Happy Days

It was a gloomy day (my favourite type of weather) and I had just managed to miss a heavy heavy rain shower. I hadn’t slept for two days (insomnia creeping in seriously) and the world seemed to be swimming before my eyes.

One of my friends who had signed up for Mark those Stitches had finally received her package the day before. Check out the funky stuff my bud got here and let me tell you, she was super excited. Anyways I trudged home, looking at the misty sky; I walked on the yellow line on the side of the road so I would walk straight and not fall into a ditch!

I checked my post at the pigeon holes in the lobby, and got zilch. I too was waiting for a package from my Mark those Stitches swap partner. But look, what was waiting for me at my door?

This:

Suddenly, I was wide awake and fit as a fiddle; I bounded into my room like a kid with a new toy!!! I quickly ripped it open (okay I do not rip, I open stuff really carefully) and before pulling out the contents, realised that the package smelt really nice. My swap partner had put in some purple dried flowers, really sweet of her. Well digging deeper, out tumbled my pretty pretty stitch markers, strung on a length of soft yarn!!!

Sweet isn’t it? I certainly am going to be making some more stitch markers in the coming future. Suddenly the plain ones I’m using currently seem like such a boring drag. Sorry for the loopy pic, that was the best I could take with the sun hiding behind the clouds.

Well to leave with a sweet note. I have officially christened my baby hammies, they are to be henceforth known as Rinky and Binky (both girls). One day my little hammie, Rinky decided to go “a-wandering” and look where she turned up?

Ain’t she a cutie?

B-l-oggart Attack

A b-l-oggart attack, yes that is precisely what I suffered from, last night. I was messing around with my template, modifying, adding, amending etc. etc. when suddenly Blogger died without saving any of my changes. Panic time? No, I am pretty patient, I can do this again. Login again, open template, wait till it all loads….wait till it all loads…wait till it all loads. Nope, just the main page without any of the side links. Panic? No no, I can handle this. Login again, open template, wait till it loads (X 20). Panic? Maybe a little. Lets view my blog in a new window shall we? Okay. Load. Zilch. Nada. Just “Knit Addict” and a BLANK blog. Panic? It’s about time.

All hell broke lose; I was fuming, miserable and a complete raving idiot all at the same time (it took 15 minutes of rant and rave, 15 minutes of ‘calm down talk’, 20 minutes of emailing Blogger Help to “get my blog back pleeeease oh puuuhhleeeease” to come back to sanity). Not bad eh? Somehow after messing around more, and seeing my posts were all over the place to understand that somehow I could not let my poor blog die. So out came the thinking cap and 60 minutes later, Knit Addict was up and running again (no it wasn’t easy and yes I do deserve all that chocolate I had afters “…to calm me down”).

Well all’s well that ends well. Let’s just leave it at that shall we?

Blocking acrylic

I've noticed that there're aren't many articles on blocking acrylic, especially in times of need. My interest in blocking acrylic is to get the final product flattened out so that the stitches can be seen nicely. Also acrylic is way softer when blocked. So here's my version of how to do it.

What you need:
1. A big clean towel
2. Tons of pins - pearlised rust-proof ones are my choice (OR) waste yarn - longer than your project length
3. Yarn needle
4. Steam iron
5. Patience
6. Wipers on your spectacles (if you wear them) because the steam will mist up your glasses and thats not fun when you don't know where you're going with your iron.
7. A bed to pin the needles to

How its done:
Okay first of all, you have to decide how you want to pin down your project. Pins or yarn? Personally I have used both and I can confidentally say that the waste yarn method gives a much more even edge, especially when blocking scarves. I'll explain both.

First you need to lay down your big clean towel on the bed so that you can pin your project onto the towel. I'm not sure why this is done but it's a practice I read about and prefer very much to follow.

