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.

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.

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

Leaf Lace Shawl

Name: Leaf Lace Shawl
Designer: The genius who is Evelyn A. Clark at Fibertrends
Pattern:Leaf Lace Shawl
Yarn: 4 x Kid Classic shade Royal #835
Manufacturer:Rowan
Purchased: English Yarns
Needles: Metal 5.5mm circular
Techniques: Never done neck down shawl before. New method of beading the edges.
Stash or Fresh:Stash
For: Self
Started: May 2006
Completed: May 2006
Observations: I loved this pattern from start to finish and learned so much while knitting it. I would definitely use Kid Classic for a substantial shawl again, although now I am trying to branch out into proper laceweight.

Deep

Name:Deep
Designer: Carol Meldrum
Pattern:Rowan Magazine 39
Yarn: Summer Tweed Cape(6) Ghost(1) Powder(1) Blueberry(1) Oddments of tonic colours
Manufacturer:Rowan
Purchased: John Lewis Glasgow
Needles: Bamboo 4mm and 5mm
Techniques: Have never picked up a ribbed border all the way round a bolero before.
Stash or Fresh: Main shade Fresh, Contrasts Stash
For: Self
Started: February 2006
Completed: May 2006
Observations: The main thing about this one was that there was far too much dye loss in my first wash. I contacted Rowan who took it away for a while then offered me a full refund. So, this garment was essentially free, but I haven't dared wash it again since!

Archive five- Biggy Print scarf and hat

This is a scarf and hat I made a few years ago, when Rowan Biggy Print first came out. I was on a tighter yarn budget then, I bought the Biggy Print but sat in John Lewis following the hat pattern in the display copy of the book as I couldn't stretch to the cost of the book, particularly as I only wanted one pattern out of it. Cheap or what? Of course that was the era before Glasgow Knitting Meetup group, where we share our resources.

In those days I couldn't stretch to a whole jumper in decent wool so I chose to make a few nice accessories from quality yarns. Those were the days before I realised that wool comes before bread and milk on the shopping list.

I've enjoyed this set, and had a lot of wear out of it, but the Biggy Print just sheds so many fibres. This will be a recurring theme in Archive Five, as quite a few of my vintage numbers are in this and similar yarns.

Just in case you are wondering, I have rewarded John Lewis with l*o*t*s of loyal business in the yarn department since. They've had their just reward for letting me look at a book buck shee.

Garter Rib Sweater

Name:Garter Rib Sweater
Designer: Martin Storey
Pattern:Classic Knits for Real Women
Yarn: 16 balls All Seasons Cotton discontinued shade Copper.
Manufacturer:Rowan
Purchased:Get Knitted , reduced price.
Needles: 40cm metal 4.5mm
Techniques: Nothing out of the ordinary, but did both sleeves simultaneously which was less of a psychological barrier for the massive raglan sleeves.
Stash or Fresh: Fresh
For: Self
Started: January 2006
Completed: April 2006
Observations: The first time in many moons I have knitted a pattern in the specified yarn, and I enjoyed having my size included in the pattern book.