KnitTatCrochet

Sunday, January 29, 2012

#25 Motif from Broadway China

Motif from Broadway China by Garyou
Motif from Broadway China, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I made a motif from this book by MORIMOTO Kazuko. It's been just published about a week ago.
It shows three steps of tatting: a shuttle with a ball, two shuttles, and two shuttles with split ring technique. There are 27 works in it, small motif to something large like a doily, a shawl made with silk thread (very dainty and nice!), and a table center. The table center displayed on the face of the book is made with DMC 80. Some works are made with Lisbeth threads.

The two books prior to this one are mostly about small motifs and accessaries. This book is more comprehensive than the former two and I like that.

This motif is used in two doilies in the book. I like the way joining the motifs. I'd like to tat them.

This is the 25th motif. I sometimes thought I couldn't make it, but, I did. Yay.

Motifs from Broadway China

Via Flickr:
Source: すてきなタティングレース by MORIMOTO Kazuko
Thread: Lisbeth#40 Col.641

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Frogged and Resumed

Forest Fiesta in Progress by Garyou
Forest Fiesta in Progress, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I've started knitting honey cowl with Jaeger Luxury Tweed this morning. But the pattern didn't appear as I expected.
So I frogged it and resumed knitting Forest Fiesta.
I'm now on Welt 13. I'm going to knit in round to Welt 18. Still long way to go.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Another Cowl

I've been knitting Forest Fiesta. Started with 520 stitches, now I have 336 stitches in a row. It's getting faster to finish a row, but, in a way, I'm a little bit getting tired of it.
So, I'm thinking of knitting something different, such as this one.
I have four skeins of Jaeger Luxury Tweed. They would be nice to knit a cowl with.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Where Inspiration Comes From

羽子板 連獅子 by Garyou
羽子板 連獅子, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

The photo shows hagoita, a battledore, I saw at the Shimbashi-Embujo Theatre tonight. It was the last day of Januay Performance, so I went there. I don't usually go see plays on weekdays. It was special.

Hagoita is fundamentally used to hit a very small wood ball with feather, like a badminton racket hits a shuttlecock. Some hagoita are for display and they are very decorative. This is one of the decorative ones.
Moreover, this is so huge. Ordinary hagoita is larger than a table tennis racket and a little shorter than a badminton racket. This hagoita is almost as tall as an adult man.

Every time I go see plays, I'm inspired a lot. I want to tat something like a flower circles on a wall in a play, I want to knit something like checker-board pattern in kimono a character wear, and so on.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Kind of Origami

One of my colleagues gave us karintoh, sweet crunchy snacks, the other day. They were put in the cute paper bags made with washi, Japanese paper.
I couldn't throw them away. I kept them and today I made pochi-bukuro with them.
Pochi-bukuro is a small envelope. We usually put some money in it and give to someone. It used to be a manner to roll money up with paper when you give money. That manner become old-fashined but still exists. You sometimes just use an envelope, sometimes use pochi-bukuro.
You can buy them at stationary stores. You can also make them with coloured paper, origami or chiyogami. I sometimes keep pretty wrapping paper and make pochi-bukuro with it. It's so fun.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Getting Started

mistakes I've made quite a few by Garyou
mistakes I've made quite a few, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Now I stop complaining, wind some thread on bobbins, and off I go!

But then, I found I've made mistakes.

Well, I'm going to bed for now and start again tomorrow.

Monday, January 23, 2012

What to Tat

Tatted Scarf by Garyou
Tatted Scarf, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

It's snowing tonight. Before that it rained a lot so it won't be enough snow to make a snowman in the morning.

It is so cold and I'm working on my large project, a swirl jacket called Forest Fiesta.
At the same time, I want to tat something large as I've mentioned here several times.

I already got thread, I have shuttles, all right. All I have to do is starting.

The photo above is a scarf I made 5 years ago. It is the one and only large tatted scarf I made so far.

I love to tat something small such as motifs, bookmarks and so on, but I actually don't know what to do with them. Do you need so much bookmarks? I don't think so.
Tatting something large would make my tatting mojo satisfied and hopefully I can use it.



