Today I’ve released a pair of patterns for Seven Skeins Club members – both rather different from each other.
Kokkeluri is above, and Cochal is below.
Cochal is a Scottish Gaelic word for hood, and this simple to knit accessory can easily be pulled up, hood-like, to keep the cold off your neck and ears when you are out in the hills. Cochal’s straightforward design and dimensions are loosely based on the (usually synthetic) ‘buffs’ often used by hikers, runners, and other outdoor folk. The striking slipped-stitch pattern is very simple indeed. It can be worked by any beginner knitter – someone with no colourwork experience at all. Mel and I knit several, in a few different colour schemes – which yielded quite different effects!
Cochal is a simple and flexible design, which can be adjusted in length – yarn quantities permitting! If you wish to make the most of your skeins, the pattern includes instructions on how to weigh your yarn so you can estimate with some accuracy how many of the pattern ‘cells’ you will be able to complete. Make your cochal shorter, or longer, just as you wish!
Cochal is a fun and speedy and fun knit, with a dramatic result that belies its simplicity.
Its also brilliant for keeping the autumn wind out of your ears!
Cochal is worked at 20 stitches to 4 inches – a gauge which allows Buachaille to drape and stretch, but also produces a squooshy, cooshy fabric. At the other end of the gauge spectrum is this week’s second design – Kokkeluri – which is worked at 30 stitches to 4 inches. At this gauge, Buachaille produces a dense, robust fabric which is ideally suited to mittens.
Kokkeluri, or muckle (big) kokkeluri are Shetland dialect terms for the ox-eye daisy – a familiar wayside sight all over Scotland in Spring and Summer. On the mainland, the word is sometimes rendered differently – cockaloorie – and is a generic term for any big, blousy flower.
While the hand-side is decorative, the palm-side is functional. The densely stranded herringbone pattern is hard-wearing and super-cosy, meaning the mittens are sure to keep your hands warm as the winter temperatures fall.
Kokkeluri features a few different techniques, including i-cord and vikkel braids – all of which are described in the pattern.
These mittens are one of my very favourite things I’ve knitted so far with Buachaille, and I’m already looking forward to the cooler temperatures in which they will come into their own!
These patterns are rather different from each other, and I paired them up this week for a number of reasons. One is reasonably advanced, while the other is super-simple, meaning that all club knitters, whatever their experience, can participate in making this week’s designs. Another reason for pairing them is that both are relatively yarn-hungry, and are likely to consume the majority of two skeins. If you are a member of the club, I recommend you choose one of these patterns to knit now, and save the other till later. If any of the designs which appear in subsequent weeks don’t suit your taste, you can always make your second choice, yarn permitting. I think Cochal would look particularly nice with multiple shades used for the cells, and am really looking forward to seeing what everyone does with these patterns!
If you are a club member you should by now have received your weekly email, and to access your patterns, simply click the ‘update’ button that appears next to the Buachaille e-book in your Ravelry library.
Pop over to the Ravelry group to share your progress, and don’t forget to use the hashtags #Sevenskeinsclub and #Buachaille to show us your projects.
Happy knitting, everyone xx
Hi Kate,
I received my yarn and book and am thrilled. I have just gotten some time to pick a first pattern and see that the patterns are not in my Ravelry library or purchased area? Sorry to take so long to notice, but I have been busy with other things and just found time to sit down with your lovely yarns. Could you help me with this?
