This is by no means an exhaustive list of places, just the ones I managed to get to.
Walnut Kyoto & Tokyo
I went to both, because, why not? But I have to say that you probably don't have to.
It's a good stop if you are a fan of Amirisu magazine because they have lots of Amirisu samples, and they're a flagship for Brooklyn Tweed and Quince & Co, I believe.
Avril Kichijoji (Tokyo)
I only went to the one in Tokyo. I decided against visiting the one in Kyoto because I did not buy anything in Tokyo. They have a lot of novelty yarn, which is so not the kind of thing I knit with.
Update: yarnoversteffi kindly gifted me the thing I most wanted from Avril in our Singapore knitters Christmas yarn swap, so that was awesome.
Ananda (Tokyo)
This is much more a shop for weavers and spinners.
They have a lot of hemp, lots of animal roving (the wool is from New Zealand though) and quite a selection of natural dyestuffs.
They do carry silk, but they were not able to tell me the yardage per 100g or anything like that, so I didn't get any. It's possible that I was unable to explain to them what I was asking, so maybe you will have better luck.
Moorit (Tokyo)
They have more rustic-type yarns than the other shops in Tokyo that I managed to get to. It was nice, but they did not have much stuff I was likely to use in the next 6-12 months. They stocked some Scottish yarns, but I am planning on attending Edinburgh Yarn Festival again, so I didn't get any of it either.
And-Ito (Tokyo)
I made it here because they have coned yarn, and that's something I keep an eye out for because I do have a knitting machine. They had a good selection of finer, lightweight yarns suitable for tropical weather, including Belgian linen.
And they also had DK weight cotton cashmere, which I am very fond off.
Hobbyra Hobbyre (Kobe)
I stumbled on this one by accident.
The shop is adorable, and I picked up some of their house brand yarn, including a lovely linen blend.
EYLUL (Osaka)
This was my favorite. They carry a good mix of hand-dyed European/American yarns as well a good selection of warm weather friendly ones. They are also a Zealana stockist.
They also carry Saredo recycled yarn, which was something I had been looking for.
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Thursday, 14 December 2017
How to Pack Travel Knitting
I started writing this post at the beginning of my move from London to Singapore, almost a month ago now. I am already back in Singapore, but the rest of my stash (and stuff) are in transit for another two months or so.
Packing knitting for a trip takes me much much more time than packing my clothes.
How on earth am I supposed to predict what I will feel like knitting days or even weeks from now? I know what I SHOULD be working on, of course, but I've tended to find that bringing projects I'm not excited about tends to lead to an absence of knitting.
This post is about packing for general travel (up to 3 weeks), but I will write a bit more about my experiences packing for extended travel next week.
#1 Variety, Variety, Variety
I like to pack at least 3 kinds of projects, which usually means at least one lace shawl and at least one garment, since that's pretty much all I knit. If I knitted socks, I'd definitely have one of those too.
#2 Think About Your Environment
I was moving straight into an empty apartment, with the intent to buy lights and furniture as needed, so I didn't worry too much about that this time. But normally, when I travel, I make sure not to pack items that require good light to work on.
So pass on the cobweb yarns and bring on the fingering and up yarns. Stay away from dark colors that are difficult to see.
#3 Bring a Needle set!
Sometimes you cast something on, and you realise your gauge is off. It's just easier to travel with the whole set.
#4 Bring Some Yarn!
Just in case you feel like casting on something new, you should bring something new. In #1, I said I usually pack 3 kinds of projects, and usually the third is something new. :)
#5 Buy Some Yarn!
We all deserve souvenir yarn!
Packing knitting for a trip takes me much much more time than packing my clothes.
How on earth am I supposed to predict what I will feel like knitting days or even weeks from now? I know what I SHOULD be working on, of course, but I've tended to find that bringing projects I'm not excited about tends to lead to an absence of knitting.