Via Flickr:
77 motifs
motif designed by FUJITO Teiko
Finished on 9 December 2007

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Tatted Doily

Tatted Doily by Garyou
Tatted Doily, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I made a doily out of thetatting book published last month.

There are 40 works in the book, motifs, edgings, doilies, and some accessaries. Some works use split rings, some use Cluny tatting technique, and some with beads.

You can see inside of the book if you follow the link above, but the information is not very useful. Because all you can see there is a front of the book and some photos show how to tat. You can only see few works. Why do they do that? Don't the want us to buy their books?
Well, at least they offered some samples. That's much better than the former book I blogged about.



Via Flickr:
Source: タティングレースの素敵なこもの by sumie
No.24 Doily
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Col.635

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Stash-Enhancement

Stash-Enhancement by Garyou
Stash-Enhancement, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I went to see Spamalot.
And on the way home from the theatre, I did some stash-enhancement. I've bought 11 balls of Felted Tweed and 2 balls of Scottish Tweed DK. The latter was a real bargain.

I am going to knit a vest with Felted Tweed. I was thinking of dense fabric, but the shop owner showed me a floppy vest with the same yarn. He said it was knitted with size 10 (5.1mm) needle. He also said it doesn't become elongated so much because it is light.

I got home and knitted samples with size 5 (3.6mm) and 9 (4.8mm) needles. Both swatches look fine with me. I usually prefer floppy fabric.
I just sleep on it tonight and maybe decide which to make tomorrow.

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Friday, January 20, 2012

The Last is the Best

To me, at least.

I bought a new tatting lace book by MORIMOTO Kazuko.

Unfortunately, you can't see inside of this book if you follow the link above. What a shame. I wonder if they want to sell their products (books, in this case) seriously and desperately.

I'm sure I will blog about this book later. It's midnight now and I'm going to see Spamalot after I get up.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Crochet Mojo

Crochet Lace Shawl by Garyou
Crochet Lace Shawl, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Last year was a year of crochet to me.
I've made a shawl above in the photo, two scarves, two pairs of socks, cardigan, and some more.
I started to learn how to crochet when I was nine, one year prior to learn how to knit. I love both knitting and crochet. I can't decide which I like better. Sometimes I prefer knitting, and sometimes crochet.

I have bought some yarn for crochet and I desperately want to crochet with them every time I see them,
But, fool me, I haven't decided what to crochet.
Now I'm thinking of making something out of this book.



Via Flickr:
Designer: TAKEDA Atsuko
Yarn: Olympus Cotton Cuore 12
Hook size 3/0

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Planning Go Abroad

Early Spring in Turku by Garyou
Early Spring in Turku, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

My friend and I are planning to go to Helsinki and Stockholm for our second time this spring.
We've been there 7 years ago. It was middle of March and snow and ice were all over the land. It was nice, though. It's not sour grapes, I sincerely think so. We don't have such amount of snow where I live and work.
But maybe because of the season, we've missed what we supposed to enjoy a lot. There were few shops in the Market Square; not so much to see in Skansen and the Handcraft Museum in Turuku.
So, it would be a kind of revenge to us.

I brought my hand-crocheted amigurumi with me at that time. You can see him in the photo above. I'm thinking of taking him again.



Via Flickr:
13 Mar 2005

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

My Favourite Shuttle

Tatted Motifs by Garyou
Tatted Motifs, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

The photo here shows my favourtie shuttle, GR-8 Tatting Shuttle made with ebony.
I've tat quite a number of motifs and bookmarks, as well as doilies with this shuttle.
I've been to Finland and Sweden with it.
I sometimes have a hard time when I have to rewind thread onto the shuttle, but I'm getting used not to make thread too long.

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Monday, January 16, 2012

#24 Pentagon Motif

A Tatted Motif by Garyou
A Tatted Motif, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This winter, we have three tatting lace books published, two are already on sale and one to come next week.
I've made a motif from one of the new book, _Crochet and Tatting Lace_ by YOKOYAMA Kayomi.
As you can see from the title, there are accessaries made with crochet and tatting lace in this book: 11 accessaries and 40 motifs of crochet and 19 accessaries and 40 motifs of tatting lace. All the patterns have diagrams.

