Have you ready to warming up your needles? :)

Here we are, at the final month of the year, where in my area, weather still unpedictable, sometimes hot just like summer, sometimes heavy raining (actually we already have flooding caused by the higher sea high tide, specially in northern Jakarta). On the other part of the world, you can see the ground has been all white covering with white snow. And I believe knitting time, specially if you are working with warm yarn like wool or alpaca. Bring your project, the yarn on the basket, the pattern and a glass (or more) of your fave drink, find a nice corner where you can sit so relax and feel the zen of your fingers movement...so soothing.. ;)

However if you are haven't found a project yet, let's check out Knitty Winter 2007!! I found some items that would be like to include in my to-knit-this soon list. If I have all time, the list would be (not in particular order) :

a. Aoife





b. Dahlia

c. Stardust

d. Jeanie

Also like to try for the chevrolace socks (lovely), there are others but this one is I like. It knit with 2 circulars method, new techinique for me. So hurry check Knitty out :)

Books Enrichments

During my non-blogging period, I was collecting some knitting books :)

However I also found new interest with the embroideries, like hardanger and boutis.Boutis is kind like quilt ala french, and for my opinion, it's very sophisticated on final result.
"Some" of the books that I would like to share with you are :

IKjpnbook

Left : Interweave Fall 2007 Right : Let's Knit Series Vol.7 (ISBN : 978-4-529-04461-5)

the shawl look lovely isn't it?

jpn book 01: Spring Summer 2007 (ISBN : 978-4-408-62811-0)




jpn book 03a :

Left : Let's Knit Series Autum Winter 2007/2008 (ISBN : 978-4-529-04485-1)
Middle : Let's Knit Series (ISBN : 978-4-529-04451-6)
Right : Autumn Winter 2007/2008 (ISBN : 978-4-408-62830-1)

jpn book 03b :


Let's Knit Series Spring Summer 2007 (ISBN : 978-4-529-04385-4)

jpn book 4 :



Above : Boutis Un Object Blanc - Kumiko Nakayama-Geraerts (ISBN:978-4-579-11130-5)
Below Left : Sashiko Style (ISBN:978-4-88996-214-7)
Below Right : Hardanger Embroidery (ISBN:978-4-529-04439-4)


jpn book 5 :


Left : Bunka Knitting Book - Winter 2007/2008 (4910084761079)
Right : Keitodama Winter 2007/2008 (ISBN: 978-4-529-04480-6)



jpn book 6 :
Keitodama Spring Summer 2007 (ISBN : 978-4-529-04413-4)

jpnbookxstich01:




Above : Heart Warming Series Vol 5 (ISBN : 978-4-529-04418-9)
Below : Cats and Dog (Embroidery - ISBN : 986-7863-97-6)

jpnbookxstich04



Left : ISBN 4-8347-2498-0
Right : 4-8347-2480-8


jpnbookxstich05:
Illustration Stitch (ISBN : 978-4-7778-0364-4)

Off the Needle - Katia Vest

Do you realieaze, once we hit the "BER" months (september, october, november, december), time feel like flying. I was started this Vest sometimes in late August 2007 (if I am not mistaken). I was started with making a swatch for both motifs. This is the first knitting project that I swatched and measures the gauge really carefully.

The good thing of making a swatch that as you already knew, the gauge really helpful to do the measure and plus good to practice the motifs too.

The yarn I used is Katia Creppyi-Chine, it's nice yarn, running smoothly on my circular inox. However for my own confinient, I balled the skeing first. Since it quite slippery yarn, I dont want to have tangled yarn in the middle of knitting enjoying moment.

