Peerie Clews

Blimey, Peerie Clews... I started this project back in April, and no, I haven't finished it yet!
For any knitter who is unfamiliar with Peerie Clews, it's a pattern from the Vintage Shetland Project, a fab book of Taschen proportions, and by that I mean that the thing is heavy and feels like more of a coffee table book (that said, Vol. 2 of A Stitch in Time was big too). The pattern for Peerie Clews was scanned immediately as I didn't want to spoil the book! Below are a couple of photos I snapped of the original garments from the archive (I had to re-sell my copy of the book as I'm low-income at the moment).

The book is beautiful, it's a real labour of love. Here's Peerie Clews (the original). I love the collar, the length and the big sleeves. My sleeves have come up a little small but I've bodged a fix for that. I'm not casting on anything else till this one is finished.

Figuring out colours. This took me AGES, I started and re-started and after I think 3 goes I got just what I wanted, using hand-dyed singles/strands of kidsilk mohair and a little coral coloured Spindrift. I needed the colourwork to have just enough contrast and also enough 'stick' (no superwash sock yarns in sight).

The cuffs are my favourite, they're a beautiful grey hand-dyed merino single yarn held double with an even more beautiful Hedgehog Fibres Blue Faced Lace yarn in an extremely subtly flecked fawn colour (Sparrow's Egg).

Knitting outdoors in May & June this year. Sitting on my lovely old quilt which was made for me as a going away present when I went to university in 2002.

Anyway, my first task is to complete the sleeves. I'm then going to complete the ribbing for the bottom of the cardi and take each little section at a time until I'm done. I really do hope I'm able to finish it, I keep putting it off. Probably the knitting will speed up once I'm knitting the colourwork in the round. Wish me luck!