Knittings in 2012 (2/2) 2012 的編織 (2/2)

I usually knit something for my mom for Mother's Day and her birthday. As I was so obsessed with Color Affection by Veera Välimäki, I decided to knit as many as I can for my mom, my aunt, and myself.
通常我會打一件東西給老媽當母親節和生日禮物. 當時我很著迷 Veera Välimäki 的 Color Affection, 決定要打很多條, 給老媽給阿姨給自己, 打到吐為止.


The colors chosen were brights, something my mom didn't have, and I thought she would appreciate that. She did. She wore this a lot.
這條披肩故意選亮色, 因為老媽沒有這樣的顏色組合, 應該會喜歡. 果然. 一整個秋冬都是披它.

 

 Color Affection

Start date: 2012/4/8

Finish date: 2012/5/10

I spent more time on this shawl then I expected. Actually, I finished it but almost ripped and started over right away for (1) I didn't like how I did with the first stitch. It was too tight. I was knitting Color Affection for my aunt and applied another way and it was good. So I decided to re-knit my mom's (2) I didn't have enough yarn for bind off the second time. The cast off edge was tight and ugly. Very mad about it. Bought more yarn, undo the cast off and re-cast off. All good.

老媽這條我花了比預期多很多的時間. 事實上, 我是打了兩次. 原因是 (1) 我不喜歡第一次頭上一針的處理方式. 太緊. 那時已經在打阿姨的, 用的是另一種處理方式, 效果很好, 所以又把老媽的拆掉重打, 變成兩條同時進行, 又要趕母親節前, 手都快抽筋了 (2) 第二次打的時候線不太夠, 收針的地方太緊, 很醜, 看了很不爽. 乖乖去買線, 拆開重收. 好多了.

Bright blues, teals & turquoises are my aunt's favorites. I've knitted her quite a few items in those colors over the years. Since I'm knitting her something for Mother's Day, I went for another direction in color choosing: bright pink and orange.

阿姨最喜歡亮麗的藍綠色系, 以前也打過幾件這種色系的, 這次就要選一個完全不同的亮粉紅和亮橘.

  Color Affection

Start date: 2012/4/16

Finish date: 2012/4/28

After Mother's Day gifts were finished, I had to resume working on my mom's birthday shawl. I've been wanting to knit Rock Island, but never could quite decide what lace yarn to use. I wanted a real lace weight yarn so that I wouldn't have to struggle should I have to frog a little, but ordering yarn is a nasty business, and with all that lace yarn stash I have, I really shouldn't be ordering new yarns. So I picked a cocoa colored cobweb for the project. I was very, very careful when I knit, so that I wouldn't have to frog too much or too often. I had luck on that. BUT, the construction of the shawl was special, my first time knitting a shawl like that. The lace edge was actually knitted first, and then pick up stitches on the side and then knit across decreasing the way to the center top. Theoretically, it should be getting easier and easier while knitting, but no, it was really taxing. The FO was really beautiful. Ethereal. My mom LOVED it. She wore it right away the next day while meeting her friends.
母親節禮物完成後, 還不能休息, 得馬上繼續打老媽的生日禮物. Rock Island 披肩想打很久了, 是要付費的織圖. 當初看了沒買圖打, 是因為不能決定要用什麼線. 應該要用規規矩矩的蕾絲線, 那又要上網買, 明明一大箱的蕾絲線, 只是很多都是標準蕾絲線一半粗細的蜘蛛網紗...  實在不應該再上網買, 最後選了一組可可色的蜘蛛網紗來打. 這下可好, 打的時候得非常小心, 最好不要拆或退針. 這點這次很幸運, 沒怎麼拆或退針, 到是這條披肩的打法很累人. 第一次打這樣的. 下擺的蕾絲邊先打一條長長長的, 然後再從旁邊挑針起來打中間, 邊打邊減針到披肩上緣中間. 照理說這應該是越打越輕鬆, 其實是越打越累. 不過, 成品很美, 很輕盈, 老媽很愛. 第二天飯局就穿出去了.

  Rock Island

Start date: 2012/3/17

Finish date: 2012/5/23

At this point of the year, my knitting fatigue should had kicked in, but still I managed to crochet 2 bunnies, for they are too cute not to make. Sadly, my crochet technique is really bad, so the bunnies aren't as cute as they should be.

