blogginNagoya: August 2012

the night before ... home made takoyaki

Last week was the Obon season, so took the time to visit a family friend in Osaka and go on a short weekend break at Kamikawa in Hyogo. There a many ways to get to Osaka from Nagoya. One can drive there if one has a car, then there’s the shinkansen, and the highway bus… As weren’t rushing to get there, we opted for the 3 hr highway bus, which departs at 12:30 noon from Nagoya Station and arrive Osaka Station at 3:30pm. Our bus only arrived an hour than scheduled due to a car accident where we saw a car turned turtle on the highway approaching Osaka…

Kamikawa is located in the mountains of Hyogo, northwest of Osaka. It is about two hours drive on the highway, and then another 30 minutes on the country road (the roads are really narrow and winding along the rushing river!) to get to our destination Furusato mura (Shinden Furusato camping village). This place is not listed in my lonelyplanet book!

located in a narrow valley ... the Pine Tree Top cabins

firing up the barbie

10 m man-made waterfall within the park grounds

No we didn’t camp, mainly for a barbeque, and to enjoy the outdoor with all the creature comfort. We stayed in the Pine Tree Top cabin, where upstairs is the cozy sleeping area and below, we set up our barbeque.

No, we didn’t even take a dip in the stream, just waded in it, for the water was to icy. Planned to dip in the onsen (15 minutes drive away), but alas, we got there at closing time (10pm)… we were enjoying the barbie too long!! Drove back to the park, and had a real shower (with hot water!) from the 24-hr coin shower within the park area. It costs 200 Yen for 3 minutes. Sounds like a short time, but I surprised myself by finishing with about 40 seconds left (yes, there’s a digital timer on the shower panel!) – my personal best time for quickest shower.

bottom of the bag

In the mean time, I managed to finish knitting a multipurpose bag – may be a picnic bag – during the entire 7 hrs bus ride from Nagoya to Osaka and back! The bag comprise of four rectangular panels and attached together to form the bottom and sides. The four ‘ears’ (triangles) at the opening are divided into two sides, with two ears on each side. Two ears are folded over a round plastic handle, and sewn back to hold the handle in place. This is a very stretchable bag.

knitted picnic bag with two different sides

At the mall the other day I saw an elderly man in his drab blue yukata top and matching knee-length shorts and wearing sandals sitting in the rest area, fanning himself with a sensu in one hand and holding a bottle of drink in the other, surely trying to cool himself off the current summer heat wave.

In summer, many men and women, boys and girls wear the yukata, a casual summer kimono made of cotton. It is especially worn at summer events during fireworks displays and bon-odori festivals. The sensu or uchiwa, and geta (sandals) are accessories of the yukata. Other accessories are the sash (worn around the waist in womens’ yukata), and kinchaku (drawstring carrybag).

This kinchaku pattern is knitted in-the-round beginning from the bottom up. I have knitted two versions of the bag, the first version slightly larger than the second version. Both versions are flat-bottomed, with version A knitted with a pattern of twin stem leaves after the entrelac section, and version B simply entrelac pseudo-in-the-round all the way up to the ‘neck’. The entrelac stiches in this pattern are repeats of 6 sts per base triangle. For both versions, I inserted a few eyelets for the drawstring, at the neck. The drawstrings are a pair of 3 st i-cord, 48 cm long in version A, and 32 cm in version B.

Materials

Needles: A set of four 3.3 mm DPNs, a pair of 2.1 mm DPNs, and one 3.9 mm DPN for the loose bo.

Yarn: 1 ball of Flower Garden (cotton 50%; acrylic 50%); 30g (84m) per ball; per colour.

Colour A: pink mix;

Colour B: yellow mix.

Gauge: 26 sts in 10 cm, 20 rows in 5 cm in St st.

Finished measurements:

ver.A: 18 cm (width) x 15 cm (height);

ver.B: 14 cm (width) x 13 cm (height).

Instructions

Versions A & B.

For ver.A, use Colour A, continue until Rnd 17 [72 sts].

For ver.B, use colour B, continue until Rnd 13 [54 sts].

Co 6 sts, and divide evenly onto 3 dpns, and join in the round.

Round 1: kfb [12 sts].

Rnd 2: k.

Rnd 3: (k, kfb, kfb, k) 3 times [18 sts].

Rnd 4: k.

Rnd 5: (kfb, k4, kfb) 3 times [24 sts].

Rnd 6: k.