As for the pattern, I was eyeing this since I saw the book... Keitodama Spring 2005 No. 131


And my eyes falen for this pattern :

as for the yarn, I bought it from my LYS - like end of 2005. I am not remembered what pattern this yarn for. But I bought 6 skeins of it. Still left 2 1/2 skeins. And I am wondering what kind of project that I could make from this leftover. It's varigated yarn, colors are ranged from white, ivory, light brown, light olive green.
Like the way it shaping the back :



Details of 2nd motif. It need a good blocking to make it look like nicer :)
Front view :
Details:
Pattern : Vest - page 20 - Keitodama Spring 2005 (ISBN : 4-529-04106-9)

Yarn: Katia Creppi - Chine about 4 1/2 skeins or around 220 grs ( Color : 3124 Lot : 63870, 50 gr/138 ms/151 yds)

Needle : Inox 31/2 80 cm circular and Aero 4 dps 3.5 cm

Time : Late Augus 07 (if I am not mistaken) - 23 Sept 07.

It may consider 99% done, since there's no buttons have put on it yet. I have cute wooden-like button, but I only have 6 instead of 8. After I put the button, I will wash it and do little block of it.

And since last week (29th Sept 07) I already started this beauty : Blumengruss from The New Style of Heirloom Knitting :

As for the yarn, I am using DMC Petra # 5
And I am on the first section of 3, on the 16th repeat. So far everything still running well :)

Details of 1st section :

Do you know that there is cool group: knitinginjapan at yahoogroup? Check it out :) Good for non-japanese knitter who like to cast on as soon as possible when see their knitting/crocheting patterns!!

Summer craftworks

This year summer was really really weird... When the sun was shining, it was really really hot without wind breeze at all for days. We can see how the tree doesnt move at all, all leaves are staying stil. It's like looking to a painting.

However my needles wasnt stayed quiet...My sister was asked me to make her a crochet vest, from some of options, this was the one she choose. We went to LYS (which not so local for me.. since it was like 30 minutes by bus/taxi from my office or like 1 1/2 hrs by bus from my house), and she choose ORION yarn. This yarn is very light. It's acrylic with golden metalic thread. She bought like 4 balls each is 40 grams. The pattern she choose was a filet crochet with pineapple border on the waist and end of the sleeves.

Since I was taken her size measurement, I was guessed around, we almost in same size now, maybe I am a little bit bigger (thanks for lots of sitting down at the office for last couple years and not touch gym for even longer years..*hiks) . To make a story short, it wasn't turned too good. The armholes a little bit too big and the chest a bit too narrow... *hiks*. So, I offered here some options from most of the japanese patterns book (most of it was Let's Knit Series books). And she choose 1. And here it is :

Project : Crochet Vest - Japanese pattern books - Crochet Lace ( ISBN : 978-4-529-04342-7)

Needles : Tulip 4/0

Yarn : Orion - No Dye Lot - 2 1/2 skeins

Time : I forgot - but about 2 weeks, working on friday nights and weekend only... so it's like few hours in total.

While working this chrochet, I was browsed around on berroco's site... and I checked out this Brea bag. As I have lots of stash from my dyed experiments last year (gasp!!) .. I was thinking to make this one.. it look cute .. at least I can give to mom for her shopping to the market.. he.. he.. he...

I am using double thread for the whole parts, to meet the gauge of the pattern. Turned out that this project really helped to reduce my stash quickly... From 10 skeins (each about 20 grams), it taken 8 out of it.

Pattern : Brea Bag from Berroco

Yarn : Nilon - Dyed with Dylon (Olive)

Needles : Casablanca (from my oz trip on 2006) 4.5 mm

Modification : instead of using leather for the handle, it was single crocheted band then I attached to the gusset.

Period : Still working on it. For the body and bag handle - about 3 weeks.

I havent really finished it since I am not satisfied with the finishing result - but I like the motif of this bag body. Very nice cabled.

Detail of the bag

Now I am working a knit vest from Keitodama Spring 2006, will posted later :)

FO - Purple Shawl and 3 Colors Pillow Cover

Pattern: The motif was from Skacel (discontinued website), original pattern was made for afghan.
Yarn : Self-dyed kitchen cotton thread (20/18 - if I am not mistaken) using dylon.
Needles : Japanese bamboo size 4 (about 3.25 mm). Sorry I can't read japanese so cant inform the needle brand.
Tulip Crochet hook 5/0 for the border.
Start : April 2007 Finish : 2nd week July 2007

Pattern : Japanese KnittingBook (ISBN : 4-529-04053-4 )

Modification : making this shawl become rectangular instead of umm.. not sure what is the shape called about, but the original pattern was made 2 pieces of this and sc-ch-sc all around.

