Habu Textiles Knit-A-Long

Fiber Beat #24 "Haiku to Habu" featuring Takako Ueki & Darlene Hayes

2011-11-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hello Habu Textiles Fans!

My name is Michael Wade and I produce a podcast called Fiber Beat. I recently interviewed Takako Ueki as well as Darlene Hayes for episode #24, Haiku to Habu.

I'd be ever so pleased to know what you think of the piece. Oh, and be sure to enter the contest we have for two prizes: (1) a yarn tasting sampler of some cool Habu Yarns AND (2) the Fameuse cardigan pattern from Knit Cook. More contest details can be found on the Fiber Beat site and you can continue the conversation in the Ravelry Fiber Beat forum.

Thanks for your time and big thanks to Olgajazzy for granting me permission to post in this forum.

Cheers,
~Michael Wade (WonderMike on Ravelry)

Habu Spring Shawl

2011-06-26T01:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of you remember my obsession with this Habu Spring shawl. I looked at it online literally for years, inhibited by the $180 price tag. Somehow I separately acquired the Shosenshi paper linen yarn and the cashmere required for the shawl, and the pattern itself. When I started knitting it, I discovered that I didn't have enough cashmere and that the color I was using was discontinued. I couldn't find it anywhere, or any substitutes that even remotely matched it. I also discovered that I couldn't achieve gauge.

Jump ahead to Winter 2011 - I found the shawl on eBay for half the price! But by now, I had already bought enough yarn equal to the cost of the kit. I should have just bought it in the first place.

Anyway, I'm happy to have it. But I'm still not getting gauge in width or length, no matter what I do. Given that it is a rectangular shaped garment, the width isn't as important as length. You see, the leafy panels and stockinette panels are knit separately, then attached by picking up stitches on the edges lengthwise, then joined by a three needle bind off. The knitter should begin first by stringing 121 beads on the yarn used for the bind off, then holding the right side of the pieces on the outside and the wrong side in the middle, bind off, which hides the "wrong side" seam. The beads should be slipped between the stitches.

Still with me?

I barely have the patience to write about it, let alone do it. And besides, as I've said, I can't knit the correct gauge for one piece, let alone matching gauge so that the joined pieces aren't skewed. Frankly, cutting and rejoining The Coat was easier. So. The plan is to join the panels with hand-sewn chain stitch, picking up the beads as I go along. Fingers crossed.

I still expect the unexpected with this shawl. Stay tuned.

Habu Hempathy Skirt Pattern

2010-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

I finally finished writing the pattern for my Ralph Rucci-inspired Habu Hempathy Skirt. It is on my Knitwear Designs page. There's only one pattern there now, but there are more to come. Many, many, many thanks to Deb and Olga for their much needed advice, editing, and modeling. The original post can be found here.

Infinite Loop

2010-08-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

Originally posted at Olgajazzy

This past June while it was a rainy season in Japan I've got to travel back to the States for TNNA and honestly it was lots of work and fun at the same time... More on that later, on how many wonderful designer friends I've got to see and meet as well as yarn shop owners who are thrilled as I am about our book Ori Ami Knits:Fiber Geometry! So excited, that we actually sold out and now we are on our second edition folks!!! And pre-orders are up again!! This makes me incredibly happy, that people of the industry and knitters found the designs and contents to their taste! We couldn't have done it without you, I know we couldn't have!! So Thank You for your support!!!

Amidst travel I have been working on lots more new patterns, but this wonderful weather of 90-100F has been a big distraction recently. As we live relatively close to the beach now...trying to enjoy some of those hot days there.

Today I am going to share with you a new design I have introduced at TNNA called Infinite Loop. I am particularly excited about this one as it got tremendous response and it's something I've always wanted to have in my wardrobe. It can be worn in over 15 (!!!) ways. It's lightweight enough to carry around in a purse and has no season to it! Moreover this garment is set to launch my wholesale line of patterns. Means that if you are a yarn shop and would like to carry Olgajazzy patterns, you now can! Just contact me.

It's knit using light fingering or heavy laceweight yarn, in my case I've used Habu Textiles N-35A, which is 100% rayon with viscose sizing but only comes in 2 colors for time being, insane in yardage, very affordable and possibly a perfect marriage for this design and yarn. It comes in a skein and feels very wire-y and crisp, but wait till you soak it in water and let is dry, it has features of bamboo silky drape but yet still holding that crisp structure.

But if you would like to use your stash this yarn would be easy to substitute because of the ginormous lace yarn market we have, if it would be for another Habu Textiles yarn it can be A-174 Cotton Gima, but out of other generic yarns how about my new personal favorite Madelinetosh Prairie. I must say I've been replying some folks on Ravelry considering their yarn choice for this, so please if you need help or advice, please don't hesitate to email me to PM or leave a comment, I would love to assist you if I can!

The pattern I've written to accomodate 16 sizes ranging from 28-58" bust sizes.

Needle size: US 3 (3.25 mm)

Gauge: 24 sts and 36 rows in 4" over Stockinette Stitch

Yardage required: 2280-4560 yds

Pattern price: USD $10

[A little note here, some were asking why the price is so high for this, but I have a simple reply. When you have a piece of clothing you can wear so many possible ways - this is a bargain. If you buy a single pattern, it can only be worn the way it was meant to be. Even if out of 15+ ways to wear Infinite loop you only like 2-3 ways, you still win!]

All possible pictures won't fit into any blog post. So for that reason pattern pdf has variations documented on a dress form. Please check the styling video below how many ways this garment can be worn. Funny thing is, since I've made this video, I've found at least another 2 ways! SO please experiment!!

Now onto more pattern writing and knitting! Mata-ne!

Paper out of Linen

2010-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Ori Ami Knits blog

I am not sure how did it start for many of you, but my first Habu Textiles yarn was Shosenshi Linen paper that I purchased back in 2006 from Knit Purl store online. How do I remember? I have just found my receipt the other day. It was funny that I was actually looking for a raffia like yarn.. and I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. When it has arrived it took me 3 hours to gently wind it by hand, as at that time I didn't own yet a swift or a ball-winder. The feel of it really surprised me, it was much thinner and more fragile than I would want from this "raffia" to be. So my crochet swatch of it really didn't do what I needed. I put it in the basket thinking what a fiasco... Only later to find out what a treasure I had acquired for my stash.

I know I have heard many stories later that people had purchased yarns like that from Habu textiles and not knowing what to do with it. But with time I have learnt - you can pair that yarn with anything or knit by itself and get an amazing result. This is what yarn from Habu Textiles was all about. Create your own with an array of their yarns to find one in particular you love.

Swatch above made using 4 different colors of A-60 on 4mm needle knit only with a single strand of it.

This season starts with a linen paper additions. Thinner (2mm) version of Shosenshi Linen N-67B has joined the team, it is still rustles as you knit with it and still has all the features of the A-60, but now you can incorporate it with with lots of other tiny threads or work it on its own as shown in a charcoal swatch below, knit single-stranded on 3.25mm needle.

And a thicker addition of Linen paper has also made appearance in a face of N-70, which represents 3 linen paper strands individually twisted, then plied together to create one yarn. It gives it rather chunky weight and can certainly suit those who love quicker results on bigger needles. Swatch in brick color below is made using 5.5mm needle and is also held single-stranded.

While doing some research one can find out that traditionally paper, linen paper has been used in kimono weaving in Japan for centuries. Paper has this amazing feature of heat insulation (for a laugh, bums on the street stuff their jackets with newspapers to keep warm, rather dorky correlation, but it has a point). And on the subject how is it made.. flax is ground into cellulose-like mass and then strung into a flat tape that is later re-enforced with sizing/starch like glue. Garments created with this yarn are air light, if handled wrong this yarn can give you couple paper cuts, so be careful. But overall it is an amazing experience to try knitting with this one-of-a-kind material. You feel like a part of some secret club. It would sing in your hands, just give it a tune and listen.

Habu Hempathy Skirt

2010-04-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

also posted on my blog, When a Door Closes...

I always start things a bit late. I didn't know there was a Ravelympics 2010 until two days into the Olympics. Without a second thought, I jumped up and grabbed some yarn out of my stash and began knitting this skirt. To be fair, the concept for this skirt had been stewing in my mind for a while. It was inspired by a Ralph Rucci collection and Habu stainless steel. And I needed a black skirt. I quickly knit a swatch, determined the gauge, then cast on, using US4 Addi Lace Weights.

The body of the skirt is knit with black Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy. (I don't know why it looks blue in the photos.) I will probably use Habu Tsumugi Silk next time. The transparent bands are Habu Silk Stainless Steel. They are placed to create the effect of a short skirt, offset by the below-the-knee total length. I wanted somethiing conservative for work but not matronly. It also had to be modest when sitting. The skirt is knit in the round, has a provisional cast on hem, and an elastic waist band. A simple and quick knit, completed within the two weeks of the Olympics.

I am pleased with the outcome. My model/knit-sibling Deb makes it look even better. I'm grateful that she agreed to model it for me, and had the patience to endure the twenty or so shots I made. Thanks, Deb!

:: Ori Ami Knits ::

2010-03-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

For the past year me and Vanessa Yap-Einbund of coloursknits along with Kirsten Johnstone of assemblage - knitting bloggers have been working on a publication. This is a new and daring project - a self-published book of patterns all made using Habu Textiles yarn that we all have turned to love through the years for its amazing features. We have taken up entire process, not just the designs, but production, photography, layout - literally everything. One would question why? Answer is simple, we just wanted to make sure that our original vision and concept was delivered in the final result just as we have planned it. We have learnt a great deal during this endeavor and it is ready to be shared.
Ori Ami Knits: Fiber Geometry
Ori (jap.) - weave, fold,
Ami(mono) (jap.) - knit, knitting

The whole idea behind and details of the book aspect you can find on our website.
The book has been divided into 4 chapters. "Practical Geometry", "Subtle Layers", "Dimensional Folds" and "Nautical Structures". Here are several garments sneak peaks below:

Just a few crucial details. We really wanted to make this book available and interesting to a wide public, so all garments have instructions for 10 sizes. The digital book has been already published digitally and print version is on the press. Currently you can subscribe to the book. How you can benefit from subscription? You receive 2 exclusive patterns that are not going to be in a print version of OAK. Please refer to our FAQ list if you have questions on more details. And though I have been knitting non-stop for the past year, I honestly want to make some of these again, so I can enjoy wearing them during long summer, from what I hear, in Japan.

Ori Ami Knits on Ravelry (requires login)

If you are a yarn store and wish you carry print version of Ori Ami Knits in your store, please email us info@oriamiknits.com

Habu Headquarters Visit

2009-11-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday Vanessa and I took a ride to New York city to visit Habu Textiles showroom and meet up with the owner, Takako Ueki. We wanted to show her what we have been up to for the past year and what we turned the gorgeous yarns into that she had started bringing into United States almost a decade ago. Since our last visit the showroom has changed a little and had acquired some new things to exhibit.

Being there feels very invigorating and inspiring, it's like a vortex of inspiration that is consuming you entirely and you have to, absolutely have to come out with a mind full of new ideas for exciting knitwear design! Habu textiles provides you with a very tactile experience.

We saw some new linen paper experiments dyed in indigo, which you can see above, the shades are absolutely intriguing! This yarn is not going to be carried in their regular line though.

And if you rememberthis linen, we have learnt that now it is being produced in various fantastic colors! Just look at the basket above.

Takako explained, that she has brought a lot of new yarns in and going to introduce them at TNNA in Long Beach in January 2010. But some of them are already available in the showroom. Visiting the showroom is worth it if you are in NYC, just to look through the baskets on the floor that quite often contain amazing bargains! Making a choice is what usually would take most of your time along with fondling the silk and other exotics!

But don't be discouraged if you haven't seen what you absolute have to have, you probably simply haven't found it yet. I realized that getting a yarn catalog is a great way to learn about yarns and inspect them under different lighting. You may also want to grab a couple of bargain mystery bags that contain various yarn, so you can swatch and pair up together to get the texture you like.

