Description
The spencer & handbag feature in my Amsterdam Bird Series. Having bought the Plötulopi in Denmark a few holidays ago, I figured what to knit with it. Being a bit bulky and fragile at the same time, I imagined a spencer would be a good and not-too-warm an item to knit from it. Also, the icy fragile look would be perfect for an elegant yet cool handbag to join it.
As for the colorwork of the herons, I am fascinated by the birds in our city. Living in Amsterdam with lots of canals, little lakes, pools and ditches, birds form an important community within the city’s wildlife.
You can see and hear them everywhere around here. As my podenco doggie tries to catch them during our dog walks, I catch them into my knitwear. You can read the story behind my design in my blog!

About the patterns
The spencer and handbag are both basically knitted as tubes to facilitate stranded knitting in the round. The armholes of the spencer are cut in later using the steek-technique. The lopi wool is excellently safe yarn to steek with! The bottom of the handbag is fastened knitwise later on.

Difficulty level
Intermediate.

Yarn
Spencer: Medium to bulky yarn, 100% wool Plötulopi from Lopi, 100g/300 m (328 yds). Colors 1x light grey 1027 (MC) and 1x dark grey 0005 (CC). Used single thread for body colorwork and double threads for ribbing of top and armholes.
Handbag: Medium to bulky yarn, 100% wool Plötulopi from Lopi, 100g/300 m (328 yds). Colors 1x white 0001 (MC) and 1x dark grey 0005 (CC). Used single thread for body colorwork and double threads for the top of the bag. I made i-cords for the straps.

Needles
Spencer: 6 mm (US 10) circular needle, 80 cm (32 in) and matching DPNs or longer circular needle for magic loop to knit the ribbing of the armholes.
Handbag: 4,5 mm (US 7) circular needle, 60 cm (24 in) and 3,5 mm (US 4) DPNs for the i-cord.

Gauge
Spencer: 17st x 16 rows/rounds = 10 x 10 cm (4x4 in) lopi single thread in stockinette colorwork after blocking.
handbag: 18 st x 20 rows/rounds = 10 x 10 cm (4x4 in) lopi single thread in stockinette colorwork after blocking.

Materials
Stitch holders or waste yarn, stitch markers, tapestry needle, blocking tools.

Size information
Spencer: To wear with ease: width 50 cm (19,5 in), height 44 cm (17 in), instructions to upsize to L, XL are included.
Handbag: 30 cm (12 in) height, 33 cm (13 in) width, handles 25 cm (10 in) height.

Happy Heron Knitting!
Antoinette
Beauxknits Design