Gillaspie Gothic Gauntlets Pattern

Thanks to my wonderful test knitters, I'm quite pleased to be able to offer this pattern for sale. As with any of my patterns, please contact me with any questions: elizabeth@countingsheepstudio.com

These gauntlets were inspired by my husband’s love of medieval armor, in particular, a design by James Gillaspie, in a style that was popular in the 15th century. Though real armor gauntlets were made of steel and worn with a leather glove underneath, I thought this knitted version might be more practical in today’s world.

This is an intermediate pattern, you will need to know the basics of knitting, there will be increasing, decreasing and picking up of sts. There are no cables in this pattern; the chain mail look on the bottom is achieved with slipped sts.

The gauntlets are knitted in the round, at a smaller gauge than suggested for a denser fabric. There is subtle shaping throughout the pattern for a fitted, detailed look.
Size is achieved by using a lighter yarn for the women’s version.
Men’s Gauntlet – 11” long (27.9 cm), 11” at base, 8 ½” at top
Women’s Gauntlet – 10 ½” long (26.7 cm),10” at base, 7 ¼” at top

Materials
Men’s version 1 ball (219 yds) Ella Rae Classic yarn – 100% worsted weight wool
Women’s version 3 balls (110 yds each) Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool yarn – dk weight 50% merino, 50% silk (you will need approx. 260 yds)

Upon receiving payment, you will be e-mailed a PDF copy of the 8 pages of detailed instructions for making your own gauntlets.

To purchase, please visit my website, Counting Sheep Studio.

Bitten by the Bug

Alright. I'm not usually into fads and whatnot, BUT then I saw this sweater: February Lady Sweater. If you're a knitter and a lady, you've probably seen it already. Remember how I swore off wool for the summer?? (At least I THOUGHT I did.) All I could think about was this sweater, with it beautiful garter yoke and this squishy hand dyed merino I'd been saving for a special project. Add that to a major case of startitis lately, and here you go.

I'm loving it so far. Nothing like garter for some movie watching knitting. I'm doing four buttons and I'm just about to the armpits, ready to switch to the lace. Had to stop since I'm waiting for the rest of my yarn to show up. (Had more dyed for me since I didn't have enough!) Don't wanna wait!

So what's a girl to do?? Start another project! Nevermind all those hiding in the corner waiting to be finished. We'll just ignore those for now. This yarn may look familiar. It's Cotanani by Mirasol, originally intended for the Dayflower Camisole. Now it's hoping to become the Kaftan Dress, only I'm going to shorten it into a better tunic length.

Back to the camisole. I kept hearing Stephanie Pearl-McKee laughing at me in the background, and remembering one of her stories in Knitting Rules. You may remember it, I think the heading was "Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt". Yes, I screwed up. Big time.

Got gauge for my swatch like a good girl. Cast on and started the Dayflower Lace at the bottom. It seemed all good...at first. The longer I knit, I started thinking, 'hmmm, this DOES seem a bit BIG'. Ignore, keep going. Hours and days later. Think, 'this is too big'. Ignore, keep going. Finally, reason crept in and I thought, 'I really should just take this thing off the needles to see how big it is'. Yeah, it was pretty close (insert sarcastic remark here). Do you like how I'm wearing it like some sort of 'World's Worst Knitter' ribbon?? I know you're laughing. That's OK, I'm sure I will too....someday.

It’s a BIRD…it’s a PLANE….it’s a…..BEAR?!?

Yes, a bear. I’ve been dreaming about this little girlie, I guess I just can’t go too long without a cute toy in the making. She’s one of Ysolda’s designs; she and her designs are just too cute. I kind of have a thing for bears. Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few, and in the recent years, they’ve pretty much all been packed away, since there’s no room for them in my shoebox house. Growing up, I always slept with one. I would alternate, so each would ‘get a turn’. Now, I find that I can’t go to sleep without having something in my arms. That something has turned into Pearl, a stuffed octopus, whom you may know from the movie “Finding Nemo”, one of my favorite Pixar movies.
Well, Pearl has gotten pretty ratty from 5+ years of nightly use, and this little bear may be the next runner up. Although I don’t think she’s quite big enough. We’ll see. At any rate, my PB is going to be adorable and I already love her! You may recognize the yarn, my leftovers from the Beryl sweater, Queensland Pima Fresca.

