FO, Chur Relic Purse

So, it's finally time to dedicate a post to the finished Chur Relic Purse.

I knit this for a history project, my Western Civ class to be exact. It's a replica of a Relic Purse from the (still standing) Cathedral in Chur, Switzerland. These purses were used to hold the relics of saints, and the one I replicated was originally made of a silk wool blend at 7 sts/centimeter.

I've written in detail about the project here, here, and here.

As far as the project aspect, it went over very well and I got a very good grade in the class. The professor even used it in an example, giving a presentation to his coleagues about doing projects/historical reinactments instead of written papers in classes.

There was a lot of time invested into this project and I'm proud of how it turned out. I learned a few things from it, I became proficient in 2 handed knitting and the Magic Loop method of knitting.

So, without further ado, here's the FO:



Draw string detail:


Red/blue motif:



Tan/red motif:


Tassel detail:



Specs:
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Pimento, Pool, Doe, Cream, and Ivy
Needle size: 1
Pattern: Not so much a pattern as a chart and written description from Richard Rutt's a History of Handknitting
Thoughts: A very time consuming project, even with just this modified version.
Notes: My original plan was to do an exact replica, but I soon found out that it would take far to long to complete in a mere 6 or 7 weeks. So, I ended up making it literally half the size of the original, at least in terms of stitches. Obviously I didn't knit it at 7 sts/inch. I recharted the chart in the book so I could see it properly, I also had to chart the arrow design myself.

I cast on 168 sts and went from there. I tried to keep my tension as even as possible, but it was difficult especially when you have to switch needles.

Around the top, I put a yo, k2tog to make room for the draw string. The draw string is a braid of all the colors, tied with an overhand knot at the end. The tassels are all of the colors as well, wrapped with either red, white, or blue yarn.

How it differs from the original:

• Larger Gauge
• 100% wool instead of silk/wool blend
• The tan color (Doe) is actually more of a beige color and the cream color is actually supposed to be white. (I don't think knit picks had any white when I was ordering.
  
• Only 2 sets of motifs total (This includes 2 shields and 2 of the decorative separators) instead of 4. Note: this means 2 shields per side instead of 4.
• Also only 3 blocks of motifs instead of 5 (The original had 3 tan/red blocks and 2 blue/red blocks).
  
• Tassels and draw string are all colors instead of only red, white, and blue (A mistake which I didn't realize until I was almost finished making tassels). Also fewer tassels due to the smaller nature.
  
• The drawstring isn't threaded the same (I couldn't figure it out, exactly).
• Also, there is more variation of the motifs than shown here, obviously because whomever made this didn't have a chart to follow and was doing on the fly.