I. Stretch me Baby, Yeah!
a. Pokey pokey time
Right, for the pinning method, stretch out your project and start pinning it from one end. Do not be afraid to stretch out the acrylic (but do NOT pull till it screams for mercy) so that the stitches are seen clearly and pin out all the edges. You can pin the middle as well, to even out your pattern.
You WILL need a lot of pins. Keep stretching and pinning till you reached the end of your towel. No space? No problem. You can pin the rest in the second round after the first bit has been blocked. Proceed to 'Steam me Baby, Yeah!'

b. A Stitch or two (X100)
This is the second method of stretching out your project. I read this in a blog once a long time back and I do not have a link, sorry. I do not have a picture to show you but I will try my best to make it sound coherent.

NOTE: This type of blocking is better to be done in one round, make sure you have enough space to stretch out your project to its full length to block it in one go.

Right, take your yarn needle and thread your waste yarn through. It's wiser to have this in a contrasting colour to your project. Do a very widely space running stitch all around the edge (you must know that this is best used for scarves and shawls etc. that require straight edges). Leave slack of about a foot and cut off. Do the same for all edges.

Now stretch out your edges. For example, for my scarf, I stretched out the waste yarn on the shorter edge and pinned it to the edge of my towel and stretch out the opposite end and did the same on the other side of the bed. Now that you have done that. You can take the waste yarn of the longer side and stretch it out making the scarf wider. Securely pin the ends of the yarn ( I usually tie it to my headboard and bottom edge of the bed).

This method ensures that your edges remain straight and that you will not end up with scalloped edges like the pinning method may induce. Use more pins to pin the project out if you are not satisfied.

II. Steam me Baby, Yeah!
Load your iron with max level water and set it to the highest setting. My iron has two steam settings which I set to the highest and a steam button that poouffffss out steam. Once the iron is heated. Go over your stretched fabric slowly. DO NOT touch the fabric, under NO circumstances. Acrylic melts on contact so don't even try unless its for kicks.

Keep a distance of about an inch or so and steam the whole thing. You can actually see the yarn stretch and ease out. It's pretty darn fascinating. Continue till you have steamed the whole length that you have stretched out. For those using the pinning method, you can steam the first part and then unpin and pin out the second part and steam as above.

Leave it to cool in the stretched state and steam again if required.

See, wasn't that easy as pie?

III. Wear me Baby, Yeah!
Now you can remove your waste yarn, snip it out and pull out in bits, or take out your pins. You will see that your project would probably remain in its stretched form. You may notice that your yarn is softer and well, more malleable. Enjoy!

Wrap it around your gorgeus self and POSE!

I was trying to load some pictures but Blogger was being really stubborn about it, so maybe later.

Oh wait, here are some links to the UNBLOCKED version and the BLOCKED version of my Branching Out scarf from Knitty.

Good luck blocking everyone!

Sweet Surprise

You've just been tagged. I read this while at Strikegal's blog the other day. Grab the nearest, yes the NEAREST book to you and follow these instructions.

1. Get a book NEAREST to you.

2. Open the book to page 123

3. Find the fifth sentence

4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

6. Tag whomever you want, or not.

Well since I had my Immunology book open while surfing, here's my three sentences:
"Humoral immnity is more important than cellular immunity in defending against microbes with capsules rich in polysaccharides and lipids, and against polysaccharide and lipid toxins. The reason for this is that B cells respond to, and produce antibodies specific for many types of molecules, but T cell, the mediators of cellular immunity, recognize and respond only to protein antigens. Antibodies are produced by B lymphocytes and their progeny."

HAHAHA, I can see your eyes bulging out if you had the patience to actually read that.

As promised this is a picture post.

Here are some of the pictures of the yarn I bought for my secret swap partner:

Excuse the mess around the yarn, but its the closest colour match I could get from my phone camera and I wasn't going to mess it up. Well this is it in its unwound glory. Pretty init? I just love the colour (heck I love any shade of purple). I still haven't wound this into a ball, I just like to leave it on my bed and stare at it and day dream . Crazy? Oui, oui.

