On Le Flambé du Pacifique

Le Flambé du Pacifique [138:366, 24.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May 2008
Finish: 17th June 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

Nothing much to talk about. Just wanted to show you guys my latest FO. It's the Swallowtail shawl knit from my own hand-spun yarn! I'm really proud of this project. ;-) It's the first FO that I've done with my own hand-spun.

Don't be fooled by the photos though, because the shawl's not that big. It measures to about 125 cm wingspan and 65 cm height.

"Flambé" is French for the Scarce Swallowtail...it's native to Europe and not the Pacific. I chose the name "Le Flambé du Pacifique" (Scarce Swallowtail of the Pacific) because the colourway "Tahiti". Besides, I reckon that the colours on the Flambé's wings also reflects the colourway of this shawl.

Well, that's all I have to tell for now. Here are the rest of the photos:

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

All photos were taken @ the courtyard of "Prinzipal" (the restaurant at Prinzregententheater)

Have a great week everyone!

ETA: And here's also the Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny Questionaire:

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
- I started spindling back in August 2007 and wheel spinning in January 2008. I would consider myself an intermediate spinner.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
- I usually navajo-ply my yarn because I don't like having left-overs...but I've also started doing 2-ply. Never done any art yarns before though.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
- Both spindle and wheel. Usually if I want to finish something fast, then I would do it on the wheel. Spindling for me is for the real spinning pleasure and to refine the spinning techniques.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
- I haven't tried that many different fibres yet...but usually I don't have problems. The only one that I struggled with was a merino-silk blend. I've spun pure bamboo on a spindle before, too, and that didn't cause me any problems (until I went to Andean-ply it and lost the end somewhere in the bracelet...yeah, tragic.)

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
- No specific one yet...but I usually go to Etsy as the first source. Otherwise I would probably look at EGMTK....now, if only the Wollmeise would start to do rovings, too. She'll definitely be my favourite crack dealer. ;-p

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
- Hmmmm...anything that's natural. I've got yak down and linen flax here that I need to dab in. I sure would like to try qiviut, cashmere or angora!

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
- Errrr...not really sure. I just learned how to navajo-ply on the go on the spindle. Not sure what I would need to learn with the wheel though....perhaps attenuated long-draw when spinning with cotton...not that I have tried cotton yet.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
- Nope....I would try dyeing fibre just once to see what it's like. I dyed yarn once and found that the process was too tedious and I never did it again...but I at least tried my hands out at it.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
- I don't have any fibre prep tools....but if I had some, I would really want to try it out. Otherwise ready-to-spin fibres are definitely nice.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
- I keep saying that I will knit with my hand-spun...usually shawls, since I spin thin (even when plied). What projects have I completed? See above in this very same post. ;-p

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
- Ummm....not really. Perhaps fibre prep tools would be tempting (but that will mean that I will end up with more stuff in my over-flowing tiny flat). Perhaps a distaff for my wheel?

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
- Pretty much every colours. I tend to try out some new things...but I usually end up with something blue or green.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
- Haven't got anything on the wheel at the moment...although I'm tempted. I've just finished spinning up 50 g of the 100 g of singles of Ombria-dyed AustralMerino on my spindle. So, still have another half to go...not sure how I'll go about with it yet though.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
- I knit and crochet...although knitting is bigger than crochet for me.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
- My boyfriend. :-p LOL. I would guess music. I play piano (got Grade 8 performance from the Royal School of Music) and cello...but ever since I've been in Germany, I hardly have the chance to touch any instruments...and of course, my skill just dwindles.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
- Yes, my Amazon wishlists (English and German) can be found on my sidebar towards the bottom....or HERE (Eng) and HERE (Ger).

17. Is there anything that you collect?
- Not really, apart from yarns and fibres.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
- Cat Bordhi's "New Pathway for Sock knitters", Clara Parkes's "The Knitter's Book of Yarns",

19. When is your birthday?
- 3rd March

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
- Lawdy, can't think of one. I don't relate that much to this kind of things....hmmmm...but then again, perhaps Ally McBeal.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
- I'm in Munich, Germany. So, it does get pretty cold around here in winter.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
- LOL, go listen to the Knitters Uncensored podcast. We talked about that in one of the episodes. ;-p

Favorites

Favorite painting/picture(link): There are way too many. I like the Impressionists though.

Candy: Mint + Chocolate = Heaven!

Food: Thai food, of course. But I eat pretty much everything!

