crocheted blankie shell stitch

After struggling for a few days trying to remember where I found this pattern it finally came to me. It's in the VK crocheted baby blankets book on p. 60. The pattern includes an animal head but since this is a lapghan for an adult I don't need that and also I wouldn't give a 100% wool blankie to a newborn. I like it so much that I dug into my stash collection and came up with another Te Awa yarn from Australia. I have several of them actually. I'm using a 5.00 hook and after going through my hook collection I found that a plain simple aluminum one with no name of the brand works the best on this one. I do love my Phildar hook too but it's quite heavy at this size and the American Boye is not as slidey as I like either. The pattern is very easy but I haven't found it in any of my stitch crochet books yet. It mainly uses sc, hdc and dc to make a sort of shell which then on the second row heads in the other direction. But except for the beg row, everything else is the same as row 2 which makes it delightfully easy and quick to make.

Grannies

Just finished a baby blankie in the VK Grannies book. Designed by Marilyn Losee. This was such fun to do. I used several variegated acrylics I bought here in Holon instead of the plain colors in the pattern. I even have enough left over for a second one. Now I just need to find a baby!
I saw my surgeon last week and also got back the blood test. Both were excellent. The surgeon isn't sure whether I still have the cancer but he thinks it's there only smaller and just wants now to check me again in 4 months.The hormone pill I'm taking is being very successful for me. So once more, I am so lucky. I told a girlfriend about it and she was amazed and told me to "go away". She has had to have chemo and it has spread to other parts of her body. She seems to think th at th e 3 marker tests on the blood test would indicate if there is cancer but I think she is wrong. One can't depend on that.

Cheer wools LYS

I forgot to take a picture of the new store for Cheer wools and they just moved on this visit farther up Hennessey not far from the football fields. I found some NOro yarns but pretty expensive and their selection of Japanese knitting books was slim for 2009. Also they had removed their older European knitting books but on my final visit it looked like they had put some of them out again because they do get a lot of "foreign" visitors. I was asked by one lady who was a tourist from Canada about finding a pattern in English for an afghan and when she told m e she was heading soon to Singapore I told her to wait and go to the Golden dragon which has a great selection of English wools (Sirdar and Rowan) plus Japanese yarns and lots of books and needles. Singapore knitters have told me this is the best LYS in Singapore.

Spring summer handknit collection for women

This is a Diakeito book and the cover shawllette uses the Diallien yarn. Most of the items are crocheted but there is some knitting. NIcest books for 2009 I saw so far so I bought it.

yarn purchases in Hongkong

I was really sticking to my yarn diet this trip but couldn't resist the following yarns left to right: Dialien color 605 from Diakeito. I bought 9 balls and it is probably linen with cotton in a variegated color. This will probably become some kind of crocheted vest or shawl. The next yarn is Diamist lame in color 707. This has some gold and silver colors an d 3 balls should be enough for a narrow summer scarf. Both are Diamond yarns. The third one is Diadomina in color 323 and is a variegated red and pink and other colors. I bought 9 balls which should be enough for a plain raglan pullover. The prices from Filokilo are approx the same with the discount as in Japan. You have to bargain but it also helps to be a good repeat customer. This store often has classes too. They carry some cheaper Italian yarns. None of the stores I've seen in Hongkong carry Chinese yarns although I believe there is a place somewhere in Hongkong. Just haven't found it yet.

another LYS in Hongkong

This Lys is on the same street as Filokilo so worth a visit. They only carry Filatura di crosa (at a nice discount) and some Cleckheaton from Australia. They also have lots of Clover needles. There's another store called Spotlight in Kowloon that I visited this trip with my daughter. They also have lots of Aussie yarns and books and I also found there some of the cheaper Miyuki delica beads plus I bought a pliers for split rings which I hadn't seen anywhere else. Didn't take a picture though.

New style LYS in Hongkong

New style lys in Hongkong has been around for years in one location or another. Always when I go there, I find a class of knitters. The yarns are eclectic being Japanese or Italian and expensive too. I was able to bargain with them last trip and got some nice Noro silk garden. They have moved also nearer now to the Sogo dept store and not far from Tailor and alteration. Both stores are on the main street Hennessey. There are signs to them above the sidewalk so you have to be on the lookout. This one is closer to Sogo than the other one. The store is about the same size as before. The salespeople are pleasant and speak English. they have a good selection of new and old Japanese knitting books and some needles. I usually visit but don't buy.