And that's my pretty pretty yarn knotted into a skein and the other skein I managed to wind into a ball. The little tail is a part I frogged from the swatch.

Any ideas are very well welcome, in any category (funky, crazy, whacky, insane, sane, elegant, assault to the senses etc.) I do have a few ideas playing in my head but nothing concrete. Hmmm....harder than I imagined to decided on one design, everything out there is so pretty.

Okay here is the most important part of my post, I had the most amazing surprise from one of the knitters (I don't know whether she would like to remain anonymous or not) from the Knitters Community (a forum for Malaysian and Singaporean knitters). I was telling her my yarn sorrows and the aversion to knit with acrylic, and guess what she did?! She actually left me a parcel at my LYS with some yarn that she thought would serve better purpose with me than her. Isn't she the sweetest? I received the softest balls of mohair and a big ball of baby wool in the most adorable colour. Oh heck, a picture speaks a thousand words don't it? So have a look:

Isn't that wonderful? Such a thoughtful gesture. Makes one regain faith in humanity again. Maybe the world is not so full of Flakes as I had perceived. Its my first actual squishy soft mohair. I absolutely adore it. My mind is on a roll, dreaming about what to knit with this treasure trove. She also sent me a wonderful book, a Daily Bread, which is precisely what I needed I think. Thanks again for making my day!

Socks and Scarves

Lately I have been having a craving to learn to knit socks. Seeing all the pretty pretty socks proudly displayed by knitters all over the blogging world (and because I found a hole in my fave pair of socks after being worn so much) the itch to knit socks has been so overwhelming. But I cant seem to find any sock yarn anywhere at my LYS and I can't order online :( so I'm at a loss at what to do. I would love some deep purple sock yarn to knit a pretty pair for myself, wouldn't that be such a treat?!

But first I must find my way around dpns, I've never used them before but am raring to learn. I think I've got two dpns of No. 6 (japanese sizes, so I don't know what it really is) and the other two are with a friend of mine, we split the set for some crazy reason that I fail to recall.

I'm currently at a loss at projects to start, which is a rather tragic period I must admit. I do have to get on with my funky scarf, but somehow feel that I need a plan before I blindly start off. The yarn that I have bought (yes pic in next post for SURE, but remember its purple not blue like the pic depicts) I somehow feel is just not right, well this is probably because I'm at a loss at what kind of pattern to start with. Let me describe the yarn a bit, its chunky weight, made of the lightest, soft fluffy fiber. I'm not sure what it is composed off (there was no label and it was one of the few skeins left, and I just loved the colour) but its so soft so I just had to get it. Well anyways, its the loveliest purple with a strand of shiny, glitzy purple thread spun along. So when knitted up, its soft and has purple glittery threads sticking out giving it a funky look =) Now I have to decide how to use it which is what is eating my brain cells at the moment.

All funky patterns will be highly appreciated along with tips for knitting socks.

I feel quite behind in my scarf knitting, have you seen Studio_T's scarf? It's so amazing, check it out here. Everyone else seems to be spinning and dyeing their yarn. I'm just knitting, that sucks don't it? I need a windfall to start all that up.

Its Thursday already. Where did the week go? I need to get cracking on so many things, why isn't there enough time? I need 48 hours in a day, I really do! Don't you?

Stitch markers & Shopping

Its the 19th already and I'm not even slightly close to getting a stitch marker done! The markers need to be sent out by the 23rd and all I've got so far are lots of squiggly shapes wires that are completely exhausted from being bent every which way.

It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and much more frustrating than I had even imagined...and now I have a much heightened sense of respect for all you wonderful stitch marker-makers. Check these out, they're absolutely gorgeous and made me want to cry! Well another attempt shall be made after a strong coffee to steady my cracked nerves and shattered dreams. But don't worry...if my stitch marker swap pal is reading this...you will get your stitch markers, somehow!! =)

Alrighty then, I'm off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, maybe he can help me...

