Knitting Log for August 3

Yes, there has been some knitting going on in the heat. I'm happily down to three projects and enjoying each one in its turn. Three seems to be my project number of comfort.

A new Mystery Stole 3 clue (a clue is the next part of the pattern) comes out every Friday. Knitting this stole is most fun if I'm ready for the new clue when it appears, so I've been making this my number one knit each Friday until I catch up.

The clues are small enough so I can get them finished in a few days at most.

Today we learned the theme: Swan Lake. The final three clues are going to create a swan wing on the final end of the stole. What fun. There's still some mystery. We don't know how the wing is going to look when finished. I can hardly wait to start Clue 5 this evening.

Project details and picture of my finished Clue 4 are here.

For the August Sock A Month KAL 4 I'm knitting myself a plain, wide ribbing pair of socks out of Opal Rainforest Raupe.

I tried several stitch patterns, but none of them were pretty with this colorway. It just begs to be by itself and show its caterpillar colors.


Raupe is German for caterpillar. I found this picture showing the caterpillar that almost perfectly matches the color patterns I'm getting on 56 stitches with #1 needles.

Identification of the corresponding butterfly has not been accomplished yet due to painfully slow dial-up connection and a desire to go knit instead of searching.

Anybody know what kind of raupe this is?


Last, but not least, is Herbstlied/Autumn Song.

One piece is the front, the other the back. At this point it doesn't matter which is which.

The first section of my chart is done on the big piece. It's time to work on the second piece until it gets to the same row. Then, it's time to cut and paste together a new chart for the next section up.

The stitch patterns all have different row repeats - 8,24,14,6, and 52 rows for the oak leaves. It's easier to knit if I can follow the same chart all the way across.


Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch in pattern

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Thinking it would be fun to knit the Sock A Month KAL 4 completely in the month of required completion, I whipped up a pair of CIC socks the last week of July while postponing the start of my August socks.

I like to have something simple around to pick up when I'm tired and/or want to pay attention to something other than my knitting.

They're knit from worsted weight Knitpicks Swish, obviously red, on 40 stitches and #3 needles. Made the pattern up as I knit.

Herbstlied - Swatching the Acorn Sweater

This is Herbstlied (translated from German means Autumn Song), the cover sweater from New Style of Heirloom Knitting, the wonderful Japanese knitting pattern book with only a few non-essential words written in English.

It's going to be my summer knitting challenge.

For the past several evenings, I've been working on a swatch.

It's been slow going. I'm guessing this 14 X 6 swatch took about 8 hours. Now I know what I need to do to get gauge so the sweater will fit. Even more important, I have figured out all the Japanese symbols in the stitch pattern charts plus the mystery of the how to knit the eight stitches at the end of the oak leaf lobes. (See end of post for detailed oak lobe instructions.)

The swatch yarn is Louet Topaz worsted weight Merino yarn knit with a #4 Knitpicks Options needle. Final yarn choice is still undecided. I do know it will not be this color (ginger) which makes me look three days dead.

The unwashed, unblocked swatch measures 10.25 inches from the stem (the center of the sweater) to the side seam. That will make 41 inch sweater, a good size for me. I'm hoping there are no surprises when I wash the swatch.

If you are thinking of knitting this sweater and want the fun of figuring out the eight stitches of the oak leaf lobe yourself, stop reading now.

Even knowing how it's done, I can't look at the stitch chart and see how it indicates a cable. Being able to read Japanese probably would have been helpful.

Instead I studied the stitches in the picture at the top of page 69 and figured out one way to do it. It may or may not exactly match the Japanese instructions in the pattern book.

This isn't going to make any sense unless you have the book, page 69.

The Eight Stitches of A

• Put the 3 shaded stitches on a cable needle and hold in back.
  
• Turn the next five stitches into one stitch as follows:
  
  • slip-knit-psso, knit, k2tog
    
  • turn work and purl three stitches you just made
    
  • turn work
    
  • slip, slip, knit, pass two slipped stitches over knit stitch
• Purl three stitches from cable needle.

The Eight Stitches of B

• Put five stitches on a cable needle and hold in front.
  
• Purl three stitches from left needle (the shaded stitches in the chart).
  
