Huron in the Sun

The past Sunday was Huron Park Day in our little town. I have never seen so many people in the park, or so many boats on the river! The wild geese population seemed to feel the same. Nonetheless, we managed to take a quiet walk through the woods and by the beautiful river.


All the white dots are water lilies--aren't they beautiful? Totally different from Monet's sentimental ponds, this one is full of sunshine, almost tropical.

The wooden bridge led to a hiking path into the woods. Anyone knows what fruits are these? Are they edible? Semi-transparent and plump, they looked like polished coral beads.


Another shot:


We got a tiny piece of prairie as well:



Ah I almost forgot to show you this--it's a good one.


Looking out of my window, there are trees and shrubs, and a vegetable garden kept by our neighbors. Cardinals and cats frequent the tomato vines and the herbs in the evening; they always bring a smile to my face. Squirrels check me out from time to time--see that cute buddy?

A Glove and a Swatch

Nope, the vest hasn't become a FO yet! The good news is that I'm half way through the back, and the bad news is that I don't have a picture of the WIP. You know, a lacy piece has to be blocked to look smart ;-).

I received my first order from ColourMart last week. I'll just say that all the good things I've heard about them are true; it took less than a week for my cone to arrive, and the yarn is gorgeous.


I got 150 grams of 2/28 silk in a crisp and clean color named Sky.


The funny thing is that I don't know what to make with it so I just played with it a bit. To my satisfaction, it didn't pill or snag at all even after several rounds of knitting and frogging.
Here's a tiny piece, knitted on size 3 needles and blocked. The purple yarn is Zephyr--you can see how thin the silk is.



Here's another(!) fingerless glove. I'm making a pair for a non-knitting friend, and I'm sure she's not reading my blog ;-).


Because I used size 3 needles and a fingering yarn--it's Elann Baby Silk, the lace doesn't look as lacy . No problem, I'll cover the lace with glass beads!

What I liked most about this glove is the new bind-off method I used. You just have to check it out here. Thank you Fleegle! The finished cuff looks relaxed and sort of nubby (like picots), and the method, as Fleegle has suggested, is easy to remember--it's a combination of K2tog through back loop and K through back loop.

And have you seen this beautiful Pencil Sketch WIP? Mine was merely a stash-busting project, and this one is a beautiful piece of art!

Finally, thank you my friends and readers--your comments always make me smile or blush ;-)!

Two Free Patterns

At the beginning of April I decided to document my knitting and designing life. What a decision it was! Through this blog I have received warm encouragements and informative feedbacks, and interactions and friendships have been established. I just want to let all of you know that I feel extremely grateful--I know how lucky I am, and will always do my best.

I had planned to put together something for the three-month-birthday of the blog. However I caught a cold a couple of days ago and didn't find time to do this. I didn't even finish Indigo Flowers Vest. Fortunately, Connie told me that two of my patterns, Birdie and Jellyfish, just appeared on MagKnits. So here they are!


Birdie is roomy enough for a book and a bunch of pencils. I used Filatura di Crosa Millefili Fine, a silky smooth 4-ply/light DK weight yarn for the bag. For a chubby bird, I used a worsted weight yarn (Reynolds Saucy). In case you are wondering, the book is Someday, a moving essay with unique illustrations.


Jellyfish is made from one skein of Lana Grossa Baby Kid and bordered with Knit Picks Andean Treasure. The shrug is now my favorite piece to wear to garden parties and weddings. To my disappointment, no one asked if I've made it myself :(

Finally, thank you for all these thoughtful suggestions on Indigo Flowers, I appreciate your help, and will get back to it soon.

Have a great day!

Indigo Flowers Sketches

I suddenly remembered that I haven't done a pen-and-ink sketch for Indigo Flowers Vest yet. How can a design be a design without a line sketch? So here it is: a one minute sketch.

You see, I have finished the front pieces, but haven't started the back yet. Once again I face a dilemma. This time it's about the ratio between lace and solid Stockinette stitches.

As typed on the sketch, the dark hatches represent Calmer and the wavy lines Zephyr.

Which one do you like ;-)?

Indigo Flowers III

Click to read about Indigo Flowers and Indigo Flowers II.


