Just as the title suggests, today the post will have a Japanese character. 毛糸だま is pronounced as Keitodama (= let’s knit) and its a combination of kanji and hiragana ‘symbols’*.
I have been following the Japanese culture through different media for several years now. I also know a little about the language and aspire to learn it properly someday. There are some things about their culture that are intriguing and so different from the ‘western mentality’ that it provides lots of food for thought and introspection.
A part of it that has really fascinated me is Japanese knitting!
Through the internet I have been getting glimpses of Japanese knitting and aesthetics, while wishing to get some real examples in my hands. Last year, I decided to spend a little extra and order 3 issues of the Japanese knitting magazine Keitodama from Japan. There are several ways to order such magazines online, if you can read Japanese, but if not, options are more limited. I ordered mine from the Etsy shop pomadour24 that offers a wide range of Japanese books and magazines. The magazines of course are normally priced, the extra money go to the shipping charges, that are normally a bit high when coming from a different continent to Greece. (And with heavier package)
When the magazines arrived and I opened the carefully prepared package, it really was like opening a Christmas present. That’s what I like with ordering things online: even though you know exactly what you have ordered, getting it in your hands is a different experience. That’s why our postwoman is really my own real version of Santa Claus!
And how can you not admire the glossy paper and excellent photography of these magazines? Or the knits and crochet pieces themselves? I spent days and days just browsing and re-browsing through them. Without being able to read properly at this stage, I tried to decipher by looking at the pictures, the structure, the ads. The magazines have a huge collection of designs and they are not limited to knitting and crochet. There are projects with step by step pictures for making bead bracelets and other techniques. There is not much text in the magazine. Most of it is reserved for the small features of events, artists and the editorial. The patterns use text only to denote the necessary materials, the rest of the information is given in the form of charts and graphs. All projects are given in one size.
This procedure is not exclusive to Keitodama, this is how the knitting world in Japan operates. And I have to say, I really like how they describe everything by using only charts! I love charts. The clarity and visual they provide are extremely practical. And they also help in customising designs.
But you know whats bad? Getting 3 magazines in one go is really bad for pattern wishlisting. There are a bit too many patterns I would like to make from these issues. From some, I want just to make use of the stitch patterns, rather than the complete form, since many Japanese patterns have an oversized straight boxy line that I can’t wear. Truth to be told, several of the patterns featured are not Japanese at all. Two of the issues feature the Norwegian design duo Arne & Carlos and mittens from the Latvian book of mittens (guess what, this is also on my wishlist!). Colorwork to the max!
As I was getting stressed in deciding what to make first, I told myself to take it easy and make something easy and fast to complete. I decided to frog a cape I made several years ago, that I rarely wore, and use the yarns to make the Lopi poncho from issue 163. I thought it would be (and it was) a good first contact with Japanese patterns. Of course I didn’t start on my own. I consulted Donna Druchunas’s excellent articles on Japanese patterns and knitting. They helped me get a better idea on the structure of patterns and will for sure visit them again in the future.
So basically, I made an Icelandic inspired fair isle poncho from a Japanese magazine.
The coloring is different from the original, since I had another palette at hand, and I didn’t stop there with modifications, I tried a few more: I added a row of red french knots towards the bottom of the poncho, as well as a row of reverse single crochet stitches as bottom edging.
The knitting was easy (basically beginner level), the result pretty nice, and the size just perfect to wear over jackets or coats. I was pretty happy that I could fit in the Japanese ‘one size’. XD
I wore it quite frequently this winter, so it is officially a keep!
And about the other patterns? Well, until I grow a second pair of hands, they will have to patiently wait for their turn!
P.S:
another great source of Japanese knitting is the online magazine called Amirisu (you can read it online). It has launched in recent years and features excellent designs from well known designers from around the world. (let’s not talk about how many things I want to knit from there xD)
*[They are the equivalent of western alphabets, but not alphabets themselves and both sets differ between them considerably. Hiragana is a syllabary and kanji the Chinese set of ideograms.]