Drink: Wine, Portwine, Baileys, Kahlua

Movie(s): Harry Potter, Lord of the Ring, Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Sound of Music, Under the Tuscan Sun

TV Show(s): Heroes, Lost

Book(s): J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Ring), Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti), Henning Mankell (Wallander), Anne Rice (Mayfair Witches, Vampire chronicles), Jean M. Auel (Earth Children)

Guilty Pleasure(s): Procrastination. :-p

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears:

On Drunk Blogging

Ahhhh...such tantalising thought [132:366, 17.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

For some reason, I forgot to post this picture the last time I posted on my blog. No, I didn't burn the book...the picture's pretty symbolic on how I felt after having handed in my thesis.

Anyway, I'm not really drunk (yet). Just home alone this weekend, since Dr. D's away visiting his family for his uncle's birthday....it's been kind of a weird day. The weather is really warm. Would have been nice to go out and sit in a beer garden, but well, I'm kinda broke since I still haven't got paid yet.

Perfect summer drink, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Ended up being at home most of the day. I made Paella (not really, it's already made, I had to re-cook it....for those in Germany, it's the Frosta stuff) and felt like drinking something alcoholic and cool, since it's so hot today (I even got out my Capri pants to wear with my jandals today because I felt that I looked ridiculous in my jeans and proper shoes). Stupid me, however, forgot to get some beer earlier when I did my groceries. Luckily, I still have a semi-dry Riesling I got as a gift from my students back in the days when I was still teaching English at Siemens.

Anyway, while I'm at this, I might as well answer this week's SP12 question: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

I guess I actually looked forward to go off on the summer courses. That's when I got sent off into a foreign country with a group of youngsters to learn English. That way, I've ended up in and seen a lot of places in the world. I don't know, I just wanted to get away from home. Apart from that, I always looked forward to not having to worry about doing homework and all those stuff.

Le Flambé du Pacifique: Blocking, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May 2008
Finish: 17th June 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

I also wanted to update you on some of my knitting. I finished my latest Swallowtail out of my own handspun. I still need to do a proper photo shoot for it though, so you'll have to wait a bit more for the FO pictures. ;-)

Emil Clapotis [134:366, 20.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 24th March 2008
Finish: WIP
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, 100% Superwash Merino in Emil
Needles: 4.5 mm - 80 cm Addi Lace
Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert from Knitty Fall 2004

Also, in my attempt to reduce the numbers of WIPs I have around here, I picked up my Clapotis again.

Laminaria Shoulderette [135:366, 21.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 20th June 2008
Finish: WIP
Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace
Yarn: My own hand-spun: "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"
Pattern: Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman, from Knitty Spring 2008

And lastly, I frogged my Flower Basket Shawl because it was too boring and so I'm using the yarn to knit Laminaria instead.

This is all because Cashmere Dreams has egged me on with this pattern.

So, that's all for now. I'm getting drunk. :-p Have a great weekend, y'all!

Current Mood: Missing Dr. D and getting drunk
Food for the Ears: The following songs bring back some very fond memories to me....the second song pretty much outs me as child of the 80's. ;-)



Also listening to (can you remember the Listerine ad?):

On Hey! What's the Big Ideaaaaa?!

First attempt at designing [105:366, 14.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 13th May 2008
Finish: WIP
Needles: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace
Yarn: Wollmeise 100% superwash Merino Sockenwolle, "Frosch"
Pattern: My own, based on a stitch pattern.

I have been debating with myself whether I wanted to blog about this one or not...but I guessed that since the picture's public on Flickr anyway, I might as well talk about it.

Anyway, so this is "Salomé (Dance of the Seven Veils)". Since I've taken this photo, the sock has grown to the point where I'm putting in my own design. But it has already come to a halt due to the fact that I still need to work on my thesis.

When do you start calling a design your own design? At the moment, this is a modification or a put-together of a pattern out of a pattern book. But I have plans for this one.

What do you think? I think that if I'm successful at figuring everything out with this pattern, the biggest problem would be sizing, since I wear EUR 44 / US Men 10.5....and the stitch count for the pattern adds up just perfect for my size. This will mean that there will be problem with sizing for smaller feet. Or maybe I should just do this for men only. ;-p Although I already have some great ideas for sizing down...however, I will be able to work that out only when I've finished this sock.

You wouldn't believe how many times I've frogged and restarted the sock before I settled on this. I started off with another yarn, then figured I should just use Wollmeise. Chose the wrong colourway, then another wrong colourway before I ended up with this one. (Not to mention the first try with that other yarn....it involved about 6 times of frogging...now I know the pain of designing.)

I'm still not sure what will happen with the design, i.e. whether I'm going to submit it or sell it or publish it for free. I'll have to see.

