Get it Knitted

FFS redux?

2011-11-16T17:03:00.002+08:00

I was browsing through the many old projects. FFS was a huge one, given that I knitted for less than 3 years and was adventurous enough to take this on.

Now let me see if any lace yarn is pleasing to my eyes.

1 year apart

2011-05-23T11:11:00.003+08:00

Its 1 year from the day I moved out from my folks and into the new place with DH. A year full of ups and downs amongst everything and everyone close. The thought of having to do housekeeping was dreadful but its now part and puzzle of livelihood at the nest. When someone shares the load, the chores became more endurable. And we get to enjoy the end result: a clean nest to live in.

I would say that it had be an astonishing achievement being able to live with someone (besides my folks). We do have our differences, bickerings, quarrels and then hugged/kissed over them. I never thought time would passed so swiftly. I look forward to many more years to come, living with someone I cannot live without.

From Twitter 05-15-2011

2011-05-16T03:08:00.001+08:00

22:03:16: @meishanl enjoy!!!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-12-2011

2011-05-13T03:07:00.000+08:00

08:39:44: @Knitcafe it went honeymoon with the royal couple?
10:42:30: wished i'm home in bed cuddled up with hb in this weather.
16:32:52: lemming to Barcook bakery's potato mash nacho....

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-11-2011

2011-05-12T03:08:00.000+08:00

08:41:50: no bring phone today. so smart of me
12:55:57: @Knitcafe no leh. my new toy no clothes so nv bring out
13:10:25: had my fill of Fu Lin yong tau hu. craving for it ever since they took down their stall @ ION food opera.
14:39:49: y i keep missing the mirror necklace from @smooch ?
16:51:07: i feel like a toilet cleaner, in a kio sai (clear shit) department. less than an hr to a shitty day

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-10-2011

2011-05-11T03:08:00.001+08:00

17:16:57: can't wait to knock off n spend time with my new toy

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-09-2011

2011-05-10T03:10:00.001+08:00

10:00:52: @smoochsg hi pls chk out #2267, ordered 1 blazer n wrapdress but was billed w/ 1 more blazer. paid $69 n emailed @ 9.23pm.
16:13:24: barcook bakery n swiss bake for monday lunch

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-08-2011

2011-05-09T03:05:00.001+08:00

00:49:57: RT @verydeepsleep: at those margins, Joo Chiat SMC may not exist for the next GE #sgelections
00:54:50: RT @xjieke: if not for Uncle Goh TPL is long gone... Fuck... Disappointment... #sgelections
01:48:04: RT @mrbrown: PM proves when you say sorry, you can get 3% more than your 2006 performance. #sgelections
02:53:11: this video is certainly worth 46 min of my life http://t.co/pUnbANK via @youtube

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-06-2011

2011-05-07T03:06:00.001+08:00

18:38:33: cool. i just got my 2nd apple product. iphone 3GS being the first.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-05-2011

2011-05-06T03:06:00.001+08:00

10:35:08: someone's angrifying....

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-04-2011

2011-05-05T03:06:00.001+08:00

08:14:21: A guy with a lunch bag?? Thats 1 in how many thousands sg men?!?! http://twitpic.com/4szoda
09:16:37: what's the next worst thing to happen if i forgot my keys? to forget my knitting bag...
11:33:40: http://www.greatdeals.com.sg/2011/05/04/20-off-universal-studios-tickets/ - USS offer
12:58:53: ok YOU can start raining now, as i am safe inside buidling.
14:07:14: gosh, old "frens" are msging me on whatsapp. so scary
15:01:28: alamak...the CEO got super strong BO... *pinch nose* gotta hold my breath
17:48:36: YOU really did stop at the right time. Gng hm w/o the brolly
18:27:15: IK mailed a renewal notice when they still own me 2issues @InterweaveNews http://twitpic.com/4t76c3

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-03-2011

2011-05-04T03:05:00.001+08:00

08:38:05: cant wait to watch 高海拔之戀II by Mi and louis koo
08:47:26: @jasz05 they jus finished shooting. should be in another few months
13:03:11: HAHAH....someone forgot his keys.他也有今天。muahhahaha!!!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-02-2011

2011-05-03T03:06:00.001+08:00

22:22:30: on 12th rep out of 20. less than half to go, but find it tad too short for my liking. might inc to 25 reps instead. half done then. 12/25
22:27:28: which means a longer edge to be done for Queen S

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-01-2011

2011-05-02T03:04:00.001+08:00

18:07:30: 6 out of 20 reps done for Queen Silvia

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-29-2011

2011-04-30T03:07:00.001+08:00

00:14:13: @ssedro the store was offline this afternoon
07:27:34: @ssedro u managed to get yours? i might go try my luck at the stores later.
07:47:46: @Knitcafe no la.....q for what? avail stock then buy
08:38:44: @Knitcafe u can check one of FB post from ytd for prices
09:18:06: @ssedro will u be getting the wifi only or wifi + 3G?
09:27:31: @ssedro still on the fence between the two...let's see which has stock left when i decide to get it. :p
09:28:49: its the #RoyalWedding in less than 12 hours! can't wait to see the dress and the new princess.
09:29:16: @reimasae so happening!!!!
13:28:59: seems like most wifi+3g model was sold out this morning. give me more time to cool down and think abt it. still waiting for ipad2 JB.
16:43:15: trust no woman or man
18:04:02: jus time to see Kate's dress. blew me away instantly #rw2011

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-28-2011

2011-04-29T03:06:00.001+08:00

09:15:18: hey i am not a wall, stop leaning so close to me. btw, u dun smell good. *pinch nose*
09:22:46: @meishanl not tired. but its nice to break off in the prime. that what most celebrities did, died or retire in their prime.... haha
11:44:29: ipad 2, shld i get one with 3G or without?
13:56:34: @smoochsg noticed that Chandelier Mirror is not on BO...... :S
14:19:53: @smoochsg thanks, will keep a look out
14:30:38: omg, queus are forming to get ipad2. *faint*

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-27-2011

2011-04-28T03:06:00.001+08:00

08:35:46: @meishanl good ah...i dun wanna live so long. *continues to sit*
11:13:44: should i have mos burger today? since ytd's budget was free up.
11:44:32: so hungry i can eat my lipbalm for lunch
13:26:53: HOHO....Its real holiday for me on 7 May.
14:40:27: "I will look after you for the next 5 years", says MM Lee - General Election 2011 http://t.co/vTuuyvK via @AddThis
14:49:06: @Knitcafe my grc walkover ma... i might push KO to sunday instead
15:07:18: @smoochsg any chance of BO for the Chandelier Mirror Necklace? i was too slow during the launch.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

When i put aside knitting

2011-04-27T08:50:00.004+08:00

Then what would I be doing? It's shopping, not of wool or yarn, but of apparels. So I guess retail therapy still works out pretty well for me.

So the local shopping scene is much similar to the yarn industry. You will find brick and mortar boutiques or online blogshops (BS). Glad to say that I saved up quite a bit which goes in the money for yarn. In between launches of BSs, I will work on my latest project. This sound like stalking for Wollmeise yarn every friday. Anyhow, this post is a short review for a few BSs which I had patronised and in no particular order of ranking.