Tailor and alteration Hongkong LYS

Tailor and Alteration has been in this new location now over 6 months and still is absolutely impossible to find anything. They moved closer to Sogo on the same road but into a much smaller store and now all the knitting books are just piled up one on top of the next. The yarns for knitting are in very narrow aisles and other items like embroidery and sewing seem to have almost disappeared. I visited them on this trip and the earlier one and both times walked out without buying anything. Just impossible.

entrelac in Kersti

This sweater started out as a vest because I only had 10 balls of Koigu Kersti which is a lovely variegated dk weight yarn. But after I reached the end of the front and back I saw that I still had 4 balls so I picked up sts around the armhole and knit down and in fact I still have most of one ball left! So this yarn while pricey is very good on length or something. I got my inspiration from seeing a sweater in entrelac by Hubert from her man's knitting sweater book only there she used a plain yarn for the sleeves. However aside from that, I just used my own specifications for the item because I've made so many entrelacs myself. I generally go by the entrelac pattern in the old Harmony stitch book. This one used 10 sts for one triangle and square. Also, the sweater itself has a wonderfully elastic feeling from the yarn and also I did make a vest before this one in the same yarn but it just completely stretched out after washing. I think the entrelacs should hold the yarn now from doing that.
I got back from a month out in the far east where I saw my great knitting friends out there. Siowchin (little purl of the orient) and Marjorie in Hongkong and Tanti out in Jakarta. The only yarn I bought was at Filokilo in Kowloon because they have always a great selection of Diakeito yarns and I can get also a nice discount from them. This time they were very happy to see me and gave me some yarn catalogs from Diakeito with all the colors and specifications for each of their winter and summer yarns. All in Japanese but still quite understandable. I also took photos of a few of the yarnstores in Hongkong who have relocated. I did buy one Japanese knitting book because I have so many in my collection from several years and I just didn't see anything wildly exciting.

Spring interweave knits and Best of the worsteds

Today I picked up my mail which included the spring Interweave knits magazine. I felt that the pages were printed on much lighter paper. Am I right? As for the patterns: There are a lot of cottons and that's great as it will help me to finish off more of my huge cotton stash. I have a lot of Tahki cotton classic so the scarf by Eunny Jang is calling. I did a shawl online by Susan Lawrence and I have the yarn called for to make the Fountain pen shawl. I have the Brown Sheep cotton fleece also (7 skeins) so the Jeff's pub sweater is another option although I'm a bit scared about sewing in a long zipper assuming I could even find one. The shawl by Norah Gaughan is worn as a skirt so I can't tell how it would look as a shawl so that's a no go for me. Omdahl has a shawl and it interests me although I have her book so probably will do something from her book before this one. I really am attracted to the scarf by Kenny Chua. I can't figure out what the yarn is. sport weight? dk? The tee by Teva Durham is quite attractive. The other items I find less interesting as they resemble so many others found in other places.

I also got the book "Best of the worsteds" edited by Bobbie Matela and published by House of White Birches. This is good again for my huge stash as I have so much yarn that knits to the gauge of 4.5 sts to the inch or thereabouts. All the patterns are easy ones and are designed by many designers new and old names to me. The patterns come with schematics which are useful just that way for me. There are 40 designs arranged by subject of baby stuff, gifts and wearables.
What I liked best are: most of the baby stuff many of which are done in cottons. The gifts section has something called shadow placemats which look great. A hat and scarf set in mitred squares. zigzag scarf, cabled hat and fingerless gloves. ribbed cap which is much more than just ribs. In the wearables, there's a nice bolero in a variegated yarn which I have (of course). A gorgeous cardi lace vest in cotton. knit from the top pullover with baby cables accenting the raglans. long vest in a rib pattern I did on the raglan sweater I'm working on now. Classic cables vest (which is why I bought the book in the first place). A very nice straight up vest in a cotton yarn (here I'm pleased to have the schematic). I like the diamond twist afghan and the modular one knit in pieces. There's a handy section at the back to help with knitting and crochet but since I didn't see anything in crochet, I'm not sure why they put it in. Those are the patterns I might do or use in some way. I also liked the editor's introduction in which she suggests you just go ahead and use up any yarn that fits the worsted weight label. Very nice book.

granny hat

The granny square comes from the VK book called "Grannies" c2008 and it's actually the basic square for a baby blankie on p.69 by Marianne Forrestal. I have also started the blankie in the same acrylic yarn but in a gorgeous hot color. All I did here was to crochet 5 squares and attach the first 4. The 5th square was attached at th e top with one side to one side of each square and it is a very quick item to make and because it's just one color, there's a lot less ends to sew in too.

