Camano Island

I would like to predict an end to my hiatus from blogging, but the level of future activity remains to be seen.  I am currently heading to Dallas via LAX from Seattle.  Ridiculous itinerary but I'm a victim of a corporate travel group trying to save a few dollars.  Thankfully, Alaska Airlines has a free inflight wireless promotion through the end of July so I am taking advantage of it to update my blog, twitter and facebook.  This blog has been neglected, but I have received so many encouraging comments and emails to continue blogging that I am going to try to be more diligent in updating it on a somewhat regular basis.
Last weekend Candace, Naomi, Melinda and I went to Arlene's Camano Island estate for fun on the beach, great food, spinning, knitting and beadwork!  Rob was on a climb so I brought Whimsy with me to Camano.  She is an easy traveler and had such fun on the beach!  I was worried the barnacles would cut her paws but she didn't have a problem with them at all.
The weather was gorgeous and the beach was inviting.  The tide was way out and trying to get to the waters edge proved more difficult than it looked.  We sank in the wet sand up to our calves and in some spots our knees.  It felt like I was in quicksand!  It was amazingly difficult to pull first my foot and then retrieve my sandal from the sand prison.  Even at the water's edge, it wasn't very deep and there was an abundance of eel grass which felt just plan weird around my ankles.  Whimsy bounded through the water chasing her water kong so she got plenty of exercise even if she didn't actually get to swim.

In between the cooking, spinning and knitting I helped the other ladies learn to make a right angle weave bracelet using 6mm pearls, 4 mm bicone crystals and seed beads.  Each individual's bracelet were unique and so beautiful and they were all willing and enthusiastic students! As much as I enjoy knitting (most of the time) it is refreshing to have a craft such as beading in which I can make a gift for someone or obtain a feeling of accomplishment in just a few hours.

Swallowtail Shawl

I haven't posted in a long time because I have been busy with work and haven't been knitting much.  Also some jerks try to post automatic comments to my blog. They haven't been successful because  I turned on comment moderation, but the attempted intrusion of posting garbage "get rich quick scheme"s and escort services and porno links has taken the fun out of blogging for me for now.

Here is my latest finished creation. Swallowtail by Evelyn Clark using Sea Silk by Hand Maiden Fine yarn in Nova Scotia color.  Hand dyed in Canada.  Supposed to be a combination of silk and seaweed.  I wanted a shawl that reminded me of a walk on Northwest beaches and this is it!  I increased the number of repeats from 14 to 24 and then did repeats rows of the Lily of the Valley edging rather than 2.  I ended up with about 2 yards of yarn left over so pretty good guess on when to stop my shawl expansion!

Pictures aren't the best but what I have for now...  Shawl is much larger than what is shown and the colors are deep blues, greens, yellow-green and teal....

Helpful Japanese Knitting Books

I love books and the groaning bookshelves in my house are proof of that.  Despite owning a Kindle for the last 2 years, I seem to have more "hard copy" books than ever.  I have moved all of the technical books out of my home office to make way for more knitting and beading books.  Here are some basic Japanese Knitting books that I have found useful.

Clear & Simple Knitting Symbols
In my humble opinion, this book is a "must have" reference for anyone wanting to use the myriad of Japanese stitch pattern books out there.  (More on those in another post!)  109 knitting and stitch symbols with detailed illustration on how to execute each.  Last few pages show how to do intarsia, stripes, and stranded knitting.
ISBN4-529-02413-x
$12.05 at Kinokuniya Bookstores

Hand Knitting Techniques Book
Another favorite of mine. 79 pages of illustrated techniques which include but are not limited to casting on, ribbing, basic stitch symbols, intarsia, stripes, stranded knitting, increases and decreases, invisible bind off, shaping, short rows on shoulders and collars, picking up stitches, grafting, buttonhole and seam finishing.
ISBN4-529-02927-1
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Knitting Signs and Make Patterns
Charted patterns with corresponding photo of knitted swatch and illustration of technique.  I have found this book helpful to understand what some complicated Japanese knitting symbols look like once knitted.
ISBN978-4-529-02098-5
$18.00  at Village Spinning & Weaving at Solvang, CA


Basics of Crochet for Beginners
Illustration for basic and advanced stitches, armhole and curve shaping, collars, edgings, circular and square motifs, joining, button loops.
ISBN978-4-529-03047-2
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Basic Hand Knitting & Crochet
Book is split into two parts - one for knitting and one for crochet.  Covers basics for each.  Similar material as in the respective books listed above
ISBN978-4-529-02097-8
$11.50 at Kinokuniya Bookstores


Basics of Tunisian Crochet for Beginners
I purchased this book because there will be a Tunisian crochet project in Year 3-4 of Nihon Vogue.  I have not used it yet, but given the clarify of  illustrations and level of detail, I anticipate this book will be useful.
ISBN978-4-529-02928-5
$13.75 at Kinokuniya Bookstores

Nihon Vogue Year 2 is Over, Finished, Done!

