New Pattern: Audra

Audra is finally available!  I just released the second of five patterns that I’m working on in collaboration with Southwest Trading Company.

On The Road

Audra and 3 other finished patterns were sent to and exhibited at the SWTC booth at the TNNA (a needlearts)  trade show in Columbus 2 weeks ago.  Currently, Audra and her sisters Pacifica, Carmen and Lillian are on tour with SWTC. They will be visiting other trade, fashion and trunk shows with the SWTC team.  (I’m staggering the pattern release, so Carmen and Lillian will be released in the upcoming weeks.) If you are on Ravelry, you can find Audra here.

The yarn I used for Audra is Tranquility, which is an optimal blend of wool and bamboo.  Sometimes I find that wool/bamboo blend yarns “grow” too much after blocking, and sometimes they are not spun up well. However, I did not find that at all with Tranquility.  In fact, the yarn also stood up to lots of abuse without any unsightly pilling or over stretching.

Inspiration

As you can probably guess, I’ve been playing around with simple cable textures lately, as see in Orinoco, Pfeiffer Falls, and Remy, which will be out in the Fall 2009 of Knitscene soon.

I’ve always lived in warm-weather areas, and never really needed any super heavy garments. (The coldest area I lived was Santa Clara, CA, about 1 hour south of San Francisco.)

I wanted to design something that would show off the colors and textures of the yarn, but also have a modern sense of style and practicality.  Audra fits the bill with cables that “grow” as the capelet/ shoulder warmer expands.  The resulting shape is a nice clean A-line shape juxtaposted with a generally traditional cable motif and buttons with a bit of a Victorian flair.

You Did WHAT To The Garment?!?

Initially, the sample of Audra was knit up by my friend and first time sample knitter Denise W.  After she finished the sample, she realized that she made a mistake half way down. So unfortunately, she had to rip out half of the garment to remedy that error.

The sample was perfect when she gave it to me, but then I was unhappy with the way the neckline behaved, as it was a little too wide and lose.  It was design flaw oversight, and entirely my fault.  All it needed was some minor tweaking to the instructions, and a correction of about 2-3 inches of the garment.   I’d just have to undo that part and fit it.

Sounds easy, right? BUT the garment is knit top-down.  I’m pretty smart (I think, most of the time), and don’t call myself Crafty Diversions for nothing, right? So, I thought that I could reknit the part that I want to fix, then I would carefully CUT out the portion with which I was dissatisfied and GRAFT it.  Daring, but it was certainly going to be easier than reknitting the entire thing. Or so I thought. The idea really would have worked if it wasn’t for the fact that the pattern is an all-over cable.  I counted, checked and marked the rows carefully. I even took precautions and put lifelines in the row directly above the snip line.  The logic and theory paired with some patience seemed sound, except I sure didn’t anticipate how much the cables would try to untwist itself, making it really difficult to see which stitch belonged where, even with the lifeline in place.  Thus, after several hours and the successful grafting of only about 12 stitches, I gave up.

Third Time Is A Charm

rrrribbbbbitttttt. It was painful to rip out all the lovely work that Denise put in; more painful than cutting it. I was hoping that Denise wouldn’t ask about it so that I didn’t have to tell her what I had to do to all her hard work. ::headdesk::

Thankfully, third time is the charm! I reknit the whole thing with the revised instructions without any problems save my sore hands from trying to rush.  If only knitting was as easy as ripping put though. I am finally happy with the outcome  — the neck fits the way that I had imagined it to be, and the yarn really stood up to all the ripping and abuses.

Tweet Tweet

You may have noticed (or not) a new little button on my sidebar.  Yes, the Twitter one. I don’t know how I feel about it yet, but yes, I did succumb to the trend and started a new Twitter account. I was trying to avoid it, but it is a good way of increasing visibility, so I decided to try it out.  The thing that really irks me is that there really aren’t many Anne Lukito’s out in the world (2 others on Facebook that I found), but AnneLukito is not available, and Twitter is showing that there is no user by that name. grrrr.  The other thing is that they only allow 15 characters, so I am CraftyDiversion, without the “s” at the end of “diversions.” Boo. I guess this is what happens when you are a late player to the trend game. I could’ve done my whole name, but that’s 3 words. Should I change it to @AnneKuoLukito or keep it as @CraftyDiversion?

1000 Fabulous Knit Hats

I posted this already in a few of my Ravelry groups, but if you haven’t heard, Annie Modesitt is compiling a book called 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats.  The deadline was originally July 1, BUT she and the publisher have extended the deadline to July 15.

It’s more or less an inspirational book on knit hats plus a contest for people submitting original designs.  However, you do NOT have to submit an original pattern or design.  All you have to do is to submit photos of hats that you’ve knitted whether they are your patterns or someone else’s! So lets get those Morgan submissions in there! I know many people have knitted it already — in fact, according to Ravelry, there are 188 Morgan projects to date!