This post is about packing for general travel (up to 3 weeks), but I will write a bit more about my experiences packing for extended travel next week.
#1 Variety, Variety, Variety
I like to pack at least 3 kinds of projects, which usually means at least one lace shawl and at least one garment, since that's pretty much all I knit. If I knitted socks, I'd definitely have one of those too.
#2 Think About Your Environment
I was moving straight into an empty apartment, with the intent to buy lights and furniture as needed, so I didn't worry too much about that this time. But normally, when I travel, I make sure not to pack items that require good light to work on.
So pass on the cobweb yarns and bring on the fingering and up yarns. Stay away from dark colors that are difficult to see.
#3 Bring a Needle set!
Sometimes you cast something on, and you realise your gauge is off. It's just easier to travel with the whole set.
#4 Bring Some Yarn!
Just in case you feel like casting on something new, you should bring something new. In #1, I said I usually pack 3 kinds of projects, and usually the third is something new. :)
#5 Buy Some Yarn!
We all deserve souvenir yarn!
Monday, 2 October 2017
Speedy Lace Knitting
(I'm writing this brief post for /u/FelidarSovereign.)
In this post, segments and repeats are different things.
Square shawls knitted in the round usually have 4 segments, but often have repeats of any number of stitches within each segment.
1. Knit in the round
Most people knit faster than they purl, particularly if they knit continental.
I find that garter lace is harder to fix, despite having been playing around with it for awhile. Many traditional garter lace patterns also have wrong-side patterning, which is troublesome for lifelines if you need them.
Knitting in the round also has the advantage that as your rows grow larger, you will not have to turn your work.
2. Minimise beading
Beading is pretty slow, unless you pre-string, but I have not worked with pre-strung before as I knit with very fine yarn, and I worry about the wear and tear on the yarn.
3. Choose your Left Leaning Decrease wisely
I use the SSK variation that Brooklyn Tweed recommends in their patterns, because it is very fast. I believe I first came across this in Permafrost by Jared Flood. Slip the first stitch as if to knit, then knit it and the next stitch together through the back loop. Naturally, if you need a 2-stitch left leaning decrease, you slip the first stitch, then knit it and the next 2 stitches together through the back loop and so forth.
If you're using yarn that is at least 1300m per 100g, I advocate just knitting or purling the stitches together through the back loop. You will not be able to tell the difference anyway.
4. Decrease in one movement
When you k2tog/k3tog/kxtog, it's about as fast as any other knit stitch.
One of the reasons why I like BT's SSK variation (see point 3 above) is that it is very easy to knit it in one movement, none of this passing stitches back and forth nonsense.
You can also do a CDD and other multi-stitch decreases in this manner. I actually find this to be easier to achieve with finer yarns.
This is important to speed because lace patterning is the result of planned decreasing and increasing, and the more intricate the lace, the more decreasing there will be.
5. Short repeats
Short repeats are faster to memorise, and require less checking back and forth with the chart/instructions.
You will likely also find that you will be much faster at finding mistakes when you need to.
6. Use fewer stitch markers
I am not advocating skipping them altogether, but for a shawl knitted in the round, I will typically only use stitch markers for every segment. For instance, a square knitted in the round usually has 4 segments, so I will have 4 stitch markers.
I am currently binding off a circular shawl that has 210 patterned rows, and is 8 segments in the round. I slipped markers 1680 times, but if I had a stitch marker every 20 stitches, plus for one to mark each segment, I would be slipping markers over 6000 times.
7. Provisional cast on for Very Fine Yarns
I recommend that if you are knitting flat with very fine yarn that you consider doing a COWYAK.
One of the problems with very fine yarn is that at the beginning, it is difficult to read your knitting because there is not enough weight to stretch out the yarn a little. This means you will use your fingers to do it, which is an additional strain and will slow you down.
Using a COWYAK with a slightly heavier yarn will give you that weight at the beginning. I recommend doing at least 5 or 6 rows, maybe more, because if you do need to stretch out your knitting to read it, it will also give you a 'handle' to use.
