Running on the forest path

To start this post, let me tell you about the "forests" in Singapore. The best preserve part would be the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Anyways, to think that such a tiny island has so much different species of birds and vegetation on it, is a little unbelievable. The Singapore Zoo is one of my favourite tourist spots, even though I stay a throw stone away from Chinese Garden. Yes I can view one of the pagodas from my kitchen windows.

Back to the knitting front, I cast on for Forest Path Stole last friday. The 20 rows of seed stitch were really tedious. When it was over, came the bottom 5 triangles, they were also in seed stitch but they were kind of fun to knit. Here's proof:

I took the whole of 1.5 days worth of knitting time to get used to the 3 charts. Fern and Lily of the Valley charts are the easiest to memorise but Birch Leaves is the hardest to get into my head. Even after 4 tiers, I still need to refer to that chart. My memory is really pathetic. I hope to finish 1 tier a day or 7 motifs in 2 days. That way, I can have it finish before August. From the way I see it, its not only a run but a marathon.

Its really to the occasion

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

Its really to the occasion.

Kikimomonono

I really took my time to blog about my FOs right? Anyways, Kimono was finished before Louise got home, and managed to show her how nice Zephyr is for a shawl project.


Pattern: Kimono from Folk Shawls
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr, Lady Slipper, <4oz
Needle: Inox 3.5mm
Size: N/A
Time to finish: less than 2 weeks.

I did a few more repeats than required since there's more than enough yarn. Zephyr has amazing yardage. I had also switched needle size, 3.5mm has been my favourite size for lace shawls. This stole is not well blocked, which is a little disappointment. All it needs is to be stretched out by the blocking wires. If only someone can send me a set, I would be forever grateful!

I've a few mistake during the beginning, but they were not vital. I did rip back a few rows during of the meetups cuz I mess up the stitch counts. It was painful but still bearable. The pattern only became part of me after 10 repeats, so I would say its an easy pattern to memorise. Mistakes like forgotten yarnovers are easy to fix, so fret not.

Weird/Random Meme

I got tagged by both Jade and Maryann, and I'm pretty bad on the backlog of posts. Talk about procastination, I can score As.

So here's 7 random cum weird facts about me.
1. I think I'm born with shorter hemstrings than most people. Some of yoga posts almost snap them.

2. I love eye shadows. I have loads at home for collection. Most were used like only once. But I enjoy admiring them in my Muji acrylic drawers.

3. I have not been buying heels for more than 2 years till recently I need a new pair for replacement. I got it online and it came up 1 size too big. So did my feet skrink or something?

4. I love to burp. I will drink soft drinks if I feel like burping.

5. My yarn shelves are neater than my closets for clothes.

6. I have been keeping my hair long for 9 years and dyeing my hair more than 3 years.

7. And today is the 4th anniversary for being together with the Man in my life.

I try to tag these people below, no obligations ok?
Adrianne, Karyn, Iro Knits, Jackie L.

Yarns from Hongkong

Met up with Maryann and Erin right after my HK trip. Have a great time meeting Maryann for the first time after chatting over MSN for so long, and also long time no see Erin. Time passes very fast when you either knit or talk about knitting. How I wish we can do this several time over again.

Ok, I know there's people here who are anxious to know what yarns i bought back.
Not much, as the price is still quite steep. Anyways, I grabbed 13 sets of addis in various lenghts and sizes. I think I be will back for more Puppy yarn if financially I'm allowed.

Lastly, I thank everyone, who either left me a comment or over msn and email, for their well wishes on my engagement. Right now is to try bargain with FH not to have the Chinese Customary wedding. I think this might be a wedding prep blog temporary.

ROM Checklist
- Date
- JP
- Venue
- Photographer
- Make Up & Hair
- Efile
- Rings
- Dress
- Ring Pillow
- Shoes
- Flowers
- Invitation Card
- His’s Shirt
- His’s Pants
- His’s Shoes
- His’s Belt
- His’s Tie
- His’s Cufflinks
- Guestlist

Another Beginning

I will talk about the title at the end of this post. Now I should update on my recent trip to the Fragrant Port also know as the Pearl of the Orient, Hong Kong.

