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Shetland Wool Sampler Blanket-kit giveaway from 07-June 2013 TO 30th September 2013

Shetland Wool Sampler Blanket.

Been years since i knit a wool Throw & i thought its about time i knit another !

In the past i have knit throws from crappy acrylic, scratchy old sheep wool but the best were knit from soft Buffalo yarn or musk ox wool. Every throw has been gifted to friends or Family or sold as a custom knit order. Our kids grew-up wrapped in hand knit throws & to this day they still mention them from time to time.
 I'm sure when this is finally finished there will be heated debate over who gets to keep it !

The Natural colours i have chosen to work with are
 100% shetland in Musket colour(sample on needles shown above),
100% shetland yarn in light grey,
 100% shetland in pureWhite ?,(Not sure about the white)
 50% very black shetland blended with 50% grey angora rabbit,
Shetland Tundra yarn in natural greyish brown with qiviut,
100% magical qiviut in 3ply
....all spun the same yardage & weight so the finished throw will be perfectly dimentional.

When starting a new project on this scale its fun working out what pattern stitch to use next & then fitting all the colours together.
 You must knit several squares from all colours before you decide what goes where. Before sewing you must wash & block the squares. I like to knit say 10 squares and then wash and block.
 To Join up squares you sew the cast off edge to the cast on edge...EVERYTIME WITHOUT FAIL & always try to have the knitted squares moving in the same KNIT direction(from cast off edge-to cast on edge). This gives a professional neat & tidy appearance to your finished work. 

The stitch designs i will be using will include Cables, Fairisle, Stripes,  Knit & Purl Texture sts and then the whole thing finished off with a lovely sturdy border.


      The 1st square knit from the ''Shetland Tundra'' yarn (from the month of May blog entry) in a natural brownish colour.
                                                                  We will call this Block #1
 will add more blocks as the days go by & will include the pattern for each square so whoever wins the yarn will be able to knit their own soft shetland throw & possibly have it finished intime for the chill of fall or at least Christmas time !
will post the number of blocks needed in each design nearer the end of the project.

TO ENTER:

From: 7th June 2013 TO 30th September 2013.

                    simply name this 'Blanket design' keeping in mind the yarns are: all Shetland Wool with a small amount of musk ox/qiviut yarn and that the blanket will use all natural colours, that the blanket is a sampler style and uses cables, stripes and fair isle throughout.

Open to knitters world wide.

Enter as many times as you want.

1 winning name will be announced and you will be notified via this blog.

Best of Luck !


PATTERN NOTES:

The design has a large central block in white that measures a total of 4 blocks -2 up, 2 down in Old Scottish Stitch cable design. Blocks are added to this central block and the design builds outward in a clockwise direction. 


To make this sampler throw you will need:
4.5mm- us size 7 needles,
 5mm - US 8 needles,
 shetland yarn in 3ply by cottage craft angora,
 wool needle with a good point (blunt type is not the best for this project),
Bath sheet and blocking pins or regular straight pins.

Tension is not important but ALL squares must be similar size of about 9'' X 9'' (before blocking) This will always be 35 to 38 sts X 45-50 rows per block !

Block #1 ***KNIT 8 blocks***


 cast on 38 sts.

with 5mm-US Size 8
Foundation Rows 1: (RS) knit across inc 10sts evenly 48sts.
Foundation Row 2: *k3, p6, rep from * to last 3 sts, k3
.
Row 1:(RS) *p3, k6, rep from * to last 3 sts, p3.
Row 2: *k3, p6, rep from to last 3 sts, k3.
Row 3: *p3, C6B, rep from to last 3 sts, p3.
Row 4: as row 2.
Row 5: as row 1.
Row 6: as row 2.
Rep all 6 rows above ending on row 5 with 7 cable twists complete, on next WS row decrease 10 sts evenly by purling 2 sts together method then on next knit row bind/cast off all 38 sts.


Block #2  *** KNIT 4 BLOCKS***


Block 2, Garter stitch.
with 4.5mm's cast on 35sts with the Tundra Shetland yarn.
Knit 2 rows, then change to white yarn and knit another 2 rows.
Continue until 48 rows are worked finishing in the Tundra shetland yarn, bind off all 35 sts.
Both sides of these blocks are used in the design and placed in reverse at 4 corners of the large white centre block.
SEE UPDATED IMAGE BELOW.



