Lacy Border Bolero

Yarn/線材: Cable' Due by Filati King (100% Baumwolle cotton, 175 yds, 50g) #159 Violet - 5 balls
Pattern/圖樣: 毛系だま夏季版

Size/尺寸: 34" (胸圍 34 英吋)
Hook/針號: Clover size C (2.5mm)
Duration/製作日期: 6/30/07~7/16/07

This pattern is from one of the Japanese book I bought a while ago, at first, I didn't even pay attention to this bolero, at least not until I saw the one that Kelly made; different yarn does make difference! I didn't like the original brown color version, but the one Kelly made was so beautiful, I immediately decided I gotta make one for myself (while I can).


這個圖樣我早就有了,只是第一眼並沒有讓我很驚豔,一直到看到嘉莉的作品,才讓我決定也來鉤一件.原版的咖啡色真的沒有嘉莉那件美呢!



The yarns they used in these Japanese knitting books mostly are fingering weight, and it is so hard to find these kind of gauge cotton yarns in USA. One day while I was in LYS trying to find yarns for this scarf and saw this Cable' Due yarns ($5.95@), I picked up white, taupe, violet and blue. I crocheted a swatch, and turned out it was perfect for this bolero. It is so light weight, has a beautiful sheen to it and most important it comes with "violet" color, my favorite! So next day I hurried back to the store and picked up more yarns before they sell out, with my luck, that just might happen!


這些日本編織書大部份都用超細棉線,偏偏在美國這種線又超難找的,幾個禮拜前在找線來鉤筱昭這條圍巾時剛好看到這組線,馬上就買了四捆線. 回家後鉤了織片,發現正好用來鉤這件波蕾若. 隔天又趕快跑回那家店去買線就怕有人跟我搶線咧!




This pattern looks complicated but actually wasn't that hard, and after few crochet projects I'm proud to say that I didn't need to draw the "other" side of the pattern for this bolero, I was able to finish this project without any major problem!! There were lots yarn ends that needed to be weaved, but other than that, it went very smoothly. I really love the end result of this project, I just have to wait till after I give birth to wear it.....can't hardly wait!!!


這個圖樣看起來複雜,但開始鉤以後還好. 而且在連續鉤了幾件成品後,這件我已經可以不用畫另一邊的圖就可以繼續了呢! 整體來說,沒碰到什麼大問題,只有最後藏線頭讓我比較頭痛而已. 其實應該不要用到這麼長的時間的, 這中間我們還要整理出房間給老大, 他的房間要讓給baby, 所以有幾天根本沒鉤. 然後房間整理的差不多後, 我又累的不想動, 才拖這麼久, 現在終於完成啦,很不錯呢,我很滿意唷!! 只是我還得等到生完後才能穿吧, 現在的..嗯...咪咪實在是...有點大咧, 胸前扣不起來啦!!

Bolero

Yarn/線材: Rowan 4 ply cotton (100% cotton, 186 yds) # 139 - 4.5 balls

Pattern/圖樣: 瑪格

Hook/針號: 3.25mm crochet hook

Size/尺寸: fits bust 34" (胸圍34英吋)

Duration/製作日期: 5/2/07~5/11/07

My very first crocheted garment! This one was done before the Green Mango Bolero, but due to the KAL deadline, I had to post that one first. I finished this one a while ago, but didn't get a chance to block it untill now. This pattern was in Japanese, and was for little girls; a lot of fellow bloggers used heavier weight yarn, larger crochet hook to make it bigger, and it worked, mine fits me just right! I'm very happy with the end result.

這是我的第一件用鉤針完成的衣服,其實比綠色情人果還早鉤好,只是線頭實在太多了,光想怎麼藏都頭痛.又因為情人果有期限的,就先把功課交了,再來慢慢藏線吧.上禮拜才逼自己把線藏好,再把它整燙一下,終於大工告成啦!

因為這是第一次看日文圖鉤衣服,真是有夠霧沙沙的. 如果只是照圖鉤我還可以應付,但是一碰到加減針我就迷糊了.我習慣用棒針,所有棒針的圖樣碰到加減針時都是在下一排加減,所以我一開始也這樣作...後來越想越不對,又去問阿妹...結果就是拆..拆..拆! 然後是要注意兩邊要對稱,一邊如果是鎖針另一邊大概就是長針或長長針,要用腦咧,所以速度又慢下來了. 看看不少格友三四天就完成一件,還鉤了不止一件,真是要立正敬禮了! 連續做了幾件鉤針作品,接下來得回來摸摸棒針啦!

