My new hobby

Spinning!

My second handspun project - the first was too much of an embarrassment.

100% wool

78 yards

2 ply

Fingering Weight

Project 3:

Merino Wool
258 yards
Fingering weight

First FO for 2010!

Pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Wool Print (2 skeins)
Needles: 3.5 mm

Notes: Smaller CO sts to get a thinner scarf. Took up exactly 2 skeins and barely a meter left over. Great stitch definition.

Hope everyone's enjoying 2010! It's May and it's raining here. Hallelujah!

Happy 2010!

From General

May you have a blessed 2010 with all your hopes and dreams coming true :)

Shhh...Whisper it to me

Yeah, this is way way overdue.

Pattern: Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig
Yarn: Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Papaya (thanks Rambling Roses)
Skeins: 1.5
Needles: 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm,4.0 mm

Brilliant construction with such a lightweight yarn makes this a delight to knit and wear. I carry it with me every where!

Sorry for the sparse blog-posts, I'm currently on holiday in Malaysia and more about this fantastic trips in the following posts.

Lots of love to everyone and lots of prayers to those who are suffering in Samoa and Indonesia.

Happy knitting, crafting, reading - or whatever your hobby may be - everyone!

Summer!

Oooh I've been a naughty blogger. I shall try to make up for it.

Well, most of you know that I left for a summer vacation to the motherland, Sri Lanka. It's been 8 years and seriously, nothing has changed. Except for the humidity. I could literally feel my hair frizz up as I stepped off the plane. Van de Graff's got competition.

Now that the war is over, things perhaps do look to be a bit more peaceful and people seem to be happier; free of the tendrils of fear that clasped the nation for decades.

Knitting-wise, nothing much has been done. I've got a Razor Cami in the works and a promise to fulfill blocking the Whisper Cardi that's been enthusiastically sniffed at by all the pets :D

Left to Right: Tina and Yoda (do you see the resemblance to green Yoda?)

There are two dogs, three ducks and an occasional snake in addition to the brood.

My cousin has been teaching me a new sort of embroidery and it's rather lovely. A preview:

I ought to begin knitting again. I shall. In fact I have a blocking appointment tonight :)
I've been hunting for yarn shops around here but to no avail. I've only seen icky acrylic. A big disappointment indeed.

That's about all for now. Updates will be regular henceforth, hopefully with good info stemming from the exploration phase that takes over anyone who travels.

Happy knitting everyone!

Crafty me

I like symmetry.

Knowing that I can put this like of symmetry into my knitting is a very comforting thought. That is why I keep track of every single row that I knit, every stitch that I might tink, every increase, decrease - you get the picture.

This can however lead to rather complicated nonsense scribbled on any bit of paper near me while knitting - grocery lists, envelopes, anything.

Therefore to help me in this quest for keep track of things in style, I fashioned a row counter for myself.




When I first saw these on blogs, I could never figure out how and why would anyone want a contraption like this tangled in their knitting.
But after knitting rows and rows of stockinette, the symmetry lover in me realised that this is the easiest way to remember how many rows I'd knitted without having to stop after each row and mark it.

Each jump ring represents a row, a repeat or whatever you'd like it to be.

Here it is in use with the sleeve of my Whisper cardigan.

Yeah I sorta got lazy as I reached the top and put in an old wire that I had twisted for practice before heh.

But I like how it came out. It also helps to keep my purple obsession in check without having to knit everything in purple.

Would you use one of these in your knitting?

Phase II

Nothing helps to finish up rows of stockinette like a good movie - or a bad one...

I've got my WIP count to ZERO - it IS possible and I've done it. I frogged the jacket and chucked Twiggy Tweed into a basket to be cut into bits because I know I'll never use it.

Phase II: Knit More, Much More - has begun
It feels good to start with a clean slate.

Last night, I cast on for the coveted Whisper Cardigan using Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Papaya which I swiped from the lovely Rambling Roses.
BE WARNED, make sure you use cables with the smoothest join. My KP options kept snagging and I wonder whether something can/should be done.