Poor SO touch HK with a minor food poison. We suspected it was the breakfast he took. The first day was spent loitering along the streets alone while SO rested in the hotel. Anyways, he managed to pull himself up and accompanied me to Sammi Cheng's concert at the HK Coliseum. Just to share a clip of Sammi's rendition of I will Follow You. In fact the round platform is actually suspended real high. I guess the fans were actually quite worried that she might fall. The acapella at the end was great too!

Nothing beats attending Sammi's concert in HK. Even her concerts held in Singapore was only 75% of the full concert. Sad to know that, she's going to skip Singapore for this round of world tour.

Day 2 was spent shopping and eating, then more shopping and eating. The process just continues till we almost drop dead. It would have been more fruitful if not for the rainy weather. Anyways, on the third day, the sun came out and we made our way to Ocean Park. I think the picture on the left tells a better story of Another Beginning. Yep, he actually popped the question on the roller coaster. How innovative can he be? It was the least expected from him and it set me going dizzy even when the coaster wasn't that exhilarating. Thank goodness the ring wasn't lost while we were on the ride. Of course you may have guessed my answer to him. :)

Not Exactly a Bag Whore

At least I hasn't been one for a long time. Who would complain of having too many bags? My SO only laments on the limited space he has for his clothes and shoes. Anyway, that doesn't stop him from shopping more. I would be the one to drag him out of the sales and shopping malls. I just hope he doesn't drag me out of yarn stores. Anyways, my yarn stash isn't as horrible as his bursting wardrobe. LOL~

Just to share some of my WANTs here, from my wishlist of course.
Batognolles Horizontal

Montaigne Clutch in black (can't seem to find it in black) This is so much more classy in black Epi leather. And it's love at first sight.

Both are about the same price range, however if it comes to practicality, the Batognolles Horizontal will have lots of uses. In the first place, it is spacious enough to chuck my knitting pouch inside and still have plenty of room for my other stuffs. So far, I have spotted 2 BH users on the subway every morning. Will I be the third? Although the GST hike is a good encouragement, I still have my reservations, and if the local boutique has it in stock.

*crossing fingers and toes*

On to knitting news, Thermal currently up to the point where there's a lot of shaping and stuffs to be done and isn't a great project to bring while traveling. So, I started a lace shawl project its from THe Best of Knitters called Lace Dream. Will get back with more updates once I'm back home. Have a good week ahead!

Fila di Nerissa

Ok, I am just that bad with titles. I was destashing very hard for the past couple of months, as I foresee new stash on their way. And I'm glad that I got the latest issue of Rowan 41. It helped me get rid of 4 balls and 3 balls remains. If anybody wants them, its going at US$18 for the whole lot of 3. (inclusive of shipping).

Ok here comes Nerissa.
Pattern: Nerissa from Rowan 41
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa Millefili Fine- 100% cotton, Shade 209, 4 balls
Needle: Clover metal, size 5, 3.6mm
Size: XS
Time to finish: less than 2 weeks.
I had a really hard time trying to catch the truest color for the yarn. The closest is probably the first picture. A very soft and easy yarn to work with. Of course, good stitch definition.

Pattern-wise, its very easy, the stitch pattern is easily memorise after a couple of repeats. Amongst Rowan patterns, Nerissa has the least finishings to be done. I tried to follow closely to the instructions, 'cept for the length cuz I was using something with a smaller gauge.

With the lack of models, I am not able to show u how stretchy the stitch pattern is. Do not worry if it look smaller than usual while knitting. That'e the way how ribbing looks like.




Last but not least, I give thanks to all who left comments about my Teal Feathers. Thank you so much!

Teal Peacock Feathers

This FO had been in the closet for a few months. I was just too lazy to take it out. This is probably one of those which I will keep. And since I took it out today, I might as well take plenty of pictures of it. So may I present to you the Peacock in all its glory.


