Jason Knits

Moved

2006-11-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Another quick update!

2006-11-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

Still quite busy. We are catching up on projects.

I am moving the blog to a new spot! Yes. Let me explain why.

I had a website dedicated to my Buddhist studies, forestmeditation.net. My old host, whom I shall not name, went through some changes and lost my domain name. It was suppose to be registered under my name but they did it with theirs. They discontinued their relationship with a well-known registrar and they didn't bother to help me retain my domain. I gave up after months of trying to get documents from them so I could reclaim it. In fact, they dropped my hosting account without giving me notice. They just didn't want to bother with it. Sounds bad, huh?

Well, I am kind of glad now. I decided to get a new domain name, forestmeditation.com, and going to a different hosting company. To my delight, they have a very easy and comprehensive control panel. They also have bunch of add-ons ready to be installed, including several blogs. So I moved my website over and even installed two WordPress blogs. JasonKnits, which is like this blog, and ForestBlog, which will be thoughts on Buddhist practice. Installing WordPress was quick and easy. There are unbelievable number of themes (templates) and plug-ins. It even imports from other blogs like Blogger.

I haven't spent much time tidying up the blogs. Importing was quick but pictures do not show up on the new JasonKnits. I will add them in later. I played around with adding links in the blogroll. You will only see a few at the moment. But please don't think that I dropped the others. I will get to adding them soon! :-)

So, any future blogging activities of mine will be over at my new home. Please come on over. It's a bit disorganized right now, but I will clean it up soon. :-)

Big decision

2006-10-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post. It's been a while since my last one. Very very busy. I thought about quitting the blog but decided against it. I'll just post whenever I can.

What's the big decision? Well. It looks like there's a strong possibility that we'll be moving north. This had been brought up before many times. But I think this time it is serious. Our CEO wants us up there with them in the main office, which is located in Los Altos. It can be as soon as next Spring.

I imagine that we will drive up and look around for a nice neighborhood. It will probably be somewhere between San Francisco and San Jose. I don't want to be in a big busy city that's for sure.

What about knitting?

2006-10-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Yes. I do ask myself that question. I am going to have to slow down on trying new things.

Cotton questions

2006-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I need recommendations here. What would you suggest for a durable and comfortable to wear fabric? 100% cotton? or a cotton blend? How about cotton/hemp?

Is ginned cotton not carded or combed? Is it easy to spin?

Charkha Wheel

2006-10-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

What happens when you have so much fun spinning cotton on a support spindle? Move on to a charkha wheel of course! I am really lucky that I can get my hands on a Journey Wheel Attache Charkha for a test drive. It's amazingly fast. Serious.

I spent hours last night getting familiar with this wheel. See that pile at the back? Yes, they are mostly mistakes. Fun mistakes (for now). It was so fun experimenting with drafting techniques. I definitely discovered a few things about the behavior of the cotton fiber. I also think that the Attache is too fast and too large for me. It spins at a ratio of 110:1. Too fast for my liking. Or maybe I just need to get used to it? The Book Charkha spins at a ratio of 70:1. I think that would be better for me. But I do worry about the lighter weight of the wheel. Will it stay put when I spin? I am also looking at Alden Amos' charkha wheels. But I think I won't consider any of them for my first charkha. I want something portable that I can travel with. I do fancy the t-frames and the banjo though.

I mentioned that my first goal of spinning cotton is to weave a piece of fabric to use as an offering to the monks next year. But I think I am spinning a bit too thin here. The truth is that I have no idea what it needs to be for weaving.

How many birds do you see?

Do you think that these birds find it safe to be on this thorny floss silk tree?

Me as a Buddhist monk in 2003

2006-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

I told you that I have proof that I was once a monk for 7 days.

It is quite common for Thai males to become short-term monks. I am not Thai but go to the Thai Forest Tradition temple. My sister suggested that I ordain as a monk to make merit to share with my mother who is a lung cancer patient. I agreed, but at the time I truly believed that you should want to be a monk for the rest of your life when you decide to be ordained. Not for short term. But it was a special situation.

There's no special ceremony for short term monks. You go through the same procedures and become a fully ordained monk, with 227 training rules to follow. No less. You just ask to leave the monkhood when you feel that you can't continue being a monk.

I took this opportunity and asked myself to truly train as a monk, to think like a monk. Body, speech and mind. For my own understanding, and because of the support of the community. With so many teachers, good information and good environment, I gained an understanding of the path that is unshakable. I am not saying that I knew everything. But I finally understood the practice. I knew which direction to go, and that I had much to learn.

Unlike before, I now think that it's good to be a short term monk if one isn't just keeping up the appearance. Train like a monk inside and out. Chances are that one will gain understanding and maybe even consider staying as a monk. In any case, one can learn a lot!

Here are a few more pictures:

Getting ready to shave off the hair and eyebrows.

Receiving the requisites from Mom.

A snapshot with friends.

Knucks

2006-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks Micah, my friend. You made two guys very very happy. One who received the beautiful work of art. And one who gets to wear them. :-) A neighbor of ours suggested that I felt them a little to fit my hands, but my partner screamed "NO!" They fit him perfectly and the color is one of his favorites. Mine too, but there's no getting them back from him. :-)

Tomorrow is the Kathina ceremony at our temple. I am heading out soon to spend the night there and to make offerings tomorrow.

A bowl of fresh fiber, please!

2006-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

And make that cotton!

Don't laugh. But I was watching Gandhi Tuesday night and was just fascinated with the cotton spinning demonstrated on the film. Way to go Ben Kinsley. Oh, I really want a book charkha now. Anyway, I was thinking about it all day yesterday and was itching to try cotton spinning. I didn't have a charkha wheel. But I did have some cotton, and a small support spindle purchased from Nancy at Gwen's workshop. As soon as I stopped working I took out the tools and fiber and went at it.

I had in mind how they spin the cotton and weave it into fabric to make robes. So I tried spinning thin. The truth is that spinning thin is perfect for this small spindle. I imagine that I will have to use these cotton singles for weaving. Oh oh. Did I just discover what the next fiber lesson will be? LOL

Sparkly Suzie

2006-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

So I lied. I took more pictures of the improved "Suzie". (Well, hopefully it is improved.) The sun came out and I had to hurry and take the opportunity. They still don't show what human eyes can see. Now I understand how difficult it is to photograph these holographic fiber. Click to enlarge the pictures for better sparkles.

You know, I have another 1/2 oz bag of Angelina fiber. ;-) More bobbins. I need more bobbins!

Sore arms.

2006-10-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up with very sore arms. Why? Yesterday I spent all evening carding up this pile of fiber.

I was given some holographic tencil with amazing sparkles. I couldn't decide what to do with it because it wasn't in the form of fine fiber. I thought maybe I could add strands of it while knitting a scarf for my niece to add pizzazz. But I soon found out that it was a pain to do, and I didn't like how it looked. Then I thought about "Suzie". Why not try carding it into the wool fiber? I don't really know how tencil will behave with wool fiber when being spun. But heck, I'll find out soon.

So I got out the hand cards and "Suzie" and practiced carding, at the same time experimenting when and how to add the tencil to best blend it together. I was just going to try with a small batch of it. But I couldn't stop. Didn't I say that I love carding? So I made rolag after rolag until it was all done. I got a little impatient at some point and started charging the cards with more fiber. More fiber means more force needed to pull the fiber through. That's how I ended up with sore arms. Can this count as exercising? :-)

I think that I will have to spin this worsted to prevent the tencil from separating and sticking out of the yarn. I hope to have enough to make a hat. More bobbins! I need more bobbins! I thought I had enough with 4. But I can see that there will never be enough bobbins!

Here's another pic that shows more of the tencil. Enlarge the pics to see the sparkles better. I will take a better picture once the spinning is done. Hopefully with outdoor light to show the amazing sparkles.

And here's a pic of my Lendrum. Just for Dave D. :-) More bobbins! I need more bobbins! And Ted made me aware that I don't have the "Very Fast Flyer"!!! :-(

I dyed!

2006-09-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Dyeing, that's another thing that I didn't see myself doing until, oh, maybe when we move to a larger place. But I thought it would be good to learn the process, to get some hands-on experience, to gain understanding of another aspect of the fiber art. So when I saw that John was teaching a class, I signed up.

The method that John taught is super easy and quick to do. It is less precise but it produces the kind of result that I am looking for. I am quite surprised and very happy. I won't go into the instructions since John is still teaching these classes. I don't want to be the one to put up his class details on the internet. That wouldn't be nice to him. But I am sure that some of you will know exactly the process once you see the photos.

This is Sandy. One of the partners of "the place". I don't want to come right out and tell you where it is because I am still weary of certain someone that might nab the info and use it for whatever.

Here's the sample that John created to show the process to the class. I am sure that some of you can figure out what that process is. I love it.

My partner in crime. Sorry, I didn't try to remember names. *blush*

John and Jill standing next to each other, and a very nice lady. Again, sorry, I didn't try to remember names.

Class in action.

Testing the PH level in the water.

This nice lady took a spinning class right after the dye class. I think she was hooked. :-)

This is my creation. About 3 oz. of superwash merino. It's nice, but not the colors that I wanted. I wanted the dominant color to be dark burgundy, with a little bit of orange yellow and navy blue mixed in. Darker colors. But, I decided to share my dye pan with another, and this is the result we agreed on. I might tweak it a little more later or I might spin it and ply the singles with something different.

The dye also sets really fast with superwash fiber. John warned me about this. I cut down the amount of the fiber I wanted to dye from 6 oz to 3 oz so there's less for the dye to work through. But then I agreed to share my pan and more fiber was added, making it difficut to get an even result. But I think I like the look.

I like dyeing un-spun fiber. I can have variety of ways to change the look of the final product.

Ummm... I think I am going to be dyeing more soon. LOL

More nature in the city.

2006-09-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Marianne and Kerry both wanted to know what kind of tree this is. Took a while to find it on Google. It is called Floss Silk Tree (Chorisia speciosa). The reason why it's called floss silk is that the fruits contain fluffy fiber. According to Wayne's Word (scroll down to Fibers From Seeds and Seed Pods) this fiber is difficult to spin and mainly used as waterproof filler for mattresses, softballs, life preservers, etc.

As you can see, the trunks and limbs of the trees are filled with thorns. They do not say "hug me". But there is a thornless relative, Chorisia speciosa "Majestic Beauty", that's suppose to flower as much.

The parrots that come to feed on the fruits are Yellow-Chevroned Parakeets.

Here are some more hummingbird pics:

The brown pods in the picture are old fruits. They don't show the white cottony fluff. I will have to remember to take photos of the new fruits and the parakeets in winter.

Here's a surprise. Well, at least a surprise to me. This common household plant bloomed! I've never seen this happened before.

Cables & Birds

2006-09-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

I had a tough time trying take a decent picture of the sample I knitted with "mahogany". This is the best that I can do. I think it looks OK. The fabric is a little stiff. Oh well. It's only a swatch. I'll use larger needles when I am ready to knit something with it.

The neighborhood is filled with these trees. They are in bloom now.

Hummingbirds love them! You can hear the cute chirping all day. They chase each other around. I am not sure if it is to claim the tree or just being playful. Soon these trees will be filled with fruits, and the parrots will be here. They love breaking them open and eat what's inside.

Look!

2006-09-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

What a mess! Wouldn't you agree?

But not from last week's accident! hehehe Did I have you going there? This is from earlier attempt. I don't know why I kept it on my desk. But it came in handy for a little fun. :-) Now it's time to leave them outside for the birds.

This is what I got from that spindleful of singles...

Spindle spun singles. Navajo plied on the wheel. I'd say a heavy fingering weight. The brown also looks better than the 2-ply. It has a little extra shine to it too. Interesting. I am going to knit a swatch with cable pattern to see how it does.

I decided to take Jane's advice and just push whatever I could back up the shaft of the spindle and continued spinning. (Thank you all for the pointers. They will be needed in the future!) After I was done, I carefully made a Andean bracelet, then I plied it on the wheel. I didn't have to sacrifce anything. Yay! However, my Navajo plying skill leaves much to be desired. I have to find someone to demonstrate it for me in person.

I have to start spinning thicker to see what that's like.

In trouble?

2006-09-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

What you see here is the result of an accident. I was spinning away with the rest of the mahogany fiber. I was very eager to have it done so I could try my hands at Navajo plying. Did I lose concentration? Too rushed? I dropped the spindle. The singles popped off the spindle a third of the way. Yuck! I can't slide it back up. I can't continue to spin with it. I guess I'll have to take it off and ply with what I have. Will I have a tangled mess? Ugh!

Note to self: must get "yarn stopper". I have to get a bag of rubber bands.

Have your forgotten?

2006-09-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't forgotten the book meme. I usually avoid memes. (Don't believe me? Check the whole blog! hehe) This one I am inclined to do. Maybe because it would involve one of my favorite topics, Buddhist Teachings. Like I stated in a previous post, I read mostly Buddhist materials. So, some of you might not find this interesting. Oh yeah, thanks Ken and Knit Picking for tagging! :-P

1. One book that changed your life: I have to give two answers. There was a little Chinese book on the introduction of the philosophies of "Mind Only" Buddhist tradition. The teaching broke down human experiences layer by layer. It is my nature to get to the bottom of things so it suited me really well. I started to look deeper within myself and was able to find sustainable peace for quite some time. Unfortunately I didn't keep up the practice. But I gained a clearer picture of what it meant to practice "the ending of suffering & stress." This also started me searching for a temple that focus on mediation.

