Happy Anniversary!

Ok, so it's not until tomorrow, but we've been playing with our new toy for a few days now. Boy, is it a whole lot faster than making french press coffee! Push a button and a few seconds later, it's caffeine bliss.

Our Solis Master 5000 Digital has become a member of the family. We greet "Mrs. Solis" every time we pass by her coffee bar area, complete with Starbucks vanilla syrup. I know true coffee lovers aren't supposed to like syrups, but I can't help it!

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FINALLY.... after almost 2 weeks

I swear I was convinced my Knit Picks order had gotten lost in the mail, or never processed. I placed my order 12 days ago, and I know they're generally slow but this was getting ridiculous. I guess when you pay only $1.99 for shipping, you can't really complain though...


 

Here's a sampling of their new cotton blends: Top row - Shine Worsted in Blush, Main Line in Red Velvet Cake, Main Line in Antique Rose, Main Line in Butter Pecan; Bottom row - Shine Worsted in Wisteria, Shine Worsted in Coral, Shine Worsted in Terra Cotta

Now to knit up some swatches! 

I hate blocking

As promised, here's a pic of the butterfly pin I made for my Sophie bag. It's the butterfly from the scarf in Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. I used two types of alpaca yarns: The grey heather is Plymouth Indiecita Alpaca worsted, and the orange is Knit Picks' Andean Treasure in Sunset. It wants to curl like mad, but I really hate blocking (even on something small like this), so I might just sew it on the bag directly. Right now, it is attached by a pin backing.

After completing the butterfly per the pattern, I thought it looked rather boring and needed more detailing. Hence, the stitching in the wings. Looks more like a monarch, don'tcha think?

  

I love New Seasons!

Okay, so they served me a grilled chicken sandwich that was raw in the middle, but I still love New Seasons. They have the coolest stuff there, like these paper clips I just had to have:

 

I like how they included a background paper that looks like a tree with acorns on it. 

My fingers are flyin'!

Over the last week or so, I've completed a project, started a new one, re-started an old one, and I'm researching yet another. Must be something about spring that's gotten me all worked up.

After finishing about half of the Sophie bag, I decided that it was too loose, even for a pre-felted item, on the US 10.5 needles. So, I started over on US 10s, Clover circs to be exact, and I liked it much better. Here she is, in Cascade 220 color number 9460 (a really pretty green/grey heather).



I'm in the process of knitting up a butterfly in orange and grey alpaca yarn to put on the front of the bag. It just needs something, ya know? The pattern I'm using for the butterfly is from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. I'll post a pic when I'm done.

Since my normal wallet won't quite fit in Sophie, I bought this cute little gorilla wallet at a shop in Lake Oswego called Lucky Me. I also had to have the Hello Kitty cell phone antenna charm. It was just too perfect with my existing Hello Kitty "Princess" sticker I had on the back.



While I was waiting for Sophie to block, I started work on the Blizzard shawl from Scarf Style. I had actually bought several skeins of Sierra yarn from Knit Picks to make the Oregon Vest from Oat Couture, but I hated the way it looked. Not sure if it just wasn't the right color (I got it in Mist), but I had to rip it out and find some other use for the yarn. I realised that the color is so flat, much like the gunmetal grey of a military airplane, that it didn't look good on a girly girl like me. However, it would make a really sleek and warm shawl/lap blanket. Here it is, about halfway done:





I've also picked up my very old project, Kathy from Rowan's Cork Collection. This sweater's been in the works for like, ever... I can't even remember when I started it, but I think it was from before we moved to Oregon, so we're talking middle of 2005. I'm just knitting up the buttonhole bands, but all the main pieces are done and waiting to be blocked.

Since it looks like I'm near completion on that, I started looking into what to do next. I'm looking ahead to spring, as so many of us are, and I remembered that I've been wanting to do the Apricot Jacket from Rebecca 27 for a long time but never got around to deciding on the yarn. Unless I find the "real" stuff on sale or on eBay, I usually hunt down a more economical option. I might use Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, but I just noticed that Knit Picks released some new cotton yarns that might work.