在這個時間點, 老媽生日過後, 天氣熱了, 我的編織倦怠也要發了, 不過, 還是鈎了兩隻兔子給兩小, 因為原作實在太可愛啦! 只可惜我的鈎針功力不夠, 小兔子們沒有我想要的可愛. 兩小到是愛得很, 天天抱著睡覺.

  Boxy Skirt/Shorts Bunny

Start date: 2012/6/30

Finish date: 2012/7/8

And then there was a hiatus until October. Before the end of the year, I made 6 pairs of fingerless mitts: 4 Cute as a Button, 1 Susie's Reading Mitts, and 1 Camp Out Fingerless Mitts.
然後就休針到十月. 年底前打了 6 雙露指手套: 4 雙可愛豆豆露指手到, 1 雙閱讀露指手套, 1 雙露營露指手套.

Also made more than a dozen hats. Some of them I didn't take pictures for most of them were commissioned: 3 Gwen Stacey, 1 Regina, 5+ One Day Berets, 1 Godric's Hollow, 3 Knit Night Hats.
打了超過 12 頂帽子. 有的還沒拍照, 因大部分都是人家託織的, 趕著給人呢: 3 頂關史黛西, 1 頂蕾吉娜, 5+ 頂一日貝雷, 1 頂高錐客洞, 3 頂編織夜.

2 pairs of leg warmers. Only took Scarlett's picture, mine hasn't been photographed, they're dark gray in the same pattern.
2 雙襪套, 只拍了若的, 我的沒拍, 是雙深灰色同花樣的.

 Some Cloudy Day

Start date: 2012/12/5

Finish date: 2012/12/7

Last but not least, 10 pairs of socks: Hermione's Everyday Sock (aunt), By the Seine (mom & K & me), Hedera (mom), Monkey (mom), Maelstrom (mom), Lateral (mom & me), Vanilla Latte (mom, not photographed).
最後是 10 雙襪子: 妙麗日常襪 (阿姨), 塞納河畔 (媽, K, 我), 赫德拉 (媽), 漩渦 (媽), 側邊 (媽 & 我), 香草拿鐵 (媽, 還沒拍照).

Cookie A Socks Cookie A 設計的襪子

Although it seems almost impossible but I have been abandoning my blog for six months!! Actually, I've been also kind of abandoning my knitting for about four months, only occasionally I continued to knit Mandala II for my aunt.

Before I went on a hiatus on updating the blog, I actually had three pairs of socks done, all of them were Cookie A's design: Hedera, Pomatomus and Marlene. And all of them were knitted with Knit Picks' yarn: Stroll and Stroll Tonal.

Marlene was the last project I worked on before the four-month break from knitting, but I still have to take pictures of them.

So, here they are: Hedera in Knit Picks Stroll Burgundy




The leg length was shortened, shorter than I used to like, for after wearing and washing the socks grow....






These are Pomatomus in Knit Picks Stroll Tidepool Heather:




Knit Picks Stroll are quite nice to work with. Stroll Tonal's even better! Really nice quality and equally nice price!

More Hermione's Every Socks 妙麗日常襪第二彈

As promised, I knitted all 4 colorways of my Kertzer On Your Toes 4Ply with Aloe Vera leftovers into Hermione's Everyday Socks. And here they are!

Hermione's Everyday Sock 妙麗日常襪

After seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, I was so inspired and wanted to knit those garments and accessories they wore. Hermione's Everyday Sock wasn't in the movie but it was in my mind. Saw it a while ago and would like to knit it. I was motivated but projects kept coming up. When I finally had a break I saw Havanaise' ravel which made me cast-on the sock.

看完哈利波特死神的聖物上後, 受到很大的激勵想要把主角們在電影裡穿的毛衣和小物通通都打起來. 妙麗日常襪並不是電影裡出現的, 很久以前就看到想打, 不過一直有其他織物在產生, 好不容易空檔出線, 又看到 Havanais 的筆記, 就馬上開打這雙襪.





Like Havanaise, I have a high instep and often find shoes uncomfortable. I've been knitting socks for sometime but found them didn't fit as well as I would've liked. I thought it was because the elasticity of the cuffs. Hand-knitted wollen sock cuffs aren't like store bought ones. I've been knitting socks toe-up for whatever reason toe-up cuff was considered more elastic than cuff-down. Besides, back then grafting was my Achilles' Heel. Only last year I learned Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off, the twin of Judy's Magic Cast-on. So ashamed. Being a sock knitter and not know about JSSBO.

