Sally Knits

While waiting for yarn

2009-11-14T10:39:00.004+08:00

Ran out of dark brown Knitpicks Palette yarn for the border and was tempted to knit a different combination for other 2 sides (yes, I anticipated there won't be enough and knitted 2 facing borders first).
Chickened out,didn't want to risk it looking a little 'out' and so ordered more yarn!

And while waiting, have been furiously knitting these:

A Bendigo Alpaca jumper for DH

The Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines top-down Daily Sweater with Jaeger pure wool DK for me!

Still knitting

2009-10-17T17:59:00.007+08:00

I'm still knitting, just not blogging that much about it. My Ravelry pages are up to date with FOs and WIPs, I just can't get back into blogging mode!

Spinning is taking a back seat at the moment with DH's black Alpaca jumper and YL's Afghan to be completed by October. I'm leaving Nov and Dec for a new 'ME' jumper (not decided on pattern yet) and a pair of fingerless mittens for YL. Yes, we're travelling soon, Christmas and New Year in cold, cold UK and Ireland.

I don't have a camera at the moment, it's gone on a little trip with DH and pictures from my mobile ain't that great!

Here's some recent Fos which were posted into Ravelry ages ago.

Central Park Hoodie knitted in Rowanspun Chunky. Kidsilk Haze garter stitch scarf with 5.5mm needles. The 32" basic jumper took very little time although it's in almost sock yarn weight. All three for YL's new Uni year.

Oh! dear, I need to add more interesting colours to the stash!!!!

There and back

2009-07-20T14:24:00.022+08:00

I love knitting cowls, but these many in the months of May and June have been a tad boring! Six of these are, as we Chinese put it, 'greeting gifts' for friends and family during our recent visit to Australia and from the feedback more are in the pipeline. :) It's so easy to keep our loved ones warm ya?
Details of patterns are in http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sallytsb

..now my spinning progress since Roberta's acquisition in April.....

There's not a stitch knitted with my handspun yet so I've no clue how they'd turn out. As with all precious handspun, there's never a 'perfect' pattern for it I guess!

Meet Roberta

2009-04-12T14:57:00.002+08:00

Friday, 10th April - meet Roberta which DH took about 30mins to figure out and assemble. Right after Good Friday service, the spinning madness began.....

I had pre-ordered and drafted one of several rovings from ewegivemetheknits and watched letsknit2gether's video podcast before taking the plunge. Still, the initial couple of hours were very very frustrating but I was determined to plod on...ta da!!!!

Here it is! my very first handspun!!!! It's uneven and probably won't ever be knitted into anything but it is my first masterpiece.. 36 yards in 2 ply.

Roving: Mulled wine merino top (100 gms)

Just hot off the bobbin, much much improved and planning to ply with black later.

Roving: Double mocha merino top (100 gm)

and so...some ME time...

2009-03-09T10:46:00.008+08:00

It's been a while since I felt like blogging or found the energy to catch up with knitting chatter over the forums. I've missed you all!

Work has been physically and mentally draining and things will get worst from this week till end March. However, I will count my blessings in these trying economic times.

I have cheekily mentioned on several occasions I'd bring my knitting to the day-long project presentations where I sit patiently through, at the back. Now, imagine the amount of knitting that gets done while I try to keep pace after lunch??????

Easy WIPs like JS' blankie is a welcome de-stressing knit in the evenings and there's good progress on that front at least!

Finally, some ME knits ... The Bramble stitch collar cardi is planned for completion in June and I've cast on Sivia Harding's Gothic Leaf Stole with a stashed navy Colourmart cashmere.

Now to kick away the 2nd sock syndrome, there's just the leg of Wendy Johnson's Double eyelet rib sock to finish! Maybe I'll join you girls at the KL Sock KAL then ya?

The last batch of FOs for JS and Jessica.

I have been busy

2009-02-09T15:04:00.008+08:00

Dottie is 'sleep guarding' the handpainted Beech wood cowls for YL , her friends Sarah and Charlie leaving for Melbourne and a niece in the UK.

Handpainted Knitpicks wool- Bare sock yarn with Wiltons cake dyes

Thank you Mona for this contribution!

Columbia Berets (without Ties) for YL and CChoo. (hats modeled on lampshade if you're wondering if they're looking a wee bit odd !)

Lily and Flu therapy

2009-01-04T17:31:00.008+08:00

Lily (Twist Collective Fall 08) is knitted with Jaeger Roma which didn't turn out as expected - amplifying spares around my middle. Luckily, blocking and stretching gave another 4" ease which was exactly what I needed!!!

I arrived back from my trip feeling miserable, aching all over and spent the next 2 days pumped with flu medication. DH said it must be bad when not a stitch is knitted while the entire yarn loot sits in the bedroom untouched!!! Here's what I've been up to all of yesterday for recovery therapy.

Four skeins of Knitpicks Bare sock yarn became these lovely babies waiting to grow up into 4 Beech Wood Cowls for YL and her friends. She wants more handbag friendly Cowls.

My backyard workshop equipped with an old microwave oven dedicated for cooking yarn ;)

Guess who sits patiently in her 1st flr Condo, under the work top, keeping me company? Dottie, our 7 yr old Basset and Golden Retriever mix.

This turned out 'too green' and was later repainted with red tones.

Got this one right first time.

Hanging out to dry...

Stash enhancements

2009-01-02T20:26:00.004+08:00

The pictures tell all.....

Finally after 2 evenings of relentless search and asking around in Shenzhen...

Basement wholesaler of mongolian cashmere, merino and cottons in Dongmen.

I found another wholesaler (forgot to snap a pic) nearby next day, the manager insists he's the supplier of the above. I got cheaper yarns from him too!

Before the boxes are thrown away.

Taking stock - 11 lots ; 7.2 kg in total.

Another picture I had meant to show - the roadside yarn stall in Ho Chi Minh where I bought the cheapie 4 ply cottons.

Winter wear

2008-12-07T22:12:00.007+08:00

Latest FOs for YL in cold, cold Wales. Details of each project is in Ravelry (username - sallytsb).

Beech Wood Cowl free pattern by Ilga

Yarn: Knittery Cashmere Merino sock yarn

Wicked by Sarah & Rachel of ZephyrStyle

Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Aran in Jet

Cable jumper inspired by Ann Budd's 'The knitter's handy book of sweater patterns"

Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Chunky in Mink

Almost half way

2008-10-27T20:13:00.003+08:00

Blankie is out of the huge box it's been hibernating in for the past 2-3 months. I have been furiously at it over the long weekend and it's now about half way...hmmm maybe I might just make it for Christmas?

It's been some time now..

2008-10-08T14:10:00.017+08:00

I am still finding it difficult to update this blog and the longer the lapse, the urgency wanes. Is this why most bloggers announce a hiatus? I've been contemplating shutting down this blog and just updating projects on Ravelry. The reason I am reluctant is mainly technical - this blog, I 'own' but on Ravelry I'm just a 'user', this, friends is the IT techie in me talking whilst the knitter in me loves the ease of use and huge potential of what Ravelry has to offer, at the same time allowing me to be 'wordless' if I so choose.
And so...I will continue to blog, albeit not so regularly and dating FO details into Ravelry until I find my blogging mojo again!
I have been busy knitting winter wear for YL who is now reading 1st year law in the UK. Here's a peek at the FOs I haven't blogged about.
Details of yarn and patterns used are posted on Ravelry!

Bought this jacket pattern and yarn in an Aberystwyth LYS, knitting done in less than a week!

This Beret I knitted in an evening from the Rowan Cocoon Collection.
The lime green jumper and pink jacket are both knitted with Sirdar Softie, an acrylic and wool mix. The seaming was a nightmare since I hated thick edgings, moreover the stitches made with 10mm and 12mm needles amplified imperfections too much.
I hope the Rowan Big Wool bought for Kim Hargreaves' - Temptation jacket ( Thrown Together mag) will turn out better.

I regret changing my mind about going to Colinette Mills in Llanfair, Wales as planned. I was less than 2 hours drive away but decided not to after falling in love with the LYS (take a look at Cynthia's new online store, she'll charge actual postage only ) just a few minutes away from my hotel! It has the latest patterns, mags, every Rowan, Sublime and Sirdar yarn one can imagine with a selection of Regia and Manos at the side. Moreover, the mill is open for business half day on Fridays and it'd mean a mad rush in addition to paying for car rental, the cost of which I eventually used for Kid Silk classic!

Notre Dame de Grace

2008-08-04T15:16:00.011+08:00

I love the alpaca softness, how the collar and shoulder garter sections are designed but I hated the never ending Moss stitch! Here it is....the Dame which fits daughter YL snuggly and should keep her warm for the coming winter...

Pattern : Notre Dame De Grace by Veronik Avery, Interweave Knits Summer 2007
Yarn: Bendigo Wooleen Mills Alpaca, DK in Oceania
Amount: 2.5 x 436 yds
Needles: 4mm

Blankie is in progress now that the Mission Falls mill ends finally made it to my door after 9 weeks! But, I've decided to set the project aside and not try to finish it by September. I'm setting a new deadline, Christmas perhaps...it is addictive and there's just too much knitting to finish off for now...a Drops cable cardigan, 2 more gift scarves, socks, hat, mittens... I need more knitting time and extra pairs of hands!!

(BTW Mona, I've figured out the triangles for the sides - see the purple and grey?)

Here's a peep at YL's campus Afghan...slow...won't use 4ply in future!

While waiting...

2008-06-30T09:54:00.010+08:00

It's been a great disappointment, having to wait for the Mission Falls mill ends I bought over eBay sometime mid May. It only dawned on me 'internaitonal flat rate' might be surface mail from Canada and would take 8-10 weeks or even longer. So Blankie has gone into 'Pause mode' and knitting life goes on with;

this FO which was meant for myself but now belongs to daughter YL. There's more sock yarn in the Stash...and so another is in progress with merino cashmere sock yarn from Knittery

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill, Spring Frost colorway, 100% superwash merino, Fingering wt, needles: 2 mm

To soften my Blankie upset, this was cast on with Knitpicks Palette. The pattern is the seamless afghan which is much easier for a severely 'yarn matching' challenged knitter like me! Decide on the colours, number of diagonal squares and off you go with the repeats.

I have made some slight modifications when knitting up the squares. In the pattern, the 'SSK' seams are left on the 'right side' while fussy me wants a flatter surface. But then, the 'wrong side' does look equally nice and so now I have a reversible blankie!!!

Those of you who are aware of my obsession with reversible scarves - imagine the smug look on my face...

As I progressed from the browns to green / beige, note that there are no tails in between except for the first and last square of the same colour. I'm not sure if the earlier tails were due to my trying to eliminate the SSK joins on the top-side or I wasn't following the pattern correctly. I'll figure that out later!

Quickie update

2008-06-01T18:58:00.008+08:00

Scarves for YL and her friends - third one in progress

Blankie is taking a rest - awaiting the arrival of Mission Falls mill ends I won on eBay.

Notre Dame De Grace - the body in Double Moss stitch gets a little boring, I then move on to a scarf for some instant gratification and its fast knitting with 6mm needles.

It's a Blankie!

2008-05-19T13:24:00.003+08:00

Blankie mania has hit me and I've been casting on little 4" diagonal squares all week!!! Alas, I'm running out of DK wool scraps and will be putting it down today while waiting for 2 mixed bags of Mission Falls 1828 mill ends I won at eBay to arrive. There's at least 800 gms of DK superwash there, enough to feed this blankie obsession. I plan to finish it by September, in time for the English winter.

The pattern is an adaptation of Sellykang's sock yarn blankie

The reverse side is surprising neat too, but just look at..the ends.... the ends......