I’m trying to finish up my pattern for the Gothic Gauntlets; it’s very close to being ready for public consumption. This women’s version is being knitted in Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool, nice, nice yarn. I’m knitted it on US size 3’s to get a denser fabric.

I really like the way the silk shines and shows off those stitches. The color is gorgeous, a deep copper. I had envisioned these in a deep, shiny red, but once I saw this one, I knew it was right!

Of course they look much better on an actual hand…they just needed to step outside for a breath of fresh air. I expect next week I’ll be asking some kind souls to test-knit these for me.

Last night I went to an auction, here in Asheville. Tommy Tuten & Johnny Penland are some good ‘ol boys who run a great little show! I think some people just go to be entertained; they are quite the comedians, making fun of each other and at times, themselves. They had a ‘real’ Tiffany lamp, which I had never before seen in person. It was beautiful, and sold for over $8000, a deal I’m sure. I walked away with an old piece of Cole pottery, made here in NC, as well as an antique print of a girl with a harp by Richard Smythe. I think I made out pretty well.

Have any of you signed up for the Knitting Olympics?? I did over on Ravelry, I’ve got some REALLY lofty goals: Very Terhi, a pair of wristwarmers with a neat allover cable pattern, AND if that wasn’t enough, Seascape, a gorgeous sweater with dropped stitches and cables, which I don’t even have yarn for. I’m nuts, but that’s OK. As long as I finish my gauntlet pattern by then, which gives me nearly a month.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer! Me personally, I’m biding my time until the cooler weather comes back again.

Walk in the Woods Cabled Baby Blanket Pattern

Walk in the Woods Cabled Baby Blanket ~ A design by Elizabeth Helmich
This heirloom quality baby blanket was inspired by a desire to make a handsome cabled blanket that was a portable project, to work on anywhere! I choose to use cables that have a rather geometric effect, for a decidedly masculine look, though this could just as easily be a girls blanket as well.

This blanket is a great traveling project, since the sections are knit in strips. Use the colors shown, or switch it up for a baby girl or even a lap blanket.

FINISHED SIZE: About 36” square (91.4 cm), after blocking.

MATERIALS Yarn: Berocco Comfort, a wonderful worsted nylon/acrylic blend chosen for its great stitch definition and easy care for new parents. 2 balls each of Color A # 9703 (off-white), Color B #9747 Cadet (med. Blue), Color C #9744 (sage green), Color D #9762 Spruce (dk. Green), 1 ball of Color E #9741 (dk. Brown) – each ball is 210 yds. Needles: US size 8 (5.0 mm), adjust needle size if necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: Cable needle, you may want to use stitch markers to distinguish between stitch patterns.

A full, detailed 10-page printable PDF of this pattern will be sent to you via e-mail shortly after your purchase is complete. Cable instructions are written, as well as in easy-to-read chart form, for whichever is your preference.

Click on this link to purchase, it will direct you to my website:

Walk in the Woods Cabled Baby Blanket.

Happy 4th of July!

Walk in the Woods Cabled Baby Blanket

Finished!

Pattern: Walk in the Woods Cabled Baby Blanket

My own design, available soon

Needles: U.S. size 8

Yarn: Berocco Comfort in 'baby boy' colors

This was a wonderful chance for me to design a special heirloom baby blanket for some good friends who were expecting. The cables came together easily enough, with only a couple of changes. I really had wanted to put a roman numeral IV (the baby is a 4th!) in the middle panel, but couldn't get it to work out without looking weird, so I nixed it. I'm thrilled with the final outcome and excited to have something tangible that I designed. Even better, the parents love it!

I wanted to use more geometrical cables, as opposed to overly swirly ones, for a more masculine look. The cables are all pretty straightforward, the most challenging one for me time-wise was the argyle center panel, since you are constantly crossing. I would say this is an intermediate pattern, though you could do it as an adventuresome beginner! Also a good travel project, since its knit up in strips, no heavy blanket on your lap the whole time.

Of course, my only hope as a knitter now is that this blanket will share in teddy bear picnics, sleepovers and some good old-fashioned tent making! Now, that's a good wish.

