Monday, June 30, 2008

Hand Painting Yarn

100% pure wool organic Turkish yarn, hand painted yarn, dye your own yarn, hand dyed yarnLast week was for less blogging but I discovered the fun of hand painting yarn. I used Lukas batik powder paints and food coloring powder. I played by mixing the paints, one skein of pure wool yarn felted a bit and now I can say I KNOW HOW TO HAND PAINT YARN. The food coloring powder produces more vibrant colors than Lukas batik, even the last one is a special fabric paint.

The starting point looked like this, lovely hanks of undyed pure wool organic yarn:




And here's what I got:
100% pure wool organic Turkish yarn, hand painted yarn, dye your own yarn, hand dyed yarn 100% pure wool organic Turkish yarn, hand painted yarn, dye your own yarn, hand dyed yarn100% pure wool organic Turkish yarn, hand painted yarn, dye your own yarn, hand dyed yarn, hand painting yarn, hand painted wool

Friday, June 13, 2008

Split- Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee by Stefanie Japel

Split- Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee, Fitted Knits, Stefanie Japel, Glampyre Knits, Top-Down Raglan, blog, knitting tank pattern, linate, cotton, acrylic

Split- Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee, Fitted Knits, Stefanie Japel, Glampyre Knits, Top-Down Raglan, blog, knitting tank pattern, linate, cotton, acrylicI liked so much Fitted Knits book! After I finished the Drop Lace Stitch Tank from this book I cast on for another project from the same book. I hope this project will help me learn the top-down knitting technique too. I am using Barbara G. Walker's technique to firmly join into a ring/round front and back bodystitches after placing the sleeve stitches on scrap yarn to be worked later. This technique is described in Knitting from the Top book, on page 116, paragraph 3.

For this project I decided on a self striping yarn, 50 % cotton and 50 % acrylic, Linate CotoLin Gold from Okiteks, another local Turkish brand. I just love the beige color shades.... I cast on for S size and my gauge/tension is 20 sts/4 " with Stockinette st with US 7 (4.5 mm) Knit Picks circular knitting needle.

Drop Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits book by Stefanie Japel

fitted knits book, stefanie japel, glampyre knits, ravelry, knitting swap, fo,  finished object, destiknit, alize yarns, 100% bamboo yarn, knit picks options interchangeable needle, Drop Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits book by Stefanie Japel..fitted knits book, stefanie japel, glampyre knits, ravelry, knitting swap, fo,  finished object, destiknit, alize yarns, 100% bamboo yarn, knit picks options interchangeable needle, Drop Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits book by Stefanie Japel

And I have another FO (finished object): a lovely very fitted tank. First time I have the perfect fit and I just love Stefanie Japel for this. This one won't go to my mom...

I received Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel from my swap pal, Destiknit. Lucky me to had have such a cool pal… :)))

I started this project on 24th May and I finished in on 8th June 2008. I used 3 skeins (720 yards) of 100% bamboo yarn from Alize (a local Turkish brand).

Modifications: I added extra stitch repeats to compensate the finer gauge. And, like everybody else, to get a better look of the drop stitch motif, I knit through back loops the knit stitches around all yo’s. I used 4 buttons instead of 3.

My gauge is 25.5 sts/4 ” with US 6 (4.5 mm) Knit Picks Options Interchangeable needles and I cast for M size.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I can't believe I'm crocheting

crochet grannie square, crocheted bag, crocheted purse, first time crocheting, learn how to crochet, bulky yarnThanks to youtube I learned today how to crochet a square from a circle. It's a kind of granny square. I had these odd balls which are bulky weight and was thinking what I could do with them. I think I might make a bag from couple of granny squares. I'm pretty excited and I find crocheting more portable than knitting.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Roundabout Leaf Tank by Norah Gaughan from Knitting Nature book

Knitting Nature, Norah Gaughan, Roundabout Leaf TankThis is my first WIP (work in progress) after my return from Romania and my second project from Norah's book: Knitting Nature. The first project was Droplet Hat. The hat for a swap on Ravelry but I am making this lovely tank for myself. I am using Turkish yarn from Linate Okiteks, CotoLin Gold: 50% cotton and 50% acrylic. It was a true bargain as it's a discontinued yarn and the seller told me it was the last batch. I just adore the color: yellow peach, very close to the skin color. Knitting Nature book, Norah Gaughan, Roundabout Leaf Tank, berrocoMy gauge/tension is 20 sts per 4'' with US 7/4.5 mm needle and I cast on for the smallest size. My nickel-plated KnitPicks interchangeable circular needles are perfect for this type of yarn.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

My favorite knitter THIS WEEK ...

knit easy, yarn, cheap yarn, knitting project, knitting pattern, knit stitch, cardigan pattern, vogue knitting, vk, vogue, vladimir teriokhin... is Katya because of her exquisite work: Cape Collar Jacket by Vladimir Teriokhin. It's a pattern design from Vogue Knitting magazine (pattern #16), Winter 2007/2008 issue. Vladimir Teriokhin is one of may favorite designers too. His beautiful designs are in every issue of VK.