These flowers have been on and off needles for sometime now, and when they are on my needles, I love how they grow (albeit slowly). Both yarns (Calmer and Zephyr) are smooth and soft, and I have yet to get tired of the cool colors. Good signs! I surely hope that this vest would become a wardrobe staple for me. Well, although there were a few moments that I had to pause and double-check my decreases and see on which row I was at, it took me less time to finish the second half front piece.

Now both front pieces are waiting for three-needle bind-off ;-):


Looking at the neckline, I frowned a bit and decided that some finishing touches might be necessary. I did not expect to get this irregular neckline, but hey, it's lace and lace is supposed to be wavy!

Now this problem directly leads me to another one: the back neckline would be wavy, too--vertical ripples will appear. My current plan is to finish it with a few rows of garter stitches. Or maybe I can add a ton of beads along the neckline?

Oh and I almost forgot to say that the two lace panels are not mirror-imaged. I thought about that before casting on the second half. Then I decided to make them identical, because:
1. It is easier to keep track of the shaping.
2. When sewing with a print fabric which has a very small pattern repeat (6 X 6 sts here), few people would try to match the pattern precisely. It's simply unnoticeable.


On Saturday I made a few delicious pom-poms with Belle. My first time for such decadent pom-poms and my hands were (almost) shaking when cutting the wrapped yarn apart. Since then I could not keep my hands off them ;-). Silk pom-poms are supposed to be delicious, aren't they?


That's all for now. Maybe my next post will be the last for Indigo Flowers--stay tuned and have a great day!

Iris

Back to Blog

I just discovered that I have not written anything here for almost three weeks! Shame on you, Iris! Well I may protest and say that I actually did do some designs which I cannot post for now. But alas, the Indigo Flowers vest is still miles away from finishing, although 20 hrs was the projected knitting time and still is.

The good thing is that I cleaned up a small room on the first floor and started to call it my studio. Beautiful tall trees covered with dark green vines aren't bad to look at, and to watch red squirrels running back and forth on wires is surely entertaining.


Do you want to see what color palette I am into this week?
Baby Kid, my favorite aran weight mohair, silky and warm.

They do shed though. Leopard and I went to a friend's wedding recently and I was wearing a shrug made with this yarn to cover my bare shoulders. Two hours later, Leopard looked like a silver fox!

Three balls of Belle, a 100% silk DK weight:


Well, are these really a proper winter palette? Personally, I can pull it off only with some shocking red accessories. Otherwise I'd get frozen just by looking at them!

Oh I almost forgot to mention that my Malabrigo gloves appeared on CRAFT magazine blog earlier this month. Guess I don't need to say that I'm a little thrilled? I frequent their blog to see their newly added cool pattern links. These people have an eye for fresh and whimsical ideas!

Indigo Flowers II

It's the weather. High temperature and high humidity had successfully prevented me from knitting anything for the past ten days. Instead, I spent my leisure time drawing, sewing, and reading art history books. When I finally picked up the smooth bamboo needles (last night), it was refreshing. The result, my friends, was this piece of Indigo Flowers.


The schematic sketch was done a while ago. Shown here is the sketch for the sample. There is a bit of waist shaping, and the V-neck starts 2" (5 cm) below the sleeve openings.

There are several things to say about the design. Firstly it is done on two straight needles. I prefer knitting in the round, but when I am not 100% sure about the results--in this case it's the look and shape of the large lace panels--I work on straight needles to save time. Secondly, I started with a front piece instead of the back piece, for I have to see how the lace works at the shoulder, then decide how wide the back lace panel should be. Finally, the back neck shaping is undecided at the moment (see the question mark?); again it is because we are dealing with lace here, we just have to wait and see.


This vest has been sized up to 45" chest circumference, as I consider it a flattering piece for most women. Now that I have a large enough piece, I can see that the lace panel actually provides a lot of ease, and follows the curves smoothly. It seems unnecessary to change the shaping for larger sizes--it suits me well, I'm lazy ;-).