I'm using short 4mm needles instead of DPNs or Circulars. They're probably stretching the stitches a little but these 'plastic learner' straights seems just perfect for the 31 sts. Thanks Annie!
Meantime, here's what's getting cast on today...

Veronik Avery's Notre Dame De Grace from IK Summer 2007

Blanket Squares

2008-05-07T20:44:00.004+08:00

Mona suggested we do our bit for charity by knitting up 12 inch blanket squares in non-woollie yarns as the blankets will be going to refugee babies in our warmer climes.
I reckon there's enough in my stash for 8 and here's 5 of them.

Finally, and for a good cause too, I'm getting to use up the mostly acrylic wool yarn, learn how to 'log cabin' and knit diagonal squares with some (dish cloth style) I'm too lazy to find gauge for.

Hmm.....Do we have a volunteer in KL to do the seaming up end of May? :)

One done..four to go

2008-04-27T17:03:00.006+08:00

I plan to finish 5 scarves by August and am thoroughly enjoying knitting the first one while looking for more patterns. No plain ribbing if possible, but interesting, yet easy and reversible patterns. Here's the first one - Fiona's Scarf.

Pattern : One row hand spun scarf by YarnHarlot

Size : 10" by 63" (unstretched)
Yarn : Katia Azteca, 50% wool 50% acrylic
Amount : 2 x 100gm x 197 yds (used all)
Needles : 6mm

Here's a close-up view of the one row stitch which I totally recommend for anyone looking for an easy reversible scarf pattern. In fact, I'm almost tempted to knit the rest in the same ! Wonder how I'd feel after the 3rd one???

Norwegian Woods and Green Gable FOs

2008-04-16T14:30:00.009+08:00

Another enjoyable Sivia Harding knit - my Norwegian Woods scarf

Pattern: Norwegian Woods Scarf by SiviaHarding
Size: 60" x 27" (blocked)
Yarn: Dream in Color - Baby (Laceweight), Flamingo Pie colourway
Amount: 560 yrds
Needles: 3 mm

Green Gable from the cotton yarn bought in Ho Chi Minh City. Notice how the colour pools when I knit across the raglan section and the variegation stablises after? Lesson learnt.

Pattern: Green Gable

Yarn: 2 strands 4 ply cotton (1 variegated 1 white)

Size: 36" Length: 23"

Amount: 350 gms

Needles: 4 mm

More Yarny Loot

2008-04-11T15:46:00.006+08:00

And to think I decided there wasn't anything much I wanted when I first went into the shop!!!! Maybe it was because I didn't quite like the shop assistant on the 2nd floor but got rather chumy with Ming on the 3rd.

Ten balls of any yarn is heavily discounted at this place, so you're looking at 2 balls each of 5 colourways of Katia Azteca planned for gift scarves for friends of YL leaving from August through February 09. Then I saw a gorgeous swatch out of the Filo Filu which I'm sure would knit up to a sexy slinky evening shawl..Couldn't resist that.

Ming persuaded me into buying the Japanese Knitting symbols dictionary and a book of 250 pattern samplers (mostly cables) when she found out I couldn't knit from Japanese patterns. I might give it a try one of these days... and there's a magnetic pattern marker too.

Remember the cheapie cotton yarn from the last post? Here's the green-white colourway growing very fast into Green Gable.. I'm using 1 strand of variegated with 1 strand white on 4mm needles. Would you believe the pile of knitting here is out of a single ball of each colour? This picture was taken when I was about to join the 2nd ball of green-white. Gosh! I'm still amazed I can get half a Top out of a RM 2 ball of yarn!!!

Yarny loot

2008-04-03T20:13:00.008+08:00

I found the 2 ladies of Le Thanh Ton St ! - as recommended by craftycathy in Ravelry's Asian Knitters forum. They're street peddlers alongside the famous Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh, just 10 mins from Caravelle Hotel where I stayed. Very convenient.
Gosh! it's amazing I lived to post this blog. I had no clue about crossing roads where (really) hundreds of motorbikes were coming towards you from every direction. Terrified, I would wait patiently at the curb for other tourists (esp bigger Westerners) then get myself strategically sandwiched in the middle while waiting for them to start the dash!! I did that at no less than 6 junctions.

The ladies were always packing up by the time I arrived there in the evenings, so never actually got to see all their wares. The quality of their yarn was OK and there's loads of cotton, all in lace or fingering weight though, nothing heavier. I didn't have time to look at wool which were all from China.

Here's the loot after 2 trips to their stalls...33 x 100 gms of 4 ply cotton sold loose and by weight.

Each is less than US$ 0.65!!! and I've no idea what to do with them yet. Bought 10 the first day, went back to the hotel to knit up a quick swatch, washed it for colour fastness and was quite impressed with the subtle sheen and softness. The next evening I went by taxi :) for another 23 balls.

All packed and ready to come home...

Travel project

2008-03-29T21:04:00.008+08:00

I've found the perfect project to take with me on my business trips for the next 2 weeks. It's the Woodlands shawl worked on only a skein of sock yarn! The pattern is simple but the 'shawlette' promises to be stunning judging by the projects at Ravelry .

Yarn: The Knittery , Colourway: Earth, Merino Cashmere Sock (60% merino 20% cashmere 20% nylon)

Here's a sneek peek at my Norwegian woods by SiviaHarding which is 1 repeat and Edging short of the finishing line. It's knitted with Dream in Color Baby in the Flamingo Pie colourway. I don't think this is the right colour to show off the design but I am looking forward to wear it with my usual dark office attire.

I'm not sure if there's much chance of knitting relating shopping in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh but any shortfall this end will be compensated with my booking into a hotel right smack in Hong Kong's yarn district of Causeway bay the following week!!! (I've got all the addresses, thanks to Ravelry)
It'll mean a daily two way 45 mins MRT commute to the office but what won't we do for yarn??? I'll have to come up with a sane reason why I HAVE to stay that far away though...

Last minute baby knits

2008-03-23T15:51:00.005+08:00

I became a grand aunt for the second time this week and embarrassingly there were no baby knits to welcome Kate! I had clean forgotten her due-date and hadn't bought baby yarn nor planned a project.
Well, I started on a blanket with some Sirdar Snuggles and ran out when it was clear that the FO could only serve as an oversized burping towel! (total denial syndrome-itis again!)
After a frantic search I came up with these....

The Bootees pattern is from a Debbie Bliss leaflet and Magic Slippers by Sockpixie. Aren't they cute???

Yarn: Peony acrylic , Needles: 3mm, size: newborn

Am going to get some feedback on these slippers from the tired but happy mom (her firstborn is a boy), if baby seems comfortable in them and they don't drop off easily, I plan to knit more of these and not bother with another blanket.

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggles, Needles: 3mm, Size: 1-3 mths

Agatha FO

2008-03-19T20:56:00.007+08:00

Fresh off the blocking board...I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Pattern: Agatha by thatloganchick
Yarn: Australian wool, 5 ply, Black

Needles: 4mm
Amount: 400 gm (yarn bought without labels and yardage information)
Size: Wingspan - 56" Depth - 25"

Notes: Followed pattern exactly, 4 repeats of main pattern

Would I knit another one? YES!!!

Can't put her down

2008-03-09T17:29:00.011+08:00

Not having the recommended DK yarn didn't deter me as I found the remnants of a 5 ply Australian wool which could be a good substitute. It was bought as a scrap bag of about 700gms, no labels, no indication of yardage but there's 450 gms left over from another project which is plenty for Agatha, I'm sure. The yarn quality isn't too great and I would have prefered something softer in a different hue. But it'll do for now, I might knit another with some other yarn later.

I love the pattern, it's well written and the instructions, all 9 pages of them, user-friendly and easy to comprehend. Haven't been able to put it down since cast-on, however I think I will reserve it for daylight knitting from now. Black is a killer on the eyes and tires me out quickly

Here it is after 2 repeats....

Delayed gratification...

2008-03-05T10:55:00.007+08:00

It was love at first sight with Agatha-ThatLoganChick and so I proceeded to purchase it at Etsy, planning to cast it on over the weekend.
I've been very good recently, knitting from Stash, so was certain there'd be a suitable wool mix or silky DK yarn tucked in there. Skeins are literally falling out when the cupboard is opened!
Now, how many mornings have we stood staring at the clothes closet ,surprised there's 'nothing to wear' when the bars are sagging with too many hangers? That's that same feeling I had when I searched and triple checked through the Stash for that just perfect yarn I would have bought and forgotten about many moons ago - there must be!
Nope, nothing, I came up with zilch, not even a substitute I might consider in desperation. Hmm...maybe my Stash is not as big as I thought????

Oh well! delayed gratification is good for the knitting soul sometimes and I might as well enjoy the online shopping....
Here's a peek at my WIPs...

Decided to stay with stockinette so as not to 'distort' the colourway, but might change to the Blueberry waffle stitch for the leg. Yarn - Supersock from Cherry Tree Hill in Spring Frost; Needles - 2mm

Office Casual (the third) with Peony acrylic yarn on 3.5 mm needles. I don't have a particular pattern and is winging it as I knit.

MOSS Lacy Wrap

2008-02-25T20:56:00.005+08:00

A quickie update from the office!!!
Fresh from the blocking board and put to work right away this morning.

Moss Lacy Wrap by Teva Durham

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, 65% wool 35% silk, DK weight
Amount: 3.1 x 50 gm x 192 yds
Needles: 4.5 mm, Blocked size: 22" x 62"

Next project???? Has to be something a tad more colourful than the FOs I have been churning out the past few months!!!

Holiday FOs

2008-02-16T10:57:00.010+08:00

The long Chinese New Year break is over and it's back to the grindstone at the office. The usual masses of emails blinking for attention and numerous meetings to catch up with.

JS left for his 3rd year at Monash Uni in Melbourne last night with more of Mum's 'every stitch with love' FOs. While knitting the Grey Alpaca jumper (previous blog) he mentioned he'd like a vest and a 3 in 1 scarf-ski mask-hat 'thing' he's seen cyclists wearing.

After much Googling I saw this Buff and with additional inspiration from the Magknits Malagaiter here's my version. I'm afraid I forgot to take a snapshot of the knitted tube :(

Pattern: Ideas from the Buff and Magknits Malagaiter

Notes: Mistake Rib (gives a good stretchy tube), thin 5 ply yarn makes its easier to fold for hat

Size (stretched) : 14" length by 10" wide (to fit face or head circumference)

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills, 5 ply Classic 100% wool

Amount: about 360 m , Needles: 3.5mm

Pattern: Petrol from Knitty.com (modified with a 4 row K2P2 rib at bottom)

Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Aran, Jet black

Amount:8.5 x 50g x 95yds

Size (finished) : chest 36" length 25"

Loose bed socks from DK scraps knitted toe-up.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-01T10:43:00.000+08:00

I'll be away at the in-laws and later my hometown, Penang. Enjoy the holidays, eat as much as you like - the dieting can come later :). I hope to get much much knitting done.
In fact, I've downloaded all episodes of Agatha Christie radio shows to knit along with!!!

Grey Alpaca Jumper

2008-01-27T15:05:00.000+08:00

I'm tired out with baking for the coming Chinese New Year or Spring Festival in 2 weeks. There's an additional 4 loaves this year and that makes 20! I could and should have started preparing weeks ago and not have to bake and then soak the next lot of dried fruit ingredients in brandy/rum for another batch every evening. Oh well, procrastination always win and its become a mad annual rush, I might as well make it a personal tradition!

On the knitting front...the grey alpaca jumper for JS is completed and there's a black Aran wool vest on the needles which I may be able to post as an FO next week.