跟 Havanaise 一樣我的腳背高, 買鞋常碰到穿起來不舒服的狀況. 襪子也織了幾年, 始終覺得不那麼合腳好穿. 我以為是襪頭彈性的問題, 且由於不知名的原因一直打趾起襪, 覺得趾起的襪頭彈性會比襪頭起的好. 那時候也不會縫接, 襪頭起打的腳趾處要縫接, 是我的罩門. 又到了去年, 我才發現有珍妮超有彈性收針法, 是茱蒂魔術起針法的雙胞胎姊妹. 真是有夠遜. 號稱是襪子織女卻不知道有這種收針法.





After knowing JSSBO I thought my toe-up cuffs might be improved greatly. Well, not quite. It was a wee bit better, that's all. I only knit one pair of toe-up socks, Triton, before I decided to knit mainly cuff-downs. Since I've overcome my fear for grafting, I have no fear for cuff-downs. Besides, after consulting with Havanais about knitting the heel flap longer, I've a full-steam engine!

知道珍妮超有彈性收針法後心想我的趾起襪頭會更有彈性了. 並沒有. 只是感覺不那麼沒彈性罷了. 此後, 我只再織了一雙特里同襪, 就決定要多打襪頭起的襪子. 且現在會縫接了, 就沒有再怕襪頭起的襪子. 再請教 Havanaise 過後, 就全力織起來了.


Although Hermione's Everyday Sock's stitch pattern doesn't strike as breasthtaking assessing from its Ravelry pattern page, but one will grow on it. It has my new favorite Eye of Partridge heel, and it has a twist of garter edge. The stitch pattern is so simple and easy the hand can knit itself automatically without the brain proccessing on it. And it works very well with variegated yarn.

妙麗日常襪的織圖介紹頁上的照片看起來模樣並不驚為天人, 但是打了一定會喜歡的. 她有我現在最愛的鷓鴣眼模樣腳跟, 且還有起伏邊. 主體模樣超簡單根本不用記手就會自己打, 不需要經過大腦了. 這模樣蠻適合段染線的.


I have four colorways of On Your Toe 4 Ply with Aloe Vera. They were knitted into Floret Toe-Up Socks, Blackrose Inspired Toe-Up Socks, Triton, and Edwardian Boating Socks. They all have leftovers and each about 25~30 grams, only enough for one sock. So I decided to knit 4 socks and wear whichever 2 I pull out of the drawer! Call me crazy, I need to wear them at home, too, for this past winter was really cold. No one would mine if the socks aren't the same color. A pair can be two things SIMILAR. I usually wear my hand-knitted socks when I go out. Who knows, I might wear these out some day!

我有四組含蘆薈 On Your Toe 4 Ply 襪線, 分別打成了 花苞趾起襪, 當作黑玫瑰趾起襪, 特里同, and 愛德華風划船襪. 每一組都有剩 25~30 克不等的線, 只夠打一隻短襪. 就這樣決定把它們都拿來打妙麗日常襪, 每次就穿隨手抓出來的兩隻吧! 很瘋狂是嗎? 這個冬天太冷了, 在家也要穿毛襪 (通常我的毛襪是出門時才穿). 誰會注意兩隻襪不同顏色呢? 再說, 一雙本來就可以不需要一模一樣啊! 誰曉得, 搞不好哪一天我就給她穿出門!



Eye of Partridge Heel with Garter Edge
鷓鴣眼起伏邊腳跟





Knitted 38 rows for the heel flap and picked up 20 stitches. They fit so much better. The stitch pattern on my ankle isn't distorted by stretching. I'm so happy!

腳跟打了 38 排, 挑 20 針. 腳跟加長後穿起來真的有差, 舒服多了. 而且腳踝上方的模樣不會因為緊而被拉扯得變形. 真開心!





I ran out of yarn, a few rows before toe-grafting, so I used some from another colorway to make up.

第一隻打到腳趾縫接前幾排沒線了, 拿另一組來補.





As for this colorway, I had less yarn, so it ran out much earlier, and I used some yellow fingering weight merino to finish the forefoot. Was going to combine a carrot color lace with it to mute the bright yellow and give the substitute yarn a more cohesive color tone. But eventually I scratched the idea. The color combo actually resulted better than I thought.

第二隻這組線本來就比較少, 打到腳前半就沒線了, 拿恒源祥黃色細線來補. 本想多拉一條橘色蕾絲線, 柔和亮黃, 也讓補的線色調較接近原線, 但最後作罷. 結果還不錯, 沒樣我想得那樣醜.







Now off to knit more Hermione's Everyday Sock!