What a huge relief.  Nihon Vogue Year was so much knitting (and reknitting) that I don't even want to look at a pair of knitting needles for at least few weeks. I love my fisherman's gansey style sweater but it was excruciating  to knit.  By the end of the ordeal, the tendonitis in my left elbow had flared up to "pain in the middle of the night" levels and my wrist and joints of my left thumb were aching.  Never again will I knit an entire sweater on 2.00 mm needles.  My last project for Year 2 was a sweater for Rob. Good thing he isn't a big man!  Easy stitch pattern & worsted weight wool, but added complication of putting a zipper in from mid chest level to the top of a mock turtleneck collar.  Of course, there wasn't a zipper to be found that was the exact length I needed, so with encouragement from Sarah and Arlene, I cut it to the dimension I wanted.  I worked late into the night and finished the sweater and the design notes.  Jean signed off on both the gansey and the final project and I was done!  Ready to collect my certificate for Year 2.  Relief more than elation was the emotion of the day for me.  Candace, Arlene, Caryn, Naomi and myself received certificates for completion of Year 2.  The rest of the class is not far behind.  It will be wonderful to have 8 months of "break" before Nihon Vogue Year 3 & 4 combined begins in September 2010. 

Furry Friend

I've been really busy with work and am falling farther and farther behind on Nihon Vogue knitting, mailing Christmas gifts and cards and of course the inevitable housework. Thank goodness Rob is patient and supportive and Whimsy dog - well, as long as she gets walks and food 2X per day, not much else bothers her.  Here are some of my favorite photo's of my special little pal. 

Something different

I've still got two projects in Nihon Vogue to finish but I'll post more on them later. They are both in the stage that I am more bored than inspired with them so it is difficult to muster up excitement in describing either of them.  Sometimes I think I'll finish in time for the last class in January and then other times I think "ain't no way".  Last week I accepted a new job at my company which will require more travel and the responsibilities that come with have a larger team reporting to me.  Thus, I'll have to make very good use of the holiday period and my days off to get as much done as possible before the complete transition into my new role.  Last weekend I went to the Bellevue Bead Festival and purchased some great lampwork beads, crystals and stones and silver.  I've got ideas for several jewelry and beading projects to work on prior to Christmas and will have to take a break from evening knitting.  Tendonitus in my left elbow has been bothering me so a short respite from the needles will hopefully help.

Two more projects completed for Nihon Vogue, Year 2

Whew.  What a huge relief.  I have been staying up very late at night in order to finish two projects before class this coming weekend.  The capelet turned out lovely and I am happy with it.  I embellished beads on it to my heart's delight - on knitted hem, button loop w/Czech crystal button, and wrong side rows single crochet and 3 chain loop front edge borders and back neck edge.   It went for a test wearing today while I was at the office and it was so, so, so wonderful.  Soft, drape-y, warm and cozy llama.  Surprisingly, it may become a wardrobe favorite of mine after all.  Pleased to announce I have also finished the yoke sweater.  Scratchy, sticks-together-easily Reynolds Lopi-Lite yarn.  Thankfully, the yarn softens up with washing.  I am happy with the body color, fair isle pattern. seed stitch edging in place of ribbing, and color combinations of greens, brown, charcoal, lavender and rose, but I am not sure if I like how the yoke sweater fits.  In the midst of knitting it,  I thought the body and the sleeves would be too short.  The sweater turned out to be an acceptable length but in a late night, exhaustion induced moment of panic, I added a few rows to the sleeves which now makes them longer than I like. Why don't I ever trust my drafted pattern? Shortening the sleeves is an easy correction if I decide to pursue it (someday, when I have nothing else to do - ha!)  Either that or giving the garment to a relative with longer arms than mine who is claiming to all of a sudden, out of the blue, be fond of the color purple.  Knowing I was going to wear a turtleneck or shirt underneath the yoke sweater, I purposefully was more generous in calculating ease.  That said,  the yoke part of the sweater seems overly loose fitting to me.  Not sure if is the style of the sweater that I am unaccustomed to or if I should have done something different with measurements during the pattern drafting process, or if I should have used a different row gauge.  In any event, I like the sweater but will have to get used to how it feels on my shoulders when I wear it.  Despite my slight consternation regarding fit, and the fact that fair isle knitting technique is something I struggle with, the sweater was fun to knit.  Concentric circles incorporates a round of decreases 4 times between the bottom of the yoke and the neck.  The body and sleeves were knit flat, joined and then the yoke or colored fair isle section was knit in the round.  The last Nihon Vogue, Year 2 class is set for early January 2010 and then we have a 8 month break before Nihon Vogue Year 3-4 begins.  I have yet to finish the sleeves on my gansey and also come up with a design project.  The Nihon Vogue clock is ticking... loudly.