Pattern: Book of sweater patterns ( Ann Budd)
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills - 100% Alpaca , 8 ply , Grey
Amount: 2.6 x 200g x 400 yds
Size: chest 42" ( finished )
Needles: 3.25 mm & 4 mm

It was a very hot afternoon but JS was persuaded to put it on for a snapshot. He had actually said there's no need for more woollies this year but then DH had mentioned several times my handknits for JS were heavy-like an armour!!!. And so to prove hand knits are as good as store bought sweaters, I decided on the alpaca and this is a lofty 550 gms compared to his other 900 gms Cleckheaton DK jumpers! Except he has to remember no machine washing is allowed.

No more space

2008-01-20T19:28:00.000+08:00

There really is no more space in the Stash cupboard, does it mean I can't buy yarn and for how long??? Would I be resolute enough not to?? Not visit my favourite online stores??? How does one handle the withdrawal symtoms???

Look what's cheered me up today, a knitting tote from this little shop I chanced upon this moning. The owner has a friend who makes curtains and cushions for some well known brands and makes bags out of the remnants.

..................... ....

Here's hoping I don't ever have to carry knitting into a hotel lobby with matching Lounge set covers as the bag!

First of the year

2008-01-12T12:27:00.000+08:00

This is my first cast-on and only WIP (so far..) for the year and I'm enjoying this soooo soft alpaca yarn I haven't thought of moving on to the usual distraction I need when knitting a huge stockingnette jumper, I cannot bear to.
The stitches just fly off the needles so fast and ooh! the softness...you can see it can't you?

It's a plain jumper for JS and the alpaca yarn from Bendigo, possibly one of the cheapest alpaca for a 200gm ball of 400 yds. I haven't knitted with other alpacas so am not able to compare qualities but this is good enough for now.

Those of you who couldn't help smiling at the 'only WIP' boast I made above may want to know what happened to Forest Path huh? Well, I am officially announcing its 'demise' and will not talk about it henceforth! I've snipped off the yarn, packed it and hid it somewhere so I won't see it accidently unless I mount a search in future. OK, so I'm a coward, I can't bear to execute the first frogging tug, maybe I will bring it to the next meet-up and let someone have the pleasure of seeing me cringe....until then it will stay out of sight and hopefully forgotten....

Now, back to knitting my first WIP.... :)

Moonshadow Stole

2008-01-07T16:22:00.000+08:00

Here it is, Moonshadow, which took less than a month (including waiting time for additional yarn to arrive). The pattern calls for beads at the edgings, mine's without since it's one of my 'office shawls' that are better left simple with no fussy attachements.

I wanted a thick and dense stole so have used a fingering weight yarn but am sure the design will turn out even more exqusite with a laceweight.

Have totally fallen in love with the easy pattern although it looks complicated when knitted. Am already planning to knit another one in a plain and darker colour laceweight.

The knitting is done lengthwise and at times it feels like the stole hasn't grown much, but then you get to admire it in full length with 2 circulars.

Pattern: Moonshadow stole-Sivia Harding (without beads)

Yarn: Fingering weight, Winemix colourway, 100% cashmere from Colourmart

Size: 21" x 72" (after blocking)

Amount: 1100 yds

Needles: 3.5 mm

Another view of the the side and bottom edgeing.

Landscape, Tundra, Layer Top & Moonshadow

2008-01-06T17:49:00.000+08:00

Gosh!, I've never had so many FOs to post in a single blog entry so shall keep the chattering for next time.
The Moonshadow Stole was cast off this morning and is still wet on the blocking squares so just a sneek peek here. Will tell more about this amazingly easy Sivia Harding design later.

Landscape socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Landscape, 100% Merino, Mesa colourway

Amount: 2 skeins x 50g x 192 yds

Needles: 2mm

Tundra Jumper

Pattern: Adapted from various

Yarn: Katia Tundra, 50% wool 40% acrylic 10% viscose

Amount: 4.5 x 100gm x 197 yds

Needles: 4.5mm

Size: extra small ( 32") for YL

Layer Top

Pattern: Tequila Sunrise, Simply Knitting Issue 27 - Spring 2007

Yarn: Peony (Japanese 100% Acrylic)

Amount: 4.5 balls

Needles: 4mm

Size: extra small ( 30") for YL

Pattern notes: Knot Stitch (Row 1 - purl, Row 2 - knit one to back, purl 1) is super stretchy and would use it again to replace single ribbing. Collar, sleeves and base - stocking stitch for curling effect.

Christmas

2007-12-21T09:13:00.000+08:00

Now, wouldn't any right thinking knitter have figured out, much much earlier, that 800 yds IS NEVER ever going to be EQUAL the 1000 yds recommended clearly in the pattern???? Is this silly optimism normal??? How long can a knitter be in denial I wonder?

I chose to ignore the many little voices trying to tell me yarn was vanishing at too fast a rate until reality finally sank through during a blissful state of knitting and dozing in the Eurostar somewhere between Paris and London, that there really, really won't be enough yarn for the next 2 repeats and top edge. It's just lucky for me that the seller has more!. Let's see if the colour lot matches...

rantings over... The WIP is Sivia Harding's Moonshadow lacy stole knitted lengthwise and I can't sing enough praises for it. It's such a clever design and easy knit. Am using fingering cashmere from Colourmart.

As usual, I'll be off work for the Christmas & New Year break and switching to my vacation job as a Couch Potatoe cum Knitter.

( cards from egreetings.com )

Memories..

2007-12-15T19:07:00.000+08:00

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Rowanspun FO in Switzerland....Noro Silk Garden jumper at the Rhine Falls

Family in my handknits enjoying pork knuckles at Black Forest

Lots of clogs...still no sign of a yarn shop so far....

Glass pyramid at the Lourve.....note the 'pile' between horse's legs

ONLY 10 minutes at Liberty in London and managed to grab these....did not look at or pet any yarn there..

Worked on Sivia Harding's Moon Shadow Stole during the trip.

On Vacation.....

2007-12-04T14:37:00.000+08:00

Tweed jumper and Horizontal scarf FOs

2007-11-26T18:47:00.000+08:00

The grown up Rowanspun tweed cardigan...

Pattern: Drops 103-15

Yarn: Rowanspun DK

Amount: 5 x 50 gm x 219 yds

Needles: 4.0 mm & 3.0 mm

Size: 39" : Length: 27"

Modifictions: Moss stitch for neck borders .

Sleeves are in plain Stockinette instead of Ribbing.

Another view of the mid section in 3 x 3 rib

Pattern: Tammy & Evan Forever by Haley Waxberg of Knitomatic

(originally from Spun mag)

Yarn: Scrap DK wool

Amount: 175 gm

Length: 46" Width: 6.5"

Needles: 4.5 mm

Notes: scarf knitted lengthwise in Garter stitch

All the dark colours, except for the light blue, were dyed with Koolaid.

Paying It Forward

2007-11-26T09:40:00.000+08:00

The first time Nurhanne blogged on this, I had meant to join but as it is usual with me these days, (I prefer to admit to having too many knitting things on mind - it's got nothing to do with Age creeping in) I forgot!

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

On the knitting front.... hope to take pictures of the tweed cardigan and horizontal scarf FOs if there's good lighting when I get home from work this evening.

Miserable week

2007-11-11T14:33:00.000+08:00

It must be one of the worst bout of Sinus I've had in years. Although a chronic sufferer, it's been relatively mild attacks for as long as I can remember. Not much knitting done, just wasn't in the mood..

Those who know of my Colourmart silk bargain way back in March 07 heard my constant moans on the purchase; I've got it figured out girls! With the combination of the Ball Winder and Swift, in between sniffles and pain killers...here they all. Aren't they lovely?

Would I do this again? Maybe...not too bad once I got the knack of it. I must say that Richard, Colourmart's owner, offers a fair deal as there's enough in the same shade for several stoles . Not sure what I'll do with them but here's a good idea;

Marble, by Kaffe Fassett in Rowan 41. It knits with 2 strands, each of a different colour throughout.

Ribbit

2007-11-01T11:06:00.000+08:00

Sadly, this is no more....because..

I was hoping it'd miraculously grow an additional 2" ease
Thought Blocking will lengthen another 3"
What would my non-knitting friends say if they found out I knit it???
It'd stay in the closet forever...

thus....it is now growing up into this....

Drops 103-15

Noro Silk Garden Jumper

2007-10-22T11:09:00.000+08:00

My connection at home has been out for the past few days and it's one of those crazy Mondays here at work this morning, so a quickie update since I can't wait to show off !!!

Pattern: Set in sleeves sweater

The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (col 247)

Amount: 10 x 50 x 100 meters (with almost nothing left)

Needles: 4.5mm & 3.5mm

Knit for: self

Well, it was an easy knit except for my constant obsession in wanting every piece to match. If I had knit the left and right sides of the neck opening in the normal way, the colours may not match and so I did a 'huge skip' without a 'yarn break'.

The sleeves were knit in the round so no problems there.

And, surprise, surprise! the front and back do match up during seaming!!!! There was nothing left over from the 10 balls of yarn I've got except for some yellow and blues scraps for the cowl like collar I wanted but it's worked out in the end don't you think so?

This was cast on yesterday - with the Katia Tundra I blogged previously.

Bye! and a productive week ahead to all!

Polar

2007-10-12T23:14:00.001+08:00

Polar is an FO, one down and hopefully 3 more jumpers to go. I've got plans for a hat and mittens if there's enough knitting hours to end November but I'm not too confident about that. We'll see...

Pattern:Rowan Mag 30, SNUG by Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Rowan Polar(60%wool 30%alpaca 10%acrylic)
Needles: 8mm & 7mm
Amount: 6 x 100g x 100m
Finished size: 32"

In the meantime I've casted on another jumper with the Noro wool/silk that's been calling out to me each time I so much as peep at my stash cupboard! The subtle blending of colours which then stretches into rich hues before another clever blend never ceases to amaze and delight as I knit away into the night. (that explains why I need a little snooze when I get home from work recently)

I could have not bothered to match the front and back, but being the neurotic that I am, they HAD to be symmetrical, so that is another ongoing challenge and I'm sure the sleeves ain't going to be easy. Life's more interesting this way isn't it?

Works in Progress

2007-10-01T20:38:00.000+08:00

I have a grand total of 4, quite a decent and manageable number I guess.

Here's Landscape from Knitpicks, starting off as mine but claimed by DD who didn't like the stripey skein of wool at first.

Polar - a Winter jumper for DD,...just the neck to be cast off, sides seamed and sleeves attached.
Finally on its last leg, 2nd sleeve almost done and I'll have to decide how I want the raglan top to look when the pieces unite.
If a love-hate relationship is possible to have with a WIP, this is it! big time.

I find excuses not to knit it, I won't begin another Stole, I sometimes want to throw it into the frog pond, I take it out-often, then I fall in love with it all over again, I put it back into the basket....and there it sits.....What shall I do???????

The loot, the loot...

2007-09-22T11:18:00.000+08:00

When I heard there were 'only' 9 packs, I thought; 'good, it'll be a cinge, they'll fit into the travelling bag I brought just for the job'. OK, so I misculculated again! Anyway, managed to bully someone to empty out a box for me and pack 'em all in, right to the top and since I didn't have tape to seal the covers(clever me brought a ball of string!!), the check-in lady decided to use a 'Fragile' sticker to close the gaps!!

Come and get them at the meet-up girls!!!!

Who cares if I haven't a clue how they were coming home, I had to have these lovely Katia Tundra from Spotlight, down from S$19.90 to $9 per ball!!! I grabbed all 6 so don't bother rushing there ya?

Thank you for a lovely evening; Regg, Jollin, Mira and ZhiYun.

Classic Top

2007-09-14T09:29:00.000+08:00

It's a mad rush around here today, so a quick update! My Barbara Walker inspired top is finally an FO and worn to Bangkok this week - Straight off the blocking board and onto the body, literally! The passenger next to me, Prof Carla from Italy, actually noticed and commented on the seamless shoulder and sleeves!!!
I think I've got everything- length, collar, sleves, just right this time round and plan to knit a series of these in different variations and colours as casual office wear.