Diakeito raglan

Yarn is Diadomina # 335 which I bought a few months ago at the LYS in HOngkong. It's a new color (my photo shows the colors too light) and I really love it too. I made it smaller about size 42 but I think it is a bit wider anyway. However I like the way it fits. I also made the sleeves 18"
long as I rather like them that way in case it's cold outside. Brrr. Again I relied on the J. Fee book on raglans. I do have a problem right now though. I've started another raglan which is written to be worked in pieces. So I did a sleeve and really don't understand why it was done so that the rapid decreases all come first. That makes a raglan which is really impossible for me to wear. Maybe a very slim model. Anyway, I'll be redoing it the way I did this one.

clown toy

This is from Knitted toys by Jean Greenhowe, c89. It's been a wip for years as I didn't know what to do with the hair but now in the future I might do an embroidery stitch with it which I ran across in a very old French book.Anyway, I gave it to Asya and she wasn't interested. She's more into cars. Also everything looks to her like a phone and if it isn't a phone (and this is not for sure) than she couldn't care less. I'm getting ready to go to her 2nd birthday party in March. It's in HOngkong so the trip is a long one for me. But my two kids have set up a really grand time for me including two trips into China, 2 days in Macao, a day in Penang in Malaysia and of course Singapore and Jakarta and a few weeks with the little one. This time she's getting cars!

new books

I just got more knitting books for my continually expanding collection. Both are good too. Luxury yarn one-skein wonders edited by Durant is full of great ideas which can easily be adapted. For example, there's a crocheted baby hat by Edie Eckman that calls to me for myself and all I need to do is use a heavier weight yarn and crochet until it fits. Also some really good looking scarves and some patterns for neck warmers which could also double as hats. My friend Bracha knit something that works like that. Pull it up and it's a sort of hat and down it's for the neck.
The other book is an old one edited by Jane Waller: The 30s family knitting book from 1981. I found it on ABE.UK as I don't think it was ever published in the US. I have a few of her other books so I knew pretty much what to expect and was not disappointed. She has reprinted the pages of old knitting magazines of the 30s and added a 2 page historical note and material showing what size needles and hooks and yarn to use with each pattern. There are some quirky ones here like a baby boy sunsuit in something called swimwool. But the men's patterns would be great for today as they are not complicated patterns but rely on nice stitchwork for their effect. The women's side has some great items too which could be knit as is. Others provide ideas for stitches to use in projects. There is a sweater called tuck-in which is meant to do just that so as to emphasize the waist. In fact the sweaters are all figure flattering and would be useful today as we are returning to that style. Also included are a few suits and dresses which I won't be doing. Another unusual item is a vest and panties set to be worn apparently as under clothing. The yarns are all mainly thin wools being mainly 4ply and dk weights. One nice pullover though all in angora. There are no arans but two calling for a little fairisle work. Two nice simple shawls, a lovely scarf. No hats. I'm waiting also for a new book she's bringing out in England later in the spring also similar to this and her others.

zigzag finished

I bought this yarn around 1997 or at least that's when I began to knit it. It's Ellen's half pint farm falkland merino. I paid $50 for 1350 yds in one hank at Stitches East (Valley Forge, Pa.). I met her there and liked t he ocean colorway. Now that I'm wearing it, it's really pleasant to wear. The pattern is my own based on a stitch from the second Barbara Walker treasury on p. 123 and called Zigzag ribbon stitch. She suggests it will be great for variegated yarn. I found the pattern pretty hard as I did it in the round. I did th e sleeves in plain st st or I never would have finished it in Dec. 2007.
I just got some wonderful news tonight. The biopsy on the strange thing on my leg (which was a burn scar from 1945) turns out to be ok even though 2 doctors thought it was probably cancer. I knew about it for maybe 15 years an d even have a letter from the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minn to watch out for anything red on my leg. Well, it was pink so I just ignored it all those years. I am a very lucky person and feel like I've won t he lottery twice this past half year.
I also received my new mattresses tonight about 10 days earlier than I figured they'd arrive.