Loveschues

BS for shoes are hard to come by. Few BSs will have a pair once in a while. So this is indeed rare for shoes lovers. However, the thing about shoes is that you need to try on. Buying based on measurement given could be risky at times. My first pair was passed to my mom cuz I got pretty wide feet. So I might go one size up for their pretty flats. Owner is a young pretty lass out to venture in the world of fashion. Still, I am looking forward to her next collection on thursday.

Smooch

Known previously as Acrossthebloodyuniverse.com. Set up by 2 ladies, Sarah & Mery, with a great and unique fashion senses. Quality of apparels had only failed me once, when the measurement given was off. However, that piece was returned and I had my refund. Everything was done in a timely manner, kudos to their customer service. With that in mind, I had made more purchases and even recommended to friends. My biggest wish is that they could bring in more stock for their items. They always ran out within a minute of the launch. Being on backorder is the other way to your items.

Hollyhoque

Their clothes are quite affordable despite being on dot com basis. Dot com shops do have more overheads, especially when they are doing very good on LJ and move over to dot com. They will need a good server that supports them during each launch. In their previous carnation, I had a few qualms about them due to their website going down when they do an update. Once being item short delivered and other times having to wait for their page to load while my item went out of stock during check out. Currently, they placed their shop on myshopify.com, which I hope they do not increase their prices. Shopping experience since the change had been smooth but items run out within 2 minutes. Faster fingers win the game.

Agneslle

Another one which move to dot com recently. Unlike SMooch, they do not keep a data base for customers to trace their orders (so does Hollyhoque). Its something which is very essential to customers. They to know their payment confirmations, delivery or even credit notes. I find it a waste of effort to move to dot com if owners do not take customers seriously by not improving. Its a giant step to move on, but does their service getting in the same direction and speed? I seriously doubt so. I used to love shopping on their LJ launches and received some lovely items.

Ever since their move, I had stop not in spite of their service but of their designs and quality. I had read negative feedbacks on local forums hence this shop will be on the backseat unless they up a few notches on their website config.

Lovebonito

This is the biggest and most successful ones that move to dot com last August. There were also issues with server problems during their few initial launches but were all ironed out subsequently with dedicated servers. It's not a wonder when a few thousand people are loading their browsers to check out on new items. I do get their basic items once in a while. Prices had a hike since their move so there are times when items were overpriced

I do love to mention other BS, but will leave it to next round.

From Twitter 04-26-2011

2011-04-27T03:06:00.001+08:00

08:32:38: @Knitcafe muahhahaha
10:49:35: finally got the cleopratra necklace. thanks to @smoochsg for bringing in more stock.
12:36:58: my fav chicken rice gotta b fr: Boon Tong Kee, TianTian@maxwell and the one @ redhill mkt. white meat and protein, essential !!!
17:19:54: @Knitcafe new wedges from LB http://twitpic.com/4po0bt omg...there goes my yarn money
21:09:54: @Knitcafe wear not chant

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-25-2011

2011-04-26T03:05:00.001+08:00

08:36:48: i love maxi dresses, cuz they help me get seats on crowded public transports. yes i am that shameless, who cares...
08:37:33: ...when i get to knit or dead tired. 3 yays to maxis!
08:38:18: @jasz05 morning to u
08:48:50: @jasz05 where got ho sey....waitin for pang gang lo. haizz
09:05:04: @jasz05 T_T sobsobz
20:46:33: @meishanl preggy figure :p
20:50:24: @meishanl ya i know. they just "naturally" fall asleep

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-24-2011

2011-04-25T03:05:00.001+08:00

16:34:30: finally get my hands on dean's breakfast and hb's on darling's eggs from The Plain

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-23-2011

2011-04-24T03:05:00.001+08:00

20:55:08: Homemade cheesecake. YUMZ! http://twitpic.com/4ofjy0

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-21-2011

2011-04-22T03:05:00.001+08:00

13:49:37: @smoochsg will Chandelier Mirror Necklace be restock or BO?
16:13:40: ppl around are quite hyped up for the JP Morgan run later...pray no rain k.
18:47:15: and wkend just started. so precious

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 04-20-2011

2011-04-21T03:07:00.001+08:00

some ppl are over buying and some are just lazy to shop. but doesnt shopping and wearing new stuffs cheers one up?
@mypreciouschest hi is the Chic Drape necklace still avail?
@mypreciouschest how do i reserve one?
darn! its way too crowded at #theplaincafe. gonna try our luck this weekend. no reservations on wkends. booooo!!
came home to a mailbox packed with YARN!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

We went to the Zoo

2011-04-07T23:10:00.002+08:00

Well, when was the last time I hit the zoo? Too long to remember, perhaps more than the fingers on one hand. Anyways, we made our way to Singapore Zoo on his birthday. How creative can a wife be? Hah, that's me. The birthday guy got free entrance and a complimentry scoop of ice cream from Ah-Meng's Restaurant. Too bad no Ben & Jerry's though.

My favorite shot of the day.

Knitting while off the grindstone is probably boring me out soon. As I kept finishing way too fast and sifting for pattern that might intrigue me enough to cast on is not catching up.

A pair of socks probably take me at most 6 days. On average, I clocked at least 1 item a week. Still, the yarns are aplenty. Meanwhile, am stocking up a few hanks in the Knitpicks spree.

Back to pattern looking on ravelry.

plenty of warmth

2011-02-11T14:40:00.002+08:00

something that was gifted to me and i have it near my window now. guess it needs a bigger pot soon. now, where is my Green Thumb?

back for a minute

2011-01-10T14:09:00.002+08:00

Almost 6 months had passed since my last post here. Perhaps a lot of people had forgotten to check this blog. A lot had been going on with home, work, shopping and knitting.

Although this space had been left alone, I never did put down my knitting. THe longest that I did not touch my needles was around 2 weeks. I simply had no idea what to cast on. No patterns nor yarn called out to me. I did not buy yarn for quite some time too, this exclude the Madelinetosh sweater club which i joined earlier and got my last shipment not too long ago. On clubs, Colleen joined the Cookie A sock club with me. How could I stand by and do nothing when this is one club by my favorite sock designer. FYI, the club is sold out a few days after we got in. I am still looking for a lace club.

So what have I finished so far in 2011? 1 pair of Milo socks, 1 Cusp sock. And hopefully many more to come and make 2011 full of knitting good-ness.

A quick one

2010-06-24T09:59:00.002+08:00

I think my mojo is getting back after binding off the last pair of socks. I can't help it. I refused to rip backwards to mend a mistake. Anyway, its fine to have 1 sock bigger than the other but nobody can tell. :p

Cast on for Cinnamon Grace last friday, coz Col wants to KIP. And since, I had bind off the scarf on tuesday and started Briochette last evening. Hope to finish by coming Monday, better still Sunday if I'm not busy with housework.

Till then, happy knitting.

Positive points

2010-05-25T14:54:00.002+08:00

1. Moved in to new place since 21/5.
2. Work has improved.
3. Nearer to workplace.
4. More food variety in the precinct.
5. Most probably adopting a kitty. (She matches the color theme of our home. lol)
6. Jailbroken my phone. YAY to more free games, though I hardly have time to play more.
7. Managed to get my first load of laundry done with the new washer. It wasn't that intimidating with the knobs and buttons afterall.
8. Finished a few knits.

Hope to write about the new life in the new home.

Space planning

2010-01-30T15:09:00.002+08:00

So we were back at the unit for some real space planning. The main objective was to have plenty of storage space. So we were hoping to have wardrobe on one full wall with adequate space for movement between the bed. And here's what we were left with after marking the "used up" areas; slightly more than a foot.Since the foyer is so tiny, we would be deprived of a shoe cabinet. Hence, no way would we settle for a small wardrobe.

