VG-knits

Swatching and planning cable sweater

EmDao — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:18:00 +0000

Swatching sleeve caps and back is fun!

UFO

EmDao — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:14:00 +0000

Thanksgiving

EmDao — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:06:00 +0000

My uncle thought no one would eat the turkey and would only the honey
baked ham! Look what happen to the turkey after lunch.

Thank god for black Friday. I need to burn all the food I consume
today. I can't even walk, because I ate too much. Shoes! I'm coming to
adopt you tomorrow.

Sock from my sister

EmDao — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:59:00 +0000

My sister gave me this pair of sock she got from a third party. The
only thing I dont like about this is the fuzzy texture yarn at the top
of the sock, just below my knew. You can barely see it on this picture.

I'm home in orlando for the weekend. Hope everyone is having a great
hoilday!

EmDao — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:06:00 +0000

EmDao — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:05:00 +0000

Scarf a friend

EmDao — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:48:00 +0000

I'm Currently finishing up a scarf for a friend birthday present. The
pattern is the same in both side. I will edit post with the pattern
once I'm done knitting.

I really like cable, but if only they were same on both side! The
intended recipent is male, so I couldn't go and pick my usual lace
pattern.

Sidewinder completed!

EmDao — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:06:00 +0000

IMG_0880
Originally uploaded by EmDao

I'm happy to say I finish my sock of the season! I started to knit this pair of socks few week ago, but never post anything to let you know I started >_<

When i saw Nona post the Sidewinder sock pattern, back when it was still summer. I knew I wanted to knit a pair, but never got around to starting, but when i got the yarn from Laura I thought it was time to start! I actually finish one sock around Halloweens and thought it look creepy and different. It took me a few try to get the grafting perfect! I took it out like 4 times for the first sock, before it actually close correctly. I think grafting is one of those things that i need to research a little bit more. Right now I can only graft seam that are knitted with slip stitches. Otherwise I get confuse and the knitted fabric comes out unaligned.

This was a fun pattern to knit. The direction was excellent and the text was fun to read! Everything makes sense, and the gauge came out perfectly. I like how Nona divided the sock in to section. My favorite part was knitting the toes, and how the heel increase/decrease are work.

I plan to knit another pair of sock with the same method/directions Nona wrote, but i want to try it with a lace stiches instead of plain Stockinette and Garter stitch. At some point i wanted to knit the second pair as a kneed sock, so it i could wear it during the winter in Florida with some skirts. As of now I'm scare to attempt it.-_- I loose count when the cast on has too many stitches! It took me 4 tries and 2 out of four i had my boyfriend count the stitches for me. Imagine casting on a kneed high sock, it would be like 500 stitches or more! ugh someone cast one for me please!

I got picked!

EmDao — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:29:00 +0000

Long long ago, on the day of August 20th I sent photos from my collection in to Laura over at the Hand Painted Sheep for her fall colorway contest. I honestly forgot about it this month. Usually i will remember and stalk my way over to her blog and read what's going on. I'm very happy that she chose one of my photo to put in her color way collection. The transition between pixel in dye is flawless! She named it Nature's Gold, if you are looking for a inspiring color to knit this season buy some Nature's Gold from Laura shop :)

Florida has get chipped when it comes to season. Its techically fall, but from looking at this photo that i took two days ago, you'd think its spring or something. Anyhow photo from an iphone! only one of the few that was't blurry due to my shaky hands. Look at those cats...

The weekend passed

EmDao — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:29:00 +0000

What i did yesterday and the day before yesterday, and the day before that... heheh

On the road driving, we passed by a sugar cane farm, you can't really see it but its behind the shrubs, take my word for it! I took the camera out too late to show the farm where there isn't any shrub.

The cactus that we in the corner of rachel's house. I like this shade of yellow orange.

One of the avocado i bought back from the trip. Rachel neighbor had a big tree, and we went over and asked for some. They were nice about it. But i wanted more :)

kitty cat sleeping

EmDao — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:00:00 +0000

You know some cats don't like to be held? some love to, and so on. My cats refuse to be held (they will scratch you to death if you try to hold them!) but they don't have any problem coming up to you and laying top and start purring. Its a rarity that my cats will actually sit my laps or wherever for a long time, so when ever they do I don't want to move. Even if its very uncomfortable!

Last Night for dinner

EmDao — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:01:00 +0000

The left over spice for last night dinner, courtesy of my next door neighbor habaneros bush. Aren't they gorgeous. habaneros has one of my favorite shade of orange. I used the ceramic bowls I made in my wheel throwing class last night for the first time! The habaneros are in one of the smaller bowls i made.

