The Woodcarving by Aurélie Colas

The Woodcarving

Knitting
December 2014
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
40 stitches and 44 rows = 4 inches
in stranded pattern in the round with Shetland Spindrift
US 1 - 2.25 mm
US 0 - 2.0 mm
547 - 820 yards (500 - 750 m)
Medium (Large), to fit hand (measured around palm): 19 (23) cm / 7½ (9) in
English

Inside Castle Fraser (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) is a little room, with a woodcarving of a standard-bearer sheep in a recess on the wall. Of French origins, the Fraser family descends from continental settlers, as part of the Norman infiltration in the 12th century. The Scottish standard-bearer sheep is strangely similar to the emblem of a large city in Normandy, France.

These cosy mittens link both sheep, as they face each other and proudly stand on the back of the hand.

Stranded throughout, with a thin knitted lining, The Woodcarving mittens are worked with Shetland wool, as a nod to the French standard-bearer sheep, symbol of the guild of drapers and woollen cloth traders.


Message aux francophones: Si l’anglais n’est pas votre premiere langue, mais que vous souhaitez vous lancer et tricoter un de mes designs, n’hesitez pas ! Je peux vous aider a traduire des passages qui vous poseraient probleme, et, si il y a une demande suffisante, me lancer dans la traduction complete de mes modeles.


Sizing
To fit hand (circumference measured around palm):
Medium ― 19 cm (7 1/2 in),
Large ― 23 cm (9 in)
(with about 2.5 cm / 1 in positive ease built in)


Yarn requirement

  • Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in 12 colours (for the outer shell) (105 m / 115 yds per 25g ball) - 1 ball each of: (A) #400 Mimosa (B) #880 Coffee (C) #190 Tundra (D) #1190 Burnt Umber (E) #423 Burnt Ochre (F) #230 Yellow Ochre (G) #104 Natural White (H) #768 Eggshell (I) #764 Cloud (J) #135 Surf (K) #929 Aqua (L) #760 Caspian

  • 2 x Jamieson’s Ultra (195 m / 213 yds per 25g ball), shown in #412 Honeysuckle (for the lining)

Should you chose to knit the outer shell in fewer colours, you could use:

  • 1 foreground colour (approx. 90 (110) m - 100 (120) yds)
  • 1 background colour (approx. 100 (120) m - 110 (130) yds)
  • small amount of a third contrasting colour (approx. 20 m / 30 yds)
  • requirements for the lining remain the same as for the 12-colour mittens.

Needles and Notions

  • 2.25 mm (US 1)needles (circ. or DPNs) - Or size required to achieve gauge over stranded pattern.
  • 2.00 mm (US 0) needles (circ. or DPNs) - Or size required to achieve gauge over st st for lining
  • Darning needle
  • Stitch markers
  • Waste yarn, crochet hook

Gauge

  • 40 sts and 44 rows / 10cm (4 in) measured over stranded pattern in the round, using Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift (fingering)
  • 38 sts and 54 rows / 10 cm (4 in) measured over st st in the round, using Jamieson’s Ultra (laceweight)

18-Page Pattern includes:
Detailed charts for all patterned sections, all sizes, left/right mitten. Techniques, notes and tips on stranded knitting, yarn dominance, etc.

Pattern also includes a description of Castle Fraser, Scotland, and a chapter on the sources of inspiration: the standard-bearer sheep on both the Woodcarving and the coat of arms of a French city.

A note on Printing
To knit size Medium, print page 1-14. To knit size Large, print page 1-10 and 15-18.