knits.beads.stuffs.

I want to break Free~!!

2011-06-05T23:52:00.002+08:00

Well~~~

I am flying off to London and France again in a couple of days and guess what.

I still have the same sock I had on my needles almost 2 years ago~~~

T_T

GARGGH!~

Work has been crazy and Mollie getting sick was quite a toll on my schedule as well~ But I don't understand how it could make me procrastinate from finishing those toes~~!!! m-_-m

So. I'm going to finish them tomorrow night. And start a new project soon~ Please wish me luck. I need it.

Meanwhile my FFXIV self is busy spinning away on my behalf

I'm Spinning!!! .... Not......

2011-01-23T10:04:00.004+08:00

"I" am spinning actually.

Right here with "my" spinning wheel...

Aya was trying out her Masterpiece skill yesterday and I decided it's time to get the secondary item for weavers since she's already past R10. So here it is. It looks much cooler spinning yarn with a spinning wheel than with a sewing needle (don't ask me how that's done really).

So yes, while I'm physically not knitting, or spinning, or stuffing bears, Aya is. ^_^ Looks like things to do with yarns don't get very far from me eh? :D

By the way I should be picking up them needles soon. Few things happening at one and I cannot game with one hand, so I'll see how it goes.

Tsubasa 翼

2010-11-21T14:16:00.002+08:00

Name: Tsubasa 翼
Original Pattern: Wabito by Jennylovesbenny
Date of Birth: 19 November 2010
Height: 5"

名前：翼
誕生日：１１月１９日２０１０年
身長：５”

Tsubasa's a curious little bunny who loves to explore. His favorite games are Hide and Seek and Tag.

翼は興味は深いの小兎です、ばかり探検をします！大好きなゲームはカクレンボと達磨さんが転んだです！

He may be very little now but he has big dreams!

いまは小さくても、大きいの夢がいっぱい！！

hello Hello hello

2010-11-09T22:46:00.002+08:00

I am SO tired

A lot of things have happened, work-wise, and I guess that's what's been keeping me busy - apart from the two work trips of 20h flights x 4 in total - anyways.

I think there's been a lot of things I have been wanting to do and have been able to keep at a bare minimum at the beginning of the year. It's not a very good balance, but I had the time to attempt the balance at least.

Today I sit and look at my crafts (and my consoles) and i wonder when I would be able to pick them up again.

Today, I write here with hope that i would be able to have some updates and some progress soon.

Apparently...

2010-07-14T09:13:00.002+08:00

I write like Lovecraft~!

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Oh my....

2010-07-12T08:43:00.002+08:00

I haven't updated for such a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!
T_T

I haven't been up to much but aside from a number of new purchases and scanty FOs (none actually... except for the one i haven't blogged) I have been working hard to post my photos.

So I hope I will soon have something to share ~~ ^_^

Wait!!

2010-04-27T12:12:00.001+08:00

I'm still here!!!

Craft-y updates soon I hope...
Finished a pair of Socks in March that's yet to be posted... In the midst of a wip, and am stitching up another bunny...

Stay Tuned~

Ups and Downs

2010-02-14T09:55:00.003+08:00

It's the first day of the Lunar New Year and it's also Valentines' Day... Season's Greetings everyone~~

I've signed up for Winter Ravelympics and was looking forward to knitting all day but amidst the festivities, my uncle who has battled cancer for awhile has gone Home in peace. So plans have changed a little.

Today I decided to check my email in the morning after mindlessly clicking on Starfleet Commander.

Lo and behold, an email entitled "Retro Video Games Sock Club Volume 2 Issue 1" from Serendipitous Ewe.

The first line goes:

Dear Adrianne,

Welcome to the 2010 Retro Video Game Sock Club! The first installment of the 2010 club is Final Fantasy.

....

YES!!!!!! and I'm waiting for XIII next month too!

i can't wait i can't wait i can't wait

Somehow, I'm not surprised my furs, games, and knitting are going to help me through this time.

菫　Sumire

2009-12-26T20:42:00.003+08:00

Before 2009 comes to a close, I have to introduce you to Sumire (Sue-me-ray).

Sumire was made for my Sensei who has decided to return home to Japan. Many of us were very sad to see her leave, but we were all very grateful to her kindness and patience as a teacher. So, Sumire has a sort of a little smile...

Sumire or 菫 means 'violet (the flower)' in Japanese. She was christened by a dear friend, and fellow bear-maker El. Sumire loves classical music.

Sumire
Date of Birth: 17 Dec 2009
Height: 8.5"

菫
誕生日：２００９年１２月１７日
身長：８．５吋

Sumire is now in Japan and lives with her new owner, my Sensei. :) I hope I will get to visit them one day!

Here's the peering photo~

broken needles and sox box

2009-09-19T20:06:00.003+08:00

Well I was knitting away at a new sock yesterday and guess what happened...

Sigh!!! I love these needles... and the thing was, it broke just like that! I didn't even pull the yarn through the stitch...

The good thing I guess is that I will now have legitimate excuse to buy new needles.

On another note, I've always dreamed of having a project box at home full of socks.

Well although instead of one big box, I have 2 small ones, I'm a happy camper.

I love these boxes! They are cheap and good ehehheehe... They are fun too since I can easily see what projects are inside. I initially use them only for my bears, but why keep it to just one craft? :D

I guess everyone can see I'm kinda in an mlc (red) phase... I started two new socks in red. -_-... I think that fed my startitis well and I'm going to make sure I won't start anything new before anything is finished.

Silke

2009-09-07T00:24:00.003+08:00

my oh my... it's September and I haven't posted anything in August!

Anyway I finished something

It's a one skein stole with noro silk garden sock yarn.
:)

I have to thank Lois for bringing her stole at our KO show and tell hehe... I managed to knit this thus quickly because it became something that I could do during the little bit of tv time I have.

I love the gradation of the colors!! Noro never fails to amaze me. hehe. In fact, I think this yarn has a better life as a beautiful dropped stitch stole than if it were a sock!!

well well well... time to get back to those other FOs...

Flopps the Bunny

2009-07-19T17:20:00.002+08:00

IroIro gave me this kit months ago when a few of us went to her place and she taught Ellie and I miniature bear making. I started working after that and had three bears as wip projects, this being one of them. I was no longer making bears by the week but as time passes, and as I worked on each project bit by bit, I eventually ended up with an almost finished 'bear' two weeks ago. So here is Flopps the Bunny, as dear Pat has christened, today. :)

Flopps is a sweet and gentle bunny, and I think he likes to read. He loves daydreaming as well. He likes drinking warm milk for tea and munching on crispy carrots.

I love Flopps' tail!!

Flopps the Bunny

Date of Birth: 19 July 2009
Height: 7 inches
Original Pattern: Wilbur Rabbit by Kympatti Bears

I used to think that I will only make bears... but Flopps has made me reconsider that. I think I would give different animals a chance, although bears will still be remain my faves to make. :)

Dear Ayumi....

2009-06-27T22:14:00.003+08:00

Please knit faster... I don't think I have much space for your yarns that 'are not really stash' anymore. Didn't you just read that as long as they take up space, they are considered stash? And also, if the yarn is a gift, it will still end up as stash no?

Please knit faster... I'm holding up but I'm not sure how much longer...

Your Yarn Shelf

Oolong

2009-06-07T19:43:00.002+08:00

I have been working on these socks for awhile... Lois 'threatened' that she didn't want to see it again at the next KO lol.

The pattern was great and the yarn was nice to work with. I initially had a tiny misunderstanding with the pattern and wrote to the designer, Mona about it. She was very kind and replied really quickly. And when I realized how silly I was, it was fortunately nearing the end of the leg. hehehe...

I worked two socks at once on two sets of dpns. I know summerknit warned me about using two sets of dpns from two different brands... (they might have a slight difference thus causing some tension problems) But so far, and I hope NOT to have such a problem in future, I have been blessed by the Goddess of non-SSS.

Oolong by Mona Schmidt

Made with Cherry Tree Hill in Green Mountain Madness

I have another 2 pairs of socks in the making... no progress on the cardigan. :( But I keep telling myself, a stitch is a stitch, so I gotta keep going. hehe.

Plum

2009-06-07T16:18:00.003+08:00

I've been so slow at knitting and absolutely lazy at blogging. I'm now a full-time maid at home and still have to go to work. AS has gone for his surgery at the ankle and I not only have one less pair of hands to help around the house but one more to care for. BLEAH....

I finished this awhile ago, just before I started my work (and I've been here 2 months already!)

I've worn it a few times at work and never ever had a chance to take pictures.

Plum

This is the two-toned ribbed shrug from Fitted Knits. I did it with Cotton ease and actually kinda like the yarn!

I have finished my Oolong socks. Might blog it this evening. Hopefully

wednesdays and gussets

2009-04-27T19:13:00.002+08:00

I don't like doing the gusset of socks. I don't particularly hate it so much that I can't finish a sock (as my Sock FOs will prove).

It's something like a Wednesday. Wednesdays are smack in the middle of a working week, like the gusset is somewhat in the middle of a sock.

When you're done with Wednesday, Friday will get here in a blink of an eye.

When you're done with the gusset, the toes will soon be begging for the Kitchener.

So yes, when I (eventually) finish my mum's cardigan, I hope to be making socks by the week.

oh yayy!

2009-04-13T22:27:00.002+08:00

I have an FO!

Well ok I need to sew in the ends....

But it's an FO.

The good news is... well I should have a teeny bit more time to craft now at least for the month. I finished Intermediate Japanese and am waiting for the Pre-Advance class to start. It's probably not going to be anytime this month though.

The not so good news is... I still have my mum's cardi to go boohoo.... However, seeing that I can actually finish something is making me hope I'll have time to finish her cardi too.

On bear notes, I received the mini bear kit I got with E from Gerry's. I am supposed to be able to make mini flower fairy bears but... they only gave me green and bear colored material. :( I thought there will be nicer stuff like some red or blue. And there aren't even instructions for the 'flower' parts... I guess it's nothing for beginners! I will have to get some ribbon for the birthday bear as well as some flower things for the minis if I were to make them the next time I go to spotlight.

So will I craft tonight?

2009-04-01T19:35:00.002+08:00

Specs:

Bears
1 bear to close up
1 bunny to finish sewing parts, stuff and so on.
1 birthday bear to start cutting and sewing

Knits
Ribbing part for that Two-Tone Rib Shrug (OH! finally I talk about it)
Ribbing part for that Rib-Lace Cardi
Second Heel flap for Oolong
More than Half of Absinthe to go

Ginger

2009-03-26T09:41:00.000+08:00

Ginger is a bear I picked out for my mum for her birthday. The first thing I looked for was a kit that would have a higher chance having the bear end up as a girl. The second thing was the size. I wanted something smaller because Mum is also getting a knitted cardigan (yes the alleged one I have not finished), and I wanted to finish ONE thing at least for her birthday. This kit was perfect!