BLOCK # 3: ***Knit 1-centre piece***



(Pattern to follow for centre piece)

Block #4***Knit 4 blocks*** 2 white and 2 brown

Block #4 is a Gansey pattern of knit and purl sts that form pleasing ridges of texture.
With 4.5mm cast on 37sts.
1:knit
2-3: purl
4-5: knit
6-7: purl.
8: k3, (p1, k5) to last 4sts, p1. k3.
9: p2, (k1, p1, k1, p3) to last 5sts, k1, p1, k1, p2.
10: k1, (p1, k3, p1, k1) to end.
11: k1, (p5, k1) to end.
12: as 10th row.
13:as 9th row.
14: as 8th row.
15: purl
16: knit.
17-23: as 1st to 7th row.
24: knit.
25-30: p1,(k1,p1) to end.
31st: purl.
32nd row: knit. bind/cast off then make another 3 blocks.


Block #5 *** make 6 blocks*** 3 white and 3 brown.


Garter edge blocks can be jazzed up a bit by adding some beads.
To knit this block cast on 35sts with 4.5mm needles.
Rows 1-6: knit.
7: k6, p23, k6.
8: knit all sts.
Rep rows 7 and 8 until work measures 6'' inches. Then rep rows 1-6 then cast off all sts.

Block # 6 Fairisle***Make 4 Blocks***

For these blocks you will use: natural brown=B, natural white=W, Strawberry red=S, yellow=Y 
and tiger lily=T.
with 5mm needles and brown shetland yarn cast on 40 sts.
Rows 1-3-5 Knit.
Rows 2-4-6 purl.
Next(RS) row,  
MORE TO FOLLOW.....


I got a little sidetracked !

I received a very special order from the Government of Canada to knit a special gift. At the moment i am not allowed to say what or who the gift is for until its delivered to the family in question. The item is now finished so i can get back to the Shetland sampler blanket.





Its growing....

I have taken the day off work from the mill to get caught up on the design. 

I ♥ a day off work, lounging around in PJ's all day......bliss.

I removed the dark grey from the mix as i thought it was too dark to balance the overall design.
I might even remove the Musket too and stick with white Shetland and Tundra Shetland-the blend made from 15% qiviut-85% shetland....its a lovely natural brown colour with Amber highlights and will go lovely with the 100% Magical qiviut in our lovely soft 3ply

 The large central pattern is called 'old Scottish stitch', i took from an old stitch book because i liked the idea of lace and cables together. The flower of Scotland is a Thistle plant/weed and i don't think this old Scottish stitch looks anything like a thistle !
I searched all over the internet trying to find about this stitch to no avail. If you know anything please let me know about it.



Work to date 16th August 2013 

work is coming along nicely but i will need another month to finish because i really want to add some fair isle blocks to this especially some tartan . My apologies for having to add another 30 days to the run time of this post....just not enough hours in the day !



here are 2 colours i will use in some of the fair isle & possibly a round or two in the Border.
The yellow is a lovely 'happy colour' and the orange is 'Tiger Lily'. Both these colours if used sparingly will be lovely against the natural earth tones to really bring out the beauty of the natural colours. Both these yarns are 100% white shetland dyed with natural plant dyes. I may also have to add some rich red or possibly wood rose or strawberry red.


To Make the images larger simply click on them and you will be able to scroll through larger images !

More to follow !


.


Comments

  1. I won some gorgeous yarn from you last year so I hope it's okay to enter for this generous "Blanket design" kit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Michelle, sure its ok !What you won was spun by us but it was not our own fibre. If you win you will find ours much better in texture and softness though not as good as yours judging from your photo's, your fibre looks Buttery soft♥
      Been reading some of your posts looks like you love the country life as much as me....we are blessed.
      All the best to you !

      Delete
  2. Hmm, because of the thick texture and natural colors, I suggest "Warmth in the Raw". Thanks for the chance :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The first thought that comes to mind is Potluck Sampler Throw.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd call it Tundra, the Swedish word for the northern wide grass fields.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'd call it Forest

    Anna

    ksurty@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Generations Throw, because I think it would be very timeless and I could see my kids loving it just like yours!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sweet Dreams because anyone who is wrapped up in this throw will definitely have sweet dreams

    ReplyDelete
  8. Because of the variety of fibres I would name it the 'Wild and Woolly" blanket :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd name the pattern, "Shetland in the Snow", or "Shetland Tundra Tracks".

    ReplyDelete
  10. I never thought of having to name a pattern and once you start to contemplate a suitable title, it seems like an endless thought process. I like many of the above suggestions and my addition to the list would be: "Clovis Ovis"

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Wool of the Earth" throw blanket. It is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would call it "Northern Warmth" because the qiviut comes from the North and it is so beautiful and warm, the name of the blanket has to refer to it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the chance to win this beautiful blanket kit. My Name for it would be "Echos of Land and Sky" blanket.

