Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Bursa’ya yolculuk / Trip to Bursa

Once in a month I go to Bursa and this Saturday, 27th December, I will go again. Bursa is a small city, near Uludağ mountain. Getting there has a fun part and this is when the bus goes into the ferry-boat. The not so fun part is that I have to wake up quite early, I have to be at 06.45 a.m. in İstinye for service pick-up. The express bus actually departs at 07.30 a.m. from Kavacık. I am a fidel customer of Nilüfer Turizm: I like their on board breakfast: cracker and cake with tea or coffee. The return, same day, at 05.00 p.m it’s boring because it’s already dark outside and there’s nothing much to see thru the windows, most of the passengers are sleeping and there’s nobody to chit chat with.
This time I’ll get my camera with me, I hope I can take pics of snowy peaks in Bursa.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Shopping for fabrics in Istanbul

bursa, istanbul, besiktas, fabric store in Istanbul, shopping for fabrics in istanbul
Last week I was rambling in Besiktas, one of the most famous districts in Istanbul. I entered one fabric store. I was looking for a 100% linen or cotton fabric. I needed a thick fabric to refurbish a rescue chair. It should had been a natural fabric because I wanted to paint and stencil on it with acrylic paints.

My visit in that shop was such a pleasant shopping experience. The seller, an old and experienced man, told me so many and useful informations regarding fabrics. I am a very choosy customer, that type of buyer that not many sellers would love to see often. I like to ask many questions, change my mind in 5 minutes. I think I had half of the fabrics in the store exposed in front of me, on the desk, just for me to touch and feel them. I've never seen such a patient seller. His customer service was from far outstanding. He helped me a lot and I would highly recommend this shop to anybody who would like to buy fabrics in Istanbul. The shop's name is: Bursa Kumas Pazari and the its address is: Koyici Caddesi Buyuk Besiktas Carsisi no:21/303, Besiktas-Istanbul. Mr. Suleyman is happy to help you choose the most amazing fabrics. I will return there whenever I need lovely fabrics for my crafty projects.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Split Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee by Stefanie Japel from Fitted Knits book (part 2)

Split Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee, stefanie japel,  Fitted Knits book, ravelry,  finished object,  100% pure wool organic Turkish yarn,  linate cotolin gold, knitaly colorado yarns
And I have another FO (finished object): Split-Neckline Cap Sleeve Tee by Stefanie Japel from Fitted Knits book.

I cast on for S size even my gauge was finer: 20 sts/4 ". I made some modifications:

1) I made it shorter.
2) I added waist shaping which is inspired from Picovoli by Grumperina:

Set-up round: k17, pm, k46, pm, k17, pm (side seam marker), k17, pm, k46, pm, k17.
Important note: While decreasing/increasing, 34 sts remain untouched at each side, and increases and decreases are worked over the front/back sections.
Decrease round: K to first marker, *sm, ssk, knit to 2 sts before next marker, k2tog, sm*, k to next marker, repeat between *s, k to end of round;

Repeat decrease round every 3rd round 6 more times.

Knit even for 2 inches (5 cm)

Increase round: k to first marker, *sm, m1(right), knit to next marker, m1 (left), sm* knit to next marker, repeat between *s, knit to end of round.

Repeat increase round every 3rd round 5 more times.

For this project I used 250 gr of Linate CotoLin Gold from Okiteks yarns (the main color) and less than one skein of brown Knitaly from Colorado Yarns (for contrasting color)

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.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and Barbara G. Walker books

Yesterday was a very a happy day! I got my amazon.com order: 2 books.
Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and Knitting from the Top by Barbara G. Walker

My swap box: thank you Nancy

Yesterday I got my swap package from Nancy. I sent her 3 skeins of Alize Cashmira 100% wool and was waiting for a Berroco booklet pattern, #271 bonsai.2. But she sent me additional goodies. Thank you Nancy, you made my day. The coffee is so tasteful.