I made a motif out of the book.
I've been looking for a motif for joining each other and tat something large.
I expected that this motif would be the one, but I don't think so right now.
I must wait for the book coming soon.
A Tatted Motif


Via Flickr:
Source: クロシェとタティングレースのアクセサリー
Designed by YOKOHAMA Kayomi
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Col.693

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

#23 Bag Charm

Bag Charm by Garyou
Bag Charm, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I totally forgot to blog about this.
I made a bag charm from Marilee Rockley's _Tatted Jewelry._ The name of this motif is Carnival.

I bought this bag last August.
It was a kind of love-at-first-sight, but in last spring, this bag went sold-out right after the sales began. I've waited for a while, and got one. It is so pretty in person, prettier than I have expected.
So I decided to tat a charm for it, but didn't start until last December.
I planned to go to see kabuki plays in Kyoto and I wanted to bring this bag with me. Then I thought I needed a charm and made it.

The 6mm bead doesn't fit well. I should have used 8mm.
I had hard time threading Delica Beads (you usually use them when you do bead-weaving) because holes of them were so small.
The colour of the bag and the charm go well, at least I think so.
Bag Charm

Via Flickr:
Carnival Designed by Marilee Rockley
Thread: Lisbeth #20 Col.684
Beads: 6mm Swarovski Fern, 4mm Swarovski Province Violet, & MIYUKI Delica Beads

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Wearing Hand-Knitted Mittens

ざっくりミトン by Garyou
ざっくりミトン, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I wore my hand-knitted mittens today. The photo here shows what I put on. It was my first time to put them on.

They are extremely warm mainly because they are knitted with bulky yarn, Anny Blatt's Mini-sport.
The cuffs fit so well. I knitted them with size 4 (3.3mm) needles and that made the fabric so dense. They also have adequate length.

I've never thought of fair-isle knitting with bulky yarn. Now I think it is not so bad.

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Colour Revolution

Blue is my favourite colour. I remember I chose something blue instead of red when I was five years old. I also remember I was told "Why don't you take red one? You're a girl." at that time.
I did like red and pink when I was much younger. I preferred red sweater when I was three or four. I was not satisfied with the navy blue one that my mother made me put on. But as far as I can remember, that's the last time I preferred red stuff to blue. Ever since then, blue is the colour for me.

Knitting made some changes on my taste on colour.
The more I knit, the more colours I become to like.
Now I love autumn colourways so much.
I never thought of knitting with yellow yarn at all. I don't hesitate using yellow yarn now.

Knitting, crochet and tatting surely made my life more colourful than ever.

Oh, another thing is kabuki play, of course.
I went to see one tonight. It was fantastic.
平成中村座

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Am I a Spinner?

"You don't have a spinning wheel? What kind of a spinner are you?" some people would say.
I don't have a wheel and I am not going to buy one at least for the time being. I have spindles and that's fine with me. I'm happy with my spindles.
Am I not a spinner?
Well, maybe and maybe not.
The reason I don't care for a wheel is because they are too large. I usually spin out of my house.
I know with spinning wheel I can spin faster and more. But, is it true? If I stay home not so long, wouldn't spindle spinning more efficient?

Once in a while, I'm thinking of buying a wheel. JourneyWheel, as a matter of fact. If only I could try it before getting one.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Spinning Corriedale

Spinning Corriedale by Garyou
Spinning Corriedale, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I usually spin in lunchtime at the office. After I eat my lunch, I take out my spindle and spin.
Now I'm spinning Corriedale top from Rosebank Farm. This fiber is so fabulous and fun to spin with.
I'm thinking of knitting a lace shawl with the yarn. Thanks to a Jenkins Turkish Delight spindle, I can spin the yarn as fine as I want so far.
It really takes time to spin fine yarn, but I'm having fun spinning.


Via Flickr:
Spinning Corriedale Top from Rosebank Farm

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Time, Time, Time

Another work week starts again and I'm already out of time for handcraft. It's 21:32 now and I'm still in a bus. I haven't had my supper yet. Should I skip it since it is late already? Or what.
Anyway, I must go to bed by midnight. No time for impulse actions.
I know that. I just can't resist them.

Above is what I wrote on the bus on the way home.
I've managed to knit for about half an hour. Well done, I think.
Sorry for all the complaint I made. It would be gone in a while.