(Her ribbon is not the right length here because I took the photo a day earlier. I wanted her to share the same birthday as Mum.)

Ginger is a vivacious little girl who wants to grow up to be a famous pop star. She embraces her unique look (so do I!) and dreams about performing on stage someday! She will be a hit, especially with her cute peering look!

Here's a candid shot just before she's off to Mum's. I can't help it but have to pun.

Ginger Beer.

Ginger is made with a beautiful and unique PawPaw mohair and is cotter-pin jointed. Ginger stands approximately 6.5" tall and is a wonderful bear to make! She is supposed to have shaded eye sockets and I even went to buy the appropriate markers to do that. But I am so apprehensive about it I left it out. I think she looks fine as she is.

Ginger

Date of Birth: 21 March 2009
Height: 6.5 inches
Original Pattern: Gina by Ruth Parsons

Well as you know I have made 8 bears to date and I'm quite certain there will be more to come. They won't be greeting you every week now though but they will be here. :) Here's a group photo with the first eight.

Little Sam

2009-03-24T08:20:00.001+08:00

Here's Little Sam!!!

Little Sam is a baby bear and he's curious about everything. He's got a really inquisitive look! :)In a way, he kinda reminds me of Timothy but Little Sam isn't as shy. He also likes to be cradled. By pillows, by you, by yours truly.

Little Sam is 10 inches tall and is lock/nut jointed. I actually put everything together for Little Sam on my own, just like I did for Jazz. I picked out the mohair from my VERY modest stash, and picked out the thread for his nose. I wanted to try a slightly different color from the usual dark brown or black (I don't have black actually) but not go as crazy as Jazz's purple nose - so I picked this toffee brown. I also decided to try out a different nose shape this time.

Because I put everything together and used the joints I got from the local Spottie, Little Sam's birthday was very much delayed. Spots has got dumb joint sets that allow you to make 5 limbed bears with no heads. Thankfully, Alicia came to the rescue and Little Sam got his head attached. :) Little Sam's mohair fabric is also exceptionally soft. So his head was a little rounded initially and the eyes didn't pull in well enough even though we pressed them in very hard while attaching. I did some very simple needle sculpting after class the other day and it works wonders! Now I think his face is just perfect!

Little Sam

Date of Birth: 20 March 2009
Height: 10"
Original Pattern: Molly by Dee

And oh! Have I told you I hate sewing, and I especially dislike sewing on their ears. That's also one of the reason why he's birthday is delayed. Little Sam's ears has GOT to be the ones I'm most proud of though! Here's his peering look.

Briseis

2009-03-17T20:30:00.001+08:00

Mollie wants to introduce her friend, Briseis.

Briseis is an 8.5 inch bear and is my first girl bear. Her fur is made of wool and is a beautiful rust color. She also has suede pawpads, just like Gordon. She's as unique as she can be! Briseis loves ribbons and flowers. So I made her a little tatted flower for her ribbon.

As my latest bear, Briseis has the perfect nose. I really believe it all comes with practice. And I guess as with knitting, patience works. I must admit that I'm not a patient person to begin with. I'm only patient because I knit. And here, I'm only patient because I want to create nice bears. The process of making the Timothy, Gordon, Raleigh, Jazz, Franz and Briseis is so fulfilling that I have more bearwips coming up. I only have to keep reminding myself not to rush against time, and things will be fine.

So yes, Briseis made me very proud. :)

Briseis
Date of Birth: 9 March 2009
Height: 8.5"

Sigh... Isn't she just so sweet? Here's the peering photo.

And now there are six.

I really need a shelf!! :P

Updates

2009-03-16T11:00:00.001+08:00

I had bear startitis by the way. I had my class on pulled toes, needle sculpting and sleepy eyes, so I have a nice class bear in the making. I also have a small bear meant for my mum (but I like it a lot now), plus a bunny. I have a mini. And also someone is waiting to be stuffed.

Sounds like my knitting?

(To keep track, I have 2 socks going on, my mum's cardi is at the sleeves still, and I have forgotten about my own ribbed cardi -_-'')

Franz

2009-03-16T10:06:00.003+08:00

Well... Here's my first mini-bear.

His name is Franz and is about 2.5 inches tall. Franz is supposed to be Santa's little helper and he's stressed out by the work load.

He is also a little sad that his hat is a bit too tight and his nose is a tad too big. :(

But Franz has cute beady eyes... see 'em beady eyes???

Franz
Date of Birth: 4 March 2009
Height: Approx. 2.5"
Original Pattern: Santa's Little Helper
(Franz is reduced to 75% from original pattern)

Being my first mini, I still like Franz a lot :) I learnt a lot from making Franz and I'm sure he won't be the only mini around here. I can't wait to make more friends for him but at the moment, he's happy with his group of bear friends and his candy cane!

how do you give them away?

2009-03-10T13:00:00.002+08:00

I always feel that it's not easy giving away my finished items. Even if I start the project telling myself it's a gift, I might change my mind halfway through - most of the time I'm too in love with the project but there are occasions when I think it's not good enough to be gifted.

I did try to get myself started on gifting my my finished items... and I tried to use whatever I knew about crafting to try and create some nice handmade presents. After all, I know people who appreciate handmade gifts. My first gifts included my first lace shawl - Kimono, requested by my grandma, knitted for eons and eons, and presented to her almost a year later! I also finally gave AS his sweater, and now he's asking for another. I have gifted him scarves and socks and fingerless gloves, but I enjoy giving him items mostly because they are still in the house and I cans see them whenever I like.

Last year I've given away bracelets and stitchmarkers to friends. But I still managed to make a copy on my own if I can. If not, I would take pictures so that I might be able to make more for myself 'some time soon'. And who could forget my Fetching Frenzy? It's a wonderful way to try out angora, and it's a wonderful thought that they will be useful in the cold French winter last year. In fact it's quite fun to be the walking Fetching pattern heh. Even so, you might also remember I made Fetchings for myself, as a compliment to the pair of Dashing I knitted for AS.

Now my mum is asking for a cardigan (two now. and a shawl too). I like the yarn a lot (debbie bliss alpaca silk dk). I feel like getting it for myself next time. And well it's going on and on and on and it's not finishing quickly enough. So I thought I'd make her a bear to appease her. She likes bears. My whole family likes bears. And so a bear kit it is. I made its head. I can finish it soon by the end of this week. But then again, I like it so much!

So I'm currently facing another problem. Bears are also hard to give away because they have this character and face. Just like my knits have gone through ups and downs with me, these bears have been created stitch by stitch, all by myself. (ok AS helps with the bear eyes) I suppose over time, I'd get attached to the project. If it comes with a face, it's even harder to say bye. It reminds me of the time I intended Gordon to be my Dad's birthday present but I like him so much I got Dad another kit.

Sigh!!! I hope I get resolved on this soon because Mum's birthday is two Saturdays away!

PS: I changed the title two days ago. I guess it better reflects the contents hehe

Jazz

2009-03-08T21:17:00.004+08:00

I finished Jazz awhile ago but haven't had the chance to blog about him.

Jazz is a very unique little bear, as you can see.

He's made of blue mohair, has a unique muzzle and also has a nice purple nose. The process of making Jazz is also a unique one. If you're a knitter, or a crafter in general for that matter, you might have instances when you just KEEP GOING. I'm talking about times when the project looks 'a little weird' or you just 'don't feel right' about the item in your hands. It's the time when you tell yourself, full of confidence, that it may seem weird now, but it will turn out alright in the end. And you wait to be surprised.

Unfortunately, the surprise may be more shocking than pleasing than you initially expected.

Jazz is one of these instances. I remember thinking that he will turn out fine if I put in his eyes, and that he will be alright if I do his nose properly. And then I told myself, he will look okay when I sew on his ears. AND I thought he would be perfect once he's all done.

Jazz turned out so different from the original pattern that I have no idea what went wrong. When he's all done, he looked like a totally different bear. And he looked very sad because of that.

But this wrong wasn't a bad one. He is so superbly small and I like cradling him in my palm, and he's unique look grows on me too.

Jazz

Date of Birth: 23 February 2009
Height: 5"
Original Pattern: Bottlebrush Bear by Loris Hancock

I've since stopped comparing Jazz to the original pattern. What's the point of doing that when he is who he is? I will still attempt that pattern again but for now, Jazz is Jazz and is loved by all his bear friends.

:)

In the meantime, I completed a mini last week and more bears are being made. One has just ears to sew on hehe... :) Stitches are knitted albeit a little slowly but hey, a stitch is still a stitch right?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-06T18:42:00.001+08:00

I have bear startitis!!!!

-_-''

Raleigh

2009-03-01T20:58:00.003+08:00

Here's Raleigh.

Raleigh is sitting on a napping Millie. And he's rather good friends with her too.

Raleigh's the third bear I completed and in order to prevent this blog from an onslaught of bears, I decided to space this entry out. Didn't work much did it?

I really like his old-fashioned look. He also has this particularly forlorn face that I adore. In fact I think he's the most traditional looking bear I have made to date. I actually imagined him sitting by the window when it's pouring outside so I had to take this photo (although it wasn't pouring but anyways....)

How can you resist that face?? I think he embodies the reason why I like sad bears too... He is awfully nice and sweet really but he's just sad about having to grow up.

Raleigh
Date of Birth: 20 February 2009
Height: 9 Inches
Original Patter: Tash by Jumbuck Bears

NOTE: I know the introduction to the pattern via the link says that Tash is a loosely stuffed bear. My stuff-happy bear-making self decided to stuff him otherwise. He still is cute though. hehe

Here's a group photo with Gordon and Timothy.

Vintage Infant's Silk Socks

2009-02-23T09:01:00.006+08:00

Yup, this pattern's from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I borrowed it from Lois and then I thought I should just get a copy for myself. And I did! It's on the way to my shelf now... I really love all the vintage stuff that's in it... Recently I've been in a 'traditional' craze. I guess it just grows on you especially since I'm someone who likes to learn and make things from scratch.

ANYWAY I thought I decided to give one of the patterns a try. I've heard so much about children's socks and wondered if there's any different from the normal adult socks that I make. So I decided to pick one pattern from the book, get some 4ply yarn and work on it. At the back of my head, I also thought I need a recipient for these little socks, and MLC's adorable daughter came to my mind.

I chose to work with Rowan's Cashsoft 4 ply because there was a very beautiful vintage pink. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of the yarn since I started the project almost immediately. But here's a picture with some leftovers.

I actually worked the sock over the CNY period - when I usually get a lot of knitting time sitting in front of the TV! The thing is these socks went slower than I thought because I was using 2mm and I started them on some Susan Bates... which are 7" ... Definitely not a length I would want to work with for kids socks anymore! (initially they were on the 1,75mm pink needles and the whole project was so pink!!! But I had to go up sizes to make slightly larger socks so they got onto the gold 2mms)

There are a few little things about children's socks though. Firstly, longer legs are better - all the more they won't pull of the socks. Secondly, they have a short gusset!! Third, definitely a fast and satisfying knit, as with all baby and children's things... :) I'm glad to finish the pair before Isabel's birthday so I had some time to send it off to her! Yayy!