The Yarn Wench: "Feather" [111:366, 20.05.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 16th May 2008
Finish: first bobbin of singles on 17.05.2008; second bobbin of singles on 18.05.2008; Plied on 19th May 2008
WPI: 15 WPI
Yardage: Bobbin: 304 metres / 82 g; Spindle: 48 metres / 13 g
Fibre: 3.3 oz / 95 g of The Yarn Wench Domestic in "Feather", sent to me by KnottyNaomi
Wheel & Settings: Singles spun worsted and two-plied on Kromski Minstrel, 8.5:1 double-drive. Left-over singles Andean-plied on Butterflygirl Designs 1.6 oz carved Agate top-whorl

Anyhow, since I have no real knit FOs to show, here's at least a spinning FO.

I'm really happy with the result of this yarn. It's my first real 2-ply using my wheel and tensioned lazy kate.

I got the bobbin so full while plying that it wouldn't take on any more yarn, so I had to break off and make an Andean-bracelet to ply on the spindle.

Interestingly, the spindle plied yarn seems to turn out differently...probably because the two-ply resulted from the same singles and not from two strands of different singles. The colours are a bit heathered and the yarn is fuzzier. Mind you though, it might be the fact that I hit the singles in the part where the colours are lighter than other parts, too.

All in all, I'm happy with the yarn. I could probably get a decent size anklets out of the skein.

Here are some more photos:

The Yarn Wench: "Feather", originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

The Yarn Wench: "Feather", originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Anyway, it was my 4th Blogiversary on this past Sunday (18th May 2008). I said in a previous post that I would do some kind of contest. Well, I haven't thought of anything yet. So, it will be on hold for the moment until I can think of something. Then we'll have a contest. ;-)

Lastly, before I try getting back to my thesis, I'm going to share with you the real reason why I'm blogging right now instead of doing my thesis. Thing is, this morning, I heard a song that's been stuck in my head all day long now....and well, I can't concentrate because of it. Some of you might already have an inkling of the song from the title of the post...so be warned, you might get it stuck in your head, too. LOL. The song is at the end of the post. ;-p

Have a great week every one!

ETA: I might have a very exciting piece of news concerning myself soon. I don't want to reveal it at the moment - so not to jinx it. And just to be clear: No, Dr. D and I aren't getting married or anything like that. Just in case you were thinking along that line. :-p

Current Mood: Jiggly
Food for the Ears:

On Icarus!

Icarus Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 24th April 2007
Finished: 03rd April 2008
Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace circs
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Lace-weight, 100% superwash merino, 300g Hank (530 m / 100 g), colour: "Poison No. 5"
Pattern: "Icarus" by Miriam Felton from Interweave Knit Summer 2006

"Nam ponit in ordine pennas a minima coeptas, longam breviore sequenti,ut clivo crevisse putes...postquam manus ultima coepto imposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura; instruit et natum 'medio' que 'ut limite curras, Icare,' ait 'moneo, ne, si demissior ibis, unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat: inter utrumque vola. (...)

...cum puer audaci coepit guadere volatu deseruitque ducem caelique cupidine tractus altius egit iter. Rapidi vicinia solis mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras; tabuerant cerae: nudos quatit ille lacertos, remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras, oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo. (...)

At pater infelix, nec iam pater, 'Icare,' dixit, 'Icare,' dixit 'ubi es? Qua te regione requiram?'

'Icare' dicebat: pennas aspexit in unis devovitque suas artes corpusque sepulcro condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti."

Finally, it's finished! I think that it's really beautiful. Even though knitting the body was tedious and boring, but the result was well worth it. Now I have to pack it up and send it off to my mum for her birthday.

I went to do the photoshoot yesterday and took about 30 photos. They all turned out so great that it was hard to choose. So, I picked out a lot of them. Hope you like them.

I chose some passages from Ovid's Metamorphoses "Daedalus and Icarus" and posted it above. If you want to read the translation, you can find it here.

Photos are taken at Königsplatz.

Here are some selections of the photos. You can find the rest of them here.

Icarus Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Icarus Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Icarus Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Current Mood: Good

On Telly and Wingspan

"Icare, ubi es? Qua te regione requiram?" [69:366, 03.04.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 24th April 2007
Finished: 03rd April 2008
Needles: 3.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Lace circs
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Lace-weight, 100% superwash merino, 300g Hank (530 m / 100 g), colour: "Poison No. 5"
Pattern: "Icarus" by Miriam Felton from Interweave Knit Summer 2006

LOL, the wingspan part is a teaser. More to come. ;-)

"Icare, ubi es? Qua te regione requiram?"