好了, 要繼續織第三織襪了!

Edwardian Boating Socks 愛德華風划船襪

This is my last skein of On Your Toes with Aloe Vera and the darkest in color. I didn't realize how dark it is until I start knitting but the colors are truly beautiful. And as the last pair of socks, I asked for pattern suggestions. This time I chose Mary's Edwardian Boating Socks, for its different pattern stitches.

這是最後一球含蘆薈的襪線, 也是顏色最深的一球. 本來不覺得深直到開打後, 但顏色很美. 這雙一樣是請眾姊妹建議, 本次採 Mary 建議的愛德華風划船襪. 選它是因為模樣非常與眾不同.



I was about to CO when I read about knitting the "arrow" from Ravelry. A fellow knitter's description almost made me give up the pattern. I CO anyway and soon found that I worried too much. The "arrow" was actually not fuss at all!

要開打時在 Ravelry 上看到一位織女說那個 "箭頭" 有多複雜多難打, 讓我差點打退堂鼓. 當然我已經先看過織圖了並不覺有甚麼難的. 所以還是開打了, 等打到 "箭頭" 時發現一切都水到渠成理所當然, 很容易的!




The pattern on the front (r) and back (l) of the leg is different. 襪筒前(左)後(右)模樣排列不同


It was the heel pattern that made me want to knit this sock. I like it a lot.

就是這個腳跟模樣讓我決定打這雙襪.




Linen stitch heel 麻布模樣腳跟


The toe was grafted but I think it wouldn't make too much of a difference if you just pull the yarn through all the remaining stitches.

襪子由襪筒開始往下打, 腳趾是縫收的, 不過看起來跟把線穿過剩下的活針目拉緊好像沒兩樣!




Grafted toe 縫收腳趾


The toe and partial instep 腳趾和腳背模樣

Triton Socks 特里同襪

When I picked up this ball of sock yarn, I asked for pattern suggestions from my knitter friends, although I have saved lots of socks patterns. I chose this one suggested by Margaret for it's simple, no fuss, appealing pattern.

隨手從樟木箱中拿出這球襪線, 上來請眾姊妹建議織圖, 雖然自己已經收集了很多襪子織圖. 特里同是瑪姐推薦的幾個織圖之一. 很快就決定打這雙是看上它簡單大方易織的三叉戟蕾絲花. 特里同是希臘神話中海神波賽頓的兒子, 手持的武器就是三叉戟. 這雙襪子因蕾絲模樣形似三叉戟而命名為特里同.



What's different is that this is my first pair of socks with Eye of Partridge heel. I saw dear Marie Adeline did it on a pair of socks designed by herself and have been wanting to knit that heel. Actually, it was the heel that made me chose the pattern.

這雙襪與以往打的不同處是腳跟, 不是常見的滑針 + 下針而是鷓鴣眼模樣. 之前看到 Marie Adeline 自己設計的襪子上運用這種腳跟花, 就很想打來穿穿看. 其實, 會選這雙來打就是因為這個腳跟!



Eye of Partridge heel 鷓鴣眼腳跟


Eye of Partridge heel 鷓鴣眼腳跟


For unknow reasons, I CO with larger 2.25mm needles. Maybe I thought my feet would feel more comfortable around my protruding joins of thumb phalange and metatarsus. It does! And I changed back to smaller 2mm needles for knitting the remainder of the socks.

不知為何, 用了 2.25mm (而非 2mm) 起針. 也許我覺得這樣打出來會稍微鬆些, 穿在我突出的大拇指根部骨頭部位會舒服些. 真的也! 等過了那塊骨頭就換回 2mm 的針打.



The lace pattern was really nice and easy to knit. I don't think I've ever enjoyed knitting socks as much as this pair.

三叉戟蕾絲花簡單易織易記. 這雙襪子是我打得最愉快的一次.



The first half of the feet was knitted with larger needles 腳底前半是用較大號的針打的



Recently I learned that a longer heel flap can better fit higher instep. I've knitted quite some socks, more than a dozen so far, and I really want to try a longer heel flap and see how it fits. Actually, I think not only it might feel better but also easier to put on. I found pulling up knitted socks a little difficult, cuff-down or toe-up, all the same. At first I thought it was the elasticity of the cuff. Now I think it's the heel flap, for the socks kind of got stuck at the heel while being put on.

