Jack-O-lantern 2015!

   This is my son's Jack-o-lantern.  It was fun to work on this with my son.  He drew lines for eyes and mouth...but it was a little bit tough for him to cut out the thick pumpkin, so I helped him a little bit.   I had never carved a pumpkin before, and I didn't know that inside of the pumpkin was that empty!  I was imagining that the inside was filled with a lot of seeds and gooey stuff...but there was not much!   
    I put on the candle and turned off our living room light.  "Wow" ...that was the first word we said....The picture doesn't show the outline of the pumpkin well....but I like the lighting!   I sent this picture to my friend in Japan, and she said "Different sizes of eyes makes this lantern more creepier!"  I totally agree to her.  My son didn't mean to make them different sizes...but in the end, his hard work got paid off!  
   My son doesn't know that I enjoy watching this lantern even after he went to bed tonight. 

Free finger-less mitten pattern

   It's getting cold day by day!  I just completed my new pattern for finger-less mittens.  This mittens only require short yardage of yarn and can be finished in short time!  Let's start making these mittens before it gets really cold!  Video shows 'how to add a stitch (how to Make 1 stitch)' for thumb gore for your mittens.


Click Here to Download

Materials you will need...

• 2 color of Baby DK (category 3) yarn (main color -about 150 yards, for Fair Isle pattern-about 40 yards or if you have two-inch diameter yarn ball, it would be enough!)

• US size 3 (or 4 for relax fit mittens) double pointed needles(set of 4)
• 2 stitch markers
• about 8 inches of scrap yarn to rest stitches
• 1 tapestry needle to weave in ends

Amigurumi mouse Colby

Colby(Colbies) the Mouse(mice)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I participated in a craft show last Saturday.  The venue was new to me, but it became a very enjoyable show.  I met a lot of kind people and I also had a chance to talk with my vendor friends!  Gaining new friends through craft shows always gives me a good reason to go back to another one!  I still remember that I was very nervous when I took part in a local craft show about 6 years ago for the first time.  I was full of fear --- I had no idea how the craft show would go and I was not sure if I were able to understand local people's conversation! ( My native language is Japanese. ) I just hoped  that I could give a right change to people who purchased my items!    
   Amigurumi mouse - Colby - is the very first item when I get ready for each craft show.   I like small and round creatures, and children love them!  It is fun to make these little mice thinking of smiles of those children.   I always enjoy chatting with little kids and they sometimes give me ideas what to make next.  This mouse Colby (I took the name from a cheese name) has helped me to start a nice conversation with people who comes to my booth! 

My favorite book of Fair Isle pattern - 200 Fair Isle Motifs

   I like to go to my local library to find new and old knitting books.  I have some books that I often 'renew' the period of borrowing.  One of those books is 200 Fair Isle Motifs - A Knitter's Directory, by Mary Jane Mucklestone - (c) INTERWEAVE.   It introduces from one or two-colored pattern with small number of stitch repetition to multiple-colored ones.  I often refer to this book when I want to find a cute pattern and color combinations.  All stitches has colored-pattern and that is very helpful.  Most of my yarn stock is 'worsted weight' and I love using patterns from this book for my hat project!  The pattern on the hat in the picture is made by 4-stitch repetition and 4 colors.  When I don't have exactly the same color of yarn as the book shows, I need to think about the color combination by myself.  It is always a challenging work for me to do that.  I really admire the beautiful colors of Fair Isle pattern in the book. When I open this book, I always feel like that I have a very kind 'teacher' sitting next to me!  I strongly recommend this book if you are thinking of learning Fair Isle patterns! 

New fingerless mitten pattern (free) is coming soon!

   I am working on a finger-less mitten pattern right now.  This will be a pattern for beginners.   I just finished one mitten for right hand.  I am going to make the pattern as simple as possible so that you can try without a fear!  
   The yarn that I used is baby DK (category #3) and the needle size that I used is US 3 (set of 4) double pointed needle.  Other materials you will need is short (about 8 inch contrasted color scrap yarn), 2 stitch markers, and tapestry needle to weave in ends.  Original size for finished product will be for small to medium.  If you would like to a little relaxing fit, I recommend using size 4 double pointed needles (aka - DPN).  Come back to check on my blog again next week!  (I'm planning to finish the pattern by next Thursday!)  Thank you!

Two-needle cast on

   Have you experienced tight cuffs of your knitted socks?  Even though the cuff is made by ribbing, it would not stretch well...... If sock cuffs were too tight, you would not like to wear them-- that is very sad ending.  If I made an unwearable item (unexpectedly), I would cry, saying "Give me back the time!"  Making socks  takes time.  So, we would prefer to being happy when we see our completed works.  Cuff making is the very first step for us to take when we make socks (well, some people make socks from toe, though).   Two-needle cast on is a rescuer. This is a good technique for making a little stretchy cuffs for small items.
   As you can see in the pictures, simply use 2 needles when you cast on.  After casting on the number of stitches you need, remove one of the needles.  At this point, you can feel the stitches on the needle are loosely sitting on it.   This is very simple and effective technique to solve tight cuff problem. 