Then a few years ago I went to a local Thai Forest Tradition Temple to be a monk for seven days (I got picture to prove it), I took along "The First Discourse of the Buddha" by Ven. Rewata Dhamma. He gave a clear teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the steps of Buddhist meditation practice. With the book and the opportunity to practice sincerely, I was able to say that I finally understood the path. I left the temple with a clear direction. I also realized that I "knew" very little. Meaning that I lacked direct experiences. I could not claim that I "knew" without "seeing". I was humbled. Practice is the path. And I am walking surely on the path again.

2. One book that you've read more than once: "Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera - A Spiritual Biography" by Acariya Maha Boowa. Ven. Mun did not write a biography himself. Using stories told my his students, Ven. Maha Boowa was able to put together his life story. It gives a good picture of the practice of a forest monk. It contains some stories that usually do not get passed beyond the monks' circle, which makes it a very interesting read. But the important part is how it shows Ven. Mun as a fine example for Buddhist practictioners. He's the founder of the Thai Forest Tradition after all.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Oh, I dunno. Something like "How to Build a Boat"? I would prabably spend more time meditating. Hmmm... Maybe something like "How to Build a Hut"? I will want a hut to meditate in. :-)

4. One book that made you laugh: Well... considering the kind of books that I've been reading in recent years, I can't think of any. LOL (<--- does that count?) But, I did get a book called "Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties" by Ajahn Brahm. I haven't read it. But I have listened to Ajahn Brahm's audio talks. Ajahn Brahm is a British monk in Australia. He is very clear and super funny. I imagine that the book would be very funny and inspirational too. Just look at the book title!

5. One book that made you cry: This is a tough one. Nothing recent. Maybe "The Heritage of Hastur", a Darkover novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with a big question mark. I read this book 20 years ago. Not sure if I cried. But the Darkover series sure have a lot of tortured souls in them.

6. One book that you wish had been written: Another tough one for me. I think there are enough written down. People just have to want to read it. Also, there are stuff that need to be experienced and not read about.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Any book that distorts truth that eventually causes harm to people.

8. One book you're currently reading: "Patipada: Venerable Acariya Mun's Path of Practice" by Acariya Maha Boowa. Deeper exploration of Ven. Acariya Mun's practice. I've been reading this book on and off. (Off at the moment.) Slowly digesting the information.

9. One book you've been meaning to read: "The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning". I have taken it off the bookshelf since my last post, and will start reading it soon. People are tired of me asking spinning questions. LOL

10. Tag 6 people: Well, since I don't like to do memes, I will not push this on anyone. But if you want to, do it, and consider yourself tagged! :-)

How would you like it plied?

2006-09-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

My "Hearts" spindle from Woolly Designs was getting really full. The amount of singles had been steadily building up ever since I started spinning. I decided it was time to ply the singles and get it off the spindle, or I'd be dropping more than spinning.

Fiber: Ashland Bay Multi Mahogany Top
Spindle: "Hearts" from Woolly Designs
Spindle spun singles, spindle plied, 2-ply.

The color is a little "bleh" for me. I don't dislike brown. But this one is not working for me. Not sure what I can knit/make with it.

The photo on the left shows (from left to right) KnitPicks' "Shadow" lace weight, "Mahogany", KnitPicks' "Essential Tweed" fingering weight, and Trekking XXL fingering weight. So, I'd say that I have a fingering weight yarn here.

I took the photo to compare the thickness of the yarn. But I couldn't help but notice the differences in the look of them. Do you see what I mean? The two on the left are 2-ply and the two on the right are 4-ply. 2-ply yarn looks more textured than the 4-ply yarn. This didn't surprise me since I recently had discussions with Randall from the guild and Ted the Oracle about what kind of yarn is more suitable for textured knitting. (Don't hit me, Ted. hehehe) But it was really interesting to see it with my eyes instead of just understanding it in my head.

If you take a bucketful of sand and a bucketful of gravel. Smooth out the top and look at them. The sand would have a smoother surface and the gravel a more textured surface. The reason is that sand is smaller and has less space in between each grain of sand. Gravel is larger and has more space in between. I hope this is making sense.

Now look at the yarn. Two yarn with the same weight, one 2-ply, one 4-ply. 2-ply yarn has two strands of larger singles, 4-ply has four strands of smaller singles. The 2-ply looks more textured because of the larger singles and the bigger space it has in between the singles when plied. It's more bumpy. The 4-ply with samller singles have smaller space in between the singles. It's a smoother look. Phew! I am really wordy. But I am not done. LOL Still make sense?

The amount of the twist can also affect the look. Look at KnitPicks' "Shadow" and my "Mahogany". I am not sure how to say this. "Shadow" has more twist. More twist seems to squeeze out more space and make the yarn appear to be less bumpy. Know what I mean? I look at my yarn and I know I will want to add more twist to my singles in the future, so there will be more twist when I ply them. That is if I want less bumpy yarn.

Another thing to consider when plying is that 2-ply yarn is more "flat", 3-ply yarn is more "round" and 4-ply yarn is more "square". But I am not so sure if it is correct to describe them as such. I must read "The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning" from cover to cover. I am sure all that stuff is in there.

So, if I want to do textured knitting like cables, I will want less textured yarn to show off the texture of the fabric. 3-ply or 4-ply will probably be better choices. Hmmm... I think I've convinced myself to try Navajo-plying ASAP! LOL

I untwisted some yarn to see how they were plied. I took photos of them. Here they are:

Yarn that I've used for textured knitting with success. 1) Plymouth "Encore Worsted", 3-ply. 2) KnitPicks' "Wool of the Andes", 4-ply.

Yarn I have used or am using for lace shawl. 3) KnitPicks' "Shadow", 2-ply. 4) KnitPicks' "Palette", 2-ply.

Fingering weight sock yarn. 5) KnitPicks' "Essential", 4-ply. 6) KnitPicks' "Essential Tweed", 4-ply. 7) Trekking XXL, 4-ply.

Ted, I know I know. I've said that I didn't want to get "technical" when I start spinning. Guess I just couldn't help it. It's fun to look at things this way.

Sylvia, you really know my brain better than I do. LOL

Mudita

2006-09-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mudita (appreciative/sympathetic joy)

I often feel uneasy after I put up a post about the gifts I receive from friends. I know that I don't do it to brag. I make sure that my intention is about thanking others and to show how generous they are. The givers are the ones deserving merits. But still, I feel uneasy.

This time it is no different. After the last post I started worrying if I was bragging. I wonder if I was being perceived as boasting my good fortune. This led to self questioning, "What do I feel when I see that others are the fortunate ones?" I can honestly say that most of the times I don't really feel anything. Other occassions I feel very happy for the lucky ones. But, I have to admit that there are also times that I feel jealous and envious. Wishing that I was the lucky one.

Fortunately, I was doing this reflection in front of the altar. So, my thoughts wandered toward the Buddhist practice of mudita, sympathetic joy.

Why feel happy when someone else is getting all the good? First, we have to keep in mind the Buddhist practice of ending suffering and stress, which leads to Nibbana (Nirvana in Sanskrit), to awakening.

Nibbana is...
"This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Nibbana."
— AN 3.32

Nibbana is not...
"There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space, nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; neither this world, nor the next world, nor sun, nor moon. And there, I say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor stasis; neither passing away nor arising: without stance, without foundation, without support [mental object]. This, just this, is the end of stress."
— Ud 8.1

OK, all that copying and pasting was to give an idea of Nibbana, which requires the practice of ending suffering and stress. Without getting into details of Buddhist practice, I think it's easy for us to see that peace and happiness cannot occupy in the heart at the same time with suffering and stress. When we are happy, we are not sad. When we are suffering, we are not peaceful.

Isn't jealousy suffering? Isn't envy stressful? They don't make us smile. And all that suffering and stress belong to us and only us. No one esle is feeling it. So wouldn't we want to get rid of them from our heart? How? Replace it with joy, sympathetic joy. When we have joy, suffering and stress cannot enter. It won't be easy at first. But just remind ourselves that stress really comes from our own heart. Not from others. It doesn't help anything to feel envy. In fact it might be harmful to our health. Even harmful to others when it gets out of control. So try replacing it with joy. For our own benefit, if not for others'. Stop suffering and stress from entering our heart. Choose peace instead.

Next time I start to feel jealousy or envy, I will think of mudita and smile instead.

Last day of the long weekend...

2006-09-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's the last day of the Labor Day weekend. What a week.

First thing I want to mention... I got tagged. Not just by one person. But by Ken and Knit Picking at the same time with the same list. LOL This one will take some thinking. It's about books. I haven't been a big book reader in recent years. Most of what I bought and read were about or related to Buddhist teachings. Some science fiction/fantasy here and there. A lot of reading online about Buddhist meditation. So, it's not going to be easy. But stay tuned. I will come up with something. If not, I'll just take a picture of our bookcases. LOL

Last Thursday I received a package from Dave. I knew it was coming. But I was completely floored with what he put inside. Such a generous man.

It all started when Mama-E received a gift from her friend. To share the joy with others, she created "Pay It Forward". Dave just loved the idea and went on to search for a target, um, I mean recipient. He came to my blog, and I just happened to have a post up sharing Francesca's Italian Tubular Cast-on with the blog community. So, in the spirit of sharing, he decided to choose me to "Pay It Forward". Hence the package:

OMG, full of stuff! In a written note he said he was "worried" that I've strayed from the socks. This hopefully will reel me back in. LOL Let's see. Two skeins of Koigu Premium Merino (on the left), one ball of Regia Loop Color (center), one ball of Lana Grossa Colortweed (right), a package of colorful Clover Coil Holders, one set of SRK US size 1 Bamboo DPNs, two beautiful postcards showing Ottawa's Rideau Canal, one bottle of Gold Medal winning maple syrup. Hmmm... postcards and a taste of Canada. Is that a nudge for a visit? ;-)

Dave, that's not a gentle reeling in. LOL That's everything a sock knitter needs. I don't even have to get into my stash. Not to worry, I am not abandoning sock knitting. There are just so much learning going on here lately. Thanks a bunch, Dave! Now it's my turn. :-D I'll try to keep it as much a surprise as possible.

Friday, I was floored again. I received this beautiful wrist distaff from Ted:

All that talk about fiber drafting difficulties and sweaty palm must had driven Ted to make a wrist distaff for me. I have to say, it's truly a gift from heaven for this new spinner. There was no waiting to give it a try on Friday night. I couldn't believe the difference it made. The fiber stay wrapped around the distaff until I pulled it off little by little. No fiber sticking to the palm. I absolutely love it! I will not spindle without this wrist distaff again.

And what a beautiful piece of art it is too. Ted spindle-spun Sea Island cotton into singles. Then he Navajo-plied the singles on the wheel. I can't believe how fine Ted spun the singles. This 3-ply yarn is only a fingering weight or finer. Just look at the pictures. It's incredible work. And so soft. The colors are super gorgeous too! Not only did he make one for me, he also made one for my local spinning teacher, John. John just marveled at the beauty of the work. And what a perfect color to match the turquoise necklace he was wearing. :-) It's just incredible. Thank you, thank you, Ted!

Speaking of John, he picked me up Saturday morning to go to the support spindle class sponsored by our guild. (What great timing for the package to arrive, Ted!) We met Mariko and the three of us drove out to Torrance to attend the class taught by Gwen Powell, one of the founding members of the guild. What a great class! It's so much fun to have so many friends in one place. John, Mariko, Jill, Kathy, Francesca, Patrice, Helene and so many others. A bit chaotic, but great fun. :-)

Gwen taught the basics of support spindle spinning. Then she went on to show us spinning with out-of-ordinary materials like Christmas tencil and strips of paper. She also showed us how to spin "Catepillar" and "Boucle". Think outside of the box she stressed. What an eye opener the class was. There are now endless possibilities with spinning.

Here's something to show Ted. I don't have a picture of "Suzie", YET. But before John and I parted he grabbed a big wad of "Suzie" out of his bag and gave it to me. He also loaned me a pair of Strauch hand cards so I could practice carding. I love the silver grey color. Ooooo, I can't wait to blend some fiber.

I don't know why I am so fortunate to receive so much during this last week. I am a little embarrassed, but very very thankful. Understand that I am not trying to show off my gifts (maybe a little? I am just so hyped.) But to show the generosity of these people and to express my gratitude. I am so lucky to have friends and mentors that are so willing to help (enable hehehe) a newbie to learn and create. :-)

Now some scary pictures:

The above is a swatch I made with my wheel-spun purple yarn. I think it's OK for a beginner. I am not so happy with the stitch definition. But hey, it's a learning experience. This will be made into a pair of fingerless gloves for my partner. I was quite surprised that he was accepting of the color. :-)

Oh, the yellow yarn. The singles was spun when I was trying to figure out how the wheel work for the first time. I then plied it with a spindle. Is that a little backward? LOL The yarn is very thick-and-thin.