Concept of this yarn line is exploration. It needs to be swatched and handled, washed and pondered over. Then it would "speak" to a knitter what it wants to become!

Lace Textured Shawl - Habu Textile A-1B Kakishibu Tsumugi Silk

2009-09-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Lace Textured Shawl
Fiber: Habu A-1B Kakishibu Tsumugi Silk
Colour: 52 - 4 balls

This Shawl started during Summer Solstice as I took part in the observation of Candle Night. I had wanted to be able to take it in my bag for a brainless project during a convention, but it grew to much those first couple of nights and ended up on the back burner.

This pattern began is't life as a textured shawl recipe shawl, but it took on a life of its own. I had just finished a textured shawl recipe shawl in indigo hand spun and wanted something a little lacier. So I started to throw in random faggot stitches. The pattern is made up of a combination on 8 lace patterns and stockinet rows in decreases row counts.

This was the first time I had used the Habu A-1B Kakishibu Tsumugi Silk and I absolutely love the fiber. I used two strands of the yarn held together, but due to the fineness of the yarn it still achieve a lacey appearance. The yarn is rather stiff when blocked and does seem to bleed out a lot of dye when soaked. I will be interested to see if it gets softer with use this fall.

:: in Love with Stainless Steel ::

2009-08-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I have noticed on kpixie website the arrival of new Habu Textiles A-20/21 Silk wrapped stainless steel yarn in amazing new colors! Check them out yourself and think what a great range is given now!

I want to share today my favorite jacket, that took me less time to knit on small needle than to sew, but the result!!! It is stunning, it took 2 colors of A-20/21 : lavender and grey and every time someone asks me about it, they admire the fiber content, but yet are very stunned by amazing look.
This is Kit -24 in M size.

Fall in love with Habu Textiles all over again and though this jacket took me a while I am certainly planning out the colors on another one!

Fountain Pen Shawl

2009-07-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to finally be able to use my Habu stash for something!

I combined Habu's Wool/Linen A-175, and Silk Mohair A-32B for the Fountain Pen Shawl.

Truth be told, I ran out of the A-175, and had to improvise. I think the mohair adds a nice ruffley edge.

What do you guys think?

Habu Bamboo Pullover

2008-10-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Pattern: mine
Yarn: Habu bamboo XS-32 20/18, Color Charcoal (4), 6 skeins
Needles: US 4 Addi Turbos
Ravelry link
I finally took some photos!
I love this yarn!!! It is one of the nicest yarns I have ever used, smooth and silky and soft. It is also heavy and drapey, so it's not really appropriate for anything that needs stitch definition, or to hold a defined shape. But it falls over the body like a sheet of water--it's delicious to wear.
So, I made this pattern up as I went, specifically for this lovely yarn, with some preliminary drawings, and a general idea in my head. I took no notes, and re-did the neck twice, so I'm sort of fuzzy on specifics. A couple of people have asked, however, for a clue to its general construction, so I've tried to describe it here.
This is one of my favorite knits, much due to the gorgeousness of the bamboo yarn, but it took me a while to come up with something that was really right for such a heavy yarn. Yay for Habu!!! How I love them.... ;)
Cross-posted at Yarnmonster.

Kit 86

2008-10-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

Started swatching for it. Had to go to a size 0 needle and needed something pointy so tried knitpicks metal circulars after bamboo made me crazy.

At first it seemed like knitting with an invisible thread but after about ten rows I got really into it and am excited about starting the cardigan. its amazing that something so cobweb quickly feels quite substantial when knit.

I have not seen this made up (have to find a trunk show) and wonder if anyone has made it?

Although the dimensions say it should fit me, i suspect it is supposed to be very loose and on me it will be more form fitting--any thoughts on whether I should make it larger or just do the first one as written (which is my inclination.) I can always make a gift of it. I have a 44 bust and the pattern is 45 inches buttoned--although i usually keep cardigans open. Also wonder how the assymetric fold on front will look if i have it opened or maybe just button one or two buttons.

any suggestions appreciated

Sandy

Washi and Tsumugi Coat

2008-09-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Also posted as The Coat on my blog, When a Door Closes...

I finally finished The Coat. I was determined to take it to Moscow because I didn't have much else to wear. So I did the minimum finishing possible, i.e. just enough to hold it together and not have strands of yarn showing (shame, shame!). I have not woven in the yarn on the interior pockets. It still has no buttons and I didn't do the slip-stitch edging as instructed.

I love it, even though I suspect that all the alterations I had to do to it caused my summer-long knitting hiatus. I love it, though I wish the collar would stand up more like this all the time. A little starch maybe?

I love wearing it with slacks, and full skirts, and pencil skirts. It dresses up with a crystal brooch as a closure for the ballet or dresses down swinging open with a pair of jeans. I love it with turtlenecks and v-necks. I love it with pearls and I love it with tiny Russian icon pendants. It travels well and dries nearly overnight.

Pattern: Washi and Tsumugi Coat, Hand-Knit Works, by Setsuko Torii
Yarn: Habu Shosenshi Paper and Habu Tsumugi Silk, knit together.
Needles: US 6 Addi Lace Weights (perfect for the paper and silk)
Mods: I will make it again, but I've learned a few things. I knit the top as one piece, which meant no shoulder seams and makes it more comfortable to wear I think. I knit straight across the back, which would have eliminated grafting had I been more mindful of the size. I will make the sleeves longer next time. It has always been necessary to extend the length of the sleeves on most of my garments and I simply forgot this. As is the sleeves are 3/4 length, which actually works out just fine, but I wish I had been more aware. The pattern was an X-Large, I think, rather than a Large as the pattern was labeled. I will be more mindful of size and fit as I knit next time.

Nicole: I would be happy to help if you have resumed working on your Coat. You can post here or e-mail me at Ava.R.Smith AT Gmail.com. I would be happy to answer other questions too.

2008-08-09T03:58:00.000-07:00

Not a Habu kit-this is Stella...made with Habu textiles shosenshi linen paper and tsumugi silk.

the colorway is dark red and eggplant,which blends into a deep rich color.The sweater is light and airy,perfect for the summer,but will easily transition into the fall and winter...

I'm just not sure about the button-the pattern seems to need a large button...I like this,but I need opinions-is it too much?too heavy?,please be honest...

Whatever-I'm wearing it and loving the Habu...

Kit 70 - Completed

2008-06-03T07:47:00.001-07:00

Since it was a gift, it was important for me to "get it right"...

That meant following the pattern's suggestion on gauge, measurement and fit...

Did the Habu Kit-70 redeem my faith in knitting or knitting patterns?

Well, it is what it is...

Airy - A sweater that's light as a feather, knit on fine gauge yarn and large needles:

Fragile - An extra effort needed to avoid catching the sweater on sharp objects and being cautious about pulling on buttons/stretching button holes:

Minimal - A sweater with clean lines, simple shaping and construction.

And in keeping with the minimalist styling of the pattern, I took it a step further...

Stockinette - Decided to make the public side of the garment in stockinette stitch instead of reverse stockinette (smoother appearance - less 'bumpy'):

Hidden Seams - Employed mattress stitch for the arms/shoulders/neck, invisible horizontal seam for the sides and grafted the collar pieces together:

Improvements - More minimalism:

If I were to make this sweater for myself, I would make it even more minimal by changing the closures, attaching some hidden metal or magnetic snaps.

While I'm on that tangent, is there such a thing as magnetic yarn? I suppose you could get some metallic yarn and 'charge' it with a magnet. If it actually worked, you could hold the magnetized yarn with the main yarn where needed, resulting in a very minimal and invisible closure.

Fabric - Denser:

Fine gauge yarn is perfect for this pattern, only it needs to be knit on a more 'appropriate' needle size. Next time, I would probably choose a DK weight yarn and knit it on size 4-6 US needle. This would give the garment more strength and 'memory' that is lacking.

As noted on my previous post, I used US size 8 needles and got the corrected/suggested gauge of 16 stitches & 25 rows per 4 inches of stockinette fabric.

It would also be cool to incorporate some of the Habu stainless steel yarn into both the collar and plackets. That way, those pieces would hold their shape 'vertically' when unbuttoned or left open.

Sizing - Larger:

All the panels were knit and shaped to the specifications of the pattern, but the sweater came out more form fitting than what Habu's photo represented (the photo makes the sweater look more 'over-sized' and 'roomy' than it really is).

I like the oversized jacket 'concept' better and would resize the garment accordingly (more positive ease - additional length/width/larger arms/broader to fit my shoulders).

Jumping on the Chinese Style Pullover Bandwagon

2008-05-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Item #: Kit-89 Habu Chinese Tunic
content: 2 strands of A-60 in Red and Charcoal

Negative: This is the first time that I have purchased yarn from Habu and it was full of knots of broken threads. There were so many I didn't want to count.

The Estonian Cast on edge really reminds me of the paper loops you make as a kid for a toy necklace. The best thing about it though with three rows of moss stitch it created a flat professional edge.

11 Buttons from Olga with crochets button holes

Though the one question that I really had while knitting the pattern is whether a 1 thread raised stitch would have worked better than a slipped stitch with the way that I knit.

When I first started the sweater I talked with Olga to see if I was missing something with the way that I was doing my stitches. The close up of her stitches , click here appeared more like a honeycomb while mine looked a lot less polished.

Chinese Style Pullover

2008-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Chinese Style Pullover
Hand-Knit Works by Setsuko Torii
(Kit 89 from habu)
A-60-115 & 117 Shosenshi Paper, 6mm needles
mods: 5 extra Reps to length, single crochet around armholes, modified neck line
5 brown 19 mm buttons (#BO-8-1) from habu

Sculpture. Texture. Knitting.

A garment that bears greater resemblance to a piece of art than a softly folded sweater on the shelf. And yet I love it. I finished this top while traveling and didn't realize until later that the neck line was off - more boat neck than turtleneck. I didn't fix it because after sewing the two pieces together the neck line felt quite comfortable. The V's that make up the stitch pattern accentuate the nature of the yarn, flat linen contrasted by purly bumps. The dark and delicate buttons really complete the pullover. The Japanese numbering system, challenging at first but quickly clear and easy to understand, made for a interesting knit. There were so many things about this project that were new and challenging - a new way to read and execute a pattern, a new yarn (with the cones on a towel rod type tool for smooth knitting), a new construction (I really like the way the arm holes and shoulders are constructed). Surprisingly comfortable when worn, the sound that is created when on the needles doesn't disappear with the bind off. My movements are accompanied by subtle sounds - it's as if I am walking through fields of wheat.

I cast on for this project after seeing Pullovers by Kirsten and Olga - thanks for the inspiration!

More photos at the daily purl.com

Japanese Efficiency - Kit-70 New Gauge

2008-05-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Just to let you know, this is my very first time posting on the KAL.

I've visited the group before, but didn't have anything to contribute until now :)

I purchased my Kit-70 last year, but didn't get started on it until this week. It was actually supposed to be a Christmas present for my Aunt in London, but now it will have to be a birthday present instead (I'm kind of a slow knitter and have been sidetracked by other projects).

Once I reviewed the instructions, I found that I really loved the style and efficient 'beauty' of Japanese knitting patterns and the use of numeric 'sequences' to guide the knitter.

Since those numeric sequences were so different than what I'm used to working with, I decided to 'map out' the whole thing in Excel (I love my spreadsheets, plus Kirsten and a few other knitter's kept mentioning the irregularities in this pattern and I was scared to jump right in).

After inputting everything for the sweater's back panel, I zoomed out and noticed how wide it looked...

It was alarming!

Somehow, the shape was horizontally 'skewed', as if it were stretched lengthwise:

Since something was visibly wrong, I double checked the Habu schematic. All the measurements looked good and the illustration was drawn like it was supposed to fit a 'normal' adult human (not an orangutan with really long arms that drag on the ground).

