I cannot wait to use the new Vitaddini yarn, I finally started a pullover. I have got 6 tan and 1 of each crimson and prum. It is very easy pattern, and as the yarn is quite thick, it would be knitted up rapidly. And the yarn! It is just gorgeous, I cannot find any other word matching more than that. Just a look, it is neither so inviting nor yummy, but once you begin to knit with it.....it is a real luxurious yarn. Beautiful, rich, smooth, soft, what a profoundness of the shade!! I am sure that Emma will be one of my favolite yarn. I am really sorry that Adrienne Vitaddini has not been imported in Japan. I will show you soon what I am making....

Other than that, from this week I begin to knit a little bit in the morning before leaving for work. We try to get up a little earlier and grab this precious half an hour. I use this moment for my preemie knitting. It is nice to start the day in good mood.....

For Judy, the name of the Japanese children book is: "Sehtah ni naritakatta Keitodama", means "A oddball who wanted to become a sweater" and author is Naomi Tsuda. 1400Japan Yen, apprx. US$11-12. And about the Bouton dOr yarn, it is actually denim-like shade. the composition is 60% wool and 40% cotton, the yarn is like Rowan Cotton Tape, ultra-fine yarns are knitted as one string, and this yarn contains both indigo-brue and white. Looks summery, and light, very soft. I love it.....


By the way, I finally completed the back of summer sweater for my son, and I made another pair of preemie socks by pale blue cotton yarn. I could reach second ball for Bouton dOr summer dress, but not yet a progress to show.




I have not yet mentioned that this is "Scamp" from Rowan design book for children, Pipsqueaks. The original is pale blue, and I love this !

This afternoon, finally I got a reply from Doctor. He told me that cotton yarn can stand well, but acrylic one became a little hard, and the wool one felted completely, through the process. This result was almost expected, and I relieved that I could use cotton yarn, which I have already gotten many. Now I have to find out a good use for acrylic yarn, which I have about 10 balls, since they does not look enthousiastic to use acrylic for cap and sock for preemies. I asked him if they think it is usful if we make tiny toys by acrylic yarn, and perhaps I can make ponpons with it for caps. But, I will continue to check other blended yarn and washable yarn blends which contain synthetic and wool. If we can increase the yarn available for this specific purpose, it could widen the opportunity for more people to be able to participate in this project. Now I can start to make preemie goods!

This weekend I was a liitle busy for household but I worked diligently for my WIPs. I finished first sock for DH and started the second one, (the first one now fit well!) made second sock for preemie so it became a decent pair of socks, made a progress for summer sweater for my son, made a swatch for a summer yarn which I never know the fiber but wondering if I could make sweater for me. But my snake is yet snake....this will be my bring-around WIP until this summer....

Other than that, I received Vitaddini yarn which I could win at eBay recently. I have been planning to make a Vittadini design circular pullover, from 2003 Spring/Summer design booklet. But we cannot get Vitaddini yarn in Japan, and I figured out Rowan Cotton Tape could be substitute considering the gauge. The price is approximately same, so it would be better to use Rowan if I could not find any super sale anywhere on the earth for Vitaddini. Well, I happened to find it at eBay, and I could miracurously win. In that case, it is not bad even if I pay for international shipping cost. Here it is.

Yesterday I got a parcel from Amazon.co jp. It was the books I have ordered recently. I am showing...



The book of Lisa Myers may be familiar for you, but the left one, is a Japanese child book of cute story about one red wool ball. I found this before, and have waited to order with other books at Amazon. As Myers book has been issued in April, I could put the order. It is REALLY cute book, but it represents an interesting subject about knitting garment. We will see...




