Among Incredible Knits: Trip to Nine Rubies in San Mateo Area

Hi Knitters,

It's now Fall.  And winter is coming.  Ready for buying yarn without limit?  Well, I just got a few balls of yarn.  Op. 16 is gonna be something in purple.  Stay tuned if you wanna see how it will turn out.

A few days ago, I called Nine Rubies in San Mateo and asked the receptionist if they do carry Addi Turbo set.  She said yes and we drove all the way down there.  It turned out they only carried the Long Lace set.  I was 'tricked'.  To be honest with you, I was a bit pissed that I wasted some gas and couldn't get the product I was promised.   Well, maybe the receptionist was too new (As I overheard).  Anyhow, I stayed there pondering if I should just have bought that set and took a few minutes browsing around.  

I won't say their selection was hug.   But everything was displayed in good order and there were a lot of goodies.   What made Nine Rubies unique was their beautiful samples.  They are all neatly made by skillful knitters.  The gauges were even, stitches were beautiful...perfect!!!! It just made me wonder the incredibility of the knitter!!! 

Also, the tidiness of Nine Rubies made it high class and comfy.  It was designed to be a studio instead of a store.  Well thought.  And there was even a rectangular table for people to sit around and knit.  

Oh! How clean! How bourgeois! I love the setup of this store!  

At the end, I got one ball of Noro yarn.  No needles.  While I was paying, I asked the receptionist for permission to take photos.  She kindly agreed.  Thank you. 

Will I come back to Nine Rubies?  Yes.  There are many good restaurants around B street.  Will just drop in and pick  up something nice.  

Anyway, hope you find a nice local yarns store and

HAPPY KNITTING

Wolffy knitting idea for this Fall: VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013 Review

Hi Knitters,

Happpy Summer!  Though it's summer, it's not too late to prepare and choose a big knitting project for this fall.  I do have some ideas.  And I got them from VOGUEknitting Early Fall.

Last weekend I went to Safeway for grocery.  When I was looking at the jam shelf, something next to it  caught my attention.  It was a  National Geographical Kids Special with ANGRY BIRDS.  And next to it, VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013.  I ended up getting both of them.  WEE.....

The majority of the patterns of this issue of VOGUEkniting is for sweater.   My favorite is a pullover with a vivid wolf pattern in front and a wide boatneck.  And the color is pretty cool and match my skin color.  I am considering knitting a small size of this pattern for myself.  Well, I haven't knitted anything for myself for a long..long...time.  Let's see if I can squeeze something for that.  I wish....

Besides the wolf pattern, there are also tiger, fox, bird, cat, and reindeer patterns...Wow...  That is included in the Urban Jungle section.

There is also a series of baseball jackets available in this issue of VOGUEknitting.  Cool.  

I really dislike instructions that are squeezed in a few pages.  Luckily, the editors of  VOGUEknitting did a very good job for the layout.  Knitting instructions are well typed in the last pages of the magazine.  There are enough space between lines of text and it makes them easy to read.  Thank you!

VOGUEknitting does not only contain knitting patterns.  There are also tons of advertisement and some articles about some technique issue on knitting as well as on dying.  Seven books reviewed in this issue by Leslie Petrovski.   A book called "The Knitter's Palette" me a lot.   I may get this book soon....It seems useful for designers.

Anyway, the copy of VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013 I got is International edition.  It costs $6.99 US dollars.  Price reasonable.  Patterns beautiful and they are aimed for intermediate and advanced knitters.  I guess that's the end of this magazine review.

HAPPY KNITTING

Knitting for Save the Children

Hi Knitters,

Today I'm gonna chat about Save the Children in Korean.  Why?  Because they made knitting such a beautiful thing.  

First of all, what does Save the Children do? Save the Children in Korean, Hong Kong, and Australia encourage citizens to knit baby hat for babies in developing countries like Napel. According to Save the Children Hong Kong,

"Newborn babies suffering from heat loss due to lack of warmth on the heads are likely to be more susceptible to infecting pneumonia."