Anyhow, yesterday, I was on the German...well, Bavarian telly knitting and spinning. It's kind weird seeing yourself like that. I reckon that I looked and sounded horrible....but it's a nice 5 minutes of fame.

They filmed me back towards the end of February and beginning of March. I was followed around on two days. The first day, I was filmed and interviewed at Lanaiolo, i.e. the LYS I work in...and they also interviewed the owner (Katharina Ritter). Then they did a shooting with me in downtown Munich...which was quite an experience, as the town was full of people and they just stared - which contributed to my nerve-wrecking nervousness. Then on the second day, they came and filmed me at my tiny flat while I spun on the wheel. After that, we went over to the SnB and filmed the whole group.

Anyway, I don't think that they put the video up on the web to see...but who knows, someone might put it on YouTube. Mind you though, the thing's in German. ;-)

ETA: Thanks to a friend on Ravelry, there's a YouTube video now:

And here's a translation/transcript of the text for those of you who don't speak German:

Narrator: Too wacky or too corny. Too ordinary or too expensive. Victor W. from Thailand can’t do much with the normal mass products. But self-reliance is the name of the game.

Elemm: I always have my knitting with me. I knit various projects during the same time and this here is going to be a scarf.

Narrator: He started with the handiwork two years ago when there were problems in his relationship.

Knitting is not (well-)known in Thailand and so Victor taught himself how to knit with instructions from books and the internet. At first, he knit small squares and then also garments and accessories, which he either gives away or wears it himself.

Elemm: This, for example, is my scarf. I knit this about a year ago and it is….well, yes, I wear it pretty much all the time.

For me, knitting is an addiction…but a good kind of addiction, because it’s meditative, relaxing, creative and very productive.

Narrator: Victor can’t get enough of his object of desire: The wool/yarn. The solution? He works at a shop of another birds of a feather, Katharina Ritter.

Elemm: To work here is like a dream come true, because I’m at the source. There so many different kinds of yarns here that I can try out. And I also get to know the different kinds of yarn.

Katharina: Here we knit with high-quality yarns, a lot of which are from organic cultivation. The customers ask about it. Say, if the yarn comes from China, then they don’t want to have it. However, the products that we have here are geared more towards (producing) ready-to-wear garments. It’s a fashion that you can really wear.

Elemm: …it has to be soft and not scratchy. I would say that good quality can be found in a wool that’s not scratchy.

Narrator: To produce a knitted garment by yourself is a lot more fun than just buying clothes off the rack. It just takes longer.

Katharina: I want to have a beautiful jacket that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. This is half wool, half silk and it feels great. And it is really mine. I made it and it’s probably one-of-a-kind in the whole world. You wear it with a matching pride, because you made it yourself. I also found out about a nice side-effect and that is the fact that it makes me feel good, because I did something using my own two hands…on the contrary of my normal office job that I have. And I end up with something to wear.

Narrator: Victor can speak 12 languages (LIIIIESSSS!!!! – it’s just 6). He has lived in Germany for 8 years, but it’s through his hobby that he has found a lot of friends (also a lie!). He takes care of 3 knitting groups.

Chit chat at the SnB

Petra (short blonde hair): …and if you have to tink back and have to frog because something didn’t work out then it’s pretty nerve-wrecking but you get over it.

Narrator: Victor and his friends stand by their hobby. To knit in a café you need to have some guts…especially as a guy.

Elemm: I think that guys just aren’t brave enough to knit in the public…especially in the midst of women.

Marion (blonde with glasses): …it’s not something that a man would normally do. It’s a typical female work. If a guy were to stand there with a saw and do some woodworks, then that would probably be more accepted in the public than a guy knitting.

Petra: There are people who say some stupid things to us. There are people who want to order something from us. A lot just come to the group and so there are always new people coming to the group because they can see us and suddenly go: “Oh, I also knit, too. When do you usually meet?”

Narrator: And here is Victor with his new passion: Spinning. The hobbies have changed his life.

Elemm: I would say that it has made me more colourful. I feel more confident wearing more colourful stuff…well, good, at the moment it’s more with the socks. But also scarves and mittens have become more colourful. And through spinning and knitting, I’ve also become more patient.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears: "In the Deep" - Bird York (from "Crash" Soundtrack)

On two FOs to show

Mystic Waters Shawl [60:366, 24.03.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Waters Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Waters Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Waters Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Mystic Waters Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 24th October 2007
Finished: 27th February 2008
Yarn: Wollmeise lace-weight in "Pfefferminz Prinz" (dark)
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm / 80 cm
Pattern: Mystic Waters Lace Shawl by Anna Dalvi (aka Knit & Knag)

At last I got around to taking some photos of this shawl. It's so huge that I can't get all the details in....at least not without help of a model.