The submission process is easy — you just have to make sure you fill out the Grant of Rights form, and a form to list and describe your photos, and make sure your photos meet the minimum size requirements.  Then you just upload them to a site. That’s it. Click here for the submission information.

I didn’t find out about the submission/book until about 1 week before the initial deadline, but it was just enough time for me to finish a new design.  (I managed to upload 17 projects and over 50 photos.) Now that there is a little more time, I may just be crazy enough to try and finish some more hats in my new collection, Liberation, just to submit it. Liberation will be a collection of several hats individually named after remarkable women in the 1920s. I’m planning to sell Liberation as a pattern collection and also as individual patterns, in case folks may only one pattern out of the collection of five.

BTW, the publisher of 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats is the same publisher that produced Sweater Surgery, in which I have tons of designs.

Father’s Day

In my jewelry fabrication class, the instructor told us to make anything we wanted with 2 caveats: it had to be jewelry-sized and hinged.  At first I felt uninspired and so I worked on other things.  Later, inspiration came when I thought about my dad.

I rushed to make and finish the box without the hinge and entered it in a local art show, as requested by the teacher.  To my surprise, the box placed 2nd at the art show!

After the box was returned to me, I decided to go ahead and add the hinge so that I could give it to my dad for Father’s Day.

After more than 2-3 months of hard work and several snafoos and mishaps, I finally was able to send it to my dad for Father’s Day. I think he appreciated it.

PROJECT DETAILS: HINGED BAMBOO BOX

Material: Copper sheet, copper wires (frame, rim), copper tubing (hinge)

Design: Features cut outs of a Chinese character and bamboo stalks.  Bamboo leaves were individually cut, shaped and soldered on.

Finish: Wire Brush and lacquered to prevent premature patina.

Dimensions: 1.5″  x 1.25″ x 0.5″

THE Perfect Sweater?

That’s it. I’m in love. Screw all my WIPs, UFOs and queues.  I’m setting them all aside and hiring a personal trainer now so that I can lose 30 lbs. Why? Because I need to look really hawt and emaciated, and losing 30 lbs is the only way that I’ll lose the boobage I have (Believe me, 10lbs doesn’t make my boobs shrink at all),  so that I can pull this super awesome sweater dress off:

Orig. article at stylefrizz.com; photo from Vogue Russia

I think this dress is awesome too, but I think that the cowl is just a tad much, don’t you agree? I think it would bring too much emphasis to my large head.

from article at Stylefrizz.com; photo from Vogue Russia

My only concern is that I may not quite have the height to pull it off. I’m roughly about 5′5″, maybe 5′ and 4.75″. I need to go get some 5″ heels too really make the outfit, since I really don’t have the height advantage that Aubrey has.

Knitscene & Life

Knitscene Magazine

Knitscene’s Fall 2009 issue is coming out soon…sometime in the latter half of July, is what a little birdie told me.

I have an accessory item that is supposed to be published in the issue, and I’m quite excited about it.  It’s my first Knitscene pattern, and it’s something that I really like.  I can’t share much until the previews go up or the issue goes live, but I can give you a sneak peek.  I know it’s not much, but I really can’t divulge much more.

ETA: June 30, 2009: You can now preorder your copy of Knitscene Fall here.  My name and pattern is listed.  yay.  The sneak previews won’t be up until 3 weeks from now.

Can I make do without Ns?

I love my laptop. In fact, I’ve loved it so much that many of the lettering on the keypad have rubbed off, and I’ve resorted to painting them on with white nail polish.  I type mostly by muscle memory, but every once in a while I do need to look at the keypad.

My “Enter” and “N” keys have also been popping off. I’ve managed to pop them back each time, except for today.  I couldn’t get the N back on. What’s worse is the little rubber thing also came off, making it near impossible to type (very very slow).  I tried gluing it with some E6000, but I haven’t been able to leave it alone lone enough for the glue to dry. I’ll have to try again later because it’s damned hard trying to type without N, and I’ve been trying to avoid words without it, but it’s not really working.  If I’m unsuccessful with the glue tonight, I’m afraid this is what all my posts, emails and patterns will start looking like:

I’ll have to write everythig without the letter &/or try to thik of words that do’t cotai the letter, but as you ca see, it’s damed ear impossible!  My laptop is a little older ow, but it’s still i great shape ad very usuable.  I hate the thought of havig to get a ew laptop just because I ca’t get oe of the letters to work.  I also hate the thought of havig to try to trasfer all my data & files to a ew computer.

Click to see Flickr Notes on photo

Damned Selfish Cat

The hubs & I have had better sleep since I’ve had to kick out the other cats from our bedroom due to my allergies.  We put up a baby gate at the top of the stairs. Brownie & Maggie are too fat and lack the agility to jump over it. The only one that can is Whitey Coyote, who actually like it that way (she’s the alpha cat).

