quite beautiful. To see colors go here: www.cottagecraftangora.com/decadent-yarn-new/4566148546

The Giveaway/competition:
To win the yarn to knit both his and her hats tell us 'the birth place of Antonio banderas' including Town and region, including the color yarn you would like to be sent (if you are the winner) from the colors listed on the web page using the link above ! Also includes the pandors stle bead and broach finding.

 One winner drawn at random from correct answers.

 Open to knitters world wide.

From : 2nd July 2012 TO 31st July 2012

The Antonio Hat pattern.

knit in the round, a simple plain rib stitch brim that is turned up and measures 3.5'' inches long so that when it is turned back it covers the whole depth of the ears properly.....ideal for cold Arctic weather Conditions.

The 2nd hat is a lacey design for a woman or knit another Antonio hat and add a bow detail. Both patterns included here. Will post more pattern details as the days progress !

You will need: 3 skeins of Decadent yarn 3ply DK weight, 30 gram skeins
(3 skeins knits both hats)
#4 US - 3.5mm circular needle
#6 US - 4.mm circular needle-40cm max,
#4 US - 3.5mm straights,
same size as above D.P.N's,
Stitch marker,
wool needle,
Pandors style bead,
Broach finding.

Tension: 24st = 4'' - 32 rows = 4'' on 3.5mm - US #4

cast on 102sts, join to work in the rnd, pm.
rnd 1: k1, p2 to marker
Rep the rnd above for 25 rnds for the turn up brim.

This is how much i have so far!

                                                     

      This picture above looks more like the true color.
Next: Knit 1 rnd. Then change to larger needles and then rep the k1, p2 rnds another 8 times, then knit 34 rnds in knit stitch. After this you will begin the Dec shaping as shown below.

I'm knitting this for my husband who has a large head so its best if you measure and try the hat on the intended recipient - you may need to knit less rows !
 Another thing with this yarn is that it has Little to No Memory, the correct fitting hat should be quite snug as it will stretch !

Dec Shaping:

Rnd 1:*K15, k2tog, rep from * to end

Rnd 2: and all alternate rnds, k without shaping.

Rnd 3: *K14, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 5: *K13, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 7: *K12, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 9: *K11, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 11:*K10,k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 13:*k9, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 15:*k8,k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 17: *K7,k2tog,rep from * to end.

Rnd 19:*K6, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 21: *K5, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 23: *K4, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 25: *K3,k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 27: *K2, k2tog, rep from * to end.

Rnd 28: *k2tog to end, break yarn leaving a small tail, pull through remaining sts and fasten off, sew tail inside hat.

Voila....Antonio hat complete !

Lady version....with a bow !

To knit the bow...... on 3.5mm- US4 straights, cast on 14 sts,  k 18 rows garter, bind/cast off, pull
Pandora style bead onto center so it gathers, then stitch the bow shape to broach finding and attach to hat as shown.

Did not get time to knit a lacey hat because at the moment we are spending a lot of time clipping Angora rabbits when not spinning yarns. A lovely lace hat pattern that will knit to the same tension is the Lotus hat on ravelry, found herewww.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lotus-hat
I have knit the Lotus hat a few times to give as gifts and it really is a lovely pattern !

Winner will be posted on the 1st August.....check back to see if its you !

                                                     

winners of June oddments of yarn Giveaway

Congrats to ''Innersparkle And Nicole'' your names were drawn at random for the 2 lots of oddments.
Yes the movie was the 13th warrior....PLS contact us so we can ship you your yarns !

Thanks to all who took part.....and staying with the theme see our next blog entry/competition.

Yarn Oddments giveaway for June 2012

Managed to clean out another basket of Unloved yarns......a whopping 1,078 grams.

In this lot we got : 2 little bags of  100% qiviut 2 ply.

A ball of silk & angora in blue,

 Red scarf knit from 50% qiviut-merino-Rip this back to knit something new,

ball of 100% white/natural mohair,

under the ball of mohair is a knitted strip of 100% qiviut in 3ply,(this yarn was spun from hides that were seen in a Hollywood movie).....i got all the hides so have lots of this yarn !