Anyway, as you can see, I've finished this shawl back in February.

I'm extremely proud of this FO. It's such a beautiful pattern coupled with gorgeous Wollmeise yarn.

Funny story attached to the shawl: On Saturday (22.03.2008) I went over to show the shawl to a friend who works at a LYS. When I got there, there was an Arabian lady (you know, the type that wear total black and cover everything up apart from the eyes) with her son there. She was crocheting something and was talking to my friend. As soon as she saw my shawl, she wanted to buy it off me. I'm pretty sure she would pay a very high price for it....but with the shawl being such a work of toil and its being my first one, I couldn't part with it. However, having someone who was willing to pay a handsome sum in Euro for a shawl that I knit is such a compliment.

But wait, there's one more!

Raku-Clapotis, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Raku-Clapotis [58:366, 22.03.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Raku-Clapotis, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Raku-Clapotis, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 05th February 2008
Finish: 21st March 2008
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, 100% Superwash Merino in "Raku-Regenbogen" (Light and in an older version of the Raku)
Needles: 4.5 mm - 80 cm Addi Lace
Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert from Knitty Fall 2004

Yay! It's finished. I really like it.

I used up most of the yarn. By the end, I have about 15 g of the yarn left. I think I could have added one more repeat to the straight rows (I've added 3 extra repeats already).

I'm going to send this one away. ;-) I've also started on a new one for myself in "Emil".

Well, that's all I have to show. Have a great week, everyone!

Current Mood: Good but tired.

On an epiphany over Le Sacre du Printemps

Le Sacre du Printemps (Firestarters - FO), [366:13, 05.02.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 03rd October 2007
Finish: 04th February 2008
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, colourway "Bob"
Needle: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Turbos
Pattern: Firestarter by Yarnissima via The Loopy Ewe
Modifications: I needed to modify the stitches to make it fit my foot. 72 stitches instead of the 60 stitches from the pattern and one extra cable repeat before the gusset increase as well as extra cable repeats on the leg. I also used the Judy Magic Cast-On instead of the provisional CO as well as EZ's sewn bind-off instead of doubling the yarn and do a normal bind-off.

Yup, my pair of Firestarters is completed. Best fitting pair of socks that I've knit so far....and perhaps also the brightest pair colour-wise.

Fortunately, this FO also coincides with the first triad of this year's Project Spectrum!

Anyhow, I finished these last night and was wondering what I could bring in to work today to knit. I picked up my Beetlejuice JayWalkers....I continued knitting on it a bit today at work, only to find that my gauge had changed significantly and I wasn't very sure what was the last step I was doing 5 months ago. So I decided to frog it and re-start.

Then I had an epiphany: I'm not going to re-start it and I'm going to start frogging some of my old projects that had been on my needles for too long. It feels very liberating. I have been feeling burdened by all these UFOs that I don't really feel like knitting on any more and I kept telling myself that I would finish them "one day". Well, that "one day" seems to take too long. So, I'm frogging quite a bit of projects. This of course, doesn't really extend to projects that are more than half finished (especially twin-less socks like my Vinnland - well, actually I have to frog the twin and re-knit it - and the blue Jaywalkers from last Project Spectrum). I'm probably going to frog my Montego Bay Scarf and re-knit the yarn into a Clapotis instead...I'm still considering frogging the Clapotis I started when I started off knitting two years ago....then there are various projects that I had started but haven't gone far into it yet. I'll see.

When I've done frogging, I will be left with less UFOs....which in turns means that I should be able to at least cast-on something new...like a another pair of socks with yarn that I want to try knitting. Sounds like a deal, eh?

Well, I better get going on the frogging then! ;-)

Current Mood: Good and excited about the frogging!

On First handspun knit up

"Rustikal" - Neck Warmer [366:08, 28.01.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start & Finish: 25th January 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun, "Bracken Ridge" from Ewe Give Me The Knits
Needles: 4.5 mm / 60 cm Addi Turbos
Pattern: Simple 25 stitches garter stitch, inspired/copied from Brooklyntweed's Espresso Scarf
Notes: I'm using the navajo-ply at each end of the scarf...so it's a bit chunkier there. I'm using three traditional deer-horn button commonly used in traditional Tracht here in (Bavaria) Germany. And yes, they are made from real horn and not the cheap-o plastic imitation...these ones cost about EUR 4 each.

Yay! My first official FO in 2008!