Pattern: Peacock Feathers Shawl by Fiddlesticks
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr - Teal, less than 4 oz
Needle: 3.5mm Inox grey, size 5 crochet hook (I might be wrong about the hook size)
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 6 weeks

This was started last year right. It did not get finished till before Chinese New Year. Why? Cuz it wasn't portable as it was knitted from a cone. (I can jolly well see myself knitting from a cone very soon.) Anyways, then came the blocking. My back was aching after spending more than an hour pining and getting the edging into shape. But all was worth it!

The pattern is well organized. The charts are easy to follow. The design is very intelligent to create the feather motifs, especially the "eyes". The only dread is to crochet the edgings, but they were the icings on the cake.

Jaggerspun is a true winner for lace projects. Whenever I start looking for lace weight yarns, it is always Zephyr that came to mind. I still have 1 lb of 4 different shades to play with.

I shall leave you with more pictures.

To remain focus

I have been driving myself too hard on the knitting front. I think I seriously need to slow down, take a step backward. Last year was pretty steadfast on projects like the FFL and Lady Eleanor. This year I intend to hit another milstone, that's to take on fair isle knitting and also another lace project.

After knitting more than 2 years, I managed to change from holding the yarn between my right thumb and index finger to the typical way of English Knitting. It's not easy to begin with. Imagine after going through millions of stitches, it took me quite a while to swtich my knitting style. At first, I started with the continental. However the tension was far too tight, so I tried the english way. The problem which I faced was ribbing. The switch between knit and purl, having to placed my yarn in front and behind the work. It felt pretty awkward, tension was horrible to begin with. I still remembered I tried english knitting on Sorrell (which I intend to frog and use the yarn on another project). Tapestry was soft and smooth on my pinkie, the almost zero friction tend to be problem, since pinkie isn't that strong, the yarn tend to go out of control. So ended up with uneven tension.

I think I only managed to even out tension was while knitting with Madli. Maybe it was the yarn or was it the pattern or needle that made me stay with english knitting style. Now I only have to tackle continental knitting in order to do fair isle.

Needless to say, I gonna do Eunny Jung's Venezia Pullover. This garment is definitely impractical to wear in this local climate. But when was the last time I knitted something Singapore-weather friendly? I can't remember for sure. As I work towards the goal of knitting from my stash only, I think I've really been working hard on that aspect. Of course the main purpose is to clear more space for future stash. Opps, did i say future stash? Yes, yarns for Venezia.

Not forgetting about lace and entre lac, I am going to take on both together at the sametime with the Forest Path Stole. I was first introduced to it when I was pretty fresh into knitting. I was taken aback by the complexity of the stole's contruction. However, with the KAL and lots more of the WIP pictures, I am definitely inspired to take this on. Moreover so, I have been keep my toes on Colourmart.com. I want to treat myself to something that's really soft and a different fiber (from zephyr). So far there isn't any shade which made me look twice. Will keep looking.

So far, Kimono is on its 4 repeat. I'm still 2/3 away from her's :P

4 cones

I was about to get ready for my errands today, but a visit from the postman changed my plans. After a few hours of with my swift winder and weighing scale, I had 6 yarn cakes. From the top, Ice Blue, Sage, Plum and Elderberry. I simply can't resist the price of US$7+ for a shawl's worth of fiber. I think the other 3 recipients of the yarns are very excited too..
Just a mini recap of my FOs and WIPs, Nerissa from Rowan 41 was up within a week. I also started a couple of projects from IK Summer 2006 magazine. I need to finish the edgings on Lotus Blossom Tank and also the straps for the Bias Corset. And Sheldon from knitty.com needs 4 limbs. Current WIP is the Kimono Shawl using Jaggerspun Zephyr in Lady Slipper.

I shall leave some pics of the last Knit Out.

Where the h3LL am I?

I guess with the lack of updates, some of you might have forgotten me, 'cept those whom I have contact over MSN. Anyways, its been pretty busy with the local knitting group. I have tried to increase from once a month to twice a month and it seems like Sunday is a good day for most of us.

