Sunday, June 15, 2014

What do you do to kill back pain?

Hi knitters,

Recently I've been suffering from back pain.  It's not only owing to knitting.  My back pain is caused by playing badminton, studying, and improper sleeping posture...

Anyhow, I would like to share some of my solution:





1. EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulator).
My back is now as hard as a rock.  I often turn to high levels.  
Some people may not like the idea of having electricity running in your body.  Read the instructions before use.





2. Biofreeze.
Put on this cool ointment on the pain area.  Please do not rub it hard.  It's cool.  But don't over do it.  Always use when your body is clean.



3.  Heating pad.
My favourite.  It's very helpful.  But some people find it too hot. Make sure you don't wear anything metal as it's DANGEROUS.  The heat metal would burn your skin.





4.  Herbal heating pad.
Put it in microwave no more than 2 mins.  Put it on your shoulders while you knit.  It helps.  But don't place it on your body directly on your skin.  Always wear something.

5. Taking a shower.
It always help if you take a hot shower.  So refreshing.

Anyway, rest when you don't feel well.  

HAPPY KNITTING

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Long time no blog ~ Free hat pattern Op.18


Dear knitters,

So sorry that I have been occupied by work and homework and couldn't manage to blog and share my long-finished pattern....Op. 18...Why the dinosaur?  er.......... I like the contrast in color....er...

By the way, it's 2014 already.  How're you guys doing?  I hope the warm weather doesn't stop you from knitting.  (Well, it's always cold in SF so I can actually knit throughout the seasons)

Last November  I used some leftover yarns in diverse textures to knit a children's hat.  I would call it uni-sex, so it fits  either boy or girl under 6 years old.

Here is a reward for all your hard work last year: the  Op. 18 toddler's hat pattern.




Please note that the Mochi Plus I used is in rainbow color way.  By chance it is red when I knit Op. 18.  You may want to replace with solid red yarn.  Red does look good in this section though.



Material:

Yarn A ~ Lamb's Pride Worsted ~ Colorway 17 (Heather Grey) ~ 22 yards
Yarn B ~ Mochi Plus ~ Colorway 555 ~ 15 yards
Yarn C ~ Rowan  Felted Tweed Aran ~ Colorway 720 (Pebble) ~ 60 yards
Yarn D ~ Malabrigo Wosted ~ Colorway 27 (Bobby blue) ~ 30 yards

Tools:  US #7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles
           US #8 (5.0mm) double-pointed needles

Size:  32 (34)cm head size

Gauge:  20 stitches X 27 stitches = 10cm X 10cm

Skills Needed:
Circular knitting, knit, purl, slip with yarn in front, knit 2 together, Bind off

Abbreviation:
K             = Knit
P              = Purl
K...          = Knit for the whole round
K2tog      = Knit 2 together
wyif         = With yarn in front
Slip          = Slip a stitch

************************************************************************
Instruction:

Cast on 60 stitches with Yarn A in round.

Repeat the following  pattern for 5 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

***********************************
Change to  Yarn B

Repeat the following  pattern for 4 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

***********************************
Change to Yarn C and start knitting with US #8 double-pointed needles

Repeat the following pattern for 15 rounds:

K...

***********************************
Repeat the following pattern for 2 times:

Round 1: <wyif, sl1, K> X30
Round 2: K...
Round 3: <K, wyif, sl1> X30
Round 4: K...


***********************************
Repeat the following pattern for 7 rounds:

K...

***********************************
Change to Yarn D
Start the decreasing section:

Round 1:    K...
Round 2:    <K2, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K2> X4          
Round 3:    <K5, P3, K5> X4                                                  (52 stitches)
Round 4:    <K5, P3, K5> X4
Round 5:    <K1, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K1> X4          

Round 6:    <K4, P3, K4> X4                                                   (44 stitches)
Round 7:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 8:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 9:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 10:  <K1, K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog, K1>X4

Round 11:  <K3, P3, K3> X4                                                   (36 stitches)
Round 12:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 13:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 14:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 15:  <K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog> X4

Round 16:  <K2, P3, K2> X4                                                    (28 stitches)
Round 17:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 18:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 19:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 20:  <K2tog, P3, K2tog> X4

Round 21:  <K1, P3, K1> X4                                                    (20 stitches)
Round 22:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 23:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 24:  <K1, P3, K1> X4

Bind off all 20 stitches.




*******************************************************************************
I hope you guys like this pattern.

HAPPY KNITTING

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Op. 17 Beret...finally....


My dear knitters,

I hope you guys are all doing well and staying warm this winter.  Sorry that I was not able to update my blog as I got tied up by personal business.  

Today let me introduce you to my first beret design.  Yes...Beret....  Elegant it is.  Yet, the knitting pattern is not difficult at all.   It is aimed for immediate knitters.  

Here is the basic info of Op. 17:

Material: 2 Skeins of Mochi Plus Colorway #555
Tools: a set of US #7 (4.5mm) double pointed needles
            a set of US #6 (4.0mm) double pointed needles
            a cable needle in the same size of #7 needle
                     
Size: 52 (58)cm head size  

Gauge:     20 stitches x  25rows = 10cm x 10cm (ribbing)

Besides basic knowledge of circular knitting, you will need to learn how to do C2B...AKA  Right Twist.  In the pattern, I will keep it C2B for convenience's sake.  Other than that, you may need to know how to do Pom Pom.  



See?  It's optional.   (Although many of you vote for the additional ornament on Instagram) 

I was trying to make Op. 17 as delicate as possible with limited skill set.  And here is how the ribbing looks like:




The color way I chose is called Tapestry Rainbow in text, 555 in number.  It's my beloved Mochi Plus yarn.  (The yarn I used to make Op. 12) You will need more than 1 ball.  




The pattern is now available on Ravelry.  Free feel to check this out.  At this moment, I so wanna knit instead of writing pattern up.  See you guys, stay warm and  

HAPPY KNITTING!!!