It will not be too heavy to stress the yarn, as once it is long enough, the COWYAK will just rest on your lap.
Additionally, you will be able to bind off both sides the same way, which will look nicer.
8. Wool and Animal Fibres are Queen
Elastic fibres make it easier for decreasing. This is really important because there is so much decreasing in lace.
It is also crucial to point 4 above. Decreasing in one movement with linen or cotton is more difficult than with wool or alpaca.
9. Skip the Knitted-on Border
I know they are traditional and pretty, but they are also slow and tedious and it is like sleeve island: it happens after the rest of it is done.
10. Knit Every Day
If you work on it every day, it will be easier for you each time you pick up the project again, especially if the pattern is repeating a lot.
In this post, segments and repeats are different things.
Square shawls knitted in the round usually have 4 segments, but often have repeats of any number of stitches within each segment.
1. Knit in the round
Most people knit faster than they purl, particularly if they knit continental.
I find that garter lace is harder to fix, despite having been playing around with it for awhile. Many traditional garter lace patterns also have wrong-side patterning, which is troublesome for lifelines if you need them.
Knitting in the round also has the advantage that as your rows grow larger, you will not have to turn your work.
2. Minimise beading
Beading is pretty slow, unless you pre-string, but I have not worked with pre-strung before as I knit with very fine yarn, and I worry about the wear and tear on the yarn.
3. Choose your Left Leaning Decrease wisely
I use the SSK variation that Brooklyn Tweed recommends in their patterns, because it is very fast. I believe I first came across this in Permafrost by Jared Flood. Slip the first stitch as if to knit, then knit it and the next stitch together through the back loop. Naturally, if you need a 2-stitch left leaning decrease, you slip the first stitch, then knit it and the next 2 stitches together through the back loop and so forth.
If you're using yarn that is at least 1300m per 100g, I advocate just knitting or purling the stitches together through the back loop. You will not be able to tell the difference anyway.
4. Decrease in one movement
When you k2tog/k3tog/kxtog, it's about as fast as any other knit stitch.
One of the reasons why I like BT's SSK variation (see point 3 above) is that it is very easy to knit it in one movement, none of this passing stitches back and forth nonsense.
You can also do a CDD and other multi-stitch decreases in this manner. I actually find this to be easier to achieve with finer yarns.
This is important to speed because lace patterning is the result of planned decreasing and increasing, and the more intricate the lace, the more decreasing there will be.
5. Short repeats
Short repeats are faster to memorise, and require less checking back and forth with the chart/instructions.
You will likely also find that you will be much faster at finding mistakes when you need to.
6. Use fewer stitch markers
I am not advocating skipping them altogether, but for a shawl knitted in the round, I will typically only use stitch markers for every segment. For instance, a square knitted in the round usually has 4 segments, so I will have 4 stitch markers.
I am currently binding off a circular shawl that has 210 patterned rows, and is 8 segments in the round. I slipped markers 1680 times, but if I had a stitch marker every 20 stitches, plus for one to mark each segment, I would be slipping markers over 6000 times.
7. Provisional cast on for Very Fine Yarns
I recommend that if you are knitting flat with very fine yarn that you consider doing a COWYAK.
One of the problems with very fine yarn is that at the beginning, it is difficult to read your knitting because there is not enough weight to stretch out the yarn a little. This means you will use your fingers to do it, which is an additional strain and will slow you down.
Using a COWYAK with a slightly heavier yarn will give you that weight at the beginning. I recommend doing at least 5 or 6 rows, maybe more, because if you do need to stretch out your knitting to read it, it will also give you a 'handle' to use.
It will not be too heavy to stress the yarn, as once it is long enough, the COWYAK will just rest on your lap.
Additionally, you will be able to bind off both sides the same way, which will look nicer.
