Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Souvenirs from Japan



Hi knitters,

A few months ago I went to Tokyo, Japan and had a pleasant vacation there.  It was summer and of course nobody was wearing knits of wool.  Anyhow, I went to Kichijoji and shop in a mega craft store called Yazawaya.  And here is the official website of the store: http://www.yuzawaya.co.jp/

You can find not only knitting and crochet stuff, but fabrics, buttons and even books.  However, the proportion for animono is rather small.  I could not even find needles of one brand in all sizes.

Still, I found something very interesting like this one.


This is actually a Tunisian crochet hook with a clip and string that are used as attachment.  I have not tried the set.  

Below is a crochet hook of the brand Misasa.  Made in Japan and made of wood from India.  I tested it by crocheting some simple double stitch and it worked quite well.  The weight is much lighter than I had expected.  It's a Japanese size 7 hook.  And as you can see, it's a beautiful design.  Hopefully I can spend some time crocheting.


Well, as I was short of travelling expense, I did not buy any yarn.  Still, I managed to spend almost two hours there browsing around.  There're some used books for sale as well.  Anyhow, next time when I go to Japan, I would like to check out another yarn store.  If you have any tips for me or recommendation, please feel free to comment.

Happy knitting and crocheting

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Free Pattern for the holiday season 2016 ~ Baby Hat Op. 22



Dear knitters,

Hope you have a cozy holiday.  I'm planning to have a hot pot party with wine, beef and lots of mushrooms.  Yeah..not turkey...not a fan.  How about yours?

Today I'm gonna share a hat pattern with you all.  I've finished this baby hat long ago, and had the manuscript of it.  However, due to heavy coursework load, I was not able to edit and post it online.  I don't even have the label of the tweed yarn anymore.  If you can tell me what brand it is, it would be wonderful.  Anyhow, the yarn I used for the part for ribbing was bought in Ichiban Kan a few years ago for a dollar each ball.  

Here is the pattern of Op. 22.  Hope you like it.

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Material:      Yarn in two different colors.  Yarn A for ribbing, no less than 40 yardages. 
                     Yarn B for Main pattern and Decreasing, no less than 180 yardages.  


Tools:         US #5 (3.75mm) Double-pointed needlesUS #7 (4.5mm)    
                    US #7 (4.5) Double-pointed needles

Size:            Fits head of 24 - 26cm circumstances

Gauge:       28 stitches X 35 rows = 10cm X 10cm

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Abbreviations:

K                     =  Knit
P                      =  Purl
K…                 =  Knit the whole round
K5                   =  Knit 5 stitches
P3                    =  Purl 3 stitches
X20                 =  Repeat 10 times
X40                 =  Repeat 40 times
k2tog               =  Knit 2 stitches together
kfb                   = Knit front and back
R1                    = Round 1

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Instructions


With Yarn A
Cast on 80 stitches with U.S. #5 double-pointed needles 

<K2, P2> X20   for 10 rounds.
_______________________________________________________

Change to U.S. #7 double-pointed needles 

With Yarn B

K… for 2 rounds.
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Pattern

R1:      <k2tog> X 40

R2:      <kfb> X40

R3:      K…

R4:      K…

R5:      K…

R6:      K…

R7:      <k2tog> X40

R8:      <kfb> X40

R9:      K…

R10:    K…

Repeat  Pattern R1-10  4 times.
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Decreasing

R1:      <k2tog> X40

R2:      <kfb X3, K1> X5

R3:      K…

R4:      K…

R5:      K…

R6:      K…

R7:      k2tog X 35

R8:      <kfb X4, K1> X7                                                          (63 stitches)

R9:      <k2tog X2, K1> X21                                                    (42 stitches)

R10:    k2tog X 21                                                                     (21 stitches)

R11:    K…                                                                                 (21 stitches)

R12:    <K2tog, K1> X7                                                             (14 stitches)

It should results in 14 stitches remaining.  Bind off.



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I would recommend this pattern to "almost intermediate" knitters.  It is a quick knit.  If you think the gauge of this hat is a bit too tight, feel free to use US #8 (5.0 mm) double pointed needles instead of US#7 .  Hope it will cheer up your holidays.  

There is another hat that I knitted long ago.  I couldn't find the manuscript of the pattern.  Just call it Op. 23.   It was made with Mochi Plus yarn in two colorways.  1 balls for the main pattern and a few yardages for the ribbing part should do it.  As you can see, it requires some simple cable knitting skills.  Anyhow,  here is a pic of it. 



Happy knitting!!!  And see you guys soon...Perhaps on YouTube?