Then, I decided to break out the calculator and dig deeper...

The instructions note that you should get a row gauge of:
18 rows = 4" (4.5 rpi - rows per inch)

On the schematic, they want you to achieve the following measurements WITH that gauge:
162 Rows = 26" (6.24 rpi)
100 Rows = 16" (6.25 rpi)
140 Rows = 22.4" (6.25 rpi)

Does anyone else see a conflict here?

It seems like the only way to get those measurements is to use a row gauge of 6.25 rpi or 25 rows per 4", making the correct gauge for this pattern 25 rows and 16 stitches per 4" square.

Here's what it looks like with the row gauge corrected:

At least now, I feel more confident casting on.

Hopefully, this is the only bug in the pattern?

kusha kusha shawl

2008-04-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have quite a hard time when I started to knit with the yarn, is so thin and keep slipping off my needle. I have change different type of needle at least three time…and it works best on straight bamboo needle. Knitting with this yarn do requires a lot of patient, and I learn that no matter how boring it is, just “DO NOT STOP” or else it will just sit in the corner for long long time. For the last two week I keep knitting it until I get used to the yarn… and I quite enjoy it after awhile.

I didn’t order the kit from Habu textile which is rather expensive to me. I use wool stainless steel from my stash and combine with merino wool.. I guess it works the same. I followed the dimension from the book Hand-knit works by Setsuko Torii and the only change I made is extent the stainless steel border at two end which I should do 8 inch instead of 4 inch..urgh !!

I have accidentally snag the shawl couple of time..and it was hell to fix it back, so I have no choice but to felt it. I do a very light felt, soak in the hot water, and stir it about 2 minutes so the length will not shrink too much as well as the stitches still visible. Even though the shawl look very sheen and thin, but actually is quite warm and is extremely light in weight, is absolutely worth the effort.

Pattern : Kusha kusha shawl or kit 73
Yarn : Wool stainless steel A-148, merino wool A-33
Yardage : 5 cone wool stainless steel, 3 cone merino wool
Colour: 2867 purple and 14 brick
Needle: 3.5mm, 5.5mm

triple play::xposted

2008-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

It has been months since I showed off my Habu explorations, as it seems to be the only projects/yarn/concept I am being drawn to in between my deadline projects..
I am... I have accumulated 3 finished Habu garments.. shame on me, heee.. well. I just didn't have time.. I wrote a huge post... clumsy me, hit something on the keyboard and it was gone.. sometimes this happens, but at that moment I was almost done, so pulling my hair out or just yelling some words to my non-russian speaking cat.. didn't fix it.

So here that goes..

The first is a long time "yo-yo" cocktail commute project, it all has started from Vanessa sending me some leftover caramel colored Rowan KSH.. I added some test skeins of Habu Silk Mohair A-32b and there you have it.. a Nymphadora Scarf.. it is super long.. just like I wanted.. at one point I was about to toss it into a washing machine to perform some hazelnut stuffed shibori, overlooked at Nicky Epstein's Knitting never felt better, but then.. I haven't decided on it yet.. it is simple, yet cute, starting with frequent striping transitioning into wider ones. So I need a public opinion for once: Should I or should I not proceed?

And then there is a kit I got.. and long time wanted, ever since Isel pointed out the fabulousness of it while paging through my copy of Setsuko Torii's Hand-Knit works. Though I have knit a skirt before, it was a little worrying me how the silk would look and behave while worn around one's behind!
I didn't have any help on taking a decent photo, so self-timer on the edge of my balcony was the best friend for time being..
Here is a triptych, click on either to zoom

Habu Textiles
Gradation Tsumugi Skirt : kit-102: A-1, 5 or 6 colors triple stranded and wound in 10 variations in mini skeins (come ready to knit in a kit): charcoal: US 7 (4.5mm) needle: 30" of 1/2" black elastic.

This skirt became a success because I had a great buddy in face of Julianne (Ravelry link), who was making this skirt at the same time (she is actually making also a habu mohaired skirt as well!), so we got connected and figured it out together, we had to email Takako once. As usual she was very helpful and it was all cleared out. Printed english pattern had some typos, but it felt good about putting some idle brain cells to work. Japanese patterns are all about math afterall.

I have eliminated seaming, by doing provisional cast on and grafting it to the end of the fabric after and did a casing with elastic instead of drawstring, just by knitting extra fabric and turning it into a hem.
And eliminated doing 2 parts of the yoke, by just picking up and knitting garter stitch in a round, but still doing the decreases along the sides indicated by strategically placed markers. The least favorite part- it took about 2 hours and tons of patience just to weave in those zillion of ends, but in the end I saw how it improved the sturdiness of the bottom edge.
The skirt before blocking looked like an elongate mini.. and original is shown in your mid-calf, I am not a model height, so just below the knee was the right length and I wasn't blocking it to the original measurements. But, seriously, if you are taller and need longer skirt, it will block out , plus it is silk and in a skirt gravitation power would still pull it down.

The next was a secret gift.. which I can already reveal, Happy Birthday, Vanessa! It is my Birthday gift for her!

It is linen paper A-60 from Habu again, in two colors used for A Chinese Style Pullover aka kit-89. I have used the pattern from my book and US 9 needle, though next time I make it I may try it on recommended US 10 (6mm).
I love how airy and noisy this project was and is as a garment. Kirsten of assemblage fame pointed it out, this is a musical garment at some point.. so who needs a fireplace with crackling firelogs? Just get one of those and you kill two birds at the same time!
I hope V enjoys wearing it! It is perfect for steamy summers, as you get style and breeze constantly!

I know for a fact there are couple Rustling kits 89 in progress, so ladies please don't be shy, show off the goods, it is just a perfect, quick summer knit, that you can layer as well if needed.

Another kusha kusha scarf

2008-04-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I finished a kusha kusha scarf using the merino yarn in grey and the stainless steel in brown. It was my first work both with Habu yarn and japanese instructions and I messed a little over the needles numbers. I didn't want to frog such a thin yarn so I let it go like that. After felting, it just felt too short for a regular scarf, but big enough for a little something to wear around the neck.

I liked the yarn so much that shortly after that I started a tank with some blue bamboo from another brand, and some more Habu merino and stainless steel in blue. The swatch you see here is about to be frogged:

because what I really have in mind is this pattern ( # 81-19) from drops design:

Habu Wool Roving Cardigan

2008-03-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a sweater of my own design using Habu's Wool Roving A-81 1/6. I call it my "Kinari cardigan," since the color of the yarn is called "kinari" on the ballband.

I enjoyed working with this yarn. Though it's called "roving," it's more of a singles with a light twist. It's a delicate yarn, but I never had any trouble with it breaking while I knit with it.

Details and more pictures are on my blog, here.

Habu linen paper sweater

2008-03-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

This sweater was my first experiment with Habu yarn. The first thing I made was the paper silk shoulder bag (kit 13S), and I knew I had to knit with the paper yarn again - no doubt, you all know the feeling. I combined three strands: Habu linen paper and lace weight merino wool, and Crystal palace kid merino, which I already had. The border at the bottom is in khaki linen paper and grey merino, the body is in grey linen paper and olive merino wool. The third strand is the same color for the whole project. I like the color, but I don't think I'll use Crystal Palace kid merino again, apart from the price there is nothing much to say for it. The sweater is in soft A-line, sleeves are bell shaped at the bottom. To give the illusion of a longer neck I tried a “deception device”: to make a crew line in the front and a stand-up collar in the back with an edge in khaki linen paper. It’s light as a feather and surprisingly warm - it kept me warm in December in Moscow! It was not easy to photograph (especially with one’s computer camera), I am afraid. I tried!

Cardigan from Habu Cotton Gima and Coats Opera Cotton

2008-02-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

details at http://hannabirke.typepad.com/knitsane/2008/02/cotton-gima-car.html

Update: this is headed for the frogging. Not happy with the look of it at all. The gold has been removed and I'm going to frog the rest. Will dye some more Habu cotton gima probably with Cutch and take another run at this.

kit 24 - stainless steel jacket

2008-01-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

habu kit 24, stainless steel/silk jacket

recently completed jacket in delicious midnight blue, totally perfect for layering.

this was a planned long-term project for me. i wanted something light and large to knit over the australian summer months (the thought of heavy, warm wool on my lap for extended periods is not desirous in 40 degree heat...).

i found the pattern simple and straightforward (aside from the incorrect row count on the front piece).

materials: 1 yarn black ss thread, 1 yarn navy ss thread.

as this is an open weave mesh, i spent considerable time stitching the pieces together to achieve an even and consistent seam which will be visible though the garment.

my biggest issue: to add the buttons or use a brooch instead... at this point, i am wearing it with the brooch with the intention of putting the buttons on in winter to then wear the collar up as designed. maybe next time i will knit it with a round neck and no collar for a brooch...

and my copy of this arrived in the mail yesterday. hmm. the list is getting longer.

Habu Kit 110

2008-01-22T11:13:00.002-08:00

Kit-110: Mohair Pullover; purchased at Habu Trunk Show at Wildfiber
Yarn: Habu Tsumugi Silk Combination A-110 1/0.9 and
Habu Kid Mohair N-52 1/20

My first experience knitting a Habu sweater! Not a bad experience, although I had a few bonehead moment...dropping stitches and adding 24 rows to a sleeve which had to be frogged back and redone.

The edges of the sweater are silk and the body and sleeves are mohair. The Habu Kid Mohair is soft, light and pretty easy to work with. There was practically no stray fiber floating about as I worked with it and it remained intact after the rows and rows of frogging I did. The completed garment is so light and has such a pretty halo to it.

The original sweater we saw at the trunk show was a light green, but gf decided on pink, edged with a darker red/brown. When I first saw it, I wasn't sure about the combination, but against her skin tone, it's perfect.

I'm really proud of this garment. It turned out beautifully and it looks great on. Yeah! I'm so happy it's done!

It Really did start as a Kushu Kushu Jacket!

2008-01-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

I love the way it turned out, but I should have known this project wasn't going to be what I expected when my dog got a hold of the yarn. Maybe that was the bad omen. While waiting for my replacement yarn, I got off on a tangent of knitting a Skif sweater & some neckwarmers & fingerless gloves for Christmas gifts. New year, back to the Kushu. So, what happened to the collar? I'm pretty sure I knit it all wrong. I admit I had a difficult time with the shoulder & collar shaping with the Japanese pattern format. The rest of the sweater knit up as instructed fairly easily. It's much shorter than I wanted it. If I knit it again, I would use a #10 size needle, instead of the #9, and I would add some length to it. During felting, it shrunk much more in length than width. If I had followed the felting directions, I would have had a sweater for a Barbie, not even a baby. I really did very minimal felting, & then I blocked it to get some length back. So where is the cool, asymmetrical front? Well, as it shrunk vertically more, the point that comes out would have buttoned directly over my left breast. Not attractive button placement in my opinion. So, I reversed the front pieces. Not nearly as unique as the Kushu Kushu, but I still enjoy it. I'm really crazy about how these yarns come out felted. I love the deconstructed look. I'm looking forward to working with these yarns again. This time, maybe my own design. Happy New Year & Happy Knitting.

- Cara

Free Pattern for Habu Tunic

2008-01-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

A while ago, I posted about a tunic I created in Habu Cotton Gima. I'm pleased to report that I've finally written up the pattern for it, and it's available for free on my website. The pattern can be found via my Designs page here. Here are a few photos of the top:

Enjoy!

Lacy Skirt with Bows

2007-12-20T09:35:00.001-08:00

I love the Habu kits and Setsuko Torii patterns but I also love the idea of combining Habu yarns with other yarns and using them with other patterns.

This pattern is Kat Coyle's Lacy Skirt with Bows found in Greetings from Knit Cafe. My original intention was to use a mix of Habu cotton gima and Habu merino for the skirt. I wasn't completely sold on this idea after swatching so I substituted the cotton gima with some Coats Opera Cotton I dyed with logwood.

