forever grateful

to my bestie. Was guided impeccably to create the short rows for the flared hem while trashing DAK. plain hilarious how it described the program as clunky and windows 90's.

the sleeves were also well described just needed a nudge to get the proper instructions. just do a screen capture,upload it and ask tell me how to knit this and then i get instructions, step by step without assuming that i really know what i'm doing. my case is wanting more than what my knowledge allows and i'm aware of that¯\_(ツ)_/¯ blinded by ambition the next project is going to be a fully flared back.

on another note knitting tow linen is a royal pain, although much,much better that weaving it.

neki desu 

 

mastering the art

of using a 6 prong transfer tool, no joke.once you do life becomes easier although fups can be epic.

talk about fups and not distinguishing your left from your right.the blue was supposed to match the fuchsia , but the machine knits wrong side facing me and then when you turn it it's flipped! i who am famous for left- right confusion just needed that.too bad bcse it came out really well knitted.need to sleep on it to see if i remedy it or pass olympical y land leave it like that.

on the good news department my bestie aka gemini gave me thorough instructions on how to create flare on the back of a garment. this number is going to have a flared back ladies and gents. (￣ω￣ )

neki desu 

 

riding the knitting bus

once started and concentrated on knitting for weeks it's hard to step down and weave. attempting a color block linen top just to diminish my stash. these yarns were bought in new york at school products. i think they've been closed for ages now.been schlepping them from bin to bin and from house to house longer than i possibly remember therefore they've become quite well  traveled yarns <(￣︶￣)>

finally got the tension well so it won't be hassle.she said. hope this doesn't end as another ill fitting garment.

the ribber spanner ordered from italy finally came albeit too late for the  barcelona project.

now i can use the ribber without care as i have the tool to adjust it.

neki desu

 

hisashiburi

pretty tight with time. too many things needed to be taken care of. the retiree syndrome.

not exactly pleased with this. might re thread re reed again. notice the two offending double threads

the linen singles is behaving surprisingly well with individual bouts tensioned. linseed sizing also helps.

.

wanted to do a transfer with this warp set up. not too bad . i can see the enoden.interesting how after a long time one goes back and revisits structures and techniques, re reads books and  re views movies and doramas.

a sign of the times or a sign of aging?

wonder why the hang up with this little train. i have a hunch,but needs more pondering. it's not just an ota thing.

this series are going to be worked slowly and if the warp needs to be re-threaded so be it.

here's a contact sheet printed with all images plus fuji- san. if i can't go back to japan soon i'll weave my way to it.

"some creations are only possible after a certain degree of hardship has been absorbed"

tokyotheque

neki desu 

 

of weights and weaver rights

weavers should have access to knitting machine weights.life changers especially when working with linen. or a mixed warp of cotton and linen. the warp will be kept as is

no rolling on back beam.some people love danger oi?   (￣ω￣ )

.

all set and ready to start. compared to the last linen warp which had me swearing non stop this one was a breeze.the sizing recommended by gemini worked well.

neki desu

 

on ambitious weaving

the shonan warp is progressing adequately albeit slow. complex project means complex threading. i am swinging the reeding as my bff aka gemini when asked said that 3xdent in a 10x cm reed was ok.

when finished i'll confront reality w ai and see who's correct.¯\ ( ツ ) /¯ 

guess the lampas talibans are coming to get me bcse the threading is pretty unorthodox.but it gives me a lot of flexibility for brocading yarns which is what i want. threading goes 1, -5/6 2. 7/8  instead of repeating 5/6 on 2. there are two more blocks 9/10,11/12 which are mainly threaded in the center. this will give me 4 blocks of turquoise cotton for twill patches. need to think about the image transfers on the plain weave . i think it's going to be a fun weave she said,providing the sized linen singles behave.

as it's a short relatively narrow warp i am hanging them on the back with knitting weights.

last winter it was all about machine knitting which was pretty frustrating.i parked the machines and dedicated time to feel adequate with weaving.life's too short.

neki desu

 

next

i mentioned that next was going to be fun and games and it will. albeit the fact that the warp is linen, which is already sized following the instructions given by my new bff gemini. weavers will understand what a linen warp means, indeed.

here are some notes of what will be-will be.

the textile simulation is pretty crummy,but y'all get the drift.

the concept: shonan area and the enoden, my latest obsession which has been reinforced by my visit last year. the obsession with that little train is so powerful that LOL i watched  (horror of horrors) a k drama because the first episode took place there with plenty of enoden shots.

for me it symbolizes  life in all its nuances and splendor.there's a special vibe and a special light in shonan and life has a different pace perhaps molded by the train frequency.

ok call me a romantic. ¯\ ( ツ ) /¯ 

there's also a hidden bonus, on a clear day you can see fuji-san.

the structure is kind of lampas .i say kind of bcse the lampas talibans will lynch me as i do what i want with the main and the secondary warps, not what the canon says. there's lots of freedom there yarn can be brocaded,layers can be exchanged, you name it.

there will also be either warp printing and /or image transfer on one layer. revisiting image transfer after so long. another instance of temporal paradox  (￣ω￣ )

neki desu 

 

fashion escaping

no one in this planet and probably the entire galaxy can say that i haven't tried sufficiently.