New Singapore Knit bloggers:
Eileen aka MLC aka miserylovescompany - iro~iro 色いろ
Adrianne aka ayumi - ennairda knits
Jackie aka JL - Jackie's la la za za

Yes, I have so much to report and so much back log to catch up with that one post isn't gonna be enough. I feel so remorseful for my 88 subscriberson bloglines.com.

*waves to the 88 readers*

I will post up pictures very very soon, I PROMISE!

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Pomatomus

I got my parcel of sock yarns weeks ago. I thought I do finish the shawl before casting on for another project. I had my mind on a few different sock yarn brands and various colorways. And I had the perfect chance to get a few hanks of yarns at a good discount. Hence the shipping is kind of waived.

I did not suffer from Second Sock Syndrome this round and hope never to have it again. I cast on for the second sock just before I did the turning of heel for the first one. So the progress of each sock was on par with one another. Finally took some pics to proof I've been knitting during the absence.



Pattern: Pomatomus by Cookie A.
Yarn: Interlacements Tiny Toes in Submarine, 2 hanks
Needle: 2.5mm Addi Turbo
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 2 weeks

The yarn is nice and stretchy for a 100% superwash merino fiber. I have like 30 grams of yarn left (I have a average Asian feet size US 6). Due to too many sock yarns on stash, it will probably take me sometime to get more of Interlacement. Perhaps my camera ate some of the vibrance, its pretty in real life.

Tiny Toes and post

06032007234

This is going to be short. Pomatomus on magic loop method. Gonna turn the heels soon.

Its Chinese Lunar New Year

Year of the Golden Piggy, and its only here once every 60 years. And today is the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, and I have to remind myself so hard not to indulge in too much tidbits and sweet drinks. Also there's plenty of other sumptuous chinese dishes, like the ever popular Yu Sheng (which happens to be available in this part of the world). Anyways, whichever festivity, its bound to be over commercialised.

On the knitting front, anyone remember this? It was finished same time last year. However weaving all the ends turn me off, and it was left in the wardrobe till my mom was cleaning out my stuffs. She decided to take on the weaving task, in turn this top is bestowed upon her. I think it fits her better than on me.

And this is what happened, when I meddled in the kitchen. 2 loaves of banana cake. Might bake another 2 more since I'm expecting loads of visitors tomorrow. Its a norm for my place to be overflowing with people on the second day. I guess my mom loves the stress of cooking for 20+ people.

SP9 strikes for the last time

Finally my SP9 spoiler had revealed herself in this last package. Thanks to Pamela again for this wonderful package! Here's a pic to show whats she had done for me.
And I wonder how did Pamela find out Kaalund yarns have been in my dream? She got me 4 balls for lace shawl.

On non knitting stuffs, I have been baking and cooking. Since the SO loves Har-jiong Kai (Prawn Paste Chicken), and I have sometime to spare today here's the end result:
For the benefit to those who are itnerested in the recipe and also for myself incase I got the wrong bottle of prawn paste.

Ingredients:
12 small wings (center portions only the length of your index fingers)
plain flour for coating when deep frying

Marinating :
1 tbsp of prawn paste
a few dashes of sesame oil
1 tsp of honey

Method:
1. Marinate the wings, cover and place in the fridge, overnight.
2. Drain the wings
3. Prepare pan and oil for deep frying. Heat up the oil.
4. Coat the wings evenly with flour.
5. You can start frying the wings, once the oil is hot.
6. In order to have crispy wings, turn the heat to medium.
7. Done when wings turn golden brown.
8. Dig in!!!

Notes:
- Prawn paste is a very pungent ingredient, be sure to keep the marinating air tight, else the whole of your fridge will be nauseating. ok i'm exaggerating.
- Its pretty saltish so you might add lesser prawn paste and maybe 1 more tsp of honey. Or just cut short the marinating time.
- I prefer small wings and only the middle section. They are easier to cook.

Rowan 41

I had been haunting knitrowan.com this past weeks for the spring preview. And today I came a upon THIS. A lot of the patterns are talking to me, so this is a must get.

