My Tilli Tomas P&S is here! Yeah!

I just placed the order with kpixie on 12/26 afternoon, and it's here today! Yeah!! Very happy, no complaints, no complaints at all. This is for Stitch Diva's Sahara. Love in first sight! My sister and I are planning to knit this one together, a mini two-person knit-along. Actually we both tried to sign up for the supposedly "official" KAL for this sweater, but it doesn't seem to be in operation, for whatever reason... Anyway. I guess we can always start whenever we want.

Tracy, wanna start on the first day of the new year?

12/26 下午才跟 kpixie 訂的線, 今天就收到了. 實在是太棒了! 這組線是要用來織 Stitch Diva 的 Sahara. 這件我第一眼就愛上啦! 跟姊約好要一起來織這件. 其實我們兩個都有報名參加 Sahara 的群編, 可是遲遲都未收到回音. 那個網頁也一直沒有更新, 不知道在幹麼... 反正想織就織, 不用等別人啦!

Tracy, 一月一號開打如何?

Illusions Cable Scarf Progress TKA夢幻麻花圍巾進度 II

Thought I should report the progress on my Illusions Cable Scarf. I am about half way done. I bought 4 balls of Rowan Cashsoft DK, I just started the 3rd ball last night. So far so good. I still couldn't memorize the pattern, and had to put it in front of me as I knit (I guess I am getting old, memory power is not as good...) But a quick glance is all I need to start the next row.

嗯... 該來報告一下我的夢幻麻花圍巾進度. 現在已經過半長. 準備了四球線, 昨晚剛開始用第三球. 織來還算順利. 織了這麼長, 圖樣還是記不太住. 老是沒有信心, 怕自己記錯, 每織一段還是看一下圖樣再進行(覺得自己越來越老了, 記憶力變得好差...) 不過只要喵一下也就可以啦!

A bit too much flash in this picture, shows too much blue.

這張照片裡閃光燈太強, 太過偏藍.


This picture is closer to the true color - a very soft lavender.

這張比較接近原色 - 很柔的淡紫色.

Oh, and thank you for your suggestions on possibly using double strands of Ultramerino 4 to knit this scarf. I pondered over it for a while, but decided that it may break the bank (you see, I already bought 4 skeins to make the scarf. If I am to get another 4 skeins (at $11 per skein), this will be a very expensive scarf! So I decided to switch. Plus, this gives me the perfect opportunity to use the lovely Ultramerino 4 for my very first pair of socks!

哦, 還有謝謝大家的建議. 我也考慮了一下用雙線織(妳們沒提, 我還沒想到呢! 腦筋實在是不太靈活...) 最後還是決定換線. 因為那粉橘的細線實在是蠻貴的. 本來預計要用四綑. 如用雙線的話, 可能還要再買四綑. 每綑美金11元... 哇! 破產啦! 不過實在是很喜歡那組細線, 哈! 現在就有機會來試試看織襪子嘍!

台灣恆春大地震, 希望台灣的朋友們一切安好.

Giving

Hello! After being gone for more than one week, I am back. We just got in last night from Maui, a pre-Christmas vacation. Although I had a good night sleep, I still feel a bit tired from the trip. I'll share some pictures after I get a chance to go through them.

我回來啦！去茂宜島玩了一個星期, 昨晚剛到家. 連行李都來不及打開, 先睡一覺再說. 雖是睡了一個好覺, 今天還是覺得有點累. 等照片整理出來再和大家分享.

Before I went on the trip, I sent out my beloved Tiger Eye Scarf and Cable Clutch Bag to my friends so that they would receive the packages before Christmas. I also added Soak Wool Wash, body cream, and candies/chocolates.

為了讓包裹在聖誕節前寄到, 出門前就把虎眼圍巾和麻花包包這兩樣禮物寄出去了. 隨包裹附上Soak羊毛冷洗精, 身體乳霜, 和一盒蜂蜜糖果/巧克力.



I also dug out my rubber stamping supplies and made two cards.

還把我的橡皮圖章找出來, 自己作了兩張卡片.