Next to the ball of grey angora are some 100% qiviut knitted hat samples, there is enough yarn in them to make an adult size hat,

next to that some very nice white angora soft-spun 3ply,

3 or 4 other soft-spun angora yarns hand dyed,

 100% Buffalo 3ply and loads of smaller skeins and left over balls in 100% and some blends.


This month 2 winners will be chosen. I will divide the yarns equally in two lots.

Now for the question......in what movie do we see Tanned muskox hides being used ?
Clue Actor Antonio Banderas and the number 13.

Correct answers will be drawn at random and two winners notified via this blog.
Rules: Please use your Real name or Ravelry name so we can easily contact you if your the winner !
Open to all knittters worldwide !

Runs from 6th June-2012 TO the 30th June 2012.

May Competition winner

And the winner is Lysimachus. congrats to you. Please contact us so we can mail out your lovely yarn oddments !

Check back soon for another yarn giveaway !

Oddments of yarn giveaway for May 2012

                                          I'm on Vacation and knitting socks, lots of socks !
I have 6 pairs in total: 100% Angora rabbit in white and black, 100% qiviut for a customer, and 3 pairs of Regia sock yarns and the ones shown above.
The little Ankle sock above is knit from qiviut-queen-merino in rosewater and maple color.
The pattern is my absolute fav. Its from a designer called Janneke Maat and the pattern name is Nell.
You can find this pattern for FREE and designer on www.ravelry.com/designers/janneke-maat



                                                 ♥♥♥This months Giveaway ♥♥♥

Spring time and i love to knit socks.

This little lot could make about 4 pairs of qiviut stripe socks. The 2 ply yarns could be knit with 2 strands together and a single strand of the 4 ply to knit socks on a size US 0 - 2.00mm

A total of 340 grams of 2ply and 4 ply's with lots of yardage.
 If you were to win That could be 4 people crossed off your christmas list !

 Blends of 100% qiviut, 100% buffalo, cashmere/qiviut, qiviut/angora, qiviut/merino, qiviut/nylon/cashmere/Bamboo and a little bit of pure white qiviut remaining from my baby knits.

To enter simply tell us in the comment section ''who you would knit socks for''
open worldwide to knitters everywhere, one winner drawn at random.
From 3rd May 2012 TO 31st May 2012

March/April competition winner

And the winner is Noreen Redden. Please contact us with your info at cottagecraftangora@hotmail.com

I am currently on vacation until the 15th May but will ship out your buffalo yarns when i return to work.

congrats to Noreen we look forward to seeing your design come to life !

May competition is another yarn giveaway......please look out for that later today......we have some lovely blends of oddments to give with qiviut, silk, cashmere ♥yummy yarn!


************************************************************************************
UPDATE : 7th June 2012.
Sadly Noreen did not contact me. I tried several ways to reach her but i just couldnt find her. I waited 30 days for her to contact us and she never did so we decided to choose another winner to knit the buffalo shawl. I'm amazed that people enter competitions and then dont check to see if they won or not !

We chose the entry by Lise mendel, have been intouch with Lise and she will indeed be casting on within a week so we look forward to seeing her design come to life !

24th June 2012 update.......and here is the cast on by Lise.

The pattern will be posted soon and more update pictures !

*************************************************************************************

March & April yarn giveaway-Buffalo yarn

♥♥♥Cute Face ♥♥♥

Did you know Bison or buffalo yarns are almost as soft and warm as pure qiviut yarns. Not only are they a beautiful natural rich chocolate brown color that complements many skin tones but they have a Down Micron count of 12-14 which makes them very very soft and warm. Bison yarns can also be dyed to Navy blue or Raven black and unlike 100% qiviut, buffalo has SOME memory, developes a small Halo with age and becomes softer with age, is also non-allergic too. And some say they can be machine washed....though i would'nt want to try that !

This is a new fresh batch of 3 ply light(similar to a DK weight) buffalo yarns....gorgeous natural brown and just waiting to be knit up into something special .......such as a shawl !
Tension: 5mm-US8 18sts=4'' 100 grams = 420 yards 'ish'

What you have to do:

we want you to design a Triangular shawl pattern that will knit to our 3ply yarn. Using the yarn tension above as a guide design the ''perfect buffalo shawl''. It can be plain, Lacey, very open or closed stitch, a knit and purl pattern, use any size needle you want, possibly have a button closure inplace of the usual shawl pin, have a seperate knitted border.... whatever ......the only knitting rule is you must stay within a 200 to 250 gram weight limit with about 840 yards ish !