The above is a picture of the current state of our apartment building. Shocking? LOL Rest assured, it's not normally like this. The building is being re-painted. They sanded some rough spots. Too bad it's not Halloween. It would be a perfect haunted house look! :-)

Long post. Sheesh! And lots of links. LOL

All twisted!

2006-08-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Some of you will instantly spot the mistakes in the yarn I made (pictured above). I created a terrible mess of the singles when I tried to ply them. I will explain.

The singles were spun when I was still getting to know the workings of a wheel. Which was after watching an excellent video by Patsy Z, the Hand Spinnin' Guru, and before John's class. Lots of inconsistencies. So I decided to carefully ply them as to try to make a balanced yarn. But I made a big mistake. Huge! I had more singles on one bobbin than another. SO, trying not to waste yarn, I decided to make a center-pull ball with the bigger bobbin of singles. The idea was that after the smaller bobbin ran out, I could just pull out the other end of the ball of singles and continue to ply with it. I think it was a good idea. The thing was that I just put the ball of singles in a bowl and started plying. Without some extra weight to create more tension, that ball of singles started to get all twisted and tangled. Bad bad bad. So, when the ball got smaller the mess got bigger. Not only did I get a tangled mess, I also didn't have the tension to ply correctly. Grrrr! In the end I had to break the yarn after the smaller bobbin was done. I just ran out of patience to fuss with the problem. So, I got a little less than 4 oz in the skein that I made. I'll use the rest of the singles in some kind of leftover yarn project. I don't even want to look at it at the moment. LOL The fiber is Ashland Bay's Merino top.

Another lesson learned.

I was able to get some knitting done on "My So Called Scarf". I took it to the spinning guild meeting and realized that I wasn't very good at stitching and bitching at the same time. LOL The scarf is 30 stitches wide. At one point during the meeting I noticed something wasn't looking quite right. I didn't think much of it and continued. I thought it was just the way the yarn looked. You know, thick and thin. Then I stopped and counted the stitches. 12!!! What??? How did that happen? I took one look at the scarf and just couldn't believe myself. How did I let it get that way? LOL I think I forgot to knit one extra stitch before doing a psso. The stitch count dropped super fast like that. Fortunately it was possible to rip back and correct the mistakes.

I am loving the colors in the scarf.

Violets Revised

2006-08-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

When I was knitting the sample for Violets by the River I noticed that the right and left sides of the triangle did not look the same. I wasn't satisfied with the look. I thought maybe blocking would take care of it, but I talked to Ted just in case. Turned out that he wasn't pleased with the original design either. So he shared with me the modification he made when he knitted his "Violets".

Following the original instructions, when knitting the violets you increase 2 stitches on the purl rows (even number rows). This will create an unbalanced look (in my opinion). To solve the problem, do a YO at the beginning of each row instead (except the last row of the pattern.) This will give you 2 increases every 2 rows, just like the original pattern.

The cast-on and the first 2 rows are also modified to incorporate the YOs. Cast on 3 stitches using long-tail cast-on. Do not tighten the strand coming off the thumb too much. Keep it loose. (Check out Ted's post on loose cast-on.) Then follow these steps:

Row 1: YO, k 3. (4 stitches on needle)
Row 2: YO, p 4. (5 stitches on needle)
Row 3: YO, k 2, O, SSK, k1. (6 stitches on needle. This is actually the same as what's charted for Row 3 in the pattern, except that there's YO at the beginning.)
Row 4: YO, p to end.
Row 5: YO, k1, k2tog, O, k1, O, SSK, k1.
Row 6: YO, p to end.

So, basically you work the odd number rows as instructed in the pattern except adding a YO in the beginning of the row. The even number rows your work a YO in the beginning then just purl to the end, ignoring the k f&B increases. You might want to hold the YOs in place with your fingers when you work the next stitch so that it won't twist out of place. Do the YOs normally. Meaning yarn in back on the knit rows, yarn in front on the purl rows. Don't do the YO on the last row of the pattern (which is an odd number row), or you will have one extra YO on the right of the triangle.

A, B and C in the above picture are the 3 cast-on stitches. A being the first one. Put markers on these and it will be much easier to pick up and knit later. D is the first YO on row 1.

Now, after you finish knitting the violets, you will begin knitting up along left and right sides of the triangle for the River, starting on the left. Put a spare needle through the YOs on the left like this:

Once you are ready, pick-up and knit like this: (knit, purl into 1 YO; knit, purl into next YO; knit into 3rd YO); repeat this along the edge. There should be 121 stitches when you reach the cast-on stitch marked A . Work "k1, O k1" into the stitch marked B. Beginning with the cast-on stitch marked C you pick-up and knit like before. If for some reason that you find you have too many stitches picked up, skip some the purl stitches in the process.

Now, there's one more thing. Ted turned me on to adding one extra stitch on each side so that the violets are not so near the edges. If you compare the two samples above, you will notice that the pink violets are not as close to the edge as the green one. If you like that, you will have to add a couple of rows before you start the pattern. Meaning, you will start knitting the violets at row 5 instead of row 3. This is what you do:

Cast on 3 stitches.
Row 1: YO, k 3. (4 stitches on needle)
Row 2: YO, p 4. (5 stitches on needle)
Row 3: YO, k 5. (6 stitches on needle)
Row 4: YO, p 6. (7 stitches on needle)
Row 5: YO, k3, O, SSK, k2.
Row 6: YO, p to end.

As stated, the pattern begins on row 5. Follow the pattern. Just remember that you are adding one extra stitch at the beginning after the YO, and one at the end.

Now, there will be 2 extra rows when you are ready to pick-up for the River. So, take out a couple of the purl stitches. Also, there will be 2 extra stitches across the top when you are ready for the honeybees. You can ignore the increases on one row to remedy that.

OK, I think that's it. Let me know if there's any questions. I'll try my best to answer them.

Ted, please let me know if you see anything wrong. Oh, Ted, thanks for all the instructions and the sample photos. :-)

Andean Plying

2006-08-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Enjoy Andean plying but worry about cutting off circulation of your hand? Here's a trick:

Andean Plying Bracelet, Simplified

Thanks Rosemary!

On another subject. The post on how Ted modified "Violets of the River" is long overdue. I will organize the info as best as I can and post it either later today or tomorrow.

Cards Anyone?

2006-08-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Yep! I want a pair of hand cards. Never, NEVER in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would want to get into fiber preparation. The thing is, with a wonderful teacher, some fleece that came with a cute baby picture of a sheep name "Susie", ample time to practice over and over, some dyed fleece to try some fiber blending fun, you get hooked! I want some hand cards! If not for the other things that I purchased, I would've gotten a pair. *sigh* What's next?

Last weekend was the "Fabulous Fiber Fest" show. I spent 6 hours on Friday in the "Spinning Wheel A-Z" class, taught by the very wonderful and very thorough John Pitblado. Even though I had started spinning on a borrowed wheel prior to the lessons, it was good to learn what the teacher recommended. I picked up so many new skills. Oh yes, including carding and combing. Combs are scary looking. John dubbed them "Freddy Combs".

The wonderful John Pitblado.

Spinning Class in session.

The yarn I made in class. Other than setting the twist, it was completely done in class. John provided the fiber. I think it was Colonial.

I got this from Carolina Homespun. Click on the photo for a larger view. Know what it is? Sparkles! Sparkly "Angelina" fiber. I had to get it. I've been wanting some for a while. This one is "Crystal Amethyst" with blue/purple flashes when the light hits the fiber. Beautiful. I am hoping to get some "Silver Hologram" in the future. That one looks like it has tiny LED lights embbeded in it. WOW!

I wonder if I can blend this with some roving using hand cards? Can roving be worked again with hand cards?

This is Dave, a member of GLASG, demonstrating wheel spinning and greeting people. I really enjoyed chatting with him, watching him spin, and checking out his goodies during breaks.

This little girl and her mom were also giving demonstration on spinning, plus crocheting. Isn't that an interesting wheel? AND, look over to the left. See the sparkles in the fiber on the table? Yep! Angelina! Oh, I want some more of that!

Here are some of the show pieces. They were hung throughout the space:

This is where a lot of people walked away with empty wallets. Carolina Homespun. I truly enjoyed meeting Morgaine. I loved getting hugs from her. :-) What did I get? Well, not many items. The "Angelina" fiber, some silk for the class, some lubricant for spinning wheel. Oh yeah, I can now be called an owner of a wheel! Yep. Got myself a double-treadle Lendrum and its carrying bag. Couldn't buy anything else after that!

This is the Azabu-ya booth. Tons and tons of fabric. Lots of beautiful Japanese fabric.

More photos of the vendors at the show:

Shawls in the "Shawl Contest":

Alpacas! I was surprised to see them there. I didn't think they could arrange for farm animals to be at the location. They weren't there when I arrived early for the class.

Sunday GLASG spin-in. From 9:30 am to 2 pm. Hours of fun. I was too lazy to take the wheel so I took my spindles. We sat outside next to the entrance and that attracted a lot of people. They stopped to see the spinning action and asked questions. We might have gotten a few new members out of this. :-)

Lisa and Randall. Lisa has a business and travels around to be in shows. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it. Randall is our guild president.

This is Chris. He brought along a few of his English Angora rabbits. Here you can see Chris plucking fur from a rabbit. No, it didn't hurt. I think they rather liked it. :-)

This is Helene, a wonderful lady. I believe we will be carpooling quite often in the future. Her home is only minutes away from me. Oh yeah, you can see that Chris was still plucking away.

A little petting zoo was created. These are two of Chris' rabbits. People just loved them. Chris also had some samples knitted with Angora fur on hand. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of those.

Quick Update

2006-08-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is what I have after knitting 45 rows of Lotus Blossom. Everyday it is difficult to decide if I want to knit the shawl or spin. Both are equally pleasurable.

Lotus Blossom is not difficult at this point. Maybe Violets taught me a lot. I am not using a life line. Not yet. I think I am able to fix the mistakes with this pattern. I had to a few times already. Also, once you see how the design works, it is easy to spot mistakes. Size 8 needles and fingering weight yarn make it less intimidating too.

Anyhoo, that's the update. More later!

Oh, did you check out Ted's latest yarn creation? OMG!

Catching Up

2006-08-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last night's Stitch N' Pitch was a lot of fun! 560 of fiber loving people and their family and friends showed up. Each person got a free tote that's stuffed with gifts. Most contained two balls of yarn and a pair of needles. Good stuff. I didn't take a camera with me. So if you want to see some photos, you can visit Faith and Ellen.

Update, 8.14.2006, more S&P photos on A Mano's Blog. Don't forget to look in their sidebar for more.

I took with me a spindle, some fiber, a ball of Manos del Uruguay and US 11 needles, so I could choose to spin or knit. One look at the gigantic stadium I chickened out on spinning. We were sitting at the first row on the second tier. Right there on the edge where it was possible to drop stuff and have it fall all the way down to the first tier. I did not want to risk loosing my lovely spindle. No way! So I chose knitting. I had a printed copy of "My So Called Scarf" pattern.

I wanted to do this scarf long time ago but had forgotten all about it. Thank you, Dave, for reminding me. I had to knit this right away so I won't forget it again. With that decision made, I went to A Mano and picked up two balls of Manos, color 110. Speaking of the Manos, it involved a little bit of mystery. Gerald put me on a little treasure hunt. Long story short, he got me a gift certificate at A Mano, but pretended to be only a messenger. I did think that he was behind all this. But for him to be the person to tell me threw me off. LOL Good going, Jerry! I am sure that I also made him anxious. Being a low-key person, I waited a few days for someone to call me about this surprise. Alas, no one did. I then questioned Gerald about it many times. I am sure he just wanted to kick me then. :-) But he was good at keeping it to himself. LOL Anyway, I put that generous gift to good use as soon as I got it...

Three bundles of spinning fiber. About 4 oz each. Lovely colors and wonderful to add to a new spinner's stash! And, of course, the Manos. Oh, I love color 110! They knit up so nicely...

I know, not much done on the scarf. There was a lot of chatting, you know. Also, "My So Called Scarf" is not recommended for baseball games. At least not for me. It is quite easy, but it involves couple of tricks in the pattern. Some attention is required. :-)

Thank you for the very generous gift, Jerry! :-)

Loosen Up!

2006-08-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ted's recent post on Looser Cast-on, I now understand how to do it properly!

He breaks down the construction of a cast-on stitch and shows you where you need to pay attention to get a looser cast-on. Complete with photo illustrations. I'd like to join the others who have said this before... Ted should write another book! He has a wonderful way of explaining things.

Blossom Swatch

2006-08-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is a test. Only a test.

I have finally started doing something with the Lotus Blossom Shawl. I knitted the gauge swatch on Tuesday. The yarn is KnitPicks' Palette, color Red. US size 8 needle. I wouldn't have chosen this bright red if not for my mom's love for such colorful clothing. Bright red is very lucky for Chinese people. And I think that she wears it well too.

The size maybe a tiny bit smaller. But I really like how it looks unblocked. (Yes, I still have to block it to make a final decision.) My mom is a smaller woman. I think this might just work out great. The gauge swatch uses the "stem" pattern of Lotus. Looks OK I think. Gives me a little more confidence to tackle the whole thing. :-) I do think that the cast-on looks a little tight. The instruction calls for a "very loose" cast-on. I used a size 10.5 and this is what I get. How do you determine these things?

Getting to know you...