I miss rubber stamping! It used to be all I do during my free time before the baby came. And now, it is just not as convenient as knitting. To actually be able to make anything, I need to bring out all these supplies (and these are just "some" of the things I have...) As you can see, it takes both space and time (to make cards and to clean up too.) Knitting can be done anywhere, and any time, be it 10 minutes in the car or 2 hours watching TV - more doable with a baby around. I am happy though to find out that my ink pads did not dry out - yeah! I haven't touched them for at least a year and half now...

已經好久沒有機會玩橡皮圖章了... 在生baby之前, 有空就會自己作卡片. 現在呢, 實在是沒有時間和空間. 你看我做這兩張卡片就需要這麼多東西(這些還是基本的), 和一張大桌子. 做完後還要花時間收拾. 所以啦, 現在比較專心織毛線. 毛線到處隨時都可以打, 在車上, 在家裡, 在飛機上, 就算只有10分鐘, 還是可以打. 也不需要搬這麼多東西出來. 不過還是希望等baby大一點後(不會跟媽咪搶"玩具"), 可以重拾這個嗜好.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

在此祝大家 聖誕快樂！

Ashley Cable Clutch Bag

Yarn: Jaeger Cashmere 4 Ply (90% cashmere and 10% polyamide), #0116 light grey, 1 ball (107 yd [98m] / 25g)
Pattern: My own (inspired by this)
Needles: Clover US size 3 (3.25 mm) bamboo straight needles, cable needles, crochet hook
Notions: 7" zipper, matching thread, 1/4 yard of lining fabric, silver-lined crystal beads (about 80-100)
Size: 7" x 5.5"
Start: December 6, 2006
Finish: December 13, 2006

線材: Jaeger Cashmere 4 Ply (90% 開絲米爾 and 10% polyamide), #0116 淺灰, 1 球 (107 yd [98m] / 25g)
圖樣: 自己想的 (靈感源處)
針號: 3.25 mm 棒針, 麻花針, 鈎針
其他材料: 拉鍊, 縫線, 裡布, 珠珠 (約80-100)
尺寸: 7 吋寬 5.5 吋長
開始: 2006/12/06
完成: 2006/12/13


This bag is for a dear friend of mine, I am naming the bag after her. I wanted to knit her something for this Christmas, but couldn't decide on what to make for a long time. Scarf being the obvious choice, is the first option being ruled out. Ashley doesn't like to wrap things around her neck, so much so that she doesn't even wear turtlenecks. So, scarves are out. Gloves - well, one rarely needs to use gloves in the comparatively mild winters of San Francisco (and I don't know how either... haha...) I thought about socks, but didn't want her to be my first guinea pig as I have never made socks before. Maybe it's time to start my sock adventure.... Anyway. So I decided on a cable clutch bag/purse, seeing that cables are on everything this winter. The cable patterns I picked are rather basic. They are from Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. The bag itself is very simple, two identical rectangles sewed together. Add a lining, a zipper, some beads, done! Add more beads or sequins and you can use it as an evening bag.

這個小麻花包包是要送給一位好友的, 就以她的名字來命名. 一直在想今年聖誕要織個東西送她, 卻無法決定要織什麼. 這位小姐呢, 不喜歡在脖子上圍東西, 連套頭的衣服都不穿. 所以呢, 不能送圍巾. 舊金山的冬天也很少需要用到手套 (我也不會織, 哈哈...) 其實送襪子應該也不錯, 可惜我也沒織過 (嗯... 可以來研究研究...) 於是便決定做個小包包. 麻花的圖樣是自己看書找的, 應該算是蠻基本的麻花. 包包本身很簡單, 織兩片一模一樣的長方型, 縫裡布, 裝拉鍊, 全部縫合, 就好了. 如果想增加點華麗感, 可在麻花交叉的地方再縫上珠珠亮片, 可當宴會包喔! (我的沒有縫太多珠珠, 因為想到收禮人不太用過多珠珠亮片的東西, 所以就"收斂"一點...)


I have never bought yarn that are enclosed in individual cases, looks quite precious...