Yarn : Coats & Clark Red Heart Super Saver Yarn Color 0774 (Light Raspberry) - Worsted medium - 198 gr - 364 yards/333 m - 3 skeins

Needles : Inox Circular Needle 6.5 mm & Tulip Crochet Hook 7/0 for the border.

Start : Last week of Jan 2007 - Finished May 2007 & June 2007 (for the border).

back from my corner

Back to my knitting blog again!! I really missing my blog a lot! I have some things that caused me could not get online as often as before, but 2 top excuses were first was the network connection and second is workload.
As for workload I could not do much, just work as best as I could, and tried to not let the tiredness came between me and my knitting however I could only manage to take off my needles and yarns from the bag on weekend.
The really main reason was the network connection, because I am using dial up means I was had a single access to web world on my phone line at home using the govt telco company. Then suddenly it was weaker. I was had talked with the internet provider company few times and checked my compie many times without good explanation why my connection dropped dead.
Then series called with the Telco company started from their customer service till their branch which provide the line to my area. Turned out that their circuit (or something like that) was broken down as the result of the huge flood last January.

Cut this short, now I am using new telco operator and even the price is slighly higher than the other one, but speed is much better.

So, back to my knitting, during no-blogging time, I had finished 3 projects, 2 knitted and 1 crocheted. The knitted was the my mom's square shawl, the other one was pillow cover. The crocheted was my sis' vest.

Picture will post soon.. i think something wrong with the net tonight.

Currently I am working the Brea from berroco... it's looking great so far :-) Easy pattern, nice result too :) I have finished the front and back parts and now working for the Gusset part.

Mystery Stole 3

Back to from the corner for a while, Melanie's has set a KAL for the Mystery Stole 3!

You can join the group, hurry!! Since i think she will limited the participants till 3000 people (now they have reach something like 2900...)

Lace is a good project to do on summer too :)

* back to the corner again* mode on

2 LBS of YARNS!!

Or maybe I should call this thread instaed of yarn? :p

Well, this huge skein of yarn probably already in my stash about 3 years, I was so shock when it arrived from my purchase at ebay. It's so huge and it wasnt wound by the selelr to reduce the cost (lighter weight when it come in skein form).

So last weekend , I am thinking to better do something with this yarn. I already have the winder and yarn swift, but alas!! Those 2 are could not handle this 2 lbs yarns!!

(the left is DMC Pethra, the very thin in middle is this yarn, and the right is sock weight yarn that used as tie on this skein)

So I got to put it in the chairs, using 2 of these kind of chairs and then i made a ball aka winding by my hand.

After 2 days, (about 18 hrs winding for total 2 days) I still have about 300-400 grams left... I dont have the energy... Geez... Still not sure what I am gonna to do with yarn... it call for shawl... but havent got exact pattern in mind...ummm...

Pink Sweater... Completed!

Ah.. finally I finished this pink sweater!! I had put lots of efforts and too much patience working on this sweater. Some main challenges were splitty yarn and the modification of gauge.



I was started this pink sweater in 2005, then working a bit in 2006. I was put it down caused I couldnt bear the splity yarn. I did not know what's wrong when I working with this yarn but my LYS owner said she doesn't encounter the same problem like mine.



So, in total I had worked on the body parts 2x (tinking all the way 2x), then the neck parts 2x, the sleeves parts 3x!! Tinking process and so many months I abandoned this project caused the pieces were not in clean stages anymore.



But after I finished the last stitches of sleves part, sewn everything in places, weaved in the end, then directly it goes to the bucket for washing! :)



I haven't take any pictures yet, but I had some old picture to remind me (and some of you) about this project.