2006-07-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Just about an hour before heading out to hear Kate sing on Friday, I decided that it was cool enough that I should take the spindle out and try some spinning. Everyone said, "with a little bit of practice everyday and eventually you will be good at it." Everyone also said, "just relax and keep trying, and it will all click one day." I just nodded and agreed. But there really was a big question mark.

This was my third try. The first time at the guild meeting, which was a disaster because of sweaty palms. The second was at the spinning class. I absorbed a lot of information, but didn't quite put it to work. Then the heat was just too much and I couldn't even think about touching the fluffy fiber.

Back to Friday. I was putting everything I learned in class and from reading "Spin It" to test. I took my time going through each step. Spin, draft, spin, draft, wind... Finally about 10 minutes before leaving it clicked! I understood. Just a little. I realized what I should do with my hands to make yarn. Then I had to put it away.

I couldn't wait to get back to it. So early evening on Saturday. A much cooler evening. I took out my spindle and roving. Took a few moments to get back to the point that it clicked again. I went at it without changing anything for a while. Then I realized the spindle wasn't spinning so much. I was using "Hearts" and it was suppose to spin and spin for a long time. Then I remember that my 1.3 oz spindle was labeled as a lighter weight spindle on Wolly Designs' website. Maybe I was spinning yarn that was too thick to the spindle's liking. So I tried spinning finer, and the finer it got the longer the spindle spun. I think I got it down to maybe a lace weight (?) and the spindle would spin for a long long time. I was having fun.

One thing about spinning finer yarn is that if I forget to watch the spindle and let it start spinning the opposite direction, the yarn would break and the spindle would drop. There are fewer fiber in the twist and with just a little bit of reversed spinning it would untwist and break. This happened often when I didn't park the spindle and just left it hanging while I tried to fix a thick section of the yarn. This also brought up another issue. With finer yarn, after breaking it, either intentionally or unintentionally, I find it hard to untwist the fiber with my fingers to prepare for a join. It seems to be retaining some memory even without setting the twist. Any trick for this?

You can see in the picture that it is still a bit of thick-and-thin. I still have to find a way to hold the fiber supply without it being in the palm area. I also have to refine my drafting skill, to get some consistency.

Now that I've gotten to know you better, my "Hearts", I can say that I do love you. But sorry babe, I'm afraid that you won't be the only one in the future.

At the Woodshed

2006-07-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

Kate and Friends' performances at Kulak's Woodshed last night were amazing! The place was small and intimate. Kulak's Woodshed is small storefront space. It was filled with chairs, cushions everywhere for you to sit. Even a large bed just in front of the stage. The atmosphere was fantastic. We got there early, so we got to choose where to sit, or lie down even. And that's just what my partner and two friends did. They took the bed. I felt like sitting and they really wanted more people in the front for the webcast, so I sat right down next to the stage. I could just pinch the singers if I wanted to. It was that close. LOL

It's not a club or coffee house. It is purely a place to showcase artists. They don't serve food or drinks. They just have a fridge with ice cold water that you can just go up and grab one for yourself. You can read how it all came about on their website. Check out the press reports too. You'll see the bed in one of the articles. LOL

No door fee. The funds come from donations on the spot or online. Volunteers put in time making the place work. There are numerous cameras throughout. I mean, they were serious about doing a good job with the video webcast. You won't believe the effort they put in until you see them at work in person. Check out their video archive on the website.

People can also interact with the performers through emails. We got one from someone who was visiting Germany but signed on to watch the performance. When the email arrived, a light in a plastic watering can started flashing. It was quite funny.

Kate, Claire Holley and Jay Matsueda were amazing singers/artists. They are those people that just make you wonder why they are not better known? I've known Kate for a little while, but never had a chance to hear her sing live until last night. And she was mighty funny too. They all were. And at Kulak's Woodshed, when the show's over you just stick around and talk to the artists like old friends. There's no backstage for them to go to. If they are done performing, they just sit down next to you and watch the rest of the show. How wonderful is that? LOL

What an amazing experience. I highly recommend it. So, check out their calendar, their videos. Go hang out or go online and watch the performances. I would. I would do it again and again. LOL

Note, 08.02.2006, updated Jay's link. Check it out!
Note, 08.02.2006, also found that Kate has a myspace page. Link updated for Kate too.

Reminder

2006-07-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder for Kate's performance at Kulak's Woodshed tonight. 8PM to 10PM Pacific. If you can't make it, you can always watch the Live WebCast.

Cooling down?

2006-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning and immediately it felt different. Cooler. Maybe even less humid? The forecast is good. Temperature is at a downtrend for the next few days. Crossing my fingers.

Blogger is up. Blogger is down. Blogger is up. Blogger is down. :: sigh ::

I haven't done much with fiber. Knitting or spinning. Just too hot and sweaty. However, I did experiment with Francesca's Italian style tubular cast-on. I want to see if it works with knitting in the round. I wasn't successful, only because I lost the last cast-on stitch. Very tricky to get that one to stay put doing it in the round.

But I did find out a few things that I will keep in mind the next time I try.

1. Not recommended for DPNs. Too tricky with too many needles.

2. Francesca showed the cast-on knitting in the flat. I noticed that everything is reversed doing it in the round. When joining to knit in the round, you start with the first cast-on stitch instead of the last cast-on stitch. Also, you are looking at the other side of the knitting when you knit the first round. So, everything is reversed.

Francesca did the first row knit one, slip one wyif, repeat to the end. Knitting in the round should be slip one wyib, purl one, repeat to the end of round. The next row/round is the same for both, knit one, slip one wyif, repeat to the end. Of course, I still have to try it to see if it would really work.

3. Have to find some way to hold the last cast-on stitch in place so I won't lose it before I get to it. Very tricky that one.

I think this can work. I'll give it another try with the next hat project. :-)

Look what I have here. It is an update of Kerry's knitting. PLUS, a first showing of Kerry's partner Clive's current knitting project.

This is Clive's current lace project, Rosemary Shawl, design by Gemma Ord. This is the fourth time that Clive's knitted this shawl. He's at the border (edging?) now, which has 120 "points". Once that's done, he'll graft the ends together, then pick up 960 stitches on the inside and work toward the center. 960 stitches!!! Wow!

Here we have Kerry's current projects. The top one is "Midwest Moonlight Scarf" from "Scarf Style". I love the color and the design. I also have this book. Hmmm... could be a future project. Gosh, my to-do list is getting long.

The bottom one is a sock. Aija would love this. It is a pattern from the latest Knitty, "RPM", designed by... Aija! It is looking way cool. Which yarn are you using, Kerry? Who will be wearing them? :-)

Must be nice knitting in Australia now. Much cooler. :-)

What are you doing Friday night?

2006-07-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Our friend Kate Higgins will be performing at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood this coming Friday. Other artists include Claire Holly and Jay Matsueda. It will go from 8PM to 10PM. Kate will probably be on around 9PM. Go have a listen if you will be in the area. It's free to get in!

Weekend of Activities

2006-07-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

I must be a homebody. I am still pooped from the weekend's activities. Is it because of the heat? Boy, it's been hot and muggy. High temperature is one thing. The humidity is harder to deal with. We have what they call "monsoonal moisture". Sounds nasty, huh? This made learning spinning a little more difficult. I went to the guild meeting on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I met lots of very friendly and very special people. I tried spinning with the spindles. But the heat and sweat made it impossible to handle the fiber to make it work for me. I also tried spinning with a wheel, and that worked out pretty well.

Sunday was the spinning class at A Mano, with John Pitblado. What a wonderful teacher. Very clear instructions from beginning to end. We learned how to spin singles and how to ply yarn. Air conditioning was on so no sweating problem there. Lots of people showed up for the class. He will be teaching at the Fabulous Fiber Fest. I think I want to sign up for the spinning wheel session.

Now the "Violets" update, and the last update. It's done! Complete! And given to my friend!

I have to give a lot of thanks to Ted for guiding me through every step of knitting this shawl. I was very lucky that I chose a pattern that he had already knitted. He even made modification so that it was easier to knit, and prettier to look at. Sylvia mentioned how nice the transition between the violets and the river was. All Ted's idea! :-)

Below is a picture of "Violets" being blocked. I didn't even notice that the wrong side was facing up. LOL

Here's a picture showing each design element in the pattern.

I knew I would be too embarassed to ask my friend to pose for a photo in the coffeeshop where I presented the shawl. So earlier in the morning I forced my partner to put the shawl on for a snapshot. LOL Here it is.

Additional Info, 7.25.06:
Pattern: Violets by the River, by Hazel Carter
Yarn: KnitPicks' Shadow in Sunset
Needle: INOX circular US Size 6

Moving Along

2006-07-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the River pattern finished, the right and left sides of the triangle bound off. I really like how this looks. And it has a nice drape even though it is light weight. My partner really wants to give this to our friend Dorothy by the end of the weekend. When I was working on the "violets", I was hearing, "Is it a violet, yet?" When I was working on the "river", I was hearing, "Is it a river, yet?" Now I am moving on to the "Honeybee & Faggoting", I wonder what I'll be hearing until it is done? LOL

Below is a photo of some stitches picked up along the top of the shawl. I think it looks OK. What do you think?

Here are my newest prized possessions. The spindle on the left is a Kundert, 1.1 oz. The one on the right is "Hearts" from Woolly Designs, 1.3 oz. The fiber on the left is Colonial Multi Dark Green. The one on the right is Colonial Multi Mahogany. I believe they are both from Ashland Bay. But they've been repackaged, so I am not sure. I really want to get some Colonial Northern Lights.

Anyway, I am ready to spin! Guild meeting is on Saturday and I signed up for the spinning class at A Mano. Crossing my fingers!

Tubular Cast-on Without the Waste

2006-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

Look what I've found! This tubular cast-on looks so cool and so easy. I just found it, so I haven't given it a try. But I am already wondering, can this be used for knitting in the round? Like the technique used in "Hats On!"? In any case, there will be experiments! Fantastic!

Spindlicity

2006-07-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you out there know about this online magazine for handspinners, Spindlicity. I've known about it since I met Kathy Hinckley who teaches knitting classes at my LYS. Three issues so far and I hope it will continue to publish and grow.

The River

2006-07-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

SOOOOO! Here's the "Violets" with the violets all finished. I have picked up stitches along the left and right sides of the triangle and started the River. The River turned out to be quite easy. Mostly knit stitches. But the number is growing. Over 250 stitches per row and I am only on the second repeat of the pattern. I know, I know. That's nothing compared to a large project like the Princess, or the Wedding Ring Shawl. But I've never worked on so many stitches in one row before.

Picking up the stitches turned out to be more interesting than I thought. I must've been tired at the time that I wasn't paying full attention. I had to do it four times to get it right.

Besides "Violets", I have not knitted anything else. I have in mind a two-color project, but that will not be shown here until it's done. It will be a gift. However, I did do a lot of research. What research? Well... SPINNING! Spinning with a spindle to be more specific. Yes, I have Sachi to blame for that. Why? It's not that she pushed me into thinking about it. I've read about spinning. The nice ladies at A Mano tried to tempt me with roving and spindles. But I resisted them because I just wanted to focus on knitting. But, reading Sachi's recent adventure with spinning was like a big shove that finally got me through the door. Yes, Sachi, you did it. And girl, I can't believe you've upgraded to a wheel already!

So, I bought spinning books. I've talked to spinners. I've asked for advice. I've researched spinning online. I'm planning on attending spinning guild meeting. There's a store that I want to visit. There's a class that I want to take. What? Am I spinning? Nope. Not yet. I haven't gotten a spindle yet. LOL Anybody that knows me well knows that I take forever to research before taking on something new. But, I've ordered one. I'm so looking forward to getting it in my hands. In the meantime, I'm still shopping around. Maybe going to places and try different spindles. Maybe I will find one that's a bit heavier than the one I ordered. It's a new adventure.

Spinning with a spindle really appeals to me. Not only that it's portable, meditative. The thought of feeling the fiber twist and form into yarn in my fingers is really pleasing to me. I think it will be great for strengthening concentration. :-D

Oh, by the way, Ken gave a great review on KnitPicks' new interchangeable needles. Go check it out! Sachi, where's your review? :-P

Little Boy by the Rice Field

2006-07-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

During my trip to Northeastern Thailand in November 2005, a trip to visit my teacher's forest temple and to do some meditation practice, I saw a little boy sitting by the rice field one day. Just sitting there watching the sunset. My first thought was, "that boy must be so bored. I wish there were something for him to do. Maybe some toys. Video games would be good. Maybe he needs someone to take him to the movies." Then I thought, "but if he gets a video game system, he would want more games when he gets tired of the old ones. If he goes to the movie, he will want to see more and who will take him to the theaters in the future?"

I looked at the boy again. He was just sitting there, watching the sunset. He did not seem restless at all. Then I realized all that restlessness, all that stress came from me and not the boy. He was quite content. All those games and movies were far from his mind. No. They were never there in his mind. He had no need for them. Why would I introduce them to him and cause him to want more in the end? He was happy to just watch the sunset. He had peace. I should look at my own mind and see what needed to be cleared out.

Lesson learned.

LTK Afghan Square Nine

2006-07-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

LTK Afghan Square 9, Horizontal Chain

Sorry, didn't block it first. Didn't pin it down for a better picture. I am not doing blocking until I get all the squares done.