I'm back and I found an awesome tutorial that makes stitch marker-making look like a cinch. Wonderful stuff Laura! I was hoping to post some of my attempted stitch markers but my cellie doesn't seem to be in the mood for taking nice pictures. Ah...well some other time maybe...

20.08.2006 Stitch markers completed! Yes its finally done! Rather okay for a first attempt I must say and I sure am looking forward to making more.

Yesterday turned out to be super bargain day at a nearby mall. My only intention at first was stocking up on yarn for myself and selecting some funky yarn for my scarf swap partner but in the end, I ended up getting tons of goodies for myself at rock bottom prices! Now that's what I call Shopper's Luck! As for the yarn I got...definitely classified as funky! It's two skeins of the most beautiful fresh purple glitzy yarn! I absolutely LOVE it! I just hope my scarf partner likes it too. I think I better get another skein for myself, the squishy texture is delightful. I tried to take a picture of it, but it came out blue, so will leave that for later.

Then my second yarn purchase was two balls of deep purple wool to try out some felting. I think its 100% wool but then I can't read Japanese so I'm not pretty sure. Need to read up on felting to get started. Any tips would be appreciated.

The Lelah Top is on hold at the moment with all the work I'm swamped with, can't wait to get it off the needles to start the funky scarf and well to wear it of course.

Enjoy the new week everyone. Happy Knitting!

Swap Questionnaire

Alrighty the Funky Scarf Swap Questionnaire is out =) here goes swappie, wherever you are......

Let’s get the allergy part out of the way. Are you allergic to any fibers?
Umm....not really, but I did find that I had a bad itching spell with Mohair.

Do you prefer any fibers over others?
I love anything that is soft, silky and not scratchy. I've been keeping far away from mohair after The Itch but other than that....anything else is okay. Oh, not a big fan of cheap acrylic too.

Thinking back to Scout’s post about what funky means to you, post an image of something that you think is funky!
The Nagano Sakura scarf on Knitty.com

Would you prefer funky yarn or a funky pattern?
Either...both sound fantastic!!

What are your favorite colors?
Purple, pink, maroon, black, fresh,dark shades of green, deep blue.

What is your favorite piece of art?
Well I'm not that into serious art but I always loved Greg Hildebrandt's illustrations of The Wizard of Oz...such amazing attention to detail...

What colors would you never have up close to your pretty face?
Anything fluorescent unless its really dark and thats the only way to see...

Would you prefer an actual scarf or a cowl?
An actual scarf please.

When you wear a scarf do you prefer a wider/shorter scarf or a thin/long scarf?
Hmm...I think something long would be right. I usually use a scarf to accessorise and jazz up an outfit.

What is the climate like where you live?
HOT and HUMID all year round =(

Would you prefer a functional scarf (to keep you warm) or one just to funk-up your wardrobe?
It's hot enough already so I guess I don't need more warmth.....so lets bring on the FUNK!

What else would you like your partner to know about you?
Not much else really. Just a big HELLO to my swappie who would be reading this!

Progress...

Ah...my Lelah Top has just passed the 50% completion line....YAY....I'm so psyched! It's lookin good so far....my first attempt with the circulars....now I need to save up and buy a few larger sized pairs to incorporate the flair into the waist bit....gosh....this was such a fun project to knit (touch wood)!
Alrighty...here is a pic of progress so far:

Not a very top quality picture I'm afraid.....the very best I could do with my cellie. BUT anways, what do you think of the colour? It's supposed to look like blood red (well in reality it does) but ended up looking like faded out red here and the bedsheet is actually YELLOW not whatever this colour might be! I am SO looking forward to wearing it....but i do think it might be a bit tight....hmmm......

Oh yes, I finally got assigned to my swap partner for the Funky Scarf Swap....woohoooo! My very first swap =) I'm so excited!!! Can't say who it is well hehehee.....but boy am I happy!!