And here's our beautiful and adorable model with her knitted socks!

Infant's Silk Socks by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks
Worked with Rowan Classic Yarns on 2mm Susan Bates DPNs

I've been hijacked by bears, if you haven't noticed. But all is not lost. I had a great KO on Saturday and seeing everyone knitting away and sharing their projects has kicked off my mojo. The weather does keep me off the needles, especially since I'm working on a cardigan. But I'm happy to say that I found stuff to watch on the History Channel last night and knitted for about 2 hours!

In the meantime, I do hope to use this time I have to craft as much as I can. I won't have the luxury in about a month's time!

Gordon

2009-02-16T18:40:00.004+08:00

Meet Gordon!

I was taking the intermediate bear-making class on the last two Sundays and Gordon's my class bear. He's fully jointed with nut/bolt joints and has pellets in his tum! Gordon also has a layer of nose gloss to give his cute nose a glossy finish.

I know he's really peeking through his furry muzzle but I kinda like it that way. I could trim it actually but thought it's nicer this way. In fact, I initially wanted to make the bear for my Dad but fell so much in love with the fur and the fuzzy snout that I had to keep him for myself. :P I also love how his fur parts at his mouth hehehe

Gordon
Date of Birth: 16 February 2009
Height: 10"

Timothy is no longer alone! :)

More photos here.

KO with Prudence

2009-02-04T09:46:00.002+08:00

We had a wonderful ad-hoc KO with Prudence yesterday evening. It was great fun and she shared with us a lot of her works. I really enjoyed seeing all her wonderful creations of free-form knitting.

Here's our group photo:

I worked on the child's sock for a bit and then went back to Oolong. It's here taking a coffee break with CharmEng's yarn.

Oooh I also received Birthday Yarn from Susan yesterday. So nice of her!!! It's here, and I have taken to call it my new yarn pet. Yum!!

There are more photos of the knit out yesterday here.

Timothy

2009-01-20T08:22:00.005+08:00

Meet Timothy!

Timothy is my first proper teddy bear. (Well, Do you remember Oliver? He's more of a knitting FO, hee.) Thanks go to MLC for teaching me the basics of creating someone as adorable as Timothy!

Timothy is originally named Timmy but after stitching up all the parts, I had a feeling this bear of mine isn't going to have a name which could be shortened from another. So it was either Timothy or something else.

Timothy is a fully-jointed 6" bear. I used the cotter-pins and wooden washers provided in the kit for his joints.

There are still lots of areas I can improve on, but this is my very first bear after all. So I hope he's okay. Anyways, I decided to use 5mm eyes instead of the 4mm provided. I wanted Timothy to look younger. I also set his eyes wider apart and now he has this 'peering look'. While I'm not sure what to do about his ears, they sure look best this way, I thought.

I also made little mistakes. His paw pads aren't exactly equal for some reason, but the length and positioning of his limbs are okay. :) And also, I'm going to get myself some nice embroidery thread, because I didn't like the one provided. It looks cute on Timothy though.

I gave him a wee smile because he's a shy little boy.

I took a lot of pictures of him when I remembered he can pose! And while I got snap-happy, I got Momo out to take pictures with him.

He's really cute!

Timothy
Date of Birth: 19 January 2009
Original Pattern: Timmy by Lesley Stipanov

More pictures here!

First KO in 2009

2009-01-19T22:52:00.002+08:00

We had our first KO this year and poor Lois couldn't make it - thanks to a terrible virus. :(

So anyways we took a picture but unfortunately I didn't check it well enough and it turned out a tad blurry.

But all that aside, we had a good time and there were a couple of new faces. It was a whole lot of fun and laughter, knits and tips. Well, I also went around doing what Phoebe started with... :) So take your guesses everyone!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

I'm not in any of those by the way :P

Oh we had an FO during the KO. It's a preemie hat Susan made.

It's cute, isn't it? :)

Ok now, some updates on my wips.... I have another obsession to report about tomorrow you see.

So, my knitting tales lately have been bland. I'm sad to say that my widdershins didn't work, and neither did the Twinkleberry socks that came after that. During the KO, Cindy and I realized I was knitting a Christmas-sized stocking ready for some pressies. (Well ok it's not THAT huge but it will fit diamonds, or about one and a half of my foot.) I still like both the patterns though but I think since my last cursed yarn has been used up, the yarn I'm using for these projects has decided to take the place of the Cursed. I probably will work on these patterns another time with a more fortunate yarn...

The good news is, I have started a new pair of socks. I'm using Green Mountain Madness from CTH and am doing the Oolong socks by Mona Schmidt from TC Fall 08. I will make further reports if all goes well... It looks good so far though, and I enjoy the pattern a lot.

Catja

2009-01-12T08:40:00.004+08:00

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!~ I really appreciated them. :)

Well, my birthday isn't really the first birthday of my household in the year even though it's technically in the first week of the year. My darling cat MangMang has the credits to being the first. And yup, my first FO of the year started on 4th Jan 09 (Mang's birthday - she's now 9!). My mum has a fantasy that my dear cat needs a bare-backed outfit. (she also 'gives me ideas' about dresses and jumpers with hole so that mang's tail can go through -_-) Well, I've always had Katja in mind too and it's such a wonderful pattern to knit that I wouldn't mind making more for human recipients.

I casted on in the evening and when I put it aside to have my dinner, I left it on my sofa. Mang, who has really thick fur, usually does not sit on the sofa. But she decided to cozy up with the top I was making her that day. So while she zzzz-ed lying on the top, I decided not to wake her and didn't work on it much after dinner.

Of course I finished it the next day and my dear MangMang didn't know what's in store for her. I don't know why but the first i-cord strap took eons to finish. And since I finished it before it was dark, I quickly woke Mang from her afternoon siesta so that she could pose in it.

It was quite easy getting her to wear it but she didn't like to be held upright for long periods (she used to dislike anyone carrying her as well and will start squirming). If I let her walk on fours, then she would look like she's wearing a tube top. I think the top is also flattering on her since it flattens her poufy fur and makes her look slimmer. Don't you think so?

I changed the pattern a little so I could have some buttons put on the back of the halter. I knitted flat and included the buttonholes for the first part of the torso, and then I joined and knitted in the round thereafter. I only managed to get buttons a few days after which is why I waited until today before I could post anything. (mang is on my non-knitting blog tho.)

And here is a mosaic!

Catja (originally Katja) from knitty.com, GGH Bali on 4mm Clover Takumi Circulars. Button from DMC

So anyways now, my mum thinks that I should take MangMang to my family's reunion dinner to see my grandma (who loves my furkids as well) and let her wear this top since it's red and it's Lunar New Year... -_-

Purls of Wisdom

2009-01-07T10:52:00.002+08:00

I turn 28 today and I looked at my Yarn Harlot daily calendar... well well well. I admit I could be recovering from Startitis, but what could be more appropriate for yours truly than this Purl of Wisdom:

'You don't have to feel bad if you are the sort of knitter who doesn't finish a lot of stuff. Many of us are in it for the process rather than the product, and this has only to do with personality differences, rather than moral superiority. Sure, it's hard to remember that when other knitters sit smirking in their new sweaters and you are starting your 57th first sock of a pair, but keep this in mind: It's called "knitting" not "sweater-making".'

hahahaha talk about how appropriate things are!

oops

2009-01-03T23:30:00.002+08:00

oh dear. the first post of the year and it's about frogging.

So some of you might have heard that I decided to tackle the toe ups once again. I picked widdershins from knitty.com and worked with one of my KP palettes. The toes went perfectly well this time, all thanks to Judy's Magic Cast on. And even though the project strangely seemed narrow, the sock actually fitted my feet.

So I thought all was going well until, the twisted cabling became more and more tedious, the yarn seemed to become darker and darker, and I just grew more and more tired of the project. Unfortunately, being on 2 circs, the 2 socks weren't very portable especially in our crowded trains. (I'm just not very skilled with the method yet, one day I will manage) One of the reasons why I didn't switch to dpns is also because of the twisted cabling... I don't think I want to risk breaking any needles!

I have already done the gussets and today I decided I should turn the heels... And then I got very frustrated because I didn't really know what I was doing, and neither was I certain of which were the wrapped stitches.

And this project went to the frogging station. Sigh.

Clearly, this was no one's fault. Sometimes things just don't work out and I suppose this is one of them.

OH WELL.

My resolution this year is to complete at least a pair of socks toe up!!

Meanwhile I think I'll cast on something purple...

Knits in 2008

2008-12-28T16:24:00.003+08:00

Well the end of the year is coming, so I thought I'd look at what I've done over the past year in this world of Ps and Ks.

I had to split into two mosaics because for some reason, fdflickrtoys couldn't manage a 24 tiled mosaic - which is really strange. But I've tried a LOT of times and it still didn't work. So there, I decided to split up the mosaic into two.

Incidentally that also shows how much more I've done in the past year as compared to 2006 and 2007. I guess I'm knitting a little faster than before~ :) Not fast enough though, because I still have so much I want to do and so much yarns I want to use up. :P Among the projects, I'm surprised to have completed 3 scarves, 4 shawls, 5 pairs of socks, and 6 pairs of Fetchings! I feel really accomplished!

I hope to be able to continue knitting as much as I can next year like I did this year, and without giving up my gaming time or reading time. I don't think I'll have as many FOs next year though, especially if I do get to start work. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes and needles) crossed because although work means less knitting time, it means more moolah. And more moolah is good.

Well the year has its ups and downs, and as many of you would agree, knitting is good company during bad and good times. I am really pleased to have it with me when I get stuck in my games, when I run out of books to read, when I get bored in the MRT and when I am trying not to fall asleep in front of the tv.

Let's enjoy the last few days of 2008 and Have A Knitterly, Crafterly 2009 ahead everyone!! May there be more knits, yarns and FOs to come! :D

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T00:32:00.000+08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!

Season of Fetching

2008-12-19T08:41:00.003+08:00

I've got 6 Fetchings done this year, all for different recipients.

The first pair was mine of course, done with Jaeger Extra Fine Merino. It's a Valentine's day gift set for us with Dashing.

Then I had a Fetching Frenzy around November and I thought I'd make them for some recipients. I had them in my head but I never found time to go down to get the yarns. I only managed to get the yarns in early Dec and made them all in a span of 6 days - with a break in between. So really, if you're looking for a last minute project, and have a ball of DK somewhere, try this!

:)

La Reine

2008-12-13T17:27:00.003+08:00

I finished and blocked this awhile ago but never had the chance to take it out for a good photoshoot.