This is really an easy way to do color knitting. Carrying one color at a time. The fabric is not too stiff after all. Maybe I loosened the tension? Maybe. I really like Wannietta's idea of using this kind of fabric for pillows. One more to add on the to-knit list. :-)

I have 16 rows of Violets done on the shawl. Two more to go. No more pictures until I start knitting the River, and I can't wait to get to that. I hope it will go well.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Kerry's first lace project. Yep! The very first. Beautiful scarf pattern from Heirloom Knitting. Fine lace yarn from Artisan Lace. You can see how fine the lace yarn is compared to the light fingering weight that he's using for lifeline. It is so lovely. I especially love the colors. Did I get the details right, Kerry? Please correct me if I am wrong. :-)

Knitted Teddy Bears

2006-07-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

I got a package from Amazon yesterday. It contained the book Designing Knitwear and this book, The Knitted Teddy Bear.

Clyde was showing me pictures of "Get on the Bus" and an idea just popped in my head. Just look at the pictures below. I'm sure that most knitters would have thought the same thing, "I can knit a teddy bear for this." So, I ordered the book.

"Get on the Bus" is a program that takes children to visit their mothers who are in prison, on Mother's Days. They also started doing this on Father's Day this year for children whose fathers are in prison. Clyde's church helps out arranging the buses for Southern California children. A lot of kids don't get to see their mom or dad due to the distance of the prisons. Some of the children had never even met their mom/dad until they got involved with "Get on the Bus". Long story short, on the bus on the way home each child recieves a stuffed animal and a card from their parent. The cards were filled out by the parents and the stuffed animal were bought in the parents' names. Something for the children to remember their parents by. I just thought it would be so cool if I could knit up something for the program, participating in my own way.

You can read about this last Father's Day bus trip on Clyde's blog.

Progress Report

2006-06-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

Work has been crazy. Not only is there a lot to do, there are so many different things that it is difficult to keep track of what's next. Thankfully, projects are being done one by one. I am really looking forward to take some time off for 4th of July. Yay!

You might not think that I knitted much with work being so busy. Well, not true. Actually, I found that knitting after work relaxes me. I think I've gone past the anxiety for new knitting projects. I'm enjoying being in the moment with whatever that's in my hands. I'm finding that calm meditative experience, which is why I picked up knitting in the first place.

Anyway, here are some pictures and words on my knitting progress:

That's "Violets" with 15 rows of violets completed. I even managed to do three rows of knitting at last week's S&B WeHo. Luckily they were just plain stockinette rows. Nothing fancy. But I won't be taking "Violets" to S&B again. Not a good idea. LOL

This is the LTK Afghan Square Eight. It is named "Rose Fabric". It's quite easy to knit with only 30 stitches across. I also tried knitting this at S&B. Another bad idea. I was really fascinated with how it worked that I did not know what was going on around me. LOL

This is a close-up of "Rose Fabric". I can definitely see why this stitch pattern got that name. All those little rose buds.

This is LTK Afghan Square Nine in progress. It's the first square in Section II, Mosaic Patterns. The name is "Horizontal Chain". I did not like knitting this way at first. The fabric felt a bit stiff. But as I watched the pattern form, I got more excited and interested. This is my first real two-color knitting project that's not just stripes. I'll have to take it to someone and see if it is done right. But blocking will make it better, right? :-) After this one is done, it's back to "Violets" for the finish.

Kerry's two-color sock has a mate! Yup! They are done and given to the intended recipient. It is a happy ending. :-) Don't they look great?

Here's an "inspirational package" from my mentor Ted. A sample pack from Heirloom Knitting. It also came with a sample pattern to go with the yarn. To be honest, it inspires and terrifies at the same time. LOL But I must tell you that I woke up the next day thinking about knitting with it. Good sign, right?

The package contains yarn so fine that I get so nervous whenever I handle them. One is Mohair and the other silk. Took me a long time just to find the yarn end of the silk yarn to take a comparison photo with a lace weight yarn. See picture below. The red is KnitPicks' Shadow that I am using for "Violets". The white is the silk yarn from Heirloom Knitting. Silver coin is One Thai Baht. I think it's about the size of an US nickel. Sorry. I couldn't find any US coins. My partner used them all at the store. :-)

Isn't that out of this world? As Ted gently stated in his letter, I am not ready for it yet. BUT, it will inspire me to work on acquiring the skills to take on the challenge. Oh yes, I will fondle them often, THROUGH THE BAGS, and imagine myself knitting one of the finest lace ever... Ahem, earth to Jason. One step at a time. :-)

Oh just to let you know, in July Ted will be knitting the Wedding Ring Shawl with yarn so fine like this. That's on top of knitting The Princess Shawl. Sheesh! I'll be a nervous wreck just watching on the sideline. LOL

Correction, 9:00 pm: I have forgotten about the unfinished Valentine's Heart Pillow that was knitted using Intarsia. So, I did do color knitting before. LOL I wonder why that completely slipped my mind. Hmmm...

Knitting did happen!

2006-06-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

I realized that I was missing a few photos in my last post. You might wonder if there was knitting at the S&B WeHo at all? Well, here:

And yes, that last one is of our famous Sachi helping Laurie Ann knit her first sock. You see, knitting did happen last Thursday. It was hard to focus, but it DID happen. :-)

There are more photos on Ellen, Sachi and Laurie's blogs. But I have to warn you. "Scaralyn" is not a pretty picture. LOL

The first time...

2006-06-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

... ever I saw my face... IN BLOND WIG!!! YIKES! I'm sure you'll figure out which one is yours truly in the picture below.

I went to my first WeHo S&B meeting last Thursday. I had been thinking about going for months, but the thought of driving in the usual heavy traffic put me off time after time. Then I met Sachi through the blog world. With a little prodding from her I finally decided to brave the traffic and head out to meet the other knitters in the area. Well... actually... I made my partner drive. LOL Hey, it's my first time! I didn't want to get all flustered from fighting through the traffic. I'm a nervous driver! :-)

I did get an email earlier in the afternoon from Sachi, with a little warning. It was Laurie's birthday and it was going to be "wig night". (Oh oh.) Be prepared to wear one even if I show up wigless. Well, ha, I didn't take that seriously. I went wigless and as you can see, I didn't stay wigless. LOL I was so wrong to think that they would take it easy on a newbie. LOL

By the way, being an extreme introvert, I was too shy to approach the birthday girl to wish her a happy birthday. So Laurie, if you happen to read this little blog, "Happy Birthday!!!"

It was a blast! Of course, the fact that there wasn't a decent mirror at hand, I had no idea what I looked like. Here's one picture of me that just might give you nightmares at night. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw it. Oh gosh, just to think, there are a few of these photos of me floating around out there in the blog world. Oh lordy!

Oh, Sachi, since you kept your promise by posting a lovely picture of me. Here's one of you. hehehe Actually, it is a great picture! Unfortunately I did not think to bring my camera. I will not forget next time. Watch out!

Here are a few more pictures of the fabulous people:

Thanks Sachi, Ellen and Mr. Larry for the Kodak moments! :-)

Now that you've seen some incriminating photos of me. May I ask you please to erase those images from your mind? LOL In an attempt to help you see me in a better light, I present to you this old photo of mine:

The twenty-something me. At least 20 pounds lighter. Wouldn't you rather remember this face instead of "Scaralyn"? Oh, I forgot to mention, that's the name that Darcy fondly gave my alter-ego in blond wig. LOL

Hmmm... the twenty-something me had a really bad perm. Well, how about this. Let's go back further in time. I don't know what age I was when this photo was taken. This is me at my mom's hometown, Yi Lan, in Taiwan. Wouldn't this be a better picture to remember? LOL

What's Kerry knitting?

2006-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Kerry in Australia doesn't keep a blog. He told me he was working on socks for friends and I just couldn't resist asking for pictures! One of these days he'll get sick and tired of me screaming, "PHOTOS, PHOTOS!" :-) Anyway. I forgot to ask what pattern he was using for the two-color-knitted sock at the bottom of the picture. BUT, the top sock is Broadripple done with yarn hand-painted by Dave. I think they are just fantastic, don't you? :-)

Chevron Lace Scarf completed

2006-06-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Chevron Lace Scarf is finally done. After blocking it turned out to be twice as long as I originally thought it would be. The fabric rolled into a spiral while knitting, and I didn't take that into consideration when I eye-balled the length of the scarf. I'm glad that I made a decision to wrap it up so I could ship all the items in time. It could have turned out to be ridiculously long. Anyway, it's blocked and ready to go with the other items. Oh, the fabric is super super soft after web blocking. Nice.

"Violets" progress

2006-06-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

9 rows done, 9 more rows to go. Well, that sounds misleadingly simple as there's one more violet added to each proceeding row. So, that's 45 violets done and 126 more to go. Hmm... maybe I didn't need to know that. LOL

Ted's modification is working really well. The right and left sides now look more balanced. I am also using a lifeline religiously. I move the line up after completion of each row of violets. It's already saved me a few times.

It took a bit of getting-used-to again when I picked "Violets" back up. It's just a big switch from working with worsted weight to lace weight. I can't wait to get to the Running River pattern which I've never sampled. Also, I will have to deal with joining yarn ends when the first ball of yarn runs out. That will be a first too. Lots to learn.

More Dulaan Knitting

2006-06-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

1. Simple blue hat from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. Knitted with Rowan Big Wool. This one is a quick knit.

2. "Bobbi" from Cathy Carron's Hip Knit Hats. Knitted with Brown Sheep Yarn. Total of 90 bobbles in the medium hat pattern. My first time knitting bobbles. Really made my hands hurt. LOL It's also my first time knitting top-down hat. Her instructions are not very clear. At least not to me.

3. Chevron Lace Scarf, a pattern from Knitter's Edge, a paid membership website co-founded by Tricia Schafer. Knitted with Brown Sheep Yarn. Tricia knits samples for my LYS. The last time that I saw her there she did a little promoting for her website. The pattern is cute and easy. Lots of mistakes in the pattern though. After a few failed attempts I realized there were mistakes in the instructions. After correcting the pattern it worked beautifully.

All yarn donated by Gerald. Thanks again! :-)

What a great find!

2006-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Misocrafty's Sock Resources

Quick Dulaan Update

2006-05-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

A quick progress report on my Dulaan knitting:

1. One Cameo Faggot Stitch Scarf in Rowan Big Wool. Thanks to Gerald for donating the yarn, and TallGuy for pointing out the pattern.

2. One pair of Mittens done in Classic Elite Maya (yarn donated by Gerald). Pattern from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

3. One double thick hat. The yarn is Bernat's Softee Chunky. Pattern by Norma. I made it larger.

4. One hat in Rowan Big Wool (yarn donated by Gerald). Work in progress. Pattern from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

Still here!

2006-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. Work has been super crazy. We are working to completely redesign one of our web sites to reflect a name change. It needs to be done by July 1st. Lots to do. Also, our team is spread out in 3 different places (2 states). It takes time to do all the communication stuff. We use Skype a lot. Hey, we save money wherever we can. :-)

I am doing a lot of Dulaan knitting. My plan was to practice Continental knitting at the same time, but it really slowed me down quite a bit when I did purling. I guess it would be a while before I get used to it. So back to English knitting. Only got about a month to get them delivered. No time to fool around.

So far I have one double-thick hat, one scarf and 1.25 mittens done. Lots more to do.

Ah "Violets". That picture I posted a couple of posts back? The one that showed 5 rows of lovely violets? Gone!!! I ripped it. I did another row of violets with the TV on at the same time. BAD move! I didn't make any mistake, but my tension was all over the place. The violets turned out in all different sizes. There was no way that I was going to keep it, so I took it off the needle and started ripping it. I ripped and ripped to just above the good violets. Looked at the knitting and just rolled my eyes. Fudge! I had no idea how to put it back on the needle. *scream* Oh well, nothing left to do but rip it completely. So it went. A lesson on impermanence.

So, is the "Violets" back on the needle? Nope! But I have been practicing different techniques that I will be using with the "Violets". I got lots of help from Ted. He modified the pattern a bit to make the right and left sides of violet pattern looking balanced. Remember my complaint about one side looking looser than the other? That is solved now. Thanks Ted! You are truly a genius!

Oh, I will be using a "lifeline" this time around. I didn't think I needed that. *eyes rolling* Duh! Anyway, I went out and got two balls of cotton crocheting yarn just for this. They will be quite nice for making markers too! Photo updates soon.

Yet another sample

2006-05-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

After seeing the big improvement the knitting had with lace weight yarn, I had to do another sample on "honeybee & faggoting". I'd say it's much better!

The real violets

2006-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a long long week. After last weekend's events I was left with very little energy throughout most of the week. Very little knitting. But that did not stop me from knitting a little on the "Violets by the River" shawl with the intended yarn that arrived 10 days ago. I am using KnitPicks' Shadow in the color Sunset. 100% Merino Wool. I can't tell you how much better it is knitting lace with lace weight yarn. I mean it looks so much better. A bit scary with very thin yarn. But I shouldn't complain. Many others are using sewing-thread-like yarn for their projects. Just look at this. You can hardly see the yarn Ted is using for the Princess.