The story of the book: all (yarn) balls are always waiting to be transformed into the knitted garment. Especially, they wish to be a sweater, it is their common dream. One day, A lady bought ten red balls together. They were cheerfully expecting to be knitted. When they found out that actually the lady started to knit a sweater, they are pleased and they happily waited to be used. When the sweater was completed, there was one red ball left, unused. The lady put it back in the oddball box. He (this ball) was very miserable. But one day, the lady took him and started to knit something. He wished to be a sweater for a doll in the room. But it turned out as a pair of child gloves. At first he disappointed, but when the ladys gave him to her grand son, the boy was very grateful and he felt a little comforted. After the happy days with the boy, the gloves was lost and abandoned on the street, tormented by gang mouse. But when a cat mom found it, she brought it at home and washed, and began to fix up. The day after was the first birthday of a kitty of this cat mom. Over the night, she transformed this child glove to a cute red all-in-one sweater for her kitty as the birthday gift. Finally, the red ball could become a sweater...


The story and illustration are really lovely, besides I found there is hidden subject about knitting. It is the invisible hierarchy of knitted garment, like the sweater is always a king, and the other stuff is NOT important. Wool balls are longing for being sweater, and disappointed to be any other. I guess this idea is common, even if it might be not so oppressive in the other countries, but in Japan, I doubt it would be a big reason why the population of knitters decrease and how difficult to grow any new, younger knitters, even if there is tons of knitting pattern books for beginner. Why we do not knit socks, why we cannot be proud of cap or hat or scarf, why these are always ?goddball project?h? Why we cannot just cherish our all kind of garment? Aren?ft we equally happy to be creative by knitting anything, are we?


I do not know for other knitters, but I feel here in Japan, the public image of knitting is something ?gVERY difficult?h and ?gneed a HUGE patience?h, to make some decent garment. I hope it would be changed one day, but how?

Small disaster... Yesterday night, my DH was enthusiastic to try the sock, it made me happy too. However, when he put it on his foot, the heel was not at the place which should be... it was too small!! We could see his toe through holes between stitches, which were widened maximum due to lack of room! He was dejected, but I assured him that I could fix it. I will rip out the toe part and increase a little.


By the way, my knitting ambition does not know the limit?cI have been planning to make the first biggest garment of my life, for this summer. It is a summer dress, which appeared on Vogue knitting 2003 Spring/Summer, P80. The difficult part is, the pattern is indicated to use Berroco Zen, but I happened to find Bouton dOr Key-Largo on sale (you can see at my current todays stash), and fell in love with it immediately, and now I have 20 balls of it at home. I thought it should be perfect for this dress. BUT. Originally, the gauge of pattern is 19 sts and 24 rows, and this Bouton dOr yarns gauge is 23 sts and 29 rows... Sigh.


Last weekend, I was in a mood of reckless, fearless, and impulsive. In the afternoon, my DH found a weird stuff on the dining table. ?gWhat is this snake-like stuff? ?g he asked me. Yes, it is my dress, started with circular needle, coiled up around a yarn ball. I calculrated stitches for new gauge. Yay! Of course I know very well, that it is quite a huge challenge to complete before summer. But if I cant, I will wear it in next summer. Take it easy. Anyway, as I declared about it here, I cannot go back!



my snake....

Today was "sock" day for me.

The sock for DH has been progressing, and this evening I could complete one. I love knitting sock....the more I knit sock, the more I was hooked....generally I like knitting with thin needles and thin yarn, the sock just matches my knitting style. I want to start immediately the second one for DH.





And here is a preemie sock which has just finished fifteen minute ago!





This sunny Sunday morning, I went to the hospital with three preemie caps for an appointment . I was welcomed by the doctor and two nurses of NICU. We discussed the fiber and the way for sterilization. They explained that, the high heat treatment is speedy, only 2 hours, but might damage the fiber. Instead, the gas treatment takes 24 hours to complete, but it is more gentle. To find out which fiber could resist for the process, now they actually try to sterilize my sample caps. They looked very pleased with my caps, but a little dissapointed because I did not bring socks. The one I half-made, had became troublesome, for I had not counted stitches when I did. So, after coming back home, first I finished DH sock to get #2 needles, and I made this tiny one. I casted on only 24st! i will make the second one very soon and get back to DHs sock.





The left one is made by American acrylic baby-yarn. The Yellow one is 100% cotton, the above white is wool-acrylic brend.

