Little Purl of the Orient

Avril Magic

The a big box of Avril goodies arrived direct from Kyoto, Japan, the home base of Habu Textile. Knitters write poetry about  Habu, I can only tell you this box made my day, week and month. Frustrated with the lack of Habu products here and the necessity to order something from Asia through the States and paying all the postage, I wrote to Avril, Kyoto in Japan directly. The process of placing the order took quite a while (over 1 month in fact) but it was a very pleasant one with very cordial emails exchanged with Avril whom I believe work through a translator to fulfill my order.

And look at the packaging, so meticulously Japanese, so zen, so to-die-for. Not everything is for me. I was very restrained and ordered only 2 kits and the Setsuko Torii book.

First is the equivalent of Habu kit-19, the Linen Paper and Silk Short-sleeve Jacket. It is known as the No. 3048 in Avril's site. And I chose a grey combination (colour numbers). The kit comes with the yarn, buttons and pattern. A word of caution though, the pattern is in Japanese and very, very brief. Basically, the pattern is a handwritten/handdrawn schematic and much shorter than what is normally published in Japanese pattern books, including the Setsuko one.

The second kit is for a brown vest from the Avril "Kawaii" Book. I've always wanted to knit this, the construction is so simple, made up of just a rectangle and a square.

It is knitted in 3 different yarns: Tsumugi Silk (A1), Cork Chenille (A25) and Mohair Loop (A123), all wound and ready to knit. And it is the first time, if I didn't remember wrongly, that I actually knit with the exact yarn in the exact colours as called for in a pattern. It is really exciting to see the yarn on hand looking like that in the book.

Before I started working on these, there are some WIPs to wrap up. The Kusha Kusha scarf is knitted and felted, and husband is very happy with it. All that is needed are some nice light for photos. I'm also knitting a neckwarmer with the Habu Cashmere Nep that Olga sent me. 2 strands of Cashmere Nep with one strand of Cashmere/Silk yarn in a light grey blue hue. The stitch pattern is from a Japanese stitch directory, which really has some interesting stitch work to experiment with.

It's finally February

February Sweaters are sprouting out everywhere and I've been wanting to knit one for ages. Completely inspired by this charming little one where the lace is replaced by stocking stitch, I had to cast on for one.

This one is intended for charity. And the beautiful Fleece Artist wool is perfect for this project. Before I could post about the WIP earlier, the sweater is done! And I even have the perfect vintage buttons for it in my button stash.

I added another inch to the sleeves, which are just very slightly shaped, after I cast off for the body. At my husband's suggestion, I kept the garter stitch edges at the sleeves at different lengths from the body egding.

This is knitted entirely seamlessly, the sleeves are knitted in the round and the underarm stitches are picked up.

I've about 69g of the same yarn (worsted weight) leftover and would like to knit a matching something. Any suggestions?

And have you seen the adult versions like this cute stocking stitch one by Melissa and Pamela's fabulous February Lady Sweater (free pattern available too)? I can so see myself knitting one for myself too. One day.

Because something very special arrived from Japan today and I just can't wait to start swatching! I'll have to knit whatever on hand (which includes a Fluttered Sleeve Cardigan, ahem) every quickly before they become UFOs.

The best rainy day projects ever

Today is the last day of the Dragon Boat Festival weekend and finally we see the sun. The skies cracked and poured mercilessly. The black rainstorm warning was hoisted and we were homebound the whole of Saturday and most part of Sunday. It was too humid to knit, so out came the sewing machine.

My sewing plans are just as grand and unrealistic as my knitting ones. Too many things I'd like to sew but too little time. I'd always wanted to fiddle with the Liberty fabric that Joy gave me so I decided to sew JY a skirt. I used a 'pattern' from a Japanese sewing book. Essentially, there is no paper pattern just a few pieces of rectangles to cut out and sew.

Easy, so I thought, until the gathers nearly had me. Thank goodness for elastic bands. They are just so forgiving and hide a many crooked lines.

And thank goodness JY has some style. She can make a plain, normal skirt looks so cool.

Since summer is approaching, I let JY search my stash to choose the fabrics she likes and sew her some more. I wonder how she's going to wear them.

This one is just one rectangle with an elastic band and rickrack.

When CY saw the below red one, she asked what I'm doing with sister's pillow. Yes, the fabric that was used to sew JY's pillow.

Speaking of CY, she just doesn't like any of the skirts and wants only pants which are a lot trickier to sew. I'll have to think of something.

Another tunic-vest

A knit completed in the wrong season. The weather is once again hot and humid and not at all suitable for a woolly vest. JY, being the ever so appreciative recipient of handknit garments, seems not quite aware that wool shouldn't be worn in summer. She jumps on an opportunity of an ever so slightly cooler morning to put on the vest that I recently finished for her.