WWKIP Day

And a good time was had by all….
Saturday, Sydney and I went Knitting In Public! We joined the legions of others across the world who decided to take their love of knitting out of doors on June 14th. Our gathering was small, in a sweet little park in North Asheville, NC. Sydney found a friend in a six-year-old girl named Charlotte and got soaking wet when we all got rained on, which helped with the heat for sure! I met some nice people that I hope to see again.
I brought my Everlasting Bagstopper, and finished it last night! This was a quick one for me, only took me two days of knitting, though I did have two movies worth of knitting time last night. I totally copied off of Jennifer, and had to run out and get the Araucania Ulmo with the gorgeous colors, just look how pretty the pooling is! This to me is a good example of pooling. I used only one skein, stopped an inch short of the 10 ½” the pattern called for, and had just enough yarn. Since I got two skeins, now I can make another! (The first bag is in the lighter colorway, #707.)

Made some zippy little vintage elephant fabric handles for my bag this morning, and off to the park we went! Oh, I’m such a convert now, I see lots of these in my future…too fun!!

Of course yesterday was Father's Day, here's a shot of my cute little family. Aren't they sweet? Sydney and I found this great Lego game at a yard sale on Saturday morning, and her and her daddy have been playing that a lot.

Have a great week everyone, stay cool out there.

Just in Time for the HOT weather....

I’ve finished the Ruffled Jacket!!

Pattern: Ruffled Jacket, from Vogue Knitting Fall 2007 – 25th Anniversary

Yarn: Colrain from Webs (http://www.yarn.com/) in colorway Grape Jelly

This was a really fun one for me. A year ago I doubt I would have thought I could not only change a patterns gauge, but re-calculate and fix the sleeve caps, which on this pattern are way too small. But I did it!

I didn’t want to make the pattern in the bulky yarn it calls for, since I don’t have many opportunities in NC to wear a thick sweater. My brother gave me a Webs GC for Christmas and the Colrain is what I bought, I’ve been dying to try this since I love tencel.
Colrain is a 50% merino 50% tencel blend, and it is lovely. It has a very soft hand and drapes beautifully. I will use this yarn again. My first ball had a few knots, but that was only a problem with that ball. I use 13 balls for this jacket. I also wanted to mention the yarn does bleed a good bit when washing, but comes nicely back to gauge.

One warning about this pattern…it will test your patience with seaming. There is A LOT of seaming. The little cable on the front is a strip that gets sewn on all the way around. I found it easier to knit a little, seam a little, knit a little, seam a little, until it was the perfect length. The gorgeous ruffle that for me ‘makes’ this jacket is knit in 4 separate pieces and then sewn on. I had to adjust the last ruffle to size, since I had a smaller space left than I was supposed to.

After those warnings, I highly recommend this for an adventurous knitter! It will teach you a lot, it did for me. The last shot is my sad attempt at posing like Vanna White. Hmm, I don’t think she’s in any danger of losing her job =;)
Then I got to go on a button hunt. I went to my local fabric shop, Waechter’s Silk Shop in Asheville, NC. The ladies there are wonderful and know I’m the ‘button girl’, since I rarely buy fabric anymore. The two I found are gorgeous; I think they are a carved bone or shell. I got to wear this a couple times in the last couple of weeks, and it’s very flattering and pretty.
I’ve also finished this lacy scarf for a friend out of Berocco Seduce. This stuff is amazing. The texture of it is fabulous, the silky smell, the colors it comes in, this is a winner in my book.

I used a miniature leaf pattern that I found on Purl Bee’s blog. This was a pretty mindless project after the first couple of repeats, and I love the finished project! It was very well received by my friend.
I'll put the pattern here for your convenience. It tooks me 2 skeins of Seduce to get a nice sized scarf, over 60"(forgot to measure after blocking!)

MINIATURE LEAF LACE PATTERN, VERSION 1:

Cast on a multiple of 6 stitches, plus 1.
(I cast on 25 sts., for about a 6” scarf when blocked, using size 7 needles.)
Row 1 and all odd numbered rows: Purl.

Row 2: K1, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1; repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4: K2tog, *yo, k3, yo, slip 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso; repeat from *, end last repeat ssk instead of sl 2-k1-p2sso.

Row 6: K1, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1; repeat from * to end of row.

Row 8: K2, *yo, slip 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k3; repeat from *, end last repeat k2.
Repeat Rows 1-8.
Lastly, I wanted to give you some shots of how Beryl looks when worn. I’ve decided I really love this one now since I sewed up the buttonband. The pink is great and the yarn is super soft.


I'll leave you with a shot of the view from my friend Martha's house. Ahh, the joys of living in the mountains! Have a great week and be well.

