Tokyo yarn p*rn

Michael is overseas in Tokyo at the moment, and today I received a series of ten e-mails from him which were just jam packed with photos of yarn and knitting needles which were taken at a store near where he is staying. It took over an hour and a half for the e-mails to download over my poor, overworked dial-up connection, but it was so worth it! :)

For the most part, I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at, but everything is just so stunning and gorgeous, and in so many beautiful colours! Even though Michael only took photos of things he thought were likely to be Japanese, and not obviously European or Australian imports, there's 50+ photos all up and it really is total visual overload. :) I was about to upload the photos here to share, when, fortunately for everyone, I realized the complete and utter insanity doing that would be. So as a more practical alternative I've uploaded them to Flickr!, collected together as 'Tokyo yarn store' to make them a bit easier to find. I'd really love to have seen Michael taking all these photos though, as he says he took them 'ninja style'.

Now I just need to choose a favourite out of all of that yarn -- Can you feel my pain? ;) If anyone should happen to recognize something in the photos that they can recommend, do please let me know as I'm going to need all the help I can get to make this decision.

In the meantime, does anyone know anything about Japanese knitting needles? For instance, are the Japanese sizes of the Clover bamboo needles the store had available in abundance likely to be sized differently to the metric sized ones available here? Has anyone tried any of the other brands they have on their racks, as obviously I can't tell from the photos how smooth the needles or the joins of the circular needles might be. Even though I have no idea how practical they'd be, I'm definitely tempted to ask Michael to get me one of the 'KA' 22cm circular needles to have a play with as I've never even heard of circular needles that short before. :)

Just by the way... Is anyone else amused that my husband sent me yarn p*rn from Tokyo? ;)

Alpine Knit Scarf

Way back in April, I posted an entry about my intention to knit an 'Alpine Knit Scarf' for my ISE4 pal. As it's just possible that some of you may have been wondering what happened to that scarf, I should probably fill you all in on the details.

Where to start...

At the beginning, I guess.

The original 'Alpine Knit Scarf' in the pattern was knit on 3.5mm needles using a much finer yarn than the one I had chosen, so my first thought was that I would probably need to use a slightly larger needle to knit my pal's scarf, so I cast on the required number of stitches on my 3.75mm KnitPicks Options needles as a starting point. After one repeat of the diamond pattern, two things became clear -- that on 3.75mm needles the scarf was going to have more in common with a throw rug than a scarf, and that the lace pattern was way too loosely knit and had no definition to speak of.

So I switched to the 3.5mm needles in my KnitPicks Options set -- which was the original needle size specified, after all.

This was a little better, but it was still way too wide and the lace was still lacking in definition. However, the good news was that I was now fairly certain that switching to 3.0mm needles would most probably give the lace pattern the correct definition. The bad news was that the KnitPicks Options set doesn't go down to needles that small.

I was keen to get started on the scarf, so while I waited for a 3.0mm KnitPicks Classic circular needle to arrive, I decided to go ahead and cast on using what I hope would be the next best thing...


The Boye NeedleMaster Interchangeable Needle System -- which were my needles of choice when I knit all of those hats and beanies for 'Just Enough Faith' late last year.

As the Boye NeedleMaster needles have fairly sharp points, I decided they would probably be the best ones to use while I was waiting for the KnitPicks needles of choice to arrive.

These needles are sized using only the US needle sizes, so I consulted my KnitPicks View Sizer for the US equivalent for 3.0mm needles...


... and discovered that the size I should be using was US2.

So I cast on again.

The pattern definition of the lace was much better this time, but as the scarf was still going to be wider that the original, I decided to substitute three repeats of the double rose leaf pattern in the centre panel instead of the original four, and cast on for the fourth time.

This was much better.

I was even liking the results enough to finally take a photograph of my progress...


While the points of the Boye NeedleMaster needles were working well for the lace pattern, I definitely wasn't enjoying the bumpy cable join, so I eagerly awaited the arrival of the KnitPicks Classic 3.0mm needles.

After my new KnitPicks Classic circular needles arrived, I was taking a photograph to show the difference between the cable connections...


... when I noticed that the KnitPicks Classic 3.0mm needle looked a bit thicker than the Boye NeedleMaster US2 needle I had been using. When I tested them both in the View Sizer, I discovered that this was indeed the case, as while the KnitPicks 3.0mm needle fit the hole quite snuggly, the Boye US2 needle went through with a fair amount of leeway. I soon discovered that US2 is one of those needle sizes which is interpreted differently by different manufacturers, and that the US2 size Boye uses for its NeedleMaster set is actually 2.75mm.

I've also since discovered that KnitPicks had brought out a second version of their View Sizer after I purchased mine, which actually has holes for both US2 sizes...


And as you can see, I've since purchased one of the new View Sizers in the hope of avoiding this type of problem in the future.

So...

What to do?