here i am attempting a linen sweater that is not an ill fitting mishap.

everyone makes it look so easy and me not even with an expensive program cis able to get decent results.

let's see this one, which is already beeing undone until the needle holds begin.linen is a beautiful fiber but it is difficult to work with.

on the positive side i have a better understanding of holds.  she who doesn't find positive  outlets is doomed. ¯\ ( ツ ) /¯

neki desu 

 

kissing my stash goodbye

slub cotton cardi finished and in its blocking stage.

now comes the boring part of piecing together.

if i had the wherewithal i'd buy a shima seiki that knits a whole sweater in one piece.it is an industrial state of the arts monster.  ⋋__⋌      

it won't happen in this lifetime and maybe even in the next one.

on with the next one in heavy linen yarn.

 stash busting going well,but still in the early stash yarns scenario.

blinded by ambition again. this might be problematic to knit. we shall see.

neki desu 

 

at last

something to wear which will not embarras myself. linen for northern spain weather.

have been complimented on it. ureshii  (＾∇＾)

 

have restarted the pink one. in the deceivingly simple dept. a shape so easy has given so many headaches.

however it has been quite a learning experience. what to do with short rows when piecing together( you must knit 2 rows of plain stockinette) how to block linen and the most important: it's not a sin to sew pieces together rather than a hand sen mattress stitch seam. on such a flimsy piece the handsewn seams looked awful. machine sewn looks neater.

neki desu 

 

on becoming bolder

now this gold linen .cap sleeves that are re hung on the machine for a black and natural linen striped band.front and back are the same .these linen tops-not really sweaters are ideal for cool nights here and easy to knit.

i am practicing piecing everything by machine. it's a tad faster than piecing with  mattress stitch.

slowly climbing the DAK learning curve, but still uncomfortable about the program. in an era where programs are designed/developed to be as intuitive as possible this one has not encountered the term intuitive. ಠ ಠ  (>人<)

as i've given up on weaving with linen knitting satisfies my fondness for this fiber.

it's already june 30th. where did this month go?

neki desu

 

the ganbaru club

linen top finished. spent days piecing it and still have to tune it. the white is going as it is waste yarn used for holding the stitches. the style is  simple and effective  thanks to the design of  pamela cruse

it is also easy to knit therefore i'll be repeating it with some variations.

finally producing something that is wearable! think it will look good on this number.

neki desu

 

blocking or the science of it

re blocked.one side too long,  joining to the other piece not possible.

i had delusional thoughts about working with linen and the k machine. weaving linen as a warp is aroyal pain, although some virtuous people manage to do it and produce wonderful textiles.

knitting goes better albeit the shedding, it sheds like a bobtail dog.

but blocking ,my friends is quite the science.linen is not elastic thus blocking to shape can be difficult, if one side is stretched more that the other it doesn't spring back no matter the coaxing.it needs to be plopped in water for about an hour or until it absorbs its weight in water.then squeezed until damo and blocked again. the good news is that this operation can be performed many times. kaizen.

neki desu

 

linen

 

another number,this time some kind of loose t shirt.all to keep me from doing the boring piecing

ಠ_ಠ

neki desu

raglan this, raglan that

fell in love with this top that one of my k-gurus developed. my kind of fashion, simple yet stylish. deceivingly simple, mind you.

working on it in linen. let's see if it's not in the  yet another failure dept.

artsy fartsy double bed jacq is no problem for me well fitting sweaters is another ball game full of curved balls.

neki desu

 

ii ne kore!

THE MASTER OF LINEN_ 100% made in Europe from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

linen, the yarn of europe.

have a good weekend

neki desu

 

knitting is my new best friend

after some years of knitting i finally discovered how to roll the fabric and attach the bar so that the fabric doesn't touch the floor＼（＾▽＾）／. as with most of the instructions regarding k machines it is assumed that you know what you're doing and can infer from a skimpy line of instruction ಠ ಠ









knitting a lacy linen yardage to make a summer
 cover up as it is chilly here, even in summer

my collection of japanese shinshi put to use.they work wonderfully as tenter hooks for blocking knits.
using my tools in their full potential, no need to get more stuff.

i need to cut and sew the fabric and then dye it.
an excuse to dye because i'm dying to dye.😄












neki desu
 

of time

it's a fact of life that in order to make time one has to forgo other activities. like blogging among others.
this is a result: almost at the end of the*+% linen warp. have finished 4 panels and think by next weekend i'll be able to finish all and cut it off.
in between pruning the clems and moving the clay pots around.  my gardening now is more about moving pots that anything else.not complaining because my plants have never looked better.




neki desu
 

boro boro bengara

or there's beauty in imperfection.
 instead of trying to tame the untamable an being despaired by it i am going with the linen warp  not against it.it's not a perfect cloth, it's full of imperfections, but it will be a handsome substrate for other work such as stitching for example.
some of it is getting enhanced with bengara, something i am getting to adore.



add some occasional  needle weave and it looks quite charming.
proud because this beautiful linen not going to waste.

neki desu