Also I saw the Bamboo Collection. What took Rowan so long to came up with a bamboo fiber yarn? Bamboo is like eons ago. And now the other yarn companies have handfuls of new fibers.

checking in on SP

I am crossing my fingers that my spoilee had got my package, else I may need to send a replacement soon. I won't want my spoilee to feel neglected.

Looking for inspirations

Whenever I finished a project, I would just stare into space and loads of patterns ran through my mind. It takes the right mind set to start a particular project. And after binding off Shetland triangle, I started to run through my Yarn Inventory. My main objective was to destash so I guess its only appropriate to knit another garment which consumes loads of yardage.

I think planning a To-Knit List for this year is a very good idea. I don't think this is late though its already 3 weeks into 2007.
(in no particular order)
- Rambling Rose from Rowan 39, using Bendigo 4 ply cotton
- Serrano using Bendigo cotton
- Demi from Vintage Knits, using Rowanpsun Aran
- Lotus Blossom from IK summer 06 using SWTC Bamboo
The list is not exhaustive, these were just up my finger tips.

Here's a picture after finishing 1 ball of Patons Classic Merino. I most probably will leave out the hood again. This is the third hoodie which I purposely left the hoodie out.

Shetland Triangle is off the block but I have yet to have a chance to take a proper picture. However here's a teaser:

Shetland and Seasilk

Surprised? It's a midweek update which is something hard to come by on this blog. Anyway, I'm just excited about what's on my needles currently. I'm actually taking a short break from it.

I'm knitting Shetland Triangle from Lace Style with a beautiful hank of Handmaiden Seasilk, gifted by my lovely SP9 spoiler. The stitches glide so smoothly over Addi Turbos. The knitted material feels soft and spongy. I'm always delighted to knit with such lovely yarns. Currently, I've done 7 repeats as oppose to what the picture tells you, 1 repeat. I hope to get another 4 repeats + edging done by this weekend.


I'm so relieve that my package had reached its destination.

FO report

First FO in 2007,yeah!

Pattern: Lucy in the Sky by Laura Chau
Yarn: 7 balls of Debbie Bliss Merino DK, Color 225003.
Needle: 4mm Addi Turbo
Size: secong smallest size (bust 33")
Time to finish: 3 weeks

I was trying to destash these merino yarns, and the first ball went through a few swatchings but it just wasn't what I was looking for. When I first started Lucy, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. The yarn itself was pretty OK. The sleeves were shorten by 1 inch and that's the only modification. It fits pretty well so I have to watch my weight in order to make more wears out of it. Here's some close up of the diamonds.

Greetings From Vermont

This is a belated post. I got my Yarn Aboard box right after Christmas, in time for Boxing Day. The last week of 2006 was super hectic, the office was trying to clear off any backlogs before closing of the year. So I only had time to pack the the goodies up and sent it off.

So what did Sir Francis Drake come with? A hank of Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Sapphire, 2 hanks of Knitpicks Shadow in Jewel, teas, cards and candies. All of these put together by Michelle from Vermont. And that's how far Sir F.D. had travel. He spent the New Year with me before heading back to Louisiana.

A big Thank You to Michelle for putting all these together.

Testing

Prior to the latest earthquake, I lost the ability to post from home with my PC. I was able to surf all over but just unable to post through blogger. It started when I upgraded to Blogger Beta. But hey, I manage to solve this by upgrading my Firefox and setting the security to the lowest. So if I gonna disappear, means I've got virus somewhere. *sigh*

Anyway, back to the knitting front, I've got so much to update you people that I don't know where to start. First thing first, Peacock Feathers Shawl was off the block days before Christmas. And I cast on for Cherry during the holidays but found out I was out of yarn. So time to check out Ozeyarn.com for stuffs. Hope to get the last ball of cotton soon so I can finish the bands and seaming. So I cast on for Hourglass Sweater with Cash Iroha. The yarn wasn't as nice as I expect it to be. Maybe it's because I down sized the needle. Hence this project is rather slow going, with more time spent at work since some colleagues are on vacation. I think I need a break just to knit to my heart's content.