The improved sleep is not just because of my slightly improved allergies, but largely because the cats like to hog the bed, as I’m sure all you pet owners can relate.  We only have one cat in the bed now, but she stil likes to hog the bed. Poor Mr. CD has been pushed to the edge of the bed and gets closer to the verge of falling off as the night progresses.

Curry Turkey Rolls Recipe

Marie requested my recipe for the curry turkey rolls that I brought to the WWKIP picnic.  As I told Marie, I cook the way I hand-dye yarn: add a  little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a pinch of that other thing until I’m content.

I’m more than happy to share the recipe, but please note that all the measurements are guesstimates of the ingredients I put in. I kind of made it up as I went along and didn’t write anything down. Besides, you’ll probably want to adjust it to your own taste anyways.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 16 oz cream cheese, softened (none of that low fat or nonfat shit, okay?)
• 1.5 tbsp organic sour cream
• 1.5 to 2.5 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp dried organic oregano
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4  to 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1 pinch smoked paprika
• 1 pinch tumeric
• 1/2 to 1 pinch of white pepper
• 1/2 pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 pinch of five spice powder

Other stuff:

• salt
• 1/4 cup organic raisins, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• sliced smoked turkey breast
• organic spring salad mix
• 8″ flour tortillas

Instructions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld and develop.  Then, sample the filling and add more spices and salt to desired taste. Don’t add too much salt because the turkey breast is already salty.
2. Mix in raisins and cranberries. Let the filling soften at room temperature for about 10-20 minutes before you spread. If you’re not ready to spread yet, put it back in the fridge until you’re ready.
3. Spread some of the mixture on a tortilla, making sure to get the edges.  How much you put depends on how much of the stuff you want in your rolls. Add 1 slice of turkey, a few pieces of lettuce and roll. Cut roll into 8 pieces.  I actually sliced the turkey into 1″ strips and laid them out so that there gaps of the filling between the strips. I found that the rolls stuck better this way after you cut it.
4. Notes: I think that a whole wheat tortilla would be just as yummy, and if you don’t want to roll that many up, you can get the 10″ or 12″ tortillas.

ENJOY!

2009 WWKIP Day Picnic

This past weekend was Worldwide Knit in Public Day.  Several local knitting groups and knitters gathered together, along with their families and knitting to a super wonderful picnic organized by my friends Renata and Marie of the All Things String knitting group.  I really enjoyed chatting with my friends, seeing old friends again and meeting new people.

As you can see from the photos below, we had quite a large group. Renata reported that at one point, she counted 70 people. Several people also brought their spinning wheels. Jamie even brought 2! I left mine at home this year, especially since I really haven’t spun in over 6 months.

Renata, fearless leader, organizer and hostess with the mostess

Though I was too busy socializing and a little too lazy to participate, Marie and Renata organized several games and raffles.  There was a mystery pattern battle, based on the idea of sock wars,  a free yarn bin (people brought stuff they didn’t want), a raffle prize table (people donated prizes), lots of good food, good company, and the 2 cutest alpacas ever!

I made some curry cream cheese turkey rolls and some smoked salmon rolls to share – they were a hit.  The things that I gluttonously shoveled down my throat were Denise’s cupcakes and Chia’s very tart key lime bars. nom. nom. nom.
Last year, Seven the alpaca graced the picnic with his cute presence.  This year was even better because Margo, who has an alpaca farm near by,  not only brought Seven, but she also brought Angel Light, Seven’s 6 month old sister.  She’s the one wearing the pink collar in the photos.

I really am starting to wonder if I can pass them off as genetically mutated poodles.  I just have to make to give them poodle haircuts.  Mr. CD probably won’t notice.  If you’re on Ravelry, this is where all the poodle talk started.

(click on photos to enlarge)

My Knit Knight friend Mary videoed part of the picnic, including Denise L. learning to spin on her 1-day old Schacht Matchless and the alpacas chomping on some hay:

In case your browser is giving you an error message for the video, here’s the direct link.

New Pattern Release! Pacifica

I didn’t realize it until just now, that I have 2 new pattern releases that are water-themed.  I guess subconsciously I was gearing for some warmer weather and ligher knits!  First there was Orinoco, and now Pacifica.

Pacifica is one of 5 designs that I’ve been working on for Southwest Trading Company (SWTC) for its official release and display at the TNNA (needlearts) trade show in Columbus, OH.

It all started when I met with Jonelle Raffino, head honcho of SWTC when I went to the needlearts trade show in San Diego this past January. I chatted with her about some projects ideas that I had for SWTC and showed her my portfolio and some of my conceptual sketches.