      Delete
  14. This is starting to look like a "Classic Ovis Checks" blanket"

    ReplyDelete
  15. "In The Mix" or "Shetland In The Mix"

    ReplyDelete
  16. Natural Shetland Sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  17. who ever gets to own this will be lucky indeed!

    tundra textures blanket

    ReplyDelete
  18. Shetland Tundra Sampler Blanket

    sherryglover1 on Ravelry

    ReplyDelete
  19. Shetland Sheep Squared

    Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  20. Shetland & Qiviut Comfort Quilt

    Shetland Shaker Quilt

    S&Q Box Quilt

    Square Isles

    OXO Squares :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. SO MANY GREAT NAMES....how will i choose !

    ReplyDelete
  22. Naturally Shetland Quilt
    Cozy Collage
    Ye Olde Scottish Sampler
    Ye Olde Scottish Sampler Blanket
    Tundra Treasure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny, I read "Cozy Cottage" - and it made me think of a knitted quilt in a whitewashed stone cottage in the Orkneys... and then I thought of a village of square stone cottages in various shades of whitewash... I say call it "Cozy Cottages" & give it to Vanessa :)

      Delete
  23. How about

    Natural Harmony
    Perfect Harmony
    Naturally Perfect Harmony

    Everything about the blanket works together in perfect harmony: the stitches, the way the blocks are sewn together, the natural colours, and how the yellow and orange accent the natural colours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. What about:
    Bo Peep Blanket
    Bo Peep's Sheep
    Hidden Treasure Throw (for the bits of luxury fiber mixed in with the wool)
    The Shepherd's Flock Blanket
    Shepherd's Dream Throw

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wow, this is going to be epic! I am just done ordering a whole lot of wool for a sampler blanket of my own. Since I have the design aesthetic of Liberace's Magpie, I have about eleventy colors in mine. I will definitely look to include some of these squares. Though I am primarily working from Walker's Learn To Knit Afghan book, some of the squares don't tickle my fancy. Luckily, I have the entire internet and many stitch dictionaries.

    Suggested Names for your lovely classic:

    A Herd of Horn and Hoof

    Winter Comfort

    AnnaPiranha on Ravelry

    ReplyDelete
  26. My suggestions:

    Northern Dreams Sampler Blanket

    Winter Warmth Sampler Blanket

    Northern Nights Sampler Blanket

    Under Northern Stars Sampler Blanket

    Northern Latitudes Sampler Blanket

    Cold Weather Fancy Sampler Blanket

    Shetland Medley Sampler Blanket

    Shetland Dreams Sampler Blanket

    Northern Heritage Sampler Blanket

    Shetland Heritage Sampler Blanket

    Northern Delight Sampler Blanket

    Shetland Delight Sampler Blanket

    more to come!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Shetland Fancy Sampler Blanket

    Mist and Shoal Sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  28. Gifts of the North Sampler Blanket

    Meadow and Tundra Sampler Blanket

    Northern Variations Sampler Blanket

    Under the Pole Star Sampler Blanket

    Under the North Wind Sampler Blanket

    Northern Reflections Sampler Blanket

    Far Northern Species Sampler Blanket

    Northern Memories Sampler Blanket

    Salute to Shetland Sampler Blanket

    Salute to the North Sampler Blanket

    Northern Magnificence Sampler Blanket

    Spirit of the North Wind Sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  29. Flock and Herd Sampler Blanket

    Far North Fancy Sampler Blanket

    Northern Fibers Sampler Blanket

    Fancy Fibers sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  30. Northern Grazers Sampler Blanket

    Gift of the Grazers Sampler Blanket

    Grazer's Medley Sampler Blanket

    Journey North Sampler Blanket

    Hardy Hooves Sampler Blanket

    Hooves of the North Sampler Blanket

    Roaming North Sampler Blanket

    Northern Hooves Special Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  31. Facing North Sampler Blanket

    Against the Cold Sampler Blanket

    Heritage Fibers Sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  32. Song of the North Sampler Blanket

    Northern Reverie Sampler Blanket

    Shepherd's Reverie Sampler Blanket

    Shepherd's Medley sampler Blanket

    Shetland Reverie Sampler Blanket

    Northern Spirit Sampler Blanket

    Shetland Snuggle Sampler Blanket

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hearth & Home Blanket
    Northern Heirloom Blanket
    Spirit of Shetland Throw
    Coffee & Crisp Mornings Throw: Both go together so nicely, as do all the elements in your design :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you for these photos, I really liked them.

    ReplyDelete
  35. This is very useful information for me. Thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for this information, I think it will come in handy in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hello, I would like to thank you for sharing this interesting information. I appreciate reading it. The material you have provided here will be useful for a lot of people. I was actually looking for a place where I can find essay professors sample tasks, nevertheless, thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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