To Enter: write in comment section describing the shawl you would like to knit; type of stitch used in the design, size needles used etc,



COMPETITION RULES: Please read and understand !
By entering you are giving us permission to post your pattern design on this blog and/or our website should your entry be the winning entry. Your name will be posted as the designer.

Entering means that you will, should you be the winner, knit your design using the buffalo yarns we send you and that you will email us the pictures of the cast on and finished item so we can post them to this blog entry.

You must be the owner of the design you are submitting.

open to all knitters world wide.

one winner, so please be sure to post a real name or blog name and NOT anonymous as this entry will be deleted.

Deadline: 2012-03-08 TO 2012 -04- 30

Have Fun !

Buffalo shawl update below:

will post the pattern soon !

Winner- oddments yarn giveaway February

And the winner is Krystal. Please contact me so we can ship you your yarns.

I will clean out more baskets soon so you guy's will have another chance !

Our next giveaway is 100% Buffalo/bison yarn in a lovely soft 3ply !

Oddments of yarn giveaway - February 2012

Qiviut colors.....well here they are for a total of 654 grams. Yardage not known as they are a mix of 2 ply lace, 3 and 4 ply. Colors: natural qiviut, natural buffalo, lime, navy blue, red's, raspberry, mahogany, qiviut McKinley, bijoux blue, Bordeaux, all leftovers and in need of a home...
The yarns are 100% qiviut, 100% Buffalo, 50% qiviut/merino, 50% angora/qiviut, Angora 80% and a bit of a UFO there too knit from 4ply Tundra pearl.

What would you knit/crochet with this lot ?
1 winner picked at random - from 2012-02-02 TO 2012-02-29 

competition winner

And the winner drawn at random is Martine......please email us so we can mail your yarns !
cottagecraftangora@hotmail.com


February giveaway is for more oddments......check back to see what i have cleaned out of my baskets this time !

Oddments of yarn.......January 2012 yarn giveaway

Once again i cleaned out another basket....its a shame to have all that lovely yarn just sitting there doing nothing ! Someone is going to be sent this lot pictured above !
This is 330 grams (11.7 oz) mostly 4 ply, a blend of 70% qiviut-30%merino and some yarns are 35% qiviut with bamboo and merino in all natural colors.

To win this little lot simply tell us what you would make using this yarn......winner will be drawn at random, winner will announced february 1st 2012.
Happy knitting !

Competition winners- qiviut-queen-superwash merino

Happy New Year and the winners are :
 Jennifer,
Dinah and Tom,
 Tundra Gypsy,
Janice M. Biscoe,
Ginger

Please contact me via email with your shipping address. cottagecraftangora@hotmail.com
 Your yarn will mail out on the 20th january !

Thank you to all who took part and check the next competition/giveaway to be announced in a few days !

qiviut-queen-superwash yarn December Yarn/competition Giveaway

                                         Qiviut-queen-superwash yarn above shown in natural.

                                                     And grape juice above here.
Love how this yarn feels, its soft and very spongy and has lots of memory. The yarn hugs the bamboo needles. So far i have knit socks, a hat and i'm working on a garter slip stitch scarf and have plans for a knitted throw made up of different pattern blocs cables and Texture sts etc. This yarn will be available in 20 ish Lush colors.

This is the little pair of sockettes knit from the yarn in rain forest colorway. Took only 45 grams.

.........And a hat in the same colorway........ i ♥ this color !

Garter Slip st scarf in Natural, Raspberry and Mahogany......scroll down page for pattern !


The Competition: 5 winners will be drawn at Random and each will win 1 - 100 gram skein of qiviut-queen-superwash yarn. (sorry no color choice) but we have these in handpainted and solid Jewel colors.

Tell us: what you love most about Qiviut Fibers and Yarns.
Open to all, end date 31-12-2011. Winners will be Drawn January 1st 2012

 

Textured scarf is knit widthways requires a 100 gram skein. Finished scarf measures 6'' X 72''

Really easy Garter slip stitch that makes for a lovely sturdy stich design that is very comfortable to wear.