Anyways, the worst had yet to come till I notice a hairline on my living room wall. A knock at the spot, it was clear to tell there a hollow in there. This will definitely cause a delay in the renovation schedule. DUH!

not a Knitting post

2010-01-21T19:22:00.003+08:00

Thanks for all the kind comments and support for my sock pattern. I have 2 up my sleeves, so watch out for them.

As the title says, I'm going to talk a bit more on my new home. There might be a little insight on renovation stuffs. Now, getting a HDB flat in Singapore is not easy. Especially if one has to go through numerous ballot exercise (direct purchase from HDB). Also there's lots of regulation the buyer has to adhere to. We were rejected after OTP on the first try due to income ceiling. On the second and also the last attempt, we managed to scrap past the conditions. The entire process took us almost 3 years till we possess the key.

Recently, I had been lurking between home&decor forums in the locale. It was both interesting and knowledgeable reading the various contributions. It had also given me lots of ideas on how to make this new space a live-able one.

One of my intention is to knock down half a wall of my kitchen. Plenty of sunlight will be pass in from the living area. However, budget is a big question here since additional $3000 will be required. Anyways, I was back at the scene just a few days ago. We saw a notice that invites people to a showflat. Least to my expectation, it wasn't open. Instead, the neightbour of that flat invited us to take a look. Their ID was on site, checking the progress with the owners. Very much to my surprise, they actually hack a "hole" into the kitchen wall, large enough to lit up the kitchen. I thought that would cost less. Hope the M will agree to this.

A lot of discussions were upon
- open concept kitchens, hacking of kitchen walls,
- whether to engage IDs or go straight to contractors
- lightings: coves? or false ceilings?
- positioning of the hod/sink/fridge
- storage or instant water heater?

Click to see notes on my flickr page.

I will continue on my findings in another post.

What a boomz

2010-01-07T14:12:00.002+08:00

I started 2010 with a boom.
- Mom and I were trapped in the lift at my new place, with 3 other strangers.
- This was the first time I got trap-in.
- Did I mention I got keys to my new place on 31st Dec 09?
- Then I flew more than 1500 miles for 2 concerts.
- This was the first time ever, I spent 4 days with myself in a city I've most visited.
- and I wore several of my hand knits in the cold weather. (it's consider cold comparing to where I reside)

Now it's back to reality.

Fa Fa Fa Socks

2009-12-26T13:22:00.003+08:00

As promised in my previous post, here's the surprise in the form of a sock pattern. The cable stitch is adapted from stitch books, using one of my favorite yarns.

Click on the picture for the pattern.

Greetings

2009-12-22T13:03:00.004+08:00

I better post something if not I will have murmurings that I had disappear from this dimension. It had been rosy on the knitting front despite some hiccups. I shall not do more explanation here and let future postings do the talking.Pattern: Vivian by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 12 Ply - Agate
Needle: Addi Turbo, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm
Size: XS
Time to finish: ONE year!!!

Click on the picture to access more photos (pardon the wispy hair). Do come back on Boxing Day for a little surprise from yours truly. Meanwhile have fun and lots of food.

A Dog's Life

2009-11-11T10:44:00.002+08:00

I got this from a friend and its so true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again. So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please? The dog has money in its mouth as well."

The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a ten dollar note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it's about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog.

So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a traffic junction; the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button for pedestrian crossing. Then it waits patiently, with the bag in its mouth, for the lights to turn. Then it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus. The dog then shows a ticket which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor. The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in the bus. The dog then sits near the driver's seat looking outside. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor. Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop..

It opens the big Iron Gate and rushes inside towards the door. As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door. The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him. The butcher surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy.

"What in heaven's name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me! "To which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten his key."

Moral of the story.....
You may continue to exceed onlookers expectations but shall always fall short of the boss' expectations.

It's a dog's life after all.....

Knitters spotted

2009-10-29T08:56:00.004+08:00

I had been spotting knitters and crocheters on the commute to and fro work. There are so far and between, that I though I was the only commuting knitter. But I was wrong. I was hoping to be proved wrong.

Getting back to the grind, has indeed placed knitting on the side. Especially when I need to put in extra hours to see through things. And being new to the industry just makes it tougher. As the saying goes, as tough gets tougher, the tougher gets going.

My very fabulous mom bought a Kenwood mixer recently. So, a bit of time had been spent on baking. I'm still trying to figure out to make better sponge cakes. The durian cream cake was nice, all thanks for attending the demo class held by the oven maker. Hope to make chocolate sponge and freshly baked breads very soon.

Pictures soon, I hoped.

090909

2009-09-09T10:02:00.002+08:00

How can I not drop a post today? a short one mind you.

Plenty of good news. My new place will be handed over in December. Finally I can wake up at 8am and not be late for work. About work, yes I've move away from the previous scope. The current one is entirely a new forte to me.

Few weeks ago, I had a blocking party. Took plenty of photos of the party-goers. Hope I have time to upload them.

With the busy schedules, now wonder it had taken a tow on my knitting progress. Maybe you will see more of WIP pictures than FOs.

Take care till the next post.

My favorite character

2009-08-17T17:09:00.001+08:00

Take the Quiz here!

I finished 2 audio books and already a Jane Austen fan. More audio books for now.

Snippets of last 3 months

2009-08-05T16:29:00.002+08:00

Aeolian

Esther

Pacific Islands

Bex

Aquaphobia

I had also finish Whisper cardigan, Outside In sock and Buttercup too. I think I missed out a few others.

Finally I began to see the back of my shelves, which is a good sign. This meant that I had less stuffs to take with when we move to a new place next year. Yes, finally we got our little haven.

Team Knit, Jenny and Rain: thanks for the compliments.

Craftlover: do watch out other yarns from Wollmeise.

was it 1 month ago?

2009-07-02T18:24:00.003+08:00

And June is over.

The weather is hot and humid, despite the occasional rain. I dislike going for interviews in the afternoons, gives me migraines.

Game-wise, I had completed all dishes on Restaurant City after hitting level 27. Also a Farm Town retiree at level 34.

Knit news would be the WWKIP day, cum Ingrid's farewell. She brought baby Aemilia with her. Hope she enjoys plenty of knitting time back home.

My Aquaphobic socks is still only 1 done. Meanwhile, I finished Aeolian on the eve of WWKIP and Artichart yesterday. Time to hit the sock before it hit me. Maybe its on 4" dpns that I'm reluctant to go on. I thought I changed to the bamboos when it was time for heel flap. Probably, I might have a looser foot since I knit much tighter on the 4".

I did a bit of yarn stalking and all packages arrived. I thought I'd a stash update on my sockyarns (WM category).
Collected them for over 3 years? Notice the old labels?

The 8 skeins from the sock club. Pity there won't be a sock club in the near future.

Disruption from gaming

2009-05-29T13:57:00.002+08:00

Time for another post before May slips away. A very hot afternoon which made it difficult to concentrate on games and double difficult to knit.

Pattern: Ribbed Lace by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss sockyarn - Porcini
Needle: 2.25m, Knitpicks Harmony
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 1 week

Nothing to add, just did as per the book's instruction. Love the round toe.

May I?