OK, here's a picture of my work on the Violets so far. Only five rows of them but you can see that it's definitely better than sock yarn. :-)

Other than the concern of making mistakes when the shawl grows wider, I am also concerned that the right edge is not as neat as the left edge. It's a bit loose compared to the left. I got the same thing when I was using sock yarn for tests. Hope this will be corrected during blocking.

Oh, that ball of yarn, it took me an hour winding it by hand. LOL And I have another hank to do. I don't own a ball winder or a swift. Guess I should get them if I want to do more lace! My partner is going to roll his eyes when those show up.

Oh, hey, Gerald, thanks for sending all the lace goodies. It's a stack of treasures! I'm going to have fun reading about the history, the different lace styles and all those project ideas! It's funny that I feel that I know of the "conference". But I just can't think of where I've heard about it.

A little update

2006-05-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

What a busy weekend, and I didn't see it coming. Friday was Buddha's birth/enlightenment/passing day. Saturday was my mother's birthday plus another belated birthday dinner. Sunday of course was Mother's day. Phew! Just the driving in So Cal traffic was enough for me.

Anyway, I had to prioritize my knitting projects:

1. Duulan Project. Many thanks to Gerald for sending all that yarn to work with. I have to put this on the top of the list. Even though the project is extended to 2007, there's still a winter in 2006. I want to get as much done as possible.

2. "Violets by the River" Shawl. I think I am done with practice knitting. The yarn arrived. Can't wait to start knitting for real. :-)

3. Jackets and sweater for the triplets. I have to get these done. The babies don't stop growing. :-)

4. Learn-to-knit-Afghan. This will be done whenever possible. 56 squares to go.

I did another test knit on the "Honeybee & Faggoting". Still using the sock yarn. Did a quick blocking without pinning it down. I think I am ready to knit, no? I need to take pictures outdoor in the future.

It's about time!

2006-05-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

The "Two Socks at Once" Class Socks are done! It seemed forever. Four weekly classes plus one break in between. Then I caught the lace fever. Phew! They are done!

Pattern: no pattern
Method: two socks at once with magic loop
Needle: one Addi Turbo US #1, 47"
Yarn: Jawoll Color Superwash, color 820080

I really love this way of sock knitting. It sucked in the beginning. But you really do get used to it after a while. Definitely the most portable way to knit socks. Now I just have to find out how to adapt this method for patterns using DPNs. Possible?

I learned a new trick. During our last class Kathy showed us how to avoid creating little "peaks" at either end of the toe when doing the kitchener. Well, I didn't get it. So I did a quick search on google and found this site:
http://www.az.com/~andrade/knit/socks.html

It's not the same technique but the result is similar. Can you see the difference in the pictures below?

I won't attempt to explain the technique. That would probably end in disaster. Just click on the above link and scroll down to "GRAFTING THE TOE AND FINISHING THE SOCK" to read about it.

Honeybee & Faggoting

2006-05-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my sample knit of the top border of "Violets by the River". Again, done in sock yarn. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this. It was just fascinating to see the design being formed by working different techniques. If this is just a tiny taste of lace knitting, I think I'm going to fall in love. All I can do at this point is to follow the instructions carefully. But I hope to one day understand how different stitches work together. Pattern designers are amazing people in deed!

I leave you with a picture of Ted's (Knitterguy) "Violets by the River". Click on the picture to get a better look. What a beautiful sight! *sigh* I just hope that my attempt will turn out half as good.

The Package! The Package!

2006-05-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

It's here! It's here! The package from Gerald has arrived! What generous gifts! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves first:

This is the yarn that Gerald generously gave me to knit for the Duulan Project. Wow! 3 Rowan Big Wool, 2 Lamb's Pride Worsted, 2 Lopi and 3 Classic Elite and some yarn dyed by Gerald himself! I have never worked with these before. Not only will many in Mongolia receive gifts of warmth, I am going to have fun knitting with different yarn! Thanks Gerald!

His generosity doesn't stop here. Oh no. Here come the surprises! 4 skeins of luxurious sock yarn! (Am I over using the exclamation mark?) Two Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Seaside. Two Wildfoote handpainted luxury sock yarn. Mmm... so soft and pretty. Just the colors I like! How did you know?

And that's not all... Tucked in the package are two boxes of these:

PEEPS! I couldn't stop giggling for the longest time! :-) A while ago Gerald did a post on Peeps. I had no clue what they were and was given a detailed introduction to these sweet little treats. Even special tips on how to "enhance" the enjoyment. *wink wink* Should I give them the special treatment? :-)

Thanks Gerald!

Time Flies

2006-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of sock class and I still have about 2 inches to knit on each sock. How did it get to this? I had two weeks and I thought it would be no problem. *sigh* Guess it's sock knitting tonight.

"A Gathering of Lace" arrived today! I have been anxiously waiting for it since last week. What a book! I only leafed through it quickly but was really loving what I saw. So weird. Not too long ago I didn't think I would ever do lace. But now I can't wait to try all of it! The night before I laid in bed, head filled with lace knitting. Sleep woudn't come. I knew I couldn't wait for my order of yarn to arrive, so I started a trial run with the pattern I chose. You know, just to see how it is. Here's the result. Can you guess the pattern?

Did you guess it? It's "Violets by the River" Shawl. Sorry for the backlit picture. I thought the light would show the pattern better. Keep in mind that this was done with sock yarn instead of lace yarn. I didn't bother to pin it down either. The picture is actually upside down. I was holding the piece by the tip of the triangle and letting the needle's weight stretch the fabric a bit. But it really needed to stretch more to look proper. I think this is OK. I hope with the correct yarn it will be better.

The right edge of the fabric seems to be a bit loose. I wonder if this is normal? Will it be corrected through blocking? Actually, there will be border around the edges. Maybe it's not too important.

I have not gotten a circular needle for the project yet. I am thinking Addi Turbo with the flexible cord, but I don't know if I will like the super slippery needles. Maybe I will be better off getting Inox or Susan Bates. Any idea?

A Quest for Lace

2006-04-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

OK. I have made a decision to try lace knitting. I've gotten a couple of patterns from Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill. Violets by the River Shawl and Lotus Blossom Shawl. And a book, A Gathering of Lace, is on its way. But I want to know what you think is a good beginner's pattern? What yarn choice is appropriate for a first-timer? I'd appreciate any recommendation you can give. Thanks!

Heel Flap Experiment

2006-04-30T14:04:00.001-07:00

I did an experiment to find a better way of doing selvage stitches on the heel flaps for easy stitch pick up. I knitted 3 samples. First is the common way. Second is done with a tip from Ted (a.k.a. Knitterguy.) Third is a technique I learned in my first sock class.

1. The common way

The usual way is to slip the first stitch of each row then knit or purl across. Creating selvage stitches that are not aligned horizontally. They are staggered.

2. From Ted's tip

The selvage stitches are worked this way: right side rows, slip 1, work to last stitch, slip last stitch. Wrong side rows, purl across.

For the bottom half of the test sample I slipped the stitches purl-wise. The top half knit-wise. You can see in the photo that top half's selvage stitches are neater.

Working this way creates selvage stitches that are aligned horizontally.

3. Sock class method

Work the heel flaps this way: WS, sl 1 k-wise with yarn in back, then purl across. RS, sl 1 p-wise with yarn in front, then knit across.

You can see in the photo, this method creates little beads on the edge. You insert the needle between the beads when picking up stitches. Easy to see. But these stitches are also staggered. Not aligned horizontally.

What do I like? I would like to combine method 2 and 3. That would make me happy. :-)

Many thanks to Ted for the tips!

Two Days in Pictures

2006-04-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 28th

Saturday, April 29th

Moving the Tarot Journey

2006-04-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided to create a separate blog for my Tarot lessons. The daily readings are making the blog's size growing rapidly. So, I think it will be easier to separate it. That will also make it easier for me to follow when I read back on the cards.

Abandoned Heart

2006-04-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

This happened before Valentine's Day. It was a class project and I really thought it was going to be THE perfect Valentine's gift! I was so excited and looking forward to see it completed. But things happened. It just wasn't meant to be...

1) I never got the correct chart for the heart. I got pieces of the charts, a big section in the middle was missing. 2) Heart pillow class didn't teach how to make a real pillow. The finished heart has to be sewn to a pillow and I don't know how to sew. 3) I feel that I wasn't taught the correct way to do Intarsia. There are trouble spots. Really ugly spots.

Now what to do? Finish and find a way to make something out of it? Frog it? I didn't even save the yarn labels. I only remember that these are two balls of Merino and one Superwash Wool.

Anyway, we are heading out of here in an hour. We are attending a So. Cal. University orchestra's rehearsal and performance. They are using our products and I was asked to take some photos. Me? I'm no photographer. I hope they turn out OK. It's going to be a long day. We won't be home until 10 pm the earliest! Yikes! And I have to get up by 4 am so I will be ready to leave for the temple at 5 am!

I'm visiting Wat Metta in San Diego county with a friend. The alms-round starts at 8:30 am at the temple so we have to hit the road by 6:30 or so. And that means I have to leave home around 5:00 so I can meet my friend at our temple before 6:30. Phew! I'm very excited. I've never been there before. Hopefully the weather will be nice so I can take some pictures.

Oh! I've been doing Continental knitting! Yay!!! I started a Duulan hat and thought why not get some practice with Continental. That'll make Fair Isle knitting easier, right? So, I just sat there and tried to figure out the best way to do it. It actually got really enjoyable. And man, talk about speedy. I couldn't believe how much I got done. If the hat wasn't a double thick, it would've been done last night. But I still like knitting the English style. I feel more in control that way.

Help Needed!

2006-04-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Elemmaciltur is in a bad situation. Please go over to his blog and see if you have any suggestion. Thanks!

LTKA Square Seven

2006-04-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Garter and Rib Pattern
Techniques: k, p, k-b, p-b

Finished this square last night. It required the most stitches by far. 49 x 56. It was a joy to knit. Needed a lot of attention. At first it seemed a little too wide compared to the other squares. But the k-b and p-b stitches pulled the fabric in quite a bit after 4 or 5 rows. Phew!

Notes to myself: 1) Listening to podcasts, especially the funny ones, and learning a new stitch pattern at the same time can spell disaster. 2) Pay attention to a new stitch technique. See every step and every twist and turn. That knowledge will be needed when undoing stitches one by one. 3) Make sure to use the right color for each square! I realized that I used the wrong color for the this square and the last square. ARRGGHHH!!! I will have to remember to change the colors for two of the future squares so that I won't risk running out of any color.

Here's another shot of the square that shows the texture better.

Next square is named Rose Fabric. Two colors will be used. I can't wait. But this needs to be interrupted momentarily so I can finish the feet of the socks before the class next week. I'm a Virgo. Just want to get them done so I won't worry about it. You can see them in the photos. They are never too far away! I also want to do a couple of small experiments that I've been wanting to get to. I will post on them!

Oh! Almost forgot! There's a Knit-Along for Learn to Knit Afghan. Check out this Yahoo Group, Square-A-long.

LTKA Square Six

2006-04-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

Twisted and Crossed Ribbing
New techniques: k-b (knit in back loop) and p-b (purl in back loop)

It was nice to take a breather from sock knitting and finish another square for the afghan. We won't be meeting for the last class until 5/5. So I put down the socks, launched iTunes on my Mac, played knitting podcasts and music and knitted up the sixth square.

It wasn't the first time I tried k-b and p-b, but I sure got a lot of practice with this square. Awkward at first, especially p-b. But I eventually found a good angle to insert the needle through the back loop. Knitting this way causes the stitches to be twisted and looking tight.

From bottom up in the photo, the first section of ribbing is called Twisted Ribbing. The next is Crossed Ribbing. Twisted Ribbing looks tight and sharp-edged. The Crossed Ribbing has a rounder look and not as tight. But both are tighter than plain ribbing. Good alternatives.

Last Friday

2006-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Several people didn't show for the sock class last Friday. Couple of ladies just didn't show. Annette was taking her husband out to a play. Without her it was a bit quiet. It was also quiet because everybody was either working on picking up stitches or heel turns. Serious stuff. I managed to do only five or six rounds of knitting after picking up stitches. I couldn't believe it. Two hours just went by in a flash.

I had a hard time understanding the sequence of picking up stitches for the gusset. I even missed a few and had to break out the DPN to fix the problem. I think the trouble was that there was very little time to visualize it. I have to understand how things work. I get frustrated if I am only following instructions. But it all came to me while driving home. I had to think in terms of knitting only one sock to see how it flows. Then add another sock in the picture. It's really hard to describe with words. I think I am going to create an illustration. I know others were also having problems understanding it just from verbal instructions. Maybe a picture will help.

I am really enjoying knitting two socks on one circular needle. I'm finding out the best ways to hold the knitting at different points. It is starting to flow smoothly. I'm also excited to learn knitting without a pattern. It's not as scary as I thought! I can also see the possibility of modifying a pattern to knit two on one circ. It shouldn't be that difficult, right? Well, I haven't tried yet. Who knows!

There are Heels and Flaps

2006-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am so ready for the class today!