• Turn the five stitches on the cable needle into one stitch as follows:
  
  • slip-knit-psso, knit, k2tog
    
  • turn work and purl three stitches you just made
    
  • turn work
    
  • slip, slip, knit, pass two slipped stitches over knit stitch

Oops Times Three

Oops One - the socks I'm knitting may have an interesting stitch pattern, but the cuffs have very little stretch and I can hardly wiggle them on over my ankles.

If these were gift socks, I'd be frogging.

I'm going to finish them and enjoy wearing them (after wiggling them on), but I don't recommend this stitch pattern for socks.


Oops Two - This Japanese "knitting" book is 100% beautiful crochet patterns.

Of the maybe twenty English words in this book, five of them are "knit", none of them are "crochet". On the cover it says, "Let's knit".

Inside, the contents lists four sections in English: "Colorful Knit, Simple Knit, Elegance Knit, and Fancy Knit.

Why list contents in English when there isn't any other English in the book? Do Japanese always use knit for crochet? Or is this a one time mis-translation?

I waited three weeks for this book. It arrived just before I left for Idaho. I can still feel the disappointment.


Book Title : Spring / Summer no Kagibariami 9
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529043509
Release Date : February 19, 2007
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004643039
Price : $12.99
Link to buy book : here

Oops Three - this Japanese stitch pattern book is not as wonderful as the other two Japanese stitch pattern books I bought.

Some of the yarn used is fuzzy so that you can't see the stitch pattern in the pictured swatch. Some of the swatch pictures are blurry. Many of the stitches or very similar stitches are available in Barbara Walker or other English stitch dictionaries.

The book is mediocre, not awful. Still, I would not have spent money on it if I had been able to browse it first.


Book Title : moyouhen 500 boubariami moyoubetsu ketteiban
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529015882
Release Date : December 6, 1989
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004189884
Price : $25.49
Link to buy book : here

Itty-Bitty Gansey Swatch

I've been swatching on the New Style of Heirloom Knitting gansey with some Knitpicks Gloss, a fingering weight yarn of 70% Merino, 30% silk. (I know this is a worthless picture. It didn't feel right not to show you something.)

It's very slow going. Or it seems that way because I've ripped out several swatches that didn't come close to the needed gauge. The cables pull in and need to be crossed several times before measuring, so it's not a quick decision that the swatch isn't working.

To swatch the entire pattern, one side plus the center panel, requires 94 stitches. Have you decided I'm nuts yet?

At this point I've settled on a #2 needle. The lower part is cables and knit/purl motifs. I may need to go down to a #1 needle to maintain gauge when I get to some of the upper design layers with different stitch types.

There is one horizontal band with no cabling and the uppermost chart has yarn overs. It's a swatching nightmare challenge.


So far I don't love the yarn and I certainly don't love the color for this project. I'll give it an inch or two more before I frog it out in disgust and wonder why I knit so much before admitting it wasn't working.

But, maybe it will work. Now you know I'm nuts.

The perfect yarn for this project would be:

• Fingering weight (need 7.5 st/inch)
  
• Great stitch definition
  
• Mostly natural fiber, not necessarily 100%
  
• Soft enough to wear next to skin
  
• Medium to light solid colors available (Gloss comes in dark colors and white.)
  
• Machine washable (not mandatory)
  
• Affordable. I haven't calculated yardage yet, but it's going to be a lot.

Any suggestions?

One of the Japanese books I have on order is Spring and Summer patterns. Assuming there is a pattern in it that I want to knit, I will set the gansey aside for a while and my first attempt at Japanese knitting will be something summery.

And, let me warn you now, I may decide that almost 300 stitches around at 10 rows/inch is totally insane and never knit that gansey. I'm still swatching and thinking it over.


Book Title : Spring / Summer no Kagibariami 9
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529043509
Release Date : February 19, 2007
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004643039
Price : $12.99
Link to buy book : here

Other Knitting News
Peerie Brocade is finished except for weaving in a few more ends. Picture soon.

Bunchkin's Knitting Japanese Wannabees blog says "Let's help each other out and knit some of these wonderful patterns!" I've signed up to contribute and hope it will be an interesting place for Knitting Japanese Wannabees to read and post.

Dog Trainer Gail loves her new socks. Maybe now my dogs can graduate?