Green Mango Bolero 綠色情人果

Yarn/線材: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy (34% Hemp, 41% Cotton, 25% Modal) # 17 - 4.5 balls

Pattern/圖樣: Joey's KAL

Hook/針號: Boye 3.25mm

Size/尺寸: 34" / 胸圍86cm

Duration/製作日期: 5/17/07~5/25/07

This is my second project with Joey's KAL, there were 4 projects to choose from, they were all very cute, but I only have time to make one, I love how Joey named all 4 boleros, especially the "Green Mango" bolero (that's why I chose it). Before I start this little cutie, I had couple more projects need to be finished first, so I didn't start this one until 5/17. I also tried several different yarns, finally decided on this Hempathy, it feels light, great for summer, and I just think it's a perfect color for this bolero!

這是我第二次參加Joey的群編.這次的活動是四選一,Joey大大真的很厲害,四件都取了很吸引人的名字,光看名字就很想每件都做!在開始鉤這件之前我還有一條圍巾(趕著給兒子的老師)跟瑪格那件鉤針外套正在進行當中所以一直到5/17才有時間開始.為了選線也想了蠻久的最後挑了這組,線摸起來很輕很涼爽的感覺,最重要的是這顏色很符合情人果的名字呢!

This bolero's pattern is from a Japanese book, so it's in "charts", and sometimes these Japanese crochet symbols are kind of hard to figure out. I did scarves before using the charts, it wasn't so bad; but when I start my first crochet bolero, it was a little confusing, I had to call my sister a few times to finish my project. Usually the Japanese charts only show one side of the pattern, so you need to "think" what to do with the opposite side before you start one row so both sides will match, that is very different than American patterns. Most American patterns have written instructions, so you follow the instructions word for word, just hope you don't accidentally miss anything, then it's also a pain in the XXXX to try to fix it. For this project, I have to thank Kelly, she actually re-drew the pattern for the KAL, so whoever making the same bolero doesn't have to think too much how to do the decreases or to match the flower motif so they will be the same on both sides of the front pieces.


這件情人果還是日文書來的圖樣,我之前織的都是圍巾的圖樣還好自己研究一下都還可以完成.這次群編要織這小外套,說實在的,剛開始時有點頭皮發麻咧!我的第一件鉤針作品就是瑪格那件小外套,常常鉤到一半還得打電話給阿妹請她指點迷津,那件已經完成了(過兩天會PO). 一開始真不習慣日本圖樣,因為日本圖樣通常只畫半邊另半邊得自己"畫"出來,這是鉤瑪格小外套時"拆"來的結論.這件情人果真的要感謝嘉莉畫的圖,省了我不少時間呢!都沒拆唷!(嘿嘿,當中有些小錯誤發現時也懶得拆了啦)! 另外我這件的下擺沒有減針,我不太喜歡原作的下擺,再加上看到一些格友也選擇不減針就決定不減囉!對這件情人果還蠻滿意的,我穿起來也還算合身,只是這真的不是依現在的身材作的,過幾個月後再穿我會更黑皮的啦(等寶貝出來以後)!!

Column of Leaves scarf

Yarn/線材: Ella Rae Silkience (41% Cotton/39% Modal/12% Silk/8% Rayon) #6 Purple Gray - 3 skeins/捆

Pattern/圖樣: Brooke's Column of Leaves Scarf

Needles/針號: Knit Picks Options #5

Size/尺寸: 8" wide (寬), 64" long (長), 50 repeats

Druation/製作日期: 5/7/07~5/17/07

Finally finished it and made it for my son's teacher, yeah!! The first picture shows a closer color of the scarf. This is a fun scarf to knit, the pattern is not hard, but I kept the pattern in front of me the whole time cause I don't have time for mistakes. At beginning, I was going to use wool yarn for this project, but it's closer to summer, a wool scarf gift seems a little odd, and it's too warm to work with. I found this Silkience at LYS, I like the blend, and it feels nice to the touch, I decided to give it a try. I'm really happy with this yarn, love the color too, normally I'm a purple person, but I'm not sure if the teacher would love the color I chose, so this one turns out to be okay, I think (at least Mom loves it!). I usually don't like to knit a "present" for someone unless I know the person will appreciate it, but I think mostly is because I don't feel confident that my FOs are good enough :-P.