Basically what we need to do is to KNIT. Isn't that exactly what we live for? These organizations do not collect hat until winter.  So, if we start knitting for them today, we will probably have a few.  

In fact, the yarn we need for knitting a baby hat is not that much.  Leftover will always be enough.  So I would say, you really need to pay for anything if you are already a knitter.

Though I am a big big fan of Brown Eyed Girls, I know nothing about Korean the language.  But the above video is quite easy to understand by just watching it carefully.  Of course you can replay and replay...And I'm sorry.  I don't know lots of Korean drama.  Anybody know about the star in this video?  His name is Yoochun.  This campaign is back in 2012.  Winter is coming.  I wonder who is the star representative for 2013.  

The method used in this video is not circular knitting.  Just knit straight with knitting needles with long cord.  Then connect the two sides by sewing.  I've never done this before.  Will try it someday.  

I'm not sure if Save the Children in U.S. have a knitting campaign like this.  Usually I will just collect them and bring them to Hong Kong when I go back home.  Yes. I'm from HK.  But surely there are lots of charity that needs help from knitters in the U.S.  Please feel free to provide info in our comment section.  Thank you.  

HAPPY KNITTING

Unbeatable Great Deal~ Combly Sampler Set Review Part 1

Hi knitters,

I'm so impressed by the fast delivery of my Combly Sampler Set.  I ordered it on July 4th and I could test the needles yesterday the 8th.  Don't forget that it was holiday....

The whole package came with two layers of cover and very well protected.  Impressed again.  

The package come with:

A plastic bag with a few pockets for the set
Symfonie Dreamz IC US #6 (4.0mm)   (IC stands for Interchangeable Cord)
Cubics IC US #7 (4.5mm)
Nova IC US #8 (5.0mm)
2 Cords : 24"(60cm) & 40"(100cm)
4 End Caps
2 Cord Keys

This package costs less than $25 US dollars.  Now you know why I call it a great deal.  The bag is made of thick plastic with one button; OK, I don't fancy a nice hard cover.

And now, let's take a look at the Nova IC in US #8 (5.0mm)  And here is a petit swatch I did with them.

I'm surprised by the light weight of the needles.  Exceptionally light.  And it is because they are made with hallow brass and plated with nickel.  I feel quite comfortable with that as the bigger the size go up, the heavier they are supposed to be.  They are size #8 and weight like #4.  Nice. The tips are quite sharp and made like lace needles.  I always prefer sharp tips as I do a lot of k2tog and picking.  

The surfaces of this set of Nova are quite well polished.  But somehow they got scratched easily and look like they can be worn out soon.  As long as they perform well, I am fine. And I believe they are good for fast knitting as the stitches do glide smoothly.  Will see how they endure: daughter of time will show up. 

Next, we will take a look at the Interchangeable cords.  Let's split it into two sections: joint and the cord.  

By twisting, the needle joins the cord.  It works quite well and quite smooth for the knitting stitches to go thru. It proves that the technology of interchangeable needles are advancing in fast pace. Good thing to know how science works for knitting.  

One thing I do worry about the joint:   Twisting the joints frequently will loosen them up. I guess that's why we need a cord key, which is eventually a thin needle.  What you do with the key is to insert the key into the hole while you twist, then you can get the joints tightened up.  Thanks for being considerate Knitter's Pride.

About the cord, I would like to discuss it later as I would like to have it tested while I can have the cord function in full: to have some stitches lay on them.  Thinking of do an experiment with knitting a cowl.  

Well, for now, let's talk about something unpleasant.

As the picture shows, the Ear Cap is not well manufactured.  I don't like it.  But I've tested them.  They do function well.  So, at this price $,  I will let it pass.  If you need the needles to work on another project, you can have the stitches lay on the cord, and replace the needles with the Ear Caps.  Yes, again by twisting, you will have the End Caps protect the stitches from dropping from the cord.

