Tuesday 11 October 2016

Summer Travels Part 2 - Fiacaill Ridge

On to part two! 

This is a series of five knitting patterns inspired by my travels in the Scottish Highlands this Summer. The first pattern was a cowl inspired by the colours of the hills at Abriachan - you can read more about it here!

Our second pattern is inspired by a traverse of the Fiacaill Ridge, an imposing rocky traverse in the Cairngorms:





fiacaill ridge cairngorms



It looks more scary as you climb higher as well! 


fiacaill ridge cairngorms


Having said that, once you're at the top of the ridge, it's very flat indeed on the Cairngorm Plateau.


cairngorm plateau


Something I'm not used to at all after climbing so many West Coast munros - bit more of a jagged landscape. And we managed to spot the Cairngorm reindeer which was a real treat:


cairngorm reindeer from a distance



But back to the knitting: the pattern this inspired would have to be cosy - it's chilly up there! So I designed a cardigan with a warm shawl collar to wrap up in, in super-insulating alpaca and silk yarn. 


grey alpaca cardigan knitting pattern


Alpaca fibres are hollow, to trap extra heat (they spend a lot of time up chilly mountains too...) so it's the perfect choice for cold weather garments. The design is inspired by the rocky terrain too - with a block pattern at the back made with smocking stitches. 

  Available to purchase on 
Etsy 

20% discount on Ravelry with coupon code SUMMERTRAVELS2 until end of December 2017



smocking stitch knitting pattern

The details for the pattern are as follows:


Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Alpaca, Wool and Silk DK (45% Alpaca, 25% Merino, 30% Silk; 274yds/250m per 100g)

820 (950, 1095, 1250, 1420, 1580, 1750, 1930) yards.

750 (870, 1000, 1145, 1300, 1445, 1600, 1765) m 

Measurements:
To fit bust: 30-32 (34-36, 38-40, 42-44, 46-48, 50-52, 54-56, 58-60)”
Across back armpit to armpit: 15 (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29)”
Armpit to hem: 16 (16.5, 17, 17.5, 18, 18.5, 19, 19.5)”
Around top of sleeve: 12 (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)”
Sleeve length: 17 (17, 17.5, 17.5, 18, 18.5, 19, 19)”
Gauge: 17sts and 26 rows = 4”/10cm in stocking st with US 7/4.5mm needle after blocking.
Needles: One US 7/4.5mm 40”/100cm circular needle.
Extras: Two detachable stitch markers; cable needle; spare 40” circular needles (size US 7/4.5mm or smaller) for holding stitches or waste yarn in a contrast colour; tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends.


shawl front cardigan knitting pattern
 

Wednesday 5 October 2016

One Million Hits Sale!

knitting pattern sale

We've reached a milestone 1,000,000 hits on the blog and we're having a sale to celebrate. All our patterns on Ravelry will be available at a 50% discount with the coupon code "Million".