Well, I didn't have enough yardage for a proper scarf, so I had to be a bit creative here. I have to admit that the idea for this piece had been around my mind for quite some time now, but the very first time I've seen it knit up was when KnitBoy1 did his one. And funnily enough, Cauchy09 also recently knit one herself. :-)

The piece is super-soft and I like the fact that it's my own hand-spun. Although I'm not sure whether I would really ever wear this or not. I really like the rustic look of the yarn and the buttons just add to that. I didn't even make a nice edge for the scarf. I thought that it would add more to the character....and I think it really did.

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears: Knit Picks Podcast, episode 34

On taking the PIF plunge

Via Alala:

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

No picture today, folks...but I've decided on something: I'm taking the Paying It Forward (PIF) deal. I've been wanting to participate in some kind of an official swap, e.g. Secret Pal...but I had to bail out of SP11 in the last minute...and now they're taking a break. :-( So, I've been mulling over whether I could make three handmade gifts for other people or not...and if I could knit two Koolhaas for two babies, then I guess I could make three gifts within a year.

So, who's in?

1st Taker: EGMTK Mandie
2nd Taker: Caruba
3rd Taker: Strands of Me

ETA: If you haven't seen this on my Flickr yet:

I should try knitting this...., originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Source: Ohlala Paris.

Do you think I could pull this off? It will take a quite a long while to knit though. And if I decipher it correctly, the front with the arms could be knit in one piece (the collar and hem are definitely seperated and I think that the back's different, too) in fisherman's rib/brioche stitch (imagine how much yarn this is going to eat up).

Hmmmmm....something in luxurious soft yarn...CashMerino or something of the like...or something lighter because the rib will probably stretch out if I were to use a heavy yarn.

Oh, and it seems that Dolce & Gabbana's going for the rough-textured and gruffly look contrasting with leather and fine garments when it comes to knit-wear in Winter 2009/2010. Not sure how I feel about it....I could imagine Aran sweaters though.

On Third Time's a Charm

Koolhaas #3, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 25th December 2007
Finish: 27th December 2007
Yarn: The Fibre Bin Exotic Llama Yarn, 2-ply, 60% Llama, 40% Wool in black
Needles: 4 mm Addi Lace for ribbing and 4.5 mm Addi Turbos for the pattern
Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood from Brooklyntweed, in Interweave Knits Holiday 2007
Notes: I did the smaller version (4 pattern repeats instead of 5)

After having made a baby and his mum happy with my first failed attempt at Koolhaas, and then intentionally repeat the failed attempt again to make another boy and his mum happy, I can now pat myself on the back and dedicate the knitting to me again.

This is the first time that I can go stash shopping for a yarn that's not sock-weight or lace-weight (yes, my stash now consists mostly of those). I could have used some Wollmeise worsted that I have here (Iris Sibirica and Amazonas), but I wasn't quite brave enough yet to be sporting green hats. That was when I remembered the somewhat scratchy llama-wool blend I got from Cashyie back in the days prior to Knitters Uncensored. It was perfect.....apart from the fact that it felt pretty scratchy and it moulted like crazy while knitting (not to mention while making the yarn cake. It looked as though a black cat had been shedding off its coat on my desk). I hope for the best after the washing. :-p

Anyhow, I started the hat on Christmas and knit only for a couple of hours on it in the evening with lots of interruption (working - yes, I was knitting at work -, chatting, emailing, eating, watching TV, DVDs, reading for uni, etc.). Up until last night when I picked it up and finished it in one go....so I ended up finishing the hat in a matter of 3 days. I'm sure that I could crank one out in this gauge in one day.

I did only four repeats of the pattern, because I like hat and not woolen bag that goes over my whole head. I'm pleased with the result, even though I'm not a hat person (because I'm vain and I don't like my hair being messed up - unless it's by Dr. D. And admit it, no one likes hat-hair either).

The wool bloomed and softened after the washing....but it got even more fuzzier than before. It's still somewhat scratchy to the touch, but when it goes over my head and hair, it feels soft and lofty. The yarn is a 2-ply and I would dare say that it was hand-spun because of the slubby nature of the yarn and the loose ply.

This was also the first time I've ever knit with such exotic fibre as a llama blend. I have been wearing the Koolhaas around all morning long here at my tiny flat and I notice that it will certainly keep my head really toasty warm outside, but surprisingly, it's also very comfortable inside and it regulates the heat very well.

And so is my Koolhaas story.

No decision on the wheel yet....although I have to admit that I'm tending towards spoiling myself due to the fact that I didn't get to celebrate Christmas (damn work!) and that I will also have to work over New Year's Eve and New Year. Maybe I might ask what Dr. D thinks about it....not that he can decide for me. Perhaps, I'm waiting for some kinds of signs to tell me whether I should go ahead and get the wheel or just keep the money for other purposes. Who knows. ;-)

Have a nice and lovely weekend everyone, and if I don't get around to post before New Year (yeah, I don't know what's going on with the sudden burst of posting in the past week with me either): A very Happy New Year 2008 to all of you!