I also love the Sweater with Diagonal Ribs from Rebecca 24. It reminds me a lot of Pinup Queen from Stitch 'N Bitch, but with bell sleeves and additional diagonal ribs. So much to knit, how's a girl to decide?

Not-so-Chinese Charm-less Bag

I'd been wanting to make the Chinese Charm Bag from the first Stitch 'N Bitch ever since it came out, but since the yarn was discontinued I never got around to it until now.

I tried finding a similar yarn with the same shimmery character, but it seems like all the yarns with even the smallest amount of silk or metallic thread costs $15+ per ball/skein. So, I resolved to find a yarn that still had the same striped or variegated look.

Last weekend my LYS the Knitting Bee, had a yarn sale and I was there when the doors opened (along with several others - it was a packed house). I immediately spotted some Noro Big Kureyon on sale, and fell in love with colorway #7. I crossed my fingers that it would work for the bag, and after only 1 skein, here it is!



Here's the inside liner I hand-sewed. I originally had bamboo handles, but I thought the rattan matched better, and gave the bag a rustic, country feel to it. Thus, a country store themed bag liner!

Wow, an FO!

After months of working on stuff and setting it aside or ripping it out, I finally have a finished object! Here's the final Booga pic, using Noro Kureyon #128.

 
 

Update on Booga 2

Carol's Booga Bag is now felted and in the drying process. Here it is, upside down, where it will remain until tomorrow, when it'll be completely dry.

 

Booga 2

I'm back to knitting, after a crazy month of moving, being sick, and holiday stuff. I'd been working on some mindless scarves, but nothing worth blogging about.

Now I've been asked to make another Booga bag for a family friend. I headed out to the Knitting Bee, less than a mile from my house (less than 3/4 of a mile, to be exact!), and they actually had the exact color she wanted in the Noro Kureyon. And since I'm Japanese, I gotta point out that it's "coo-RAY-on" (as in 'crayon'), not "CURE-ee-on" as I often hear it pronounced.

Here's a day's progress:

 


Note the tamago stitch marker! 

da Hood

I was impressed with my husband's picture-taking skill on this one, a snap of Mt. Hood as seen from my in-law's bedroom window.

 
 

I wish I were a baby!

Ok, so everyone I know would probably argue that I am a baby (or at least, act like it). But seriously, these little slippers are so damn cute. I'm considering putting my brain to use for once, to come up with an adult-sized version of the pattern. Ok, I'm done considering. Who am I kidding? I'm like, the only Asian person on the planet that missed out on the math genius gene.

 


"Baby Slippers" from Adorable Knits for Tots by Zoe Mellor, knit in "Shine" from Knit Picks, colors Cherry and Cream. Needles - US 2, shell buttons from Jo-Ann. 

I'm sick in the head

This potato was in my in-laws' weekly vegetable delivery basket. I about died. Should I sell it on eBay?

 
 

Hello, kitty

Last weekend we went to the big Japanese supermarket, Uwajimaya. It was just like being back home in the Bay Area! Asians everywhere, and Mikey was the minority for a change!

We really had a great time looking at all the fun stuff. Of course, I had to buy stickers at Kinokuniya bookstore. And we bought a bunch of rice crackers and instant noodle bowls (the good kind, not Top Ramen). But we were disappointed in the selection of things, particularly their candy isle. They just didn't seem to have the exact items we've come to love. I will, however, give them kudos for being the most non-Asian smelling grocery store I've ever been to.

Here's the big find of the day. When I was a kid, I used to love making these box kits. When I saw this one with all the Hello Kittys on them, there was no question it was going into the basket. From my past experience, I know that you're supposed to use the special Japanese paper paste to glue the washi onto the box. I don't know why exactly, but my mom always bought the one in a flat, yellow tube. Being the good girl that I am, I picked up a bottle of Japanese paste. Mom would be so proud.

 
 

Two for the price of one

Can you believe it - two posts in one day! I was so excited to find a package of yarn on the doorstep today. I just had to share!