The yarns used for this skirt are Habu merino A 33 in #6 brown and Coats Opera Cotton dyed with logwood. I used larger needles than called for with the lace panels to create a more open lace and used about 1000 yards of yarn for the skirt.

Happy to report the skirt is a dream to wear and even after 11 and 12 hour wearings does not bag.

Habu Trunk Show at Woven Art

2007-12-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

(This is also posted on my blog When a Door Closes...)

Where does time go? I was in Michigan weekend before last and it's already the 19th. Of course I lost a week when I got back - I promptly caught a cold and slept it off several days in bed. No knitting. Not the time of year to be sick, is it?

I attended a Habu Trunk show at Woven Art while I was there. Man what a show! It consisted primarily of the garments designed and knit by Setsuko Torii found in Setsuko Torii Hand-Knit Works.

The Japanese-language book is still available at Yesasia.com and Amazon Japan. There is no English-language version and no plans to publish one at the moment. I have it from a good source that only 2000 books were printed.

Most of the garments are now available in kits from Habu Textiles. The pix I took don't do the garments justice - they are truly breath-taking individual works of art and innovation. I spent the first hour looking and staring - awestruck really. I was on sensory overload. Then I finally started trying things on, much later remembering to take pictures. My first impression years ago of most clothing made with Habu yarn was that they were best suited for smaller frames, but after watching everyone try them on, it quickly became apparent that practically every piece flatters every figure and every age. They are classic and timeless.

I can't choose a favorite. I loved some aspect of each piece: the careful color gradation knit into a jacket; the simple buttonholes created by enlarging and binding the opening of a stitch; the drapiness of the hand of knitted stainless steel or paper, or both together; unusual color combinations that would never have occurred to me but really work; the innovation of a sideways knit making a deceptively simple jacket; or the rustling (a whisper) of a paper linen and stainless steel jacket when it moves. Design and concepts so simple in some cases that you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself.

The color gradation is created by knitting different shades of solid gray yarn at certain intervals. The yarn is not variegated.

It was hard to choose a kit to buy. I finally settled on a new Torii design created after the book was published: a short wrap jacket with a shawl collar knit from DK wool and 2 tiny strands of ramie, and a white-on-white Kusha Kusha scarf.

I loved this cotton and stainless steel jacket.

The top half is made of cotton and stainless steel knit together. The cotton gives the jacket shape and form. The bottom half is knit with two strands of stainless steel, one off-white and one gray, giving the impression of modern, ultra-lightweight and airy chainmail. It floats in the back.

The "Washi and Tsumugi" coat flattered everyone who tried it on. It doesn't hang in a boxy way, instead it skims the contours of the body. Everyone loved it.

A mohair pullover edged with heavier tsumugi combination silk gives the garment weight and drape unimaginable in mohair.

The red jacket in the foreground had knotted "shippo tails" on the sleeves making it much more than just a simple jacket. We were all surprised that it had hidden pockets!

It is made of shosenshi paper and stainless steel, and rustles gently when you move in it.

This lovely Chinese Style Pullover is knit with two strands of shosenshi paper yarn in purple and khaki (actually green).

Photo from Hand-Work Knits.

The most astounding piece, for me at least, was the shippo tail tank.

Photo from Hand-Work Knits.

The MC is purple paper linen, followed by gray, chartreuse, blue/grey I think, then chartreuse, tipped with a bit of gray again. The chartreuse was beautiful with the gray and purple. It's brighter than it appears in the photo, providing a brilliant contrast to the purple. I'd like to make this eventually, but will modify the tail somehow, perhaps placing it elsewhere and modifying the length.

Takako Ukei, owner of Habu, gave an interesting talk about the development of Habu yarn Friday night, and three hour-long classes on reading Japanese charts Saturday morning. Each class was packed. Takako was delightful. She has a wonderful sense of humor and a boatload of patience.

Takako is wearing a sideways knit cardi. She had a pattern for it, so it is probably available as a kit too. Click on the picture for a wider shot.

The pattern reading class was an enormously useful and gave me the chance to ask questions about some of the patterns in the book.

There are more pictures here.

Woven Art was an excellent venue for the show and the class. There was plenty of room to display the collection and try things on. The table was just the right size for the class (and the lazy susan in the center was perfect for treats!) Nancy's shop is the kind of place where knitters just go to hang, have a cup of coffee and knit (or weave. or spin.) as I would do if I lived in Lansing or East Lansing. Nancy is a wonderful host and the knitters there are warm, friendly people with whom I felt immediately at home. (I'll see you guys again soon!)

Why oh why doesn't someone in the Washington Metro area host a Habu trunk show? I would happily attend again.

Frilly Jumper

2007-11-19T13:18:00.001-08:00

I've been excitedly waiting for the chance to share 'Frilly Jumper' from 'A Stitch in Time' by Jane Waller. I am working with knitonthenet.com on the re-publication of this book, published in 1972, showing knitting fashions from the 1920s through to the early 1950s. 'Frilly Jumper' is from the 1930s section.

I have used Kusaki Zome natural dyed silk and A-20 stainless steel for the trim on the frill. I am thrilled with the outcome and can't wait to see it in the new version of the book when its published.

I hope you all like her.

Ruby xx

Help with kit 89!

2007-11-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Help with kit 89!
Knitting the fabric was easy, but I am having trouble with the construction of the garment! Does anyone have the pattern, and, if so, help me interpret how the shoulder seams are sewn together?
Thanks in advance.......... Barbara

Kit #36

2007-10-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

Although I actually visited the minuscule Habu retail store in NY a couple of years ago, I never tried the Habu yarns and kits until Takako came to my LYS, Article Pract, in December of last year. I was seduced by her trunk show and ordered the kit for the Paper Silk Mohair Jacket. I also bought several of skeins of nerimaki ito silk to make some little nubby scarves. I scoped out the pattern instructions, and they didn't look too hard, so I began the sweater but stalled out because I got scared that I was doing something wrong. Takako returned to Oakland in February, and I took a class from her where I learned to read a Japanese pattern and showed her my progress. She said I was on the right track, so on I went. I really enjoyed working with the combination of paper and the cobwebby mohair/silk blend. The sweater is soft, as light as air to wear, and gets compliments galore. I've got kusha kusha in my queue for winter (another kit from Takako's visit), and love seeing all the pictures and comments on this blog. Thanks for the invitation to participate!

Kit 89

2007-10-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

I am new to this list, joining after purchasing several kits from Knitch, in Atlanta. I am also new to the concept of blogging, so I'm not sure that I am doing this correctly!
Anyway, I am presently working on kit 89, and having so much fun! Is this kit familiar to anyone? I have found the row gauge to be fairly accurate so far, and am assuming the front is knit exactly like the back.
I loved the buttons used on the sample in the trunk show. Does anyone know where to purchase some like these?
Barbara (Orlando, Florida)

hi there, I've kusha'd

2007-10-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

thanks for the invite Olga. :)

like so many of you, my first habu textiles kit was the kush kusha scarf:

yarns: silk stainless A-20/21 1/20 in gray (color 3), and super fine merino A-177 in charcoal (color 97).

:while i did in fact knit all of the rows as stated, i used both right handed and left handed knitting in the steel + wool part, and only right handed knitting in the steel only part. this resulted in a far longer steel + wool section than the pattern intended, while the steel only portion was the correct size.

:it stopped being a process knit for me about half way through the steel only portion, and became all about the finished object; which i really like.

this is actually the third piece that i've made with habu yarns. my first was a misty garden scarf out of mohair tam, and the second was a 'Wisp' made out of silk/mohair kusa that i overdyed.

you can see my stash of habu textiles yarns here, if you like.

cheers,
danielle

:: Notes on Kit#100

2007-10-14T16:20:00.001-07:00

As I have promised some doodles on making of my Habu kit #100, seaming less and making it reversible.
So originally you are to make 10 pieces and seam them all up.

A little bit of brainstorm and instead of 10 we only make 4.
2 of which are pocket linings.
So you will have to cast on twice, both times from each cuff edge and placing marker in the middle (why? because there are increases to be made). You will technically make two parts of the top of the coat, but we join them in the back by weaving/grafting so it is one!

And when the whole top part is knit and assembled and seamed we can pick up the stitches all around the bottom of it. The longer the needle you are picking up/making the bottom of the coat - the better, so you could try it on multiple times in case you need to mess with the length (if not just put it on a couple of circular needles to try it on and see).

You make one nice long bind off which will be the bottom of your coat.

Each Pocket consists of 2 parts (so 4 parts for all pockets) in the original pattern: just do a provisional cast on and then put the stitches back on the needle and make the second part, fold it in half when seaming and attaching it to the coat. And don't forget to work the mirror decreases in them.

Not some much to brain afterall, the thing with japanese patterns is that the pattern is mostly numeric and when to some reason or circumstances the numbers and your gauge don't make sense follow the scheme by measurements this should always lead to success!
Have a question-ask away!

Habu at Ally Pally

2007-10-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went to Alexandra Palace in London (Ally Pally) for the Knitting and Stitching Show. I have heard so much about this wonderful yarn, and seen so many elegant garments and accessories made with it that I wanted to get my hands on some (more). I had read in blogland that last year, so many people bought Habu that there was very little choice by the Saturday. I decided I wasn't taking any chances and took the day off on Thursday (which is the first day of the show). The Habu stand was my first port of call.

It was extremely busy. Everyone was polite, and enthusiastic about Habu. At most other stalls people looked, stroked, mused, wandered away and possibly came back to purchase something later. At the Habu stall, whilst there was no pushing/shoving and everyone was super polite and helpful, people were there to buy. Takako was there together with another lady whose name I don't know. Both of them were extremely helpful. Takako advised me on a good colour combination for some aubergine/eggplant-coloured bamboo that I'd selected.

Anyhow, enough of the chat, here is a picture of my haul:

So what's in the picture?

A-148, 1/76.6 wool stainless steel in colour #599 (a kind of dark green/black with gold flecks), 75% wool & 25% stainless steel.

A-21, 1/20 silk stainless steel B in colour #4 (a light brown colour), 69% silk & 31% stainless steel.

A-177, 2/48 super fine merino in colour #45 (a cinnamon colour), 100% wool.

XS-45, 20/3 bamboo in colour #3 (an aubergine/eggplant colour), 100% bamboo.

A-64, 1/6.5 paper ring in colour #12 (a soft peachy/pink), 64% linen & 36% cotton (core).

Yarn!

2007-10-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

I realized that I didn't post any pictures of gf's Habu kit yarn.

The sweater itself is a simple, in the round funnel neck with raglan sleeves. The body is knit with Ultra Fine Kid Mohair and it is edged with Tsumugi Silk Combination. I can't seem to find any pictures of a finished sweater, so you'll just have to wait until I finish it to see what it looks like.

As fuzzy as this yarn is, there aren't a lot of stray fibers floating around when I'm working with it. I honestly wasn't looking forward to working with this yarn because I hate having fiber float into my eye. But I haven't had any problem with it.

Here's the progress so far...not too bad. At this point, the body is a quarter of the way done.

I started out swatching with some bamboo needles, but it was proving difficult to pick up the yarn with their blunt tips. So I switched over to some Options nickel needles and have been very happy. The yarn has a lot of traction and I haven't had any problems with stitches slipping off.

Bad Dog!

2007-10-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Finished back piece & right front of Kushu Jacket. Today I walked into my house to find my beautiful merino gnawed to bits along with a bamboo needle. I guess our dog, Gwen, found the yarn tasty. She's added expensive yarn to her breakfast menu, which usually consists of dog food and the occasional shoe.

Hard to tell from the photo, but the top of the cone is completely chewed, resulting in long, useless pieces of yarn. I placed an order to replace the ruined yarn immediately. And, of course, it's on back order. Fortunately, I didn't have much of the left front started, but I still had to choke back some tears. Gwen got a bit of a tongue lashing, though. I suppose I will place my knitting basket higher when I leave the house from now on. It's either that or the crate for my little destroyer dog. Just thought I would share a laugh with everybody, or else I will just cry! If anyone has any ideas for the merino, please post. Maybe, a cool witches wig for Halloween.

