So, what's on the needles now you may ask? Could that be the start of another Orangina?
Why yes, I am jumping on the bandwagon and knitting my first lace project ever. I really love the pattern, thanks Stefanie. It is a lot easier than I really ever imagined it would be. The lace pattern finally clicked with me last night.
The first night I started this I was trying to watch subtitled anime and well it was not a pretty experience.(note: My favorite series that we finally got on DVD on Saturday, SUPER CHEF. We had only seen the filler sporadic episodes that aired in reruns on the Anime station in Japan. I really should have known better. I ripped out 23 rows since I was happily knitting along not realizing I was making everything line up and had 2 extra stitches creep in.
I think I have it now, and yes I did end up watching Super Chef again last night and knitting to it while reading the subtitles.
I am using Knit Picks, Shine & Shine Twist. It is an interesting blend of cotton and modal. Modal is a generic name for man made cellulose fibers. Modal fibers are known for their softness and a unique performance characteristic of the ability to absorb humidity and then allow it to evaporate quickly allowing the skin to breathe easier. The fiber is made from a natural wood, beech wood, and seems to be sourced from sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean countries. I also saw several references to a linen like plant being used as a fiber source.
The yarn has a really nice hand and really is pleasant to knit with. The thing that does worry me some is that since I have ripped it out twice there seemed to be a lot of fraying on the cast on thread. Little loops of fibers formed around the shaft of the yarn. I ended up cutting off the original cast on area. So I wonder if the yarn will have a lot of pilling in the future. Time will only tell, I am continuing to knit with the yarn since it feels so nice.
On a lighter note:
I am always looking for more resources to find Japanese books, so I thought I would share the list of the place I have been looking: Kinokuniya Book Store, Sasuga Japanese Bookstore, Yes Asia ,Fujisan Japanese Online Super Store, Tezukuritown, and of course Amazon JP.
orangina is such a great pattern - and it *always* comes out fabulously ;)
ReplyDeleteand how cool is that about modal?! i love that - i assumed it was some plastic-y nasty thing and it turns out it's from tress, how awesome. and i love that shine yarn too, it's delicious in a way only good yarn can be.