Rowan 42 Iceland

The Shetland shawl for my mother was finished sometime ago, but still waiting to be blocked. I just need a few hours to myself in the bedroom to complete the task, but I have not gotten time to do that yet. Soon, I hope. In the mean time, I cast on for a pullover from Rowan 42, Iceland. It has very wide three-quarter length sleeves. It knit up very fast with bulky yarns and 7mm needles.



Halfway through the project, I almost ripped the whole thing. It did not look large enough to me. When measured flat, the top piece had the right dimension. Yet, it looked so small. There was no way it would stretch down to below waist, I thought. My DH suggested that I finish it as it was, and if it turns out to be too small, knit another one. Well, it was the right advice and I am so glad to have listened to him. The knitted fabric turned out to be so elastic that it did reach the length I wanted.

So, here I am very pleased with the finished garment. I used only 7 balls of the yarn.

New book by Shimada Toshiyuki

Yesterday, I received two knitting books by Mr. Shimada, one of which was recently published and contains 14 garments previously introduced in Keito Dama without patterns, plus 10 new designs. (Link to the new book)

Here is one of the garments I was hoping to get patterns for some day since 2004. I happened to have a right yarn for this project, too.



Also, the recent issue of Keito Dama has Shida Hitomi listed in the contents page three times! It's been ordered but I won't receive it until December. Boo Hoo! (See the contents in Japanese)

Added: In case you want to order the book from YesAsia, here is the link!

Link to Errata: I just learned that there are errors in Mr. Shimada's new book, and they are corrected here. BTW, the book is indicated to have sold out on Nihon Vogue web page. Not to worry, though, as they are re-printing. Also, follow this link to find out if other publications by Nihon Vogue have errors.

A little project for distraction

I am getting a little tired of knitting the border for the LSS shawl. It is beautiful and I am so close to the end, but I am not that eager to finish. It is time to get something new going.

I’ve had this one skein of Louet Gems Merino Pearl, fingering weight, for many months. It was originally purchased to test its appropriateness for Aberlady. The yarn failed the test: it was too strongly plied and the fabric was not as soft as I thought it should be for the design. So, it stayed in my yarn basket untouched. I loved the color of the yarn too much to just put it away. It is bright pink/fuchsia. I’ve been wondering what I could possibly make with one skein of this pink yarn? Then, I saw a blog post by Ishi-san. Aha! That’s what I thought. And, here it is, my Wabenschal scarf. I’ve been wishing to have a skinny scarf in solid color for some time, and this was just the perfect thing.



I made it narrower than the original pattern to achieve enough length. It is not cumbersome as other scarves I own, yet kept me warm all day today. I used to love thick and bulky scarves, but looks like I will be knitting skinnier ones this winter.