Birthday Gift

2007-10-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm Christie, and I joined the KAL after my girlfriend bought 3 sweater kits from the Habu trunk show at Wildfiber in Santa Monica. Well they finally arrived...well 2 of the 3...and I'm going to try to churn one of the kits out in time for her birthday...October 26th.

Thank god she chose the easiest of the kits...the mohair pullover, kit 110. I'm not very far, but since it's a simply design knit in the round, it should be done in no time.

to kusha

2007-10-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

after much lurking and drooling over alison's sensual descriptions and photos, i succumbed and took my first habu plunge with the kusha kusha scarf kit 78 (black ss thread and charcoal merino colour combination).

when the threads arrived, i was thinking i had perhaps taken on more than i could handle! i called my mother over to help me get started as it had been some 15 years since i had knitted...

considering my fears, i was amazed at how quickly the scarf grew and after one initial hiccup with my understanding of the pattern, i was hooked. (not literally.)

again, i wasn't feeling too confident with the felting aspect but after i found this blog and read some of the kit 78 posts, i just gave it a good rubbing and rolling on the drainer of my kitchen sink in hot soapy water. i didn't really work up the felting, i wanted to keep some of the open weave nature of the scarf whilst enhancing the merino thread.

end result: beautifully soft scarf that can be pinched and pulled into various forms giving a superb adaptability and textural quality. love it.

postscript: presently ordering kit 24. not bad for a novice!

Please help with Kushu Kushu Jacket

2007-09-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

I admit I am more of a word person when it comes to knitting patterns. Is there anyone out there who can help me with the shoulder & neck shaping on the back portion of the jacket? I'm a bit stumped. I've done the shoulder shaping & don't quite know how to work in the neck shaping. Thanks for any light anyone can shed here.

Fine Lines

2007-09-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Fine lines of conviction, smooth, silken, poured through loop after loop to become fabric.

Fabric which is incredibly wearable. Deceptively so. It moves. It forms across the body. It has it's own shape. It takes on shape. It has a lightness, and an ease. It has a wonderful sense of transparency, a veiled lightness. It is a layer, to be peeled at the edges, to be pulled and creased as you move, as you play with it (I dare you not to...), and as it gets worn.

I've blogged about the Process of this on my blog, so I wont double up here as well. I wanted to say more about what the Stainless Steel Jacket was like to knit, and to wear. This knit up reasonably quickly - having said that it's taken a few months, but that's more due to my lack of time than this being a long knit. Once you get into the stainless rhythm, you move through it quickly - it seems to grow before your eyes. The pattern is easy to follow, and has simple, but very nice shaping. The piece as a fabric whole is lovely - incredibly textural: I find myself pinching it and holding it through the day, running my fingers across it to feel it's very silky sheen. Yes, it has stiffness, but in a very fluid way. It does find the shape of your body, and at times it will hug that shape, at other times it will fall away from your body. It is a fantastic layering piece. The 12 tiny buttons from the top of the neck to 3/4 of the length give some weight to the piece, and some structure. My gauge was slightly off on this one - I was very much between needle sizes and chose the smaller needle, and decided not to compensate by altering stitch counts or length, except in the arms, and so this is slightly smaller than the medium pattern would be. I like the length of it though - I'm a layers person, and this works well with other pieces in my wardrobe as a marginally shorter top layer. There are a couple of Tsumugi silk weighting rows at the start of the arms and body, which I would probably have preferred to have left out, but I understand the job they do in giving the hems some rigidity, and hence definition. I also deleted the Tsumugi silk border up the front, but that was just my personal preference.

The real test is - would I knit it again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

:: blueberry fields ::

2007-09-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

photographers: Isel and Paloma.

Habu Kit 100# - $105 (comes at colors of your choice)
Pattern: Setsuko Torii Hand-knit works Book. page 25, page 88.
ISBN: 4895113825
Materials:
Habu A-1 Tsumugi silk in color 70/lavender - 150 grams
Habu A-60 Shosenshi Linen Paper in color 116/eggplant - 200 grams
Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) 36" Addi Turbo.
Modifications: I altered the pattern to make it reversible and eliminate the unnecessary seaming.

It wasn't hard, another reason to love the math in the Japanese patterns. I got the book thanks to Siow Chin in our swap, I have seen the book before at Knitbuddies and I really wanted to see in person what it is like. Vanessa seemed to get one of the last copies of it in Kinokuniya. That book is vastly popular and just the other day I even spotted it on ebay. I do not know any Japanese Language, people, and just a little more thought and you could put the pattern puzzle together. Plus on Ravelry now they have a volunteer group in Japanese knitting who would gladly decipher anything you would need. But that's only if you need help. Numbers are numbers!

The Whole Set of Pictures is HERE.

Introduction

2007-09-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I just joined the KAL. My girlfriend and I went to the trunk show at Wildfiber last week and she bought 3 sweater kits that I have to honor of knitting for her. Lucky me, huh? All the hard work just so she can wear the fruits of my labor.

I look forward to sharing my progress with you [and have a support system in case I get lost...]

First experiences

2007-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

I followed your lead and chose the Kusha Kusha Scarf as my first Habu project.
Because I read about the needle choice for such a slippery yarn as silk stainless I casted on with one of my beloved wooden circulars. But the tip is not as pointy as would like to had it especially for the first row. While knitting this first row I brooded what in hell´s name got me to start such a mad thing: Knitting two razor-thin threads with such a thick needle :o
...but I kept on knitting ... and a few rows further I was reconciled with the result. Ufz...

After 15 rows I had to pack away my knitting in my project bag and when I took it out next morning there was a ugly bend across my knitting. The stainless has kept this bend in mind and I can´t get it out anymore. I tried nearly everything but I didn´t succeed :-(
Any suggestions?

Habu Kushu Kushu Jacket Finished

2007-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Habu Kushu Kushu Jacket finished.

Details at http://www.knitsane.squarespace.com

Sorry too tired from the finishing marathon to repeat the details here. It's all at Knitsane.

My simple scarf.

2007-08-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

Knitted using the Kusha Kusha scarf pattern but knitted in Kusaki zome 100% silk in colour 23 held with silk mohair colour 2.

Instead of felting it when finished I was very naughty and steam ironed it to even out the stitches! This has given it a lovely drape and it is so soft to wear. The sheen of the silk can be seen and the colour of the mohair gives it an almost variegated look.

There is another picture of it on my blog in the sun and it looks quite different there!

I am looking at the silk stainless yarn now as this was such a simple pleasure to knit.

Lin x

Habulishious Tunic

2007-08-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

I have had a love/hate relationship with Habu. As I spoke about in this HabuTextile post, I hate spending money. Habu is not, what you would call, a yarn that you can get on sale at Michaels. However, Olga (my friend, enabler, and huge reason why my credit card bill gets bigger) got me HOOKED. Like, addicted, I would almost say I am nearing crack addict status, but I strive for a PG rated blog, so I will not go that far.

The Habu Tsumugi A-1 for this tunic was actually a left over Olga had. I had always wanted to make this Tunic in the Rebecca #31.

However, this yarn did not yield the same gauge, so I had to recalculate the entire pattern. I am fascinated with this yarn. It is completely organic, and the result is a nice and flowy and (dare this wannabefashionista say it) utterly comfortable! There is this boho look and feel that comes with this tunic, but I am going to see if I wear a white tailored shirt underneath, and some dress pants how this looks.

Project Details

Project name: Bramble Tunic from Rebecca #31

Yarn: 6 skeins (double stranded) of Habu Tsumugi A-1 2/1 Coloway 83- Cork

Needles: Addi Turbo's US 5

Modifications: Umm... I recalculated the entire pattern to fit my gauge. Time consuming, well worth it.

The only problem is...what Habu project will I do next... trust me... more of that to come.

arrived today

2007-08-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

I´m happy my order from Habu Textiles arrived today, 20 days after my order.
You Pals already know the stuff, so just a short entry with some photos:

Kusha Kusha Kit with black silk stainless steel and coffee merino

Shippotail Kit with gray silk stainless steel and khaki and eggplant linen paper

2oz wool stainless steel in purple

and 2 skeins XS-45 Bamboo in green

I can´t decide what to start with...

habu trunk show

2007-08-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

for all who live in the los angeles area. there will be a habu trunk show at 'wildfiber' ys in santa monica. Takako Ueki will bring her fibers, kits and finished projects.
i am very exited about this, since i never made it to the habu headquarters and usually the stores i go to have only just a small selection of habu yarn. the show is sept.6 & 7. you will find me there
most likely getting more yarn then i should, but also having a fantastic time.
i hope this is useful information for some of you,
ulli

Florence: A Design in Habu Cotton Gima

2007-08-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings, everyone! Vanessa invited me to join this knitalong, because I recently completed a top in Habu Cotton Gima. It's called Florence, and this is what it looks like:

There are a bunch more pictures of it and a blog round-up entry here.

I had fun working with the Habu Cotton Gima for this project. It was tricky to figure out what to make with the yarn, for a number of reasons. First, it looks quite different when you knit it than it looks after it's been washed. (I should point out that the label says to hand wash and air dry the yarn, but it's cotton, so I decided to machine wash and dry. You'd probably get different results if you washed by hand, but I'm happy with how the yarn softens and evens out when it's machine washed and dried.) Here's a picture of a piece that's half blocked and half unblocked:

The other difficulty I encountered was that the fabric made by the yarn is very transformable. When I knit several inches to the 17" width and washed and dried the piece, I found that I could make the swatch be, say, 15" wide and 6" tall, or I could make it 20" wide and 4" tall, and so on. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to figure out what gauge the yarn *wanted* to be, so that the top would always be transforming as I wore it. As it turns out, the larger the size of the piece you knit, the less transformation effect you get from the yarn. This was a relief!

After flirting with a knit/purl leaf pattern (total disaster) and with basketweave stitch (looks good, but decided against it), I settled on a simple stockinette top with seed stitch edgings and a deep-V neckline with a gather at its base. It's sized for a 34" bust. It has a 31" waist, and it widens to 40" at the bottom, where it also has side vents. I originally planned to have short cap sleeves, but the Habu fabric was so floaty and insubstantial that I decided it would look better with longer, floatier sleeves.

I'm going to make the pattern available for free sometime next month -- I'm still working out the various sizes and so forth. I'm also planning to make another top in some green Cotton Gima for my sister-in-law using a different pattern of my own making. It may be a while before I get going on that, but I'll post about it when I do.

Oh, and I have 2.5 skeins of Cotton Gima leftover from this project that I don't think I'll ever use. If anyone has leftovers they'd like to swap, it would be fun to try out a different yarn. I think mine are worth about $13-14, so an equivalent swap (or somewhere in the neighborhood) would be great.

kitty: The love of habu and what is on the needles

2007-08-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

White Item #: A-20 1/20 silk stainless steel
Green Item #: A-60 "shosenshi" paper

It is hard to believe this yarn started it all and has been setting in my stash box since March 17, 2005. This yarn marked the first step of my Habu Obsession. I even set up a water strength test back then because I couldn't believe how easy this yarn tore that it would hold up as a garment. I remember just holding the yarn and looking at wonder at the folds in the hanks.

I knew back then exactly what I wanted to make with it, but I guess I was too chicken to start until now. So after talking to Olga & MG a couple of weeks ago, I got the nerve to just do it. So we will see how the cover sweater of the"Knit" book turns out.

The other day I was in my LYS and some one asked me why I loved Habu yarns so much. The answer came so easy; it is the unusual texture, the natural colours, the lack of the feel of commercial yarns, and most of all it is the feeling that you are buying one of the last remainders of textile history. Cottage industries that are still hand making yarns that they have made for hundreds or years. These are yarns and fibers where the sheer skill set need to create them are slipping away from us due to steps that began with the Industrial Revolution and the desire for cheaper faster products.