Book Review - New Style of Heirloom Knitting

How do I begin raving about this book? I don't own a nicer book of knitting patterns, and I have many. There isn't a single project in this book I don't love.

Ready for a challenge? Not only are the designs complex and challenging, they are in Japanese.

The designs are beautiful. The photography is artistic, but done to show off the knitting with multiple pictures of each garment on glossy paper.


There are six sections:

• Ganseys (2 sweaters)
  
• Fair isles (3 sweaters)
  
• Tams (3 fair isle, 2 cabled)
  
• Cables (2 sweaters)
  
• Lace shawls (3)
  
• Entrelac (2 sweaters).

I've picked out my favorite sweater from each section to show you.

Gansey
This beauty even has stitch patterning on the underarm gussets.

Each pattern in the book is only charted out for one size. The Japanese assume if you need a different size, you can chart it out yourself. This sweater is charted at 36 inches/92 cm around.

Gauge is about 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch. I figured this out "reading" Japanese and converting from centimeters. I haven't figured out yet how many months it might take to knit, but I'd like to give it a try.

Fair isle
The book has three fair isle sweater designs, a pullover, cardigan (in picture), and a vest.

Each sweater has a coordinating tam style hat.

Cables
It was when I saw a swatch from this sweater on the Crossed in Translation blog, I knew I had to have this book.

Fortunately the one size provided, 38.6 inches/98 cm, should fit. Only the challenge of figuring out the pattern remains.

The gauge is worsted weight (I think). 5.5 stitches/inch and 8.5 rows/inch.

The second cabled sweater is Am Kamin, the intricate Aran knit featured on the Crossed in Translation blog.

Lace Shawls
Here's a peek at all three lace shawls.

The white shawl, Mountainash, has its own Yahoo Group Mountainash.

There are helpful documents in their Files folder on reading Japanese patterns in general and this one in particular. And, there is one breathtaking picture of a finished shawl in the group's photo section.

Entrelac
Think of the color possibilities for this sweater.

Anybody brave enough to give it a try?


Book Title : nitsuto ni koishite shimada toshiyuki no se ta butsuku dentou nitsuto no atarashii densetsu
Author Name(s) : shimada toshiyuki
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529039927
Release Date : October 19, 2004
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1003858802
Price : $18.49
Link to buy book : here

Japanese Knitting Books

If you think this sweater is beautiful, as I do, don't miss Fleegle's post comparing US Lace Style to Japanese Lace Style.

There are more pictures of gorgeous Japanese lace sweaters in her blog post.

This one looks like fingering weight yarn knit about 7-8 stitches/inch. Ever since I first saw it, I've been wondering how long it would take to knit such a beauty and what yarn I would use.

Added March 6: This book costs $12.99 and the YesAsia link is here. Thanks to Dorothy and Laurie who found the link for us.


I have been enjoying the beautiful eye candy in my one and only Japanese stitch pattern book for several weeks now. (More details on the book here, including how to order - but don't order until you've read this whole post.)

Since buying this book from Amazon Japan (links in this post) I've discovered YesAsia which also carries this book. Most of YesAsia website is English. Prices are in dollars and shipping is free if you order more than $25.

The YesAsia link for this book is here.

I have the following four Japanese goodies on order from Yes Asia. They are scheduled to arrive in a few weeks.

When I saw a swatch from the cover sweater on the Crossed in Translation blog, I knew I had to have this book. It has beautifully detailed acorns and oak leaves.


Book Title : nitsuto ni koishite shimada toshiyuki no se ta butsuku dentou nitsuto no atarashii densetsu
Author Name(s) : shimada toshiyuki
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529039927
Release Date : October 19, 2004
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1003858802
Price : $18.49
Link to buy book : here

Pay shipping? Or add another book to my order?

This one looked too good to pass up, so on the order it went.

Book Title : boubariami pata n butsuku 300 boubari ami
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529041727
Release Date : October 19, 2005
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004072970
Price : $25.75
Link to buy book : here

Two days after placing the previous order, I found this book mentioned on Fluffbuff.

On the cover it says "Clear and Simple Knitting Symbols" in English! I fear that English subtitle may be the only English in the whole book. Still, it looks like it has good pictures of how the symbols are worked and for $11 I couldn't resist.