This photo was taken by my DH from our apartments window some days ago. We are living central Tokyo. Beautiful at night but not under the daylight...



Yesterday, I had two good things: I visited at home of my only knitting fellow, living in Saitama Pref, it takes around 1 hour by train changing and changing lines from my place. Currently she is not professional knitter but she had been. Now she knits and crochets only for her family, but she knits very well and beautifully. Last time when I had been her home, one of her son had put a really pretty sweater, which is sky blue bulky yarn with white soft fur yarn clouds floating. Simple but very cute, designed by herself.
This time, we discussed about my knitting charity attempt. I explained her all, and she was very exited to participate in it. I am proud of having such a good, cooperative friend! As the progress, now I have 3 preemie cap for samples, each fiber is different. I sent a mail to the Doctor today, trying to set another appointment with him and chief nurse woman..



The other good news: I found another yarn shop at Shinjuku. I had known about this big craft goods store located in Shinjulu, but it never occured to me that they should have shelves for yarn! On the way home from her house, I stopped by the shop. There, I can find variety of domestic and inported yarn, quite enough. I found there was Katia, it is the first time I found it in Japan, and some other never-seen-in-Japan-before imported yarns.....AND I happened to meet a sale of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino!! I was dying to buy each 10 ball-pack of pale blue and mulberry, it was $4.5 a ball, but I selfcontrolled with all my effort not to, because I do not have any specific project with it currently.....instead, I have gotten 4 balls of eggplant blue, as for my scarf for next winter. Sigh. But I cannot resist to visit there again soon....(Dangerous!)



And these are mittens for my son, handwashed last weekend. Right brickred one is made by fingering odd yarn, and the left yellow one has some rows with Jaeger Matchmaker DK variegated. I made gloves for myself with this yarn, will show here one day....

This is the sock I mentioned. The photo was taken this morning, and now ( at night ) it is a little longer. I striped with 2 rows of perl each, this photo has only first stripe, now I am at fifth. Today I worked a little for yellow sweater too, but not so much......

From yesterday, I have stayed at home. Now Japan is in the Golden Week, holidays week. Monday is national holiday and I have gotten a day off for Tuesday, so I am on mini-vacation for 4 days. Yesterday I was exsausted but got a sudden urge to knit socks! So I started a sock for my DH. I have promised to make one for him, since my first striped socks worked well and he has envied me. This one is not stripe, simple oatmeal-tweed yarn of Schoeller Esslinger Fortissima 1000. I liked this gentle earthy color and ordered at elann, but he also liked this and choosed it for him. Well, I have two balls, so first I make for him, and next is mine....he wants a pair of long socks, I wish it would hold out for mine...


This morning DH prepared our breakfast at our small porch. Bright May morning, confortable breeze, plenty of milk tea in pot, fresh yogurt with fresh blueberries, English muffin with Bonne Mamans peach jam.....heavenly breakfast. But after that, today was house-keeping day. As I didnt do it yesterday...

Well, I am showing one of my WIP, a sunflower yellow summer sweater for my 3-yrs old son. It is my second try to use cotton yarn, Jaeger Pure Cotton DK, which I could get on sale. I wish to complete this before summer....




And for those who are interested in my charity knitting, here is my new preemie cap by Atoll cotton 100. This is very cheap yarn, but I was stunned by the quality. It is cashmire-soft, really confortable to work. But I have not yet washed. After one wash, maybe the real quality will appear...? Anyway, I love work with this. The second photo is to compare the size. The above boucle cap is for 2 yrs old size.





This boucle cap was born accidentally. Last weekend, when I was tiding up my yarn and WIPs, I found a left-over WIP boucle sweater for my son. It has started last winter, and left dead. Now even if I complete it, my son cannot put it now, in May. And next winter it will be too small for him. Besides, I tried to have striped sweater. If I ripped out, I would get a little of yarn cut for no use. Fumbling with it, Eureka! I found the idea to transform into a cap. I keep it now as a gift for someone one day...