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Monday, January 09, 2012

Spendthrift on Yarn Becomes Tightwad?

Forest Fiesta in Progress by Garyou
Forest Fiesta in Progress, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

It is Coming-of-Age Day, one of the national holidays today.
I worked on Forest Fiesta. The photo shows how much I knitted with a ball of yarn.
It's a kind of mindless knitting for now.

I wonder how long it will take to finish this.
In my rough calculation, it would be more than a month. I must hurry up a bit or winter would be over before my Forest Fiesta'd be finished.

As I work on this large project, I realise that my stash is too large. Extremely large for my knitting and crochet capability. That prevents me from buying more yarn.
Stash enhancement is a great relief for my stress. I sometimes desperately need it. I spare that for the time I really have to have it.


Via Flickr:
40 g of Chieti 15 & half row
Designed by Sandra McIver
Source: _Knit, Swirl!_
Yarn: Puppy Chieti Col.614
Needle Size 8 (4.5mm)
Started on 8 Jan. 2012

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Sunday, January 08, 2012

Casted on

Forest Fiesta by Garyou
Forest Fiesta, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I've started knitting my large stuff project, Forest Fiesta. It takes more than 10 minutes to purl / knit a row now. I wonder I really finish this project or not.



Via Flickr:
Designed by Sandra McIver
Source: _Knit, Swirl!_
Yarn: Puppy Chieti Col.614
Needle Size 8 (4.5mm)
Started on 8 Jan. 2012

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Saturday, January 07, 2012

Nothing New

I haven't started knitting a large stuff. 5 Jan. was the first day of work this year and I didn't enough time to do my handworks.

That doesn't sound quite right. Did I really run out of time? Didn't I waste my precious time?

Yes and no.
My boss thinks the company pays you for your time, not your work nor your attention. So I have to stay at the office even if I have no work to do. Well that's not right. My boss wouldn't care if I'm working or just killing my time at the office.

You can't choose your boss, so I have to deal with it.

I've been annoyed with that fact so I'm not feeling like to do anything.

Fortunately, we have three day-offs. I'm thinking of starting a new project this weekend.

By the way, I went to see kabuki today again. It was also fantastic.


I also made the New Year visit to Senso-ji Temple.
雷神

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Friday, January 06, 2012

For Handcraft

I'm reading _Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play_ now. Once in a while, I pick up a book on time-management.
Do I want to achieve a lot in my work and finish house chores as quick as possible?
Well, yes, actually. But those are not the reasons to read time-management books.
All I want is more time to knit, tat, crochet, and spin.

The book I'm reading is mostly same as other books on same theme.
Try to minimize what you do.
Stop procrastination.
Keep in mind what you really want to achieve.

Every time I read this kind of book, I swear I won't read another one again. They are not so different. It's waste of time.
But, it might be something to improve my handcraft time, I think, and here I go again.

Maybe I should stop reading it and start my handcraft project.

Oh, by the way, I also need time to go see plays, especially kabuki and bunraku.
Today, I went to see one. It was oh so fabulous!

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Thursday, January 05, 2012

Am I Capable?

Tatted Stitch Rings by Garyou
Tatted Stitch Rings, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I'm thinking of making another large stuff this winter. I've already done with a crochet cardigan and now I'm wearing it. It's warm and nice and I think one cardigan / sweater a season is enough. But I just want to knit one.

What I need to think is the time I can manage. Well, they say you can't manage time. It's just 24 hours a day. I must think carefully how long I can use for knitting.

I need to do some stash busting. Knitting a large stuff would surely do the job.

I'm thinking of knitting this.

The instruction tells me I need eight stitch markers but I have only five. So I tatted three.
Stupid me!

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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Bulky Mittens

ざっくりミトン by Garyou
ざっくりミトン, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This pair of mittens is my first finished object this year.

It was a quici-knit. I started knitting the left hand mitten on 1 Jan., and almost done. I went to see kabuki plays on 2 Jan., and didn't knit that day. On 3 Jan., I finished the thumb of the left hand mitten, and casted on the right one and done.