Thanks much, Donna
Donna Lundberg puma48@aol.com
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I’m asking myself… I left a comment yesterday – that I had intended to be supportive; and I never saw it appear. What are the criteria for sort-of approving a post? curious…. Birgit
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Hi Birgit – all comments are approved – unless they get picked up by the spam filter – I’ve not seen one from you – will check
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…Hi Kate …so it ended up in Nirwana…Cheerio, Birgit
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It is with a heavy heart that I am unsubscring from your blog but, quite frankly, it seems that you cannot be bothered to reply to any queries unless we subscribe, and when I tried to do so you told me I was ‘too late ‘ – so, keep your patterns, I an too tired with it all.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
From:”Kate Davies Designs” Date:Fri, 23 Oct, 2015 at 7:54 Subject:[New post] Two new patterns for the Seven Skeins club
Kate posted: ” Warning! This is a l o n g, and somewhat picture-heavy post! Today we’ve released a pair of patterns for Seven Skeins Club members – both rather different from each other. Kokkeluri is above, and Cochal is below. Cochal is a Scottish Gael”
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Michele, I’m sorry – I’ve not seen any queries from you. If you wish to contact us you simply need to send an email to info@katedaviesdesigns.com – we are dealing with a lot of mail at the moment (upwards of 100 messages daily) but we do respond to every message, and will get back to you.
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That’s interesting! In Norwegian, what is called kokkelur are small shells, like these: https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xap1/t51.2885-15/s150x150/e15/10950537_1721500278077040_1995405155_n.jpg
(kokkelur has its own tag on instagram, but I’m not a member so I find it hard to navigate there.)
Kokkelur is pronounced koo (oo as in book) ke (kettle) lur (u as the sound of cue, but without the extra y-sound).
I’d like to knit the cowl in a selfstriping yarn for the cells, I think.
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thanks for this, Martha – I wonder if there’s a link between shells and petals in Norse and Norn? So interesting
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I asked my mother, she’s a linguist, but couldn’t think if any immediate connection. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one, though. We’ll live and see :)
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Both designs are lovely, but those mittens?! OH MY!!!
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Hi, I’m a club member and do get the emails but I haven’t gotten the yarn yet. I didn’t know when I should be starting to worry. I do love the patterns.
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Hi Lesley, send us an email at info@katedaviesdesigns.com and we’ll look into this for you
K
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Cochal………wow. I would never have thought about knitting something like that…break into a sweat and ‘die’……but I am SO tempted, esp yours with the red dot! Love it.
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Beautiful patterns. Beautiful wool. Beautiful photography. Well doneyou:)!! Wishing you success and joy on this, your latest venture!
Congratulations:)!!
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Thankyou! Cochal will be my reward for weaving in ends on an argyle Christmas stocking!
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Beautiful patterns, nowhere in my ravelry library. If I understand correctly, we will Be sent a book with patterns at the end of the subscription, so I should not Worry. Downloaded last week without a problem. Barbara Fletcher
Sent from my iPad
>
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Barbara, email us at info@katedaviesdesigns.com and we can sort you out
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I just keep thinking that I am going to have to translate all your patterns into crochet! That is how much I like them (but I do not enjoy knitting).
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I take that as a complement!
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once again appreciate the photostyling as well as wonderful patterns. thanks
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Both designs are brilliant Kate! I plan on knitting the mittens, as they look perfect for keeping my hands warm on winter walks. But first I need to get the two projects I have on my needles finished, both of which also happen to be your patterns – a Buchanan for me and a Wowligan for my granddaughter Lucy. Thanks for bringing such knitting joy into my life. :-)
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Love the mitts, Kate! Last night, I was wanting another pair of mittens for myself. I wanted dense warm mittens but not a traditional Norwegian Design. Thanks so much for thinking of me! Hahaaa!
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your wish is my command xx
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Such lovely designs, both of them! I have a quick terminology question, though – I’d call the braids on the mittens Latvian braids and I’ve always seen the term ‘vikkel braids’ referring to another type entirely, worked over just one round (also called Estonian braids or lateral braids, they can be mimicked by doing an applied crochet chain sideways across a row of knitting). Is there something I’m missing that makes these vikkel braids, some historical usage? It does seem possible that the terms have drifted a bit in the modern knitting era, and I’m just curious.
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this is really interesting, Dianna! I think I’ve only ever called them ‘vikkel braids’ because of Elizabeth Uptis’s book – which is where I learnt to make the braids the way I do them – I recall it had something to do with barrels? Shamefully, I’ve not thought about the accuracy of the moniker or its specific application.