I really didn't want to keep knitting on the Boye NeedleMaster needles as the bump in the cable join was driving me crazy. And, if I was completely honest with myself, I was still firmly of the opinion that the 3.0mm needles really were the right size to use as the lace fabric was looking just that little bit too tight on what I had knit up to that point.

So I took one last photograph of my work in progress...


... and then started again.

This time things were much better.

The KnitPicks Classic needles were a joy to use, and before too long I had almost half of the centre panel repeats completed...


I kept knitting, and the scarf continued to grow...


... and eventually I had completed the specified number of repeats of the double rose leaf pattern for the centre panel...


... which in an ideal world would have meant that the end was in sight, but at this point I wasn't so sure. The yarn I'd chosen to use has a lot less stretch than the original yarn, and I really wasn't expecting the length to increase to anywhere near the same extent as the original with the final blocking. Adding to this my opinion that the original dimensions specified in the pattern were a little on the short side anyway, I decided to knit a few more repeats of the double rose leaf pattern.

I knit twenty extra repeats of the double rose leaf pattern as it eventually turned out before I was finally confident that the finished scarf would be long enough.

With the deadline for sending the scarf to its intended recipient approaching and the centre panel finally complete, I quickly finished the end of the scarf, and had it blocked to its final size.

As it turns out, if I'd stopped knitting the centre panel at the specified number of repeats, the finished scarf would have been fairly close to the measurements listed in the original pattern, as the yarn proved to have far more give to it when blocked than I had any right to expect. I'm glad that I did work all those extra repeats though, as the finished scarf measured around two metres in length, which for a scarf which will definitely double as a summer evening wrap is just about the perfect length in my opinion.

And here is the finished 'Alpine Knit Scarf', photographed relaxing on a bench in the Sydney sunshine...


And up close, to show some of the lace pattern detail a little better...


And finally, a close up look at the diamond patterned ends...


Project Details:

'Alpine Knit Scarf' - from Jane Sowerby's 'Victorian Lace Today'
Approximately 5 and 2/3 balls of ONline Linie 164 'Java' in shade #05
KnitPicks Classic 3.0mm circular needles
Cast on 103 stitches instead of the original 121, and worked three double rose leaf patterns across the centre panel instead of the original four
Total number of repeats of double rose leaf pattern in centre panel: 58

I am beyond happy at the way this scarf turned out, as the final drape of the lacy, knitted fabric in this yarn once it was blocked was incredible and by far exceeded all of the expectations I had when I first started the project. The scarf turned out so well that Michael still can't believe I gave this scarf away, but I knit it for someone who has had bad experiences with similar swaps in the past and I'm so glad I was able to send her something to help restore her faith in people.

And of course I can always knit another one for myself, as for once I've had the foresight to buy enough extra yarn to do just that -- I always knew giving this scarf away when the time came would be difficult.

As you can see...


... I've already cast on and worked the first diamond pattern repeat of the second scarf, mostly as an encouragement to myself to work on it from time to time between other projects.

Latest arrivals

Just when I'd almost given up on ever receiving this...


... it finally lands on my doorstep. I'm not sure why USPS quotes 4 to 6 weeks for surface mail deliveries -- from what I've been able to discover, the 10 weeks this package took to reach me is actually fairly typical. Anyway, I finally have my cone spindles and the JaggerSpun Zephyr lace weight yarn I ordered back in mid July -- some of the Zephyr yarn was actually originally intended for the 'Mystery Stole 2' knit along, but of course that's long finished now. *sigh* The hanks are in the Marine Blue, Indigo and Ruby colours, and the cones are Peacock and Mahogany.

As KnitPicks continues to refuse to ship to Australia, I'd pretty much given up even hoping I'd ever be able to sample their wares. Then Julie kindly offered to place an order on our behalf during her recent trip to Hawaii -- and who knew that she would have to brave an earthquake in order to do this for us!

As a result, I'm now the proud owner of this...


... some KnitPicks 'Shadow' in the 'vineyard' colourway, along with the pattern for Miriam Felton's 'Adamas Shawl', which I have coveted for quite a while now.

But best of all, I finally have my very own KnitPicks 'Options' Needle Set...


As I wasn't sure if a similar opportunity would ever present itself again, I went ahead and fully optioned up my set with all the extra needle sizes and cable lengths, a needle tags set, and some extra storage pockets...


... and even added in the 'View Sizer'...


... which turned out to be an even more useful addition than I originally thought it would be as it features a magnifier to help you see the stitches more clearly when you're measuring tension squares. And of course I now have a needle sizer for US needle sizes, which I didn't previously have.

Thank you, Julie! :)

I've been using the KnitPicks 'Options' needles on the latest project I've started, but I'll write more about that later.

And finally, the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006 issue made an appearance at my local Borders store...