2009-05-05T22:43:00.003+08:00

Its May already, and almost half of 2009 passed us all. I only have a fair bit of knitting to report since time has been mostly devoted to Restaurant City and Farm Town. Hoping to turn 30 on my farm. and join the ranks on the farm town forum.

Anyways, I did finished a few socks. None to say, I am so behind in documenting the FOs on my ravelry account too. Well, here goes Maelstrom.

Pattern: Maelstrom by Cookie A
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock Yarn - Impressionist Sky
Needle: 2.25m, Knitpicks Harmony
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 1 week
Notes: Only added 1 extra repeat to the leg section. I have nothing but positive comments for most if not all of Cookie's patterns. Just a minor thing which I might change would be the toe. I still much prefer a more rounded toe than a pointy one. Malabrigo Sockyarn has joined Louet Gems on my ranking of favorite yarns, both share the top position. It give good stitch definition and its so buttery soft. I can't wait my lay my hands on other colorways too.

Rain: yep that's Farm Town on Facebook. Its been days since I last level up.

Mabel: bookdepo was half a good reccomendation. i made 2 orders, 1 was cancelled cuz they decided to increase to the price and not fulfilled my order which was of cos placed prior to the increase.

Ruth: swaps are addictive!!!

Tp all: thanks for all the well wishes for this post.

Where was ME?

2009-04-27T15:46:00.001+08:00

Of online shopping

2009-03-10T16:02:00.004+08:00

I think I got into online retail therapy after swapping for cosmetics/skincare on Makeupalley.com for almost a year. The surprises I always get from package through out the many months were very fun during that year. And a time to learn more about grooming myself. (Even though I have slackened a lot.)

There were swappers who refuse to ship international. Since I always ship outside of Singapore, I can totally understand the cost of postage and the anxiety whether the package will reach the recipient safely. Anyway, there's always swappers who were willing to ship to Singapore. Postages back then were much cheaper too.

Then came a time when I realised I had turn into a makeup junkie. That's when I sold off items which were 99% used, threw away stuffs that were not touch for a long time and would probably have gone mouldy.

Alright this is a knit blog not a makeup blog. So why did I start writing about the above? Well, since I stash mostly via online retailers, I thought I might do a little write up on my online Stash Enhancement Experience.

- Freeshipping
It's not always inexpensive to buy online. Especially when one buys alone. Shipping charge is 1 HUGE factor to consider when shopping. Very often, I will look for Freeshipping Worldwide. However, you might need to hit a minimal order amount. And there's no freeshipping for books and magazine, That's common sense, isn't it?

- Flat shipping charge
This is not usually available to me. And I love to organise bulk purchases. There's once which I need to seek out USD300 just to claim the deal. I'm never in the right mind to stash $300 worth of yarns at one go. I'm still very sane towards my yarn hoarding. By sharing shipping cost with other like-minded, it is more wallet-friendly.

- Free/Flat shipping within US/Canada
I might need to do a bit of maths and judge whichever is more cost-effective; to ship via a forwarding company or direct to my doorstep.

It pretty sad that some sellers do not ship international. And I think that's simply closing doors to more business. Given the current economic situation, turning down a sale is turning down a potential long term customer.

As a customer, I think it is very helpful if a seller goes all out to help save shipping cost for me. I will most probably return to buy more and recommend them to more people. Word of mouth is very powerful in this sense.

And now, I'm crossing my fingers (and toes) that my last package willl reach me within this week.

angelknits: thanks for the congrats!

Aw: it was raining and traffic was very slow, thus the long wait for the groom.

Rain: hahaha, i guess we agreed to take a pic of me knitting in my gown. will really be unforgetable.

Snippet from the BIG day

2009-03-03T15:36:00.003+08:00

I thought I should start sharing some pictures from the BIG day. So here's one which I was knitting.

picture grabbed from Adrianne.

Boxes and envelopes

2009-02-26T20:53:00.003+08:00

These were the things that kept appearing at my doorsteps and mailbox. 2 more and I shall hibernate till April.

Finally, they are in my possession forever. Can't help it, when the pounds is low and the temptation from the lovely photography.

One more work day to endure and the start of a knitty weekend and hopefully also something that gets bind off from the needles.

Realisation

2009-02-17T12:01:00.002+08:00

Its only when you are at it, will you feel the intensity.

The work has started since last Monday. Assigned to replace this lady who was going to give birth. At this point in time she had already return home after a C-section, hence I'm covering her duties for the next 3 months or so.

The office is situated at this not-so-convenient location. Lunches were boring, food were bought back by some kind souls.

I would say that I stay pretty near to the office, just half hour drive. However, I'm using the transport pick up (pick up point 5 minutes walk), I need to be standing by at 7.15am. Journey usually takes around 1 hour and I'm still at least 15 minutes early for work. The bus journey was so jerky that knitting is almost impossible. I managed a few rows while seated by the window this morning. Return trip is on a van, goodness, its only a waste of 20 minutes.

I guess I won't be returning to this area for work. The limit is only till end of the contract period.

Knitting news, not much 'cept for finishing the Seascape wrap. I started out a bootneck cotton top, I might need more yarn than what I already estimated.

I'm also expecting 4 packages to arrive within the next 2-3 weeks. With the income and good exchange rates, I hope I don't buy myself poor.

One more, perhaps two

2009-02-08T19:23:00.002+08:00

One more FO report, two socks which make a pair.

Pattern: Clover from The Inside Loop Issue 2
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Superwashed Solid - Sapphire
Needle: 2.25m, Knitpicks Harmony
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 1 week
Notes: The feel of it knitting up is very similar to Louet Gems fingering. I like the combination of both lace and cable on this sock. The pattern repeat is intuitive. I would say this is a pattern that is good for beginner sock knitters to step up for more advance stuffs.

Vessy

2009-02-06T13:36:00.004+08:00

I was so into getting the jacket in the picture below to work, but it seems like the WIP was hiding in a dusty corner waiting to be recalled by me.

In turn, I transformed it into something totally different. Also from Phildar patterns.

Pattern: Pull #468-T6-628 by Phildar Design Team
Yarn: Phildar Aviso in Ficelle
Needle: 4.5mm and 4mm for the ribbings
Size: 32
Time to finish: 2 months?
Notes: I missed out the chart for the front piece and while waiting I finished up other projects. The yarn is soft and splity at the same time. With charts to follow, one can almost do without the French instructions. I love the cable richness. I think certain cotton/acrylic yarns bring out cables better than wool/alpaca does.
Mod: i left out the ribbing for the armholes, might add them in one day if I can tolerate the bulk at the pits.

First FO of 2009

2009-01-04T16:20:00.003+08:00

I have quite a bit to report here. I ended 2008 on a silky note with a wrap. Not much pictures yet, since this was kept away to avoid the dust from my cleaning.

And here's the first for 2009. Hope this will spark off good knitting vibes for the rest of the year.

Pattern: Baroque by Janice Kang
Yarn: Posh Yarn Lei
Needle: 2.5mm Knitpicks Harmony
Size: small
Time to finish: 4 days
Notes: I was apprehensive about the stitches showing up on this color. Seems like it worked well and I enjoyed working with the yarn despite its splity-ness. I would use 2.25mm if ever to restart these socks. Also, if i'm knitting for feet much larger than mine, I might need 1.5 skeins at least to get a enough leg covered.