Anyways here's my Queen Anne's Lace :)

Queen Anne's Lace in Jaeggerspun Zephyr in Mahogany.

I loved knitting every bit of this. It was a pattern that keeps one interested and even though it gets bigger with every knitted round. LOVE it!!

Monkey

2008-12-03T08:42:00.004+08:00

I'm back with a post!!

These are my monkeys.

The pattern is great!! I really love it. I did change the heel to an Eye of Partridge heel with garter edges though. I didn't like the original stst heel, especially with yarn like KP Essential - I don't think it's a good idea.

Why? KP Essential is very soft and fun to work with. But the problem is it pills easily, and soon I risk having 'furry' socks. You can see in some of my pictures that it attracts all sorts of stuff (like my dog's hair for example) very VERY easily. I have a feeling this would make the knitted fabric not very lasting...

On the other hand, I do love the pair as a whole. I love scrunching my socks when I wear them. So this pair makes me want to do that immediately. And here you can see me scrunch up the socks and the eye of partridge heel, which I think works great with the yarn's variegation!

I did this pair of socks simultaneously on dpns. And there's a strange story during my knitting process. Please scroll directly too the bottom if you find the story too long.

So you see I left one sock (presumeably sock A) on the needles at the end of the gusset decreases. And I started to work on sock B. On the day I was set to finish ONE sock (in this case sock B) I took out sock A to admire. (really!)

And lo and behold, the two socks are of the same length.

Somewhere in between I had been working on sock A as well! I had initially thought it was strange sock B was taking such a long time, and I would take an equally long time with sock A - so a large part of my knitting was sprinkled with 'why why why why why'. I also ~~occasionally~~ frequently tried on the socks and wondered why it's 'not there yet'

So when I finally thought I was taking out sock A to admire, I realized it was time to do the toe. For both!

Whoo!!!!

Monkey by Cookie A. on Clover 2.5mm dpns with Knitpicks Essentials in Tuscany Multi.

I'm working on projects now but I'm not talking about them yet. I've been too busy recently as I have a Japanese test tomorrow and I need to do good! (It's getting very tough but anyways) I also don't have my computer with me so hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures today and post them for some updates.

Whaaat??

2008-11-24T23:53:00.002+08:00

I just kitchenered Monkeys in the evening.

Do you realize what this means?

I have no wip!

Zip.

The yarns for Mum's cardigan arrived in the mail today.

So I might start that soon.

Knowing me, sooner is better than later.

Now, let me bask in this surreal feeling for awhile~

Fetching the Second

2008-11-19T15:25:00.003+08:00

Yes! And FO!

And I didn't even have time to announce I casted on another project.

Decided to make my teacher a pair of Fetchings because they are so easy, so quick and so nice. I thought about what I had in my stash and lo and behold, of course I found something.

I never thought I'd make a pair of something again. But after finishing the second pair of Fetching, I started to wonder if I could make another pair for my friend in France. This really took very little time. I don't know if it is because I'm already familiar with the pattern, but I suspect it's also because of the 'thick' yarn (dk only, but it is thick compared to sock yarn or lace). I wasn't even 'knitting the whole day' like I would if I am anxious to finish something.

Fetching the Second in Sublime Cashmerino DK

Well ok now I can get back to my Monkey and think about when I should block my Queen Anne.

Cast off!

2008-11-17T19:00:00.003+08:00

I just casted off Queen Anne's Lace!!

Ok I actually had to take a LOT of breaks in between because my back was hurting a bit.

I haven't blocked it but I'm happy !~~ :D

And now, I only have monkeys as a wip!

okaaay

2008-11-12T22:24:00.002+08:00

nothing much to report... no fos yet but the QAL looks set to be done in the next two weeks or so. I hope. I've been stagnant and had no sock project for awhile until I decided to CO monkey with my essential yarn. It looks good but really, in preparation for a change in lifestyle (read more moolah for yarns but less knitting time) I'm probably cured of my startitis!

Unfortunately, I don't know when this change is going to happen. And I'm also having this urgent need to horde more sock yarn since they seem to be the most probable projects in the earlier months of the new (but still non-existant) schedule.

ANYWAYS....

after i've infected susan with the etsy bug, she's infected me back.

I've bought yet another sock bag from stuckinillinois hehe Look how beautiful it is!

And check out the lining!

It houses my monkeys now heh

And I've bought yarns from Mabel too. One is on it's way though but the earlier purchase is here. :)

It's so beautiful and exactly what I expected~!! I have no project in mind for it yet but I'm thinking! :)

AND another skein of sock yarn from yarnlust.
This is called sunset and I must admit, when I clicked 'Add to Cart' I was thinking about Wendy's orange shawl.

Isn't it gorgeous? The seller also included a little stitchmarker that matches the yarn and other little goodies! It's so sweet of her to do so~~ (kinda reminds me of the SP days too lol)

etsy.com is infectious. It's influenced my friend to start clicking and clicking and clicking there, never turning back. And she's not at crafter at the moment. I must admit it does have a little something for everyone, especially for those who love handmade and unique items.

Well now... excuse me while I go click some more :)

Baroque

2008-10-21T21:26:00.005+08:00

I've finished the Baroque last friday.

This was an interesting knit but I must admit one must MUST pay attention when knitting this. I had a lot of tinking moments and it wasn't fun with all the twisted knitting. This is also the first time I'm knitting something from the CURRENT issue of knitty. I've also made a new friend via ravelry because of these socks, and all in all, I'm a happy camper.

Nevertheless the outcome is very beautiful. I'm glad about it too because this beautiful yarn has been ill-fated. It has gone through a few castons for a project which didn't work. So now, I'm happy to see it as a beautiful, stunning pair of Baroque.

Baroque from Knitty with Louet Gems in French Blue on KnitPicks Harmonies 2.25mm

And guess what, with the cast off of Baroque, I now only have ONE wip!

Dragon's Cave

2008-10-08T10:22:00.004+08:00

Please Click on the Eggs to help them Hatch!

Clicks are like vitamins to the eggs. Do visit them often here! These actions would help them hatch too~ :)

Thank you Everyone!

Muguet de Mai

2008-10-06T10:53:00.004+08:00

Also known as Lily of the Valley Shawl, this pattern really bored me to tears. :(
I was initially drawn to the beautiful outcome of the piece, and thought it would be easy to memorize. But because of that, I got really bored with the pattern and finished two other shawls (swallowtail and hanami) in the process of knitting this.

Nevertheless, I still love the finished product. It's a little short but the width is perfect. I've gone down needle sizes on this but I'm not regretting it. I guess it took me a long while to realize that every little bit is an advance to the finish line. :)

Lily of the Valley Shawl from Lace Style
with Jaeggerspun Zephyr in Sage with 3.5mm Addi Turbos

I think I'm not turned off by borders after I've seen the finished product, but it'll be awhile before I'm going to do anything with borders again!

Whitby in Maldives

2008-10-03T11:36:00.005+08:00

I started this project on the first night in Maldives. I took three days to finish the first sock with an injured hand from fishing, and another few days to finish the second after I got back.

I chose Dream in Color's Smooshy to take with me especially since the name was Beach Fog. Here's a photo to demonstrate the wonderful choice of color hehe

The pattern is Nancy Bush's Whitby from her book Knitting On The Road. Just like all the patterns in the book is meant to be, I could memorize it very quickly and only needed to refer to it on rare occasions. It's also because of this that I could finish the pair in a short amount of time.

I took a picture of it on the dawn of the fourth day in Maldives before I packed it.

And here's the finished pair at home.

Whitby by Nancy Bush from Knitting on the Road
in Dream in Color Smooshy - Beach Fog - on 2.75mm bamboo dpns.

I really like the yarn!! I've read so much about it being splitty but perhaps because my needles were not very sharp, I didn't have splitting problems. At the same time, it wasn't difficult to do the cables and the stitch definition is great! I saw many on Ravelry using the same yarn to do other sock patterns that require great definition and they all turned out beautiful. (Oh and it has great yardage too!) So I really foresee myself getting more of these!

Hanami

2008-09-30T09:20:00.004+08:00

I finished this about a month ago but have been busy and didn't block it until I came back from Maldives. And then by then I had hurt my hand on a fishing trip so the blocking wasn't spectacular. But anyways I still love the shawl a lot and am totally obsessed with the yarn. So, I will definitely reblock it now that my hand has almost fully recovered.

Oh and this is my favorite part of the shawl.

Hanami Stole by Melanie @ Pink Lemon Twist
with KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in Smoke Heather on 3.25mm Addi Lace

Trystero and other updates.

2008-09-12T10:53:00.005+08:00

I finished Trystero yesterday!!

I have been knitting this sock almost forever. I started the first sock in April or May or something but had to frog and cast on again about three times. Although I got the gauge right, somehow it was just too tight to be worn unless I'm looking for wrist-warmers or foot-covers.

I don't really blame the pattern nor the yarn. Although the single-ply must have had something to do with the stretchiness of the sock, the colors made it all worth it. The pattern is also very fun to do and I can zip through a repeat very quickly! So while it's true that I love the yarn AND the pattern, and the eventual outcome, I guess there are times when I just get tired of things.

Trystero by Cookie A.
3mm Harmony DPNs
Noro Kureyon Sock

I really love the pattern and am looking forward to the next Cookie pattern I'll cast on. I have a teeny bit of the yarn left and I have another ball in another color. I might make a shawl out of it this time.

Meanwhile, I've finished Hanami but I haven't blocked it. I've also casted on Queen Anne's Lace which I might just call La Reine. It's in Zephyr (mahogany) and I'm still at chart 1. Muguet de Mai's center panel is finished and I've picked up the stitches for the border. I'm tired after picking up. blah. I think it's about 600 over stitches. *faints* And I've wound my Dream in Color sock yarn in Beach Fog for... Maldives~! I'm planning to do Nancy Bush's Whitby with it.

So yes I'm looking forward to knitting at the beach next week with La Reine and Whitby!

PS: I bought the Debbie Bliss VK mag.It's quite nice and the more I look at it the more I love the patterns!

Cotton

2008-08-20T11:25:00.003+08:00

Actually I finished this on Sunday and was doing kitchener stitch on the toes of the second sock by the time we received our Olympic Medal after a drought of 48 years.

The first sock was done awhile ago but the second took a bit of time. So what could be more apt than to put this up for Ravelympics 2008? Of course after I finished Ester, I was all ready to finish more projects! I zipped through this with turning the heel on friday while watching the Table Tennis Women's Team Semi-Finals. And the rest of the leg and toes while waiting for and watching the Finals on Sunday. The Semi-Finals was such an exciting match I had to stop a few times for fear of breaking my needles. And the finals? Well it was such a good match I did stop and watch in awe many times~!