Sketches

EmDao — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:05:00 +0000

I've been doing alot of sketching for potential pattern. Sometime i would sit down for an 30 mins to an hours doolings, shapes and figures. This is one of my semi favorite sketch. If you saw the entire series of sketch you would think i have a a thingy for pleats.>:D Well i do, because ever since I watched my first episode of sailor moon i heart pleats, especially short one!
I notice among designer and artist they have developed a "style" of how they draw and work things together. I'm still trying to established that a "style". My handwriting is a great indication of that search for style, it constantly change, and even changes as i write. Thank god for MS word.

Everlasting Bagstopper

EmDao — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:50:00 +0000

I think I'm going to knit the Everlasting bagstopper Pattern, its one of the surprise pattern of the current issue of knitty. But i think i will make it a little shorter, it looks too long when its stretch. I'm not a short person but i don't like my bad hanging too low, I'm a "light" person, the wind will blow me over with the bag! I usually carry a lot of things in my bag.

My apartment reeks of enamels paint right now! I hope the spell of the paint doesn't get stuck in the carpet, that would be BAD.

Last night around 12 as i was falling asleep and everything was quite and peaceful. Suddenly i hear this noise, it sound like some one was snoring... No one live in the apartment next to me (i think?) Could it be my neighbor that lives upstairs? HOW on earth is the wall so thin i could hear him snoring! He must be snoring really loud. I hate be living in the same house he's in I'll never get any sleep.

Reading

EmDao — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:13:00 +0000

The last 2.5 days i've been reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows This afternoon i finished! I have mixed feeling about the book and the entire series now. At certain point, (toward the beginning) i was really impatience with how slow the story was going. All the day to day description seem like a filler in a anime series. It didn't thicken the plot, and if it did, i was totally confuse and had to keep on reading to understand more. I suppose that is the point of a book. Not to have everything spelled out to you at once. I was over joy and sadden during certain chapter. A good ending to a good series.

Turn Around Time

EmDao — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:32:00 +0000

Projects from start to finish seem to take me forever! I have like a pile of things unfinished and yet i have more started! This is bad...

I have class tonight, and i am dread going, because I'm not good at wheel throwing!

Since I'm stranded here without a computer or proper equipment to upload picture i can't show you the mess i made! But soon i will post tons and tons of picture. In two months i hope to put a new face on this blog. I really hate the emptiness. I was lazy to create a template for it, hehe. At the time i had too many "personal" things happening to deal with the template.

I was thinking of designing a spring 08 collection of knitwear top and accessories. (ER can you say crazy? -laugh-) At this rate i don't know if that is possible. With me being slow writing up the patterns and knitting the sample at the same time. This idea will be postpone to another year, or season.

pretty prints

EmDao — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:31:00 +0000

I love the new print for sale by Aunty Cookie its soooo cute and adorable! Here look!

Sigh so pretty :) must buy!

Sleeves- knitted top down

EmDao — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:52:00 +0000

I like knitting sleeves from the top down. Because i don't have to graft anything together. I am not an experience grafter, and maybe i don't want to be. The problem with me is, i pick up or i use the wrong two holes to weave together, hence a lot of left over and a bunch up knitted fabrics. The reason i like the raglans so much is that i don't have to graft anything at all, and everything is knitted in one piece until the bust! (the rest is pretty easy)

This morning i was reading, "Knitting the old ways" and read how to knit a shaped sweater, (that's not a raglans or a saddle shape arm sweater or a full yoke increase) sleeves top down! Its amazing, i plan to try it on the pink v-neck i was knitting but haven't finished. Oh the amazing power of knowledge, -laugh-

I had an "OMG me TOOO! moment"while reading Stefanie Japel blog this morning. Here's what caused it. She said "Last night, my mind was doing one of those marathon anxiety sessions where I try to get the whole rest of my life planned out in one intense session. It never works, of course, but sometimes I just can’t shut down." Stefanie, i do this A LOT, and the plans always changes, it evolves and is never finish.

A peek at my knitwear portfolio!

EmDao — Thu, 31 May 2007 02:28:00 +0000

Most of the things i designed, comes to me when I'm going to sleep! My notes of the idea is a scribble of a mess. The gauge changes, depending on what yarn i have. Because i'm broke i only use the yarn i have. Sometime i ignore my own good consciouses i go and buy some anyway

I was going to write these pattern up and send it away to Knitty. But It has been a long battle from conception to the raw manuscript.

I'm not sure what step season designer takes in the process of design. I haven't read anywhere on the proper "step".