Lots of ends

2008-12-21T19:33:00.002+08:00

Consolidated this pile of "FOs". I think they were finished within these 2 years but waiting to be blocked or weaveing their ends. Click on the photo to find out about them.

Pondering on the Grindstone

2008-12-19T18:14:00.002+08:00

The quietness on this blog is due to the fact that I'm on the look for job. It had been rather physical and mentally exhausting with each interview. However, I'm hopeful that the next one be better than the previous. So here's a brief rundown.
I shall not name the companies but just their initials.

Company A
- US MNC, wrong job scope, its the furthest part of the country that I'd been to. Rejected on the spot, even though they are willing to train. Seems like they are rather desperate for someone to fill up the role.

Company C
- US MNC, job scope was something I'm looking for. The deal was that I would be employed under Company F as C had a frozen headcount. I wasn't very comfortable with this arrangement I guess. Even with a direct bus from my place, I need to do with a slight paycut. I thought I could have this straighten out myself, somehow I still felt insecure and depress. Depression shouldn't be how I feel, it a totally different feel from my previous appointments. I did not want to celebrate or put a smile on my face. So C was outta question as of today's turnout.

Company G
- US company, 6 months contract work. Cuz they weren't able to tell me whether this is going to renewable, I weren't in the least interested. It might be glam to work in town, but that means I would spend more on daily expenses like food and transportation.

Company K
- local SME (small medium enterprise). I butted at one of the questions asked, it would be total different environment from a MNC (most if not all of my previous experience were with MNCs). I think even the interviewer was doubtful if I would be adaptable to such arrangement. Anyway, it did open me up to the structure of SMEs.

Company V
- didn't even have a chance for interview, cuz the role was taken up by their contract staff!!! ARGH!!!! I really wouldn't mind V.

Above all, I'm still optimistic with the hunt. I just received another call, hopefully I will have another interview coming up next week. and a brand new workplace in 2009.

WISH ME LUCK.

Before i sign off, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

XOXO

100

2008-12-04T19:22:00.002+08:00

Hopefully there's more to come.

Pardon for the empty squares. I wonder when I will get to fill them up with photos.

Fern Garden

2008-12-01T19:39:00.000+08:00

I hope to finish taking photos of all my FOs and keep this blog really up-to-date. So this is not the last of my stoles and shawls.

Pattern: Fern Garden Stole by Sharon Winsauer
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Fino, Silver Belle, less than 2 skeins.
Needle: 3.75 mm Addi Lace
Size: n/a
Time to finish: < 2 weeks
Notes: I had about 70grams left from the second skein. Being in a high humidity climate, knitting with alpaca is a little painful. As it keep sticking onto my pinkie and refuse to slide smoothly. The silk content does its job beautifully, giving a slight sheen.
The Fern Garden motif is exactly as the one on FPS. However, due to the movement of the motif, it did took me a little while to get use to reading the chart. This made it a more interesting knit.

Hanami

2008-11-29T23:31:00.001+08:00

This stole is going away to somebody. So this post is really meaningful to me.

Pattern: Hanami
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr, Ice Blue
Needle: 3.5 mm Addi Lace
Size: n/a
Time to finish: < 2 weeks
Notes: I did like 2 extra repeats on the basketweave section, and skip a couple of the blossom charts. This made me wanted to knit one stole only with the basketweave pattern, which I did last month.

Dream of Lace

2008-11-27T19:13:00.003+08:00

I hope before the year ends, I will be able to catch up on my FO reports. So here's another from 2007, which makes 2 more shawl reports to go.

Pattern: Lace Dream by Eugen Beugler, Shawls and Scarves: The Best of Knitter's Magazine
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr, Sage
Needle: 3.5 mm Addi Lace
Size: n/a
Time to finish: < 2 weeks
Notes: I think I'm left with nothing to say about the yarn since I had used it countless times and will still my top choice for lace knitting. Patternwise, it sank into my brain just after a few repeats. A slight different from the usual feather and fan.

After blocking

2008-11-25T01:16:00.003+08:00

I was out shooting the FOs, alone, so no modeled pictures.

Before my wedding, I had the luxury of time and space to block out quite a number of pieces. Queen Anne Blue Lace was one of which got pack along for the outdoor shoot.

More photos HERE.

Pattern: Queen Anne's Lace by MMario
Yarn: ColourMart Cashmere /28NM Lace Weight
Needle: 3.75 mm Addi Lace
Size: n/a
Time to finish: < 2 weeks
Notes: Very easy to follow instructions. Interesting construction, even my brother asked about it; the very first time on my knitting.

Keeping happy thoughts

2008-11-21T21:06:00.007+08:00

My nose is all stuffed up since the start of the week. My waste paper basket is filled with scrunched up used tissue. Anyway I thought I do post up some pictures of my old FOs.

My FPS was blocked way before I own a set of blocking wires. So bear with the slight scallop edges.

Pattern: Forest Path Stole by Faina M. Letoutchaia
Yarn: ColourMart Cashmere/Silk 2/36NM Lace Weight
Needle: US 2½ / 3.0 mm Addi Turbo
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 5 weeks and more than a year to take FO photos.
Notes: Finished up to 21st tier. I'm not a fan of nupps but still I did not omit any of them.

Destashment IV

2008-11-12T13:28:00.006+08:00

All prices includes shipping within Asia, add US$3 for outside Asia.

Colinett Jitterbug
Colorway - Alizarine
yardage: 267 metres
content: 4 ply Merino
Selling at US$20

Great Adirondack Yarn Co Soxie
Colorway - Bahama Mama
yardage: 360.0 yards (329.2 m)
Selling at US$20

Schaefer Yarn Company Anne
Colorway - Barton
yardage: 560.0 yards (512.1 m)
Selling at US$22

Sundara Yarn Sock Yarn
Colorway - Cordoba
yardage: total 700.0 yards (640.1 m) from 2 skeins
1 skein has been wind but not use at all.
Selling at US$25

Alpaca with a Twist Fino - Silver Belle
yardage: aprox. 640meters
content: 70% alpaca, 30% silk
Selling at US$18
Leftover from my Fern Garden Stole.

Reappearance

2008-11-11T18:05:00.002+08:00

Before I know it, October had slip passed. No, I have not taken a month off for honeymoon or anything close to it. It was plain laziness for the blog silence.

The needles have been busy. I'm done with 3 shawls and 2 pairs of socks and 2 tops if I'm able to do up the finishings. Meanwhile, I'm trying to find my way to a new grindstone since the stash master needs to be fed periodically.

I'm setting up the 4th installment of destashing. Sock yarn lovers please stay tune.

And Happy 1st Anniversary to my Dearest!

Be right back

2008-09-29T15:38:00.003+08:00

A sneak peek and I hope to be back with full cover of the Big Day after my getaway.
Before that, I would like to give thanks, to everyone for their blessings and efforts in making these all a wonderful memory for us.

oh dear

2008-09-26T10:01:00.001+08:00

almost time for hubby to come fetch me.

hehe.

its my big day. hope my battery dun go flat.

back when there's more time to blog.

3 more days

2008-09-23T12:21:00.002+08:00

Counting down. A different sort of feeling from counting to the day I leave the throat-cutting environment back at the "little red crane" (My ex-company which we so fondly called it).

Anyway, it's back to a little bit of knitting. Picking up needles and making stitches really does calm my nerves. Met up with the girls last weekend for a Knit Out and finished a pair of Monkeys. Started Spring Forward yesterday, so I could be taking pictures with my project during the wedding. I know this would be very fun as I invited the girls to my wedding banquet. This is very much like a Knit Out.