The silly thing is, I realized this wasn't tagged for Ravelympics after all!! For some reason, it was just not tagged and I just thought it was. Much to my disappointment, of course. Sigh. :( But in a way I'm quite glad since I got to finish another project.

Cotton in Regia Surf Color, using the Eyelet Bar stitch Pattern with Narrow Heel in Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. Needles were 2.25mm Ebony Sox Stix.

Ester

2008-08-17T15:15:00.003+08:00

Ester by Alice Bell. Made with Jaeger Merino Aran with 5mm Addi Circulars

This project is also part of Ravelympics 2008's WIP Wrestling

Little bits of Beading

2008-08-11T10:26:00.002+08:00

I did some beading on Friday. I guess I've been wanting to bead for awhile but never had the chance to sit down and do it until now.

The Cross pattern is taken from a Japanese magazine Beads News, and is made with Purple Velvet and Jet Hermatite Swarovski crystals. The Heart is also from the same magazine and is made from swarovski crystals as well except I can't remember the color. I think I might give it to Mang. hehe it looks nice on her.

Meanwhile I'm trying to finish my Ester today for Ravelympics. I was watching Synchro Diving, Soccer and Hockey while doing the project off and on.

Oh C'mon. It's just 5.

2008-08-05T08:55:00.003+08:00

I'm talking about WIPs.

Many would know that I have startitis. I just like to start projects and live with the idea of having anything and everything available, whenever and wherever I want it. I mean, sometimes, I feel like doing lace. Sometimes, socks. Sometimes something brainless. Sometimes a difficult sock. Sometimes boring lace. Sometimes cabling.

So ok, when I heard of the Ravelympics, I was thinking ... Shall I start a sock? A scarf? A shawl? What shall I do? Which Event should I take part in? Well, what could be more apt than to join the WIP Wrestling event. It's time to finish up those socks and the cardi I started.

What cardi?

Here, have a look at all the WIPs I have on hand and are going for Ravlympics.

Ester: I'm at the sleeve/collar thing part and reaching the last ribbings soon. But I think ribbing is boring.

Trystero: One more to go (less the cuff cos I've already done that)

Cotton: I think there's only 70% of the second sock to go.

Here are the two WIPs that I have and aren't going for Ravelympics because I decided not to be too ambitious.

Hanami: I'm going to finish the Basketweave section today so if that happens I'm going to be at the 50% mark.

Muguet de Mai: It's the 9th repeat of 10.... but I still have the border to go! bleah.

I think I'm in a lace phase at the moment. I feel like casting on 1000000 lace projects. I might cast on Queen Anne IF I finish all my Ravelympics stuff Plus I finish 75% of Hanami and all the repeats less the border of Muguet de Mai.

Now: Watch me break my own promise.

More Yarn!

2008-08-04T10:03:00.002+08:00

As if it can never be enough~

Socks that Rock
Silkie

Backstabber

Lightweights

Pallas Athena

Tanzanite

Kauni Effektgarn

Lila Art

Habu Textiles
Stainless Steel

Gray

Superfine Merino

Brown

Rowan Kidsilk Haze

Majestic

Yarns

2008-07-17T11:12:00.004+08:00

I have a lot (LOT) of new yarns and I have to admit the latest acquisitions in S.E.X.

Here are some of them in no particular order.

Kidsilk Night - Macbeth

Mountain Colors Bearfoot - Ruby Red

Drops Vivaldi - Greyish Purple

Claudia Handpainted - Jungle

Peace Fleece - Violet Vyechyeerom

GGH Serail

Manos del Uruguay

Pierrot's Calm Cotton

Actually hmm, there is an order. I'm trying to pretend my stash isn't as purple as it seems.

More about Wips next time

Mang's Anouk

2008-07-17T11:03:00.004+08:00

Anouk for Mang

I started this because it's such a cute dress. Also, my mum has a habit of telling me how cute my cat would look in these little frocks. It was also time I tried some good cotton and this Anouk's made from Rowan's All-Seasons Cotton. I love it and I foresee many future projects with the same yarn until I get tired of its colors.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no experience with babies, and when it came to sizing, I had no idea whether my cat is the same size as a 3mth old or a 6mth old. Obviously she has a much thicker neck than a three month old. But I only learnt that after I finished the piece. -_-'

Here's what it looks like from the back:

Pattern: Anouk by Kate Gilbert.
Needles: Clover 4mm circs
Yarn: Rowan's All Seasons Cotton

I still like the pattern a lot and will attempt to let my cat wear it. Maybe I'll use a ribbon instead of a button so that the neckline could be adjusted for the photoshoot. :D

No pockets on this Anouk because my cat doesn't need one. hehe ;)

Frock Camisole

2008-07-17T10:35:00.004+08:00

Frock Camisole

Yarn: Harmony from Bendigo Woolen Mills
Needles: Addi Turbos 4.5mm

I thought it would look more like a frock than this. But I guess the yarn also plays a part in the eventual turnout of the project. Harmony is a great yarn to work with but it's a little stretchy. I love the almost heather look of the yarn. (I think I am having a penchant for heather-y colorways these days.)

Also, the straps look thinner than they are in the photo, and I thought they might be set wider. But oh well. I think this is a great top for those fat days. :) BTW, I don't know why but AS likes to take pictures using the zoom - So the second picture is a bit blurry. -_-

Shelves

2008-07-09T13:39:00.004+08:00

Ok so there's been some talk about how we store our yarn.

I used to just put them in ziplocks and then rebag them in opaque bags. It sort of gives the illusion that I don't have that much yarn after all. But yesterday I saw on Ravelry that I have 99 Yarns stashed. This could include single balls or single skeins of sock yarns. But whatever it is, it also means that I have 99 projects waiting for me to do.

The thing is, the 99 doesn't include some yarns which are hiding in nooks and crannies of my home.

ANYWAYS

I have new shelves.

They aren't really NEW new, but they just moved in about 2 weeks ago. My friend who's left the country gave the shelves to me. These shelves have a history, they've travelled from Paris I think, to somewhere, and then to Sarajevo, then back to Paris, and then to Singapore. Now it's going to retire here in sunny sunny Singapore.

And here's one of the shelves. (Click on the photo to get to my flickr page for more details)

This is one of the narrower ones. There are five shelves in total and two are broad, about a meter wide. And the other three are about 60cm wide each I think. The shelves are also 2.2meters tall with a depth of about 30cm. So, it's really not a lot of yarn right? :P (Yes, this doesn't include the yarns hiding in nooks and crannies as mentioned above)

Well I have two of these narrower shelves in the room, and I think when I get more yarn it will spill over to the second shelf. Which is just as fine I guess. But I might use the second shelf for finished projects and my beading stuff, I'm not sure yet.

The other shelves outside are serving their primary purpose which is to house my neverending collection of books. One of them attempts to look like my school's library.

So come yarns come, there's a lot of room for you here at chez Ayu's~~ :D

Knit them together

2008-07-07T21:20:00.004+08:00

Supervisor: Everyone needs ample time to knit all the chapters together.

Ayu: Knit?

Supervisor: Yes. That's a problem many PhD candidates make. They don't knit their chapters together as one big piece.

Ayu: Knit.

Supervisor: (did not hear Ayu) Well according to this work plan you have, I don't see why there should be any problems. You will have enough time to edit everything and put everything together. When do you think you want to finish it?

Ayu: In another year?

Supervisor: That's fine. If you're done with everything by April even, you'll have enough time to see that everything is knitted together seamlessly.

Of course it was figurative, but for a moment, Ayu thought 'I can knit my thesis?! w00t!'

Swiftly Swift

2008-07-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

Check this out! A new toy!

:)

Updates~~

2008-06-25T20:14:00.003+08:00

Well I have two wips to introduce here. The first is the sock I've started for the Summer of Socks 2008. I've started this over the weekend with very little time to work on it. I decided to choose a really simple pattern so that I can really take this around with me. So presenting Cotton, my sock with eyelet bar ribbing made with Regia Surf Color.

Yes can you see the needles?

They are the Ebony Sox Stix I received since WWKIP day! These needles kinda feel a little flexible. I guess it helps to know they aren't brittle especially when they are this thin. But I was intially not very used to how it feels. I like it very much now, the surface is a little matte, and the length is just nice~! I'm really looking forward to try the other woods.

The other wip I have is what I call the 'TV Project'. This project succeeded the Honeymoon Cami about a fortnight after it was completed. But I took my own sweet time with it since I had a severe lack of TV time lately.

Anyways, here's the Frock Camisole...

Well that's all I have to report for now. :)

Three is as good

2008-06-23T12:14:00.004+08:00

Well I'm late but we've both been so busy. But on the knitting front there's a bit of good news.

For our third anniversary, I decided to do a pair of Dashing and Fetching, both available from Knitty.com. They are really fast knits! I was actually worried I wouldn't finish them in time (i.e. last thursday) even so because of all the things I had to do but I did.

Don't worry they are really a pair each.

On another note, SOS '08 started last weekend. I was busy but I didn't forget to start a sock for SOS. Of course that comes with a promise that I would have finished ONE of my Trystero socks by then. And I did!

So now I have two socks, two shawls and one tv project. That's not too bad. :)

More on my SOS socks next time because I want to brag about my Sox Stix. :D

WWKIP Day 2008!

2008-06-18T09:09:00.002+08:00

isn't it great? :D We were at T3 for this year's WWKIP day. Since last year's WWKIP, we've got Ravelry and the Singapore Knitters group in it had time to get to know each other (albeit online) before the event, the turnout was tremendous~! We also had a guest, Danica, from the States who was in the country to attend a friend's wedding~ :D

I finally decided to work on my Trystero. It doesn't look so odd anymore but I also casted on something new (surprise surprise -_-). It's not a sock. But I will talk more about it when I've done more of it hehehe.

We had a lot of fun and some of us went a bit ....

And don't we love our yarns....

and knitting bags and tees...

and hats...

and fingerless mitts...

and our name tags...

the list goes on. :)

I've got some time today and I hope I'll be able to finish that second fetching. Tomorrow is the deadline but if I don't make it, that's ok. I have another anniversary in August wahaha

One day before WWKIP day....

2008-06-13T20:10:00.002+08:00

and I have nothing to knit!!!!!!!!

Well not really nothing, but the projects haven't been going well.

1. Dashing had a funny yarn at the thumb, and I only realized my mistake after I finished the whole glove. It still works and the funny yarn cannot be seen but Little Miss Perfectionist is never going to be glad about that.

2. First Fetching had a hole near the thumb. I fretted for a bit but decided I'll try and sew it up when I'm darning in. And I did and now it looks fine. But somehow I don't have the urge to cast on the second one and my deadline is supposed to be thursday.

3. Trystero looks beautiul EXCEPT the colorway's gone all indigo and where the instep joins the leg, it's a mad match of deep indigo and sweet lavender. I'm going to continue with the sock and see what happens. If it's really all weird then well... I would have to give up right?