The 1st and last 6 sts are always knit on every row to form the edges of the scarf

You will need: 100 grams of yarn either solid or differnt colors, 

US4 - 3.5mm straights or circular needle, 

2 stitch markers, 

wool needle.

The pattern:

Please note: scarf above is worked in 1 row in each color A,B and C throughout.

A=Natural, B= Mahogany, C= Raspberry

With 3.5mm - US4, cast on 401 sts and begin with 6 Foundation rows in Natural, then change to contrast color and begin pattern below.

Row 1: knit ( k6 place marker, knit across and place marker for last 6 sts to form the edge)

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k6-sm= slip marker, k1, * sl1 purlwise, k1; rep from * to marker, k last 6 sts.

Row 4: k6-sm,  k1, *yf sl 1 purlwise, yb, k1; rep from * to marker, k last 6  sts.

Rows 5 and 6: knit.

Row 7: k6-sm, :k2, *sl 1 purlwise, k1; rep from * to marker, k last 6 sts.

Row 8: k6-sm, k2, *yf, sl 1purlwise, yb, k1; rep from * to marker, k last 6 sts.

Repeat these 8 rows  for 5 full pattern repeats then knit all sts for 6 rows to form outer edge.

Tassels`:

make 4:  I used the same 3 colors as in the scarf  by wrapping the yarn around palm of hand or closed fingers  20 turns, slipped it off my hand and put a length of yarn through the center and tied a secure knot in the top with enough length to sew the tassel to scarf, cut through bottom loops to open the tassel fringe, cut another length of yarn and secure around the middle of the tassel, trim with scissors then stitch to scarf. 

To see more colors of this yarn here's the Link:

www.cottagecraftangora.com/#/superwash-qiviut/4557554607 

November competition winners

The two winners drawn at random are:
Karen......you win the qiviut scarf and
Brendaknits.......you win the qiviut yarns.
Please contact us so we can ship you your goodies ! cottagecraftangora@hotmail.com

Chek out the next competition....... for our new qiviut-queen superwash yarns

100% Qiviut scarf competition/giveaway.

         Finished all my custom knit orders and even my Christmas knitting is done ! Finally got to cast on for this months competition. This time its a 100% qiviut scarf, easy lace stitch but the special bit is the WHITE Qiviut, yes white ! I have been lucky enough to get a small quantity of white qiviut and thought it would be nice to add some to this scarf . The picture above makes the qiviut look really white but its not that white, more creamish. we had to add 15% merino to the white qiviut as it was a bit short, we closed the twist but it should still have a lovely soft Halo after washing. 

Below is a picture of the Stroller outfit and baby Blanket i knit using white and natural qiviut.

The white and natural color look good together.

About the scarf: White qiviut scalloped edge changes to Natural colored qiviut, Knit width ways, you cast on 412 sts on 3.5mm-US4. Has an easy lace st design, should measure about 72'' long and 7'' wide after blocking......i hope !
The competition...... 31-10-2011 TO 28-11-2011.
This month we are giving 2 prizes: 1st the yarn in natural qiviut and some white qiviut to knit this scarf, (your saying, 'what scarf ', well i have to knit it but will add pics as i go along )  2nd the actual scarf so you can gift it (it's nearly christmas) or keep it for yourself !

To enter: Tell us what knitted item you Gift the most for others !
example, Mine happens to be Scarves !

yarn requirements: 50 grams of lace weight yarn and 15 grams of contrast lace yarn. Total yards about 480.
The pattern:
With contrast yarn and US4 - 3.5mm straights Cast on 433 sts.
Rows 1-4:  Knit.

Row 5: (rs) 1st and last 6 sts form the edges of scarf and should be knit on every row seperate with a st marker.  k1, * (k2tog) twice, (yf,k1) 3 times, yf, (sl1, psso) twice, k1,(place stitch marker here to seperate the pat rep's )

Row 6: purl.

Rep rows 5 and 6 - three more times, then rep all 12 rows to form the pattern as set.

Continue to work another 4 pattern repeats and the knit a further 4 rows in white qiviut or contrast yarn.