So what else have I been doing when I want to break away from the preparations? All thanks to tudou.com, I was able to catch up with the past seasons of Project Runway. I'm still 1 season away from finishing the whole series. Season 5 is looking good too. I had always enjoy watching the very first challenge of each season. Its always about using materials that are out of the box.

Off for more runways. Ciao~

few more days to go

2008-09-22T23:29:00.002+08:00

And it will be over soon. I spent almost a year going through everything just to make things happen on this friday. I have come to terms with myself that no matter how much effort I had put in, there's bound to be hiccups and glitches.

Yes, I'm getting the jitters before my big day. Hormones are raging and I break into arguments easily like dry twigs do under the sun. Thus causing horrible breakouts. It felt more like doomsday is approaching more than anything else.

I'm grateful to those who have lent a hand, pat my back, showed their concerns and for not adding more burden to me.

Off to an early night's rest.

Wish me wake up with a much better complexion.

Lack of mojo

2008-09-10T15:30:00.002+08:00

Its a little more than 2 weeks before my wedding. And I kinda lost the mojo to knit, with so much happening around me. Hope to get back to the needles very soon.

I do have a couple pictures on my block activities.

And for the first time, my brother actually commented on my knitting. Its a compliment actually after being asked how that the shawl was constructed (inwards or outwards).

Due to the hairy-ness, this took a little longer than usual to dry. Afterwhich, the weather started to get wonky and there wasn't much sun, so blocking came to a hiatus.

Hope to be back with FO pictures. Take care!

Destashment III

2008-08-28T17:14:00.007+08:00

All prices includes shipping within Asia, add US$3 for outside Asia.

Katia Bamboo
yardage: 1000 meters
content: 100% bamboo
Selling at US$70
1 ball has been rewound for swatching, other than that, everything is unused.

Jaggerspun Zephyr - Indigo
yardage: aprox. 350m
content: 50% wool, 50% silk
Selling at US$8
Good for a lacey scarf for beginner lace.

Colourmart.com lace weight
yardage: aprox. 1060 meters
content: 55% Cashmere 45% Silk
Selling at US$12
Leftover from my Forest Path stole. The amount is good for a lace stole.

Alpaca with a Twist Fino - Silver Belle
yardage: aprox. 640meters
content: 70% alpaca, 30% silk
Selling at US$18
Leftover from my Fern Garden Stole.

Another destashment

2008-08-27T23:58:00.003+08:00

Keep a lookout these 2 days for another destashment. I had been looking at these yarns for the last few hours and still clueless to what I will make out of them. Taught myself a lesson of Buying Without Plans. Moreover, I need to liquidify the yarns for my recent membership fee.

Since my last update, I have 2 FOs, a shawl and a pair of socks. The blocking wires had been busy so did the darning needles. I blocked 3 shawls and seamed Minimalist Cardigan. I thought I do lost a bit of my mojo. Hope to be back with a WIP report soon. Meanwhile, I need to destash.

They are starring back

2008-08-11T18:42:00.003+08:00

Yes, they are. And at me. I have knitted them and left them aside to start others. I've just laid out the Minimalist Cardigan on my bed. It just need to be seamed. (Charmaine, where are you!!??) Next are the stole/shawl to be blocked.

Queen Anne's Lace
Reversible Ribbed Stole
One more to the list is the Cobweb Lace Shawl, which I had grafted both ends together this morning. I need more room in the house to block them out one by one.

Show Mi Again

2008-08-06T09:41:00.002+08:00

Unfortunately I won't be attending her concert this year. Look at the date, it falls right on my wedding. I'm telling myself not to miss her next concert in Hongkong.

Yarn Sprees

2008-08-04T09:44:00.006+08:00

Join me and other Singapore knitters for yarn sprees on Ravelry.com.

Some pictures to show recent sprees. CAUTION: Please do not salivate on to your keyboard.
Selection of Blue Moon Fiber Art yarn

Stainless Steel yarn from Avril

Superfine Merino from Avril

Stuffs below belong to me. :p
- Shosenshi Paper A-60
- Malabrigo Silky Merino in Burgundy
- Blue Moon fiberart - Silk Thread in Spinel

These were not the last. A giant package arrived, filled with Kauni goodness, right after I packed my camera away. More pictures when I wip out the cammie again.

Seeing Red

2008-08-01T14:13:00.002+08:00

I had been nursing a bad flu for more than 2 weeks, so knitting is on low gear. Started Orchid but seems like there's something that I can't understand. Hopefully someone is working on it on Ravelry. Hence I cast on another lace shawl, nothing wrong with the pattern but the yarn stained my finger nails just hour knitting continously with it. Above all, I'm finally taking a long deserved break after inservice for the company. With next to zero income, I shall be able to watch my yarn diet very well.

1. My First Baby Surprise Jacket, 2. Crayon Red Lace Edged Scarf, 3. close up of mother's day knit., 4. RedWine 01, 5. side alouette, 6. Cherry Kool-Aid Alpaca and Wool yarn, 7. detail, 8. Victoriana Scarflette (Wool & Bamboo) in Red, 9. yarn from Peru, 10. I am very spoilt by my knitting friends, 11. Red knitted top , 12. Cable Vest, 13. Wisp!, 14. Myrtle leaf shawl with willow border, 15. Uncle Argyle scarf - grey side, 16. starting over, 17. Myrtle leaf shawl with willow border, 18. bloom as cape, 19. Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February), 20. Not available, 21. Red Raglan, Red Raglan, 22. Not available, 23. Not available, 24. crafting 365, day 265, 25. redriver11, 26. crafting 365, day 267, 27. on the veranda, 28. juliet cardigan, 29. wip, 30. FO: Central Park Hoodie, 31. My First Lati Dress Set, 32. Picture 088, 33. Bloody Bellatrix Socks, 34. P7070016, 35. reverse seam pullover side, 36. Child's skirt

Random picture

2008-07-29T07:36:00.001+08:00

http://wordle.net/

Beating the Monday Blues

2008-07-14T11:28:00.002+08:00

Snooping around on flickr. Might do another color theme another day.
1. gray gable, finished, 2. crafting 365 - day 168, 3. Malabrigo Delight, 4. misty back, 5. Goldie the dolphin top, 6. Three Skeins, 7. Embossed Leaves, 8. "cape cod" merino wool hand knit scarf, 9. Saartje's bootees, 10. hairclip on hairband, 11. Project 93/365 - Hemlock, 12. crafting 365 - day 145, 13. booga swatch, 14. fiddlehead, 15. picovoli, 16. Clapokauni = fini!, 17. Lu in Blue, 18. Berlin Muster - SKP #2 - In Progress, 19. RVO, 20. A Blue Swirl: on me (C365:126), 21. Top Down Biker Jacket, 22. The Rococo Shawl - Hand Knit Wool & Llama Shawl (in Teal), 23. blue and green wristies, 24. Stackable Cats, 25. Sparkle Beetle butt, 26. Handspun Lisa Souza BFL in Deep Sea, 27. ribbed hat, 28. lady eleanor shawl, 29. Potato Chip Scarf, 30. Log Cabin Afghan, 31. Christmas Cookie Monster for Kristina, 32. Spina di Pesce, 33. 80 done, 80 to go... (C365:100), 34. bunny2, 35. Urban Aran, 36. Drops Tailored Cardigan

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

To Meet List

2008-07-14T09:50:00.002+08:00

Ravelry has been going on for a while. I started the Singapore Knitters group not too long after I joined. As of today, there's 91 members from either on this island or outside of it. Least too say, I have met more knitters than I ever could. Then again, there's some knitters that's worth mentioning.