A Habu though you can still find rare treasures you might have only read about. Hand tied twisted ramie made from the stalks of a ramie plant and hand tied together. A yarn made from fishnets sourced out of Indonesia that has been cut apart and hand tied back together. A traditional northern Japanese yarn from Nigata, Japan made of Fiddlehead fern cotton and silk. Or a handspun yarn from Indonesia made from a rare silk cocoon and it the colour of gold naturally. And if you are feeling like you would rather spin your own fibers there is the under hair of Guanaco that is the colour of nutmeg.

There is an element where history and tradition lives on, and Habu is bringing it to our doorsteps.

habu cashmere scarf

2007-08-22T20:18:00.001-07:00

hi there,
it is not that long ago that i discovered this wonderful company and fell head over toe in love with it. my first encounter was in a wonderful yarn store in austin. i bought the #19 kit, a paper silk short sleeve jacket. i felt a little unsure about the yarn and just let it sit in my shelf. but than i saw the amazing jacket vanessa from colourknits made and now i am on it.
but i am talking much to much, here is a picture of the cashmere scarf

it is cashmere nep in color #1. it knitted up 2 skeins. i came up with the design, which is pretty simple. the stitch pattern is called 'vertical drop-stitch'. the cashmere was lovely to work with and it got even softer after washing.

Hyperbolic Plane with Stainless Silk and Stainless Wool

2007-08-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a work in progress, and it will continue to progress for I-don't-know how long. Until it is big enough. It is crocheted from Stainless Silk and Stainless Wool, holding three strands together at a time, and changing one strand at a time to get a subtle gradation of color. I think it is a desk sculpture. At least it is for now. It may become large enough to be a wallhanging -only time will tell!

Hi from Frankfurt, Germany

2007-08-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

I´ve already followed your posts in this interesting blog for two or three weeks.
All started with iSeL´s Kusha Kusha scarf - I saw it in Ravelry, fell in love with it and knew I must knit it.
I took a tour at Habu´s homepage and was inspired by all the great stuff. I contacted iSeL to get informations where to order but can´t wait and at the same time I wrote an email to Habu to place an order. So to give a good return I ordered the Kusha Kusha scarf kit, the Shippotail kit, additional stainless steel merino yarn, a necklace and 2oz laceweight bamboo yarn :o
Two days later I already received the receipt, it´s just 12$ shipping fee for 18oz to germany, and the patterns for the 3 kits. Now I´m waiting for my yarn... keep your fingers crossed that it will not get lost on the way from NYC to Frankfurt.

And I must also confess, today I also ordered the fabulous book from Setsuko Torii at Yesasia.com.

I´m beyond remedy :o, but I think here I´m right because it seems that I´m not alone ;-)

I´ll keep you updated :-)

Claudia
_______________________
www.myblog.de/himawari

Oh, Habu...

2007-08-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I've just done a small swatch in various combinations of the Silk Mohair Kusa and the Kakishibu Tsugumi Silk. Lovely...Full post at TussahSilk

Some finished and some new...

2007-08-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

My Gima silk top is finally done! I used a very simple stitch pattern for it: a combination of purl/knit to keep the fabric flat. The hem was decorated by a crochet border (reminiscent to a Brugge's lace). The top is very light; I will definitely return to Gima silk again.

I was so inspired by Linen and Silk jacket, that I had to make one. I ordered this wonderful Linen-Silk combo a couple of days ago, and about to embark on my own adventure: I will design the pattern myself, possibly using the same stitch pattern as for the top.

Kushu Kushu Jacket Update

2007-08-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

I posted about making Kit 75 the Kushu Kushu Jacket in mid July before leaving town for 5 weeks. Hoped to have all the pieces knit by now but not as much knitting happened as I had hoped.

Both sleeves are finished and felted though and the back is 2/3rds knit. On the left is a photo of the sleeve before felting. And on the right are the sleeves after felting and stretching them out. I've described the felting process at http://www.knitsane.squarespace.com/

Let me just say a bit about the stretching out process here. It's like blocking but using your fingers instead of pins and an iron. The knit pieces look quite misshapen when you pull them out of the wash but I put them on our table and just gently began tugging on the sleeve to get the shape I was after. It takes time but you just keep working at it. It's done when the sleeves are still wet and you just ease them into the shape you want. I'd tug a bit and then hold the sleeve up to my arm to see how it was fitting and then tug some more. The edges curl under quite a bit and you have to grab them and slowly stretch. The shapes are still wonky but I think it will be fine when sewn together and put on. If you have any questions about the process you can e-mail me at hannabirke AT gmail DOT com.

I highly recommend this kit.

:: needle sizes ::

2007-08-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

On the general information, I have recieved a lovely email reply from Takako, I have sent the links to flickr group album and KAL:

" What a beautiful site you have created! The photos are great. Thank you so much for letting me know, and for your creativity. I look forward to seeing more!"

It's applied to all of you contributors, knitters, Habu enthusiasts! Thank you again for participating in out KAL and sharing that beauty created by your hands. Keep up the creative juices flowing!

For those of you who have or plan to get the japanese books, I have decided to post a Japanese Needle Sizes Comparison Chart. They do differ from the USA sizes that's why I give them in metric, as there are NO exactly corresponding sizes in the USA measuring system:
Japanese Needle Sizes.
0 = 2.1mm
1 = 2.4mm
2 =2.7mm
3 = 3.0mm
4 = 3.3mm
5 =3.6mm
6 = 3.9mm
7 = 4.2mm
8 = 4.5mm =US 7
9 = 4.8mm
10 = 5.1mm
11 = 5.4mm
12 = 5.7mm
13 = 6.0mm = US 10
14 = 6.3mm
15 = 6.6mm

There are couple resources where one can get the books:
amazon.co.jp - there is an option where you can check it out in english and also love using google language tool by simply inserting the link and translating the whole page
yesasia.com - site is in english, their search engine is tricky, best way is to search by ISBN number, fast shipping and many times books are qualified to free worldwide shipping.
Kinokuniya stores - if you do not have one in your area it's worth giving them a call for a book you are searching for and give them the ISBN #, they would mail it for you. In NYC there is a location in Rockafeller Center, but I saw a new store is opening this fall on 6th Ave right across from Bryant Park.
Needle Arts Book Shop - Place to buy various japanese craft books online.
Superbuzzy - An online japanese craft store located in the USA, currently having all their books on sale.
Chocolate swirl - etsy store that sells japanese craft books.

Linen and Silk (Part II)

2007-08-18T22:08:00.001-07:00

Howdy guys! Thank you so much for all your emails about the purl bee post. Let me tell ya...I had hot flush all day after I saw all those emails in my inbox. You guys are really sweet. So, yes...my jacket is finally done and I love it!!

Read more over here.

:: Fabulous News from Habu ::

2007-08-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

About couple hours ago I got off the phone with Habu, I got a chance to speak to Takako Ueki, who is running the showroom in NYC and you can often see her during Habu Trunk shows all over the country and at Stitches shows. I have good and bad news, start with the bad.
The subject of my inquiry today was the information about Avril Anniversary Book by Setsuko Torii that was supposed to be getting translated and published in English hopefully next year. The mystrerious disappearance of the announcement has started to worry me. Unfortunately, things has changed, the publishing of the book has been postponed till indefinite time. Takako explained the reason I believe the designer (Setsuko Torii) is being very busy at this moment and it all depends on her. Do not lose your hope, folks, we will still be looking forward for the whole book to come into availability soon, but better BEST NEWS that took me hyperventilating today and up to this moment I am in shocke/awe/extatic..

Habu Textiles is now offering ALL kits from that book available for purchase...
my jaw slammed on the desk when I heard.
I wasn't believing my ears so I had Isel call and confirm it too.
Takako explained that she hasn't placed them on their website yet, but for example
Number 7 kit in Avril Book: Paper (washi) and tsumugi silk coat is kit#100 , for 105$ and is available in 4 colors: grey, green, charcoal and brick red.

Number 16 in Avril Book: Tsumugi Gradation Skirt is Habu kit#102 and costs $95.

About 2 weeks ago, I honestly with the help of Priscilla was trying to find out how much will it cost to get the kits directly from Avril from Japan. We learned that coat's kit price for example was 90$ from Avril, now available at price only 15$ extra from Habu Textiles, trust me shipping from Japan directly can be about 80$ alone, plus all lost in translation rutine.

A Habu Enthusiast among us is going to visit Habu next week briefly to learn more about the details and I also informed Takako about our community here, so hopefully she may stop by and share extra information and see how keen we have grown.

Off to bed, for so many weeks I keep going there with my inspiration book. Don't take long to guess what that might be.

2007-08-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Metal + Silk: Combined

It’s rigid; severe, yet soft to the touch

It’s deep, dark and black, yet sparkles in the sun

It’s primal and basic, yet aesthetically beautiful

It snags and curls and tangles, yet gently moulds into place

It appears so fragile and fine, yet is unbreakable; strong

It’s steel, a metal, yet is coated in silk

It acts as a trim, yet comprises the entire piece...

The photos above show the beginning of a wrap using the tsumugi silk that Janet sent me a while back. I’ve mixed it with a strand of silk stainless steel left over from my Kushu Kushu scarf - an amazing and precious combination. There is something beautiful and serene about the Habu silk range. The sample ball combined with the SSS produced the wrap’s edge and I’ll continue with only the tsumugi.

I’m just waiting for something special to arrive…

:: Black Dog Knits: The original entries for this post appeared here and here.

Another Trip to Habu

2007-08-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

So, all of the beautiful things I've been seeing on this blog and the Flickr page all became too much for me, and I had to make Veronique accompany me to the store for some enabling. That's what friends are for, right? I fully intended to get just one thing, a Kusha Kusha kit, which I had called about in advance so it would be ready when I got there:Black Stainless Steel and Terracotta Merino. I can't wait to get started on it!!!
But as usual, there were way too many things there that caught my eye. There was this lovely stuff:Now, I have used Habu's cashmere (2/26, I buy the single strand and hold it doubled, knit on size 1's) in the past, and it's one of those that doesn't feel soft at all till you wash it. And then, oh then, it is luscious. The perfect thing for soft little mittens and gloves....I'm thinking about this combo (the yellow-green is leftover from the Anemoi Mittens) for some very special fingerless gloves....
And then there was this!Bamboo (20/18) in Slate (color 4). Seriously, who could resist? Not I!
I got 5 skeins of it, which will hopefully be enough for a slim little cardi, we'll see. I had to cast on right away:and I am loving every minute of it.
Cross-posted at Yarnmonster.

wool + linen

2007-08-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm putting my p.s. at the beginning of this post, so you won't miss it.

p.s. Oh, if you haven't seen it yet...exciting news! Today The Purl Bee blog has featured Vanessa! And, as if that weren't enough cause for joy, they are offering the Kusha Kusha scarf pattern free right here.

In charcoal. If there's anything that might make this winter hating squirrel long for a chill in the air, it's the idea of wearing something knit from this gorgeous yarn, which knits up dry, soft and weightless (I did swatch). It's Kit #70 from Habu, the lamb wool linen jacket.

I just found out the other day that Alison (who has unwittingly become my official charcoal enabler and muse) will be knitting the same jacket, in the same colorway, which just goes to show you that great minds do think alike.

Okay, then, I think I'm set for a couple months in the yarn department. (A couple months. That's pretty funny.)

(originally blogged here)

My First Habu

2007-08-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had a good news/bad news moment today when the postman put a little grey card through my letterbox this morning. The good news: my Habu had arrived at long last. I have been lusting after some of their yarn ever since I read a review of their cashmere in Knitter's Review. The bad news: Customs & Excise and the post office between them were "taxing" me another 50% of the purchase value... Grrr. I didn't want to buy it from the US, as I knew I was likely to be clobbered by C&E. I had searched all over the Internet for UK retailers - there are perhaps two, and neither sold what I particularly wanted to buy for my first exposure to this unique company's yarn.