Fair-isle knitting is what I adore a lot, but I'm not good at it at all. I've tried it several times, though.
What I needed was knit with thick yarn, such as this one. This pair looks still awkward, but it's better than other fair-isle knitting stuffs I made.

In the book, these mittens are in gray and red, and natural and dark blue. Mine look too bold, but they look bright and warm in chilly weather.
ざっくりミトン

Via Flickr:
Designed by MIKUNI Mariko
Yarn: Puppy Mini-sport 711 (purple) & 685 (green)
Needle Size 4 (3.3mm) & 6 (3.9mm) DPN
Started on 1 Jan. 2012
Finished on 3 Jan. 2012

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Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Seed Stitch Hat

Seed Stitch Hat by Garyou
Seed Stitch Hat, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

On 31 Dec., I went to buy some yarn. It was the last stash enhancement of the year. We tend to refer to "the first" and "the last" thing to do of the year. For example, Hatsuyume, the first dream of the year, is said to judge our fortune for the following year. 28 or 29 Dec. is called Shigoto-osame, the last business day of the year, and so on.

This hat is my last knitting of the year 2011 and my first finished object of the year 2012.

Designed by MIKUNI Mariko, its gauge is rather tight. I knit rather loosely, so I tried to knit tightly as possible. The width went fine, but the height. It's a bit large in height.
I know tightly knit thing looks neat. I used to knit really tight. I found out that it's more fun to knit as you like. Not too tight, not too loose.

Seed stitch is one of my favourite stitches. When I first learned to knit seed stitch, I got addicted too much. And it's still the same. I finished knitting on the very day I started to knit. How addictive!
Seed Stitch Hat

Via Flickr:
Designed by MIKUNI Mariko
Source: 「編みものこもの」
Yarn: Dia E-no straight col.508
Needle Size 7 (4.2mm)

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Monday, January 02, 2012

Crochet Cardigan

Crochet Cardigan by Garyou
Crochet Cardigan, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

What I did most last year was crochet. I've made several scarves and this cardigan. It's been a while to make something this large. I'd rather prefer to knit, tat, and crochet small stuffs, such as socks, scarves, doily, usw.
When I looked through michiyo's knitting and crochet pattern book, I was intrigued with this two way cardigan. At first, I had no confidence to finish it. But a pattern used in this cardigan is one of my favourite. It's a kind of shell pattern. So I thought I wouldn't get bored.
I was right.
There's no seam in this cardigan. After you finish with the back of it, you crochet both fronts and collar continuously. When you finish crocheting, it's time to wear it.
This cardigan is so warm and I put it on almost everyday. I really love it.
I'm thinking of knitting haori, a kind of short jacket wear over kimono for my next large thing project.



Via Flickr:
Designed by michiyo
Yarn: Princess Anny col. 523

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Sunday, January 01, 2012

#17 - #22 Snowflakes, snowflakes, snowflakes

New Year Cards 2012 by Garyou
New Year Cards 2012, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This is the year of dragon. I was supposed to tat something dragon like motif, such as a hippocampus, Occidental dragons, and so on.
Instead, I've made a lot of snowflakes out of Jon Yusoff's Tatted Snowflakes Collection.

I put each motif on a new year card.

This autumn and winter, we already have two tatting books published in Japan, and one more to come this month. I don't know about the latter book, but former two didn't make me motivated much.
But Jon's patterns! They made me tat a lot, sometimes too much, and it was very fun.
My favourite is 14. The Twirly. It's so pretty especially tatted with #40 thread.

Milky Ways
#17 Milky Ways. They are too large for New Year Cards. Large one is made with Lisbeth #20, and small one is with #40.

Sweet Rose
#18 Sweet Rose. I love this motif because you can tat all three rows without cutting thread.
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Col.635.

Alladin
#19 Alladin. It was a challenge to me to tat a SCMR on a split ring. Need more practice.
Thread: Lisbeth #40, Col.641

Circle of Crowns
#20 Circle of Crowns. It's a kind of onion ring pattern, I think.
Thread: Lisbeth #20

Floret
#21 Floret. Love it! This motif is so pretty.
Thread: Lisbeth #20

The Twirly
#22 The Twirly. My favourite.
The left and right one are made with Lisbeth #40 and the middle is with #20.

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