mail haul on a gloomy morning

I’ve been a convert to mineral makeups since August this summer and can’t stop buying them since.  How exciting I will be when I got a new packet?

This photo may say a bit:

I’ve got the latest Vogue Knitting (the “International edition” which has different cover from the American edition—or shall I say “non-international edition” if there’s the “international edition”?).  I flickered through it quickly, pleased to see tons of beautiful photos and patterns, but that’s it. But for the batch I got from Lumiere, it’s totally different! I squealed!

You know, I wasn’t too keen in makeup before this summer.  Though wearing makeup is a must, as I am aging and feel the urge to hide wrinkles and imperfections here and there, I always felt reluctant to wear it.  But now, I must play with my new toys every morning even I am staying home! Guess what, now I’ve got heathier skin compared to months ago, thanks to the switch.

As for the latest VK–if we have to compare likes to likes, then I’d say I like last Holiday issue more. It doesn’t mean I won’t knit anything from it. I am not allowed to think about it anyways.

ps. Edited the funny typo in the title! I should read rather than depending upon spellcheck! 😀

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The replacement for the double knitting argyle scarf

Knitting for me should be very relaxing. Solely for this reason, I can say that I don’t really enjoy double knitting. Meanwhile, I can’t stand the slow progress of making the albeit beautiful argyle scarf! So I ask myself: don’t I need to make life easier at this time of the year, when pressure isn’t lessened AND there are some other Christmas knits to be done?

So I decided I need to make another scarf for the intended recipient! I flipped through my Stitchionary for inspiration. Before long, a new decision is made: I’d make a scarf with herringbone pattern! The pattern is mindless yet the completed piece will have a sophisticated look, just the perfect thing for my recipient!

See how it grows:

I literally follow the pattern 176 from Stitchinary 1. That’s how I make it if you’d like to know.

1. The yarns:

A: Lana Grossa Pashmina, gray. 2 to 3 balls.

B: Contrasting colour in 4ply (use two strings together) or DK. I am using Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply in off-white.

2. The pattern (not a very conventional style of noting):

HB: Right side, wyif slip 2, knit 2; Wrong side, wyib slip 2, purl 2.
A (RS) K1, *HB*, K1
B (WS) K1, Pl, *HB* until the last two sts, P1, K1
C (RS) K3, *HB*, do the last st as K1
D (WS) K1, sl 1 in pattern, P2, *HB* until the last two sts, sl 1, K1

3. how it goes:
Cast on 38 st. (you need to cast on a multiple of 4 plus 2, and probably using needles two size bigger than you’re going to knit), purl one row if preferred (using the normal size).
Do (A, B, C, D) x 3, (C, B, A, D) x 3 (so thetotal repeat is 24 rows.)

Edge stitches on both side: After three 24-row repeats, on right side, slip the edge stitches, on wrong side, knit them.

After a desired length, break off yarns. Use two strings of yarn B, work 5 rows of St st. break off yarns, reattach yarn A and continue the herringbone pattern (work both sides of edge stitch as garter st). After 2.5 24-row repeats, knit one row then bind off very loosely.

Lightly block or ironed if needed.

The result will be a herringbone pattern on a stock st base, with garter st edge. If you’d like to have a broader edge for either garter st or moss st, just add more sts on both sides. There ere are several other way to do herringbone, other than slip stitch. For example, this one and this one. Slip stitch version is my favourite (I love slip stitch patterns) but it will grow slower than the abovementioned patterns.

As for the argyle scarf, my boyfriend quickly said that he doesn’t mind waiting if he could have that!

Ps. I did a google search after drafting this entry and found that Henry from Knitty (Fall 07) was using exactly the same pattern, though in different style of pattern writing. The knitty scarf was knitted lengthwise. Judging from my experiences of slip stitch knitting, you would really need to pay attention to both cast-on and cast-off.

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Simple Pleasure

These days, I knitted mostly when I was out on a bus or in a theatre. I discovered how timesaving it would be knitting while seeing a performance. The first occasion was seeing Lion King with a lovely friend, who came to London and was requested to see the performance before she left. Everyone knows that Lion King is a spectacular show but it has a simple plot and I’d been wanting to try out my new knitting time for some days. So I kicked off a new knitting era of mine… 😀
We got seats at Royal gallery at that time—that meant we had bigger room! So I cast on and started working on the rib section of this top:

As long as the cast on was finished, and the rib pattern was established, you didn’t even need to count while you go and it was just fine to keep your hands busy while your eyes and ears catching up what’s happening on stage. Since then, I always packed a knit-in-progress with me whenever I am visiting theatres.

Of course it will not be possible to do colour works and cables in the darkness, but I’ve survived ribs, decreases and increases. Even simple lace patterns weren’t difficult at all once they’ve established. Though it couldn’t be as speedy as knitting under a fully lighted place, it saved me time!

When I prepare my project to be knitted during Complicite’s A disappearing number, I decided to make a new hat for these following reasons:

• I “need” a new hat because Autumn’s coming,
• I NEED to de-stash or sell my yarns,
• I need to familiar with a particular yarn,
• I have three other knit-in-progress (only) but none of them is suitable for a theatre knit,
• And, I just love the “Marie-Rose Hat” from Rowan’s Classic Women

So I picked up a ball of Rowan’s Kid Classic in Frilly and went out. The cast-on plus first rows of ribs was done when I was in tube (108st for 6 rows), then I did other ribs, an eyelet row, then it was just all plain st st when I was on my seat. I knitted in circular so there was on knit, knit, knit, knit, and knit.

What I did regret was, I forgot to measure my own head so I didn’t know if I should knit until the length the pattern is called for (13cm), or shorter. And I should prepare a 13-cm piece of paper or a waste yarn so I could use it as a reference. I didn’t want to knitted it for longer than I wanted to save some unnecessary unravelling. Anyway, I was almost there until the crown when the performance’s ended. Here’s KK holding it for me, with some reluctance:

All it needed was the crown part. It just needed to divide the 108st into 12, then K2tog to decrease every alt row. Viola, a hat’s there! There was no need for sewing! It was simple to knit, and quick to knit in aran weight (19st per 10 cm square) so it served as an instant gratification! It looks like a beret but it has the same st as the cast on number then all the way up. Now I have a beautiful new hat!

ps. after more than one month on ravelry’s waiting list, I am finally looking forward to seeing 4 digits of people ahead of me.

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