Since 2003/07/06
Usually Updating on Saturday or Sunday.
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A Little Bit of Nothing
Mi chiamo Garyo. Yes. My fingers are all thumbs. But LOVE knitting, tatting and crocheting. Among them, my oldest hobby is crocheting; started when I was nine. Next year, Mother taught me how to knit. About five years ago, I happened to come across tatting. Again, my fingers are all thumbs. The road ahead is bumpy. These are records of a person with all-thumb-fingers struggles and has fun with knitting, tatting, crocheting and so on. |
2004.11.14 KNITTING 
So, I've finished with my broadripple socks. As already written, I used SummerSocks yarn and size 3 needles. This time, I did Kitcher stitch after a long interval. And the first sock were just a mess. Well, I need to do it once in a while. My next sock project hasn't been decided yet. I have plenty of 4 ply yarns and I have 4 skeins of Regia which I can make 2 pairs with. Maybe I would make one with the Regia. 
And now for something slightly out-of-dated.
Or is it still in? I've been extraordinarily busy from last December to June. I hardly had my weekend off; I've been to work almost every Saturday and Sunday. And I've always worried about missing last train. And that deserves me a kit of the Absolutely Fabulous Throw or two. So, I've ordered two kits to awesomeewe in September and I've received yarns yesterday. One kit was right but the other kit was not what I've ordered. I've already written e-mail to awesomeewe. I haven't got reply from them, though. 
Anyway, I've made skeins into yarns and decieded to knit a diamonds throw. This is my first time knitting with Colinette yarns. I'm sorry to write, but at first, I didn't think they are not fabulous so much. Well, wonderful, but not more wonderful than other yarns. But while working with my reeler and winder, I found out their magnificence. First of all, there is no knot in 100 g skeins. I usually use 40g ball and approximately one out of five, or worse, one out of three balls has a knot. 
But those Colinette yarns have no knot. What a yarns! Also, Colinette has same colourways for different types of yarns. Well, I know most of you know this fact, but I didn't. That can make possible to assemble this fabulous kit. I'm using 8mm needles and this is the largest needles I've ever used. Large needles require more movement to your hands. But as I knit, I became not aware the size of the needles. 
Yes, it is very fun to knit with Colinette yarns! I somehow stay away from what we call "fancy yarns". I love to work with straight yarns. They are simple, but because of its simpleness, I can make variety of knitting fabric. With "fancy yarns", I can knit an unique fabric but I didn't feel like I can make various fabric. But, maybe I was wrong. It's just a matter of your imagination. I'm thinking of bringking the throw with me to Kyoto next month. 2004.11.14 TATTING 
Last month, I've got a skein of Irish linen and a skein of hand-painted silk. Both are so wonderful. Yesterday, I made them into some balls. Above is a photo of them. The silk balls are much bluer actually. I've got them at a weave stuff shop but I think I can use them for tatting. I'm thinking of making a small purse with linen. But first of all, I have to do some experiment. 2004.10.24 KNITTING Information: I also write almost same content in Japanese. You can visit here if you'd like to. 
As I learned knitting with American method, I want to catch up on it. Since I know only how to knit and don't know how to purl (Ahem, yeah, I CAN guess and find out how to purl and actually I've done it. But you know, first of all, knit! And knit is important), I've decieded to make something I'm familiar with: Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf. I've already made this beautiful and superb scarf three times last winter. The picture above shows a skein of DiaMusee in color no. MSE40. I'm using size 8 needle. In a way, I still feel awkward when I knit in this method. But for SSK, it is much more like it than knit in my ordinary method, Continental. And I feel my hands get a little tighter than usual. Well, when I finish this scarf, I'm sure I get used to it! 
And now for something slightly different. Of course I'm knitting with my ordinary method as well. This picture shows three skiens of ROWAN 4Ply Soft. They are true to their names, so soft, extremely soft, and I can't resist squeezing them! At first, I got them because their colours are wonderful: Wisteria violet (No. 375 Buzz) and chartreuse (No.379 Goblin). I'm thinking of knitting Fawne in Rowan Magazine No.36 with them. 