After I got home, I formally submitted the sketches to Jonelle, who  gave me the green light on all of them and sent me the yarns I requested for support for the projects.

The yarn used for Pacifica is SWTC Vespera, a sport weight hand-dyed yarn.  The colors are fantastic and the yarn is spoingy (don’t know if that’s a real word, but it does describe the yarn well).  I absolutely loved the ligher blue used in the sample and wanted to keep the extras, but alas, I was honest and sent back all the extra skeins.

Pacifica is a great project for knitters of any level. It’s easy but not boring for more seasoned knitters, and for beginners, it’s a great pattern to practice and learn a simple yarn over lace pattern, color changes, and simple shaping.

Needless to say, with all the projects for a couple of magazines, Orinoco for Frog Tree Yarns, and the projects for SWTC, I’ve been quite busy.  I would’ve liked to knit some of the items myself, but I really had to employ sample knitters for most of my projects, since there was no way that I could write, knit, tweak, photograph, edit, chart and illustrate all those patterns in such a short period of time.  So for Pacifica, I do have to give kudos to Amanda Black, a new sample knitter who did a great job on her first sample knit. 

Thank You Ronald Takaki, RIP

Last week, I was saddened to hear about the passing of Ronald Takaki, who at age 70, committed suicide to end his own suffering with MS. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but and glad that he is no longer suffering.

I was never fortunate enough to be one of his students, but he has taught me a lot since I discovered his books around 1992-1993.  Dr. Takaki broadened my view and scope of understanding of civil rights, history and being Asian American through Strangers from a Different Shore, A Different Mirror, and his other writings. I still have and peruse my battered copies of those two books in my library. The footprints he stamped in American history and awareness is definitely a deep one, especially in Asian-American history and politics.

I really don’t think that I would have been as passionate about civil rights for everyone if I had not been influenced by his writings.  And thus, I may not have spent nearly a decade working in civil rights/disability rights advocacy.

Here’s a NPR broadcast of his passing.

Thank you Dr. Takaki for changing my life and perspective. May you rest in peace.

Sketch to Garment: Yehliu

Please excuse my delay in posting about Yehliu — I’ve been a very busy bee working on some designs for SWTC and the upcoming TNNA trade show next week.

I my previous posts about Knitting in the Sun, I mentioned that designers were asked to submit names of sunny places for our garments to keep with the book’s theme.  My lacy cables-and-lace kimono cardigan design just begged to be named Yehliu (phonetically pronounced YAY-lou). The texture and patterning of the cardigan reminds me of the divets and textures in some of the rock formations in the geological wonders at Yehliu Park.

The sketch and original swatch that I submitted differed a little from the final garment, because my swatch used a DK yarn, and in the end, Kristi and I went with Lorna’s Laces Lion and Lamb, a worsted weight yarn. At the time, we really couldn’t find a nice DK yarn that really would give the garment the sheen and drape that we wanted. The garment is knit from cuff to center at the bodice, seamed, and then stitches are picked up for the lower portion of the cardigan.  The silky yarn gives is great drape, while the looser fit just screams luscious comfort.

Because of the difficultly in translating a character-based language with sounds not used by English-speakers, Yehliou is another variation of the romanized spelling. So, if you want to search for information in addition to the links I’ve provided, check the different spellings.

Yehliu is one of the many famous and beautiful destination sites in Taiwan.  It is located north of Taipei, along the northern coast, and very close to Yangminshan National Park (where I once got a nasty “bite” from a caterpillar), and located withing the Guanyinshan National Scenic Area. (btw, “shan” is mountain).

Yehliu is geological phenomenon – there are many gorgeous and unusual rock formations created by Mother Nature.  One of the most famous formation is known as the Queen’s Head, with reference to it’s resemblance to Nefertiti.  My dad has photos of the Queen’s Head from the 70’s and her profile was much more pronounced and apparent.  Over the decades, wind has whittled down her silhouette.  It’s nature, but I wonder how many more years, the Queen’s Head will have before her neck snaps off.   I should try to find my dad’s photos for comparison.

If you want to see Nefertiti’s bust in person, do it soon! Geologists estimate that she many only survive for another 20 years. Even then, since Taiwan sits on a volcanic bed and on some fault lines, any earthquake coud also cause her neck to snap.  Some of the nearby attractions include Taipei, the hot springs at Yangminshan, Tamshui Fisherman’s Wharf, and many others!

Below are more fantastic photos of these natural wonders. Many of the formations have been dubbed with names like Tofu Rock, Candle Rock or Boob Rock,   I personally don’t have any good digital photos of Yehliu, since when I went 5 years ago, I had a really crappy camera, and the weather situation was not conducive to great photos. The photos below are from URLs that I grabbed from photos that I found. In all cases, I linked the photo to the photographer’s Flickr page so that due credit can be recognized.

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