Starmore Keava

I finished Keava this summer but only got a photo of it now. I made it smaller with one less repeat a nd I'm pleased with the way it fits me. I find that I'll have to resize my other Starmore kits as when they were designed the style was meant to be looser t han today's fashion.

Hongkong again (notice the fi sweater from Sweaters from camp)

I recently returned from 5 weeks in the far east mainly in Hongkong visiting my daughter and little Asya. I also went to see my son in Jakarta and together we had a great weekend in Bali in Ubud. Along the way I passed through Singapore for a very intense 4 hour bead shopping spree and from Hongkong I spent another weekend in China also with about 4 hours in a huge bead center. Also found beads in Kowloon and bought a few nice Japanese yarns and knitting books. I saw my HK knitting friends too and also Tanti in Jakarta. Back again in Israel I was greeted warmly by Joseph who invited me for a great weekend up in Tiberias at the Scottish Hotel which is a nice adult hotel with lectures and tours. It felt like being out of the country but I did find the dates I wanted which grow nearby. The weather was mild with no rain and we saw an interesting sight of many religious Jews praying for rain. It didn't arrive but now it looks to be on the way. And when that happens the supermarket is very crowded with people stocking up with about 2 months of food! Very strange for a Minnesota girl to see that. I just bought some veggies and stuff for a Chinese meal.
I'm trying to eliminate some of my yarn and bead stash these days giving away the materials I probably will never use.
My breast cancer returned again but I'm still lucky. After nearly 33 years of a close relationship with this malady, the best oncologist here told me to take a hormone and return in 6 months. So life is good. My daughter asked me if I plan to do more medical tests an d I responded there isn't much left that I haven't done this year. It's nice to just relax and worry about finding those little Delica beads under the table! I've gotten new beading books with things that are new to me and I'm looking forward to working my way through them and making some really nice stuff with my new collection of delica and Swarowski beads.

crochet sampler afghan

This was begun maybe 30 years ago with yarns I brought from America: Spinnerin mainly. I can't seem to find the pattern now. I think it was one of the yarn comapany pamphlets with about 60 some patterns. There are a lot less here as I just decided finally to sew them up. It's now a lapghan and I plan on gifting it to my friend in a wheelchair who is always cold.

Barbara Walker afghan finished

Finally this afghan from the Walker Learn to knit afghan book is finished. I must have started it about 30 years ago! The problem was that the squares were uneven and I didn't have confidence in sewing them up. I was thinking I'd need to block them or add some more rows around some of the squares or something but turned out to be very easy to just sew them up because the yarn used was Spinnerin wool and wool stretches. Not all the squares in her book are here as I didn't care finally to knit anymore but just finish what I've got.

Delica 10s with crystals

This little bracelet took nearly 3 days. I fits very nicely but actually I don't care for t he 10s that much. 1 of them is twice the length of 2 of the 11s. The main problem here was getting the little circle clasp to fit over the big toggle.

Hoeschen's Harvest time bracelet

It took longer to find the right beads than to make the bracelet from Step by step beads Jan 2008 by Dottie Hoeschen. I used a lot less crystals but size 8 and I couldn't find the right spacers so used some size 6 gold beads in my stash. I might do it again. The button is Japanese and bought in Jakarta.

My peyote stitch bracelet

I used KO Japanese bead thread in white. The color was a mistake so I added size 15s for a picot to hide it. The beads are a Japanese mix I bought from Gloria. I should have made a peyote clasp but felt like just using a lobster clasp. My own design such as it is.
I really like the KO thread. It doesn't fray and gets into the needle always with the first pass. I need to buy more of this.

Rogalski crystal earrings

Pattern is in Step by step beads Jan 2008. Very foolproof and fast and gorgeous too.

bronze set in RAW

Fast and easy. Bronze seed beads (Japanese) for RAW base with Czech crystals 4mm and gold 15mm for center. Earrings similar

tubular herringbone earrings

This is my own pattern for the earrings. I made it before with red, green, blue and gold beads. It got lots of compliments so now I'm trying in different colors. I start off with 12 beads (2 of one color, 2 of gold, etc) Go back into them by 2 at a time and connect first to last set. Then start off by going up and down: 1 down and 3 up. The fringe is usually about 6 beads or so. The gold here is a bit heavier than the other beads but the earrings aren't that heavy so it's good as the gold might tarnish if worn next to the skin.