As you probably don't recall, earlier in the year I received two beefy skeins from Handpaintedyarn.com, sent to me by my (then) Secret Pal. I ended up knitting a small rug, slightly felted, that sits at my bedside. Well, it did when I used to have a home. Anyhow, I should really get around to taking a pic of it because it's really cute.

I've always meant to place an order from this place, which does all hand dyed yarn in an amazing assortment of colors, at even more amazing prices. I finally got around to it, and I just love what I got! Definitely worth the 2.5 week wait (it came from Uruguay).


Top: Ejido 160 in Robles, Handspun Bulky in Triple Azul; Bottom: Merino Wool Bulky in Cooper, Ejido 160 in Picnic, Colonia 140 in Cinnabar
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These will likely become scarves - yes, more freakin' scarves - or other small projects. I purposely ordered onesies so that I can get a feel for the different yarns and how true their colors are, since I've never ordered from them before. After my little "taste test", if I like it enough, I'll see about ordering enough to make a great rustic looking winter sweater. Okay, gotta go squish my fingers into these skeins!!

Why doesn't it look like the one in the book?

I know there have been some discussions, particularly on the Knitter's Review forums, about substitute yarn for Ene's Scarf. I did the research myself before starting on this. Now, since I didn't use the original yarn, and given my limited knowledge of how specific fibers bloom over time, I don't know if this thing will eventually lay flat and look a little more... how do you say... polished?

It seems to look puffy, and the stitches look wrinkly. I'm hoping that a dunk in some water will even out the stitches, and a light press will smooth out the puffiness. As you can see in the second pic, I'm having to hold down the edge stitches because they're curling.


Ene's Scarf is chuggin' along!
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closeup of Ene's
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Aside from my feverish knitting, I have been spending time trying to "get to know Portland". I still can't believe I live here. I keep thinking this is just a visit to the in-law's that keeps going...and going...and going...

Well, at least we are under contract on a house. So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We're supposed to move Thanksgiving week, which seems like an eternity, so I'm not terribly excited just yet. Once things get closer, I'll start to feel like it's more real.

Since we don't know anyone (our age) here in Portland, I've been having a hard time finding those little hidden gems that I know exist here. We don't live in the "cool" parts of town, so I've turned to lurking around other Portland bloggers to see where they hang out. Not to stalk them, but just to hear about cool places, yarn stores and otherwise.

I think that once we settle into our own house, and get our lives in normal working order, I'll try to get out to the yarn stores and try to meet people. So totally not what I would normally do, so we'll have to see if it ever happens. Hey, I'm from the Bay Area - we're just not that social.

Hello, I'm now an Oregonian

Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged, but let's see... I found out we were moving and 4 days later we had all our belongings in a POD. The following day we drove to Oregon. And now, three weeks later, we are under contract to buy a house. I'd say that excuses me from slacking on the blogging.

I haven't, however, stopped knitting through all of this. I of course brought all of my needles and various accessories (ball winder, stitch markers, etc.), but all I needed was some yarn. Not hard to find here in Oregon.

I purchased some stuff from Elann and had it shipped to my in-laws' house (where we're temporarily shacking up). One project I've been working on is Ene's Scarf in Peruvian Collection Baby Silk in the color Raspberry. Aside from a few pattern repeat blunders, it has been relatively easy to follow. This is the thinnest yarn I've ever worked with, but at least it's done on size 6 needles since it's lace. That's about as small as I'll go - I just prefer to work with larger needles.


Ene's Scarf from Scarf Style in baby alpaca/silk blend
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The other project I have for those mindless-knitting-while-watching-TV times, is a 3x3 rib scarflet in Lorna's Laces Angel. I actually started knitting it (I made up the pattern), and decided that I could make it a little wider and longer. So, I ripped out the first half and I'm going to start over. Here are the two balls ready for a second go. This yarn is so incredibly luscious. I highly recommend it if you're willing to splurge a bit (it cost about $10 for a 25g hank, 50 yards).