最近發現腳跟如果打長點對腳背高的人來說會比較好穿. 打了超過一打的襪子, 無論打鬆打緊, 趾起筒下, 在襪子要過腳跟時一定會卡一下. 以前一直認為是襪頭鬆緊度不夠的關係, 現在看來是因為我腳背高, 腳跟不夠長的關係. 下一雙要來打個長一點的腳跟...



It is obvious that the sock stretches/strains at the front of the ankles 腳踝前方的襪子撐得很黑厲害

兩雙趾起蕾絲襪 Two Toe-Up Lace Socks

I know I haven't been updating my blog for quite a while. Usually, or should I say, when I started blogging, I used to post several times on a project. If I posted only once, that was because I was a fast and fierce knitter and hadn't the time to post about the progress before the project was already finished! Anyway, I should keep this blog updated for I really have quite some FOs queued up. I've been blogging bilingually for quite some time, and although I live in Taiwan, I found blogging in English faster! So, English first for now and I promise I will get the Chinese ready in no time!



Floret Socks (left) and Blackrose Wanna Be Socks (right) both by Margaret Edelson.




Floret Socks is the first pair of lace socks I test knitted for Margaret. I used 2.25mm needles and the result is a little bit loose for me (another reason is lace is knitted all around). I didn't use 2mm needles as the pattern for I already snapped one of the set of six Knit Picks Harmony Wood sock needles. I decided to buy KP's nickel plated fixed circular and for the time being, I knitted with 2.25mm needles and tug a little more on every stitch. But, by doing so, I bent one of the 2.25mm needles. Very nerve wrecking now knitting with these needles.


Bind-off edge and 1x1 ribbing.

Actually, I was a little reluctant to knit another toe-up sock. I've been knitting several pairs of toe-ups and worn them frequently during winter and no matter which kind of bind-off I used, they weren't as stretchy as I would've liked them to be. I knitted toe-up because I couldn't graft and couldn't get myself to learn it right. But things took quite a turn last year: I know how to graft! I had two shawls/stoles that were knitted in two halves and required grafting. So, I HAD to learn how to graft for I really didn't want to leave UFOs lying around just because I couldn't master a technique. Since I grafted a mohair/silk shawl, grafting a toe for a sock should be no problem at all.

So, while knitting Floret, I was looking for a REALLY stretchy bind-off for toe-up socks. And I found Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off. Very strange and very stupid of me, that I knew Judy's magic cast-on but not know its twin?! I gave it a try right away and I LIKED IT! Whew! Looks like I don't have to give up on toe-ups now!



Gusset increases (left) and toe increases (right).


I test knitted Blackrose Wanna Be Socks for Margaret. It was inspired by Blackrose, a cuff-down sock which my dear friend still feels intimidated to knit, so she reversed the direction and turned it into a toe-up sock. Only 1/4 of the sock is knitted in lace and you can wear it with the lace on the inside or outside!




Since I was test knitting, I intended to have two identical socks. But look what happened: the color didn't match up from the ankle! Then I remembered when knitting the second sock, there was a knot. I didn't even think about it, I untied the knot and felt join, and knitted on. Not until I finished the second sock and put both socks on to take pictures did I realize that the color sequence was off! The first 100g skein I used to knit Floret Socks didn't have knot(s), but a friend of mine who had an exactly same color skein did have knot(s) and her socks' color sequence didn't match up either. I happen to like On Your Toes 4 ply, so it's a pity the quality seems not quite consistent. Well, if anyone's knitting with this, please keep in mind to watch out for the knot(s) and rearrange for the color sequence to match.

I used 2.25mm needles for these, and the result is a bit tight, for only 1/4 of the round is in lace. I haven't washed them yet, but if one prefers a less snug sock, I personally suggest a larger needle, unless one's a loose knitter.


2x2 ribbing and the elastic bind-off.



The gusset increases.


The lace pattern.

Sock knitting can be soothing for me, when I don't know what to knit but really need something on my hands. Well, of course, I need to have sock yarn and a nice pattern to go with at hand. We don't have sock yarns here in Taiwan, so I have to order them elsewhere. As to the pattern, I have quite a few and many times just can't decide which to knit! So, if a friend asks me to test knit a sock pattern, it would be perfect me!

Another thing that have been bugging me for a while is that most of the toe-ups I knitted were worn and broke at the heels. Is there anyway of reinforcing the bottom of the heel? The back of the heel is already strong enough with the slip stitch pattern. Or is it really I should go back to the regime of sloughing the heels weekly as I used to when I didn't haven't kids? When I didn't have kids--that is the point! I'll try though to do keep a smoother heel this year!