Sivia Harding has created a gorgeous design here.
A lovely beaded set of fingerless gloves, in either cuff or gauntlet length, these are such fun!
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Note that the base price seen here will cover the kit in the golden Oro colorway dyed in Mechita + Bead Option #3 (with no pattern included). The other yarns are a bit more expensive and the other bead options as well. The additional charges are seen in the drop-down menu.
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The Design
Here is how Sivia describes them:
Aquitaine is an elegant beaded wrist cuff or arm warmer that includes up to four different beads and beading styles. Ruffles, lace and twisted stitches add dimension. The overall effect is charming elegance from another time.
Some beads are pre-strung and some are placed with the add-as-you-go crochet hook method for a variety of effects.
Options are given for using only two types of beads, or only one bead color. You are encouraged to make your own bead modifications for a completely unique work of art!
Dimensions for these: Length of cuff (gauntlet): 6 (11)"/15 (28) cm, or as desired. Wrist circumference ofsmall (medium, large): 6 (7, 8)”, unstretched. Cuff will stretch up to 1.5” above this measurement.
I cannot say it enough -- I love these.
And! The pattern is written to allow increases to be inserted as needed for a perfect fit in the long gloves, so it should fit everyone if they try it on as they knit.
The Yarn and Colorways
These are made of fingering weight yarn -- you will need about 180 yards for the short version shown here and for the longer version, 360 yards.
We offer different yarns and colorways than what Sivia used for her original pieces -- you can see what we have for these kits in the inset photos on the top picture and again right below that. The rest of the photos are there to show you the design.
We selected colors that look rich and vibrant, each skein having more than enough yardage for either size
1. From Manos Del Uruguay, Fino is made up of 30% silk/ 70% extrafine merino, and has 490 yards (450m) per 100 gram skein. It has a lovely yet subtle sheen to it from the silk and it feels marvelous to the touch.
This colorway is called Malachite and is an almost-solid tonal play on greens, slightly on the blue-er side (not quite teal but approaching it).
2. From Malabrigo this is Mechita, 100% superwash merino, with 420 yards/100g. The colorway is a new one called Oro and is again a tonal play on a single hue, this time golds.
3. From Urth Yarns, this is Monokrom Fingering, 100% superfine wuperwash merino with 435 yards/ 100g. A tonal play on Purples, this simply has a color number (#3055) not a name.
The Beads
Here is what Sivia lists as beads needed for small (medium, large) pairs:
Bead option 1: Color A, 42 (48, 54) beads; Color B, 112 (128, 144) beads; Color C, 28 beads; Color D, 28 beads.
Bead option 2: Use only Colors A and B.
Bead option 3: Use one bead color for all types of beads - 210 (232, 254) beads.
You can see from the photos that Sivia used many shapes -- in addition to the 6/0 beads, there are some 4x4mm cubes, and some look to me to have the off-center holes of megatamas.
What we will include in your kit is beads that will "go" with the yarn color you choose, some contrasting and some blending.
If you choose option 1, you will get four different shapes and colors to play with (in variations of 6/0s, 4x4 Cubes, 4mm megatamas).
If you choose option 2, you will get 6/0s and either cubes or megatamas.
If you choose option 3, you will get 6/0s beads for your piece.
Note that A and B each have slight additional charges to them.
Bear in mind that you will also need stitch markers and a crochet hook, 0.6 mm, or equivalent tool to add the beads with. These are not part of the kit.
The Pattern
Note also that the kit will not automatically include the pattern.
Some knitters prefer to get it directly as a PDF file of the pattern from Sivia via her Ravelry web page. In this case, choose No Pattern Needed in the Pattern drop-down menu. And this is the way to go if you like your patterns stored in your Ravelry library.
Alternatively, if you would like a printed copy, please make sure the "Pattern" drop-down menu is set to that. There are 17 pages to this pattern, including charts and written directions.
We also can email the pattern to you via email (just be aware that it is not automatic; I have to manually send it to you and generally do that right before I ship your kit).
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Just make sure that all three drop-down menus are set as you would like before you check out.
This one is a real beauty and great fun to make!