Lorna's Laces Angel in Sand Ridge colorway
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And finally, my in-laws just got back from a 2-week trip to Italy and lookee what I got! Real Italian yarn, spun right there in Florence. I just love the interesting yarn construction of the burgundy yarn - doesn't it look like it's crocheted in chain stitch? Fabulous!


Euro yarn!
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Very cool, very interesting yarn
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Waaaaahhhh!!!!

Well, now that we know we're moving (at some point), I'm starting to make my rounds and making one last visit to my favorite LYSs.

I had some errands to run in Los Altos, so I stopped by Uncommon Threads to see if they had the new fall Rebecca magazine in (issue number 30). Woohoo! They had it, and although many of the patterns are way too funky for me, I just like having all the issues. I imagine having a nice, organized "library" of knitting magazines and books in my soon-to-be knitting room. I can't wait!

Yes, I actually get to turn a bedroom into a knitting room, where I can organize my yarn and pattern books. Right now, our place is so small I have my things tucked away in a thousand different nooks and crannies - basically, wherever there is space. I can never find anything, and I forget what I have because half my stash is in a hard-to-reach shelf high up.

But, I digress. Here is what I picked up on my final visit to Uncommon Threads. I noticed a new yarn there, Rowan RYC Soft Tweed. Something about it really grabbed me, so I got a ball to make yet another scarf. This is Slate Blue, color number 7. I liked how it has very subtle tweedy flecks. It isn't a nubby tweed, and overall the yarn is sort of felted-ish.

I really enjoyed working with the Crystal Palace Kid Merino for my last scarf, so I picked up another ball in a light green (sage, number 5448) to bring out the green tweed in the Rowan yarn. I was really tempted to buy a similar color in Rowan KidSilk Haze, but it was more than twice the price of the Kid Merino. One of these days I'll learn how to splurge.


Last stuff from Uncommon Threads
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What would I do without wool/silk blends?

Probably knit with something even more expensive, like cashmere. Yikes!

You know it's a bad time for me when I pull out the expensive stuff to knit with. It's the only thing that helps me get through all the anxiety. This bulky wool/silk blend from Carolina Homespun's Blue Moon Spinnery is so incredibly soothing. It's insanely soft and plush, and the color is softly variegated with a subtle sheen from the silk.

Though gorgeous by itself, I really wanted to add a bit of mohair haze to it. I picked up a ball of Crystal Palace Kid Merino in one of their printed colorways, Red Cinnamon (9798). It does the job well, but I must admit that it does cover up the silky shine of the Blue Moon yarn. Oh well. I love the way the scarf is turning out and I can't wait to wear it (when it gets cold enough!).


Delicious!
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The scarf is based on the single rib pattern version in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I modified it by slipping the first stitch of every row, so that the edges are smooth and neat. I also worked on fewer stitches because I like skinnier scarves.

Calgon, take me away!

Well, it's been pretty stressful around here lately. We're STILL waiting to hear if we can move. I don't know if this has contributed to my back pain, but it got so bad I actually went to see a chiropractor for the first time. It was good for a short while (a few hours), but things quickly slipped back into its 'bad place'.

Since there's nothing I can do but sit and wait, I've been stewing in my anxiety. I decided this called for drastic measures. I dug deep into my stash and pulled out some delicious yarn that I'd been saving for a special occasion.

I bought 6 balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran last year at a "sale". I use quotes because the store jacks up their prices so much that a sale only brings them down to normal prices. At the time, I didn't know any better, so I bought the yarn thinking it was a great deal. I don't regret it though because it's absolutely soothing. Perfect for this time of need.

I stole a portion of the pattern for Fair Isle Jazz from Scarf Style. I wanted to try something new, and I'd never worked a bobble before. They're fun!


Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran bobble scarf
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I've also been working on two other projects that are now finished, but I can't show them because they're for you-know-who. You'll know who that is, if you're that person!

A toucan exploded on my yarn

Yesterday I dyed some Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks with Kool Aid. Though fun and yummy smelling, the result was something only a hippy would appreciate. Hmm, Santa Cruz is just over the hill...