Why, yes, I'd love to go buy some yarn....

Hi Blog,

How are you? I’m doing just peachy. Sorry I haven’t been here as of late, a lot of changes are going on right now. Changes like a new babysitter for my daughter, along with a new job, along with a new husband….just kidding about the last part. Things are good. I must have been putting out some good karma, because I’m getting it back!

May is a great month for me. Not only do I have this lovely holiday called Mother’s Day, I also have my birthday on the 28th. I’m going to be 30! I’m so excited about 30. It seems like a new era, a new chapter of my life is about to unfold. I’m noticing the start of little lines and age changes, and it’s good. (We’ll see about 40!)

Not sure yet what we’ll do for Memorial Day / my Birthday. I really, really want to go fishing! I’m a fisherwoman, and I miss it. The hubby had never done it before he met me; I’m trying to bring him around to loving it like I do. Having a 4 year old who likes to throw rocks in the water is still not enough of a deterrent for me!

Back to the knitting, since that’s why you’re here anyway….the Ruffled Jacket is VERY close to completion! I have to sew on the last bit of the back ruffle tonight, and then all I need to do is find the right closure! Yeah! Unfortunately, it’s a bit warm now to wear it, maybe we’ll get a little cold front….isn’t it funny how you wish for things like that as a knitter?? Fashion show coming this weekend, of the Ruffled Jacket AND poor Beryl, she looks so much better since I sewed the buttonband closed. The never-ending baby blanket is coming along slowly, because of all the cables. Here's the dark green strip, there will be two of these, going in opposite directions. I can't WAIT until this one is done.
Sooo…you know where this is going with the Birthday month, right? I bought yarn! Webs is having their Anniversary sale, and I found a couple of great deals. There’s the Ella Rae Silkience, is a lovely dusty purple that I got for the Wakame Tunic in the current IK. Then, there’s Madil Eden, a 100% bamboo yarn that I bought for the Spring Vines Vest, in a chocolate color. I’ve been on such this brown kick lately.
A post isn’t complete without a cute kid or bunny pic, right?? Have a great week, enjoy Spring!

Doing the Funky Llama

Designing is a lot of work. This may be more obvious to some, less thick people than me, or it could just be that I’m approaching the whole thing in a crazy, haphazard way and that is why I’m driving myself crazy. But it’s all good. I’m learning and that’s the important thing! It’s a labor of love at this point. Here’s my progress on the armor inspired gauntlets I’m making at my husband’s suggestion. My husband is like, ‘well, the rivets need to be at the sides of the arm’, ‘this will overlap here’. You’d think I was making the real deal. It’s good to be authentic, I suppose. I actually have a better understanding now as to how this thing actually functioned in real life, amazing. All I have to do is make the knitted stitches!

I decided to do the little bobbles all around the bottom, to mimic the rivets that would be on a real metal gauntlet. I’m using size 4’s with worsted weight wool for a nice, dense fabric. I really hope these are going to be super cool when finished. I’m also wondering for sanity’s sake if I can get away with using a thinner yarn for the woman’s version, to avoid writing all the line by line instructions out again. We shall see.

What’s that? Of course we went hiking again this weekend! Here is Sydney under those huge crazy vines. David took a couple shots of the Rock Towers, there are different ones there each time. These reminded me of mushrooms! We worked up a sweat this time, it was pretty nice and warm this weekend in NC. Please don’t hate me since my daughter was modeling my Chardonnay I had Saturday night. It’s called “Funky Llama”, I couldn’t resist. It was really good, and I don’t usually go for Chardonnay.
In lieu of the modeling shots, here is my finished Beryl sweater. I’m pretty happy with it since I sewed up the button band. The cotton was just not laying right and the buttonholes already wanted to get gapey. So I just sewed the buttonbands together and viola! Much better. I think I’m becoming way too much of a perfectionist knitter. At least that’s what my LYS owner (Lindsey at Purl’s Yarn Emporium) tells me. The Queensland Pima Fresca yarn is very snuggly and soft, I do think I’ll get some use out of this one.

We watched the movie “Click” with Adam Sandler on Friday. What’s with his movies now? Why do we need the sad serious part in the middle? What’s wrong with just funny? I don’t get it. I think I’m in need of some seriously good comedy, suggestions welcome.

Hope you have a great week, be back soon!