This was taken on August 26, 2005






(just for my note : finished on March 24, 2007)

Long overdues new stash

well.. it probably wont be too new anymore..since I got all of these from my US trip on dec 2006... but I like to share it with you all :)


So here come the new knitting toys , the needle's measurement and colored crochet hook was from Beverly at San Jose's area, the ribbons and buttons were from Greenwhich (SF) :


I got the reeling machine in solvang, danish community area, on the way back to SF from LA trip. They have the wooden one, but this cheaper .. ;-)

The ribbon from JoAnn's, only US1 for this 1 full rolls... I am thinking to use it as a side trim :

And Finally I got these red heart from Michael's , the purpleish (3 skeins) belong to my mom and I am working a shawl from her a this moment (picture will be upload later), the light brownish on the top at the back (5 skeins) belongs to me.. he.. he.. he...

These lovely silky yarn on big corn are from Artfibers, the small one the "free" one when you buy about USD 100 you'll got 10% off... (that's a lot of money and making me broke! :p)

The lady there very patient and let us to play around with their yarns first before we decide to buy it. However it would be nicer if they can reduce the price too.. he.. he..Oh ya, I have the famous Flower Basket Shawl (Interweave Knit) copied from Artfibers pattern collection.. finally! Since the Fall 2004 magazine edition had ran out of stocks and dont know when they will re-print it again.

For sure .. some books and magazines : Knitting Nature, Rebecca, IK Spring 2004 and VK were from Greenwhich, Knit from Top, Lace Victorian Today from Amazon (my friend kindly allowed me to use her home address in US, so I got fast and cheaper shipping price), The Yarn Harlot 2nd book, got from Barnes and Nobbles :

I am thinking to go back to US again... for more serious yarn/fabrics/books shopping... but for sure, got to get some saving first ..Thinking about Stitches Mid West or East.. and Rhineback...hmmmmm..... Anybody want to be my buddy travel? :) I was visited Greenwich with my mom and she was almost fallen asleep in the chair.. he.. he.. he. poor her.. ;)

I am back again

I am missing my blog! After through the flood that lasted for 7 days (!) and all the cleaning, fixing and re-organizing everything again, I am ready to post something on my blog again.

Some new stash that I got from my trip on end of year 2006 to San Francisco are ready to be show-off plus the new projects that I am working on it now.

On the next post it will be the yarns, yarns and new knitting toys plus for sure the local of "Water World" in Jakarta... (for real!!)

Welcome 2007 and Icarus

It's almost 2 months past that I had absent from blog world. As addition for the classic excuses (busy at work), also I was busy prepared for my trip to US at december 2006 with my mom.

Before my trip to US, I worked on Icarus Shaw by Miriam Feltonl from Interweave Summer 2006, using fingering weight yarn. I forgot the brand here, but it was from China, color chili red.

I did not know what material of this yarn first, so I did some test with bleaching. I cut small thread then put it on the bleaching liquid. The yarn slowly disappeared, that means it made from protein based, so my guess that this yarn 100% wool.

Icarus pattern really nice to work with. As far as I remembered I only 2-3 times tinking because I made few mistakes. The yarn also help too, it very light, smoothly sliding on my inox 3.5 mm circular needle.

This shawl was started in first week of December 2006, even though I knitted as much as my fingers can do the knits and purls stitches, I picked it up again after I left it for 2 weeks from my trip and finished in the January 14th 2007.

Before block the size was around 70 cms (length) x 50 cms (height)

After blocked it grown to 219 cms (length) x 113 cms (height), and I am very happy with it even though there are few uneven stitches. Total yarn I used 2 2/3 balls around 60 grams (each balls is 25 grams).

So this project was the last project in 2006 and first finished one in 2007.

I will post more about my trip and all the S.E.X (yarns and books) from my US trip, at this moment I present my Icarus shawl :

just off the neddle - before block

Drying Process - only takes like 10 minutes!

Blocking process - about 3 hours

After weave-in all ends, time to show off :)

It was like 32 degress celcius that time and I almost melted.. he.. he..

Btw, I had been tagged by Cyn .. will answer it in the next post :-)