...back to the movie. I chose Cloverfield.

Bad choice.

20 minutes into it, I was ready to barf all over my knitting. It's a POV movie and all the running made my head spin.

Tonight I shall attempt to watch it again, however making sure I do not eat two hours beforehand. Ick.

I've been having lots of ball winding fun at the KOs lately. I'm very proud of this:

Caroline and I managed to wind 10 yarn cakes during the meet up. Sadly I don't have pictures of her bunch. Thanks for the winder Jhocy and Yanti for the swift.

Dubai eye candy.

Burj Dubai and note the cute metro train at the bottom.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Status report

Mission: Zero WIPs
Status: 2 down, 2 to go

Item #1
Halter:

Completed.

Yarn: *No brand name, sorry. This was started before I knew such things were important, ie. my first knitting project of all time.*
DK - 8 ply mercerized cotton, 4 skeins
Sport - sparkle cotton tape, 3 skeins
Needles: 5.5 mm and 5 mm straights
Size: 34"-36" bust

Item #2
Bayerische Socks:

After 2 years, this is a real relief to be done with.

Pattern: Bayerische Socks
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette, 2 skeins
Needles: 2 mm dpns
Size: Woman's 8

Have a great weekend everyone. Must. resist. casting. on.

Sorry for the rather short post, blogger's being extremely uncooperative.

Zero WIPs? Possible or Impossible?

I'm on a mission. A mission to get my cobwebbed WIP count to zero.

Pending:
Twiggy Tweed - 70% done
Cropped Jacket - 35% done (heading for the frog pile)
Bayerische Sock - 75% done
Purple Halter - 95% done

Attempt one:

**Clockwise from top: 1. Trying it on (photo courtesy Rambling Roses) 2. Blocking 3. Blocking 4. Sewing the back casing to hold a strip of elastic [more pics here]

Verdict:
I thought the front was perhaps a repeat or two short.
But the incredible group of knitters that I've luckily met in Dubai voted that it was a-ok : Thank you girls!

Yes. There are other people who knit in the UAE.
Thanks to Ravelry, I tracked them down and they're a delightful group of fun gals from all over the world, who like nothing more than to get their knit on!
We've got a Sock KAL in the works with Lorna's Laces One Hank Socks.

ETA:
Some of the gorgeous knits at the KO:

**1. Jhocy's Clapotis - modelled by Jackie 2. Jhocy's Leyburns

Jhocy, Jackie, Jennifer, Caroline, Preeti, Hala, Debbie, Gilly it was a pleasure meeting y'all and I can't wait for the next meet up!


Okay I did get distracted from the big WIP mission:

**Left to right: Crochet hat, Loop Pillow, Crochet hat

Oh happy days

First something that made me go SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My valentine's day pressie arrived a few weeks ago from my significant other (SO) in this lovely box:

He does have the knack for picking up pretty pretty boxes.

Inquisitive and damnably hard to surprise by nature, it was all I could to stop myself from badgering him with a deluge of questions.

Excuse the abstract and in-your-face shot, my itchy fingers were tingling to get to what was inside.


The reveal~


14.7 mega pixels of gorgeous! I've been lusting after this ever since Canon came out with this model, in this limited colour too. Isn't he the BEST?

Now you know why there have been pictures.

Ah but it didn't end there.

Every knitter's joy, a man who knows what she wants -->

SO didn't even know the name of a single knitting magazine but boy did he hit the jackpot. He picked these out himself.

Can you just picture the delirium yours truly was in? I think - nay I guess, that the rest of the day did pass by in haze of flashes, patterns and squeals.


Let's catch up on some FOs the shall we?

Argosy Scarf

Yarn: Knit picks Felici - Hummingbird
Skeins: 1
Needles: 3.5 mm straights
Blocked Length: 60" x 4"

Interesting to knit, lovely to wear.



Slouchy Hat

Yarn: Cashmira Acrylic - White
Skeins: 1.5
Needle: 5 mm hook

The little puffs are super cute but I'd add a little more slouch the next time round.




