When not working

I've been in knitting frenzy when I ever have any spare time. I've been working on faith cardigan as well as Louisa Harding's Marie (from Dauphine).

I am soooo in love with the yarn Thalia. It's such a shame that the yarn is discontinued. I was very lucky to score 8 skeins in color 1 at ebay. The yarn is actually tape which looks almost transparant with varigated gray and tan wool as well as gold metalic thread running through. There are many other patterns (like Augustine, Rose and Terese) I want to knit with Thalia from the book. In fact, her books from 2009 use Thalia. Why then is this yarn discontinued???? It makes no sense. In any case, I love this book. I love almost all of the patterns!!! I'll definitely buy more of her books.

The suggested needle is US 10 1/2 and 11, but I have never used such big needles!!! I bought some clover bamboo needles at JoAnn. It feels sooo weired to knit with large needles, since I'm so used to knitting with US3 or 4. I don't think I usually use anything bigger than US6. Now I remember that I had hard time knitting Calmer with US8, even though I love the yarn.

I originally casted on size S, but it seemed too wide so that I recasted 8 stitches less. Now it seems a bit too narrow on top, though the bottom looks just about right. I hope it won't be too small. I'm done with the back, and just started to work on the front.

My faith cardigan is not working.....The sleeve of the back seems to be waaaaay too big comparing with the sleeve I finished. I flogged the back down to where the sleeve decrease starts, and added several rows to the bottom before starting the decrease. Hope this will shrink the sleeve opening without making the body too short. I also reknitted the sleeve so that the shoulder part is larger by adding a few increase around the middle of the sleeve but repeating the decrease until getting the same number of the stitch as suggested (does it make sense?). I hope this works out.....

By the way, I am a major tea snobb, and must have my cuppa in the morning. But why is it so hard to find high quality loose tea in US??? I just bought some Harney & Sons tea and Kusmi tea from here. I didn't really think about where the phyisical location of this etailer was until I saw the USPS website for the tracking number....it's Orlean, NY of all places. I used to live in Ithaca, NY and have driven through the area so many times. I felt quite a bit nostalgic about my time in Ithaca. Even though I used to complain about the long, cold, snowy winter, I actually miss that place quite a bit.

Now that it is finally cooling down in SoCal, I can make my hot cup of tea with plenty of milk, and sit with my yarn (just for now before going back to my work....), thinking of good old times in snowy Ithaca......

climbing rose

My husband and I are thinking of planting some climbing roses in our patio. We have already nailed latices on the not so pretty concrete walls (although it has been freshly painted, it is just very cold-looking).

However, there are a few problems...1) the roses must be planted in pots, 2) the patio is half-shade, 3) we have to wait until Oct to plant, since it's waaaay too hot here.

I am wondering how many roses I would need to cover the entire walls. 2? 3? I love antique or David Austin-like roses. I am thinking of Nahema, Mme. Alfred Carriere, and Abraham Darby. I believe all of them are desease torelant, and do OK in half-shade.

Nahema is the first picture with gorgous light pink flowers (with apparently amazing fragrance.). Mme. Alfred Carriere is pale pink, which changes to white as it opens. In the picture, it looks more pink, but it apparently is pretty much white. Abraham Darby is classy, romantic peach that makes me think of Pre Raphaelite paintings. I just love anything between the mid 19th century to early 20th century......
Anyway, I want all of these roses.....but are 3 roses too much for the space????

I also wonder how big the pots should be, since I am assuming that the roses will be very large, eventually.

Ahhh I cannot wait to see my patio covered with beautiful flowers and the aroma. Plus I get to decorate the house with the roses too.....

Bonne Maman

I love Bonne Maman products. So cute to look at the gingham and the tag with hand writing-like font. However, I found it very difficult to find a wide range of products. As far as I know, I can only buy several types of preserves near where we live.

When I visited the Netherlands, I stopped by a random grocery store in Amsterdam, and found a cutest package of creme brulee. (The gingham is purple, unlike most of the preserves, which have the red gingham lid). It came with a mini packet of this powdery thing, which miraculously becomes crunchy burned caramel once you sprinkle on top of the custard. It was sooooo good. I really wish I could purchase this in US!!!

I've been so swamped!!

So sorry that I have not updated my blog so long. My flight delayed (this is the problem when you have to go through Chicago), plus the airline lost my luggage. Then the following day, we had to start moving back in to our home, which is only half way done. My work has been beyond crazy too.

Anyway, I didn't get to see much in the Netherlands, but I took some pics in Amsterdam (where I stayed only to fly in and out. My work was in Nijmegen.) I have been to Amsterdam before, so I didn't do much of tourist-y thing. I wish I could have bought lots of gorgeous tulip bulbs, but it is very hard to grow tulip here in SoCal (plus we only have a patio....)

From now on, it's going to be sporadic updates due to my work, I'll try my best to keep this blog going.....

ブログを長いことほっといて、すみません！オランダからのフライトが遅れただけでなく、荷物までなくなって大変だったうえ、次の日には、家がまだ全部出来上がってないにもかかわらず、引越しをしはじめなくてはならず、てんてこ舞いでした。おまけに仕事もうそみたいに忙しくて、泣きそうです。

アムステルダムは飛行場を利用するだけに宿泊したのと (仕事はナイメヘンという町でした) 、以前にもいったことがあったので、観光客らしいことはしませんでしたが、少しだけ写真を撮ったので、載せてみました。チューリップの球根を買いたかったのですが、冬らしい冬のない南カリフォルニアでは、チューリップを育てるのは結構大変なので(おまけに家にはベランダしかないし）、買うのは諦めました。

今後、仕事の都合で、たまにしかブログを書くことができないかもしれませんが、ぼちぼち頑張りたいと思いますので、どうぞよろしく........