終於完成囉!趕呀趕的就怕來不及在20號以前給兒子的中文老師.第一張照片比較接近原色,第二張特寫的顏色跑掉了.這條圍巾有不少人織過真的很漂亮,所以選這個圖樣送老師.圖樣說實在的不難,但我還是乖乖的把圖樣放在面前,就怕不小心織錯得拆就慘了!還好都很順利!在選線上本想用美麗諾或絲線,但是夏天快到了,送毛的圍巾感覺有點怪(也不可能織件小外套),在毛線店看到這組線摸起來又軟又舒服,又只要手洗,應該不難照顧,就決定用它啦!這顏色也蠻特別的,灰中帶紫,紫中帶灰,應該很容易接受吧!我通常不太把我完成的織品送人,除非我知道收的人會懂的珍惜;也是因為我還不太有自信心自己的成品夠好!哎呀!不管了,反正是一個心意嘛!如果人家不欣賞下次就不送囉!!

Sahara Finished!!

Yarn/線材: Tilli Tomas Pure & Simple (100% silk) - color Aqua Zing - 4 skeins

Pattern/圖樣: Stitch Diva Sahara by Wendy Bernard
Size/尺寸: small (Bust size/胸圍 33")

Needle/針號: KP Option #7, #5, Boye Balene 11" #5

Start/開始: 1/1/07

Finish/完成: 4/10/07

I feel so guilty that it took me this long to finish Sahara. I love this sweater first time I saw the pictures. When the pattern first became available, I bought it right away. It did took me quite some time to decide what "style" to make (short sleeves or long sleeves) and what yarn to use; I mean this Tilli Tomas really is so expensive, so far I haven't invest that much money on one sweater, plus it's 100% silk, not easy to take care of.

I love Wendy Bernard's patterns, she is so great, her patterns always have a list of substitute yarns, I did try couple different yarns out of that list, but non of the yarns seemed to be able to deliver the same result as the Tilli Tomas yarns. So I caved in and got myself some Pure & Simple from Sarah's Yarns. My sis and I decided to make this a mini KAL between us, we both started on Jan.1. She finished hers way back in February. If I wasn't pregnant, I would've finish it sooner, but in my first trimester, I just didn't feel well, plus I knew I wouldn't be wearing it anytime soon, so I kept it aside for a long time. Sis said if I don't finish it soon, it WILL be an UFO. Okay, okay, I'll try my best...

終於完成Sahara了,當初一眼看到這件毛衣就愛上它,但原作者用的線實在是有夠貴,光考慮線材就用了不少時間!這個作者很不錯,她出的圖樣都會建議不少其他線材,只是試了幾種,覺得都顯現不出這毛衣的特色,所以狠狠的就給它敗下去了.我跟妹決定來個迷你群編,她是早在二月就織好了,如果我不是碰巧懷孕又害喜,應該也早完成了.

For this sweater, I pretty much followed the instructions. I can't say it enough, just love knitting from the top down. I've knitted few sweaters from the top, all of them were raglan style sweaters. This one is a little different, it started at the shoulders with a provisional cast on, working down the back till underarm, then pick up from the shoulders then down the front, then join together at the underarms and knit in the round down to the hem. Over all, the pattern was easy, just a tiny problem on the Diamond Rib pattern (k3tog TBL & p3tog TBL), other than that everything went very smoothly. One thing I should have done was making less decreases at the waist area, but I didn't know I was pregnant when I finished the body!!! Now I can only wear this after my baby is born, I'm not so sure if I will have a waist after that or how long until I have a waist. Anyway, it's finished, I really really love it. I will definately consider making another one, short sleeves version or maybe sleeveless.

這件毛衣也是從上往下織的方式,我很喜歡這種方法,不需要花太多時間縫合,也少了很多線頭需要藏線.這件的織法其實不難,我完全照圖樣織,只有在織領口及袖口的花樣時有點小困難,主要是針頭不夠尖,織起來很吃力.我妹就聰明多了,找到一些撇步,可惜我織的時候她還沒找到這些偷甲步.另外就是腰身的部份我減了5次針,應該少減一點的,尤其是織完後又發現懷孕,唉!什麼時候才會再看到我的腰呢?

現在毛衣完成了真的還挺滿意的,我大概會再織一件吧,或許短袖,或許無袖,再看看!

Crocheted Chrysanthemums 胸花完成囉!