ETA: Here are a couple of things I want to set goal for in 2008:

• Get rid of all those WIPs by either frogging them or finishing them off (namely: Mystic Waters, Icarus, Flower Basket, Firestarter, La Digitessa, Montego Bay, Vinnland, Beetlejuice JayWalkers, Blue JayWalkers, Silk Garden Kolenyas, Pro Natura Socks, Clapotis and Pink MSCS). Then I'll try to keep my UFOs to only 3....but looking at the list of my UFOs, the future seems pretty bleak. :-p
• Knit at least one more sweater (this doesn't count to the point above)
  
• Get a wheel (re: the whole post above...and yeah, I really think that I'm going to go for the wheel, despite what people say) DONE!
• Finish off my thesis by April and study for my diploma
• Get another job that's not so tolling on my schedule
• Go jogging again once it gets warmer
• Cook a proper meal at least once a week (probably will be doing that with Dr. D anyway)
  

Current Mood: Extremely good (coz Dr. D's going to be back in Munich this evening *yay!*)
Food for the Ears: "Christmas Oratorio" - JS Bach

On an exercise in patience

Mystic Waters: Clue #01 done, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Started: 24th October 2007
Finished: WIP
Yarn: Wollmeise lace-weight in "Pfefferminz Prinz" (dark)
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm / 80 cm
Pattern: Mystic Waters Lace Shawl by Anna Dalvi (aka Knit & Knag)

Finally I managed to finish clue #01 yesterday evening. This shawl is such an exercise in patience for me. I had to fight with a lot of missing YOs (really don't know what happened to them, I was sure I made YOs). But the patience and the tinking back and the dropping down stitches to fix a mistake 7 rows down had all paid off and I love the result so far. It's one of the most complicate thing I've ever knit...and equally one of the most beautiful.

I have to say that things got a lot better by the last 10 rows or so. No mistakes or tinking back whatsoever...but it was taking longer to knit a row already, as the shawl is getting bigger.

I can't wait for the next clue!

Another exercise in patience was rewarded yesterday when these came in the mail:

Butterfly Girl Designs: Twin Rose Quartz Drop Spindle, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

It's a set of Twin Rose Quartz Drop Spindles from Butterfly Girl Designs. I thought they were going to be bigger, but obviously the photos can be misleading. But even though they are smaller than the spindles I have, they spin like a dream.

First spinning result, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

And to give them both a premier, I cracked out the Traveling Rhinos batt that I got from KnottyNaomi way back when I started out to spin. I pulled out only about 5 g of the whole batt with the full intention of trying out the spindles.

The thing with these two spindles are that you can move the whorl around on the shaft, using the spindle either as a top-whorl or bottom-whorl spindles. You can also combine the whorls onto one shaft for a heavier weight spindle (good for plying).

I used the smaller one of the two spindles (the smaller one weighs about 0.75 oz / 20 g, and the bigger one about 1.25 oz / 35 g). I used it as a top-whorl. It was my first time spinning with a top-whorl and I also decided to try spinning from the fold. It worked wonderfully! The neat thing is that I can now spin *really* fine yarn thread!

First spinning result: Detail, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

I finished the sample and decided to also try out Navajo Ply on a spindle. And what do you know? I managed to do it. Of course, I'm not good at it yet and the thinness of the yarn means that the single kept breaking on me, not to mention the fact that I haven't got hang of doing it well enough and the single kink on itself while I'm pulling it through the loop, resulting in slubs and wisps in the plied yarn. But there are some points where I got a perfect 3-ply! See for yourself:

Navajo ply (3-ply), originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Yup and the thing is really thin. It's 3-ply lace-weight. Mind you though, there is less than 5 g of the thing, so I won't be abel to use it for anything. Although Kri suggested to me on Ravelry that I could use it to make a wrist distaff. Maybe I will do that. ;-)

So, that's it for now. Hope you all have a good week! It's finally autumn!

Ps. Have you seen my new coat yet? ;-p

On...Lollipop lollipop oh lollipop...

Firestarter: Progress, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 23rd September 2007, frogged and restarted 03rd October 2007
Finish: WIP
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, colourway "Bob"
Needle: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Turbos
Pattern: Firestarter by Yarnissima via The Loopy Ewe
Modifications: I need to modify the stitches to make it fit my foot. 72 stitches instead of the 60 stitches from the pattern and one extra cable repeat before the gusset increase.