You might notice that the middle tassel is not properly done at all and is coming undone, I'll have to fix it. The pattern is from this Japanese children knitting book. There's another sweater and a neckwarmer in there that JY wants me to knit. I used 6.5 balls of blue light worsted weight yarn bought from Beijing last Easter. Each ball is not 50g but something like 62.5g.

It is a straight forward, trouble-free knit that was done mostly in the bus. Just double ribbing and garter stitch. JY likes it a lot and so does MIL who has asked me to knit her one in exactly the same pattern and in the same colour. I'm not sure it will look becoming on her so I must really think of something.

The sun is still shining

When I left the office last Thursday, the sun was still shining. And how refreshing it was. I just wanted to go back and see my kids before they go to bed, and give them a hug and a kiss.

The devastation in Sichuan, China from the strong earthquake on Monday is unfathomable. The death toll is expected to go up to a staggering 50,000. Entire towns got grazed to the ground and only 20% of the populations in those towns survive. Yet what the survivals will face is unimaginable, without family, clean water, food, cover or medication.

It was reported that over 5 million people will become homeless. That is equivalent to more than the whole population of my hometown, Singapore. The images of the crying Sichuanese hurt, heartbroken, and hungry are just too heart wrenching. On the other hand, it is so encouraging to see the relentless rescue efforts of the Chinese government.

And the heartwarming humanity of mankind. Aids are arriving into Sichuan. The least we can do in the comfort of our homes is to donate generously.  Please give no matter how little to a local charity that you can trust, to help the living to live. And pray and send some good thoughts their way. Also to the neighbouring Myanmar (Burma), where Cyclone Nargis killed 100,000.

Let's let them know the sun is still shining.

This and That – Part 2, Project Spectrum edition

I've been clocking 12-hour days at work for the past 6 months. And this is starting to take its toll on me. Time with husband has increased a bit because I commute home with him now that my working hours are matching his. However, I'm not spending as much time with my daughters as I used to and every weekend is very precious now, even a quiet afternoon of colouring and drawing is very much cherished.

You might have noticed my appearance here has been getting scarce. Not only that, my unread Bloglines has stayed well above 3000 for quite a while. But I still do knit, albeit now always in mindless stocking stitch, garter stitch or ribbing. Sometimes, when the adrenalin stayed high after a day's work, the soothing clicking of the needles really do help calm my nerves and help me go to sleep.

For the bus and for bringing-everywhere knitting, I now have this Gathered Scarf in green Araucania Ranco, a gift from Joy. It is sock weight yarn so I've modified the number of stitches and row to achieve a similar effect as written for a DK weight yarn. I'm loving the different shades of green and not minding one bit it is knitted in small needles (3.6 mm and 2.75mm). JY likes it too and this will go to her when finished. It will take a while though.

For the at-home knitting, I'm immersing myself in some Habu goodness. I've finally cast on the Kusha Kusha scarf in Terra Cotta and Brown from Olga who's been spreading the Habu love and showcasing some fantastic Habu knitting. My husband has already 'booked' this scarf and it'll go to him when completed. Yes, it's kinda orangey-reddish-brownish and not quite a guy colour but yes, he'll wear it, and has been asking for his 'zen' scarf. And opening up to this Habu knitting is scary-crazy, all you can think of next is Habu-Habu-Habu. Try it and you'll know what I mean.

Speaking of Olga, she sent my little CY a scarf too. And I can't help marveling at the fascinating construction. The pattern is from Knitting New Scarves.

Now that everyone in the family has or is going to have a new scarf except myself, maybe it's time to go cast on for one more.

This and that

Thank you for the Japanese tunic love. Seems that such longish vest is la mode right now and I have another on the needles, this time for JY. It is almost all done.

The pattern is from a new old Japanese kids' knits pattern book which I really like and have been hunting for a while. The pattern is written for knitting bottom up but as the yarn was bought last year in Beijing and not replenishable, I'm just converting it top down so that I could adjust the length should I run out of yarn. It is easy to do that because the vest is basically made up of 2 rectangles, double rib for the bodice and garter stitch for the bottom.

Some this and that FOs from a while back that are not blogged.

A Thorpe(pdf) for JY, which turned out a bit too big, meant for the Paris trip but she wore it only once or twice. I used 2 balls of chunky Japanese yarn and some orange Jaeger Como for the contrast. And pompoms were added as per JY's request.

Another hat for CY. Just simply top down according to Barbara Walker's tried and tested formula in Knitting from the Top Down, knitted in Knit Picks Andean, a gift from P. And I just couldn't resist adding a crochet flower, pattern from the above said Japanese book.

Last but not least, mitts for JY all the way from Olga! If I'm not mistaken, the pattern is from this Japanese Nordic Knitting Book showcasing some interesting knitting techniques. I bought myself the second volume and can't wait to experiment with it. More photos from these 2 books here and here.