I checked Habu, and saw that they would be putting in an appearance in London in October. I told myself to wait, at least then I would be able to touch the stuff before I bought it. I began to exercise a level of restraint previously unheard of in my lifetime, and then one day I innocently wandered over to Coloursknits and read her post from 31-Jul-07. Oooh boy, oh boy, oh boy... Let's just say that from Vanessa's blog, somehow or other with no conscious thought on my part, and entirely on their own, my fingers typed out Naturesong Yarn. Click, click, click and 15 days later, I received this... Kakishibu Tsumugi Silk A-1B 2/17 (100% silk) in #52 Bengara.

And this... Silk Mohair Kusa A-32B 1/12 (60% mohair and 40% silk) in #26 Madder. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful these yarns are... The colours are so subtle, so natural, so restrained. I can't imagine that I will get anything other than the most elegant article made from this.

I am hoping for many new experiences with these yarns, not least of which is trying the Shibori felting technique.

Originally published at TussahSilk

My small contribution

2007-08-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you for letting me join this KAL. Your projects and posts are extremely talented; it is a pleasure to find that I am not the only one appreciating Habu.
I fell in love with Habu yarns last year, and can't get enough of them since then.
I made two projects with Habu yarns so far: a crocheted vest and a light summer tank.
For the vest I used A-44 (kanpyo cotton) - a truly amazing yarn, crisp and light. Darker flowers were crocheted with regular (non Habu) cotton.
I used A-66 paper in brown casuri for the tank: it is the nicest tank a have - so airy and light!

Right now I am working on another Habu yarn project: summer top. I am using A-22 silk Gima in color "linen", and again can't get enough of the way this yarn handles! I will post the picture when it is done. Believe it or not, I am already thinking of my next Habu project: it is addictive.

Linen & Silk

2007-08-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm getting there...just a couple of more buttons to go!

Hello.

2007-08-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

I finally gave in to the lure of Habu yarn and bought 2 balls of the kusaki zome 100% silk in colour 23 and 2 balls of the silk mohair in colour 2.

I am planning on making a simple scarf knitting the 2 together, possibly using beads as well although that may distract too much from the beauty of the yarn. I will have to try it and see.

I am not particulary creative and normally tend to knit from patterns so if anyone has any thoughts or other ideas let me know!

I love looking at all your beautiful projects here on the knitalong and Flickr.
Lin x

kitty: Kit 5 Fringe Ribbon Choker

2007-08-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

item #: KIT-5 fringe ribbon choker
content: acetate & polyester
price: $18.00
time: Like the instructions said only about 15-20 minutes. (Though you do needto make sure that you reserved more yarn on the second half of the ruffle yarnthan the first side.)

In my great justification of my Habu purchases, yes I am weak and I would be the first one to admit it. I see a small Habu kit and I have to add it to my special Habu stash bin. The textures, colours, fibers, call my name and my creditcard suddenly appears. It is really kind of funny there are very few things in life that really motivate me to spend money on and few bring as much pleasure.One tiny hank that I really have no idea what to use it for is suddenly ok.

I picked the kit up from Kpixie a while ago during one of their Habu kit updates. It saddens me that they haven't updated their Habu collections in a while. It seemed like it sold well, the kits were always gone soon after they were posted. Though as we all know the ones currently listed have been there awhile. Hopefully for fall we all need our Habu fix.

I am glad I picked up the kit, because I seriously doubt I would have ever picked up either yarns. They were both really fun to work with though. I could definitely see wearing it under the collar of a dress shirt for those boring business meetings that I seem to be getting forced into a lot lately. Habu Love to the rescue of yet another long meeting.

:: Blueberry Dreams ::

2007-08-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

What can be ever better on a day off than a cup of a fresh made coffee from a French Press, blueberry yogurt, some Knitting with Habu and an Setsuko Torii book to get inspired and look at endlessly!

For the yarn for the kit I acquired while out trip in NYC I have to thank Vanessa, as I have made this Jacket already before but in A-60 Habu Linen Paper in red and some recycled Cashmere from a sweater I got at goodwill for 4$.

And loved every minute of it: the progress, the drape, the wear, it behaves like nothing else I ever had knit before... and making a second one - I didn't even hesitate for a moment, the same, but with A-1 Tsumugi Silk this time as the pattern calls for it.

But My Dear Friend Siow Chin who made a great effort to get me this book and which I am so thankful for.. inside it I came across this coat.. Same principal, same designer, longer length.. bestill my heart, I decided I want this duster now and I will use this blueberry combo and hope there is enough for this coat. SO whatever you see on the top is going to a frogging pond as soon as I have a window apart from my deadlines to make this beauty live.

This coat is calling for Washi Bisu and Tsumugi silk yarns and with help of Nora who translated as Washi Bisu means "Thin Paper" in my understanding it is A-60 "shosenshi" linen paper and that amazing combo makes you see these fibers anew, takes me on adventurous trips every day that's why I can't stop loving it and probably will never get enough...

On info matters:
I must thank again all enthusiasts for posting and sharing your most intimate thoughts and impressions. Please keep them flowing! AND we are 30 members now! Yey!

Olga

2007-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

A little story about a scarf

You know how occasionally you see something on a blog and you think: Oh. My. That is so beautiful, so perfect, so ME? And then you almost very nearly dream about it - it's colour and form and construction, and you can’t wait to purchase the materials and start working on it. And so you make some plans and join some groups and email those like-minded souls to your heart’s content – because they understand. And the kit eventually arrives and you begin to knit at every given opportunity, all day (if you could) and long into the night until it’s complete. And you photograph it and post it on Flickr and the comments start to come in and everyone loves it and so do you. And then you wear it out to coffee and to uni and dinner and to the supermarket and almost everyone you come into contact with says something nice, and you end up feeling fantastic and stylish and modern. And you vow to make another because you enjoyed the process so much, but this time you also enjoyed the peripherals – the before and the after, the start and the finish, and you can honestly say that it is one of [if not] the nicest things you’ve made in your entire knitting life. And you just know that when the time comes to post about it, the words will tumble from your mind and your heart and race down to you fingertips and miraculously appear on the screen and make perfect sense without much effort on your part at all. Because this is about passion and tradition and childhood memories and respect and a love of all things fine and unique and those things are unrehearsed and natural and real. And then you find yourself stumped because the words refuse to flow and you can’t really explain why. And so you go the Habu site for inspiration and all you see there is the obvious: an immaculate sense of style that is so perfect, it’s indescribable. There are no crazy patterns or gaudy colours. Instead, there is a serene focus on quality and the hand made. Understated. Subtle. Basic.

I really should let the others explain it.

:: Photos: Kit-78 Kushu Kushu scarf in grape extra fine merino and black silk stainless steel -- Kushu Kushu: Japanese for scrunched; crinkled.

Black Dog Knits -- originally posted here Aug 1, 2007

Next Steps?

2007-08-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

So, I finished my Kusha scarf and really like it. I think I need to make a longer one, too, at some point.

I have 2 questions for you all:
1. What do you recommend for all this leftover extra fine merino?
2. And what do you think is a good "next step" project for someone (like me) who is just beginning to venture into Habu?

Happy Knitting, everyone!

COUNTING HABU

2007-08-06T04:44:00.000-07:00

#24 : A20-2/22 : 3mm-80cm : 161 reduced x 44 : 1 - 154 : 80%

I could technically leave that as it is and continue on my merry way, but I'm sure I would leave behind a lot of confusion.
Numbers are clarity. Control. Legitimate definitions of conclusion. You cannot argue with numbers, and I find a lot of solice within the mathematical process of putting things together. Numbers make sense. Anyone who has read a Setsuko Torii pattern, and in turn japanese knit patterns, will know the entire knitting process is reduced down to numbers seperated by hyphens. Extraneous detail stripped. It makes for a very neat, legible, and for me - highly visual - way of pattern writing, and in turn, pattern recognition/materialisation. Allow the process to manufacture itself. I love that.

To Clarity:

Habu Kit 24 Silk Stainless Steel Jacket in 2 threads of black and navy silk wrapped stainless steel. Knit on 3mm needles, 80cm long, Addi Turbo Bamboo [switching to bamboo has made a huge difference to the statistical weighting of Speed:Fear Of Loosing Stitches ratio]. 161 stitches now reduced by 44 with clever shaping. Currently working on the 1st piece, the back, and now on row 154 which means I am approx. 80% complete on this section.

And enjoying that connection of intimacy I have with something for me, that I have wanted to make for years, made out of a product I love, and from a company and designer I have enormous respect for. That place where your head seeks ahead the next stitch:row:pattern:marking and you find fluidity and rhythm and everything begins a low hum of concurrence - a place of zoned participation hand:eye:heart. And now I just want the molten fibre to melt and drip from my needles - because that's exactly how it feels and photographs, as a molten metallic fabric.

[The original version of this post was posted on 6.5st August 2nd 2007. Different photos, and some additional ones have been added here].

Just to say Hi

2007-08-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to drop by and introduce myself. I am a uk based designer, Ruby. I am delighted to join the Habu knit a long. I love love love Habu. I recently had my design, Paper Bag in the Spring issue of Knitty.

I am currently working on a number of designs using A-1 which I will share shortly

for now
Ruby x

Janet's Kusha/Kushu Scarf

2007-07-31T10:19:00.001-07:00

I've finally started my own Kusha/Kushu after enabling a handful of others by posting tempting photos of spools of silky steel and merino. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy knitting this wispy steel/merino scarf. For a while now, I've had the desire to knit with unusual, unique fibers and Habu fills that desire nicely. A scarf like this is a great introduction to the creative genius that is Setsuko Torii. I first fell in love with the Habu aesthetic and enthusiasm the first time I visited their site a few years ago.

It's interesting to me that so many knitters ask . . . why? Why Habu?

The answer is on their site:

Why? do we bother to take so much time and labor... actually
weaving or knitting fabrics when there are so many
high quality machine woven fabrics. They are durable,
good looking, inexpensive... Why?

Because we must stubbornly believe
all the care our actual hands give to each and every process
of making a length of fabric creates something more
than just a good look. It may be so subtle, but you know when
you wear and touch. You know when that fabric ages with you,
and you look at it twenty years from now.

We believe the same with yarns. They are the soul of fabrics.
Without ones made with good care, the fabrics will not live long.
We would like to offer you the best and unusual yarns
imported from Japan, rarely available in this country.
It took us many trips and years to cultivate the relationships with
the suppliers and discover the yarns. You do not have to do that.
They are here! There are over 450 selections and they include
raw silks from 14 denier, hamp bark, bamboo, hand-tied ramies,
cashmere with almost no twist, naturally gold silks,
handspun silks/cottons, silk stainless steel, fine silver, etc...

When somebody doesn't understand, it's truly impossible to answer . . . why? As for me, it's a connection to my past -- to another knitter:

I think she would understand.

Baby Steps

2007-07-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Before the summer of 2004 I was a relatively new knitter who'd never heard of Habu. That is, until I ran into an overwhelmingly interesting article on knitting with out-of-the-ordinary yarns, e.g., paper, stainless steel, and corn, in the Summer 04 issue of Interweave Knits magazine. I immediately fell in love with the idea of knitting with such unique fibers, but while it all sounded incredibly enthralling, back then I could barely get my run-of-the-mill wool stitches to behave, so I stored the intimidating magazine away, hoping to someday become a brave-enough knitter.

Three years later I still dream of making the bag that accompanies the Knitting Out of the Pantry article, especially now that the pattern no longer reads like a foreign language to me: Knot A Knitted Paper Bag (Setsuko Torii) A-1 Tsumugi Silk (100% silk; 455 yd [415 m]/50 g): #02 medium gray, about 3 oz (85 g). A-62 Paper Moire (50% linen, 50% nylon; 1080 yd [988 m]/1oz [28 g]): #05 mocha, #08 brown, and #06 charcoal, 2 oz (57 g) each. Yarn distributed by Habu Textiles.