Here's my list in no particular order:
- turniptopia - blog
her 1 year old toddler is so like her mom.

- munyee - blog
hope to see her very soon when she returns. I love her pottery items.

- sqpixels - blog
She knits, crochets, bakes and sews.

recent S.E.X

2008-07-10T09:17:00.005+08:00

I had been conducting yarn sprees, the day I knew that Knitpicks doesn't ship international and still doesn't till this day. To buy in bulk with other like minded knitters was great to share cost and shipping. Also, to see people beaming when they receive their yarns, made me continued as the Enabler.

So here's the recent purchase from Nordic.com, which specialises in Garnstudio yarns. I am truely surprised by the quality, as most of the time we could only depend on the reviews in Ravelry. This very first spree justified itself and for future purchases.

A soon to be used up yarn, Kidsilk Night in Moonlight. I got 6 balls for Lily Chin's Reversible Ribbed stole. I must be knitting too much and too fast with this yarn, that I ended up with a wounded index finger. Compared to KSH, there's glitter spun within, so I guess it the glitter that caused the abrasion. Anyways, I order another 6 balls in Port, cuz the price was too hard to resist.

Next up is some cashmere cobweb/lace goodies all the way from UK. I guess those who have bought from the same seller will know who I'm talking about. Each color would be enough for a stole/shawl. All for less than US$60.

Shawls Overload

2008-07-08T21:31:00.003+08:00

Overloaded with the number of shawls. I think I miss out a few others which are hiding somewhere in the room. Click on the picture to find out about them.

This month

2008-06-28T08:48:00.003+08:00

It's been a hectic month for me. I didn't realize till its coming to an end. The WWKIP was amazing. I was stunned by the turnout! We had a lot of fun as you tell from the pictures and the small clip.

Last but not least, a peek at my pre-wedding shoot.
More to come when the finalised photos are out.

Donyale

2008-06-25T10:44:00.006+08:00

I have a lot of other FOs for reporting, but no time to take photos of them. I find socks are small and easy in that sense.

I cast on Donyale so that I can knit them during the WWKIP. And managed to finish them on the next day. This round, in order to curb the Second Sock Syndrome, I cast on the second sock right after I finished with the leg of the first. This was a very good way to get even tension between the socks. I tend to relax my tension once I can swim in it.

Pattern: Donyale by Black Dog Designs
Yarn: Lorna's Lace Shepherd Socks, Somerset
Needle: 2 mm from both Addi Turbo and Knitpicks Harmony DPNs
Size: 1 size
Time to finish: 1 week

This pair of socks, I used magic loop for the leg and foot, DPNs for the heel part.

Remember this yarn which I got from JBW?

I can't help but to say this yarn suits the stitch pattern so much!

Aged

2008-05-28T09:18:00.004+08:00

A break before I sum up May's knitting progress.

I almost forgot about my photos on photobucket.com account. It's been a long time I guess. And I discover I've grown so much.
Taken in 2004, with a bunch of my Taiwan associates. It was freaking cold on a late October night.

The pup was trying to poopoo. Look at its face, all scrunched up.

Taken during my Bangkok trip in Nov 2004. This is time stamped too.

And I miss this cheap and good Japanese restaurant at MBK call Zen.

Knitting news will be right back very soon.

9.5 Miles

2008-05-15T11:25:00.003+08:00

That's a total of 15.37 kilometers worth of lace weight yarn. I can knit like 10-13 shawls with them. Like yesterday, I had collected a list of patterns. Most of which are free patterns, I hope. (Some might be from Ravelry downloads)

- Print O' the Wave Stole
- Hanami - I will only knit the basketweave section.
- Secret of Chrysopolis - I thought this was one of the better mystery lace KALs pattern.
- Hanging Garden Stole - The only thing that's stopping me is the number of rows 1 repeat has.
- Cobweb Lace Stole - this was queued the moment I got my copy of IK Spring '08.
- Queen Anne's Lace - I have this pattern lying somewhere.
- Lattice Lace Wrap - another basketweave type of pattern.
- Faux Russian Stole

23 pairs of socks

2008-05-14T11:38:00.003+08:00

That's how much worth of sockyarn I have in my stash. Its staggering to me, as I'm not an avid sock knitter like Adrianne; I do not always have a WIP sock. I really need to pare down this huge number.

First off I need to plan which to use. Probably I will use stuffs like Wollmeise, KPPPM , cuz I have extras. I think I will leave 1 of each for keepsake. Once yarns are used, they are no longer yarns, they are FOs.

Patterns in random order:
- Monkey (i must be the last one to knit this pattern)
- Toe-up Monkey
- Mockery (I like Katie's Drache too)
- Fluke
- Pablo Blue Socks
- Twinkleberry
- Crystalline Lattice
- Cross Country Socks
- Spiral Boot Socks by Veronik Avery - I have the exact yarns waiting for me to knit them up.
- Bayerische Socks

Lack of love

2008-05-06T08:56:00.005+08:00

Not for my DH but for this blog.

Lots had been going on, tied up with Knitpicks sprees and local knit outs. It was nice to put faces to the nicks I saw in the Singapore group on ravelry. Being a knit out organiser is both sweet and bitter. I don't think I want to go into details on that, it might get political. With the impending WWKIP Day on 14th June, I'm wondering how would the turn out be. Well, the size doesn't matter, does it?

This blog is lacking lustre, readership has drop at least 40%. I can only blame myself on procastination. Hoping that life doesn't get busier than this.

Thanks to B for getting the color cards below. I thought the colors look more real than the swatches on screen.

1. Knitpicks Shadow, 2. Knitpicks Shadow, 3. Knitpicks Shadow, 4. Knitpicks Gloss Lace, 5. Knitpicks Gloss Lace, 6. Knitpicks Gloss Lace

I'm on my third scarf, Lacy Ribbon from Knitty Spring. Hope to start Jarrett or even a sock very soon.

From the W in G

2008-04-23T18:17:00.004+08:00

Look at the pictures below and you will know what's the W and G stands for.

I wish I had gotten a few more. Then again, the shipping alone was the cost of 1 hank.
From left: Veilchen, Blue Suzanne, Indisch Rot

PS. Veilchan belongs not to me.

Of scarves and J-blogs

2008-04-22T09:18:00.005+08:00

I have been ploughing hard in my field of knits. However the Knitting Fairy is not around for luck and I'm low on it. I cast on and frogged several potential WIPs. So I guess I better relax, take a step backwards for easy projects. This meant that I'm back to knitting scarves. I enjoyed every bit of it since I need not worry about shaping and gauge problems. I managed to pare down 8 skeins of yarn. 3 for Multidirectional Scarf and 5 for Midwest Moonlight.

I almost lost track in my blog hoppping among the tons of knitters/craftsters on Ravelry. Maybe I should start doing it by countries. First on the list is Japan. Seems like people around me had been or would be traveling there. Only God knows when I can go. Best thing about the internet? It brings everything up close.

Sen, her gorgeous tatting.

Ishi, formidable knits from Japanese books.