從沒買過這種每一球毛線還用一個小盒子裝, 看起來好珍貴的樣子 (其實價錢還真是有點貴...)



Pattern

Gauge: 28 sts & 36 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch using 3.25 mm needles

cn: cable needle
RC: Right Cable
LC: Left Cable
CC: Center Cable
RS: Right Side (public side)
WS: Wrong Side

Right Cable (twist to the right) - 4 row repeat
Rows 1, 3 (WS) - p1, k2, p4, k2, p1.
Row 2 (RS) - k1, p2, k4, p2, k1.
Row 4 (RS) - k1, p2, sl 2 sts to cn, hold in back, k2, k2 from cn, p2, k1.

Left Cable (twist to the left) - 4 row repeat
Basically the same as Right Cable, except the cable needle is held in front in row 4.
Rows 1, 3 (WS) - p1, k2, p4, k2, p1.
Row 2 (RS) - k1, p2, k4, p2, k1.
Row 4 (RS) - k1, p2, sl 2 sts to cn, hold in front, k2, k2 from cn, p2, k1.

Center Cable (Horseshoe Cable) - 10 row repeat
Rows 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 (WS) - k3, p12, k3.
Row 2 (RS) - p3, sl next 3 sts to cn and hold in back, k3, then k3 from cn; sl next 3 sts to cn and hold in front, k3, then k3 from cn.
Rows 4, 6, 8, and 10 (RS) - p3, k12, p3.

Directions

CO 52 sts.

Set-up rows:
Row 1 (WS) - P4, k3, p1, k2, p4, k2, p1, k3, p12, k3, p1, k2, p4, k2, p1, k3, p4.
Row 2 (RS) - Knit the knit st, purl the purl st - k4, p3, k1, p2, k4, p2, k1, p3, k12, p3, k1, p2, k4, p2, k1, p3, k4. These two rows are the set-up rows. The greens are for RC and LC, the blues are CC.

Pattern rows:
(WS) - P4, k3, RC, CC, LC, k3, p4.
(RS) - k4, p3, RC, CC, LC, p3, k4.

Continue until desired length or in this case, total of 42 rows. Work 3 set-up rows ending with WS. BO all sts. Work two identical pieces. Block and sew up. I used crochet to add edging along the top rim - 1 row sc and 1 row rev sc. Sew beads in during assembling if desired.

Before and After Blocking
定型前後照片

Tempting II - Finally a FO

Yarn: Rowan Calmer (75% cotton and 25% acrylic/microfibre), #485 kiwi, 5 balls
Pattern: www.knitty.com
Needles: Addi Turbo US size 8 (5 mm) / 24" (60 cm) circular
US size 8 double pointed needles
Size: Chest circumference 32"
Start: August 9, 2006
Finish: December 2, 2006

線材: Rowan Calmer (75% 棉 and 25% 壓克力纖維), #485 奇異果綠, 5 球
圖樣: 網路免費圖樣 from www.knitty.com
針號: 5 mm / 60 cm 輪針和棒針
尺寸: 胸圍 32 吋
開始: 2006/08/09
完成: 2006/12/02

After I finished the Tiger Eye Scarf, I was in such a good mood, I dug out Tempting II from the corner of my closet and decided to give it another chance. It was not quite as painful as the first time around. I followed my sister's modification:

* k2tog all around the yoke, instead of (k2tog, k1) per pattern - although I felt the decrease was probably a bit too much, after I finished the sweater. I would try this next time (if there's a next time, haha!) - (k2tog, k2tog, k1) repeat.
* Join the neckband to the yoke on every row (ssk on RS, p2tog tbl on WS) instead of every other row

This cut down the number of stitches to be joined to the neckband and also the number of rows for the neckband. I like it!

織完虎眼圍巾後心情實在是不錯, 決定把被我打入冷宮的Tempting II拿出來修理修理, 照顧照顧(台語)一下. 這次織起來倒是沒那麼痛苦, 因為老姊已經織好了一件, 就照她的改就對啦！ 她的領口是這樣改的:

* 減針時所有針目都做 k2tog (原圖樣是 k2tog, k1) - 其實織好後覺得好像減針減太多了, 有一點點"泡泡"的感覺, 也許(k2tog, k2tog, k1) repeat 就夠了.
* 帶子和領口每一段都做連接 (原圖樣是每隔一段), 正面做ssk, 反面做p2tog tbl

這樣針數和段數都減少了許多, 織起來快多了!