Boxing Day isn't called Boxing Day for nothing. I got 2 packages, one from Yarn Aboard and my order from Littleknits.com. I think i need to go pack the goodies and get them ready for the post office tomorrow. Tomorrow would be a good day if the heavens stop opening (it pouring everyday in Singapore). Hopefully I can go off work early afternoon. I will try to post pictures in the next post.

Madly Madli's Shawl

Life has to move along so here I am, back with real knitting content.

Madli's was finished recently and I only had the time to take some pictures of it. As usual, I wasn't able to find a photographer so no modeling again. After blocking, the length came to be taller than me.



Pattern: Madli's Shawl by Nancy Bush
Yarn: less than 4 oz of Jaggerspun Zephyr in Ruby
Needle: 3.5mm Inox (grays)
Size: NA
Time to finish: slightly more than a week

This is the second time I worked with Zephyr, its still terrific to work with. The final product looked great. And I'm still working with Zephyr currently on the Peacock Feathers Shawl in Teal. I'm 1/3 away from finishing Chart 7. As its being knitted from a cone, it became a little unportable. Also, as the number of stitches increased, progress was getting extremely slow. Anyway, here's the blob of teal:

Meanwhile, its time for bed. Nitez~

Patience

That's what I need most right now. And my favourite band is back for reunion with Patience.

Just have a little patience
Still hurting from a love I lost
I'm feeling your frustration
But any minute all the pain will stop

Just hold me close
Inside your arms tonight
Don't be too hard on my emotions

Cause I.........
Need time......
My heart is numb, has no feeling
So while I'm still healing
Just try........
And have a little patience

I really wanna start over again
I know you wanna be my salvation
The one that I can always depend

I'll try to be strong
Believe me I'm trying to move on
Its complicated but understand me

Cause I.........
Need time......
My heart is numb, has no feeling
So while I'm still healing
Just try........
And have a little patience

Cause the scars run so deep
It's been hard but I have to believe
Have a little patience
Have a little patience, woah

Cause I, I just need time
My heart is numb, has no feeling
So while I'm still healing

Just try and have a little patience

Have a little patience
My heart is numb, has no feeling
So while I'm still healing
Just try and have a little patience

What the F*&@!!!!

http://blog.hkcsl.com/p/b5/web/ViewBlog.jsp?msgid=5652

It's a clip on the slaughtering of dolphins by Japanese fishermen.

It might be a little slow loading up.

Think I will just stick to chicken, better still become a vegan. That was so sicko.

Rough Patch

I had one today. However I told myself that I can still hold my head up and walk with no fear of anything. Having brave through previous old fears, I must be stronger than ever for everything that's to come. Tears are not a form of weakness but the ability to face even more than I can bear. At the end of breaking down, its the beginning of picking oneself up and the strenght to start afresh.

It had been more than 3 years, since alcohol and cigarettes were part of my weekends. Gone are the days when I count down to friday evenings, where I hop from club to club and more clubs. I have my yarns and needles for company now. Something that's much more productive at the end of the day.

I shall pray to the Knitting Goddess for many more knitty days to come.

Quote of the Day:
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one opened for us" - Helen Keller

Titleless

Its been a while since I last blogged. I should have plenty to talk about, but as usual I'm lost at what to talk about. A blogger's block I guess. Anyway, I did some knitting during the mini escapedes. I was asked to open up my bag at the customs, for goodness sake it was just a brow tweezer. Not much pictures were taken, since I did not bring along my camera and the mobile phone's battery went flat after 10 shots. I better bring my charger along the next time.

So what I have been up to knit-wise? I started Madli's Shawl and its off the block this morning. While Madli is left to dry, I started Peacock Feathers Shawl. So far I'm done with Chart 3, wondering if I can have it block before Christmas. Meanwhile, I need to do the finishes for Central Park Hoodie and Molly Ringwald.

Meanwhile here's picture of the week.
Taken at a roadside shrine of 4-faced Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand. Its a row of wood carvings of elephants. They were purchased by worshippers to be placed there. If I remember correctly, the biggest one would cost 10 000 babt per pair. That's quite a budget for yarns. =p