Tribble

Yarn: Lily's Sugar 'n Cream
Skeins: 0.4
Needles: 4 mm

Fastest FO ever. Already in use at the kitchen sink.



That's all for today. I hope y'all have a great week.

Happy Knitting! I know I am.

Modified Hew

A completed photo of something I started working on a long long time ago. Perhaps the speckled yarn was not the best to use, to show off the gartered rib but I like the randomness all the same.



Pattern: Hew
Size: 36" Bust
Yarn: Spotlight Acrylic
Skeins: 1.4
Needle Size: 4 mm
Mods:
1. Joined at the neckline (front center) to make it a pullover shrug instead of a wrap around.
2. 2 x 2 ribbing as a hem all over except for the garter rib.



This is perfect to wear out here, what with indecisive weather. I don't think it needs any blocking eh?

More FOs on the way =)

HAPPY KNITTING!!

Update + Meme

Thank you to everyone who commented and emailed me! I really appreciate that you all care, your emails really touched my heart.

Mum's getting along better but she's rather weak and that scares me. Dad, on the other hand has recovered fully and he's been a whirlwind around the house.

Now for a meme, it's been a while since I've done these.

10 Favourite things - Letter L - courtesy of Craftylilly!

I'll dish out letters to anyone who says they want to play too.

Love - It makes the world go round and everything is more beautiful when you're in love and to be truly loved is a wonderful blessing from God.

Lace - there's just something about how it forms off the needles that is so fascinating

LOTR - when I want to escape

Low Mai Kai - (sp?) a sinful glutinous rice + chicken dish that I discovered in Malaysia

Lifehouse - my fave band since highschool =)

Pink Lemonade - good times!

Laughter - the best medicine indeed

Lingerie - not in a lewd way but doesn't every girl love it? It's nice to own purty things.

Letters - I love getting letters, long ones, short ones. The charm of snail mail never dies.

Lasagne - 'nuf said

Have a great week y'all.

..

It's February already.

Knit-wise this year has started off fairly well, I've got 4 FOs in the bag, all being put to good use. Two scarves, one sweater and one hat. Thank God for a satisfying winter this year.
I wanted to post pics of the FOs but really couldn't bring myself to take any good ones.

Another reason being that I lost my beloved camera on a terrible night that I discovered a revolting secret about the company I used to keep (sorry I'm being cryptic but it's also such a burden that I had to blog it out). Y'all would think I'd have been devastated but instead I was glad not to have any memories left of that night and was finally able to think of the whole experience as cleansing. Good spin on a bad day no? Thank Heaven I had just retrieved all my pics earlier on!

Big plans had been made for regular blogging this year too but unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, I haven't been able to get down to it.

Mum's been terribly ill and it's been disheartening at home.
Ever since I was little, she has been the pillar of strength. She single-handedly took care of my brother and I and also our Dad too since he was gravely ill and not even once did we ever see her cave under the harsh reality of our lives.
But now, the tables have turned and seeing both our parents so frail is terrifying. But we pray, asking for strength and miracles, because we have faith that things will be better.

Hope y'all have a great week.

2009

Did you know that it's been 10 years since the release of the Matrix?

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Yeah, I reacted like that too. We're getting old. Unless you never watched the Matrix which would be impossible. But that would be a whole other story.

Hmmm..seems like Keanu Reeves managed to beat the years. Much like the whole cast of Friends after 10 years, while those of Fraiser looked like they've been through the grinder.

Yes, things to think about in 2009.

Sure there's a whole lot more, what with the recession (say it louder, it echoes!), the wars, earthquakes - just to name a few. Sigh.

But it's always nice to imagine the future, recession-free, clouds of yarn and picket fences made of knitting needles. What fun.

Gingerbread house you say? Sure thing, throw that in too.

Now to the tradition that I almost never keep: New year's resolutions. I'm a big list-maker. OH yeah. But I tend to make the lists in my head, so that really never works out you know, cos after a shower, all that's left is a soggy mess - what? my head's porous you say? mental note: I should look into that.