Sorry folks, let's end Part 1 of the review here.  I would like to have Op. 12 done first.  It's almost done.  Part 2 of the review will cover mainly on the Cubics IC.  I'm excited too.  Stay tuned and 

HAPPY KNITTING.

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P.S.  The joint broke twice yesterday when I knitted a try-out of Op. 13.  Well, I didn't tightened it up with the key.  So I guess I will give it a third chance.  07/14/13

Bobby Blue 100% Merino

Hi Knitters,

I'm so happy to have a chance to try my hands on the very popular Malabrigo yarn.  This skein is a 100% merino yarn.  So SOFT..... Now I know why people love this yarn so much.

The softness of this yarn makes me decide to knit on a stitch pattern that I didn't do before, something suitable for intermediate knitters, requires k2tog, yo, sl1, and psso....Sounds chanllenging?  I promise you will totally immerse yourself into knitting with this yarn.  

Among the various choices of color, I picked the one I love so much, Aqua.  But the yarn company  cutely name it Bobby Blue. Funny.

But before knitting, I need to make the skein into a ball.  Honestly, I hate doing it!!!!!

Almost forgot to mention:  This yarn is kettle dyed.  
Anyway, Op. 11 hat is on the go! Go go Bobby!!!

HAPPY KNITTING

Sublime Extrafine Merino DK Yarn

Hi knitters,
Happy Lunar New Year!
Glad that I got some new Italian yarn with my red-pocket money. (hm..I shouldn't opened the envelop until the 15th of the calendar)  And this time I got something lustrous.

This yarn is made of 67% of extra fine merino wool and 33% of nylon.  At first I thought it contains some silk as it is quite silky to touch.  I was wrong.  (it does look silky, doesn't it?)

Anyway, I first bought two balls of Sublime merino dk.  The yarn is such an woolly appeal and I was so eager to make something great out of it.   Must not have a wooly  head while I am designing the pattern.  The color is also wonderful.  I believe the white string around the merino is the nylon part.  It's almost a sin to take your eyes away from it.  Innovative appearance.

I was about to make something for this Valentine's.  Well, it's probably good for next year. My fault: slow progress. 

I knitted with US#6 needles.  Well, so far so good.  Easy to handle, soft to touch.  So far no complaint about it except it's high cost.  Yet, I would say: it is worth the price.  Will blog about the scarflet soon.

HAPPY KNITTING

Yarn Store on Divisadero

Hi Knitters,

Curious as usual, I wandered in the city and found another local yarn store in San Francisco.  Hahaha.  Aterlier it is called.

Compared to the one in Castro district, Aterlier is a rather tiny store.  The yarn collection is selective but all in good quality.   Although the store is not in a great size, they do carry needles in more than 3 brands and knitting accessories in an abundant amount.   

As a customer-friendly store, they even have needles in the counter and let their potential customers try to knit with them.  If I wasn't have something on my mind already, I would probably buy a pair of  Lantern Moon.  Maybe next time.

I understand that Aterlier, like many other local yarn store, offers knitting classes.  Residents in Bay Area, you may find this helpful:  http://atelieryarns.com
Anyway,

Happy Knitting



  

Variation may not be a good idea

Hi knitters,

I designed a hat pattern which requires only simple techniques like knit, purl and slipping.  What I tried to do was to create something beautiful and simple.  So I tried to make a complicated pattern with the knitting skills mentioned above.  

I was wrong.  The pattern looked weird to me.  It was pretty but...something was just WRONG.  The first 2/3 was fine.  I made some variation for the last 1/3 and expected an interesting pattern would show.  Hm....Disappointment fell to me.  So I undid the last part of it and continue the same pattern until the end.

Sometimes, it's better to keep things simple and neat than complicated the matter and keep the faith that "change must be good".  Sometimes it doesn't work that way.