berroco booklet bonsai.2 #271

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

2 FOs for my swap pal: Norah Gaughan's Droplet Hat and Calorimetry from Knitty.com

droplet hat, norah gaughan, knitting nature book, amazon.com, knitting book, hat, cap, knitting pattern, knitting project, himalaya yarn, efsun, 100% wool, felting, red
Norah Gaughan's droplet hat from Knitting Nature book. It was quite a fast knit (2 days). I hope my swap pal will like and wear it. As an alternative, I knit the Calorimetry from knitty.com. t was another super fast knit (2 headbands in one day).
calorimetry, knitty.com, knitty project, head band, yakamoz, free knitting pattern, easy knitting pattern calorimetry, knitty.com, knitty, headband, cap, hat, knitting project, free knitting pattern, yakamoz himalya, yakamoz, efsun, turkish 100% wool yarn

Friday, February 15, 2008

You Make My Day AWARD

you make my day award, blogspot, knitting, ravelry
Yay! Knitaly awarded me with You Make My Day Award. What a nice surprise! It's the second time I'm awarded through my blog. Now, it is my turn to choose 10 blogs for this award! These are blogs I frequent, even I don't post comments. I like to read them and always find them inspirational. So, ladies and gentleknits, here are 10 blogs I have chosen as winners:


Mama's World - a digi scrapper&knitter

CJ Kopec Creations - adding fiber to your creative diet

LaneDesigns - handmade bags just for you

Purlygrrrl - Sticks & String Forever

Janice ROSEMA - fiber artist

Sulkycat - you couldn't make it up...

Yarn Traveler - life's adventures with family, friends, and lots of fiber

Svetlana - My Knitting Island

BananaKnits - A knitters confessions, opinions and life experiences.

Teeweewonders - Tina - omme i London

Monday, February 11, 2008

Another FO: Norah Gaughan's Capecho

norah gaughan, capecho, vogue knitting magazine winter issue, knitting nature, knitting project, cropped cardigan, pentagonnorah gaughan, capecho, vogue knitting magazine winter issue, knitting nature, knitting project, cropped cardigan, pentagon

It took more than one month to finish this project. I used Alize Cashmira 100% wool for this capecho, my gauge/tension was 20 sts per 4" (10 cm) and I used 4 mm INOX circular needles. I cast on for M size to compensate the gauge (18 sts/4 "). It is still not well fitted but if I would knit this again with the same yarn, I would cast on for S size and decrease the cables to 6 sts. Or, another way is to decrease the numbers of pentagons in the first row with one pentagon i.e. 6 pentagons instead of 7.
norah gaughan, capecho, vogue knitting magazine winter issue, knitting nature, knitting project, cropped cardigan, pentagon

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

finally!

After 3 phone calls in 2 days the staff from getknitted.com added Turkey to their shipping list. Yay! Yupppy! I already placed my order for KnitPicks Options Interchangeable circular needle sizes 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 mm. I can't wait to receive my order. I am so excited, worse than a small kid.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

still waiting a reply from getknitted.com

I can't find good quality circular knitting needles here, in Istanbul. Actually I desperately want/need 4.5 mm and 5.5 mm needles. These two sizes are not so popular here. I want other sizes too but my urgent need is for 4.5 and 5.5 mm. After browsing through ravelry forums, threads, posts, I decided on KnitPicks Options Nickel-Plated Interchangeable Needle. Since KnitPicks won't ship outside of U.S.A. and Canada, I had to google and to browse ravelry again to find a distributor/seller who would ship internationally. And then getknitted.com came out. Since they don't have Turkey in their country list, I contacted them (very long time ago) and asked them to add Turkey as well. I received an email from Mr. Gail who advised me to choose USA as a destination country but to mention I actually want my order to be shipped to Turkey. Pretty weird. He also said in his email that Turkey would be added soon to their country list. Well, I'm still waiting. In the meantime I contemplate these two pictures.