The last one is my favorite. I give the pattern the name of "string ring" The color combination is SO me. I love it soo much. I put in a lot of hours into the design of the pattern. I charted the increase so consistence. I have a weird thing with color design. I must have a logical movement! I have size XS through L charted out and written. The written direction for this project was link to an excel chart so. Changing calculation was easy. A quick change in input change the effected number and repeat of the instruction. Everything Is linked, i love it!

I was thinking witting up these instruction to give away for free. But I'm not sure if any would want it! so its push to the back of the list to make room for new ideas.

Finally! A knitting symbol font for me :)

EmDao — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:20:00 +0000

I've been making knitting chart in excel with weird character for a long time, and frankly its starting to hurt my eyes and my brain! A quick Google for a knitting symbol font brought me to a Knitty articles by Ariel Barton (Charts are your friends). Anyone who want to makes their note/design process a little EASIER! read Don't be like me and make up your own knitting language, you might get lost in translation!

Pattern

EmDao — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:44:00 +0000

My current obsession it patterns! When h'm bored i open up illustrator doodle, but finally made one of those doodle into a pattern so here it is!

Cutting paper- Kirigami

EmDao — Thu, 03 May 2007 23:46:00 +0000

Doing my daily reader on Google reader i was inspired by How about orange post on cutting some kirigami especially the flower! When i was younger i use to cut a lot with my dad. Mostly just simple shape flower and snow flakes. But the Japanese Kirigami is so much more intricate then what i've done before. But i couldn't figure out how to cut the five cut! Googleing it i didn't find what i completely want. Maybe i didn't look hard enough, whatever. hehe So i made a pdf illustration of how to make the cut i want.

Garment sizing

EmDao — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 13:52:00 +0000

Are women out there in the 30 who have a chest size of 28? When i design something, from conception to the finish garment design size XS bust always measure 28. I think 28 is a size 1 since 32 is a size 2 (I'm not sure... must investigate that.) Anyhow, i think bust 28 is a transition size from junior to miss so it must be included in your design. Most of the pattern i see is written for 32 and up. I don't like this because i was deprive of proper fitting garments when i was growing.

I realize now that i probably have to knit my design over again, once I'm done to test them. Otherwise i would never know if it would work or not. My sister said i would make me knit faster or it would take ME a VerY long time. hahaha. I welcome the challenge.

Do you have favorite edging? or a favorite finish to your garments? Do you like picots for the end of your garments or do you like ribbing? or maybe a hem? I suppose it depends on the cases, there must be a right answer for the right garment. I right now is obese with the hem finish. This could be a bad thing, because i just made a hem for something i finish knitting and i think it looks horrible! Oh the time i have to spend on taking it out.

Thing are almost done

EmDao — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:40:00 +0000

I've been knitting allot of things recently. The past months I've finish a total of 4 tops, and still have four on the needle. I've lost interest in the one I've already started at this second. Perhaps later i will finish them... Later as in a few months or even years.

Right now i have incomplete idea i need work out and write down. Writing down is the hardest part of designing knitwear for me. Most of the time is because the ideas aren't thought out exactly. For example, i would love to knit something that has a cable sleeves around the dept of the arm holes. But i don't know what to do for the body! I just don't want to knit the entire think in plain stockinette stitches, because part of me find it boring. But knitting in pain stockinette stitches makes the time for finishing the sweater dramatically shorten.

Have you ever time how fast you can knit? Well i did and its about the same as my typing speed. 33stsper min. I wonder how some of the Norwegian people knit 200 sts per min. I find it amazing. Someday hopefully before i get too old to see anything i wan to knit faster then i do today. I want to become a knitting machine.

Yarn. I need yarn, free yarn is the best kinda :) because I'm broke and somewhere in the near future i will be more broke then i am today. Eventually will have to start selling my belonging to live. I have so many yarn in my stash already, but I'm never contempt with what i have. If we human were to be contempt with what we have then everyone would be Amish.

GR as I'm typing this my eyes are telling me they are tired, since i can't see straight and have weird things happening to my vision.

Hopefully sometime next week, preferably after Monday's final i will be able to take some good picture with the help of Lindsey. And then i shall post them. Writing the instruction to the garment is going to take a little more time. Since all i have is chart and weird comments about the knitting. Most of the instruction will come from my pure memory and the already garment itself.

patterns.....

EmDao — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 03:05:00 +0000

I don't know what to do with my patterns i've cook up. I have about ten. I want to post them to let people download for free, because there are certains in the pattern i wonder if its worded too confusing. I think i tend to make them TOO DETAIL. WHICH can leads to clutter of space. BUT i want new knitter to be able to knit it without confusion. Or again confuse them to hell and they will never knit anything written by me again. I guess i will post one out of the 10 to test the water.