2016-12-21

Sweet Little Nothing

Knitting has been a frantic thing for me at least in the past two years. It has become anything but a calming, soothing, constructive, productive pass time, hobby or whatever is the buzz word these days.
這兩年來, 編織對我來說已不是甚麼紓壓, 舒緩, 有建設性, 有成就感的時間打發還是嗜好還是甚麼的.


This blog has never used to be the place of ranting about anything but knitting which was what I vowed to do in the very beginning, yet somehow it might change a bit from now on, since things in our lives will effect and show in our knittings. It is what I believe now.
這個格子從來就不是拿來說非編織的事, 以前也未曾拿來唸不是編織的事. 只不過, 以後恐怕要出現些非關編織的事, 畢竟, 生活上的事情會反映到編織上. 不是嗎?


As an effort of pulling myself out of our knit along group projects, away from everything that is going on in Taiwanese knitting circle, and truly focus on what knitting is supposed to bring me, I started knitting what I really want, what I really like. However long the project has been in my queue.
為了讓不要被自己群織項目制約, 不要被台灣編織圈影響, 要回歸編織的初衷, 我要織我想要織的, 我喜歡織的, 不管在待織清單上放了多少年.


I knew Marie years ago in my knitting blog reading and following days. I knitted  most of her designs but not Sweet Little Nothing. Marie is taking a break in designing (my words) and is very busy studying law, practicing law, raising her child, and living her life. And I miss her. With all that happened in both of our lives, it's just like what she said in SLN: " Les meilleurs choses sont parfois les plus simples. Pourquoi ne pas essayer petits plaisirs du quotidien? (Simple things are sometimes the best. Why not search for happiness in all those everyday life's little pleasures?) "
認識 Marie 好多年, 她的設計只有幾個沒有織, Sweet Little Nothing 是其中一個. Marie 近來沒有再設計新作, 因為她忙著唸法律系, 忙著在律師事務所盎上班, 忙著養孩子, 忙著認真過日子. 忙到讓我很想念她. 因為在我倆生活中發生的林林總總, 想起她說的一段話: 最簡單的事物有時候就是最好的. 何不在日常生活中尋找自己的小卻幸?


The yarn used is handpainted by Chin, a talented yarn painter and knitter whom I met a few years ago. I consider her yarn babies the best of our island. It is a 75/25 merino/nylon sock yarn in the color of coffee beans and I have 10 skeins from a 55-skein batch ordered by a knitter who wanted to start her sock club but later decided not to use them for she decided the color didn't sit well with her, despite the color scheme was discussed, test dyed, and samples confirmed. Anyway, the skeins were later adopted by several of us and I got 10 beautiful coffee colored yarn babies.
帽子用線是 Chinno 羊毛手工營的手染線. 琴子的手染線我認為是台灣手染線第一把交椅. 這組 75/25 美麗諾/尼龍 咖啡豆色襪線是我從一批 55 絞手染線裡認購 10 絞中的一絞.


I wasn't a huge fan of folded brim, maybe it's because it is widely used in Japanese style knitting which I cannot conform myself to all the time and thus tried to avoid it, although sometimes it would be fun to explore and experiment with it. I was lazy and didn't use provisional cast-on but cast-on in long tail method. I could but was in a state of hurrying in starting something. Maybe because of that, the twisted ribbing stand at an angle instead of perpendicular to the folded edge.
其實, 我沒有特別喜歡內折帽沿. 也許是因為和風編織用很多, 我遇到和風編織會鬼打牆, 所以能不碰就不碰. 儘管如此, 偶而玩玩實驗一下, 也挺有趣的. 總之, 因為懶, 又煩, 想快點開始個 project 跳脫這些煩人的事, 不用別線起針而直接長尾起針, 也許如此, 內折邊的扭羅紋有點斜. (不過, 扭羅紋內折本來就有會斜的傾向.)
 



Knitting with 2.75mm is very rare with me. I have several fixed metal circulars but very seldom use them. It is an odd feeling. Working with these made the process seemed longer, like working on a pair of stockings, especially when the size the bérêt intended is slouchy - 24 more rounds. Should the yarn weight were sport, the normal size rounds would suffice but will have the slouchy effect.
雖然我有三付 2.75mm 固定式金屬輪針, 但鮮少使用. 它是個尷尬的針碼. 用它織帽子感覺要織很久, 像是在織雙長襪, 尤其這頂帽子我要織鬆垮版, 比普通版多了 24 圈. 如果用 sport weight 線, 織普通版, 應該可以用鬆垮版的效果.


Blocking a hat is as important as blocking a lace shawl. I've knitted my share of hats, some blocked some not, it depends, but to be honest, all hats needs blocking. Sweet Little Nothing would not become a bérêt without blocking. That said, note to oneself: but a 10-inch plate, for blocking.
帽子的定型和蕾絲披肩的定型是一樣重要的. 織過的帽子不少, 有的有定型, 有的沒定型, 要看. 說實話, 帽子真的需要定型. Sweet Little Nothing 沒定型前根本就不是貝雷帽. 還有, 提醒自己要買一個直徑 25 公分的盤子, 專門定型用.

Before blocking 定型前
Beanie-like before blocking 定型前像貼頭帽
Beanie-like before blocking 定型前像貼頭帽

Sweet Little Nothing has a perfect balance of lace and cable, not too much not too little, more would be over-powering less would be under-designed, like Mozart's music. The color of the yarn, although dark, has such depth that the presentation is neither too heavy nor light, nor too pretentious or bland. I love the pattern with this yarn.
Sweet Little Nothing 是蕾絲和麻花的完美組合, 不會太多不會太少, 不會過於繁複阿雜不會過於簡單無趣, 多一點少一點都不行, 就像莫札特的音樂. 帽子的顏色, 雖屬深色, 但有層次和深度, 顏色的呈現不過度濃厚也不太過淡薄, 不過於華麗也不太過平淡. 這個帽圖配這色毛線是最佳組合.

Slouchy version 鬆垮版
Bérêt - after blocking 貝雷帽 - 定型後
Blocking opens up motifs 定型後花樣明顯






2016-11-22

Annual update

Can't believe it's been another 13 months. It's has become a serious issue updating this blog. Especially when I've been feeling not quite well about things around here, specifically the knitting community.

These are some of the things I made after my last post here in 2015.


I've been knitting since 2005. Back then I was a lone knitter and had only one fellow country-knitter friend, who started the first knit along group here. Knitting here is heavily influenced by Japan in every way. I didn't like it and taught myself knitting with American and European patterns. As the years went by, knitters learned more through all kinds of platform, knit-alongs, knitting meet-ups are everywhere, also experience sharing. All was well. Alas, not quite. All would be well should they be established on the basis of respect. In the least amount of words, a decade passed, nothing's changed. Our knit-along group changed several formats and it kind of not work as well as we would've liked.

Since I didn't follow attentively my fellow country-knitters in the beginning, didn't start to during the past years, and still don't. It's all the same. Every one of the groups and pages and blogs. There were incidents which in the end led me to believe that it's utterly chaos.

Maybe I should start again, from the beginning. 

Knit something I truly like, notes on Ravelry, and write about it on my blog.