Anyhow, thanks to the help of those makers from Clover, I have my hat done.  I used those as stitch markers and row markers.  They worked great with size #8 needles.   It wouldn't work well for laces.  May buy something smaller for tiny projects in the future.  

Pattern for this hat will be available soon.  Thanks for reading and

HAPPY KNITTING

First pair of Hand Warmers

Hi Knitters,

I'm so happy to tell you that I finally finished my first pair of hand warmers.  It was not as easy as I thought.  But, I DID IT!!!!  hohoho...

This is a pattern from Hand Knit Story.  I have mentioned this new book from Japan in the following entry:
http://eatinglemonknitknitknit.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-knitting-book.html

I really LOVE this book.  

Back to the hand warmers. The ribbing and cable parts were not difficult, just that you have to read through the whole pattern carefully.  I used US #6 (4.0mm) double pointed needles for this project.  And this time I chose Lion Brand Baby yarn, color No. 184, Melon.  In fact the skein was a left over.  I knitted a baby beanie with it and still...a lot was left.

The above pic shows how much has been left after knitting this pair of hand warmers.  Let me check the original yardage: 459

The hardest part for this project was, as many of your have experienced, knitting the thumb.  Picking-up was not easy.  I undid it once and tried again.  Still not 100% satisfied.  Maybe I should have try to knit a mitten or hand warmer with bigger size needles.  Anyway, I went through this journey and glad that I've learnt a good lesson.

Happy Knitting

Doggy style

Hi knitters,

Just checked out a book called Knit Your Own Dog from library.  Published in 2011, this stylish knitting book contains patterns of 25 Pedigrees.  The dogs are just awesome, though not all of them resemble the real ones.

The majority of them requires US #2 double pointed needles as tool.  Rowan, I suppose, maybe the sponsor for this book publishing as various of Rowan yarns are the materials for the knitted dogs.  The instructions are rather clear and inspirational.  Looping will be one big lesson we can learn from this book as there are several ways of loop techniques for different pedigrees.  Cool.

If you ask me which one is my favorite from Knit Your Own Dog, my answer would be the English Bulldog.  The photographs are just stunning.  The bull shows affection towards knitters.....And I could recognize the pedigree with just one glace. 

My favorite pedigrees in real life are Malamute and Cocker Spaniel.  Disappointingly speaking, the previous one is not available in the book and the later does not resemble the image of Cocker as I expect.  

Anyway, Knit Your Own Dog is a must have book for dog lovers and so-want-to-be dog owner.  
I'm trying to squeeze some time to knit one dog.  Hm.... Still working on a pair of hand warmers.

Happy Knitting and LOVE YOUR PETS

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Few minutes later...

Just found out the pattern for the English Bulldog is available for free as an except online:

http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knitting_pattern_how_to_knit_an_english_bulldog.php

Op. 2

Hello knitters

Here is Op. 2.  A scarf that is made of ONE-ROW pattern.  Easy, yet beautiful.  Well, of course it's due to the colorfulness of Noro Yarn from Japan.  

Width:          20 cm
Length:         170 cm

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Material:
1 1/2 Skeins              Noro's Kochoran       Color No 81

Tools:
US# 15 needles

Pattern:

Cast On  24 stitches  (Multiple of 3)

Repeat these 2 steps for the whole row. 
1) With yarn in front, slip one stitch purl wise.  
2) With yarn in front, knit 2 stitches together.  

Repeat until you reach desired length.

Cast Off all 24 stitches.

Copyright 2012 by  eatinglemonknitknitknit.blogspot.com

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As you can see from the pictures, the stitches of this beautiful scarf are loose as I used big needles to knit with yarn that is best knitted with US # 8-10.  This is a fast project for whom would like to make a woolly present in last minutes.  I hope you enjoy knitting it and stay cozy. 

HAPPY KNITTING