Pattern : Set in sleeves

Knitting from the top - Barbara Walker

Yarn : Japanese Peony - 100% acrylic

Amount: 8x 40g x ?? metres

Needles: 3.5mm

Not very tidy and still slightly noticeable but I'm real proud of my short- row shoulders and sleeves.

Decided to replace K2P2 ribbing with K2 P2 Cable2 P2 when I got bored with the sleeves and neck Ribs.

There's going to be much winter wear knitting from now and DD has requested for this jumper from a Rowan mag in Polar yarn which I conveniently have stashed.

Navy socks

2007-09-04T22:29:00.000+08:00

Done! Navy socks for DH and I can't wait to cast on for a brighter coloured pair after this. Here it is modeled by the proud owner himself.

Pattern: Toe-up from Wendyknits

Finished size: Length 10", Leg circ 7"

Yarn: Knitpicks Essential,

Amount: 2 x 50g x 231 yds

Needles: 2mm

Gauge: 10sts to 1" stockinette

I am still plodding away (very very slowly) with the Forest Path Stole and on the finishing leg of the green top. Hope to have an FO to show soon.

In the meantime, there's these Noro and Tapestry yummies waiting to grow into Jumpers, aren't they lovely?? and I do need new winter wear this year.......

The yellow sock yarn is going to be a nice change too.

Cool Cozy Shrug

2007-08-28T11:45:00.000+08:00

Met up with Annie for lunch last week and we made a nostalgic visit to Golden Hands in Petaling Jaya (they're closing soon, after 30 years). Had to leave with the cotton yarn I've been looking out for and knitted this FO over the weekend.

Pattern: Cool Cozy Shrug from Creative Knitting - July 2007

Size: XS for YL

Yarn: 3.6 balls x 100g x 149 yds Sirdar Spree (cotton rich chunky)

Needles: 6.5 mm

Am glad that Kenny understood my ramblings on the sleeve (previous blog) as he's had similar problems. He's also made a better job of explaining in his blog and with clearer pictures.

So I frogged, gave up on the idea and am doing the 'body first' method. As you can see, I got a little bored with the body and started the short-rows sleeve which is growing well.

My toes are laughing.....

2007-08-17T12:34:00.000+08:00

Nope!, am not in my new socks but at work sneeking this entry in!

Regg nominated me for this: (click to find out more)

and I am totally tickled (pink??)! It's the "Rockin' Girl" bit that will have my kids hooting with laughter I'm sure. "Mum....rockin'?????"

The Girls I'm nominating for the awards :

Michelle - a budding website designer (she designed my daughter's site ) and avid knitter

Mona - whom I envy for her artistic talents

Doreen - who knits and crochet beautifully all the time

Ruchira - who gives me hope that I may yet have a 'knitting daughter'

Pretty-knitty - whose site you must visit for exquisite knits and designs

Top down seamless set-in sleeves

2007-08-13T10:34:00.000+08:00

I was a little bored with the second sock, so put it aside to continue my never ending pursuit of a perfect, seamless, short sleeves, classic 'office wear' top.

Using Barbara Walker's - Knitting from the Top as a guide I :

decided on stockingnette and round neck pattern
multipled gauge with 15" back-shoulder width
cast on using provisional method and knitted back piece
left 1/3 sts on work yarn for neck and worked left, right front
shoulders worked with short-rows
when front and back equals 1/3 of armhole, turn and pick-up sts for sleeves (see arrows)
increase both sides at front then join collar to work in the round down body

All's well and I was happy with the progress, good fit, no shoulder seams, neat short rows and the sleeves looked really good as the increases were made.

But.....there are totally horrible kinks at sleeve pick-up points (arrows on pic) caused by the abrupt turning and I do not think they'd be smoothened out with blocking.

Have decided to frog when I get home tonight, maybe forgo the set-in sleeves but go for the 'body-first' method of knitting straight down first where sleeves are picked up later and working in shortrows from the cap.

More updates on the technique if I don't decide to frog everything and go back to good ole' knitting from the bottom!!!

I have been busy

2007-08-07T21:00:00.001+08:00

knitting this KP Essential Navy sock for DH (his first pair of hand knits) and reading Kate Jacobs' - The Friday Night Knitting Club. knitting...........
.......

It's a good read, some sobs in between laughs and full of knitty wisdom, recommended.

Socks are definitely my new 'comfort knitting' but not this pair it isn't!

The plan was to knit the cream coloured FPS (at Tier 7 !!!!) during the evenings and socks in between times when I needed something easy. I also anticipate DH might complain if I ask to try out the sock on his foot too often.

Wrong, wrong and wrong! Guess what? each time I switched to FPS there'd be the " Aren't you knitting my socks??" question and every so often he'd stick his foot out for a fitting, without my asking! Gosh!!! I'm not sure if I do know this significant other half??

FPS won't be making an appearance in this blog for a while I'm afraid.

And..this is how badly the sock bug has bitten ....sock yarn!!!!...with more on the way.

Toe-up socks FO

2007-07-30T12:06:00.000+08:00

My first pair of toe-up socks, finally! For a while, I thought I might abandon them altogether after; changing pattern on second sock and frogging 2 completed short-row heels and then settling for one with a gusset I learnt from Wendy Knits.

Strange how having knitted 4 pairs of top-down I got into so much trouble this time, but the lessons learnt are definitely useful for future sock knitting adventures!

I'm not accepting I can't knit a 'perfect' short-row heel, so I shall continue trying.....thing is when completed, they looked resonably decent and passable, no holes, yet.....well, I prefer the gusset for now. Sour grapes or just being practical???

Pattern: Twin Rib (row 1: K3 P3, row 2: K1 P1)

Heel from Wendy Knits
Size: 6" circumference (fit my 8" foot)

Yarn: 80% 1 ball Regia Cotton

Gauge: 10 sts = 1" , Needles: 2 mm

Knitted on: 60 sts to cuff changing to K1P1 Ribbing

Cast on: 14 sts with Magic cast-on from Knitty.com

Have used both Magic and Turkish cast-on and find both quite easy (with some practice) but will stick with Magic cast-on for now. Quite amazed at how seamless it can look!

Frogs and Wizards

2007-07-22T16:43:00.000+08:00

I should have left things well alone, cast on the 2nd sock and be done with the pair. The 'I am not satisfied with everything about it' mood kept bugging and bugging me when I finished the cuff. The twin-ribbing give such a nice relief to the stripes at the cuff and I couldn't banish the thought of 'how nice it would look on the instep....' You can see what I've done and the first sock's drowned in the frog pond.

I've got to make a short trip into Guangzhou, China coming Wednesday and wasn't looking forward to it but then it would be a good time to read my HP7..

I haven't peeped into the last chapter yet, but am not sure how long I can resist the temptation..DH gives me dirty looks if I so much as mutter or give away anything while reading..

To HP fans, happy reading and a productive knitting week ahead to all!

Updates..sp10,FOs and sock

2007-07-17T18:59:00.000+08:00

My final SP10 parcel arrived! Thanks Kessa, you've anticipated my needs so well!!! It's been fun being spoiled by you. The Colorado yarn you sent previously came in useful for the scarf and hat set too.

Here they are...knitted in time for Jess' Aussie Winter.

Pattern: 'Ruggles Original Reversible Scarf' (http://knitting.about.com/),

Pattern: Rolled brim hat (stocking stitch and normal decreases at top)

Yarn: Colorado Yarns, Worsted Weight, Superwash

Amount: 3 x 100 gm x 215 yds (for both)

Needles: 5 mm

Fell out of love with the 'forget-me-not' sock pattern I started (previous blog), could not persuade myself having holes on the leg looks fine and so frogged. Unless I get to try on a lacey pair and like how it looks I'd probably stick with knitting plain legs matched with patterned cuffs.

It wasn't a holiday..

2007-07-09T10:57:00.000+08:00

I stayed up till 2am last night, not able to put Debbie Macomber's 'The shop on Blossom Street' down and gave myself a much deserved 'lie-in' till 10am this morning, and finishing it!

Arrived back from our 3 day IT Mgt Retreat so exhausted I just didn't want to do anything else except continue with the book I thought I would have time to read in the evenings there.
Alas, it was the sort of Retreat where one is expected to socialise (all the time, till late night) with colleagues from the other regions and after being teased incessantly the 2nd day about my 'staying in the room knitting' the first night, I abandoned the idea of having any quiet time.

Definitely will be buying more knitting theme books from now and thanks to my very generous KTS3 pal Cathy who sent it with so much goodies last week.

Thanks for the yarn, teas, note stationery, stitch markers, gauge and laundry bag too! I hope you receive my parcel soon - sent to old address.

The retreat was held at Colmar, a French theme hill resort at Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. It's definitely cooler than KL where I live, the evenings plesantly cool but not chilly.

Now, wouldn't it be just perfect if I could sit and knit at the cafe near the fountain or by the mini water feature? Instead, it was meetings till late evenings with an indecent amount of food all day! I'm on a strict juice diet today.

I started on my first attempt at Toe-up socks with Regia Cotton but had to abandon it for a while to try finish a scarf by 25th this month.

It's got this very clever stitch pattern which makes the scarf completely reversible. It's officially the free 'Ruggles Original Reversible Scarf' from http://knitting.about.com/ but I can't seem to find the reference for the pattern anymore. So if anyone is interested do drop me a line.

Wishing you all a productive knitting week ahead....

Vacation fatique

2007-07-01T18:03:00.000+08:00

Got back late Friday night...still too tired to string words together...

Knitted this over the week, mostly on the flight and while resting feet in hotel.

Pattern: Cropped Raglan Sweater (free from Lion Brand) - top down
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills (Australia)
Amount: 2 x 200gm x 260 yds
Needles: 4.5mm and 5 mm

Lady Eleanor, ready for the office Monday morning.

Pattern: Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole (Kathleen Power Johnson)

Yarn: Rowan Tapestry

Amount: 5.5 x 50gm x 131 yds

Needles: 6mm

Blocking the lady.

What a week!

2007-06-23T10:38:00.000+08:00

Monday, part of my KTS3 exchange, these yummy sock yarn arrived! Thank you Cathy, I can't wait to get started, my favourite soft soft pastels!

As soon as Lady Eleanor is off the needles, hopefully tonight, I plan to cast on this with a 4 ply cashmere from Colourmart. The pattern seems easy enough to take with me on vacation next week. Or, maybe I might start off a sock with the peachy yarn on the left as well? What of FPS? Well, it's on a hiatus till I get back from the hols!

Birthday's not till next week and I've already opened 2 presents! Thanks Regg and Annie for the goodies , especially the shrug. It is my very first knitted gift and much loved. Thank YOU!

Hiking FOs and Lady's progress

2007-06-16T19:10:00.000+08:00

It's been a most productive morning today. I had promised YL to take her shopping for her Prom dress and not only did we find the dress, we also made it to the post office with 2 parcels.

The one to Cathy, my KTS3, is long long overdue as a result of nothing else but sheer procrastination on my part! The package had been wrapped for days waiting for the one to JS to be ready. Alas, these hiking socks, hat and Aran jumper(previous blog entry) took longer to air dry as it's been raining almost daily recently.

Yarn: Cleckheaton 100% DK wool (superwash)

Socks: 2.5 x 50gm x 104m

Hat: 3.5 x 50gm x 104m, double strand

Now that both packages are on their way, it's full steam ahead with Lady Eleanor. Here it is, 3 balls of Rowan Tapestry knitting. I've enjoyed watching the 'bricks' forming and the constant changing of colours makes it interesting. The shade and intensity of colours in each ball varies immensely but I'm fine with that as it adds to the beauty of the Lady.

