These are really pretty special. By Galina Zapletnuka, these Victorian Beaded Cuffs are perfect for dressing up or just for plain fun! Either way, they will keep you warmer through chilly times.
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Get your pattern directly from the designer on her Ravelry page here. What we have put together are yarns and kits for knitting this with.
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The Design
Here is what Galina writes:
Travel back in time with this Victorian design and enjoy the continuity of the beaded knitting tradition.
In search of origins of Latvian beaded wrist warmers, or mauci, I came across two beaded cuff patterns published in England at the end of the 19th century. The earliest samples of Latvian beaded cuffs are dated around the same time. Both mauci and Victorian beaded cuffs use the same bead placement technique - pre-strung beads on garter stitch base. I am not sure how this technique travelled across the world or where it originated but it surely has a long standing attraction fascinating knitters over a hundred years later.
This pattern is an adaptation of a 1890s cuff pattern published in Weldon’s Practical Knitter No. 49, Vol V, 12th series. I have reworked the original pattern by adding a chart and instructions for using beads of two colours.
I have also made some alterations to the cuff construction. The original pattern calls for silk or Andalusian yarn, which is similar to lightweight fingering wool. The modelled cuffs use merino wool in fingering weight. The beads are Czech Preciosa and Gutermann rocailles in Size 9. The cuffs can also be made with crochet cotton with similar yardage 50g ca 225m/ 241yds.
The cuffs are knit in two parts: the beaded garter stitch section, which is knit flat, and the ribbing, knit in the round.
The garter stitch section is worked sideways with beads pre-threaded onto the yarn and inserted between stitches. This section is seamed and the scalloped edge is decorated with beads. 2 x 2 ribbing is then added picking up stitches along the straight edge. The length of the ribbing can be adjusted to your taste.
The pattern is both written and charted and there are video tutorials
Yarn and Colorways
We selected two almost-solid colors in high quality fingering weight yarn. These are not the same yarns nor colors that Galina used in her original. You can see our selection in the upper right-hand corner of the top photo and again below that.
Choose one of these:
1. Urth Yarns' Harvest Fingering, 100% superwash extrafine merino with 436 yards/100g. The colorway is called Thuja, and is simply and beautifully black.
2. Malarigo's Mechita, fingering weight with 420 yards/100g 100% superwash merino. Thie colorway is called Magenta and has some subtle variations of tone giving a marvelous depth.
3. From Manos Del Uruguay in Fino (70% extrafine merino wool, 30% silk, 490 yards/ 100g) this colorway is called Admiral, a deep rich blue also with very gentle color variations. It is a bit more expensive (the silk will do that) but well worth it.
Beads
Beads are an integral part of this design.Take a look at the photos of Galina's original cuffs and notice how she used two different colors of beads to further enhance the overall look. She used two colors of a size 9/0 bead; ours are size 8/0, just a slight bit larger.
We have some lovely solid color beads with a slight metallic look (I am thinking of the duracoat galvanized ones particularly) in golds and silver and even magenta or hot pink.
We also have some striking beads with iris finishes (such as you see in the ones on Galina's cuffs), in dark blues and purples.
These are what I am planning to offer in these kits. If you have another idea or a particular preference for a color bead tell me. Otherwise I will choose for you.
Your kit will include at least 480 of color A and 540 of Color B, enough for two cuffs with 6 repeats each.
If you would like an extra 144 beads for decorating the scalloped edges (x 2 = 288 more beads) that option is available via the drop-down menu above.