Yarn/毛線: DMC Cebelia Crochet Thread (100% cotton, size 20) #818 Pink/粉紅 - 1 ball/球

Pattern/圖樣: Kelly's Blog / Kelly@手作

Hook/針號: 0.90mm 蕾絲鉤針

Size/尺寸: 3" wide x 4" long/ 7cm 寬 10cm 長

Start/開始: 3/22/07

Finish/完成: 3/29/07

I got this pattern from Kelly, she did a fantastic job with her crocheted flowers, normally I would just admire the finished objects, this time I decided to give it a try. I first tried with size 10 crochet thread, the flower was floppy, didn't hold the shape; and then I tried with different sizes of lace crochet hooks, still not happy. So, I went to Hobby Lobby and found this size 20 DMC Cebelia thread and it comes in pink, much better color, yeah! Same thing, I tried few different sizes crochet hooks, of course, the "last one" I tried worked! This crochet thread is really really thin, and with the smallest crochet hook, my eyes were really tired from looking at the stitches so close. I'm very happy now that it is finished, this flower only used a small amount of the thread, if I want I can make more, but I don't think I will at this moment, I need to let my eyes and hands rest a little!!!

很感謝嘉莉分享這個胸花圖樣.常常都會去博客來網站去看看日本的編織書,總覺得那些作品都只能看看不太可能完成,當看到嘉莉的花,我好興奮喔!真的有人會織呢!所以去要了圖様,馬上就動手織了.一開始先試了10號線,不是很喜歡,花太大又太軟了,所以試試換鉤針,還是不滿意.直到找到這個DMC線,又是粉紅色的,太棒了!一樣,我試了幾組鉤針,最後決定用最細的針.嘉莉說的沒錯,細線細針的成品真的比較細緻,但鉤起來會要人命呀!鉤完這朵花後,眼睛脫窗,手也快抽筋了.還好結果還算滿意(但短期內我不可能再織一朵,得先讓我的眼睛休息休息啦!). 我現在知道為啥嘉莉不讓人家A了!!

Flower Scarf & Real Simple Scarf 花朵 & 極簡圍巾

Yarn/毛線: Katia Gatsby (77% Viscose, 15% Polyamide, 8% Polyester, 115yd/50g) #88502 (黑/銀) - 1.25 balls/球

Pattern/圖樣: Joey's KAL Joey 編織屋

Hook/針號: #2

Size/尺寸: 158cm x 12cm

Yarn/毛線: S. Charles Ritratto (28% Mohair, 53% Viscose, 10 % Polyamide, 198yds/50g) #72 - 1.33 balls/球

Pattern/圖樣: Joey's KAL Joey 編織屋

Hook/針號: #2

Size/尺寸: 164cm x 9.5cm

Accidentally saw these scarves at Joey's Blog, they were doing a KAL, couldn't resist, just have to try it. I thought I no longer want to do scarves anymore, I thought I'm way beyond the scarves, but the scarves I saw these past few weeks were simply too cute to miss. Some of these patterns are from Japanese Knitting/crocheting books which I can never find it here, and even if I found some, it's in Japanese, unless you know how to read the chart, it's kind of hard to follow. Join the KAL for these projects is perfect, most likely you will find someone to help you if you do come to a problem. I'm glad I finished both of them within the time limit. YEAH!!

偶然間在Joey家看到這兩條圍巾,她又剛好在辦群編,我參加過美國的群編很好玩的,考慮了幾天決定試試看.剛開始迷上編織時,織了一堆圍巾,本來想不可能再織圍巾,但最近逛到的圍巾圖樣又實在太美了,不織會做惡夢的.(嘻!沒這樣嚴重啦!但日思夜想倒是真的.)

在選擇線材上花了蠻多時間,實在不想再花錢買,所以就翻箱倒櫃的找終於找出兩組線應該還蠻適合這兩條圍巾的.我本來是先織花朵的,但是研究圖樣,再找到適合的針號,弄得我快瘋了,我怕到時功課交不出來,所以還是先鉤極簡吧!極簡真的蠻簡單的,只是一開始要起針551鎖針(包括流蘇),聽起來很可怕.真正開始織就很快了,我大概花了3~4天的時間吧(懶嘛!),可能其他格友們會覺得這麼簡單的東西還要4天?但對我來說算快的啦!

花朵就麻煩多了,試線就適了2~3組都不滿意,然後又換針,拆了好幾次才定案.這個圖樣也不那麼容易記起來,一直都得放在面前才行,要知道拆毛海還不如剪掉算了(我妹說的,真是對極了).線跟針都對了以後鉤起來就很順啦!全部都整理好了準備交作業時,才看到Joey說應該是鉤兩條再合併起來才算完成.嗯...我比較喜歡現在這樣,感覺比較秀氣,兩條併起來掛在身上對我這不高的人.....好啦!就這樣吧!算及格嗎, Joey?!