So far it has been smooth and easy, and my projection of the knitting time is surprisingly short (~20 hours). I guess it's because of the needle size (US7, 4.5 mm) used. The very simple, 6 X 6 lace pattern has helped too. Only after I bound off the stitches for sleeve opening did I start to spend time thinking about how to distribute the decreases. After some sketching, I decided to decrease over the Calmer part until there are 6 stitches left, then decrease over the garter stitch border of the lace panel. Finally the outer most lace repeat will lose a few stitches--we'll be at the shoulder by then.

All right, that's all for now. I'll keep you updated ;-).

Iris

Meerkats

[Meerkat, colored pencil on textured paper, Iris G 2007]

The first real Meerkat (Timon doesn't count) I saw was from a National Geographic magazine, which I grabbed and paid even without checking out other articles. They are unbelievably cute and, according to the researchers at Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, highly socialized and very smart. For example, there are groups of youngsters who run the kindergartens/schools, where they look after the little babies and teach them various hunting skills. The lessons are even personalized; it takes less time for a smart baby meerkat to graduate from the school.

I spent the Sunday afternoon and evening sewing my meerkat, then some more time on Monday to do the fine embroidery for his eyes and nose. His name is Mango.


That's a tree seedling in the pouch he's holding. No, Mango is not a tree-hugger; he is a tree-planter instead. When he rests, he dreams that one day the desert will be all covered with trees and flowers.


Initially I wanted to practice my paper-folding skills and let him hold a huge silk daisy or calla lily. Then suddenly this tree seedling idea came to me, and I could not resist it... One of my friends once said that art is all about individual expression and it is "me", but sometimes I think art (and craft) can be more than that. And I have never been a fan of dark arts. On the contrary, I am a believer of sunshine, trees, birds and cats, and all other warm and beautiful things in life.

I'm thinking about auctioning Mango the hand-sewn meerkat and donate a portion to a tree planting organization. A little more research should be done and I need to find a way to do it efficiently. If you have any good suggestions, please leave me a message or email me at irisknits@yahoo.com. If you are interested in adopting Mango, please check back in a few days for more information, or contact me. Thank you!

Casual Saturday II

I went shopping today, and guess what did I find?

Chocolates and Marzipan with super cute packaging! The Godiva dark chocolate "pearls" are already half-gone; I can't stop playing with the little tin. It's too short (3") to be a needle holder, but I'll find a job for it soon.

When I was little, my mother had to bribe me with KitKats so I'd agree to see a dentist. Chocolates still make me smile; go get some, and you'll be smiling too ;-).

Indigo Flowers

All right, I confess that no modification has been made on the alpaca mitts yet, I have been very busy this week! However, I'm grateful for all the suggestions, and will try lacy/eyelet rib and twisted rib sometime this weekend and report back ;-).

Somehow I did find time to disassemble the Calmer bolero...pure pleasure. That's for my first project at the CAL, where you have to use one of the listed yarns... I won't say that I prefer to design with any limitation, it's just that I happen to have some Calmer (and KSH) in my stash, and people at the CAL are really cool.

Now the detailed design process begins. [This is what I like, you document the process and try to verbalize it for others, then ask and answer questions and see how it goes.]

Currently I am into the concept of Contrast. Simplicity versus Extravagance. Casual versus Formal. Night versus Day. And the seemingly opposite elements must be united in one wearable design.

My first inspiration came from the Hermès SS07 collection. Below are some pieces that I particularly liked.


[The photos do not belong to me, and here they are used only for commenting reasons. And why do they look soooo depressed in such beautiful dresses?]

The first two handkerchief dresses are reminiscent of their SS05 collection As the river flows, an out-worldly ethereal collection featuring porcelain white chiffon dresses with fine indigo print.

Porcelain white and indigo: that's the second inspiration.


Fine china, my true love. Such intricate and beautiful tonal effects are achieved with a single color. Another example can be seen here; they are basically the same.

The original name for the white porcelain with indigo paintings is Indigo Flowers. By the way, for some unknown reason the formal translation is Blue and White Porcelain, or White and Blue Porcelain. What unimaginative names...

