Selbu Modern 色布配色貝雷帽

Selbu Modern was 2011-1 KAL project of Taiwan Knit Along.

And that was way back in Jan or Feb.

Scarlett asked for a hat in pink and magenta and Selbu Modern was a perfect match. I knitted to around row 30 and found the whole knitting really miserable. 

I used the tubular/invisible cast on featured in Interweave Knits Fall 2008, and tried to hide my float while knitting to avoid snag. I had had tension problem with stranded knitting, and thinking back now I wasn't really concentrating while working on it. Crappy results. Decided to rip. And then the weather got warm.

More than six months have past, with much cooler air, I started knitting again. Especially after two successful stranded berets, I thought, why not finish what I started? So, Selbu Modern was officially ripped and re-started.

This time I used tubular cast on with Judy's magic cast on. Way easier than IK Fall 2008 tubular cast on. No fuss at all. The only set back was the ripped yarn was so crinkled like ramen... but of course it got better after using up the quantity for the first 30 rows!

After finishing the pink Selbu Modern, I think I know why I was not able to concentrate the first time. The pattern has been updated and although I didn't compare the versions side by side, I was sure the newer version was better.

Delighted, a second Selbu Modern was cast on, for Sebastian. The yarns were the same type as the pink version but in yellow and blue. And I found that the newer version of the pattern was written and colored exactly like how I was going to knit Sebastian's Selbu Modern! Seriously, when I re-started Selbu Modern and before getting out the pattern, which I downloaded again from Ravelry instead of going through my hard drive, the color combination was already decided!

Seba and I really liked the colors, although it's kind of more Swedish than Norwegian!

Béret Généreux 大方配色貝雷帽

Beret Genereux was the 2011 4th KAL for Taiwan Knit Along.

I With the permission of Isabelle Allard, had the beret in mind for quite while, but never got to pick up the needles and yarn. Even when I was helping on the translation, doubt was still lingering in here about whether or not I would knit it.

This was the first project I made after the four-month stop on knitting. And I ended up knitting two berets. One for Sebastian and one for Scarlett.

It's not my first stranded knitting, but I had always had a problem with the yarn float. Since the pattern called for worsted weight yarn, I figured it might also be a good project to destash all those fingering weight yarn I have. An off-white merino fingering was used double-stranded to pair with a blue jean/various colors variegated sport-dk weight wool yarn.

It was really interesting to knit for the brim was corrugated ribs and I tried a new tubular cast on: Tubular Cast On with Judy's Magic Cast On. The colorwork chart was so easy to follow that it took only one night and one morning to finish!

After a successful stranded come-back knitting, I cast on for a second beret, pairing the same off-white merino fingering double stranded with the same type of sport-dk weight wool yarn, but in magenta/various colors variegated.

The first beret was knitted during a weekend, but the second had to span into the week, but still, it just  took two more nights after work and dinner & etc to finish.

Scarlett and Sebastian were impressed by the colorwork! And I have yet to take pictures with S&S wearing them!

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!

Mother's Day 2011 100年母親節

This is Cassandra. Marie Adeline Boyer's latest. It's not done yet, not quite, but it will be. Real soon. I promise.





MA's Cassandra is my saviour. I was suffering from a nasty cold and was too tired and weak to knit anything. When I saw MA modeling Cassandra on Raverly, my eyes widened immediately for I have just the yarn and cause for this pretty shawl. It is a real pick-me-up! Years ago I bought 2 cakes approximatley 250 grams of these hand-dyed fingering weight 80/20 cotton/silk in apple green and planned to knit into a summery top, which never happened, of course. And I'm almost sure it will not happen. For they are even better if knitted into this lovely Cassandra! So, I fished the cakes of out my yarn chest, assembled my Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeables with US6 needle heads and cast on. I was so quick, even I haven't been knitting the same overall patterned shawl for quite some time. And I am now 7 reps out of the 8 reps chart B called for.



Leaf motif


Leaf motif, you can see the buds!


As to the yarn, I really don't know the brand and such. It was dyed by a local knitter here. She bought undyed yarns in bulk off eBay UK and hand painted herself. I don't even know the yardage. And I'm too lazy to calculate! Anyway, 2 cakes 250 grams is suffice to a simple short sleeve top. It is very loosely spun with 5 strands of 2 plies. Have to be very careful while knitting so as not to pick up any single 2 ply strands, which will then stick out real ugly. Although wet blocking does not change the size of the finishing shawl, but it will help smooth out uneveness and loose picked single strands. That is the single not so good thing I can say about this yarn.

Godric's Hollow 高錐客洞帽

OK, remember I said I was so inspired and would like to knit everything I saw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I? Well, after Hermione's Everyday Sock (which did not appear in the movie) it's this inspired beret/hat, imitating the one Hermione wore in the movie while accompanying Harry to visit Godric's Hollow on Chrsitmas Eve.



S&S in their coats and raincoat and Godric's Hollows ready to go to Kindergarten.


I picked up the mulberry colored leftover yarn from grandma's. My aunt was looking for odd balls to put together as a vest for her granddaughter, while helping her out, I picked out some leftovers: 2+ balls of worsted wool in mulberry, some variegated worsted wool in plum/salmon pink & etc., some variegated worsted wool/angora blend in pink/gray/yellow & etc., and 1+ball of purple angora/acrylic/cashmere blend. These can be knitted into berets or mittens or even both!


Recently I've been reading Kate Davies' blog and was so excited about corrugated ribs, so I decided to give the beret a twist. But these are pure wool yarn and they're itchy, so lining should be applied. I read about bi-color turn up hems on Ysolda's blog and brim lining on Kate's, and went to pick out some leftover lace yarn and cast on.







The berets were a quick knit using worsted weight yarn, but the brim aren't as elastic as I thought. No matter, the twins still love them a lot. I love them a lot, too!





I knitted the berets in adult sizes. I can wear them, too! So, they can wear them for a while!

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!