FO and the Lady

2007-06-10T17:28:00.001+08:00

Four months late but still in time for the Australian Winter - the Whole Clan Sweater from Knit Picks.

Pattern: Knitpicks:One for the whole clan sweater

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash, Colour: Coast Grey

Amount: 15 x 50 gm x 110 yd

Needles: 4.5 mm

Due to my new job portfolio I'm sitting at 2 different office locations. The air-conditioning in my old room is never above 18% C cos' its a floor below the hospital's operating theatres and yet a cotton shirt and lacey stoles suffice for the day but this other one is much much colder, so bad, I'm holding onto a hot mug all day! What a waste of energy with the central air-conditioning.

Looks like I'm not going to survive very well without taking drastic actions. So, here's Rowan Tapestry growing up very quickly into Lady Eleanor and perhaps some leftover cashmere from Kimono into a pair of lacey fingerless mittens?? When your fingers are too frozen for the keyboard, who cares about a few stares ?

Meet-up ladies, I'm leaving the blogging of the event to Mona since the pictures I took didn't turn out decent enough to do most of you justice! The lighting was all wrong.

A quick update

2007-06-02T12:50:00.001+08:00

It's the weekend we make the one hour journey South to visit the In-Laws and we're usually back late Sunday evening which means I'm too lazy to switch on the PC except plonk down on the sofa to enjoy an 'after journey coffee' ... so, a quick update..

Guess what I found while diving into my stash for some bulky yarn to cast on a short cardi I've been eyeing for myself? The superwash Cleckheaton DK remnants I thought I had but couldn't figure why I've only got 2 balls left! Another 2 were stashed and hidden away in a box of sock yarn which I had forgotten about! Sigh!..I guess it's time for some stock taking and tidying up next week.

So, here's hiking socks 2 in Garter Rib knitted with 3.25mm DPNs.

Having read much about seams lending more 'bulk' and 'form definition' to a jumper, I'm still not convinced to give up 3 stitch bind-offs and knitting in the round. If not for them ,I'd never get that neat joining at the shoulders and sides plus actually look forward to sewing up the armholes. No dreading the seaming of sleeves and sides...gosh! that feels good.

.........................
Wish you all a restful weekend and produtive week ahead!

My Secret Pal 10 : Looking forward to the goodies :)

My KTS3 - Cathy : Hope you'd like the yarn arriving from 'Simply Sock Yarn Co' and I've bought the teas ..package will be out by the week.

Slow progress

2007-05-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

There's been slow progress on the knitting front since I got back from my trip South. I've been leaving the office later to cope with the new responsibilites which came with my recent move to a divisional position and that means knitting time is greatly reduced and easier projects needed to help me unwind. This Tweed jumper was casted on for 'comfort-knitting' with Rowan DK in burnt orange. It's mine and I'm not following any specific pattern since it's just plain stocking stitch and probably crew neck.

A little FO, hiking socks for son, unblocked. Meant to take pictures of DH modeling it, but the hairy legs got a little camera-shy! This was to be the first of 3, knitted with remanants and stash superwash wool until I realised more than 2 balls of 50g are required. Unless I get really creative with mixing some odd colours together, there's just going to be this pair for now. I may be able to whip up a woollie hat with 3 balls of the same yarn to match the socks though.
The 2nd sleeve of Clan sweater is finally on the way and here it is in a pic with some of my favourite tea pots. By the way, I've joined KnittersTeaSwap3 and am having fun preparing the parcel for my KTS pal Cathy.

My late father, a porcelain goods importer, gave me most of the Chinese pots in my collection and the most treasured is this little old man. They were samples given to foreign importers in the 1970s' and I believe some may not have been put into commerical production.

I brought back..

2007-05-16T15:00:00.000+08:00

It was a 2-day seminar in Singapore and really there wasn't time for LYS hoping but look what I came home with! All the Clover assessories that I've been drooling over and 7 balls of Rowan Tapestry (I took all GD had in this shade!) of which I have absolutely no idea what to knit into. I just couldn't resist the colours and like I told Regg (thanks for everything) "I must have them else I won't be able to sleep tonight!"
All I was meant to bring back on this trip were these 12 packs Mona and I had previously ordered and since we could save some postage...

My cabin trolley bag sans clothes, shoes, toiletry bag and tons of seminar materials!

What wouldn't we do for yarn??! Since I had to check out of the hotel early morning, I parked the bag + some at the seminar hall, took everything on a coach ride to a site visit and then onward to the airport without baggage check-in. Guess what, the tour would have been difficult but it was a breeze!!! The yarn fairies came out as 2 very helpful chaps (seminar attendees) who carried, pushed and pulled everything during the site visit. Bless them!!

And so ends another yarny adventure.....

Thank You SP10

2007-05-12T17:09:00.000+08:00

Isn't it just perfect? A Saturday morning lie-in and DH very obligingly drove off to the post office to bring this home.

So thoughtful of you to tissue wrap each item including the balls of Colorado Yarns. I'm glad they're worsted superwash and the Bouncle from handpaintedyarns.com is in one of my favourite shades. How did you know my old row-counter is falling apart? Yours came just in time for FPS!

Definitely will enjoy the chocolates, lavender soap and potpurri scents. Thanks again!!!

Have a good weekend everyone and to mothers; HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY tomorrow.

I really really have to..

2007-05-07T17:20:00.000+08:00

Get on with the second leg and cast on for hiking-socks-2 to meet the June deadline for 3 pairs!
Finish the sleeves !Keep ourselves motivated (Regg & Mona) with a progress report. Just so that I don't blog the Forest Path Stole to death, there won't be another till Tier 8

Red Sahara

2007-05-03T20:50:00.000+08:00

Pattern: Sahara from Stitch Diva, Size: XS

Yarn: 6 x 50 gm x (?) yds, 100% Acrylic by Peony (Japanese)

Needles: 3 mm & 3.5mm

Gauge: 26 sts to 4"

Modifications: Ribbing at base instead of Lace Pattern, Add 1 lace repeat at neckline

Progress report - Forest Path Stole - Tier 1

A yarn snob is impressed

2007-04-30T09:29:00.000+08:00

This is going to be a super quick post because I can't wait to go back to this short sleeves Sahara and finish off the neckline.

I am enjoying this pattern and learning loads of new tricks from it and so, definitely a good buy. It begins with a provisional cast on at the back, no shoulder seams, then sleeves are picked up and knitted. A clever and really neat design.
Oh yes! and its knitted in Japanese acrylic that I reluctantly bought. The yarn snob that I am can't get over the fact that I'm actually very impressed with how the yarn knitted up, much softer than the past arylics I had worked with and good stitch definition. Yarn technology has progressed but my perceptions haven't, yet I am in the IT industry. (very embarrassing look..)

The cashmere laceweight arrived for Forest Path Stole and I am still having mixed feelings whether I really want to get into a 'killer project'? I'm so tempted to give this a miss and start on Sivia Harding's easier Gothic Leave Stole in a friendlier fingering yarn. (oops! Mona Regg will keep you girls posted)

Stash bursting and FOs

2007-04-17T18:38:00.000+08:00

I had a great time at our school reunion, we chatted late into the night (more screaming than chatting :)), ate non-stop, exchanged mobile numbers and figured out our combined ages came to a grand total of 600!!!!
Ogee was greatly admired but, by the end of the hot and humid evening I swore I'd never wear it with a camisole again!

Here it is, hanging in the hotel closet.

Pattern : Ogee from Jaeger Handknits (JM04)

Yarn : Japanese Cotton Novia

Amount : 7 x 40 gms x 105 m

Needles : 2.25mm and 3mm

View from my hotel room at Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia

This pair of winter hiking socks was born en-route. It's the first of 3 pairs I intend to knit from my stash of Cleckheaton DK Superwash remnants. There's at least 4 balls of each colour, just perfect for socks to keep JS warm on his Aussie Bush Walk trip this winter.

Finally, the Bolero....with its temperory but now permanent brooch made of an old Versace punk pin and a heart charm. Again, the yarn came from my ever growing stash, remnants from a Jumper knitted last year.

Pattern : Boleros from Pildar No 443-T5-450
Yarn : Lion Brand Wool-Ease, worsted weight, 80% acrylic 20% wool
Amount : 2.2 x 85 gms x 197 yds
Needles : 5.5 mm

The pattern called for the neck and front bands to be knitted separately, I picked up the stitches and got away with just seaming the sides and sleeves that I forgot to knit in the round!!

Tempted again

2007-04-08T18:37:00.000+08:00

There's no better term to describe what happened when I was shown this cute little number, I had 'bad eyes' , a literal translation from a Chinese dialect which means I coveted what I saw!
Not for myself, but for YL my college going daughter who is constantly complaining how cold her lecture halls are.
Now, not having any suitable 'youngish' chunky non-wool yarn wasn't enough to deter me, I dug into my stash and (why am I not surprised?) found 3 balls of Lion Wool Ease, a 20% acrylic mix. Just perfect, and I almost got gauge with the recommended 5.5mm.

Promising YL she'll have it ready to wear on Monday morning (started knitting Friday..ambitious ya?) we made a trip to the mall in search of a large colourful button or fancy brooch. We came back empty handed and that aside, there was a gross underestimation of the effort required.

How could such a simple bolero have so much seaming? Okay, so I finally realised there's miles of ribbing to sew onto both fronts and neck in addition to the sides and sleeves.

So Sunday, realising there's not going to be an FO by Monday, I went back to knitting Ogee's sleeve bands and collar. Again, seaming is a chore I have to tackle after work tomorrow since I intend to travel with it this weekend to our XX Carats, school reunion cum combined Birthday bash for us girls of the same graduating year. Please note the committe prefers to use 'carats' , not 'years'. Gosh! how time flies, it doesn't seem so long ago we met for the XX minus 10 yrs bash!!

My flight and hotel room's booked, now there's just those pesky seams....

Hubby and I are right in the middle of season four of 24. The upside is I have an excuse to knit all day but then stitch counts tend to get messed up when Jack Bauer gets involved in some interesting 'Q&A' sessions with captured terrorists !!!. My fellow 24 junkies, you know how often that can be too!

A Blessed Easter to all celebrating Christian friends and a productive week ahead!

Productive week

2007-04-01T18:21:00.000+08:00

Despite the frogging and change of yarn, I've enjoyed knitting Kimono. I'm glad I decided to give up on the variegated laceweight and settled on the fingering cashmere. I love the soft luxurious feel so perhaps it's worth the effort of washing, blooming and detangling the yarn afterall.

For those of you who're constantly surfing for affordable cashmere and silk yarns do pay a visit to Colourmart . There's no need to go to all the trouble of washing etc., it's me, I enjoy touching the yarn while knitting, otherwise the same effect can be achieved after washing the FO in the recommended way .

Pattern : Kimono Shawl (from Folk Shawls)

Size : 24" by 70" (blocked)

Yarn : 1000 yds, 100% cashmere, fingering weight, pale blue (from Colourmart )

Needles : 3.75 mm

The pattern, a tad boring, is easy enough not to need any row count recording. Yes, I would knit it again and I'm already planning another one.

I must confess I'm not too fond of variegated laceweights after several swatchings to find the perfect pattern for the yarn. Maybe I'm impatient, I expect to see almost instant stitch definition and pattern form a few inches into the knitting. For now, it's probably going to be plain colours till I go a little 'mad' and can't resist buying yummy looking skeins of variegated yarns on the Internet. Believe me, that's very very likely and often!

Determined to make use of the skein and after various consultations with Mona and Doreen I casted on Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket shawl (IK Fall 2004) with double strands of the laceweight Merino Mohair. Like Doreen said, the colours are indeed "all jumbled up" but I kind of prefer the deeper and better defined tones.