Tunic or long vest?

I'd wanted to talk about the new magazines I got from Olga on Friday and the lovely gifts she knitted for my girls. The Spring VK is great, in my opinion and I feel so inspired to cast on. I've been me in anticipation for a knitterly weekend to finish up some WIPs and maybe swatch some new projects since we'd be homebound with a passing typhoon anyway. The storm came as forecast but so did the flu. Bah.

So the weekend knitting plan remained a plan and the discussion about the new mags will have to follow later. Let me show you then the latest FO which is now far too warm to wear.

The pattern is from this Japanese book, which also contains the pattern for the orange crochet scarf that I made earlier.

The greyish blue Chamonix in stash knits to the exact gauge called for but I have just one colour. I had wanted to hunt for some more contrast colours to do the fairisle band but I just didn't have time to do that. So one colour it will be.

It was a relatively quick knit on Clover 15 (6.6mm) needles. When I reached the neckband, Olga suggested that I knit a textured pattern so I went to look at the Barbara Walker Treasuries and saw the Swag Stitch or the Scallop Stitch in Book 2 which I liked immediately.

So tunic or long vest, you decide. It'll go into the closet until next Fall, I guess, unless the weather went freakish again.

Paris, Paris

I can't remember if this was the 4th or 5th time I've been to Paris. The last time must have been at least 14 or 15 years ago. Each and every visit had been done on a shoestring but it didn't diminish the charm of Paris one bit.

When we first landed at the new-to-me wing of the Charles de Gaulle, it felt so foreign. As the RER progressed into the heart of the city, the nostaglia crept slowly back and in no time, all is familiar once again. I wonder if my husband felt the same, I guess the feeling must have been stronger for him as he had lived there for 4 years once upon a time.

This was the first visit for our two daughters, so the Effiel Tower was a must-go.

We went, too, to the George Pompidou Centre, which is one of my favourite places in Paris, and the nearby Brancusi Artelier.

I went on a 'pilgrimage' to La Droguerie at Rue du Jour but came out empty-handed. And it was the one and only yarn store that we had time for, thanks to its proximity to Les Halles.

Looking back, I'm so happy of my self-restraint but it didn't really felt like that. Strangely, I was contented just by soaking in the ambiance in the shop. I didn't have to own any of those beautiful, foreign hanks of yarn.

The foul weather had frustrated me a bit in the beginning as we were not able to bring the girls to most of the sights around Paris. Then I realised, monuments or no monuments, the girls were having fun, no matter what.

CY was thrilled every time she saw a Smart car on the streets and requested to have a photo snapped.

And both JY and CY were equally excited to be just visiting the neighbourhood boulangerie.

And me, I felt happy just being there, in Paris, in the rain and the cold with my loved ones right beside me. And I felt happy, too, to have my big Misty Garden scarf wrapped around my neck.

I used the feathers and fan stitch pattern called Misty Garden in Scarf Style but added a few more repeats to make it broader. The yarn is Chieti from Puppyarn which had been in stash for quite a few years and I was lucky to find one more last ball at Cheerwool in the same dye lot to make it just long enough. It took 4 balls of yarn at 215m each, and I used Clover 10 (5.1 mm) needles to knit it.

Love the colours of this scarf, they are just like those from one of Monet's Waterlilies. Next time, we'll have to pay a visit to the Orangerie like Anne has recommended in her blog.

And it snowed in Paris …

We arrived in Paris on the first day of Spring. And what a cold Spring it is. We nearly didn't make it as little CY came down with a fever before departure and the mood for a holiday so far away nearly vanished. After some struggle and with CY's condition having improved, we decided to leave as scheduled.

I have yet to sort out the photos although there are not too many of them as it was raining almost everyday while we were there, and it snowed on Easter Sunday evening. This photo sums up what we did the first 2 days there.

Nevertheless, we all had a great time, the girls saw, heard and learnt a lot, they didn't want to leave, and neither did we.

So, a knit-related Paris photo: Beanie (which was supposed to be a Beret) Gaufre at the Metro.

I saw mil looking at this hat longingly the other day, and then she told me she accidentally shrunk the Short-row Hat that I gave her earlier on in the washing machine. Oh well, so this hat will go to her too. No problem. I have another ball of Rowan Tapestry from Erin (oh Erin, where have you been?) which I'll keep to knit a hat for myself later.

After the series of knits-gone-bad, I've started another string of WIPs. I've decided to chuck the Big Wool for the moment and started with the thinner Jaeger Chamonix. This one is a tunic on big needles from this Japanese pattern book which I had wanted to finish and wear in Paris. We are now back but it is still missing armhole bands and sewing but I do hope to finish it by this weekend before the cold snap and the chance of wearing it disappear.