... and promptly followed me home. I think I was seduced by the luscious, red braided scarf featured on the cover... ;)

Oceans and Seas

Last Saturday's get-together at Rubi & Lana was one of the largest yet -- with Sally, Celia, Simone, Taryn, Kate, Lara and myself. It was a lot of fun catching up with all the projects everyone is working on, and I even proved to myself that I can work on a lace pattern in public without having to rip it all back afterwards.

After finally seeing a sample of the Hand Maiden 'Sea Silk' yarn in the 'Ocean' colourway in person, resistance was futile and Purl Yarns had my order not long afterwards. A day or so later, some stunning yarn arrived on my doorstep...


... beautifully presented with a green ribbon tied around it. Words cannot express how soft this yarn is to the touch, and how much I love this colourway. I have a feeling that it won't be too long before the 'Sea Silk' finds its way on to my needles... ;)

A few years ago, I bought the Fibertrends Baltic Sea Stole pattern...


... and was subsequently inspired by the version of this stole Kate Gilbert knit for her wedding using Rowan 'Kidsilk Haze' to put aside several skeins of 'Kidsilk Haze' in the 'Lord' shade, which is a deep, vibrant shade of blue.

The 'Kidsilk Haze' may still be maturing in my stash, but its close relative Madil 'Kid Seta', in a variegated colourway of rich watery blues and golds, called out loudly to me recently.

So loudly, that it has beaten the 'Kidsilk Haze' on to the needles...


And is growing at quite a fast rate...


It's actually grown a little more since I took the second photograph, as I've knit another 16 rows (half of a pattern repeat), and have now reached the end of the first skein. I just love the colours in this yarn, which are much more Pacific Ocean with the sun reflecting off the water than Baltic Sea to my mind -- appropriately enough, as I live in Sydney after all :) -- so I'm thinking of this stole as my 'Pacific Ocean Stole'. For those of you playing at home, this pattern is a more subtle demonstration of my mirror image knitting -- if you're interested, you'll need to look closely at the photo of the original stole and those of my works in progress.

I've been having some fun with selecting the best needles to use for this project too. I started knitting the stole on these...


... as I didn't own any 3.5mm straight needles, and the Tulip brand needles have sharper points and a cord which straightens out much better for me than the Clover circular needles I also have. Unfortunately though, sliding all the yarn overs from the cord to the needle was a slow process, and keeping all the stitches on the bamboo part of the needle, while possible, meant that I couldn't see how the pattern was developing or spot potential errors easily.

One of the lovely ladies at Rubi & Lana generously let me have a couple of 30cm long Japanese 3.6mm bamboo double pointed needles to trial when I was there on Saturday, but as I'd already knit half of the first pattern repeat by then I didn't want to risk a noticeable change in tension by switching over to them at that point, so testing out these needles will have to wait until I start my 'Kidsilk Haze' version of the stole after I finish this one.

So I bit the bullet and hopped on a bus into the city on Sunday afternoon, as I knew Tapestry Craft had the needles I wanted in stock...


... which I bought along with a few other non-standard sized straight needles in an attempt to avert similar problems in the future.

A couple of hanks of JJ's Montage Collection 10 ply yarn, hand painted by Jan Gilray in the (now discontinued?) 'Forest' colourway...


... may also have hitched a ride with me on the bus back home. I'm thinking this yarn has possibilities for making an interesting version of the 'Starburst Shawl' from Iris Schreier's 'Modular Knits' book.

My version of the 'Lost in Translation' scarf has also progressed...


... and I'm now almost finished the second skein, and have reached the halfway point, I think.

I had one of those small world moments this week, when I received a comment on my last posting from someone who actually saw Edith Eig knitting the 'Lost in Translation' scarf, and assures me that the pattern in the book is indeed correct as written. I'm still not entirely convinced that the scarf which appears in the film is the same as the one pictured in the book, but I'm really impressed that someone on the other side of the Pacific Ocean took the time to write to me about this. Thank you! :)

As for my scarf... I played around with the pattern a fair bit (Remember the 'I frog' button in my sidebar? ;) ) before I decided to go with a version with the pattern from the book plus the extra two rows at the end of the repeat I mentioned in my last posting as the variation which appears to work best with the much finer yarn I chose. While it may not be identical to the scarf in the book or in the film, I'm liking the way it's turning out, and the way it evokes the look of the scarf in the film to me -- which is why, I guess, I still think of it as my 'Lost in Translation' scarf. :)

I've also finished knitting my 'Celtic Waves Scarf' since my last posting, but it will need to be blocked before I take a photo of it in its finished state.

I've been intending to subscribe to...


... for quite a while, and I finally got around to actually taking out a subscription last week. And the really good news is that, despite my initial fears that I may have left it too late, it looks like my subscription was taken out just in time to receive Issue #4 as my first issue. Woohoo! :)

In a somewhat reckless move, I've also subscribed, sight unseen, to Yarn Forward, the upcoming quarterly intermediate to advanced level knitting magazine from the UK. What can I say, except that the advance subscription rate was too good to resist.