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Oh, super interesting! I’ve seen Lizbeth’s Latvian Mittens book before but I didn’t know that’s how she used the term. I wish I had a copy of Nancy Bush’s “Folk Knitting in Estonia” handy because I feel like I remember her talking about the word ‘vikkel’ in there – she does make a comment here (http://www.woolywest.com/Pages-Notebook/foxfaces_socks.html), though, which implies *she* chose to apply the word ‘vikkel’ to the lateral braids she describes, which would mean there isn’t necessarily a historical precedent for calling lateral one-row braids ‘vikkel braids’. I wish I could double check the book!
Aha! A little more digging finds a second reference to Nancy deciding to call the lateral braid ‘vikkel’: https://books.google.no/books?id=Tqi7AcDSLpoC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=vikkel+braid+nancy+bush&source=bl&ots=btMVnyqTZG&sig=Ck8h8gZezk0YXa3u7yZFUmy4Q1A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEcQ6AEwB2oVChMIlr6w1ZDZyAIVgqZyCh0-fA1-#v=onepage&q=vikkel%20braid%20nancy%20bush&f=false
That would make it a relatively recent source for such a usage, which is fascinating.
A Google Translate search (so take it with a grain of salt) says that in Estonian, ‘vikkel’ means ‘nimble’, but it gives no translation for Latvian. Lizbeth’s book was definitely published before Nancy’s, though.
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I already like Fridays but now I really love them! And with the time difference my new patterns are waiting for me when I wake up. I think I’ll make the mittens first (I am loving these color combinations!) and then I liked your suggestion to use leftovers for the cochal. I showed my mother in law my lovely yarn and she said, “I would order a boatload of ‘Between Weathers’.” Just wanted you to know that you have big fans on this side of the pond.
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Beautiful patterns, I love them both :) and the colours are absolutely stunning too! :)
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Ooh! I do own an actual Buff- several in our household of cyclists. Now that the cyclists wear only knitted socks, maybe we can move to wearing only knitted Buffs.
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I’ve followed you for years. Shame I can’t afford to join your club! Bit elitist Kate. Hope you can accept that comment without a quick dismissal.
I unsubscribe!
Not nice to read your blog knowing I’m on the outside
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really sorry you feel that way. There’s still a mix of material on the blog, that is not focused on the club, but I’m sure you can understand that this project has been all-absorbing and exciting for us, and that its inevitable (as well as completely necessary) that it receives space and discussion here. Hope you’ll be back soon. K
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Wondering why you feel on the outside? I too have been reading for years and I too cannot afford the “club” but I still can feel inspired to knit new things and share in the beauty Kate continues to share. Come back in as soon as you feel able.
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My budget wouldn’t allow me to join the club either, but I am really enjoying reading about everyone’s projects & enjoying their enthusiasm. Please do stay with us.
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See? this is why I didn’t knit the Baffies – because the colours would look SO much better in these! I will knit the Baffies – but in heathern yarn. I attempted the first but it was enormous – so I frogged and will reknit 2 needles sizes down!
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Oh this is a hard choice this week!! Love them both!
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Mmmm. The mittens. Very cosy-looking. I love the ‘update’ button in the Rav library – that’s rather nifty :)
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These are so beautiful! I can’t wait to get started with the knitting – but at the same time, I haven’t started knitting yet because with so many colour choices, I just can’t decide!
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Beautiful, and I can’t wIait until next year when I can try and join. It looks like the weather is starting to cool…here we are warming up for summer…Australian style.
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These are both great patterns. The mittens are shouting my name! Loudly.
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Oops….they are calling my name so loudly that I responded twice!
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Really lovely! It’s the mittens for me.
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Oh, I love these both. The mittens are fabulous; I can definitely hear them calling my name!
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How did you know that once I’ve knitted slippers I wanted to knit mittens. I am such a happy bunny :-)
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