Wicked

Yarn: Berroco Softwist (59% Rayon, 41% Wool, 100yd/50g) #9446 (dye lot #79127, 88452) - 8 skeins

Pattern: Zephyr Style Wicked

Size: Short Sleeves M (36-39")

Needles: Denise #9

Start: 2/14/07

Finish: 3/12/07

毛線: Berroco Softwist (59% 人造絲, 41% Wool 羊毛) #9446 - 8 捆

圖樣: Zephyr Style Wicked

尺寸: 短袖 M (胸圍36-39英吋)

針號: #9 輪針

開始: 2/14/07

完成: 3/12/07

I've always loved Zephyr Girls' patterns, this is the 3rd pattern I've knitted so far, just love it. It's knitted from the top down, you don't really need to pay too much attention to the knitting except for the neck band pattern part, it's perfect project for me right now (I seem to forget lots of little things so easily).

I should really make it size S, but I thought about my tummy getting big everyday, I kind of need something that can still cover my tummy, so I made size M. As you can see, it is huge on me, oh well, I'm still "growing", I'm sure it will serve it's purpose well. I didn't do the waist shaping at all, I just kept knitting till my desired length, and bind off. This Softwist is nice, smooth and stretchy, I chose it because of it's stretchiness (is this a word?), I want to make sure I can still wear it till I loose all the "baby" weight (who knows how long that would take ~sigh~).

One thing about the pattern, it says 600 yds for size M, since I had one skein of this Softwist in my stash, I knitted up a swatch and it worked, so I went back to the store and get 5 more skeins (there were total 7 skeins left, and they were in 2 different dye lots, fortunately these 2 lots are almost identical). I thought about getting all 7 skeins of them but I really needed 5 only, so I decide to save the money to buy something else. I knitted knitted and knitted and then somehow it just didn't seem right, I was down to the last ball of yarn and I still got the bottom band and 2 short sleeves. I better go get another skein while they still have it, and I did. Oh no, I thought one more skein should do it, I was at the 2ND sleeve band and out of yarn again! Of course I had to go back to the store and get that last skein. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that last skein to finish the sweater. That's the disadvantage when using substitute yarns. Well, lesson learned again (remember my Bubble Pullover?)!!

一直都很喜歡這兩個女生設計的毛衣,都是從上織到下,織過掖下後,隨時都可以試穿大小,然後再依個人喜好再去加減針調整腰身,這種最適合現在的我了,特別是懷孕以後好像腦袋都變遲鈍啦!

其實我應該織小號的就可以了,但我又怕織的太小到懷孕後期就不能穿了,所以狠狠的就給它織成中號的.我沒有照織圖在腰部的部分減針,我想我的肚子只會越來越大,織大點準沒錯.加上我用的線蠻有鬆緊度的,我喜歡!整件毛衣我最滿意的地方就是口袋,這是我第一次嘗試織口袋,結果最順最漂亮的就這個口袋啦!

說實在的,外面買的毛衣又好看又便宜,還有好多顏色可以挑,仔細找找還可以找到可進洗衣機的毛衣,加上現在有小孩,真的買現成的比較實在.自己織通常會買好一點的線,大多數好的線都需要手洗,挺麻煩呢!這一點自己知道就好了,老公還是讓他認為自己買線來織比較划算囉!自己織的毛衣有個好處,以後身材變了就把它拆了再重打就行啦! (哈哈!有可能嗎?)

Butterfly 蝴蝶

Thanks a fellow blogger for this cute butterfly pattern, I got it on 3/14 and finished it in about 1/2 hour. It's so easy, and very lovely. I put it on my Flower Petel Scarf (also a share pattern from her), love it!!

謝謝紅豆提供的蝴蝶織圖,收到織圖當晚我就用織花瓣圍巾剩的線,把它完成了呢!只是跟圍巾同色就看不出來.所以又跑去敗了些新毛線,新線是Paton's Brilliant #3425 Sparkling Rose (粉紅加銀線),感覺很亮麗.這蝴蝶用線很少,看來我一些打毛衣用剩的線都該拿來鉤些蝴蝶啊,玫瑰的.這樣隨時可以搭配衣服也不錯呢!

