amimono note

Zen Color Shawl

(Click the picture to see a larger image.)

I crocheted it for my friend who just came back from Zimbabwe. The country's situation was not good and it seemed she sometimes had a difficult time over there. I wanted to make something fun and also dressy to welcome her home.

At first I knitted a dropped stitch shawl with #13 needles, but the gauge was a little tight for Zen. I wanted a more airy stitch, so I tried this crochet stitch. The result was far better than I expected! Usually my knitted stuff is better in pictures than in "person" (because I try really hard to make them look good :-) ), but this shawl, the photo does not do it justice... It's really pretty. I think the stitch was perfect for the yarn and the color of the yarn looks good on it too. It reminds me hydrangea. I wonder what the name of the stitch is in English.

However, I have a little concern about the fringes. This ribbon yarn seems to eventually loosen up, no matter how how hard I to try to tie it tightly, so I worry it might come off when it is pulled.

I didn't have much interest in Berroco yarns because I thought they were a little too flashy, but this Zen yarn made me think again about them. Zen knitted (crocheted?) up quite chic, despite the looks of it. I now want to try their other yarn too.

Yarn: Berocco Zen Colors #3139
Pattern: By me. The stitch was from a Japanese book (ISBN:4579108175).

The Revenge of the Sock Yarn

So, I whined about sock yarn the other day. Then something happened.

While I was knitting that sock, I thought it looked a little small, but that was because I chose to knit one size smaller than usual. I wanted to see how it ould fit.

When I finished one sock, I checked the gauge at the sole of the socks as I always do, and I found... the gauge was smaller than usual. It was almost 8.5/inch. I couldn't believe it, so I checked several different places (not that the sole has much space), but it was still the same number of stitches per inch. No wonder the sock looked skinny!

I had never gotten a gauge smaller than 7/inch with Opal before. I've been wondering why it happened... and I think I found the answer now.

I have dry hands, so sometimes it's a little hard to hold the yarn to keep a good tension, especially in winter (I knit continental) with thinner yarn. I use some moisturizer to help me get a good grip. Since it's been really hot these days, my hands get sweaty when I knit. So maybe the yarn could not slide smoothly, and I got a 8.5sts/inch gauge...

The sock was a little tight but I could wear it, so I made the other sock in the same size.

Yarn: Opal Southwest Collection #3706
Pattern: The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns (ISBN: 1931499047)

Book Signing, sock yarn

I went to the Yarn Harlot's book signing at Powell's last Wednesday.

When I arrived there, I asked the store clerk where the book signing is. The first thing he said was, "Do you like to knit too?" and he continued, "there are already bunch of people there, all knitting." Then he told me where to go (the 3rd floor, I didn't know they had a 3rd floor).

I thought it was a little wierd to be asked about knitting, but when I went to the third floor and saw everybody there was knitting. It was funny even to me, so maybe it was a very strange sight for the store clerk and he had to ask...

The Harlot was sooooo funny! She is a great speaker. Even my "non-knitter" husband enjoyed her talk. I can't wait for her new book...

Sock yarn

Suddenly I wanted to knit socks on Saturday. I didn't have yarn for socks in my
stash, so I went to the LYS. I'm not a big fan of sock yarn, but I just wanted to get a yarn and start to knit quickly... so I got Opal yarn.

I think it looks nice... but still it's not my perfect sock yarn...

The reasons I don't like sock yarn in general are;

1. They are too thin to knit. I don't mind how thin they are, but since I knit loose it is hard to get a tight gauge with them. I use #0 dpns and I get 7 stitches/inch, but when I knit something like 2k2p rib, my gauge will be looser. I think under 7 sts/inch with something like Opal is a bit loose, and I can't knit with needles smaller than #0.

2. It's hard to find a yarn that knits up the way I like. I get bored easily, so stripes which have regular intervals make me sleepy. I also don't like spotty or speckled patterns... which usually eliminates hand-painted yarns from my choice.

3. They are not warm enough in winter! At lease not for me. I need a little thicker yarn.

...I admit every reason is MY problem, not the problem of the sock yarns...

Anyway, Regia Crazy Colors 6ply is one of few sock yarn that doesn't have the above disadvantages. I really like it, but my LSY does not carry it and I've already knitted every color I like.

I think I just need DK weight random striped yarn, but I can't find it.

(Am I fussy?)

Unravelling

It has been sunny for almost 2 weeks and it is hot!

Is it hot like this here? 5 years ago I thought there is no Summer in the Northwest. I waited for the day hot enough to feel like Summer, then before that day came, it was already Fall.

Now, I think it's too hot too long. Am I getting used to the weather here, or is it global warming or something...?

(My English teacher said it's usually like this in Portland... She said the last 2 Summers here were rather cool, and 5 years ago I was in Seattle.)

Anyway, I thought maybe I should unravel some sweaters and some stuff which I won't wear or use anymore, and wash the yarn. It would dry nicely with this weather.

Unravelling is time consuming... I did it for a few hours and only got these. I learned something though. I'm not fond of superwash yarns because they are kind of slippery, but since they don't felt, they are easy to unravel even a few years after knitted.

So, maybe I should use superwash yarn for my original project? Then if I don't like it (which often happens), it will be easy to rip and re-knit.

Yarn Harlot

I will go to Powell's on August 3rd, to see (and to get an autograph from) Stephanie Pearl-McPhee a.k.a. the Yarn Harlot. I love her writing! I used to be on Knit List and looked forward for her story to be sent. After her story debut in Knits magazine, I tried to buy magazines when her articles were featured. I was so happy when I knew she started a blog... (No, I'm not a stalker!)

I think she was just a regular person who loves knitting and writing when I first read her funny stories on Knit List...4 or 5 years ago. Her stories had some kind of special charm, which even a foreigner who was learning English (me) would feel. No wonder she became a writer!