To bind/cast off knit with 2 strands of white/contrast yarn held together to give a nice sturdy secure edge to the scarf.

Got 2''inches done so far......only another 4'' inches to go......its quite slow, takes about 20 minutes for 1 row!

Well its getting there. Today is the 27th of November and the deadline is the 28th so i only have a couple of hours to finish and get it mailed off to the Lucky winner. It now measures 5'' inches, only 2'' to go, i will work on it this evening while watching 'House of eliott' and will post the final picture after blocking !
After blocking the scarf measures 7'' X 76'' and i'm really happy with the look of the scarf ! Its very soft, has a wonderful Halo.

2011-11-30:
The 2 winners drawn at random are:
Karen our scarf winner and Brendaknits our yarn winner.....Thanks to all who took part ! 

Competition winner

Sorry for the delay i have been unwell.........
The winner drawn at random is : arctiknits !

Congrats, contact us for your prize.

Stay tuned for next competition 100% qiviut scarf kit !

Artist's Hand Mock Cabled socks

                                                           

 These little Beauties are so soft and warm. Not sure if they will be Durable inside a shoe or boot but i dont plan on wearing them outside. I love Qiviut socks in fall and Winter for simply relaxing on the sofa while knitting to keep my feet Toasty warm or as bed socks...... when the storm is rageing outside qiviut socks give you the best nights sleep.

Qiviut truely is 'the wonder wool of the North'. It's softer than Cashmere, warmer than anyother yarn, durable if you take care, has a beautiful halo.....is an investment in your wellbeing, looks good and looks even better with age, and is a God send for anyone who suffers from poor circulation.
Qiviut promotes Blood Flow due to the heating factor, warms joints and muscles so they relax. Anyone with poor circulation is in need of these socks, yes they are expensive but worth every dime as long as you take care of them !
They must be hand washed, cold water, lay flat to dry. In summer store the socks in a plastic tote to protect from moths (yes, like Humans Moth's ADORE Qiviut) ......do these things and your socks will last for years !

The Yarn details :

Artists Hand is 90% Qiviut - 10% Silk. Qiviut is a very soft Silky fiber that takes dye very well....colors are vibrant and alive !  This yarn is now available in 50 gram skeins for smaller projects.....check it out here :www.cottagecraftangora.com/hand-painted-qiviut/4546963932

The Competition details :

Tell us: Where is the place/country that has the most number of wild Muskoxen.

Competition is open to knitters world wide, runs from 2011-09-02 TO 2011-09-30

***Correct answers will enter and 1 name drawn at random***

Well i can say for a fact that these socks will NOT be durable but will be fine for bed/house socks when its really cold out.They have a wonderful halo and softness with a massive amount of warmth.

You will need:

1 set of 3.25mm and 2.75mm  D.P.N's

60 grams of 2 ply lace weight yarn such as Artists hand,

stitch marker,

wool needle.

 Tension: 6sts=1'' inch. 8 rows = 1''inch long on 3.25mm

With 3.25mm and 2 strands of yarn held together cast on 50sts, join to work in the rnd.

Work rib top , *k1, p1, k2, p1 rep from * back to start of rnd.

Rep this rnd for 8rnds.

Next: move sts so you have on N1: 17sts, N2: 15sts, N3: 18sts

mock cable work:

1: *k1tbl, p1, k2, p1. rep from * back to beg.

2: *k1,p1,k1,yo,k1,p1.

3: *k1, p1, k3, p1.

4: *k1, p1, k3, with tip of left needle, lift 3rd st on right needle over 1st two sts and drop off, p1, rep from * to beg.

Work 12 pattern repeats

Change to 2.75mm D.P.N's and simply knit all sts for 12 rnds.

                         Heel Flap:

 On N1 knit 13sts and slip the last 4 sts onto the beg of N2.

On N2, k1, sl1 across the 19sts and k1, sl1 for 4 sts from end of N3.

Turn work and p across row.

rep k1,sl1 and purl rows a total of 17 times.

More coming soon.....only 50% done!

competition winner - qiviut lace gloves kit

And the winner is Lisa W, congrats.....please contact us so we can ship you your yarn & pattern  !

Check out the September competition 'artists hand' yarn to knit a pair of
 House/bed socks in Mock rib stitch !