The shawl took 5 days and I binded off till 1.30 am last night just so that I can show it off today!

Dottie is guarding over it while it's blocking and she's never made a mess or stepped on my work yet! What a difference blocking makes as you can see from the other pic.

Garter border repairs

2007-03-24T18:27:00.000+08:00

Imagine finding this along the border when the stole is about 5 repeats to the finishing line? Stockinette in between Garter rows!!!

As with most of my knitting mistakes,I decided I wasn't going to live with it, glaring at me each time I use the Stole so decided to try 'making' some garter ridges over the stitches.

The results didn't look too bad ya? and it took a while to find the patch later.

It feels like ages since I've posted an FO, I can't wait, so here's a peep at Kimono Stole blocking.

I've sent off the first SP10 parcel to my Spoilee who is down with a bad bout of stomach flu in the hope that it'd cheer her up. Since it is Registered, the postal clerk insisted on my address on the package, how do other SP Senders get round this 'give away'?

Spoiler and Spoilee

2007-03-15T09:07:00.000+08:00

It took me an entire dinner time to tell DH and daughter about SP10, Spoilers and Spoilees. I was half expecting them to go "ooh.. your knitting ladies again..!" but guess what, they thought it's such a novel idea and are looking forward to see how this new 'knitting gift exchange' will turn out.

I've heard from my Spoiler and contacted my Spoilee whose Blog I've enjoyed reading. All this 'must keep my identity secret' is 'exciting stress' !

Updates

2007-03-11T21:18:00.000+08:00

Most progress...Kimono Stole...almost 40%

Slowly..Whole Clan Aran Jumper....casting on sleeves

Worst....Ogee sleeveless top...needs concentration

Maybe....IK Spring 2007....plain sleeves???

Hope everyone had better progress than me! Gosh! just realised that all the pictures except for the grey jumper are in shades of Blue.

I'm back!

2007-03-04T18:17:00.000+08:00

I'm back...,with no new FOs, a frogged Kimono stole, 2 old WIPs and new cast on Kimono. So much for planning to complete the Aran jumper by end February and showing off Ogee in this entry!

The ten days I was off work during the Chinese New Year break were spent mostly sleeping, eating and catching up with visiting relatives. It was so hot and humid most of the time that the idea of having this huge mass of wool on my lap wasn't such a good idea. How much can one knit with sticky fingers from constantly dipping into festive cookie jars??
And that brings me to the 'mystery' of the 3 additional pounds that seem to have appeared overnight....and so today is the official start of my week long DIET.

Anyway, I decided the Aran jumper can wait till June and I'd mail it off then. Truffles was sewn up and packed but I forgot to take pictures. The one below was hastily dug out of son's luggage 10 minutes before setting off for the airport. I'm afraid it looks muddy instead of dark chocolate brown in the photo.

In the meantime, the Kimono stole pattern in variegated merino mohair just didn't look right and I decided to frog after 3 repeats. Better than regretting later I guess.
I replaced it with the Fingering weight light blue cashmere (remember that tangled mess a few blogs ago?) which shows off the pattern much better.

...............................

Would be happy to receive suggestions on other projects for this laceweight variegated yarn.

Pattern : Truffles, Drops Pattern 25-83
Chest Size: 42"
Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash, colour Truffle
Amount: 16 x 50 gm x 110 yds

Needles: 5 mm

The whole clan jumper is knitted with Swish Coast Grey on 4.5 mm needles instead of 5mm and the twisted cable -mistake rib stitches makes a much firmer texture. Although I'm happy with how Truffles turned out, it's a little too 'soft'. I'd much prefer a firmer feel to the garment and would have been perfect had I went with a tighter gauge.

I love the yarn and would definitely use it again.

SP 10 Questionaire

2007-02-16T16:18:00.000+08:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love working with natural fibres, especially wool / silk mixtures. Not too fond of mohair and acrylics. Buys mostly Rowan yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Most of them are kept in several long rectangular moon-cake boxes and I have a canvas Knitting Needles bag from years ago just for straights.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Possibly between intermediate to advanced and definitely no expert yet. Was taught to knit in school at 12 yrs, continued with scarves and jumpers into college and university. Didn’t knit for many years when I came back to warmer climes and saw the prices at the LYS (very little online stuff in the good ole days). Started again in 2005 when son left for college and hasn’t stopped since!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Not really, only orders from them when I can’t find the book locally.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Lavender and Rose in any form. Has many favourites, mostly floral and will always have Dior Diorissmo on the dressing table.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Not much of a sweet tooth but loves dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Nope, no time for anything else except for knitting. Don’t’ spin either but does some yarn painting with food dyes occasionally.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my PC plays all formats. Prefers Oldies (50s – 80s) and anything else that’s not loud.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I tend to buy darker colours for work and brighter pastels for casuals. Am a little conservative with yarn purchases and tend to go for ‘safe’ colours. However am trying to be more adventurous with my purchases recently. Cannot stand ‘electric’ colours.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Hubby,two kids, a maid and dog. My eldest son is in university and daughter pursuing ‘A’ Levels in college. Large projects like Jumpers are usually for son and daughter needs trendy stuff like shrugs. Dottie, our Basset and Golden Retriever mix loves to sniff at wool but not other yarn. (something about dogs and sheep??)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Would love to be able to wear hats but I look terrible no matter which way I place them, so have given up unless travelling in Winter. No mittens in temperatures like ours – average 28 -30 C, year round . Likes to wear stoles / shawls in air-conditioned office and church.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks and shrugs for instant gratification! Prefers having at least 2 WIPs at one time. One for mindless knitting when watching TV and the other a little more challenging. I tend to knit things that I need and can use frequently.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Currently on the needles : a jumper, sleeveless top and the Kimono stole

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, I do, very much. and appreciates gifts made just for me!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Depends – I prefer straights to cast on lace patterns and knitting scarves. All other work is knitted with my Addis or Denise circulars. I still use DPNs for sleeves but am beginning to prefer Magic Loop, especially for socks. Prefers aluminium, bamboo and plastic in that order.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a yarn winder but no swift

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Ogee sleeveless top since before Christmas 2006

18. What is your favorite holiday?
All holidays with every member of our family together is always special. In general any holiday when I’m off work where I also get to knit and knit!

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Figurines of ducks and pigs. Wall plates, wall plates and wall plates..

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have bought most of the books I want. As for yarn – wanst to try Seasilk and Noro. I subscribe to IK, buys Rowan online. Would love to have old IK, Vogue and Rowan mags – pre 2006

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Steeking when I can find the courage and Fair Isle.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Oh yes! I’m a UK size 3.5

23. When is your birthday?
27th June

Happy Chinese New Year

2007-02-14T12:35:00.000+08:00

It's Chinese New Year on Sunday the 18th, and in between travelling to the In-laws (an hour's drive to the south) and my brothers' (four hours to the north) during the week, I'm hoping to finish at least 2 WIPs.
The reunion dinner on Saturday is going to be almost complete for my parents-in-law as all their children, but one, and their families will be home. Last year we were minus my son in Melbourne but he's back just for the celebrations.

And so, to all of you 'Gong Xi Fa Cai', wishing you Prosperity and Good Health.

DH and I will be using these red packet envelopes, aren't the boy-girl piggies cute? (it's the year of the boar/pig )

Here's why I haven't been knitting much this past week!

I'm still short of my 12 fruit cake loaves and 'Murphy' had to come say 'hello!' The microwave function of my brand new micro-oven just went 'kaput', but luckily the oven still works and I was just negotiating with the repairman to come back after the New Year if he can't fix it today. But no, he's got to dismantle the panel and promises he'll be back bright and early tomorrow with the replacement. (He said he noticed my baking stuff on the work top, bless him!). I had planned to finish by this evening so the cakes will get an extra brushing of Rum /Brandy before gift wrapping them.

Another mad rush but it's only once a year and I do enjoy baking and giving the fruit cakes away to friends and relatives. It's a Christmas Celebration recipe which somehow became a Chinese New Year favourite where I triple the amount of alcohol in each cake. And that's not including the daily brushings on top!

I've signed up - SP10

2007-02-07T17:57:00.000+08:00

To those of you who've commented that I haven't been updating my blog that often, you're right. I have been a little lethargic on that front since Christmas. I blame this state of affairs on the 2 jumpers I've planned to finish by February. They're huge and are taking up all my knitting time. While I'm busy knitting away, there's really nothing much to update at times.

Here's number two in Grey Knitpicks Swish , this time on smaller 4.5mm needles. Truffles was knitted as worsted on 5mm.

.......................

This, I consider my mindless knitting project while the Kimono stole below, knitted with mohair merino laceweight, provides some challenge and requires a tad more concentration. It's an easier knit compared to my recent FOs.

SP10 is finally open and I've signed up. It's a first for me and I am kindda excited at the prospect of mysterious parcels arriving. Here's hoping I get paired off with a 'nice' spoiler and someone will find me likewise!!

Truffles

2007-01-30T18:09:00.000+08:00

I'm in the midst of deciding my next projects and swatching for them so this is going to be short and rather devoid of exciting pictures.

Remember the tanggled mess of my last post? After more hours of sheer frustration it is now that neat little ball in the picture. As for the maroon cone next to it, I will not attempt to wash and bloom it no matter how tempting. Indeed the blue cashmere is much softer after the bath (or ordeal?).

Truffles (excuse the over exposed picture) is completed except for some underarm seaming and the collar. It's going to stay unsewn till I'm decided whether to comtinue knitting it to a Polo or leave it as is.

A tangled mess!

2007-01-22T18:50:00.000+08:00

These two yummy skeins from the knittery came via Australian relatives way way before Christmas and I'm still nowhere near starting any projects with them. I intend to get all WIPs out of the way first.Passion Fruit, a Mohair Merino laceweight will probably grow up to be a Kimono shawl while there's no plans yet for Moonlight, the Merino 2 ply.

Clever me made some major adjustments to the ribbing and stitch count for Truffles which got knitted in double quick time. When I paused to admire how well the raglan yoke was turning out over the weekend...horrors!!!! oooh! the sick in the stomach feeling you get when you know something's gone terrible wrong? The ribbing count on both sides of the cable didn't match!
Since it's knitted in the round there was more to frog, a whole 2.5 balls of wool to be exact. Here it is, sleeves reunited with the body and a long way to the collar yet...sigh..

This is staring at me in the family room for sometime now. It was a 1050 yds cone of lace weight cashmere from Colourmart which I decided to wash and bloom before knitting. I'm not going to try explain how I got into this tangled mess.
Hope to have better news in my next update!

An FO and WIPs

2007-01-12T08:30:00.000+08:00

Finally, a reliable connection window for pictures! I'm desperate for a blogging fix and am posting from work ...sans chit chat...some yarn and needle details will be updated later.

Pattern : Thorn and Thistle, IK Summer 2006
Chest Size: 38"
Yarn: Catania Cotton
Amount: 6.5 x 50 gm x 135 yds

Needles: 3.25 mm

Modifications : moss stitch on collar and sleeves instead of crochet

Meet Ogee, from Jaeger Handknits No 4, knitted in Japanese Novia cotton. I love the peacock green, there's a subtle sheen to it, but the yarn is a little hard on my fingers. Regg assures me I'm going to love it even more after washing.

This is Truffles (the colour of Knit Picks Swish actually), Drops design 85-23. It's for JS, my son in Melbourne.

......................................

A good rest

2007-01-08T10:56:00.000+08:00

It was sheer bliss! 12 days off work right through the New Year with nothing to do except knit in between errands and some truly mega shopping(empty wallet but satisfied grin).