Anyway, that's how I decided to make a long flowy vest with a simple cut. [Look at the third shot from Hermès, my cut should be as clean. And the length should be shorter than the one in the fourth shot...not too long.] The Indigo Flowers porcelain will be interpreted by using a dusty indigo colored DK yarn (Calmer, that is) as the bones, or the background of the vest, and a silver/pewter colored lace yarn (Zephyr, in this case) to fill in as the flowers. The reason why I did not pick true indigo/cobalt blue and pure white is that I want the vest to be casual yet ladylike.

The idea of combining yarns of different weight is doable if the two can be worked on a same needle size. And I guess you've already got the solution: work the light one in a lace pattern. In this case, this is a perfect solution, for lace is what I want: light and cool to wear, elegant, stretchy. And a good lace pattern can mimic the filigree flowers on a porcelain vase.

The fifth Hermès shot echoes my idea; wispy lace looks lovely with a solid colored vest...as if it gets protected?


[Click to see a larger picture. Hey that's not me, I do not look like her!]

You see, I love the color combination--one can still see the reference to porcelain, but it's quite subtle and misty now.

The back is not shown in the sketch above; I plan to use a large area of lace. The vest can then be worn with everything backless or strappy, thus making a day-to-night transition smooth easy. I'll see if I can get that shawl effect.

That's all I have for now. Feedback, please! You see, I am supposed to answer questions regarding this design ;-).

Two UFOs

I just realized that it's been a while since I talked about the UFOs in the house. There are actually quite a few, but, like Macavity, they tend to be very mysterious--

But I tell you once and once again,
Macavity's not there!

[Macavity is my all time favorite from the famous book. I've always wanted to sew one for myself. Someday it shall be done.]

The truth is, I have a huge grey tank and several dark-colored boxes hidden in my attic...where the UFOs live undisturbed. But, alas, every time I visit my LYSs, or go online shopping, I sense their presence and wrath and can't help feeling a bit uneasy.

The first UFO should have become a bolero, had my fervor not burned out before all the seams were sewn.


The yarn used were Rowan Calmer and Classic Elite Patina. Like everyone else, I adore Calmer. Patina, on the other hand, is a so-so summer yarn which splits.

Now that I become a brand-new member of Create Along, I have a good reason to resurrect this beautiful yarn. I can enjoy the tactile pleasure of knitting with Calmer once again.

Sketches and progress will be posted both here and at the CAL, so stay tuned ;-)!

The other UFO is merely two days old. I once bought a ball of Lenox from WEBS, when it first came out. It's baby alpaca soft, but I cannot say I am a big fan of alpaca. Then a couple of days ago, I picked it up for a quick bedtime project, thinking that maybe I should design a pair of beginner mittens, knitted on two straight needles with minimum skill requirements.

My plan was to start with a lacy edging which then becomes a rib pattern. And the two mitts should be identical, like EZ's Norwegian Mitts. I even named them Latte. [Is this crazy? I name most of my knits!]

It did not work out...


Help please, I really need some help. Now it doesn't look right to me, with all these ribs going up and looking bulky--not in a cozy way. What changes do you think could rescue it?

Thank you in advance--I appreciate your help, or just any opinions on this UFO.

Iris

Pencil Sketch camisole pattern, size S for now

Whew! It has been more complex than I thought--all those shapings. After looking up the guideline compiled by Craft Yarn Council of America, I decided that Pencil Sketch should be called an Experienced pattern.

If you wonder what the guideline looks like, here's a sample.


I need more time tweaking the instructions for larger sizes, so please bear with me if you feel somewhat disappointed. Please check back later and I'll do my best. [The truth is, I am allergic to many kinds of pollen and a field trip on Saturday made me uncomfortable.] Coming back to our topic--if you happen to wear a size S, or feel comfortable modifying/resizing patterns, or just want to get the flavor of the basic pattern, please help yourself and download it here. I, as always, will be happy to answer your questions ;-).

This is the hyperlink to the .pdf pattern downloading page:
http://www.savefile.com/files/721251

I wish to thank all of you who had encouraged me to write up a pattern for the tank.
The dandelion says: Have a great day!