Capelet Conundrum

The last few projects for Nihon Vogue Year 2 are bearing down on me.  I've had to spend a lot of time figuring out what to do, hence there hasn't been as much actual knitting going on. Very frustrating to not "get off the blocks" so to speak.  The capelet is a project that, surprisingly, I was excited about.  The concept being that the pattern is decreased from the bottom edge to the neck edge, forming a conical shape.  I envisioned using some lovely charcoal black wool-silk yarn with shimmering beads in a lacy pattern on size 3.75 mm US 5 needles.  Wrong!  Once I drafted the pattern I realized that the vertical lacy pattern I wanted to use would be dwarfed by the amount of reverse  garter stitches I would have had to insert between each pattern in order to get the width I needed at the bottom edge.  Definitely not the look I had envisioned!  I wanted to incorporate beads somehow but discovered that the yarns I initially chose were not amenable to having hundreds of beads pushed along while knitting.  The yarns basically were not strong enough and shredded in places.  Rather messy...   Then I got myself stuck worrying about how a conical shape would actually fit on my body given I have shoulders.  It seems as though the angle from a lower pivot point above the back neck of the capelet should be a fairly wide.  How else does one  accommodate the width of the shoulders and then go to a much narrower width for the neck? My original drafted pattern seemed way too narrow at the shoulder and bottom edge. Arlene's drafted measurements were approximately the same as mine and her capelet fit fine.  She kept telling me that knitted fabric had 'give" and would fit but I was still worried that if the width to depth of the capelet wasn't enough to fit over the shoulders at the right place, a lot of knitted fabric could be bunched up at the neck.  I have heard some feedback that another student's project was encountering that exact issue.  Yikers. I just don't have enough time to knit something as an "experiment".  What to do?  Ask the expert!  Naomi and I went to Suzanne's while Jean was teaching a Year 1 class 2 weeks ago and we got our burning questions answered on the capelet/skirt and design project.  It was also fun to see Jan, Leslie and other Year Oner's while there.  Such amazing friends I have made while in Nihon Vogue! 
With my capelet conundrum finally solved, I am moving right along.  Knitting with a soft baby llama yarn by Mirasol on size 5.0 mm US 8 needles.  The stitch pattern is an extremely simple chevron pattern that I am decreasing for each of the 22 vertical repeats in segments as I go from the bottom edge to the neck.  The beaded edge is a technique I learned in a "Bead Knitting On The Edge" class by Betsy Hershberg when she taught at Madrona Fiber Arts last year.  The capelet will be open in the front rather than go over my head.  Finishing it off will be buttons with matching edge beads sewn between the center holes, and crocheted edging on front and neck.  My only fear is wondering how much the llama will "grow" over time since I don't believe that type of fiber has "memory" like wool.  Oh well.  Time will tell.  My goal is to get the capelet done before class on November 7th.  With daylight saving time there will be one more hour to knit this weekend!

Wonderful weekend diversions

Seahawks football!  I was invited to the game by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kathryn.  She has season tickets on the club level at Qwest Field and what a view we had!  It was a spectacular game for the Seahawks. They crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-0.  Rob was in Leavenworth all weekend - mountain biking and helping some friends with the construction on their cabin.  On Saturday Whimsy and I took an early morning ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and then drove to Port Angeles for the Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival.  There were approximately 50 artists' booths on the pier and I purchased some brilliantly colored tile trivets and small print reproductions by Kate Larsson.  Whimsy and I also explored Port Gamble, Port Townsend and Port Ludlow during our long one day excursion.  The leaves on the trees were changing into brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red, the skies were clear, the water was blue - what a wonderful day.  Alas, I didn't get any Nihon Vogue or any other knitting for that matter done, but the weekend was exactly what I needed.

Adding to the stash

Gulp.  After my public disclosure to family, friends and the world, I can't believe I bought more yarn!  Actually, yes I can.  My excuse is that, well, it was one of those once in a lifetime moments.  Really.  Trust me.  It's true. Sarah Dimond of The Plucky Knitter was having a trunk show of luscious, yummy, beautiful hand dyed cashmere, silk and merino beauties at Churchmouse Yarns and Tea on Bainbridge Island.  I drove to downtown Seattle and parked at our empty, wanting to be rented soon condo in Belltown.  I walked down 1st Avenue past Pike Place Market, down Harbor Steps and then along the waterfront to the Colman Dock.  It was interesting to see the shops and merchandise for tourists along my route.  It was so energizing to be outside and walking through the Emerald City early in the morning.  People walking dogs, joggers running through the park, farmers putting up produce at the market, coffee drinkers and Sunday paper readers at sidewalk cafes. I met up with Naomi, Ellen and Amy at the Ferry Terminal.  We boarded for the quick half hour crossing from Seattle to Winslow.  On the ferry we saw Sarah and also had the pleasure of meeting her friend Nicole who had come out from Michigan with her.  I was impressed they had ventured to Mt. Rainier for sightseeing and hiking the day before!  On the other side of Elliot Bay, we ate breakfast at Streamliner Diner and then went to nearby Blackbird Bakery to wait for the yarn store to open.  Once there, I indulged in some cashmere in lavender and eggplant colors (no surprise there!) and then some other silk-merino blends in teal, green, brown and dreamy aqua-gray called "The Light Side of the Moon".  Fun, fun, fun day with my fiber friends!