I also did the neckband as a 9-st k1-p1 ribbing. It's a bit too narrow for my taste, but the only buckle I could find was not wide enough for a 11-st width. Oh well... I have spent enough time looking for the buckle (time I'd rather spent knitting), this will just have to do. Since the stitch and row counts were much smaller this time, the neckband did not take long. I was thinking - if it still doesn't work out this time, I will just frog the whole thing and make it into something else since I have reworked this neckband "3 TIMES"!!!

領口那條帶子我也把它從11針寬改成9針. 覺得有點太窄, 可是找不到更大的buckle. 為了找這個buckle, 我跑了好多地方, 找了半天, 只找到這一個. 就醬子吧, 懶得再找了. 這個領口已經拆拆打打了三次, 如果這次再不成功, 真的火大就把它全拆了, 織別的!

Anyhoo. I wouldn't call it a satisfying knit. The sleeves are a bit too long to my liking - should have knit only 2.5" instead of 3" per pattern. The k1-p1 ribbing was just DULL. I don't really like the way the neckband join looks - not very neat. I also regret that I didn't pick a darker color, as the unevenness of the stitches are so obvious in this light green. Is it this yarn? The stitches on my other FOs did not have so many unevenness... Well. It's done. And I do like the shape of the garment. But I can probably only wear it if I can manage to somehow keep pounds off me... haha!

說實在的, 這件織起來不太滿意. 袖子有點太長. 一上一下的ribbing織得我快睡著. 領口接合的地方也不太好看, 覺得不太整齊. 不曉得是不是毛線本身的關係, 織起來針目不太均勻. 奇怪ㄌㄟ, 我其他的東西不會這樣哩? 當初應該像這件毛衣的設計師一樣, 織深色的. 針目不均看不出來, 而且還有視覺上瘦削的效果. 像這個蘋果綠穿起來有點膨脹的感覺...

This picture is closest to the true color. Took me several days to get these pictures. Somehow they just wouldn't come out right...

這張顏色最接近原色. 老覺得這件衣服跟我有仇, 織的時候不順利, 連織好了要照相都費我一番功夫. 室內室外, 不是光線不對, 就是照出來糢糊, 連續試了好幾天, 才勉強挑了這幾張出來...

Maybe It Was a Bad Idea... TKA 夢幻麻花圍巾進度

I finished about 7" of Illusions Cable Scarf (one of the TKA projects, designed by Black Dog), kind of thinking about aborting it... The stitch pattern is beautiful, the yarn is a pleasure to knit with, but... it is too fine! I wanted three cables when I first saw the pattern, but I didn't want a wide scarf, thus I picked a light-weight yarn. So light weight, that it is "sock" weight - Artyarns Ultramerino 4. The color is beautiful. But the knitted fabric is a bit too light for a scarf, I came to realize. It doesn't have the "warmth" that a scarf is supposed to have, although it is 100% merino... Anyways. I am debating if I should switch... Maybe it was a bad idea to use sock yarns for a scarf...

How about Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK? You think it'll work?

夢幻麻花圍巾織了七吋長了, 卻有一點點想放棄... 不是花樣不美, 也不是線不好, 而是這線實在是太細啦! 當初想織三條麻花, 又不想要太寬的圍巾, 所以就挑了細線. 這個Ultramerino的線織起來感覺真的不錯, 顏色染的也很漂亮. 可是用來織圍巾好像太單薄了, 沒有圍巾應有溫暖的感覺. 雖然這線是100%美麗諾, 但是我現在這個織片摸起來感覺就是不夠暖. 那個麻花也沒有TKA裡大家織好的麻花那麼"有營養" - 我這個看起來瘦巴巴的... 有點想換線...

你們覺得Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK 看起來如何?