Casual Saturday

I don't have much to say about knitting today, for I am working on the Pencil Sketch pattern. And there are some "secret projects" that cannot be talked about at the moment. So I thought for a while about what to post, then decided to show you some prints of paintings that I LOVE. These are all done by one artist about three hundred years ago. I do not even dream about creating beauties like these or anything close, but then, he lived a simple life and expressed all his feelings through painting (and some calligraphy, too), a lifestyle that I know I can never practice.

By the way, these paintings of flowers make unique mother's day e-cards.


The exaggeration and humor in the painting below really captured me.


Have you noticed that little bird?

Knitting for men; Sky Scarf Pattern

[Sky is the blue/cream one on the right.]
It's no secret that men are hard to please when it comes to handknits. As far as I know, there are several books on this topic, such as Men in Knits: Sweaters to Knit That He Will Wear and Never Knit Your Man a Sweater(Unless You've Got the Ring). Both books are very cleverly written, and most of the featured patterns are classic and practical.

If I summarize what I have learned over the years, there are a few basic, foolproof points.




1. Always ask before starting to knit. Most men do not wear a hand knitted tie.

2. Make him specify what he likes in great detail.

3. Use soft, basic, machine-washable yarn in safe/classic/boring colors that match his wardrobe.

4. Take measurements and modify the pattern for a tailored fit.

5. Get him to try the WIP at every stage.

That's all... and welcome, my friends, to add more to the list!

Men and women are from different planets, and the way we look at clothes and accessories reflect the differences. Women's fashion is composed of many elements--original ideas, ever-changing color palettes, fancy textures and shapes, decorative details, etc, etc. Men's fashion, on the contrary, is all about quality fabrics and fine tailoring.

How many sweaters, cardigans, and camisoles do I have? I don't know, I just keep buying more. And I always ruefully recollect the ones that I did not buy. How many sweaters and vests does Leopard have? Less than ten. And he always says no when I beg him to try a new one. But even Leopard likes a well tailored, hand knitted vest which he wears to work. Of course it took much longer than any of my sweaters to knit. But for me, it's rewarding to see him wearing it, knowing that it will accompany him for many years.

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Sky Scarf Pattern

You can download the free pattern here, in .pdf format, for personal and/or non-profitable use.

This is the hyperlink to the pattern downloading page:
http://www.savefile.com/files/708204

As usual, if you prefer copying and editing, just help yourself here:

SKY SCARF PATTERN

Iris G
The name of this scarf, as you may have guessed, comes from the colors. Knitted from three skeins of an Aran weight, easy-care yarn in a rib pattern, Sky makes an excellent guy’s scarf. [This one has seen 4 long winters already.] Use serious colors such as grey, black, and/or navy to make a dressy scarf, or pick some fun color for a playful one.

Skill Level
Easy

Finished Size
Length: 50 inches (127 cm)
Width: 6.5 inches (16 cm), unstretched

Materials
• Approximately 150 yards (135 m) of Aran weight yarn in color A; 77 yards (70 m) of aran weight yarn in color B. Shown in Filatura Di Crosa Zara Plus (wool, 77 yd/70m per 1.75oz/50g ball), 2 balls in #02 off-white, 1 ball in #04 light blue
• One pair size 8 (5 mm) needles, or size to obtain gauge

Gauge/Tension
14 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) over Stockinette stitches

Abbreviations
k, p – knit, purl
st, sts – stitch, stitches
RS, WS – right side, wrong side

Scarf
With color A, cast on 30 sts.
Row 1 (RS): P2, k3, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k3, p2.
Row 2 (WS): K2, p3, k2, p4, k2, p4, k2, p4, k2, p3, k2.
Repeat the two rows for rib pattern throughout.
Work until piece measures 15 inches (38 cm) or until there are a few yards of A left, end with a WS row.
Join color B, work two rows with B.
Change to A and work two rows.
Repeat the above four rows twice more. Cut off A and work with B for 15 inches (38 cm), end with a WS row.
Join another ball of color A, work two rows with A.
Change to B and work two rows.
Repeat the above four rows twice more. Cut off B and work with A for 15 inches (38 cm).
Bind off in rib pattern.

Finishing
Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Diagram


© Iris G 2007 – All rights reserved
Visit Iris at http://irisgknits.blogspot.com/ for more designs and discussions.