Flower petal scarf 花瓣圍巾

Yarn: Berroco Touche (50% cotton, 50% Modal Rayon, 89 yds/50g) #7913 Fondant - 2 skeins
Pattern: Here, Thanks 紅豆 for sharing the pattern
Hook: Boye 4.25mm
Size: 6" x 46"
Start: 3/9/07
Finish: 3/11/07

線材:Berroco Touche (50% cotton, 50% Modal Rayon, 82 cm/50g) #7913 紫粉紅 - 2 捆
圖樣: 紅豆愛編織
針號: 4.25 mm 鈎針
尺寸: 15 cm 寬 117 cm 長
開始: 3/9/07
完成: 3/11/07

I saw my sis's finished Flower Petal scarf, it was love at first sight. I know I'm not so good at crocheting so I ask if she can make me one, she agreed, but then, I kept looking at it, kept looking at it, I decide I'm going to give it a try.

第一次看到這條圍巾,是在我妹家看到的.對鉤針我已經太生疏了,自己覺得可能是打不起來的,所以就跟阿妹揩油,她也同意了.可是我三不五時就跑去她家看,看到後來忍不住了,我也想試試,所以就跟紅豆要了織圖就打起來啦!

It wasn't too hard, I can memerize the pattern after only 2 petals, I finished the scarf in 2 days. My scarf was wider and shorter, I looked at sis's scarf, she did 31 petals, I only did 19 petals, my yarn was 20 sts to 1" vs. hers was 22 sts to 1" and I used a bigger hook. After I finished the scarf, I realize I did something wrong too, can you tell? If you can't, I won't tell neither!

這個圖樣不太難,織兩個花瓣就記起來了.一條圍巾兩天就完成囉!我這條比較寬也比較短,我只鉤了19個花瓣,我看其他人都鉤31個花瓣,一開始我以為是我用的線,後來才發現我有個地方弄錯了,有人可以看的出來嗎?如果看不出,我也不點破啦!

I guess I really love this scarf, I dug out my stash yarn Cascade Pima Tencel (#1693, 2 balls) and made another one, this time I used Boye 3.75mm hook, and did 29 petals. This one is more close to the original design. Can you see my son trying to take pictures of my scarf for me?

可以看的出來我真的很喜歡這個圖樣吧,我用另一組線又鉤了一條.我兒子也忙著幫我照相,他很專心喔!

Tweed Beret

Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed (100% Wool; 183 yd/100g) #863 red - 1 skein

Pattern: IK Winter 2006

Needles: Boye #6 DPN, Balene #6 16"circular

Size: 19" head circumference

Start: 3/7/07

Finish: 3/10/07

線材: Tahki Donegal Tweed (100% Wool; 167 m/100g) #863 紅 - 1捆

圖樣: Interweave Knits 冬季號 2006

針號: Boye 6 號 雙頭棒針, Balene 6 號 16 英吋輪針

尺寸: 頭圍19吋

開始: 3/7/07

完成: 3/10/07

I thought this would be a simpler project to do after all the sweaters I've been knitting. I was lucky to find this yarn on sale at Knitche for 35% off, perfect timing! And for this project I only needed 1 skein, for $8 a skein, I get to have few days of fun, what a bargain!!

在織了幾件毛衣後,也會想換換口味來織點簡單的小物.碰巧在毛線店看到這線剛好打折,不買好像對不起自己吶,反正才用一捆線,還可以帶來幾天的編織樂,划得來喔!

This was a fast knit, easy pattern, very straightforward, I had no problem at all. The only thing I changed was I did an I-cord twist instead of following the pattern's 1x1 rib. One thing about this project is the yarn, OH MY GOD, this yarn is so rough, I've been working with Merino yarn, this is total different for me. I guess in order to keep the form of the hat, the pattern calls for smaller needle, which made it difficult to knit to begin with and I was using the Balene circular needle, these needles are super sharp, my finger hurts from keep pushing the needle while I knit. I'm glad the hat turn out beautiful (as my son said), so it was worth the pain, I thought about making another one, but first, I gotta find either a different yarn or different circular needle, the combination I had was a no-no.

織這頂帽子蠻快的,織法也很簡單.唯一的麻煩就只是在毛線上,這組線蠻粗的,跟我以往常用的美麗諾差太多了,非常不習慣.

我猜大概是為了保持帽子的形狀,所以用較小的針號,加上我用的輪針針頭又超細的,在拉線跟不時的推針頭下,我的手又麻又痛,還好成品還算滿意(兒子說媽咪美美唷!). 做媽的好像都超容易滿足的厚,只要兒子說一聲,什麼都好啦!

有點想再織一頂,前提是,我得另外買輪針或是用不同的線,再不然就是兒子開口啦!