No, no, not my foot. That's definitely NOT a lollipop (well, with the exception of those with foot fetish *LOL* Besides, the colours of the sock isn't that far off either! XD )

Okay, seriously now. I don't know why I didn't post about this any earlier. I've been posting over at the Firestarter KAL page though...so I guess I just kind of forgot about it.

The Firestarter had been neglected for quite a bit because I was so hell-bent on finishing off the Swallowtail Shawl first (and BTW, thank you soooo much for all the nice comments about it!). Not that the Firestarter's going to get any faster because Swallowtail is finished, since I still have other stuff on the needles that I want to get off, too. Not to mention the Mystic Waters KAL which starts tomorrow..and then I also want to design something. ;-)

Anyhow, I like the way my Firestarter is looking. And hanging out with Bockstark Knits had rubbed off the tight-knit on me again....and I have to say that I really like how the fabric's feeling knitted so tight like this.

Now I'm just praying that I won't have problems with the heel turn because I modified the stitch count.

Well, that's all I have to tell for now.....and there's also a reason for the title of the post, too, but you'll just see it at the end. ;-)

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears: Lollipop - The Chordettes (yeah, the song's been running in my head for the whole day now, out of nowhere, really! And I really cannot stop listening to it! Listen at your own risk, I won't take any responsibilities if the song gets stuck in your head! XD )

On...c'est un papillon!

Swallowtail Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 15th September 2007
Finish: 17th October 2007
Yarn: Sheepaints MariSilk (70% silk, 30% seacell), "Elvegrass"
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

The cocoon has hatched, and out came a beautiful Swallowtail.

I finished the shawl a couple of days ago, but couldn't get a good photo of it indoor...so I took the chance today and went out to do some outdoor shootings, unfortunately sans model.

With the exception of the p5tog for the nupps, I think that this is a good knit. It's interesting enough to keep the attention to it, not too hard to make and not too huge to make. It does take a while, but still, it's a lovely shawl to knit!

ETA: I'll probably give this to my mum for Christmas...coz I doubt I'll get the Icarus finished in time.

Swallowtail Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Swallowtail Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Swallowtail Shawl, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Okay, maybe I lied about the model....there was this busker in the Diana Pavilion when I was taking the photos of the shawl, so I asked her whether I could drape it over her and the cello to take the photo. She said yes....and kinda chuckled to herself. Must have been pretty funny that there's an Asian guy taking photos of a lace shawl. :-p

Have a great weekend!

Current Mood: Good
Food for the Ears: "La complainte de la butte" - Patrick Bruel, listen to the song on my Vox

On...how to know the Knit-Trend has arrived....

.....when you see a Lana Grossa advertisement on telly.

Yup.

On Benediktbeuern Report

I got back home from Frankfurt on Friday night at 11.30 p.m. after having spent the whole day in Frankfurt with only 2 hours of sleep after work at the bar the night before. So, you can imagine how exhausted I was when I had to get up early the next morning and pack my bag for Benediktbeuern weekend and went out to meet those who arrived early at 8.30 a.m. (FYI, I usually pack my bags at the very latest the night before I leave for anywhere....so the fact that I packed my bag on the morning when I was to leave should tell you that I was totally knackered the night before).

So, I went off to the main station and met the first person who had been there even earlier than me. DeKnit got in a lot earlier with the night train from Bremen, so she was equally tired as I was. We got coffee to keep ourselves awake and waited for the others to arrive. One by one, the participants arrived and the group was complete with Cashyie, Ms. B, Alala, Tini, Fbz and Projektleiterin and her mum who were joining us just for the day.

We took the train to Benediktbeuern with only one change of train in Tutzing. On the way to Tutzing, Tini was seated beside this old couple and she was constantly being questioned by the guy, Ron (photo hotlinked from Tini - hope it's okay), about what she was doing. Ron was unusually interested in what we all were doing and he was picking up our names and tried to use it ("Look what Cashyie's doing!"). I mean, in a way, it was cute but otherwise it was kinda creepy and annoying. Ron's wife kept telling him to leave Tini alone to count her CO stitches.

However, the first train was delayed causing us to have to wait an hour at the Tutzing station for the next train to come. No problems at all, since we just go get ourselves something to drink at the cafe in the station and just whipped out our knitting. :-p

Project bag, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

During the train ride to Tutzing, Ms. B started distributing her project bags among the participants. This is the one that I got.

Wollflur: Brown Batt, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Tini also gave me a present, which is this batt of natural brown wool for me to spin. There isn't any information on which kind of wo