Chibitora, her 13 year old maltese is such a cutey

Hiiragi, she always look so good in her knits.

yasuwo, she's also knitting the Printed Silk Cardigan

Not to mention that the Japanese knitters have this blog dedicated to Phildar. (something like a KAL)

I may have more to show before the Sakura season ends. And I hope to show my scarves FOs by then. Wish me luck.

how many RPM?

2008-04-07T16:21:00.003+08:00

2 of course. To make a pair of socks. The last picture shows a more true shade to the colorway. These were finished last December and hidding under a pile of WIPs. That eplain why pictures were only taken last weekend.

Pattern: RPM by Aija Goto
Yarn: Koigu
Needle: Crystal Palace bamboo 2.25mm DPNs
Size: i followed the size for M
Time to finish: ??a week??

Printed Bamboo

2008-03-22T11:47:00.002+08:00

With the discussion of what yarn to use for Printed Silk Cardigan, I almost forgot about this yarn I bought over ebay. It came at the right time (after waiting for more than 8 weeks). Off I went to knit a swatch, it came up to be slightly big. I went down a needle size and thought it would do.

So here's what you see. I knitted the fronts and back in one piece and they are waiting for the sleeves and neck bands.

Close up on the embossed diamonds.

And I just arrived on Sleevey Island.

Unfortunate incident

2008-03-19T12:58:00.004+08:00

Something I received in the mail yesterday. I'm fine with uneveness in the dyeing. But this is absolutely OUT. It doesn't matter if its from the mill end.
Shouldn't the retailer check on each and every hank before sending out?
Didn't they realise that international shipping is on a bullet train to the north?
Even for a 25% off from retail price, they were not obliged to send yarn of decent quality?

I'm definitely getting an exchange.

Upcoming books

2008-02-28T08:55:00.002+08:00

The covers of these books look promising. I guess I need to make space for them really soon.

Interweave Knits Spring 2008: My Say

2008-02-26T08:59:00.002+08:00

Its one of those magazines, which I have 4-5 patterns, that I will knit from. I couldn't say much about the designs till I found the magazine resting on the seater when I reached home last night.

And I'd queued the following on my ravelry account.
Printed Silk Cardigan
I thought I do buy the exact yarn in another color. The price is a little too scary and would end up a hole in my bank account. There were discussions on the yarn subsitution on Ravelry. Possible candidate :
Frog Tree Pima Silk - have not try this before so no comments. Thought this might give good stitch definition.
SWTC Bamboo - I wouldn't use any of this. Bamboo stretches a lot, unless you like your cardigan to go out of shape after just one wash?
Blue Sky Alpaca & Silk - This would work but I'm not looking for something that's woolly.
Debbie Bliss Pure Silk - This would burnt another hole since I need to add a few more skeins to complete the cardigan.

Drawstring Chemise
I always have cotton yarns in the stash, this would be on the needles the moment Fern Path Stole is done.

Cobweb Lace Stole
I like the way its different from conventional stoles I had knitted so far.

Bleeding Hearts Stole
I had always admired Anne Hanson's designs, especially her Japanese Feather Stole, which is also on my queue.

Ladylike Gloves by Eunny looks interesting enough.

For the longest time

2008-02-19T19:40:00.002+08:00

I shall take a little break from the hiatus and do a little update.

New Year was here and gone and so was the Chinese Lunar New Year. And I hope everyone had a good time during Valentines Day. DH gave me a few surprises which almost swept me off my feet. Well I will continue this story another day.

Back to knitting updates.

Even with the new gadgets like Wii and PSP, my needles were always occupied. I actually finished quite a few projects. Including the two below. (No FO pics at the moment though.

Myrtle leaf shawl with willow border

Venezia (more pictures here)

Now I need to get back to Wii Boxing and Trellis (from knitty.com)

Happy Valentines 2008

2008-02-14T12:00:00.001+08:00

I felt so loved today and many days there after.

PS. Hope to come out of hiatus very soon. I've got so much to show and tell.

Day 14 of 2008

2008-01-14T12:31:00.000+08:00

The hiatus will continue with the clip below

Year End Destash II GONE

2007-12-21T08:45:00.004+08:00

Have I destash enough yet? NOOOOO!!
So keep coming back for more.

Malabrigo Baby Merino Lace - Lettuce (PEND)
yardage: aprox. 470 yards (good for a triangular shawl)
content: 100% baby merino wool
Selling at S$15, US$10
I am also giving away the left over from my Ene's scarf, which means you will hvae more than 500yards to play with.

Debbie Bliss Cotton DK - shade 13029
1 lot of 10 balls
Selling at S$50, US$34

Elann Endless Summer Luna
1 lot of 4 balls
Selling at S$20, US$14
Sorry for the overexposed pics. the color looks darker

Year End Destash - All GONE

2007-12-17T10:06:00.000+08:00

Interested? Drop me a comment with your choice and your email. you will be advise of availability and shipping cost.
All yarns are kept in ziploc bags in a pet free and smoke free environment.

yardage: aprox. 470 yards (good for a triangular shawl)
content: 100% baby merino wool
Selling at S$15, US$10

Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4 ply
1 lot of 10 balls
Selling at S$50, US$34

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed
1 lot of 7 hanks
Selling at S$35, US$24

Cleckheaton Country Silk 8 ply
1 lot of 10 balls
Selling at S$40, US$27

Jaeger Luxury Tweed - Pebble
1 lot of 7 balls
Selling at S$40, US$27

Knitpicks Shadow - Jewel
1 lot of 2 hanks
Selling at S$23, US$16

Have an Elfy Christmas

2007-12-06T09:45:00.000+08:00

I know I'm very early for this year's seasons greetings. Here's to everyone:

WANT TO SEE ME DANCE?

It might take a little while to load.

ME IS IMPRESSED

2007-11-29T09:56:00.000+08:00

by this...

click the pic for more info.

Colorwork - Venezia

2007-11-27T12:59:00.000+08:00

So I have:
- gotten the kit
- the needles
- courage?
- pattern
And here goes my first attempt at colorwork knitting. I guessed I was knitting on a tight tension, such that the hem puckered. So after completing like half the chart, I had to rip and start everything from the hem. Anyway, this is pretty common for colorwork beginners. They tend to tug a little more when changing colors. So beginners out there, so remember DO NOT pull when u change colors.

As of today, I have completed more than 2 repeats of the chart. Most probably I will be doing a V-neck modification via Maud's. More pics I hope, soon.

Revisit: Rusted Roots

2007-11-22T09:40:00.000+08:00

I doubt I have documented Rusted Root since I finished it like many moons ago. I had worn it a few times but maintaining it was a chore so Mom took over it and had worn it more than several times.

Pattern: Rusted Root by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Katia Espiga, a few metres from th 6th ball.
Needle: Addi Turbo, 3.75mm
Size: I guess its the second smallest size
Time to finish: more than a week

Demi - modelled

2007-11-21T10:59:00.000+08:00

She was looking for Demi, so I took the chance to get her to model for me.

Thanks for all the well wishes. The actual preparations for the Chinese Customary wedding had just take a tiny step. *sweat*

on the WIP front, Venezia is up to 1 repeat of the color chart. and I did start Diamond Top from Runway Knits with the remains of a frogged WIP. more pics on the next post soon.

His & Hers

2007-11-18T16:56:00.001+08:00

Click for highlights of that joyous day.