4. Scrolls is a beautiful pattern and the toe ups are going ok but the YOs are too too too big. I have no idea why and now when I put them on, my foot feels naked. I keep thinking 'I can see my foot through these socks!' Tell me, what's the point of wearing socks when they work like translucent stockings?

what am I going to do for tomorrow?! oh noes....

*stay tuned*

Knitting Survey

2008-06-03T18:33:00.003+08:00

Well so I thought I'd better update the year-old survey and see if I made any progress. The old survey I did can be found here.

A knitting survey, as seen on Pollyanna Rainbow Sunshine and the Needles of Doom.
Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk (do blends count?)
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn (again, blends?)
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing (I knitted the bear and knitted his vest, so does that count?)
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets(does Mang's mitten count?)
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Swallowtail Shawl

2008-05-19T13:44:00.004+08:00

Yes the shawl Mollie was modelling is the completed Swallowtail albeit unblocked.

I blocked it last friday and it seems to be a favorite of Millie and MangMang too. Millie was more interested than usual in the blocking process (although I must add that she also likes the mat I use for blocking). MangMang wanted to lie on it. But of course I said there are pins so she lay next to it with her little hands placed nicely in between the pins.

Anyways it wasn't as frighteningly small as I thought it would be but it's still as frighteningly pink.

I think this is the first knit I've ever taken out in the hot blazing sun for a photoshoot. It was so quick and random that there's a few people looking, wondering what I was doing. So you see, there's this old couple in the photo above, probably debating about whether I was too poor to hire a photographer, or why I wasn't looking into the camera.

Here it is again flapping in the wind (there's wind!) and you can see the same old couple there still looking.

I actually don't mind the fuschia part of the overall colorway but I think the sweet pink has made this more of a 'sweetpea' than 'sunrise'. Anyways.

Swallowtail Shawl is designed by Evelyn A. Clark. I used one skein of Knitpicks' Gossamer in Sunrise. The needles were Knitpicks' Harmony Interchangeables. I did the shawl in a progression of needle sizes from 3.5mm to 4mm. I really love the lily of the valley nupps but wish they weren't in various colors.

I intended to gift this but I don't know if it would suit her wardrobe. It probably might do better there than with mine. But of course today when I took it out again before I left, Mollie looked at me longingly and nudged the little bag with the shawl. So then what should I do?

Little Match Girl

2008-05-15T09:02:00.002+08:00

Please kind sir, dear ma'am, would you please buy some matches?

Gambling

2008-04-29T09:53:00.003+08:00

no no i'm not gambling with money. But I'm taking chances.

So you see I finished Broadripple and currently have zero socks at hand. That WON'T do. How can I have no socks at hand!?

So then I want to try a few things. First I thought I want to try a Cookie A pattern, and then I also thought I wanted to use my Louet Gems. But there's a problem. The first pattern I queued from Cookie A is Gothic Spire (surprise surprise). I think the yarn and the pattern match, but I still think my Gothic Spire is a dark rich purple (or burgundy maybe), not French Blue.

On the other hand, I thought Scrolls in my queue would look great in French Blue. So... here's what I did.

Noro Kureyon Sock on Trystero so that I can try a Cookie A pattern.

And French Blue Louet Gems on Scrolls. Since I wanted to try out the Louet.

As you can see I'm taking a huge gamble here. Firstly I don't know how Trystero will turn out with Noro. I have no idea how the colors would work either.

Secondly, I'm knitting two socks at once, toe up on two circs with Scrolls. (Louise!~ two socks, toe up, two circs!!) Considering that I did half my work on Broadripple on two circs, and that's all, it's a huge gamble I say. Plus, this is toe up. For the record I haven't finished a single pair of socks from toe up in my short knitting history. I took an extremely long time casting this one on. For some reason my fig 8 cast ons were very ugly. It's not as nice and neat as the first time I've done it (on a sock i never finished). I spent a night and day at it, and my eyes were terribly sore by the time I was ok with them. For socks that had almost blinded me, they had better be finished!

I guess I've never been exactly the reserved sort, and would probably attempt to bungee jump and knit at the same time one day. But I think this is a huge gamble and I sure hope the efforts pay off, so Sock On Ayu~

Broadripple

2008-04-24T09:55:00.003+08:00

I've never changed needles so many times in a project. I started Broadripple with my Harmony dpns. I love the needles because they were so smooth and pointy~ They were the ones who helped me decide I should get the circ set too haha

And then subsequently I wanted to use a smaller size on the sole. This would prove to be difficult if I continued to use dpns because I will be carrying an extra needle around. Plus, I would need to use a different set because I won't be able to tell the Harmonies apart. So I thought I'd finish both socks to the heel, and put them on dpns, and then work them together.

I learnt a lot from this project because it's the first one I've done with two socks at a time. I still prefer the dpns, but now, with all my yarn entangling problems solved, I think I just might be able to finally finish my socks if they are on circs in future.

Broadripple is done with Cascade Fixation. It started on 3.25mm Harmony dpns, and is finished with 3mm (for heel and sole) and 3.25mm Addi Circulars. Broadripple is designed by Rob Matyska and the pattern is available here.

honeymoon cami

2008-04-21T17:44:00.004+08:00

First of all, remember this kitty?

She might have found a new home! She's staying with her prospective family now and if all goes fine during the week, they will keep her! Let's keep our fingers crossed for her~~ :)

In the meantime, I've finished Honeymoon Cami.

Honeymoon Cami is designed by Julia Trice. The pattern is available here. This was made with Elann's Luna Endless Summer, with Knitpicks Harmonies, 4mm. :) More photos are available here.

meowth

2008-04-07T13:12:00.001+08:00

This little kitty needs a home.

More info here and pictures here. Please help if you can! :)

on the needles...

2008-04-01T09:14:00.003+08:00

Oh wait, look what came in my mail last friday.

:) I bought it from StuckinIllinois at etsy and it's just so cute! She's got lots of other cute bags there and look at the lining of the bag!

It's really spurring me on to finish my sock and start another project (yes ANOTHER! - but at least i'm trying to wait until I finish my current sock)

Right, anyways, finally I'm going to talk about some knitting and I'm still turning the heel on Broadripple. Susan has taught me a way to manage the two balls of yarn and not get the project tangled after every row. I've finished my Bunny but then I've started another project. Anouk is on my 'tv project' needles.

To be honest, I made this with Mang in mind. My mum has this strange perception that she'd (my cat not my mum) look cute in a little pink dress or a baby pink halter, and it's sorta filtered down to me. Ok this is not pink, but it's cute little dress all the same. The adjustable waist is a plus point but I realized yesterday that my cat comes in a bigger size. I have no idea how big a 3mth old baby is, and can't imagine a 6mth old. So, I just did the smallest size ever. The two pieces in the pattern are now joined and the collar is worked.

Another plus point about this dress is the pockets. I wanted to try som colorwork and the little bit on the pockets could get me started. I'm considering changing the pattern though. But I have no idea as to what it will be yet, so I'll be working on that next. If you have a suggestion for the design, please do leave me a comment. :)

In the meantime I might make the waist tabs first.

Bunny!

2008-03-23T11:27:00.003+08:00

Finally. A knittin FO.

This pattern is really easy and the final product is absolutely beautiful!

I like how the stitches sort of intertwine with a bit of mohair in-between the gaps. The project also lightly drapes and the yarn is so very soft (and white) that I had to call my project Bunny.

Bunny is made with Sublime's Kid Mohair blend with Clover 5.1mm needles. More pictures here.

Elven Blue

2008-03-22T12:52:00.003+08:00

I had a simple idea about leaves and flowers for a few days, but I haven't been able to get the leaf beads I saw previously. This started off as a simple ring.

Then since Princesse ended up a earrings and ring set, I thought: why not? So earrings followed.

A glimpse of the whole set

Princesse

2008-03-20T22:45:00.003+08:00

There's been some beading going on around here; probably since I told Susan I'd bead 'on monday'. Well I didn't bead on monday but I did do something. SO in order not to overwhelm anyone, I'll just post one by one. (It also helps me post a little more regularly hehe)

I created Princesse when I saw a 'charm ring' in one of my magazines. It was placed on a miniature cat statue and believe me, I was looking at the figurine first. Since I don't have a little cat figurine to pose for me I shall take a picture of my not-very-nice finger.

The pearl beads are more purple than black, and it probably shows better in this picture.

It's the first time I'm using the swarovski rondelles and I guess I just like them a little too much to stop at one ring. Earrings soon followed.

And here's the set.

More to come!

New stuff!

2008-03-17T16:42:00.004+08:00

No pictures of wips or fos. Not even of beading or tatting.

But I met mlc today for lunch. She brought little Isabel out and the baby was sleeping so very quietly, we weren't interrupted at all! It's good to see them both though, even if it's for a short while. :)

The reason why I met her today (instead of after 23rd Mar which I'm telling everyone) is because mlc sms-ed me yesterday telling me that she wanted to meet cinnabar, and that she's ready to come out to town with baby in tow. So yes, after my language classes would be a good time!

AND of course, my needles came with her!

Ahhh so much excitement!

I'm fighting the urge to start something new. Oh come on, I'm just trying out new needles right?

And btw I do like the new range of colors in Palette. Here's Golden Heather and Calypso Heather (Love the name!) respectively.

I think this started after I received one of the purpl-y heathers from rain during SP11. :)

As usual, mang isn't amused.

meme!

2008-03-13T16:36:00.003+08:00

Kessa tagged me! :) So here goes another meme~~~ heh

These are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

And here are the six non-important things/habits/quirks about myself. (I'll be sure not to repeat anything from the other two memes I did.)

1. I have a lot of lip gloss/balm. One (or more) in every bag, on every reachable surface at home, and a number in my drawer.

2. Although Chinese (or Mandarin rather) is my mother tongue and the language I first used, I started to find it increasingly difficult to converse in the language. It was so bad I almost replaced my second language (Chinese) with my third (French). I learnt German and a bit of Russian after that.

3. I like to pinch a little corner of clothing (or just any random cloth surface like a pillow case or a hem) and rub them together. I've been doing it subconciously for years until my mum told me about it when I was in primary school.

4. I've been a gamer since I was 5. Thanks to my parents who allowed my brother and I to game everyday for two hours (and longer if it's after exams) and exposed me to almost every kind of console available! :)

5. I have a lot of X-men (and X-men spin-offs) comics. But I stopped buying when Rogue started to get together with Magneto. Combined with my Manga, this collection is modest for hard-core collectors, but 'ALOT' according to my friends. (since they currently line my wall)

6. I also have a lot of books. I think the only stuff I don't really read is chick-lit. And er... cookbooks. I guess this is also why it's dangerous for me to walk into a bookstore as much as it is for me to walk into a game or yarn store.

Ok I tag (in no particular order) genevieve, susan, emily, rain, mlc and yvette!