The heel flaps and turns were done last night. I want to start on picking up stitches right away when I get to class this evening. There is no noticeable change of behavior of the colors on the heels. I guess that's good? But I feel kind of disappointed. I tried different ways of slipping the first stitch on each row of the heel flaps. Looking for the best way to create a neat edge for easy stitch pickup. What I really wanted to do was to recreate what I learned in my first sock class. But darn, I couldn't figure it out until the flaps were almost finished. What I should've done was:

WS, sl 1 k-wise with yarn in back, then purl across. RS, sl 1 p-wise with yarn in front, then knit across.

This creates little bumps (or pearls) on the sides, making it easy to see and pickup sititches. Oh well, next time.

Songkran Festival

2006-04-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

(Center of the temple where you could participate in different activities.)

Last Sunday was the Thai, Cambodian, Laotion New Year celebration at our temple. I think the actual dates were 4/13 through 4/15. But here in United States, we usually celebrate holidays on Sundays to make it easy for people to attend. Now, I am not Thai and cannot give you info on how the holiday is celebrated. But I believe that people usually splash water on each other on the streets in Thailand. Here at the temple we couldn't have that. Instead people offered monks blessings by pouring water on their hands.

The day started with the monks going on alms-round. Thai Forest Tradition monks cannot take food that's not offered to them. Following a strict rule given by the Buddha. This way their time won't be spent on thinking about eating and can focus more on meditation. Also this prevents any monk going off into the wild and beomce hermit like. They rely on the community and in return they can offer knowledge they gain from their practice.

After going around and accepting rice from people, the monks went into the dining hall. It's really a multi-purpose building that's called Sala. After the monks took their seats, people passed around more food offerings to them. There can be an overwhelming amount of food on a special day.

After the offerings the monks chanted blessings for everyone. Then the Abbot gave a short sermon while the other monks started on their meals. The monks only eat one meal a day and it has to be done before noon. Again, the reason is so that they spend more time on their meditation practice.

After the sermon the people were free to go about other activities. Many people donated food and set up stalls with enough free food for everyone attending. I found two college students who just happened to come in to observe the religious practice on this day. So I ended up going around with them explaining the activities as best as I could. The pouring of water on monks' hands happened after the meal. Unfortunately I had to leave early and could not participate or take pictures of it.

(People making offerings to the Buddha. Flowers, incense, candles and gold leaves.)

(People enjoying delicious food.)

I got to the temple Saturday afternoon. I wanted to see if I could spend some time meditating. I had been experiencing some agitating feelings. Don't know what they were but it was difficult to be tranquil. It so happened that the nuns and other people wanted to make a major offering to the temple. We eneded up staying at the nun's quarter for almost three hours. Since I couldn't understand what they were saying, I sat meditating. I was surprised that the agitations that I felt througout last week did not cause any trouble at all. But legs didn't like sitting on hard floor that long. LOL

Sunday morning after chanting it was another hour of mediation. It was truly wonderful. My legs didn't give me any trouble. I was able to stay focused. I need to be more disciplined and meditate more at home.

Magic Loop Sock Class

2006-04-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

A long overdue update on last Friday's sock class. Once again, it was great fun! Actually, it was a lot more entertaining than the first. Unfortunately one lady dropped out, but two more joined us. Plus another just stayed and knitted with the rest of us.

The table could be divided into two groups. At one end headed by Kathy, our kind and gentle teacher, were the mindful and quiet students. At the other end headed by one of the owners, Annette, were the loud, can't get too much fun, unruly crowd. :-) Well, you couldn't expect anything less than a party when it was also Annette's birthday on Friday! There were cakes, cookies and tea for all. Plus a new sensation in town. Cupcakes! Actually, only one was brought in for the birthday girl. I didn't have a bite. But from the looks on the ladies' faces this little thing called "Red Velvet" was heavenly. I knew where it came from. Sprinkles Cupcakes. I actually went in when they first opened and there were hardly any customers. But I heard that now the wait could get as long as an hour! So on Saturday we took a little walk to the store and this is what we saw!

Anyway, back to the class. We found out it was a no-pattern-class! Guess nobody read the sheet of instructions that we got on the first day. It didn't contain an actual pattern. Great! And I do mean GREAT! It wasn't my desire to knit without a pattern so soon in my knitting adventure. Now that it's done, it's not so bad! Not bad at all! All we had to do is figure out our foot circumference and how many stitches to cast on. That's it! That's all the numbers we needed to figure out. The rest is so easy. Knit the length of the legs, then knit back and forth for the heel flaps. Just knit square shaped flaps, or measure the distance between the bottom of your foot and the bottom of the ankle bone and knit that much (OK, one more measurement.) Turning the heels is so easy too! Just figure out if you want wide or narrow heels and just knit. No math required. I won't go into details of turning the heels. Any sock knitter would know that! One thing to note is to not knit the last row on the first heel turn. Go to the second one and knit until the last row then knit across both heels. Then you are ready to pick up stitches and knit in the round again. That is our next lesson. Sounds really easy but the sequence of what to pick up is still fuzzy to me. The good thing is that no big math involved! Can't wait to get back in class. Oh, since everyone was having problems knitting both socks fast enough, we added another day to the class. Yay! Kathy is so nice. By the way, Kathy is an assistant editor for Spindlicity, and a committee member of Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild.

After the class I met my partner and our friend Peter for a bite at Raku in West L.A. The owner is a Japanese/Korean lady, so the dishes incorporate both styles of cooking. The scallop sashimi was super sweet and delicious. Cabbage rolls and stewed pork were a must try. Everything was good and most dishes are small and reasonably priced. One caution, if you like monk fish liver, eat it with other raw food. It's a bit too fishy.

Magic Looping

2006-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here it is. The first photo of the Two Socks at Once class project. At first I thought it was taking too long to knit up some length on the socks. But then I realized, a) I'm learning a new technique and still trying out different ways to hold the needles, the yarn ends. b) It took several tries of casting on for me to be satisfied enough to continue knitting. c) I frogged it twice. d) Hey! I am knitting two socks at once! I think it's not too bad and I am getting comfortable with the process. I just have to finish the legs before next class on Friday.

I love this yarn! It is Jawoll Color Superwash by Lang Yarns, color 820080. 45 g a ball plus 5 g of reinforcement yarn. See that little spool of yarn in the photo? It is tucked in the middle of the ball if you ever buy this yarn. There were only two balls of these at A Mano. After a quick search on Google I found only one place that's carrying this. I hope it's not discontinued. I'd like to get some more for other projects!

I found instructions online for knitting two socks at once on one circ. If you are interested, here are the links:

For top-down socks, the instructions is on this PDF. For toe-up socks, here are two links:
http://webdesignsbybarb.com/tostetoes/twosocksoneneedletoeup.htm
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html

The A Mano experience

2006-04-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was the "Two Socks at Once" class at A Mano Yarn Center. I showed up early to take some snapshots of the yarn store. Above is the display window. What you can't see is the window seats. A great place to relax and have natural light to do knitting with.

A Mano doesn't have a super large space. But there sure are a lot of yarn! I've never realized this until I looked through the lens of the camera. Wow! No wonder the yarn often pops out and hit you when you walk by.

They have a lot of needles! Some funky ones too. I was going to get a couple of interesting Japanese circular needles made with plastic. The needles and cable are made as one piece. There's even an 8.5" circ for socks and baby hats. I'll try to remember to get them next time.

The large table in the back is where things happen. Classes, S n' B gatherings, lunch, dinner, etc.

Now on to the class. I was jumping up and down when I saw the needles did arrive in time for us. I immediately grabbed one 47" #1 and one 47" #2 Addi Turbo. I decided on a yarn that has all the colors of the rainbow (I wonder why.) Very vibrant. I am going to do another post on the yarn when I get enough length worked on the socks to show you.

Seven people showed up for the class. It was scheduled to start after the store hours. Thank goodness for that! We didn't need distraction that's for sure. It was HARD! Kathy was a very good teacher. She went through every little detail. The way she taught also encouraged us to adjust a pattern to our individual measurements.

The cast-on chosen by Kathy was Twisted German Cast-on. It is stretchier. I soon realized that it was the same as Old Norwegian Cast-on which I learned when I did my second sock. I was glad. It was a difficult technique to learn and took up a lot of time to explain and demonstrate.

Anyway, the class was fun! Only one of us decided to use two circs. Everyone else chose single circ. It was difficult. I mean really really difficult. But it was so fun to be in a class when we teased each other on. When several people are frustrated at the same time, it can be really really funny.

I frogged what I did in the class and started the whole thing over at home. I wanted to take my time to go through every step so that I could understand it completely. I also found instructions on the internet for knitting two socks on one circ. Only two rows finished at this point, but I think I am beginning to like it very much. Just like learning to use the DPNs, this method takes time to get used to. Once you get into the flow, it's quite enjoyable.

Old Hats!

2006-04-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of hats that I knitted before I got into socks. The one on the right is a London Beanie. Pattern found on the web and knitted with Manos del Uruguay. On the left is an Aran Watch Cap. Pattern from the book "Hats On!" by Charlene Schurch, knitted with Plymouth Encore Worsted. Both belong to my partner now. The beanie gets a lot of use, and the green one only gets worn when it's extremely cold. I plan to knit another Aran Watch Cap for myself but with KnitPicks natural color wool yarn, and making the length shorter.

Charlene Schurch teaches a unique tubular cast-on in the book. I think it's designed especially for circular knitting. It requires a crocheted chain and takes a few rows to set up. But the result is very nice!

Is there life out there?

2006-04-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Wanna help search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence? Join SETI@home! I have forgotten all about this cool research at Berkeley until they sent me an email today. This is a project that asks people at home to help process radio telescope data to find indicators of other intelligence out there. There's even a team "SetiKnitters" that you can join. Well, only two members at the moment. So if you do help out, join the team. If you don't want to find E.T., there are other scientific researches that you can help out. Like processing data to find cures for human diseases. You just let your computer help out with the data while you are busy doing something else. Like knitting. :-) Check it out!

Phew! Does this sound like advertisement? LOL I just think this is cool. That's all.

Blah-blah

2006-04-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Not much knitting done lately. I didn't start another afghan square. But I intend to later today. I did start knitting Origami. Not much to show. Only about 1.75" on the back yoke. The guage is still a little off. But after knitting for a few rows the measurement doesn't seem to be off that much.

Two Socks at Once class starts tomorrow! Yay! The store is suppose to order the super long 60" Size 1 Addi Turbo for every student (not free.) I hope they get them in time for the class. Nobody wants to use two needles. We don't want dangling needle points! I'm really curious to see how the cast-on is done. That's the part I can't visualize in my mind. Oh, by the way, the Kathy Hinckley that I found on the Internet turned out to be THE Kathy Hinckley that's teaching the knitting classes. She freaked a little bit when I told her all the facts I knew about her. LOL Hey, she put all that info on the web. Not me. :-) She's also a Tarot reader. How nice!

Since I don't have much to show in pictures, I'm leaving you this nice photo of our orchids. They are in bloom!

Felted finally!

2006-04-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

If you missed my previous post on this Entrelac Tote, no, I didn't knit this magically. I finished the knitting part in February but never got to felting it. I visited my sister last Saturday and used her washer for the felting. She's got a better machine you know (she sells them.) I trust her machine. LOL This being my first felted project created lots of excitement. All of us couldn't believe what came out of it. During the wash I checked in periodically to make sure it was OK. It was still gigantic when soaking wet. But after the spin cycle it just magically shrank to the right size! (OK, it's not magic.) Phew!

I really like how it turned out. It even looks nice lying flat. I won't be carrying this around on my shoulder though. (Can you imagine that?) This will be my knitting bag for the house. Large enough to put everything needed for everyday knitting.

Pattern: KnitPicks' Felted Entrelac Tote
Yarn: KnitPicks' Wool of the Andes

LTKA Square Five

2006-04-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Square Five, Diagonal Ribbing

I really like the way this stitch pattern looks. It's also quick and easy. Uses a lot of yardage though. It needs to be stretched out wider when blocking so the purl stitches show.

Next square, Twisted and Crossed Ribbing. In the photo above you can also see a picture of Origami. I decided to knit this first instead of the Aran Pullover. Colors will be completely different. Let's hope I have better luck with yarn choices on this. Also need to get buttons and sewing kit. Sewing. Yikes!

LTKA Square Four

2006-04-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Square Four, Lattice with Seed Stitch

This took a little more concentration to knit. As you can see, it needs a good blocking to look good!

Next square, Diagonal Ribbing. It's already 1/3 done. You can see it at the top of the photo.

Excuse to add to stash?

2006-03-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

Just had a thought! This baby aran pullover thing might just make my yarn stash grow! I can see a couple of more yarn I'll have to try before getting the gauge right.

Look what I found! Someone knitted this sweater. Check out JenLa. Scroll down to see it. She used fingering weight! Ah ha! Gerald, you are right!

Still no luck!

2006-03-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

Still no luck finding yarn for the baby aran pullover. I couldn't even find info on the suggested yarn, Le Fibre Nobili/Plymouth Yarn Merino. *sigh* It's not even on the Plymouth site. I guess I'll have to ask someone when I go to the Fair Isle class this Sunday.

Not all worsted are the same!