And this is the sock in progress, Broadripple sock with Summersocks Col.05. I'm using size 3 needles. I knit this only when I'm out. I put the pattern in my little Tungsten C and refer to it once in a while. PalmOS devices are so convenient to carry around with patterns. You have to make text files and convert them in Doc files, but that's almost all you have to do. If you'd done it, you just HotSync it to your little PalmOS device. How easy and compact! If you tend to get into things, you can convert your text file to MeDoc file. In this case, you can make tag like "back," "front," or "sleeve" and jump to the part you want to knit. I've done this before, but now I like more simple way. And, yes, I'm working on a biggie project: Seed stitch cardigan with Debbie Bliss Merino DK. I'll show it later, maybe next week. 2004.10.17 KNITTING 
So, I've been to my first KNIT-OUT on Saturday!! And, it was maybe the first KNIT-OUT event in this country. I'm just wowed! Wow, wow, wow! I'm sorry to say, but knitting is somehow impoverished handicraft in my country. I really hope that this event touches off a wave of knitting. I'm almost praying. The reason why I'm writing so is that Clover and leading yarn companies gave away free yarns and a pair of knitting needles to all the participants. On the needles, you can see the logo, "CLOVER KNIT-OUT." They are made for this event. I can tell those companies are no more serious than ever. Every autumn, I feel numbers of yarn shelf are getting less and less than the year before. I hardly see and hear someone knitting or crochetting. I'm just keep on knitting in my house as always, and maybe on the commuter train or bus, in the cafe, in the office, and whereever and whenever if it's possible. In the photo, the scarf I made at the event with given yarns (SKI Very Soft Polka Col.302) and needles. I pretended to a novice knitter and learned how to knit in American way from a young lady. She said she was a student majoring dressmaking, especially knitting and crocheting. I usually knit in French (or you may call this "Continental") way. I felt so awkward at first, but I've seen an old lady from Ireland knitting in this manner and soon I learned to knit almost naturally as I knitted in French manner. Well, I'm not a fast knitter after all. It was so fun! And knitting is so wonderful. 2004.10.17 CROCHET 
I've got a book, "Bead Crochet" by Bethany Barry and it arrived this morning. And I've started to make beaded crochet rope right away. In my country, I hardly see this kind of ropes and patterns for them. I saw this in the Lily Chin's "Knit and Crochet with Beads." That rope was with sparce beads. But later, I've found some ropes with bung-full of beads. And I was attracted. At that time, I could see how to make them, but never tried. And I was right. If I've tried before, I just blowed up. I've never thought of a mandrel. It is a must for making beaded crochet ropes. In this photo, I'm using a size 6/0 crochet hook for a mandrel. At first I thought a double pointed needle would be good for it, but I don't have a proper size double pointed needle made of plastic or steel. I usually use bamboo needles and they don't suite for the mandrels. Bamboo would be too vulnerable.  So I used the crochet hook and it worked very well.
I used DMC Cotton Perle No.8 col.3685 and a size No.4 hook. I love the colour of the thread, so I put only one bead for one single crochet. I also love these beads. They change colours if you see them from different angle. They are almost blue, but they sometimes dazzle as if they are in yellow or gold. Superb beads. 2004.10.11 OTHER 
I bought Hand Loom, we call it "Genti Loom" in our country, and made some motifs with it.
"Genti" is derived from a French word, "gentil". It said "You can get familiar with the principle of weaving" on the box. Here in this picture, I was about make hound's teeth check and right side motif is called "Chirs-woven fabric". Under this motif is my GameBoy Advance SP and this would tell how small the motifs are. Checked fabrics require fine works and a lot of time. But, plain-woven fabric is fast and easy to make. 
This picture shows checked fabrics and plain-woven fabrics. Checked ones' edgings are made of single crochets. The fabrics are so light. It would be very nice to make scarves or shawls with these motifs and wear them in early autumn or late spring. Every time I knit or crochet with 100% wool yarn, I'm afraid that it would be too hot to wear this when it is completed. It gets cold in winter where I live, but it might not be too cold to wear a sweater made with 100% wool yarn. This Hand Loom would be one of the solutions for this problem. Also, you can make a flower-like motif. 2004.10.03 CROCHET 
Suddenly, thunder struck me and and I desperately want to crochet. That was last Monday and I've started making Flowers and leaves as shown in a lower row. I'm using Puppy's 4Ply and a size 3/0 hook. And about Grandma Motifs in an upper row, I'm making this for a cushion called MOGU. MOGU is not only cushions but it is used as stuffed animals, shock absobers, and so on. It contains powdered beads inside. It is so squeezy and I feel extremely good when I squeeze it. I'm not a stuffy-lover, actually, but when when I've met a MOGU stuffy and squeezed it at first time, I've fell in love with it. I'm not writing in exceesive manner; it is a fact. So I just couldn't resist when I saw MOGU cushion. Of cource I've got it and started making a cover. These Grandma Motifs are part of the cover. These motifs are made of Olympass's Emmy Grande, crochet cotton thread, and I'm using a size 2/0 ebony hook. 
And I took this picutre last Monday. I'm planning to make 29 leaves and 22 flowers and join them up. That will be a kind of scarf. It would be nice to wrap around a crown of a hat. I've been away from crochet for a while. That makes my crochet awkward. But it's fun! It is absolutely fun to crochet. |
Completed Works Archives 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12 2004/01 - 03 2004/09 Links Hermitage of Garyo Japanese/ English Osare Koubou written only in Japanese; my handicraft web page |