KnitPicks Options Nickel-Plated Interchangeable NeedleKnitPicks Options Nickel-Plated Interchangeable Needle

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Phazelia's Kauni Vest



Isn't this just gorgeous?

I am the moderator of Knitting Turkey group on ravelry-the online knit and crochet community, and, since couple of days I'm admiring one of our member's work: Phazelia is a very talented knitter. Unfortunately she doesn't have a blog where you an see her work, but she does have a flick account where her wonderful knitted art can be admired. I asked her permission to post here some of her projects.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

My Urchin Hat

Yesterday evening I cast on for Urchin hat from knitty.com online knitting magazine. I frogged couple of times because I tried to use the w&t (wrap&turn) method as described in Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. I had to give up being stubborn and I carefully read the instructions for w&t on knitty.com.
I used for the second time in my life a row counter to keep track of my W&Ts. And Barbados from Alize yarns is so gorgeous, so soft. I like a lot this thick and thin yarn. My gauge was 13 sts/4 " and I used 7mm knitting needles.

urchin hat, hat, knitty, knitty.com, free knitting patterns, free knitting hat pattern, ysolda, alize yarn, barbados yarn, turkish yarn, gauge

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Cleo inspired tank

Today I finished another project: a Cleo inspired tank. I used for this project handspun yarn received from my ravelry swap pal, cjkopec (Coby). I really like this pattern, I think I will knit another one but with thinner yarn, so I can wear it during Summer. This handspun yarn is bulky, I will wear the top on something else this winter.

IMG_0915 IMG_0918


It's first time when I'm using handspun yarn. Frankly speaking, I didnt trust handspun yarn till now, I was convinced that nothing can beat the factory-made quality. I was wrong, so wrong. This handspun yarn is so gorgeous, a very soft blend of natural fibers: merino, tencel, mohair and Romney wool. If you've never tried handspun yarns and don't wanna go wrong for the first time, I strongly recommend Cjkopec Creations. Coby is an amazing lady, very kind and very customer-oriented.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

I was so spoiled

Just couple of days before the Christmas, my sister&her family and my parents visited me. They came over from Romania and I was so happy to see them again. I miss them every single day.
My DS spoiled me with very nice present, a Rowenta spin brush. I recall to mention just once in the past that I would love to have one, but, dear her, she didnt forget it. Thank you!

brush2
brush1


And my darling mother, she surprised me with what I miss a lot from Romania: Romanian wines which are not so famous worldwide (just lack of marketing) but their taste is incredible fine. Muscat Ottonel from Murfatlar wine is my favorite.

romanian-wine
I like to have a glass of wine beside me (not for decoration purpose) while knitting evening.

Bamboo Knitting Needles

Look what my DH brought to me from his loooong trip to China. All these bamboo knitting needles need to be sanded for a smooth finish but I already have different sizes sanding paper.

bamboo-needle2

Holiday 2007 Swap

And my package arrived. After one month in mail, from Allegan-Michigan to Istanbul-Turkey, 'he' was very tired but happy to find a new home. My swap pal, Coby (ravelry ID: cjkopec) sent me so many goodies: 4 skeins of Iceland 100% wool Crystal Palace Yarns, 4 scented soaps-hand made by herself (Love Spell, Cucumber Melon, Honey Baked Pears and Plum&Berries), the January 2008 issue of Creative Knitting magazine, body+soul magazine, Stitch’N bitch knitter’s design journal, a pattern for a felted bag to go with the Crystal Palace yarns AND La Pièce De Résistance, handspun yarn. The yarn was handspun by herself with fibers that she dyes and hand cards by herself. It’s a blend of merino, tencel, mohair and Romney. The color is lovely. I think I’ll keep the yarn just for petting, it’s so soft and, after 30 days in the mail, lightly scented because of the handmade soap. Thanks a lot, Coby! You do know how to spoil a person… and how to make me dance!

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