Bubble Pullover

Finally!! Meet Bubble Pullover!

Yarn: Berroco Pure Merino (100% Extra Fine Merino), #8550 Grape Jelly - 13 balls

Pattern: Knitting Nature Bubble Pullover

Needles: Denise #7 & Addi Turbo 16" circular #9

Size: Small to fit 34-38

Start: 10/07/06

Finish: 12/31/06

線材: Berroco Pure Merino (100% Extra Fine Merino), #8550 葡萄紫 - 13 球

圖樣: Knitting Nature Bubble Pullover

針號: Denise #7 & Addi Turbo 16" circular #9

尺寸: S (胸圍34 - 38英吋)

開始: 10/07/06

完成: 12/31/06

I first saw this sweater finished by couple fellow bloggers, one blogger Dragonfly Handspun is no longer "exist", the other is this one. The Dragonfly Handspun girl Amy used this yarn, and highly suggested it, I also like the idea of machine wash, so I decided to use the same yarn. I really really love this yarn, so smooth so soft, because it's merino, I don't have to worry the itchyness. The pattern starts with 8 pentagons, it was so much fun to knit and I was able to finish the pentagons within couple of weeks, the boring part was the sleeves, the bottom band and the collar. I did my 2 sleeves at the same time on the same needle and I only knit total of 22" not 25", I just couldn't imagine the 25" long sleeves on my 20" long arms. Now that it's all finished, I kind of wish I did the 25" so I can have the same "slouchy" feeling as the original sweater. Oh, well.

I also made a mistake with the bottom band, I started at the "wrong" pentagon, I didn't realize it till I was knitting the collar, I didn't want to rip the bottom band and half of the collar to re-do it, that's way to much ribbing to do. I thought about cut the bottom band and pickup sts at the correct spot and then somehow grafting together the cut piece and newly knit, still, I was too lazy to do it. And because I refuse to fix the mistakes, the buttons look weird when I put them on. Hell, I'll just put a shawl pin at the collar to hold it together for me to take a picture, I have to say, it wasn't a bad idea, I kind of like it. Anyway, I'll probably go back and fix all mistakes when I'm feel too guilty, as of now, it is finished to me!! I'm also very happy that it still fits me now that I'm 3.5 months pregnant!

我第一次看到這件毛衣是在兩個格友家看到的,其中一個已經把她的部落格刪除了,另一位在這.兩位都織的很棒,讓我的手癢的不得了.當下決定拋開所有手邊的未完成品,全心向這件毛衣進攻.剛開始時因為從沒織過這種織法,實在是又新奇又好完,很快就把8個五角形織好了.再來就是袖子下擺跟領子.我是兩隻袖子一起織,這樣子就不怕兩隻袖子不一樣長啦.

最無聊的是下擺和領子,兩上兩下的鬆緊針打的我快瘋了,越打越慢,越打越無趣,最後逼著自己在年底織完它. 織是織完了,但是還得加上扣子,領子上的扣子怎麼弄都不好看,放棄啦!決定就先用根簪子代替吧,只要不露出內在美可以讓我好好照張相就好了.

Yarn Dyeing Class

I took a Yarn Dyeing class at TLD Design on 12/21, yup, the same time those girls called me while they were stranded in Boston Logan Airport. But ENOUGH about that, this is for my yarn dyeing!

In this class I dyed 2 skeins of different textured Cotton/Rayon blend yarns. The teacher Tammy Deck herself is an artist, seems like she's into all kinds of arts and crafts. She carries all the supplies needed for yarn dyeing. She also does weaving, her finished scarves are very beautiful, the materials (fibers) to make the scarf isn't too bad, but the class itself is a bit pricey for me right now, I think it's about $140 for a beginner's class (6 weeks). She was on one of the HGTV show once with her Felted Silk Chiffon Scarf, very interesting too.

About dyeing yarn; we first soaked the yarns with Soda Ash and luke warm water. Then while we were waiting for the yarn to take its "bath", we mixed up the dye powders with water, we then wrung the yarns pretty dry then put it on top of a piece plastic (18"x36" is prefered). We used foam brushes for each color and started painting. Paint it anyway you want, that means most likely you won't get 2 skeins of yarns exactly like each other. After painted the whole skein, use that plastic (I used clear garbage bag cut open) to wrap up the yarn, put it in a basin so it won't leak, then keep it in a cool place and leave it for 48 hours, then rinse it.