2006-03-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that! One yarn can be called worsted, but it doesn't mean that it's the same as the next worsted weight yarn! Well, I didn't think about that when I purchased the yarn for baby aran pullover. I got all the baby stuff. I was going to start with the Origami, but my #6 needles were busy with the afghan squares. So the pullover it was. I started making a swatch to check the gauge. 28 sts and 38 rows to 4" with seed st was what it called for, but I am getting 21 sts! ARRGGH I can't go down one size on the needles. They are #4 now. Smaller needles would make the fabric too stiff I am afraid. Looking at the yarn label, it says 17 st 23 rows to 4" on size #8. That's not going to work. I already know that it's thicker than most other worsted weight I've worked with. Do I try looking for something that's 20 st to 4"? Maybe something even lighter? Most labels show gauge in stockinette. How do I know what it is for seed st? Does seed st fabric have more stitches per inch than stockinette? Any insights? Anyone?

LTKA Square Three

2006-03-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Square Three, Basketweave
This one knitted up real fast. Maybe because it was more interesting than just plain knitting. I haven't woven in the ends yet. That makes it three squares that I need to do that. Anyone else hates weaving in ends as much as I do?

It is a little smaller than the Garter Stitch Square. It will need to be stretched a bit during blocking. Also the texture is a little too bumpy than I like. Blocking will take care of that. I was told that steaming is not good for cables or ribs. Is it true for basketweave?

Next sqaure, Lattice with Seed Stitch.

LTKA Square Two

2006-03-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

Square Two, Simple Stripes Stockinette Stitch
It just needs binding off then it is done. I left it on the needle so that it was easier to take a picture without it rolling up too much. I had forgotten how stockinette curl so much.

Halfway through knitting the square I put it down next to the first one and I cringed. I couldn't see how they could fit together. After giving it a little thought, I wasn't that worried anymore. There will be 6 color combinations. The dominant colors will be Winter Night and Fern. And these are only 2 squares out of 63. I can definitely find an arrangement when all the squares are done to make it beautiful.

The next one is basketweave. I can't wait. I also need to cast-on for the baby sweaters for my friend Jennifer. First I need to sort through the yarn. I just got them few days ago. I ordered a bunch for the sweaters and the Dulaan Project. I am kicking myself for not making a list of what's what.

LTKA Square One

2006-03-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Square One, Simple Stripes in Garter Stitch
It is done! Well, almost. I haven't woven in the ends or blocked it. I think I am going to wait and block all the squares around the same time. I procrastinate when it comes to weaving in the ends. I can never decide which is the best way to do it. I don't want to increase bulk. I don't want them visible. I want them secure. You know all that stuff.

Here are a few pictures of our living room:

Can you see the colors of my Learn-to-Knit Afghan?

Mosaic Knitting

2006-03-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

I have to stop browsing online for knitting books. I want this one too! ARRRRRGH!

Norsk Strikkedesign

2006-03-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh! I cam across this book, Norsk Strikkedesign. I want it! I maybe crazy. But just look at what's inside! This link opens a page of kits for the garments inside the book. Don't they look like amazing projects? Has anyone seen this book?

Learn-to-Knit-Afghan on the needles

2006-03-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

I've started the first square of the afghan. I'm actually further along on the process, but Blogger has been up and down that I wasn't able to post this picture earlier.

The first two squares are simple stripes. First one with garter stitch and the second with stockinette stitch. Quite boring... eh, meditative. It will start getting interesting from third square on, beginning with basketweave. I will post a picture with each completed square.

I am a little worried about the assembly of the squares. I don't know how! There are a lot of suggestions in the book but without details. Sew? Crochet borders? Knitted borders? I hope I have a book around somewhere on this subject.

House of Jazzy Feet

2006-03-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned last night, Toe Jazz socks are done! The right sock was a little stressful to knit at the end. I tried a different technique for picking up stitches along the heel, which resulted in a little hole on one side. There was also a hole at the big toe that didn't happen to the left sock. I did go in and close it up a little, but the Virgo in me was not happy. LOL

You can see the stripes didn't match on the socks, even though I tried starting at about the same spot on the self striping yarn. I guess this is the nature of these yarn? Anything can cause the variation. Maybe the tension? Maybe how the yarn was dyed? At least the pattern is busy enough that they look matching. But the toes give them away.

The above two pictures were taken after I walked around with the socks on for a while.

This picture was taken after the socks went through washing and drying. They are a lot softer now. Thumbs up for KnitPicks. They also fit better than before. I am not so sure about doing cables on socks though. If you don't do the heel flaps right, they can be real baggy and ugly. I may give this pattern another try with modified measurements.

March 22, 11:30 AM Correction: I should say that I don't know about cables on socks for sandals. It's the cables on the heel flaps that I had problems with.

New Knitting Class Schedule

2006-03-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

My LYS posted their Spring 2006 class schedule. They heard our request for a Fair Isle class. Yay! But only one two-hour class? Can it be done? Will we be making something useable?

There's also a Two Socks At Once class! Hey, we were just talking about this on Dave's blog. They are teaching the method of using two circs or one very long circ. One long circ? Is this what Jonathan was doing? I like the sound of that. I just might have to take the class!

Movie and Some Soul Food

2006-03-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

We went to see Tsotsi, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It was pretty good. It wasn't fast paced with twists and turns. But the acting was really really great! Got a few tears out of me at the end. Had to wipe my face quickly before the lights came on. LOL

Went to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and got some soul food for lunch. It's probably not good for your health, but it is VERY GOOD! If you follow the link for the review on the restaurant, you will read about Big Mama. They are not kidding. Big Mama WILL tell you to keep your elbows off the table. I had the honor of being scolded once! But it was all fun. Big Mama really takes care of ya. If you visit L.A., you should get there and try some wickedly tasty fried chicken for yourself.

OK, I should get to my Toe Jazz. I haven't picked up the needles today and it's already after 4 PM. I'm beginning to feel that the Reversed Ace of Wands may be right after all.

Learn-To-Knit-Afghan

2006-03-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

These are the yarns for the new learning project. They are all Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks. The colors are Fern (looks familiar Dave?), Winter Night, Wheat and Carrot. Chestnut for the borders when putting the squares together. Inspiration for the colors are from our livingroom. But I honestly don't know if it's going to be used in there or not. I can't wait to get started.

I have picked out two patterns from Vogue Knitting's Baby Knits Two for my friend's triplets. One is Origami Baby Jacket. I'm making two of these. The other is an Aran Pullover. Both patterns call for 100% Wool. I think I'm going to use Superwash Wool or some kind of Wool blend so they are machine washable. I don't think she has time to hand wash! :-) Now I have to shop for yarn. Oh! And yarn for the Dulaan Project!

Toe Jazz Update

Working on the heel flap now. I haven't been knitting much in the past few days. I do want to speed up and try to finish it by Saturday.

Photocasts

2006-03-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have a few Photocasts created with iPhoto on the Mac. The links are in the sidebar. But I have no idea how this works for people not using iPhoto. If I try to open it on my Mac, it just opens it in iPhoto. If any of you click on one of them, let me know how it works for you. Does it open the RSS reader automatically? Is it slow? Are there too many photos? Feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

What's next?

2006-03-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm still knitting Toe Jazz to complete a pair. But I am trying to figure out what to do next. I'm eager to try something bigger! I know I have to knit at least 3 baby sweaters. But they don't have to be finished until next Fall. I pulled out this book from my book collection:

Learn-To-Knit-Afghan Book
by Barbara Walker

I can't believe that I haven't started this. I got this book when I first started knitting. The purpose is to learn numerous techniques through knitting afghan squares. Mosaic, slip-stitch, twist-stitch patterns, cables and lace, to just name a few. I flipped through the book. Holy cow! I'm excited! Why did I put this off for so long, considering that I have purchased all the yarn and notions? And knitting one square at a time will sure to keep things interesting. Yes, I can do this and knit the baby sweaters at the same time. Yay!

Knitting out of Africa

Knitting out of Africa
by Marianne Isager

I got this book in the mail yesterday! Some great designs in there! The author also tried to keep things interesting by incorporating different techniques like entrelac, slip-stitch, intarsia, stranded color knitting and double knitting. How fun!

Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles

2006-03-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

Does anyone use Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles? Is this worth it? I've never used plastic needles before. Somehow it's just not appealing to me. But I like the idea of having a set that has all the usual sizes. Ready for any project.

Tristan

2006-03-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

What? Is he making a face at me? Where did he learn how to do that?

That's much better!

Toe Jazz - one down, one to go

2006-03-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

The left sock is done! I really like it. It fits! I slipped a stitch while grafting the toe section. I thought I had picked it back up safely, but in fact it dropped one row down. I had to go in when weaving in the end yarn to try to tidy it up a bit. I really like the cable twists. Really cool!

I did an Old Norwegian Cast-On on two needles. I believe it is strechier than the Long-Tail Cast-On. At least that's what I read somewhere. It does seem to be true here. It was also the first time for me to add stitches with backward-loop cast-on when dividing the big toe from the rest. Knitting with this cast-on was not fun!

The pattern only gives instructions on one size which is for average adult feet. Guess I'm average?? :-)

Now on to the right sock!

Toe Jazz - update

2006-03-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was trying on the Toe Jazz to see how far I have to go with the big toe. I just couldn't resist taking a picture. Doesn't it look comfy with the DPN's? :-)

Question. Do you block your socks?

Toe Jazz - toe socks in progress

2006-03-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is what I am working on. Toe Jazz, pattern by Fiber Trends. Did I say I LOVE knitting socks? I am knitting these with KnitPicks' Simple Stripes, color Sunset. The colors are brighter than I thought. I guess that's the risk you take when you order online without getting a yarn sampler first. But, I'm going to wear them anyway! (Yes, they are for me.) This is my first time using self-striping yarn. I was worried how it would turn out with the cable twists in the pattern. I think it turned out OK. I can't wait to get to the part where I have to divide the big toe from the rest of the toes. Let's hope that will go well.

I will post the finished project with them on the feet. I know, I know. I promised a hat-on-the-head picture for the brioche hat and that hasn't happened. Can I blame it on the partner? hehe

Lace Knitting

2006-03-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Who's knitting The Princess Shawl
- The Princess Diaries
- The Point of Knitting

Who's knitting The Wedding Ring Shawl
- The Wedding Ring Chronicles
- LaceFreak
- yorksett

Who's knitting the The Spider Queen Shawl
- KnitterGuy
- MissAliceFaye

If you are knitting, or have knitted one of the above, please leave a comment. I'd like to add you to the list. :-)

Knitting & Buddhist Meditation

2006-02-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

Venerable Teacher, Phra Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Mahathera (1870-1949)

As you know, I took up knitting partly because it seemed possible to use it for meditation practice. What is meditation? I think it means different things to different individuals. It can be a tool for relaxation, for energy, for supernormal abilities, etc. What about Buddhist meditation? The goal of Buddhist practice is to end Dukkha, which means to end suffering and stress. So the meditation is used for that goal.

There is a famous story of Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Ch'an Buddhist School in China. At one time there were two monks arguing about a flag flapping in the wind. One said, "the flag is moving." The other said, "the wind is moving." Hui Neng told them, "your minds are moving."

Many people would argue that the flag is actually moving, the wind is actually moving. True, these are phenomenon that are real and readily observed. But in regards to meditation, the practice of ending suffering and stress, the focus is on the mind level.

Let's say that a flag is flapping in the next town. Does the thought, "flag is flapping", enter your mind? Even when we walk by one we are sometimes ignorant of it. How about when a stranger falls ill? Do you feel the same level of anxiety as you do if someone close to you falls ill? So I think we can agree that things matter only when they enter our mind.

According to what the Buddha taught, we can put our reactions to what we experience in 3 categories. Like, dislike and neutral. Like results in desire, greed, etc. Dislike results in aversion, anger, etc. Neutral is just neutral. Most obvious stresses happen here. Basically we are stressed when we are separated from what we like, stressed when we are associated with what we dislike. Again, these are just the obvious. There are subtle stresses that we don't see right away.

It is the goal of Buddhist practice to see these mind activities clearly through meditation. We want to observe each and every moment thoroughly and ask ourselves if there's suffering and stress in what occurs in our mind. Through practice and time, we will be able stop the activities that cause Dukkha because we see everything clearly as they are.

Buddhist meditation include two major activities, concentration and contemplation. Concentration practice devlops calm and focus, which helps contemplation. Contemplation develops insights and wisdom, which also increases concentration. They are practiced in tandem. Both very important.

Knitting can be used to do concentration. I think this is quite obvious to see. Focus on each stitch as you knit. Not letting your mind wander off into the future. Not hurrying to finish a project. Not thinking about the what's next. Just concentrate on making each stitch. It is what it is. No agitated mind can make the project go any faster. Stitches will not magically appear. Why not be calm and just be. If you want, you can repeat your favorite knitting mantra in your mind while you go through the motion of making a stitch. You see, not only will you be practicing concentration, calming your mind, you will less likely to make mistakes!

Knitting can be used to contemplate Kamma (Karma in Sanskrit). When you cast-on, you are performing an action that will bring certain effect. Cause and effect. With each stitch you make, you are either ensuring the result that you desire will come, or going a different direction by changing the pattern, or laying down the foundation for disaster by making a mistake. It reflects how life works.

One can probably come up with a few more contemplation themes for knitting. But I think you got the idea. This is how I see knitting can be used for Buddhist practice. If you would like to read more, here's a short article on meditation practice, 'Steps Along the Path'.