8. Wool and Animal Fibres are Queen
Elastic fibres make it easier for decreasing. This is really important because there is so much decreasing in lace.
It is also crucial to point 4 above. Decreasing in one movement with linen or cotton is more difficult than with wool or alpaca.
9. Skip the Knitted-on Border
I know they are traditional and pretty, but they are also slow and tedious and it is like sleeve island: it happens after the rest of it is done.
10. Knit Every Day
If you work on it every day, it will be easier for you each time you pick up the project again, especially if the pattern is repeating a lot.
Monday, 24 April 2017
Gear Talk: Knitting Needles
When it comes to interchangeable knitting needles, this is what I like:
I have used Addis, but I don't like the cable, and I find that fine yarns (which is almost exclusively what I work with) catch on the joins. That's annoying, and increases wear and tear on the yarn. I've never used the interchangeables, because they stop at 3.5mm and most of the needles I use are smaller than that. I actually have a whole bunch that I will be de-stashing soon.
- Very sharp tips
- Short tips
- Flexible cables
- Smooth joins
- Very small sizes
- Stainless steel
That combination means Chiaogoo to me, with Twist cables.
I have used Addis, but I don't like the cable, and I find that fine yarns (which is almost exclusively what I work with) catch on the joins. That's annoying, and increases wear and tear on the yarn. I've never used the interchangeables, because they stop at 3.5mm and most of the needles I use are smaller than that. I actually have a whole bunch that I will be de-stashing soon.
I just cannot get Hiya Hiya interchangeables to stay tight, so I'd never use them for lace, and that's pretty much everything I hand knit. I have 2 sizes and 2 cables, and rely on the husbear to tighten them up, but it's still not enough. I'm also not a fan of the swivel cable because I'm not sure what it's supposed to do for me. Once I finish my Apex cardigan, I'll be de-stashing these too.
I am of the opinion that Knit Picks has poor quality control and makes cheap, but not decent, products. I started with these, and returned so many cables because they were so badly finished, you could see 'spurs' of plastic on the cables. The joins are not very good either. I do understand that many people start with them because they're cheap, but I would recommend spending more if you can.
Pony and Aero are actually worse than Knit Picks. Since taking up knitting again as an adult, I am pretty sure that if those three were my only options for needles, I would have quit. Pony do actually make pretty decent tapestry needles though.
Tulip are marginally better than Pony or Aero, especially if you would like bamboo needles.
I'm going to briefly cover the things you want to think about when it comes to buying circular knitting needles. I haven't used straight needles as an adult, and don't intend to.
Material: Wood, Bamboo, Stainless Steel, Plastic, Carbon Fibre
Material determines the stiffness and tensile strength of the needles. Knitting needles are actually better with a bit of give to them, and shouldn't be too stiff. It also factors into how smooth they are.
Wood and bamboo are both light, and they warm up with use. But, they break easily. I broke at least 3 wooden needles before I switched. They are also more grippy, which is good if you're prone to dropping stitches or knit with slippery yarn. The Kinki Amibari bamboo are actually rather nice, just too grippy for me to knit with any speed.
My preference for stainless steel is because it's possible to achieve a very pointy end, be polished to be super smooth and not break easily, even if they're hollow.
I've never used carbon fibre, and think you should probably toss the plastic ones altogether.
Double Pointed Needles:
I use these for small circumference knitting in the round. I find that it's faster and less hassle than circulars, even though I'm perfectly comfortable in magic loop.
Circular Needles:
I primarily use circulars because I tend to knit very large pieces and also like to knit in the round. I find that circular allow you to rest the bulk of the weight of a piece on your lap, which strains my hands less.
Interchangeables vs Fixed:
I used to think I would need to do a lot of linelines, but the truth is I almost never do. So I'd suggest going for fixed needles instead because the joins are often smoother.
Cables
Generally speaking, you want a soft, flexible cable. Some of them have swivel joins, meaning that they rotate in the join, but I am not actually sure why that's any good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)