Storm

2008-02-29T09:10:00.003+08:00

I so wanted to make a ring all of a sudden and browsed through all the ring patterns I had for inspiration. It was so late yesterday and to be honest I was quite sleepy. So I decided what could use less brain power than those buncha-beads rings I see so often?

Ok I realize it was quite tedious but I did enjoy seeing how the ring grew. Storm is done with Light Gray and Black pearl beads, and Smoky Quartz.

Thank You Yvette!

2008-02-20T08:49:00.001+08:00

Yvette nominated me for a Make My Day Award! Thank you, Yvette! I'm so honored!

The rule is as stated: Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

I had a long thought about this one since I really wanted to pass it on to people who have not seen this award before. If you look at Yvette's blog, this doesn't seem to have travelled much internationally. Some of my nominees are quite new to our circle too. Anyways without much further ado, here are the blogs that Make My Day!

barb

emily

genevieve

ing

hooknneedle

mlc

munyee

phuazzie

rain

ssedro

My So-Called Scarf

2008-02-18T10:39:00.005+08:00

My So-Called Scarf done with Hamanaka's Granbia in 6.5mm Addi Turbos.

That's a bit of left over yarn to show the color variations.

I really love the yarn and have already bought more 'just in case' I find time to make a present for a friend! More pictures here.

(Antrelac)ements

2008-02-14T08:58:00.006+08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES' EVERYONE!

I finished my vday project in time.

Here it is sans blocking.

Oh and because the yarn is so colorful, there are some parts which were totally not repeated and I am absolutely in love with this little mint triangle. The color only appeared once in all three balls and that makes it all the more special! Note: It doesn't look very minty here but it really is in person.

Here's the first part of the pair, just in case you've forgotten. It's also pictured (although not very well) here.

And here they are together

The reason why I'm calling them Antrelac is really because of our names. (how cheesy actually but well) I chose to do scarves this time for two reasons. One is of course I wanted to learn entrelac. And the other is I felt that I didn't actually make a proper scarf for AS. I mean yea, I did the dark blue one in Zhivago long ago but it felt more like a 'I should make a scarf' rather than something I really put my heart into, with the intention of gifting it. I guess.

Antrelac

Antrelac (pattern: Entrelac Scarf from Allison Knits)
Done with Rowan's Tapestry, Antrelac I in Leadmine and Antrelac II in Rainbow, with Clover 4.5mm circulars.

To the Guy who Exclaimed

2008-02-13T10:29:00.000+08:00

Dear Mr. Man,

I am writing to inform you that it was not quite appropriate for you to yell about our knitting in a public place yesterday. And negatively too. Although we were not exactly upset, we were quite perturbed with your behavior. Please also note that your partner was quite embarrassed. Did you notice her sheepish smile? Did you also realize that she scurried away to place her orders because you exclaimed 'Crazy Asians! Knitting in this weather!' thus loudly?

I must apologize that I was confusing you by knitting a scarf. Perhaps I should have been knitting a breezy-looking tank. However, please realize that there are different kinds of materials yarn can be made of. Cotton, bamboo, nylon, silk and tencel are some of them. Not every ball of yarn on earth is made of wool, you know. Also, being Asian and sitting in an Asian coffeejoint doesn't mean that I'll be in the same hot and humid country 365 (+1 every four years) for the rest of my life. For your information, just like you, Asians like myself can travel too.

The data in DSW-Datareport 2006 show that out of the 15 most populous countries, 8 of them are Asian. Furthermore, Asia accounts for over 60% of the world's population. For more interesting information, please refer to the data here. The world today is very much globalized, and races do not label much anymore. If I may reiterate, people, just like yourself, travel.

In retrospect, I must admit that I have no idea where you have travelled from, and perhaps the heat must have spoilt your mood for the day. Do be informed, however, that you must have fellow countrymen/women who knit, and must be appalled if they heard of your biased comment. I urge you to think before you exclaim about crafters in future, for we knitters unite with our needles whether they are straights or circs or dpns, bamboo or metal or plastic, regardless of race, language or religion.

Yours Sincerely,
The 'Crazy' Asian Knitter

Beading around

2008-02-01T11:04:00.000+08:00

Actually I'm very proud of my. first. tatted. earrings.

Tadaaa~~~~!

Flight of Fancy

And aside from this there are two other pairs of earrings

娃娃

娃娃 or 'Doll' is made with Russian Jade bead and silk tassels. This is just in time for the lunar new year heh!

Lilac Hints

I just wanted to try out the colored wires and play with an alternative form of wiring. So I came up with Lilac Hints.

And of course I have some bookmarks done. The other day while doing research, I realized I needed a few bookmarks.

Actually, a few of them.

AS also wanted one so, if I could find appropriate beads, I could make him some book thongs.

From top: Lagoon, Tribal and Tabbed.
All beads are glass beads. Lagoon is a metal squiggly bookmark; Tribal is leather-corded and Tabbed's a book thong made from double-satin ribbon.

And on the knitting front, I think I'm a bit paranoid. I have a bad feeling that I won't be able to finish my second Antrelac in time. Keeping fingers crossed but with the hike in research work these days, it's getting difficult.

Tats-it weekend~

2008-01-28T09:52:00.000+08:00

I bought a Japanese Tatting book the other day, and went tatting over the weekend. (of course, a few stitches were made on the neverending wips. but i'll come to that later.)

Who knew I'd have new wips! Luckily they aren't knitting projects and are much smaller. And of course these wips are better than the 'incomplete project' pictured, because they are worked in sections, so I can just finish as section as and when I can without having to worry about remembering where i stopped. I think I'm getting the hang of tatting and it seems much easier the more I practice. I'm still not confident enough to use the pretty threads I bought but I think soon I will. This also makes me not give up on spinning as well. Practice Practice Practice.

Meanwhile yes, here are some pictures of all those in progress.

Wisp

Seems like the least progress here (actually it's not, broadripple is. Then again I also haven't don't anything on my Lily of the Valley) but the pattern is really easy, and nice. I love the yarn as always. It doesn't take long to do a single repeat either.

Broadripple

I have about 12 rows on the second sock left and then I will be moving on to the heels of both socks.

My So-Called Scarf

I'm so in love with this yarn, I'm already planning to make a similar scarf for a friend. The yardage is better than I thought too.

Antrelac Part II

I love the color whooo~~~~ I can't wait to finish this so that at least I have my vday gift all done and in time.

Well tat's about all for now. Will be working on my thesis today so I don't think there'll be more crafts until late in the night perhaps.

Latest Updates on War on Startitis

2008-01-25T08:54:00.000+08:00

Aloha!

Welcome to this morning's edition of Knews@ennairdaknits.

First up, Ayu's War on Startitis. In the early hours, Ayu seemed to have been blessed by the Goddess of Cast Off. She was able to finish up on the first entrelac of the pair she's been working on. Although victory on the shawl was much later than expected (since there were two occasions of mistake correction and frogging), she was able to heave a huge sigh of relief by mid-day.

Antrelac Part I in Rowan Tapestry's Leadmine with Clover 4.5mm.

Before Antrelac I is blocked, Ayu needs to cast on and finish up Antrelac II. "So that they are a pair, and I'll get the same length," she mused. "As some of you might have know, I've been fighting Startitis. So, I thought this would've been a good counter-attack."

Unfortunately, her casting-on of one project triggered the vengence of Startitis. And the results.

From Left: My So-Called Scarf in Hamanaka, Antrelac Part II in Rowan Tapestry (Rainbow) and Wisp in Sublime Kid Mohair Blend.

"What is there to do?" says Ayu. "It's the domino-effect."

Ayu is not available this morning for further comments. It's been reported that she's gone quite crazily addicted over the stitches in all the projects, and is hoping she would be granted an additional three pairs of hands by the Goddess of Cast Off before things go haywire. In our speculation, she's already there.

We interrupt this program...

2008-01-23T23:39:00.000+08:00

for an important newscast.

Ayu is fighting the urge to cast on a million projects and is losing the battle.

Stay tuned for more updates.

as promised

2008-01-17T18:54:00.001+08:00

the wips and progress of spinning.

As some of you have been asking, how goes my spinning? It isn't as smooth as I expected. So the very nice lady who sold me the spindles, Annie May offered some troubleshooting advice via email. And I also appreciate very much Kessa's tips in my post on spinning, thanks Kessa! I've been visiting and reading all the forums related in Ravelry, and watching all available videos online. So here, a photo.

The thick and thin pink was my very first attempt. That means that was way before the troubleshooting and forum-visiting. It was thicker than a pencil at some points and precariously thin (until it broke - that's why it's in two bundles) at others. And the blue is the second attempt a day or so later. The second time was much better because I practiced drafting a little and got them into pencil roving, but it was still difficult to draft. It's like super bulky yarn, but I am glad it didn't break. I was also slowly getting used to the rhythm of the drafting triangle. The white yarn is Annie May's work, which is far far far far better than mine as you can see. I do have a question though, is spun yarn supposed to twist and turn like this once you've released it from the shaft of the spindle?

Anyways, I guess what's left to do now is practice practice and more practice. I think I'll try to fluff up the roving abit as Kessa suggested; I didn't do this when I practice drafting the blue roving. I love the pink roving though. Surprisingly since I'm not a pink person. But the muted, dusty shade is very beautiful, and I can't bear to waste my lousy skills on what's left of the roving. It's tencel and wool blend I think and I must get more from Annie May!

Unfortunately, I had a bad bad bad paper cut a couple of days ago, and my very dry skin didn't help. It's taking a little longer to heal than usual and I can't practice spinning now. Bah :( I guess that will have to wait...

On to my wips. My entrelac scarf apparently triggered the cast-on bug in mlc haha... Well I'm making a pair, hopefully by Valentine's Day (again I'm being hopeful). I'm calling my scarf set Antrelac for obvious reasons. I've just used up the second ball of yarn today for the first scarf so it's a lot longer than it is in this picture (which was taken when I was going to finish the first ball).

This is going a lot slower than usual because I have to knit it in secret. AS also likes to question my knitting (like 'who is this for?' or 'what is this?' etc etc) so I have a feeling I have to knit the second of the pair (which is for me) in secret as well.

What about knitting NOT in secret? I have the lily of the valley and this sock.

:D I started this to get my sock mojo back. And it is! yayy! Actually I'm also focusing on the needles in the picture... it's the Harmony needles I got for Christmas~! It's light and the tips are sharp. These are size 3.25mm and still, the tips are good! Ah I'm enjoying them a lot~~ :)

Time to Read?

2008-01-16T21:48:00.001+08:00

The Reading-in-Bed Shrug was completed over the weekend but I really couldn't take a good picture until today. So here's the first peek at the first FO of the year.

This shrug's made for my mum in mind, in time for her birthday. In MARCH. I know. Call me paranoid, but I think if you realize what kind of speed I have, the possibility of me finishing gifts in time ranges from 0% to 100%.