Last year I recall, after much discussion (no, I didn't do that in my head), the only thing on the list was something to the effect of 'let's have an awesome year' which incidentally did happen.

Moral of the story? I think it was the direct result of positive thinking and it'll work for you too. Trust me.

So what're my resolutions? Crap..I just showered before writing this. Sorry. But I think it was something along the lines of what was decided last year.

I'm hoping that for every single one of you too!

Happy 2009 everyone! Here's to an awesome year!



ps - knitting has been done! No, seriously. Updates soon.

Merry Christmas!

Wish you a blessed Christmas!

SOT - Save Our Tree!

Y'all have cats right? How on earth do you keep them away from the Christmas baubles on the Christmas tree??

My cat has developed a fetish for tapping the baubles, real darn hard, till they fall off the tree and she'll chase it all over the house. Only those not accessible to her (think...7 ft tree, 3 ft access - she uses the couch for extra reach) are safe from the wrath of Grinchy McKitty.

HELP!!

Home Sweet Home...sigh...

Darn it. I was hoping not be gone for a month! The last few weeks have been insane - from travelling to entertaining (and being entertained) to shopping etc. etc.

Now I'm finally home with mixed feelings. It's not easy leaving people you love behind and then the transition of moving your whole life from one country to another. It's terrible. I've left my heart behind. It HURTS!

Knitting however, will be back in the picture soon. Till then, this is how I've been entertaining myself. Well I certainly am a little bit more deaf but hey, watching sweet rides like this sure makes up for it dunnit?

I know what I want for Christmas? Car? Not really...how about Mr. Right who stole my heart, all wrapped up under my Christmas tree? Sob...absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Shop with good cheer everyone, for God certainly has given us a wonderful reason to celebrate this time of the year.

It's going to Jingle soon

Warning: Pictureless Post

It's been raining cats and dogs almost every single day. Rather fun I must say. But I do feel sad for the little kitty-cats that live below my apartment. They don't like it much as most tenants can gather from their pitiful mewing.

Oh phew, it hasn't been a month since my last post but not much has happened since then either. No knitting yet. I miss the feel of knitting needles and the much-loved clink clink clink as I settle for an evening of knitting while watching Friends reruns.

That's my favourite thing in the world to do. The perfect way to unwind.

Oh, Christmas decor is coming up full swing everywhere in this country. That does put a rush on things. The year is coming to an end so soon!!

Time flies don't it? Have you started your Christmas shopping yet??

The beat goes on

There still hasn't been any knitting going on this side of world =(

My time instead, is spent traveling, visiting, catching up with friends. So unfortunately I don't have much material to put up here. So here are some pictures of the places I've been recently.

Nature

Fun

Good times

Relaxation

Have a great week y'all!

In a nutshell..

Wow, it's been almost six months since I last posted. And a lot has certainly happened since then.

Unfortunately there is no knitting content that I can be proud to post here because I've left all my knitting equipment at home! Here in Malaysia I have to be content with staring at yarn that I wasn't able to send back home.

Let's get up to speed now shall we?

My final semester commenced in Feb and ended in June. These past six months were the most amazing out of my fours years here in Malaysia. Though there was not much knitting involved, these few months were a time of self discovery - still ongoing though.

I've graduated with my first major =)
Also, I've managed to pick up some Bahasa Melayu (national language of Malaysia) and can carry out rather funny conversations hee hee.
I've met someone absolutely wonderful and I know I'm just the luckiest person alive!

That's a start for what I know and believe is the beginning of the rest of my life!

Thanks for the sweet knitters in the loop who wished me last Sunday! Sure I'm a year older, but heck, I surely don't feel it haha.

Here's to keeping this blog going. Thanks to those who emailed me often wondering which edge of the earth I'd fallen off of, I really appreciate it!

Hope y'all have a fantastic weekend, I know I will =)

Perhentian Island ~ a vacation I'll never forget! More on that later ;o)