Congratulations Katya! I always admire your work but this one drew my attention instantly.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I am an ebay seller!

organic wool, 100% pure wool, felting, hand dying, knitting, pattern, knit, knitwear, knitting yarn, felting yarnJust one week before my trip to Romania I posted 2 skeins of 100% ORGANIC wool for sale on ebay. The yarn is just perfect for hand dying and/or felting. I was surprise to see how quickly it had been sold. Today I posted some more (5 skeins).

For those who are interested in this yummy and soft yarn, click here. I tried myself this yarn. It knits easy and it felts beautifully. I hand painted with natural paints and it works wonderful too. One hank has 186 meters/203 yards.

Back to Istanbul

I'm back. I came back on 23rd April at 05.00 a.m. One week ago. It was a long and nice trip. I visited my parents and my relatives, I knitted a bit, I bought books, I watched TV a lot. I ate Romanian traditional food and I learned how to cook traditional Romanian sponge cake. It takes one full day but it's worth it. I received one old knitting machine from a cousin who was renovating her old parent's home. She gave away many things and I got this old mechanical knitting machine and now I spend lots of time on youtube trying to learn to use it. My cousin lost the manual and completely forgot how it works. The machine is still in Romania, it's very heavy and I couldn't carry it back to Istanbul. I intend to visit again my parents during Summer. I hope I will be able to use it by that time.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Saying Hi from Constanta

Hi everybody: I'm still in Constana and don't know when I'll be back. Some administrative issues aren't solved yet.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Cable Vest (#17) by Twinkle Wenlan Chia from Vogue Knitting, Holiday 2004

IMG_1044

Another Finished Object: Cable Vest (#17) by Twinkle/Wenlan Chia from Vogue Knitting magazine, Holiday 2004 issue.
I used 5 skeins (500 gr) of Harmony Ironstone Yarns. It's a bulky yarn but I still knit with 2 strands together and my gauge/tension was 9 sts / 4". I used 12 mm Pony circular needles and I cast on 14 sts instead of 12 sts. For the front collar I made one extra cable pattern repeat. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It was a fast knitting, only 3 days.

Monday, February 25, 2008

I fell in love with Knit Picks Options Interchangeable Circular Needles

knitpicks options interchangeable circular needles, nickel plated, knitting needles
Today I received my Knit Picks Options Interchangeable Needles. Wow! WOW! They are so great! I love them. My knitting is more enjoyable now. I was so curious about them, the reviews on the internet are so various and different, but I love them. The cable is so soft and the needles are very light.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Tomis tank: inspired by Norah Gaughan

tomis tank1
tomis tank2
Inspired by Norah Gaughan's genius work with geometric shapes, this high empire waist tank is my first attempt to write a pattern for multiple sizes. It has a deep V-neck and a lovely A-line shape which is just perfect for those who don't like the idea of an exposed belly. The generous armhole shaping make possible to wear this tank over a t-shirt or shirt or even another tank. Link to this pattern here.

SKILLS: Easy (increasing, decreasing, picking up stitches)

SIZE
32 [34, 36, 38, 40] inch bust


FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest: 33.5[35, 37, 39, 41.5] inches

MATERIALS
Alize Lidya [60% viscose, 40% acrylic; 186yd/170m per 100g skein];
color: LSD 15; 4[4, 5, 5, 6] skeins
1 40-inch US #8/5mm circular needle
Stitch Markers
Tapestry Needle

Tips for replacing the yarn
Replace Lidya from Alize with soft yarns which produce very drape-y fabrics. I recommend blends of acrylic with cotton, linen, rayon or viscose.


GAUGE: 16 sts x 24 rows/ 4” in Stockinette stitch

All rights reserved. This pattern may be used to make items for your own personal use, for gifts, or for charitable donations. It may not be used to knit up items for sale. You may make copies for your own personal use. You many not distribute it in any hardcopy or electronic format.

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