Soaking the yarn (looks like spaghetti!) in hot water with some Wool Mix
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I dissolved two packets of each flavor in about 3 tablespoons of hot water, then used a turkey baster to apply the colors (rinsing out between colors). I originally wanted only the pink, yellow, and green, but I ran out of color before I got to the end, so I had to use the blue to fill in the rest.


Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade, Lemonade, Lemon-Lime, Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade
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It smells great, but good lord... what am I supposed to do with something this hideous?!


Hung out to dry
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Here's what $45 will get you at Knit Picks

Okay, it was $46 dollars and some change, but you get my drift...


Clockwise from top left: 4 Wool of the Andes (1 each in daffodil, fern, pumpkin, holllyberry); 3 Wool of the Andes Natural (for Kool Aid dyeing); 2 Crayon in Blue; 3 Crayon in Light Blue; 1 Shimmer in Happy Dance; 4 Andean Treasure in Sunset
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I'm so pissed! I just went to their website and discovered a couple new yarns out! What the hell?! They just sent me a catalog in the mail last week with no mention of this. I've already announced that I will have to place another order. Good thing the free shipping is for orders over $30. I like free shipping.

Success or not?

I'm a perfectionist. If you don't plan on doing it right, don't do it at all. That's basically how I operate. No wonder I'm a stress case.

But when it comes to knitting, felting your knit goods means you have to throw a bit of caution to the wind and just hope it all turns out. Not something I'm used to doing, but the felting process has some really good upsides - you can be a bit sloppy since it all becomes one smooth fabric.

Before I felted the Canteen bag, both the front and back pieces (rust and red) were exactly the same size, and of course were the same number of rounds and stitches. Somehow, though, the back ended up shrinking waaay more than the front. I haven't decided how much that bothers me.


Front of Canteen bag
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Flap up view
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Back view
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I have two theories about why this happened. Theory Number One - when knitting the side (green), you simultaneously join the front and back pieces to it by picking up stitches and knitting them together with the side. I think that something in this process contributed to the back side being more tightly felted together with the side. You can sorta see that there's a bigger ridge on the back side where they meet, as opposed to the front.

Theory Number Two - since I used two different colors for the front and back, perhaps the red just shrinks more than the orange? I'd be interested to know what would happen if I tried this again using the same color for front and back.

Specs: Canteen bag knit with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky, colors Loden Leaf, Medieval Red, and Rust (1 skein each); needles US #11 (Clover bamboo); gauge 3 sts/inch

A couple surprises

Let me start by reiterating how skanky our current place is. Here in CA, there are a lot of places with old and weird floor plans. For instance, our laundry room is outside... and it's in the FRONT of our house! How messed up is that?!

When I do laundry, I'd prefer it to be in a relatively clean environment. But since ours is in a weird outdoor room, I often find moths in the cabinets. When they die and fall on the floor, the ants come and feast. Then they get thirsty and decide to crawl all over our washing machine. You have to wipe them up before doing a load.

Then today, I went out there and I found a few friends waiting for me. A spider decided to have babies under the cabinet. Lovely.


I love where I live
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Ok, on to better things. I was browsing the latest Interweave Knits magazine and decided to try knitting the Canteen Bag by Rachel Battaglia Nissen using some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky I had in my stash. I was truly surprised at how fast this thing knit up! I'm a super slow knitter, and it only took me about 2.5 evenings. I'll post pics after I felt it.


front of canteen bag, before felting
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Back of canteen bag, before felting
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Another side project I'd been working on is a little cardigan sweater for our new kid, Jake. We got Jake in Arizona and he'd been complaining since arriving in California that it's too cold here! So, I took his measurements (which was easy since stuffed animals have seams you can follow), and grabbed some Andean Silk from Knit Picks in the color Yarrow. Since he's sort of triangular-shaped, I knew I'd have to make it a raglan sweater. The back photo really shows the raglan decreases, and the moss stitch edging. Of course, now all the other kids are jealous.


Jake in his new sweater
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Back of Jake's sweater
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