I love merino wool

    Merino wool is regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep.  The size is about 24 micron - compare with human hair, it is about 1/4 to1/5 size of it!  I have dyed merino wool several times, and it is always my favorite wool.  If a yarn content is 100 percent merino, the color comes up beautifully all the time.  Pictures on this page are fingering weight yarns that I dyed. Hand painting (hand dying) goes through the following process.  First, the yarn needs to be soaked in water with some mordant, like vinegar or salt, at least 30 minutes.  It is for removing air bubbles inside of fibers.  If the air is trapped in the fiber, that part doesn't absorb dye very well.  Next process is, making dye solution.  Powdered dye is easy to handle.  I usually use hot water to dissolve the dye powder.  And next, take out the soaked yarn from water, and squeeze out the excess water.  Then, put the dye solution on it with sponge brush.  After finishing this procedure, wrap the yarn with plastic wrap, and put it in a steamer.  I usually steam it about 30 minutes.  After going through, kind of a rough process for fine fiber, it still holds shimmer and softness when the dying process is over.  If you haven't tried merino wool yet, don't be afraid!  This yarn is stronger that you think!  I think merino is the best yarn to make a next to skin item such as shawl (scarf ) and hat. 

Yarn Engineer - Stephen West

   I admire Stephen West very much.  Every time I see his works, I cannot help thinking that he is an engineer of yarn.  His design reminds me of an architecture which has a beauty and a function.  He has a lot of shawl patterns and they look very beautiful and Kakko-i-i (=Japanese word, and it means 'cool').  I like all kinds of cool stuffs.  When something is created, it always starts from an imagination.  He is the person who can visualize his imagination with yarn.  I want to try doing the same thing, but on my finished work, it is hard to see my first imagination.  I mean, sometimes, the work is far from it!  How can he make such a wonderful art work?!  I really wish that I had at least 1 of 10,000 of his talent.  To get to know his work better, it may be a good idea to try his pattern first.  Well, I am not yet experienced knitter.  So I need to pick one that looks simple to me. (I wonder if there is such thing for me....)  Wish me luck!  
   You can find his patterns and books at the following links.
* jimmy beans wool  
* Ravelry  
*WEBS-America'sYarn StoreTM

Movie time - Irresistible Knitting Time!

   I like watch movies -- cartoons, actions, and romantic comedies.  I also like knitting something simple when I am watching a movie.  Garter stitch work is always good companion for my movie time.  The picture on the left is a dish drying mat that I made while I was watching a movie.  Garter stitch - both 'right side' and 'wrong side' are knitted as you know.  Garter stitch work is usually finished in a short time.  My son always says "Can't you stop knitting while you are watching a movie??  You always say 'do one thing at a time!"   --- When I hear this, my inner voice is telling him like this --  "Yes, my son, you are right.  But...Especially, when I have to watch kids' cartoon which I am not so keen on, I really need to hold something that makes me feel really good!  I just want to make the most of my time."  I may be a little bit selfish, but as an adult, I have something that I need to do every day.  I feel a little bit guilty, but I cannot help.  About 2-hour movie time would often give me enough time to accomplish a small work.  

Reversible Cable Stitch

   There are a lot of stitches that I would like to try.  One of those stitches was 'reversible cable stitch'.  I found a scarf which was made by this cable technique in a book - Scarf Style 2 by Ann Budd (Publisher: Interweave) .  At first, I was hesitated to try because it looked very difficult to me - I kept thinking,  'I have never tried reversible cable stitches....Can I really make this scarf??'  I could not decided if I should try this scarf for three days!  In the end, I was tired of my 'negative' way of thinking, and I just grabbed a ball of yarn and a long circular needle.  I ignored its gauge instruction!  It was not a matter for me at all - if it became too big or too small - the size of finished work was not a problem for me. My curiosity about learning this cable stitches won over!  I follow the instruction religiously. The instruction was awesome! The shape of this scarf is a crescent.  It means, the number of stitches are increasing by the rows.  The huge number of stitches - 482 stitches at the final increasing row - was the only overwhelming thing for me,  but by then, I was able to see the cable stitches that I had made!  It was really good to know that reversible cable stitch was not so difficult than I expected.  
  A reversible wardrobe is very easy to wear -  we do not have to worry about which is front and back!   This scarf will be very handy for this winter!  Would you like to try making this scarf?!  It is your turn to try this!   Don't worry, you can do it!  
   About the book that I introduced above, it has a great collection of scarves - 26 scarf patterns!   You probably can find the one you would like in the book!  About the yarn that I used is Loops & Threads® Impeccable™ Yarn, Solid (color : Deep Forest).  - about 2 balls.
 The needle you will need is size 8 circular needle (32 inches - 40 inches).