Archive Five- Thatched Cottages

Added later:
Trust me, I did post this in the correct sequence as an Archive Five, but because I saved a draft of the mitts post, it published it first. Granted, I'm no maths whizz, but I can count to five. x K


I have decided (just cos I can) that some Archive Five posts will be to show you hand-crafted gifts I have received as well as items I've made.

This is a gift from my mother-in-law who occasionally turns her hand to cross stitch.

DH and I had bought her the kit for this one time we had been at the SECC Creative Stitches Fair (she said, "anything except birds,") and then many months down the line she returned the compliment by offering us the finished article as a present. It's up on the wall in the computer room.

No, it's not "the cottage" we visit -if only! And yes, she did stitch all the white work on the cottage walls. I'd have been tempted to let the white fabric shine through, but then again, I am a slovenly girl. :-)

Child Welfare Mitts

Name: Child Welfare Mitts
Designer: Katharine @ K1 Yarns
Pattern: Was available online at K1 Yarns at the time
Yarn: Kid Classic
Manufacturer: Rowan
Purchased: English Yarns
Needles: 5mm dpns
Techniques: Had never tried fingerless mittens before. Like a mini sock really.
Stash or Fresh: Stash
For: Charity, can't remember if the proceeds of the sale of these went to the RSSPCC or to Childline
Started: September 2006
Completed: October 2006
Observations: I enjoyed making these and went on to make myself another pair. It turns out that Mhairi, a friend from my knitting group ended up buying these mittens.

Kiri Shawl

Name:Kiri
Designer:Polly at All Tangled Up This is Polly's version of Sharon Miller's Birch shawl, featured by Rowan. Although Birch starts at 299 sts and works its way down.
Pattern:Kiri Shawl
Yarn: St. Magnus DK , shade 20, Magenta, 2 balls, 50% angora 50% lambswool
Manufacturer: Orkney Angora
Purchased: K1 yarns
Needles: 5mm circulars
Techniques: No new techniques, but a very enjoyable knit.
Stash or Fresh: One ball stash, one ball fresh
For:Self
Started: August 2006
Completed: September 2006
Observations: To date, this has been my most commented and complimented on knit ever, online and especially in real life. Yarn and pattern in perfect harmony

Indigo Table Mats

Name:Table Mats
Designer: Came to my attention via Mason-Dixon Knitting although I think it is given as a free pattern on the ballband of Peaches'n'Cream yarn
Pattern: Ballband dishcloth
Yarn:Sirdar Indigo
Manufacturer: Sirdar
Purchased: The Black Sheep at the SECC Creative Stitches show
Needles: 4mm bamboo
Techniques: Had never tried this slip stitch pattern before. Very effective.
Stash or Fresh: Fairly fresh
For: Carol, Rowan International Exchange
Started: August 2006
Completed: August 2006
Observations: These were a quick "fall-back" after the item that I intended making for the "Home and Hearth" exchange went pear-shaped, or was it diamond-shaped?

Kiri Headscarf

Name:Kiri Headscarf
Designer:Polly at All Tangled Up
Pattern:Kiri Shawl
Yarn:4ply cotton Colour "Bleached"
Manufacturer: Rowan
Purchased: John Lewis Glasgow
Needles: 3mm Addi Turbos
Techniques: Swatching for a full Kiri shawl.
Stash or Fresh:Stash
For:Self
Started: August 2006
Completed: August 2006
Observations: Loved the crispness of the lacy pattern in the cotton yarn. This is a great scarf for keeping off the midges when walking on Mull or in Dumfries and Galloway. I am very grateful to Polly for making this pattern available, and would recommend it to anyone who fancies a "start small, get big" triangular pattern.

Baby cardigan

Name:Baby cardigan
Designer: Hayfield (Pretty Whites Babykin) , discontinued, but crops up on ebay
Pattern:Pattern 1988 or year 1988? I picked it up in a charity shop.
Yarn: Baby Merino 4ply, shade Buttermilk, 2 balls.
Manufacturer: Jaeger
Purchased: John Lewis Glasgow
Needles: Bamboo 2.75mm and 3.25mm
Techniques: Plenty of practice fitting a raglan sleeve now.
Stash or Fresh:Stash
For:A baby born to one of the girls who attends the same Knitting Group I do.
Started: July 2006
Completed: July 2006
Observations: Never under-estimate how long it will take to sew together and weave in the ends of a tiny garment!

Archive Five - Biggy Print Scarf

This is a moss stitch scarf with a knitted loop to keep it together. It is made from Rowan Biggy Print in what could be the Fiesta colourway.
A very cosy scarf which keeps your neck lovely and warm, but which sheds fibres like there's no tomorrow.
I usually wear this outside a jacket for a tinge of colour.
There's only something like 30m per ball on this yarn, so the scarf loop means you don't have to toss it over your shoulder or double it up to keep it in place, which reduced both cost and bulk.
I bought the yarn for this in John Lewis

Shetland Triangle

Name: Shetland Triangle Shawl

Designer: Evelyn A. Clark, Fibertrends

Pattern: Shetland Triangle, Wrap Style

Yarn: 3 skeins Venezia COLOR Shade 0150, mohair blend

Manufacturer:Lang yarns

Purchased:Citywolle, Vienna

Needles: Can't remember

Techniques: No new techniques.

Stash or Fresh: Fairly fresh

For: Self

Started: June 2006

Completed: July 2006

Observations:Although I think it's really pretty, I have never had as much wear from this shawl as I would have liked. I think this is because it was never quite as big as I wanted it to be, and the percentage synthetic content of the yarn meant I could never block it out beyond certain dimensions. It's more of a shoulder shawl really. I am a member of the Wrap Style Knitalong Blog