If roots could sprout from armchairs mine would have!
I got through the entire Season 2 of 'House' and 'Grey's Anatomy' in addition to all 6 parts of Star Wars.
DH suggested another 'Lord of the Rings' marathon but I've had enough. It was getting kindda embrarrasing trying to convince concerned neighbours my swollen eyes did not come from crying all day!

The Internet down time didn't bother me at all since I had decided to have a complete breakaway from the PC at home.

Not till this week when a sudden touch of blogging withdrawal symptoms began to creep in and the desire to upload some WIP and FO pictures from home ended in frustration at the constant line interruptions. There's some Australian yarn I'd like to show too.
I shall try again tonight but just in case.....:)

A happy belated New Year and may our knitting mojos be ever present. I broke a 'no resolutions' rule and made a teeny weeny one to 'get 2 brisk walks round the neighbourhood in a week'. DH has been cooperative....so far...

Till my pictures are uploaded then.....

A Blessed Christmas

2006-12-23T21:15:00.000+08:00

card from : crossdaily.com : lights from our Christmas tree

Would you?

2006-12-16T12:14:00.000+08:00

Would you frog this store bought hand knitted Aran cardigan if you had several dry cleaning burnts on it? I don't send my woollies to the dry cleaners anymore but those were the days when I thought wool keeps better minus the water !

It was bought 10 years ago and has seen me through many winters. There's too many memories associated with it, like I was travelling with my late father when I gave some lame excuse for going into this shop near Hampton Court to buy it. I remembered explaining why it costed much more than 'Made in China' machine knitted ones......

I'm sure if I give the recycled wool a good bath and knit it up into an Aran vest I'd have many more years out of it still. Well, I got as far as taking the scissors out this morning but they went back into my sewing basket after the photography session! One of these days....

I've got 2 WIPs, one of which cannot be blogged about till after the New Year since I'm taking part in the celebrating Christmas and New Year the KC way mystery project.

This is Thorn and Thistle from IK Summer 06 and I'm knitting with Catania cotton.

I'm a little undecided about adapting the cardigan sleeves shown in the ensemble into short sleeves for the top. Anyway, that can come later.

On time..

2006-12-09T12:36:00.000+08:00

Phew! so I made it, but I'm not planning to get into another 'deadline' situation like this again. (I hope!) Dilly dallying and wondering off to other projects, serves me right really.

I never got round to the pair of matching socks......

DH's jumper was finished late Thursday night, blocked and ready for packing by Friday. It's on the way to the airport now and I've finally got something to blog about!

Pattern : none, measurements from an old jumper

Chest Size: 48"

Yarn: Rowanspun 4 ply ( 100% pure new wool )

Amount: 16 x 25 gm x 162 yds (with some yards left over)
Needles: 2mm and 3mm

The body and sleeves were worked in the round, shoulders with short rows and 3 needle cast off. I find the shoulder seams (pic below) are definitely neater compared to the step-cast-off and seaming method.

And here's the last of the hats for 3 teenagers on a skiing trip tomorrow. That's our Christmas tree in the background and the cyrstal globe used for all my hat pictures.

....................
I used 2 strands of black DK wool and I'm not certain if this is 'broken rib' but I think it's a nice 'hat stitch' and more interesting than the usual k2p2 ribbing. The stitches are dense and give the hat better structure, that is, if you don't intend for it to go into a smallish handbag since it's bulkier than a Beanie.

So!, it is now ME time and I'm about to make myself a nice cup of tea while I decide on what to cast on this evening :)

Detouring consequences

2006-11-26T12:19:00.000+08:00

I work well under stress, but this is cutting it a little too close. I've got to the first sleeve with DH's jumper and I really really must have it washed and blocked by first week December!

I had also planned a pair of matching socks....oh dear! any suggestions how I can summon the knitting elves to stop by?
The consequences of too many detours.....

Since it's mostly knitted in the round there's not much finishing, only the sleeves to attach and the collar to pick up but I'm still in a panic.

Turns out that I have less hats to knit for this winter.
Here's 2 out of three, just one more for the nephew.

This one out of a double stranded DK wool bouncle, is a tad too tight so I'll probably knit a slightly larger one with the same yarn. There's plenty left over from this cardigan I knitted last year.

This is knitted with my handpainted chunky wool . Notice how the colour pools? I was a little disappointed with how the striping turned out until my daughter and the receipient said 'it's cool, I like it', and so, if the 'customer' is happy, I'm happy :)

Diamond Fantasy Shawl

2006-11-19T15:55:00.000+08:00

It's a 'shawlette' really, and has just made it's first outing to church this morning.

I went for the scarf size plus one repeat, using up the 2nd hank which had a little more than half left over when I reached the recommended pattern repeats. It covers the shoulders just right and is surprisingly very warm. Definitely going to be a 'work-horse' shawl for me and looks rather chic tied round the neck, just perfect when travelling in colder climes. Not to long nor bulky, definitely a repeat knit this one.

All in all, it took about 4 days and will be a quick gifting knit. Oh yes! the I-Cord cast off. It was a first, took a lot longer than normal casting-off and for those of you who'd be like me, wondering and worrying if I've got it right, shoulder on and see if you like the effect? If it looks good, why worry? continue to the finish!!!

Here it is, resting fully on my knitting-chair so as you can gauge its length from the back view. Now, I did take some back poses and the pictures were so awful they were deleted as soon as I set eyes on them. Is it true, ladies of a certain age should not be photographed from the back???? :)

Pattern: Sivia Harding Diamond Fantasy Scarf

Size: 25" x 57"
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss, Black, Fingering
( 70% merino wool 30% silk )
Amount: 2 x 50 gm x 220 yds (with some yards left over)
Needles: 4mm

Notes : Pattern recommended Scarf size plus 1 repeat

Black Diamonds

2006-11-12T19:36:00.000+08:00

So it's my Saturday off work and I couldn't wait to settle down with a mug of white coffee to knit hubby's jumper and try short rows on the shoulder seams instead of the usual step-cast-off. Just a few more inches and the back should be done.

But wait, it's a bright morning with good light to work on a swatch with the black Knit Picks Gloss just arrived. Plenty of time to go back to the jumper or so I thought!

Well, here's the swatch for Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Shawl, see how its grown to almost 5 repeats by the evening?? :) Not a stitch was made on anything else. I just went on and on and oh! the merino silk mix is so soft and smooth, the stitches just flew off the needles. I'm definitely going to buy more if I get a chance to.

I'm back to the shawl now, here's wishing you all a productive week ahead. Happy knitting!

Clapotis

2006-11-05T18:35:00.000+08:00

Was I even thinking, 3 rectangular stole WIPs at a time ?
First, I wanted Cozy in 4 ply cotton to lug around the office. You know, something not too fragile and fancy. Then the Knitpicks Alpaca arrived and I couldn't resist trying out some lace. That was Sivia Harding's Hanging Garden. Then another spree brought Knitpicks Twist for daughter YL's Clap.

It was overwhelming, it was crazy and I will never ever have more than one stole/shawl project in progress ever again! Some of you are probably having an 'ah ha' smile and thinking 'we'll see how long that will last.... '. But I didn't start anything like I had promised myself a few blog entries ago, really!

By the way, I've got enough yarn, just arrived, for 4 lace projects just calling out to be started.....and I'm looking for a wool - silk mix in graduated colours for another Clapotis :)

Just off the needles and unblocked.

Pattern: Clapotis

Size: 22" x 63"

Yarn: Knit Picks Twist, Broadway Lights, DK

( 30% cotton 30% visose 20% acrylic 20% nylon )

Amount: 8 x 50 gm x 99 yds (plus some yards from the 9th ball)

Needles: 4mm

Yes!, I will knit this again and I plan to do so soon - mine! It's such an amazing design and I love the way it drapes over the front. Surprisingly it's not bulky over the shoulders, probably due to the trapezoidal shaping.

However, Twist with ribbon yarn entwined is wrong for this pattern as I forsee the yarn fraying easily at the drop stitch bars. Also, I think it's best in a lighter yarn, the cotton mix is a little heavy and the FO is about 400 gms.

Hanging Garden Stole

2006-11-01T08:25:00.000+08:00

The Monsoons season is finally here and the phone lines around my area's going to be fried ever so often. My connection has been out for 2 days and so here I am, sneaking in an update on my latest FO at the office this morning.

My first lace project

Pattern: Hanging Garden Stole by Sivia Harding

Size: 22" x 70" (blocked)

Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud, 100% Baby Alpaca in Smoke, lace weight,

Skein: 1.8 x 50 g x 440 yds

Needles: 3.25mm as recommended on Knit Picks pattern

Can't wait

2006-10-25T18:15:00.000+08:00

I've got to the stage with my Hanging Garden Stole where I'm working on it every knitting minute and just can't wait to finish.

This blob here is 2 repeats shy of the targeted 10 and I've got another lace stole planned cos' I'm hooked!

Strange, only two skeins instead of the three recommended KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud were needed. My tension must be out, but then, the stole when strectched looks like it'd block to required measurements.

Anyways, I'm very pleased with how it's turning out.

I've got to knit at least 5 winter hats by November and here's the stash I intend to use up. They're mostly DK wool except for the self-striping hand painted which is Worsted.

Since I'm not terribly imaginative nor creative, combining them to come up with hats that my teenage receipients will refer to as 'cool' is going to be a fashion challenge for an aunt who dislikes wearing hats.

I reckon if I go with the stripey child's and green hat designs below I won't go too wrong? There's always plain ribbing if I run out of ideas but I very much want to attempt something different. Ideas and links to patterns from you would be most welcome.

Knitting charts

2006-10-16T18:29:00.000+08:00

It took almost 2 hours to block, but seeing it all stretched out in its 'glory' was most satisfying.

Pattern: Cozy

Size: 20.5" by 69" (blocked)

Yarn: Bendigo 4 ply cotton in Natural

Skeins: ( 200 + 75) gm x 670 yds = 921 yds

Needles: 3.5 mm

this made knitting much easier...

pinned on kiddie blocks drying near the windows.

I wanted coloured charts and my Hanging Garden, with symbols in black, was driving me cross-eyed, so I sat down and charted another on Msoft Excel which took just over an hour. Isn't this worth it? The right side columns are row counters.

Almost there

2006-10-10T15:44:00.000+08:00

I've got a few new projects lined up and no, no, no I'm NOT casting-on any till Cozy and Clapotis are finished. The additional 3 hanks of Knit Picks Twist should arrive for the final lap of Clap in a week or so.

Here it is, almost 50" done and 20" to go, should take another few days, not too difficult to keep temptation at bay right? Thing is, some days I can get more than 10 repeats knitted and some, hardly two!

The 8th Lunar month Autumn Mooncake Festival is just over and every year I loathe to throw out the prettier wooden boxes the cakes come in these days. I'm using them for yarn, hopefully, after much cleaning and airing there'll be no residue scent. There's a few more being aired but these are my favorite. The long ones with satin wrap covers are perfect for straight needles.

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DH's jumper, in Rowanspun 4 ply, has to be completed in November which is not that many weeks away but it's such an easy knit that the 300 stitches on 3mm needles don't seem such a lot since most of the knitting is done while watching TV.

Little purse

2006-10-02T16:57:00.000+08:00

What do you do with 10 m of hand painted yarn that you can't wait to see knitted up? A made-to-measure toiletry purse for my daughter!(for stuff you'd want to hide on the trip from the classroom to the Ladies)
I tried out the Turkish cast-on which seems easier than the figure-eight technique. Here's the attempt, the purse is knitted with magic-loop and attaching the button is the only sewing needed. Now casting-on for toe-up socks doesn't seem so daunting.

I've just had another satisfying yarn painting morning, finishing remnant kool-aid and Wiltons sitting in the fridge since the last attempt. The colourway is almost the same except this time I have some projects in mind.

I used the 3 hanks of natural wool left from the baby blanket and 255 m of worsted will be just perfect for 2 small winter hats for a niece and nephew.