Well only a lil' post for today....got a report to hand up tomorrow and I haven't even gotten started on it...siiigh...but hunger right now is taking over so got to attend to that first and foremost ;)

Cheers!

Flakes and The Mess

It was Day 3 yesterday in the blogging world....it was a hazy tuesday and it was all hell in the real world. So lets not go there. Anyways....I'm super excited to have finally joined my first swap!!! As you can see by the button on the right....siiigh....can't wait to know who my secret pal is going to be =)

Oh boy what a day yesterday was (have to vent about the real world).....had to smile and hold it though all I really wanted to was scream and yell. Some "people" can be SUCH flakes, as I have been noticing these few weeks.....it's irritating....unbelievably irritating.

I need a Crazy Witch meter! Anyone willing to design one for me? Its my newest invention for the blog world....
Here's how it works...or how it will work.....
There is going to be a little Icon of a witch and everyday if she/he (the person(s) that are in my witch meter) does something bad....I get to put a black spot next to the witch, if she/he does a good thing, I put a green/gold/purple spot.....
Like the idea? It's a mild way to release stress online isn't it? I shall look around for someone to get this done for me....seriously......and if anyone here knows how....oh PLEASE contact me!!!

Anyways that's that. Now well back to my day yesterday....horrible I tell you....oh wait......someone did brighten it up for me though....yeah...she knows who she is.... =) made me smiiiiiiiile. Actually three people managed to make my day....yay!! I guess there's 3 wonderful people to 1,000,000 flakes. Wow...that's a scary thought!!

Hmmm....I can't wait to get home and get to my knitting, I've got just one WIP at the moment....it's pretty scary right now....because I'm not quite sure it'll even fit. It's my first time with circulars you see so that's why. It's the Lelah Top. Had my eye on it for a really really long time and finally got a pair of circulars to start off with. Last night, I managed to do my first short rows and boy was I fascinated with them....I proceeded to explain how to make short rows to anyone who would care enough to listen and the polite response I got was "Hmmmm......really?" in a tone of dreamy wonderment.

BUT I do have lots of work to do, boy what a mess. Speaking of messes, I have the mother of all messes in my room! It's a horror that is unimaginable but SO real. Need to get down to my working boots and attack it before it spreads and takes over my knitting!!

To a new beginning....

Hi everyone.....this is my very first blog, and very first blog post too!! This has been an idea that had been playing on my mind ever since I started reading other knitter's blogs with eyes bulging at the gorgeous stuff they knit at...oh boy....really AMAZING speed!! Siiiigghhh....I'm still building up my speed since time as you will soon see....is an issue.

Okay a little background now. I started officially knitting this January after a very LOOOONG break of more than ten years. Hmm....oh yes....mom and dad were the ones who taught me how to cast on my first stitch and so forth....gosh Dad still remembers how to knit and he was the one who gave me the push and a major recap when I went down to see them on holiday this Jan.

What else....? Oh yes....

• I'm in university so knitting is my portal to sanity (along with another obsession of watching recaps of FRIENDS and cooking).
• I have four hamsters =) who are absolute darlings: Ed and Meta (dad and mom of the family and I'm watching them for a friend honestly), Binky and Dinky (those are the kiddos who are miiiiiiiiiiiiine!!)
• My yarn stash is tiny...sad to say.....(yarn cost's a hell of a lot where I live and so my meagre budget is not able to cover my wild yarn dreams).
• Currently I have 4 FOs and only ONE WIP (yes THAT would give you an idea of how tiny my yarn stash is.....)
• I love coffee and dark chocolate.
• Purple is my favourite color! Pink comes next in line =)
• I am currently also making a Salmon Quiche (the dough is in the fridge, I've just got to run down and get some salmon from the store).
• I LOVE YARN!
• I LOVE YARN!
• I LOVE YARN!

That's all for now.....the hint of a new beginning....