The pattern was really easy to remember but I had a problem at the end. Because it tells me to 'BO loosely' (and it didn't say CO loosely), I did exactly as it said. And then I ended up with a nice snug sleeve and a loose, squarish one on the other side. Everyone also knows what it's like to rip mohair. But I had to do it; the difference was too great to be forgiveable.

Reading-in-Bed Shawl from Interweave Knits Spring 2007 in Sublime's Mohair blend with 5.5mm Addi Turbos.

Anyways I've used much less yarn than expected so now i've got quite a bit left. I thought I'd make myself another shrug but today I was inspired by MLC's wisp... so... hint hint.

More on wips and spinning progress tomorrow.

still stuck

2008-01-10T15:31:00.000+08:00

i'm still bugged by the spinning. I can't thin out the roving properly.

not giving up but will only try tomorrow.

Stuff and Spins

2008-01-10T10:36:00.000+08:00

I met Susan yesterday for lunch and a teensy little KO. Look what I received!

Of course I was too distracted then to know what it is and totally missed the blinking words 'MATCHA CAKE' (or actually, cookie/biscuit) on the front. The packaging is gorgeous as usual. I can't bear to eat it! :D Thanks Susan!

She also bought me these...

We call them the Camouflage Yarn. And yes they are very 'me'. I haven't any clue what I'd make with them but a good Camo scarf peut-etre?

And of course I got my sock books! Yayy!! Perhaps I'll find something there to solve the sock problem I'm having.

I've already flipped through Knitting on the Road and am already queuing a number of them in my head. I think I need another three pairs of hands to finish all the socks I've queued.

Last but not least my spindles are here~!!!

I tried spinning last night but I think I'm wasting the beautiful roving. So I'm going to think of an alternative. I need to research on drafting, because I don't seem to be doing it correctly. I pinch the roving in places I'm supposed to and try to draft bits of the yarn out. But I always end up having to tug and pull really hard at the roving, which shouldn't be the case! The 'yarn' ended up being thick (like almost worsted) to precariously thin at different parts of it. I also think there's too much spin in the yarn, which makes it wind itself back when it's relaxed. Sigh! That's my start to spinning but no I'm not giving up~!

Another three

2008-01-08T11:37:00.000+08:00

Thanks for the suggestion on the socks :) I will definitely be considering them especially ripping to the toe now. meanwhile if there are anymore ideas, keep them coming in!

I made three pairs of earrings on friday evening but didn't post them on flickr because it was Mang's birthday and it was really late. It's been so difficult to take pictures recent because of the gloomy and rainy weather. Not that I'm complaining but sometimes the few minutes of sunlight decides not to grace the day at all and my gamble ends up in forfeit.

Rachel

The flower's a 'fimo flower bead' and it's the same one used in Amy. The beads are red cat's eye and I actually bought them at a much higher price than I could have gotten them. O_o Also, please don't ask my why they are Rachel. I have no idea and it just popped into my head just before I uploaded their photos.

Olga

With Russian Jade and milky colored swarovski beads in white/violet(?? I can't remember, old stash) and pacific opals, these are simple yet fitting for dailies. I love all the three beads incidentally.

Whimsical Alice

Made with another one of my favorite colors (besides purple), the hazy pale blue cat's eye beads are wire wrapped and bunched. I really loved the look and they reminded me of Alice and her whimsical adventure.

Whimsical Alice has a matching bracelet but I have ideas and might split the set into two. I did the bracelet just so I can wear them to the musical I was going to attend on Sunday.

And I think I forgot to mention two other pairs I made before these so let me present Chloé and nOiR. (Note: yes and I was feeling a bit French-y that day, hence the names.)

Chloé

I actually delayed posting about Chloé on purpose because I made a similar pair for a friend for our birthday so I had to wait until it was over. This is made from bronze findings (which are a little harder to work with I felt. I think it's the gauge) and turqoise beads.

nOiR

I just wanted to try out the gold findings and use up the two lonely amber crystals even though I hardly wear gold. I wear two pairs of platinum earrings at the same time (three on my left and one on the right), have a silver and a platinum necklace, plus my rings are platinum and white gold. So in short, gold is not in my color scheme.

I have no idea when I will be able to wear these though but perhaps I'll need to get some gold artistic wires. But anyways nOiR is made from black glass beads and amber swarovski crystals and it's nOiR because it's noir + or. ;)

argh...

2008-01-05T16:21:00.000+08:00

Because there's a hash today I had the opportunity to stay home in the morning and do whatever I wanted (after Mang's bath of course). So I decided to knit the Reading in Bed shrug and got up to seven repeats. That's a good sign because it's past the 50% mark.

And then I decided I better cast on the toe for the second Elfine Socks. I have already done the first one up to the heel and just wanted to do the socks simultaneously. So I decided to put the first sock unto some waste yarn and started to cast on the second. However, I had a problem.

I suddenly decided not to lie to myself and admit that the pattern REALLY gets lost in the yarn. Consider this toe:

At first I thought that little piece isn't a good gauge, and lied to myself that it will look better on my foot, when it's a bigger piece. But now that it's done up to the heel, it's not looking much better. Just imagine the above photo times two. It doesn't help when the second ball of yarn refuses to be casted on as well, and it kept slipping off the needles when I wasn't looking. After that, I had ugly m1s.

Although I must admit I'm a bit sleepy, I really don't know what's wrong and then I just gave up trying. I think the yarn just doesn't want to be a sock. Or this particular sock for that matter.

Now I must confess that this is the first sock I am knitting from toe up. AND it's also the second sock (casted on) and knitted with the magic loop method. I have no qualms with the method but incidentally, I didn't finish the other magic loop sock as well. Before I casted this on, I thought this pattern was suitable because I wanted to try the toe-up with the magic loop. Now what's so difficult about that? I have no idea.

I actually don't know what I should do now. Should I

(a) Try again?
(b) Look for another sock pattern that uses the above methods? (any recommendations at that?)
(c) Look for another sock pattern regardless of whether it's toe-up or cuff down?
(d) Use the yarn for a non-sock project?

Sigh!

And now in Progress...

2008-01-04T10:33:00.000+08:00

I've started two projects over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The first is a lace project started because I thought the Kimono was so beautiful and I wanted to make another lace shawl NOW. I looked around and while there were a number of beautiful shawls I love out there, I just couldn't find the right color from my stash. In the process, I also added a load of new projects onto my Ravelry queue. At this rate I'll take about 10 years to finish everything on that queue.

So when I saw the Lily of the Valley Shawl from Lace Style, I casted on almost immediately. (At the Starbucks where we were having coffee actually)

(oh the blue thing there is a folder AS bought for me. Now I put my project patterns in there. :D it's a great size and I love it!)

And then I started another project because Mum says my Coquette is nice. Well. If you know my mum, she's not usually the kind who's interested in crafting and all. She doesn't stop me from doing it, but she was just never really interested in the process, the effort or the finished product. But she actually was impressed with the Coquette (and subsequently Kimono) and I thought I'd make her the Reading-in-Bed Shrug.

I'm posting this actually because she doesn't use the Internet and no one in my family visits this blog. If my brother does, then he'll be quiet about it I'm sure. I chose a smaller project (than a shawl) for now because I have only 3 months to her birthday. The shawl will have to come later.

Speaking of gifts, MLC's scarf project has got me wondering if I should make some his&her scarves for us on Vday but that means I have 1 month to finish things. And then if I were to make two that would mean 2 weeks per scarf. Sounds possible but remember, you're talking about me here.

It also made me regret not planning my knitting time better because... I thought I should have made something for a friend on our birthday. That would leave me... about 20 hours to finish the project?

In the occasion of frenzy, turn to other capabilities.

And I beaded her earrings. I made two of the same pair (I want one myself) and I'll blog about them when I've gifted them so stay tuned~

PS: It's MangMang's birthday today so go ahead and wish her a happy birthday here or here.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T11:45:00.000+08:00

It's been a little more than a year since I met the local knitters and I must say, it sure has been fruitful! Here's to another year of yarn and crafts ahead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

Indigo Blues

2007-12-27T09:22:00.000+08:00

I know I know... I just told you about Kimono yesterday. But here's Millie with my Indigo Blues

Can you guess what it is?

It's the Japanese Feather Stole/Scarf. And it's really an in-between project because I wanted to test the yarn and have another lace project at hand.

Here's a better picture.

Again, I borrowed the furniture at Starbucks.

Anyways I took about three weeks (in the midst of tatting and beading and working) to finish this. I did 8 repeats of the pattern (I think I should have made 10 but I was sick of the cord of my needles.) And instead of 4 sets as stated for the scarf, I did 5. So now it's a little wider than a scarf but not quite as long as a stole. I guess it could be a starf? Or scole?

I think the colors spread out really nicely too and Malabrigo Lace is so soft, I love rubbing it on my cheeks heh. I guess that's another favorite yarn on the list.

Japanese Feather Scarf/Stole from Knitspot in Malabrigo Lace (Indigo) with 5mm Addi Turbos.

Kimono

2007-12-26T13:45:00.000+08:00

Ok I owe my blog the entry about my first lact project which is ... the Kimono Shawl.

I don't have a lot of furniture in the house for the Kimono to pose with so I took it with me when I went to Starbucks the other day (and of course i borrowed their furniture).

Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls in Jaggerspun Zephyr (Elderberry) with 3.5mm Addi Lace Turbos.
Gifted to Grandma on Christmas Day.

There's another FO so sit tight! I'll post about it tomorrow. (and more beading too whoo~)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

2007-12-21T17:59:00.000+08:00

More thread!

2007-12-21T17:52:00.000+08:00

Just some tatting thread news here.

Actually I met iroiro today to get the threads AND do some bead shopping. I don't have a picture of the beads we bought but here are more pictures of the threads she passed me.

The green thread (Fern)is from LadyShuttleMaker, and the Christmassy one (Jolly Christmas) is from YarnPlayer. Both are so beautiful and are yelling 'GET TATTING!' but Oh I just can't bear to!

Just like knitting, yarn is yarn. right?

ok i have to go and bead the earrings for Christmas now!

蝶

2007-12-19T12:33:00.002+08:00

Ok ok I'm knitting I'm knitting.

I just need to bead something for Coquette. So... what do you think of this?

I was in love with this pattern when I saw it many moons ago. But because I tend to find beading a little like jigsaw puzzles (i.e. not cheap and the fun is quickly over) I didn't purchase the book until recently. Now, I seem to have more ideas than before with stitch markers and the like. Although the pattern calls for fire-polished beads, I couldn't find any of the right size. I just made do with the round crystals. Turned out ok I think...

And don't you love the clasps?

And at the same time I made bead balls. For fun yes. Just for fun.

Meanwhile Kimono is blocked and I just need to take nice pictures... I am loving it though, so I'm going to try and finish the Japanese feather soon!