Gone!

I'll be in the Netherlands until the 16th for my work. I'll post some updates after I come back....

十六日まで仕事でオランダに行ってきます。それまでブログはお休みです。

Freebie 3

I stitched a lovely heart from here. I saw many have stitched this, and all of them were so pretty that I wanted to stitch it. I am thinking of making a lavender sachet, so instead of stitching the other side, I am going to use some fabric (I don't think I have anything that goes well in my stash, though.) I would like to make another sachet using the reverse chart...

I used belfast 36ct flax (as usual) and caron waterlilies cherry cordial. The thread color is actually a little more mauve-y than pink, although it is variegated quite a bit (from pink-beige to pale pink to rose to mauve to rose-brown to pearl gray.....) it's such a pretty thread. I tried to use more lighter colored part than gray-brown part.

みなさんが素敵に仕上げていらっしゃるフリーチャートを、ここからダウンロードして刺してみました。ラベンダーサシェを作りたいので、反対側は、チャートにあるものをステッチするのではなく、色合いの合う布にしたいと思います。（手持ちに合う色はなさそうですが。）反対側のチャートもそのうちステッチして、サシェをもう一個作りたいと思います。

使った布はいつもの belfast 36ct flax で、糸は caron の waterlilies cherry cordial です。糸は写真よりもう少し落ち着いた感じの色で、かなり段染めが激しいです。桜色、桃色、蘇芳色、薔薇色、黒真珠色、鈍色なあ～んてちょっと優雅に呼びたくなるような本当に綺麗な色です。刺すときに一応、薄めの色のところを多く使うようにしてみました。

Faith by Kim Hargreaves

Now I think of it, I have been knitting longer than cross stitching. My current knitting project is Faith from Heartfelt by Kim Hargreaves. I am not using suggested yarn (Rowan Classic Bamboo Soft), since the wise people told me that it grows like crazy. Instead, I am using Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette (40% Alpaca, 40% Merino and 20% Silk) in 755 Musk, which is a very sophisticated gray-ish mauve...my favorite color! The color of the yarn looks much like how it is than my finished back. I got the yarns on sale at one of my favorite online yarn store. Alpaca Silk Georgette is not quite the same gauge as Bamboo soft (24 stitches by 30 rows). I got 26 by 32 on US5 (the label says 25x 33 on US3). I'm knitting between small and midium so that I can get xs~s in the end, hopefully. I'm done with the back, and 80% done with one of the sleeves. It has been toooo hot to knit, but finally it has gotten a bit better here in SoCal. The yarn is very soft and has subtle halo from Alpaca.



たぶん小学生くらいの頃から見よう見まねで編み物をしていますが、ここ最近あまりの暑さにさすがに毛糸には触りたくなかったのですが、ちっと暑さも緩んだようなので、ほっといたカーディガンをまた再開することにしました。キムさんの本、Heartfelt から Faith を編んでいます。うわさでは、指定糸は編んだ後のび～～～るということなので、全然違う糸、 Jo Sharp の Alpaca Silk Georgette を使っています。色は、 755 Musk で、グレーがかった、洗練されたモーヴ、私の一番好きな色です。後ろ見ごろの写真より、糸の写真の方が本物に近いです。糸はとてもやわらかく。アルパカ特有の毛足がフェミニンな感じ。指定糸と使用糸は少しゲージが違っていて、指定糸は２４目30段、使用糸は２６目32段（US5 使用）です。少し大きめサイズ（SとMの間）を編んで、最終的にxs~sになればいいか.....といつものようにいい加減。とりあえず、後ろ身ごろは編み終わっていて、いま肩の片方が80% くらいできあがったところです。また冬眠させないようにがんばります。

Freebie 2 finished

I finished stitching the angel heart that I mentioned a while ago. Now I need to find a frame that looks good with it. I'm thinking of making another one, and make it into a Xmas ornament. I will decorate this one somewhere in the kitchen.

I used the leftover fabric (belfast 36ct flax)
from Mary, and Caron waterlilies thread in flame.

だいぶ前にブログにのせたハートの天使ちゃん、やっと出来上がりました。あとは小さな額をどこかで調達してくるだけです。でもちょうどいいものがあるでしょうか。これは台所に飾る予定ですが、なかなか可愛いので（自画自賛ですが....）、もうひとつ刺して、今度はクリスマスオーナメントに仕立てたいです。(はたしてそんなことが縫い物の苦手な私にできるか?!)

布はメアリーちゃんの残りの belfast 36ct flax、糸は Caron waterlilies の flame です。

Tulip is done!

I finished the tulip motif in the right corner. It's soooo cute. I used a thread similar to the suggested one, but it would have been super cute if it was some kind of pink. Nonetheless. I like it a lot.

チューリップモチーフ、出来ました。指定糸に似た色を使ったのですが、ピンクっぽい色だったらもっとかわいかったかなーとも思います。ともあれ、やっぱりチューリップは可愛いです。

I was on a mini trip to Napa last weekend to see a friend of mine from my grad school. I will post some pics when I'm done with organizing the photos....

先週末、大学院時代の友人に会いにナパまで行ってきました。写真の整理がついたら、またブログで紹介したいと思います。

Mary update part-3

I'm done with the crown motif. This might be my favorite motif so far. It was very fun to stitch, and love the two tone too. The pattern in the central square is so pretty, and the crown is very cute.

王冠のモチーフ、出来ました。これ、今までで一番楽しかったモチーフです。あっという間に出来ました。真ん中の四角の中のモチーフが、繊細でとっても綺麗(ちょっと感動）。王冠もすっごく可愛いし、二色使いもいい感じ。お気に入りです