Here are the pictures of me giving them a shower. The left one is my first try, I think I used Raspberry, Sapphire Blue, Lilac, Deep Purple, and Chartreuse. The right one I used Turquoise, Chartreuse, Deep Yellow and Sapphire Blue.
Doesn't it remind you the Caribbean?

This is after another 48 hours, completely dried, the colors are more accurate after it's dried.

Which one do you like? I'm pretty happy with my first Yarn Dyeing class, I hope she offers this dyeing class again soon, I would love to try it using wool/silk yarns (according to the teacher, it needs to be "cooked"), it'll be super fun!!

Calorimetry

Cast on: 12/13/06 1:56AM
Cast off: 12/13/06 4:00AM
Yarn: Patons SWS Natural Geranium 1.2 oz. (1/2 ball)
Needle: KP #8 24" circular
Finished Measurements: fits my head just fine :-)

The new Knitty winter 06 issue was up few days ago, I already found my favorite the Eiffel, since I still have a whole list of knitting projects to go through, I'm in no hurry to knit that one. Last night, I saw there was a Calorimetry KAL, it looks pretty interesting and "fast", maybe a perfect X'mas gifts for my 3-year-old's "teachers" (3 for his totschool and 1 for his Chinese school). So I took out 1 skein of SWS and KP #8 and off I went...couple hours later, the "Calorimetry" was born. Since there were only 9 pages of posts (as of last night), I read through it fairly quickly and followed some of the modifications those "super fast knitters" suggested. I casted on only 80 stitches (not 120 as pattern stated, some said it came out "huge"), it's knitted in rib sts, I figured should be able to stretch it to fit me or I'll just give it to friend's daughter if it doesn't. I didn't even do swatch, the idea of being able to finish it within couple hours (I also wanted to find out how SWS is), I just started to knit.
The pattern is easy, I followed row 1~5 and did the repeat row 5 for 11 times more (actually, I lost count...it's was weally weally late ~yawning), did row 7 for 13 times more, then finished it as the pattern says. It looks like I still have about 1/2 ball of SWS left, I wanted to know if I can make another one out of it so I weighed it using a post office meter (in my office), and it weigh 1.6 oz, hey, for $5 a ball and I get 2 Calorimetries, great deal! Now I just need to buy a button and I can say it's officially finished!! You like it?

Clapotis Finished

Clapotis is finished!!

Cast on: 11/9/06
Cast off: 12/11/06
Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb Black Purl 3 skeins
Needle: Denise #8 circular
Finished Measurements: Width 18", Length 60"
Modification: Section 2 (increase rows) for total of 6 times; section 3 (straight rows) for total of 14 times; section 4 (decrease rows) for total of 6 times.

I'm surprised I actually finished it in about a month. Usually with this much St sts, I would get bored and set it aside and forgot about it. But that drop-st action kept me going, it was really fun knitting this, I already have other "yarns" line up ready to make a lighter one for Spring. The Clapotis KAL helped a lot, I read through the whole 100 pages, picked up couple tips that made the whole knitting process easier; like k tbl before marker and on 2nd st after marker; and how many increase rows they did to make it narrower or vise versa, I mean it's all in the pattern, but see someone actually did it makes big difference. There was one gal did the drop st in Purl so she didn't use any markers, I like this idea, too bad she didn't post until I almost finish mine.

That KAL also gave me ideas what yarn to use for my next one, I saw quite a few people used Noro's Silk Garden, it's just GORGEOUS!! Some used Blue Heron's Rayon Metallic, also breath taking!! Everyone needs to have their own Clapotis!!!

Swallowtail Shawl Finito!

After cast off. All wrinkled up.

After 20 minutes of "bath", on the blocking board with wires.

Off the blocking board. Unbelievable what blocking can do!

Budding lace.

Lily of the Valley lace.

Peak edging lace.


Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace Weight (100% Baby Alpaca) 1 skein (437 yards) #8501 Green Meadow
Pattern: IK Fall 2006
Needles: KnitPicks Option size 4/24" circular (Love Love Love)
Size: 44" on top, 23" center down (after blocking)
Start: October 20, 2006
Finish: November 15, 2006

Yeah!! All finished!! After that little "surgery", it was smooth sailing till the end. Here are the photos of my very first lace project. This is the first time I use the wire to block lace too, very easy to use. I like it especially for the pointy parts, they turned out very pointy, eh?! The finished size on the pattern is 49" at the top, I pulled mine very very hard, I can only get to 44" (I was afraid I will break the whole shawl). I still haven't decide whether I'm going to keep it or give it as a X'mas present, well, I've got till 12/24 to decide.