In the meantime, I’ve started working on my first Habu project: a wonderfully sculptural piece that behaves as if it were alive, a.k.a. the Kusha Kusha scarf.

To say that I'm in love with the play of the silk stainless steel and merino wool used to make this scarf would be an offensive understatement. Yet, I am still a little nervous about the whole process…mainly because after seeing so many beautiful Kushas, I want mine to be just as stunning.

Nonetheless, my Kusha keeps growing. And as I get closer to the end, and start to worry about the felting process, Olga's words of wisdom have started to sink in: “It's OK! Every Kusha is unique. You are studying art; you of all people should know that we are all unique and that you are giving the thread, the fiber, YOUR mold.”

Ay, Olga. Where would my Kusha and I be without you?

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Habu Haiku

2007-07-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

Light gossamer strands
of architectural air
feel so substancial.

So, this is my first experience with Habu. I wasn't sure what to think of it at first. I'm doing a kinda-sorta-kusha kusha scarf using the silk stainless and extra fine merino. I plan to have a bit of the silk stainless by itself on both ends of the scarf, not just on one end the way the pattern suggests. The thread...er, yarn...was so fine that it took me awhile to adjust. Several stitches cascaded off the needle a few times, and it was a bit of a challenge to recover lost stitches. But once I got used to these fibers...wow! They're so fun! I keep wanting to play with the scarf instead of knitting on with it. And I know that once it's felted, it'll be even more irresistable.

This is obviously not going to be a warm scarf, which is good, since I've recently moved to a warmer climate. It'll be more of an early spring accessory, I think, so I chose springy colors. The silk stainless is #1, white, and the merino is #40, a grassy green.

SoKnitpicky

time to swatch

2007-07-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I went to New York and was lucky enough to visit Habu headquarters. It was very exciting and I bought a few items. All the scarf kits have been worked up and given away as gifts, the funky lunch bag turned into a hat and some of the cottons became swatches but not finished objects. In honor of this new blog I think it's time to finally get to work on this fascinating linen (#N-3). It's dry like straw and I have 850 yards...can't wait to begin experimenting but maybe somebody has a good idea for a project too.

Habu is peace.

My Habu Story

2007-07-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am cheap. Seriously. I do not like spending money. When I first started knitting and started reading blogs and found out how much people spent on yarn I considered quitting and learning how to do oragami or something that did not require such a dire hit to my already slim pocketbook.

However I slowly graduated from my mom's old stash, to acrylics from michael's (with the 40% off coupon - of course), to knitpicks, to elann's, to random ebay bids, to looking for discount yarn that I craved. Then one day I went with Olga and Ava to a HUGE YARN SALE. And we bought nothing. During lunch Ava showed me her Habu catalog and I started to drool, and swoon, and want to have some Habu. What a completely etheral, unique and absolutely wonderful array of completely unexpected knitting materials. But I held back from buying, because, I am cheap.

Then I kept seeing all these wonderful Habu FO's all over blogland and I gave in. Olga sorta kinda convinced me to get some gorgeous tsumugi silk. I was so busy with work and it sat in my secret hiding spot for yarn for a few weeks. I felt that I would not be able to give it the time it deserved. Is that weird? Maybe. But I had resisted the Habu for so long I was not going to knit it up just like that!

I started my Habu tunic a week ago today. I am loving the drapeyness of the fabric so far, it is going to be so soft and flowy and completely not like anything I have made before. I cannot knit it fast enough.

So, even if it is a little bit more expensive, and I cannot use my 40% coupon from michaels on Habu, I am a convert.

kitty: Avril Book References

2007-07-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the wonderful help of my Sister-in-Law, she helped me track down all of the ISBN's for the titles listed on the Avril site. So I though I would post the information to serve as a reference for everyone to find additional patterns to use your Habu treasures. Some of the patterns for the kits are actually included in some of the titles. Rendezvous with Lovely Yarn Delicate little projects actually includes the pattern for Kit-60 picot bubble stitch scarf in the form of a belt.

Setsuko Torii Hand Knit Works

143 pages - 2006/09

ISBN-10: 4895113825

more - Avril Site - From Habu with Translation Coming Soon

Rendezvous with Lovely Yarn Delicate little projects

Avril Yarn Shop

84 pages - 2005/11

ISBN-10: 4277430686

More - Avril Site

Loosely Translated - Seeing Lovely Threads To Wear
& Playing with shapes to make small articles

Avril Yarn Shop

87 pages - 2007/02

ISBN-10: 4277172091

Avril Site

(If anyone has a better translation, please let me know. The vocabulary was
really hard for me in this title)

Gifts from the Sheep - Handweaving

Avril Yarn Shop

143 page - 2005/10

ISBN-10: 4895113728

Avril Site

Gifts to Give - Handweaving

Avril Yarn Shop

143 pages - 2004/11

ISBN-10: 4895113582

Avril Site

Plain Weaving

by Misao Iwamura

Bunka Publishing 2002

From Habu with Translation

Kit # 74 - Angora and Cotton Pullover

2007-07-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Usually I stick to knitting one item at a time but as I'm going to be away for 5 weeks I swatched and felted for the Habu Kit # 74 (Angora and Cotton Pullover). I'll work on both at the same time and felt and assemble them when I return.

If you've been interested in using the Habu yarns for a sweater but been a bit intimidated by them the angora and cotton would be a great place to start. The fiber is more traditionlly yarn like and less sproingy than the stainless steel silk. The drape and softness is amazing too.

I used 6mm needles (US 10) and got 50% length shrinkage again and hardly any width shrinkage. Because I like narrow sleeves I'll cast on 35 stitches for each sleeve, knit 9 inches straight and then begin the sleeve increases - likely one each side every sixth row.

For those who have heard the Habu patterns are hard to follow I have to say this isn't my experience of them. After taking a few minutes to understand how it's all laid out it's quite logical.

Shippo "Tail" Scarf

2007-07-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

First, thanks again everyone for such an amazing response to joining this group and active posting . I am sure we will have lots of fun in here! I thought that my personal blog has been overflowing with Habu, taking and sharing and expanding my obsession for it here proves it.
I want to start by showing off couple of my recently finished objects from Habu. Couple weeks ago me and Vanessa has a chance to go to NYC and visit the Habu Studio itself.

As you walk in, on the floor there this amazing amount of little baskets/bins that are having leftover yarn/mystery bags to pick, so called Bargain Bins. I had been wanting to get my hands on one of other scarves from Habu textiles, after I have finished my Kusha Kusha scarf not that long ago.
And as it's a small project I felt secure enough to pick some fun colours to go together for a Shippo "Tail" Scarf.
I was lucky enough and with a great enabler, I have picked some possibilities.

The yarn that you see are Habu Bamboo Tape A-157 1/6 in white, Habu Linen Paper A-60 in light grey, Habu Frisbee A-19 2/28 in grey and cream.
As one can imagine working with so many colors was fun and still very quick, Shippo was made in one day. The only tricky part was weaving those papery ends as they are not very much willing to lay flat. But it all comes to sense when I washed it and just let it hang to dry. One can also spot another shiny yarn in the scarf though, I had found some DMC Metallic Embroidery Thread (8.7 yds) lying around and as it was close to the colorways, as I did follow the Habu pattern that stated: "Please be creative"! So I threw that accent in. I am yet to photograph it wearing it, but it's a great summer scarf or almost an oversized necklace.

"Kusha" Shawl

2007-07-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

I bought some Habu spiral slub at Stitches East last year and had no idea what I'd do with this green thread of a yarn flecked with tiny pink fuzzy stuff.

So when I saw all the Kusha Kusha scarves and shawls out there, I knew I wanted to knit this thread with wool stainless steel yarn to make a shawl like this one.

I'm knitting it on US 6 Addi Lace Turbos and I can feel the stainless steel ominously scraping against the metal of the needles, but I really need those sharp points to easily pick up the stitches. The first few rows looked like this:

The pink slubbies are more subtle in natural light and now it looks like this:

It is fun to shape and form it and mesmerizing to knit. I can't imagine that it will be in the least bit warm, but will be a nice and unusual accessory.

Kusha Kusha Jacket

2007-07-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

The FO likely won't appear here until September as I'll be away from a computer and the washing machine I'll use to felt this but here's the first half of the first sleeve of a Kusha Kusha jacket.

Tried four different needle types before settling on Clover bamboo circulars. Metal needles turned out to be too slippery. The bamboo circulars are just right. Using size 5.5mm.

I don't often get gauge but instead did 2 large swatches, felted them both and then got out the calculator to redo the increases/decreases.

Cast on 38 stitches for the sleeve as I want the sleeves narrow.

A few more details can be found at http://www.knitsane.squarespace.com/

kitty: KIT 51 kid mohair cape - FO

2007-07-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much Olga, for inviting me to this KAL!! So here goes my first Habu FO posting for the site.

The colour is melon, and as I found almost impossible to photograph.

Item#:KIT 51 kid mohair cape
Content:80% mohair, 18% wool, 2% nylon
Price: $39.00
Bought it from a merchantat the Knitters Connection Merchant room.
Photo from Habu's Site

I had been playing with the pattern for a while and really running into a lot of problems. The cape is essentially done in 4 pieces. I had done the bottom two pieces and tried them on and really didn't like how they fell on me. I thought that it looked too small for my scale. Then entered the fear that if I did them to the proper scale I wouldn't have enough yarn in the kit. (I ended up with only 40 inches on both balls.)

So I decided to start with the knitted section and then work my way down. That way I would have the control to make it the proper scale, and also if I didn't have enough yarn to finish the next row I could just stop. Once nice thing about crochet is that there is no binding off.

One warning I would give you if you try to make the cape is the knitting needle size in the pattern for US size is wrong. The actual size is somewhere between a 10 and an 11 not the 6 or 7 that they tell you to use in the pattern. I pulled out a Japanese chart to compare the mm to the US charts. I also could never find a chart to what a size 15 Japanese crochet hook is in US sizes. Since the 15 in US sizes is way to small.

I constructed the cape by knitting the collar and then just casting on directly from the bound off edge for the body. I essentially followed the increases in the pattern but increased 2 extra stitches in the front and back on every other opposite rows for increases.

The total construction time once I decided to do it this way took about 2 hours to finish and then another 2 days to block dry.

Sorry the colours are really off. They were taken in the basement since really wearing mohair in 98 degree weather just isn't going to happen.

warming up

2007-07-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

...with some Tassar Silk. I did find it a little difficult to wind that squeaky little yarn muffin;

I just love the packaging, the twisting, the shine, everything. But I did it.

I'm starting off with the silk version of the Pashmina Cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Even though I have less than the yardage called for, I'm just going to knit until I run out.

This should hold me over until I can get my hands on a kit for a jacket, probably either the linen paper jacket or the lamb wool linen jacket. Do any of you know anything regarding the availability of the kits? Are they hard to come by? I will hopefully be going to Midwest Stitches next month; if they don't have either of these kits for sale there, I'm sure there will be something there that I will love. Most likely something(s).

:: Let's Start! ::

2007-07-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Boys and Gals, we have a Knitalong! Why one would ask, the amount of just pictures in Habu Textiles Flickr group is overflowing and I bet I am not the only one to hear what other person is making with this unique yarn. So there you have it!
There is no time limits, no start/end dates, we are all here who knit with Habu/Avril yarn whether it is your own design or knitting their kits or even if you use Habu yarn as a substitute for any other knitting patterns. Here we will try to share all cool, interesting, necessary information, experience, sales and news I welcome you to do so as well!
To join KAL please email me at jasmine dot oleary at gmail dot come to be invited.
You need to have a blog in order to join, but if you are not a regular blogger or have your blog hosted outside blogger but still wish to write here about your Habu adventures simply register on blogger and you will be able to join!

We are no affiliated with the company itself, we are just here for the love of Habu Yarn!
HABU=LOVE