This is a "have to have as soon as possible" book, so I ordered it immediately.

Book Title : yoku wakaru amime kigou bukku boubari ami 120 vo gu kiso shiri zu
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 452902413X
Release Date : January 1, 1994
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004200181
Price : $11.49
Link to buy book : here

And, to fill out the order and get free shipping, I ordered this.


Book Title : moyouhen 500 boubariami moyoubetsu ketteiban
Language : Japanese
Publisher / ISBN : 4529015882
Release Date : December 6, 1989
YesAsia Catalog No. : 1004189884
Price : $25.49
Link to buy book : here

Knitting Log for February 19

Pattern: 66 stitch basic sock. Stitch pattern here along with closeup view.

Yarn: Special Blauband fingering weight, 80% wool, 20% nylon

Color: Washington Redskin Maroon, as requested by son John for his birthday socks.

Needles: Addi Turbo #1.

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Son John's birthday socks are done a month early. I'll probably wait a few weeks before mailing them.


Pattern: Cosy in Cables Big Kid Sweater with the front and back seed stitch center panel replaced by a cable pattern from Lavold's Viking Patterns for Knitting.

Knitting size 40 inches for the CIC big kids challenge.

Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky in Brite Blue

Needles: Addi Turbo and Options 10.5

Gauge: 12 stitches/4 inches in SS

When this is washed, the purl troughs will open up making it wider and in the right proportion of length to width.

My hands need a rest from the big needles. Next weekend I'll knit the sleeves.


I've figured out enough of the Japanese Knitting Pattern Book 250 (details on book here ) to start a swatch of the stitch pattern on the cover.

This is only the first 16 rows of a 32 row lace pattern.

The swatching has no purpose other than to prove to myself I can figure out the chart. I can, so I'm not sure if I'll take time to finish it or not.

The swatch is fingering weight left-over Opal UNI-solid knit with a US #2 needle.

I'll write a post with links to helpful aids in figuring out Japanese knitting soon. There doesn't seem to be as many of them as I imagined there might be.

Update on Japanese Knitting

Thank you!

When I wrote the post on my new Japanese stitch pattern book, it was newly out of the box and I hadn't taken time to Google sites that might help me understand it.

Please note that I DO know how to Google! But thanks to all the helpful comments and emails I've received with links to helpful sites, I still haven't gotten around to searching on my own.

I've spent many pleasant hours this morning looking over Japanese/English knitting sites sent by readers. And, I'm not done yet. It's going to take a while.

When I'm done, I'll write a blog post and share the best sites.

Right now the Japanese stitches are still a big puzzle, but even if I never figure out some of the more complicated stitches in the book, the language and the stitch patterns are both beautiful eye candy.

Let The Stitching Fun Begin

If the beautiful, intricate stitch patterns available in Japanese are any indication, the Japanese are having more fun knitting than the English speaking world.

After seeing this book mentioned on Janet Szabo's website, I just had to try ordering from Amazon Japan.

Today it arrived and I'm so excited! The stitch patterns are unique and beautiful. This book doesn't waste any time with the simple stuff.

I only wish I could understand the words. Fortunately the patterns are charted and there isn't much text. All I need to do is figure out the chart symbols. It's going to be like a huge knitting brain teaser.


Most of the pages in the book are like the page on the right, showing a swatch and its chart.

There are a few beautiful sweaters pictured, but there are no patterns for them. They are just to display an example of the stitch patterns.


Interested?

Go to Amazon Japan and hit the "IN ENGLISH" tab at the top of the page. It isn't going to be as much English as you'd like, but it was enough English so I could complete the purchase.

The best way - maybe the only way - to search for this book is to enter the ISBN number in the search. 4-529-04176-X

All the prices are in yen. I don't think it's possible to order without a credit card.

Before confirming the order, I went to Google and did a yen to dollar conversion just to make sure I wasn't doing something budget breaking. When the charge showed up on the credit card, the total was 3,900 yen/$32.42. Very reasonable.

The book arrived DHL and took less than a week to get here.


If you order this book and are interested in working together to figure out some of the stitch symbols that aren't obvious, please email me.

If you have this book and can read Japanese, I would be ever so grateful to hear from you.