Rnd 7: (k2, kfb, k2, kfb, k2) 3 times [30 sts].

Rnd 8: k.

Rnd 9: (k3, kfb, k2, kfb, k3) 3 times [36 sts].

Rnd 10: k.

Rnd 11: (kfb, k2, kfb, k4, kfb, k2, kfb) 3 times [48 sts].

Rnd 12: k.

Rnd 13: (k4, kfb, k6, kfb, k4) 3 times [54 sts].

Rnd 14: k.

Rnd 15: (k3, kfb, k2, kfb, k4, kfb, k2, kfb, k3) 3 times [66 sts].

Rnd 16: k.

Rnd 17: (k5, kfb, k10, kfb, k5) 3 times [72 sts].

Next Rnd: Start base triangles. Versions A & B.

Row 1: With RS facing, k1, turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: p all, turn.

R 3: sl1, k, turn.

R 5: sl1, k2, turn.

R 7: sl1, k3, turn.

R 9: sl1, k4, turn.

R 11: sl1, k5. Don’t turn.

Repeat R 1 – 11 to the end of the round.

For ver.A, you will have 12 base triangles, and for ver.B, 9 base triangles.

Next Rnd: Start first tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 1.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of base triangle on the left, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: sl1 pwise, p4, p2tog, turn.

R 3: k6, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth WS row.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of base triangle on the right, i.e. from tip to base. Then turn.

R 2 and all RS rows: k6, turn.

R 3: sl1 pwise, p4, p2tog, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth WS row.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, to end of round.

For ver.A, you will have 12 blocks, and for ver.B, 9 blocks.

Next Rnd: Start second tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 2.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of base triangle on the left, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2: sl1, k4, k2tog, turn.

R 3 and all WS rows: p6, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth RS row.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of base triangle on the right, i.e. from tip to base. Then turn.

R 2 and all WS rows: p6, turn.

R 3: sl1, k4, k2tog, turn.

Repeat R 2 & 3 for six more times. Don’t turn on the sixth RS row.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2, to end of round.

Next Rnd: Start third tier of blocks. Versions A & B.

First block in Tier 3.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 3.

Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Next Rnd:

Ver.A: Proceed (leap to) to next round of steps (Continue in straight St st.)

Ver.B. Start fourth tier of blocks, and continue until Tier 7.

Tiers 4 and 6.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 2, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.
Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 2, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Tier 7.

Repeat steps for First block in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.
Repeat steps for Second, and subsequent blocks in Tier 1, picking up sts from blocks rather than triangles.

Next Rnd: Final Tier of triangles in-the-round. Versions A & B.

Work the final tier of triangles to create a horizontal line of live sts at top of the entrelac section.

First triangle in Final Tier.

Row 1: With WS facing, pu 6 sts pwise along edge of block on the right, i.e. from base to tip. Then turn.

R 2: k5, ssk, turn.

R 3: p5, wrap next st, turn.

R 4: k4, ssk, turn.

R 5: p4, wrap next st, turn.

R 6: k3, ssk, turn.

R 7: p3, wrap next st, turn.

R 8: k2, ssk, turn.

R 9: p2, wrap next st, turn.

R 10: k, ssk, turn.

R 11: p, wrap next st, turn.

R 12: ssk. Don’t turn.

Second, and subsequent triangles in Final Tier.

Row 1: With RS facing, pu 6 sts kwise along edge of block on the left, i.e. from tip to base. Transfer last pu st to needle on left, ssk. Then turn.

R 2: p5, wrap next st, turn.

R 3: k4, ssk, turn.

R 4: p4, wrap next st, turn.

R 5: k3, ssk, turn.

R 6: p3, wrap next st, turn.

R 7: k2, ssk, turn.

R 8: p2, wrap next st, turn.

R 9: k, ssk, turn.

R 10: p, wrap next st, turn.

R 11: ssk. Don’t turn.

Repeat R 1 – 11 to end of round.

Next Rnd: continue in St st in-the-round.

Version A.

k 2 rounds.

Next rnd (45 rounds): *knit twin stem leaves pattern. rep * 3 times.

[Twin stem leaves pattern: see ‘Three Leaf Mitts’ free pattern by Brenda KB Anderson. Start with Right Leaf, and continue with Left Leaf on each needle. Leave out the pattern rep for Rnds 6-17].

NR: k.

NR: *k4, yo, k2tog; rep * 12 times.

NR: k.

bo loosely, and weave in ends.