1. ready for micro-waving..........2. nice and dry...................3. hats....soon

These Rowan offer back issues arrived several days ago and I've got to admit this is the first time I've ever owned one and now I've got 4!!!
All six for GB 25 Pounds plus postage. Now that I'm a true Rowan fan (yarn and magazines) I'll be on the lookout for more offers like this.

All in all, a most satisfying week, don't you think?

A quick update....

2006-09-25T20:12:00.000+08:00

Socks-2!

Pattern: Simple sock in three sizes (Cat Bordhi-Socks soar on two circular needles)

Yarn: Knit Picks Dancing (41% cotton 39% wool 13% nylon 7% elatic)

Amount: approx 310 yds

Needle size: 2 mm & 3 mm (casting on and off)

The pattern is highly recommended for beginners, concise and easily understood with helpful tips and tricks not provided in most sock patterns.

Clapotis is waiting for more yarn to arrive from Knit Picks.

And yes ladies, I hear you, as soon as Fushia Gable is laundered I will model it for posting here. You know, I wore it on my ill-fated trip and it was very nearly left behind at the hotel. (shudders!!!)

The End?

2006-09-21T10:22:00.000+08:00

Thank you, to those who knew I was in Bangkok for a project meeting, for your SMSes and concern. I managed to find a taxi to the airport and caught the earliest flight out with help from the friend of a friend who did the flight changes after being woken up with frantic phone calls from another friend of a friend (I guess).

I pray this is indeed the ending to the drama I last blogged about. What else can beat walking right into a military coup two hours I landed, checked into the hotel and went out for a late dinner?
BBC World and CNN were reporting about tanks and a coup right in the area near my hotel when the reception to BBC was suddenly cut off while CNN came back intermittenly. All the local stations were playing patriotic music videos. No news is really bad news in such a situation, especially when the phone calls started coming from family, friends and woken up bosses. There was talk of a curfew and it did occur to me I'd have to find my way to the airport immediately if I want to get out quick. But there was no way of knowing if the streets were safe or if a taxi is available at that time.
After much deliberation, the hotel seems safer and since there was nothing I could do till the morning I tried to get some sleep in between taking peeks out of the window to see if there were vehicles on the road as that would mean there's no curfew enforced.
Surprisingly I was quite calm, largely due to the behaviour of the hotel staff who went about in their usual friendly and helpful manner. Infact I noticed the same calmess throughout the next day, at breakfast, the driver and airport staff. Every Thai exudes an understanding and reassuring attitude towards us even when the hotel lobby was choc-a-bloc with guests trying to find taxis and dealing with the crowd at the airport.

So that was that! In and out of Bangkok within 24 hours, nothing accomplished but an experience to remember. In retrospect, it would have been safe for me to stay on, but then the worst could also happen. Meetings can be resheduled.

I managed to finish the first repeat of Hanging Garden on the flight and much as I tried to knit while waiting for the TV channels to come back, I couldn't concentrate.

I'm enjoying knitting this pattern much much more than the Feather and Fan stole I had frogged to cast on this.

Annie and Doreen , sorry, no ball winders but I did find these mother-of-pearl buttons at the airport. Probably paid too much for them but how could I leave without buying anything knitting related? I had planned to look for hand crafted baskets for my WIPs too. Oh well!

I fell asleep on the couch right after I reached home yesterday and just can't bring myself to get up to get into the office this morning so have decided to take the day off to catch up on the knitting I missed out!

Drama after drama

2006-09-18T11:15:00.000+08:00

Ever had one of those weeks where everything seems to happen at the same time and left you wondering what's next? My dramas started on Tuesday and went right through the week.

I found out I've got to have at least 2 more hanks for Clapotis and was to-ing and fro-ing with the ladies at Knitpicks to try and rush the additions into the first order made on Monday. Too late, but they've got the same lot, despatched off immediately and were super friendly and helpful.

The next few days were hectic but so far so good till Friday, the major drama, when I realised I couldn't make it out of the country for a business trip on Sunday. Which explains why I'm here blogging instead of somewhere else!.

We went for this on Saturday:

It's a one man show and if you haven't heard the Gospel of St Luke, King James version, told word for word and yet so comprehensible, don't miss this if it ever comes to your neck of the woods. Like Bruce Kuhn the actor said "it's great to have so many of you pay big bucks to come listen to a gospel story!".

The matinee audience was provided with a pre-show drama by me missing what I insisted was a mysterious step, falling with a thud on the theatre aisle and landing on my knee! Walking is a pain since then.

My trip is on and the flight is tomorrow. Negotiating airport steps will be an agony though. My ankle has had all the treatments I can think of. Chinese massage with kung-fu oil, infra light 2x a day, ankle guard to take off some pressure, socks to keep warm at night and prayers for a miracle.

In the meantime I've casted on a Rowanspun 4 ply jumper for DH that will give me hours of mindless stockinette knitting and Sivia Harding's Hanging Garden to knit when I have some quiet time the next few days. Doesn't look like I will be doing much shopping on this trip anyway!

And by the way, the pictures of both the jumper and stole refused to upload, so I guess that's the cue for me to say bye2 and wish all of you and especially myself, a safe and fruitful week ahead.

Dropping stitches is fun

2006-09-12T20:36:00.000+08:00

Oooh! the joys of un-knitting.It's great, this deliberate dropping of stitches in Clapotis . I find myself rushing with the knitting and anticipating gleefully the rows where the drops are made. Is this a manifestation of the destructive trait that some say are inherent in us?

There's so much written about this pattern so I'm not going to say very much except I'm really amazed at how the designer came up with such a unique knit . It's knitted with Knitpicks Twist in Moonlight.

Fushia Gable (office casual 3) went to the office today and that is why it's looking rather tired and slightly creased at the bottom. It's been a quick and easy knit and for a first try at top-down knitting, I'd recommend it.

Pattern : Green Gable

Yarn : Bendigo, Harmony ROSE, 8 ply,30% wool 69.6% cotton 4% Lycra

Amount used : approx 700 yds

Needles : 4 mm & 3 mm

Mods : Sleeves, body and ribbing were lengthened. Instructions for size 40" followed to achieve chest size 36/38 with DK yarn gauge.

Will knit the pattern again but in a smoother and softer yarn. The lycra content gives this a nice stretch however, the yarn is better suited for a 'rugged' look.

DPNs, 2 Circs and Magic Loop

2006-09-03T15:18:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, the best of plans just don't seem to work the way we want them to! My first pair was knitted with DPNs and this one on 2 circulars while the next pair with magic loop. Then I'd move on to toe-up and other fancy patterns and techniques.

Call them what you will, porcupines, barbecue sticks etc but I miss my DPNs!!! The resting cirular and its dangling needles irritated me so much, I left the gusset and went surfing for magic loop instructions. I switched and am happy I did! How is it that I think 5 dpns look so neat while a 2nd circular drives me up the wall beats me too!

I've been busy knitting, moving from one WIP to the other but with no FO to take pictures of with our new camera. It's got all these cool features, especially the Indoor function that I'm dying to try out, so let me introduce you to my duck collection.

mmmm m m

They're bought during my travels and some are gifts from friends and family. There's duckie pictures on my wall too, but I'll have to take each one separately to show them off properly. Showing them all would make this blog entry crawl I'm afraid.

Happy knitting in the week ahead everyone!

Fruits of the drink

2006-08-27T11:40:00.000+08:00

The reading homework had been done ages ago and I reckon I can't go wrong with Knitty. Still it took so long to get started. Perhaps it was the fear of messing things up and not getting the colour schemes I wanted that had me procrastinating. There really isn't an artistic bone in me I'm afraid. The Kool-aid, I've had for a while but Wiltons icing dyes, paint brushes and ketchup bottles took weeks to put together although they were easily available at the local Mall.

Anyway, been there, done it and I'm more confident now so can't wait to start on the 4 skeins of sock yarn from Knitpicks I've ordered for hand painting.

The tools

Yarn : 200 gms, 7 ply, 100% wool, natural colour

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1. Kool aid- lemon lime and cherry (10 m)

2. Kool aid cherry, tropical punch, lemon lime and Wiltons sky blue (100 m)

3. Wiltons brown, Kool aid lemonade and leftovers (92 m)

It's good to know that they're non-toxic food dyes. The yarn is cooked in the microwave oven while leftover mixes are kept in the fridge and can be reused.

A word of warning though, to those who're thinking of venturing along this path. It is addictive and I'm totally hooked. If you're a soft drinks junkie, this hobby could be the 'cure', as the sweet smell can be off putting after several hours of painting!

It's time for another pair of socks! Socks -2 with Knitpicks - Dancing yarn on 2mm circulars. Pattern is from Cat Bordhi's book.

An old, old friend

2006-08-20T20:21:00.000+08:00

We finally met over the weekend, this 27 year old FO and I. It was mentioned a few posts ago here. It has kept well except that the white acrylic has turned a uniform creamy colour over the years. Strange, I can't remember much about it except that the pattern is definitely very familiar. Other than that, no flashes of the past, not where I knitted it mostly or how long it took.

Kenny's baby wrap (1979)

Yarn : acrylic

Size : 55" x 36"

Not bad, not bad at all, if I may say so. The body was knitted quite nicely but the border, rather disappointing. One of the longer sides looked as if I had ran out of yarn or I was too impatient to knit a few more repeats. It's probably the latter! Of course I would never let that happen now!

Fushia Gable saw a lot of progress this week and should be done in a few days. The collar does look like it needs a row of crochet or garter stitch to take out the slight curl though.

Cozy is about 25" in length now but my Feather and Fan stole has been neglected for a while. I'm contemplating making it into a scarf, the alpaca is so soft, I think it'd look good tucked inside a jacket and jumper.

Fushia Gable

2006-08-13T19:30:00.000+08:00

And so, there I was on Saturday, miserable with a sore throat and a bad cold, pondering if I really wanted to cast on DH's jumper with the sombre brown Rowanspun.
Life was getting more miserable by the hour. A pounding head, non-stop sniffles and the chaos at Heathrow airport unfolding on BBC World were enough to make me want to crawl into bed and hide.
I kept wondering what if passengers were to find out their flights were on the list of targeted planes, would they ever fly again? Would they live their lives differently after this?

I definitely needed some cheering and went for the more uplifting Fushia Bendigo yarn instead. Green Gable as Office Casual 3.

... ...............

In the meantime, the pair of leg warmers for a colleague's daughter is completed.

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Yarn : 100% 8 ply DK wool from Waverly Mills Australia

Length: 14" Circumference: 11.5" fully stretched

Pattern: k2p2 Rib

Needles: 4mm DPNs ; 4.5mm casting-on and binding-off

Withdrawal symptoms

2006-08-05T18:36:00.000+08:00

I chicken out of my self-imposed 'no new projects until all WIPs completed' diet. The withdrawal symptoms appeared this week, plans for new projects were swimming in my head all the time and I was stealing longing glances into my knitting basket where yarn for new projects had been prepared in ziplocks with patterns.

I missed working on a mindless stockinette jumper project where I can knit endlessly in the round with a good movie or the quick gratification of sock knitting. I missed swatching and discovering how a new yarn feels and the excitement of starting a new project. It was frustrating when I settle down in the evenings to the same two projects.

Well, now I know, I'm a knitting junkie and loving it! So here's Cozy in Bendigo 4 ply cotton.

Remember this ? I've decided to recycle and spent the best of today unravelling months of knitting.

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DH knows this strange behaviour all too well, but daughter YL can't believe I could bear to take everything apart. Maybe it's not such a good idea doing this in the presence of people we are encouraging to take up knitting? It'd scare them off for good!

Surprisingly there's very little wastage and I should be able to knit another jumper with the yarn.