Socktoberfest!

Fancy Cotton Socks
Pattern Source: stitch pattern from Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Online Linie Summersocke

Charade
Pattern source: Sandra Park
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM

Fiori di Zucca
Pattern source: 4th installment of Socktopus sock club
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy "Pistachio"

I can't believe it's that time of the year again. The weather gets colder and I get to pull out my knitted cardigan which was great. I also find myself having no desire at all to even look at all those cotton/bamboo/hemp/etc.. yarns that I bought in preparation for summer holiday and never actually got around knitting. In turn I get to dig out all those warm and comforting animal fibres I love so much. Sadly, it's also time to get back to real life, which is kinda hard to do after spending almost half a year lazing around. I went back to class last week and made a HUGE decision. Guess what's going to be my dissertation topic? Knitting!! I've always been afraid of incorporating knitting into my "academic" life since I worry that it might take the joy out of it. But I seriously can't think of anything that'll keep me interested and motivated for a whole 6 months. So now the great thing is I get to knit and call it "academic research".

Here's what else I've been working on

Those are the cuffs of the Through The Loop Mystery Sock KAL that's going on in Ravelry. The yarn is Posh Yarn Lucia that I got from Santa Swap last year. It's knitting up beautifully even though I did managed to mess it up while winding it up. I've only got 75g of workable yarn, so hopefully it'll be enough or we shall have contrasting toes. The next clue is coming up tomorrow and I'm already itching to work on it.
I finished this cowl yesterday,

Tamarind Cowl
Pattern source: Knitting Kninja(link to pdf)
Yarn: Shilasdair Cashmere Handspun
It just occurred to me that it was my first time knitting with pure cashmere. The end result is divinely soft even though I didn't enjoy knitting with it quite as much due to the inconsistency of the yarn. I thought the simple pattern was perfect for showcasing the beautiful yarn. It went pretty quick too, I think I'll make another one with the leftover yarn as a Christmas gift for a friend.

Oh, and I jumped on the bandwagon and cast on for the February Lady Sweater earlier today. I most certainly do not have enough yarn, so it shall be short sleeved or even cropped. I'm not even sure the style suits me. But if you've been reading my blog for a while then you should know that I can't resist viral knits.

Australia - the good and the bad

1. Cleckheaton Nature 8ply, 5 Skein 2. Naturally Hand Knit Merino et Soie 8ply, 4 skein 3. Naturally Hand Knit Harmony 8ply, 2 hanks 4.5. Cleckheaton Country Prints 8ply, 2 skeins each 6. Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, 2 skeins 7. Naturally Hand Knit Dawn 2ply, 3 skeins 8. Grignasco Bambi, 2 skeins

That's not quite all the yarn I got from Melbourne, there's another hank of Filatura di Crosa Centolavaggi that I forgot to take picture of. It's a cobweb yarn with about 1500 yards/100g in this gorgeous teal colour. I was thinking of using is for Mystery Shawl 4, but I can't even face winding it up, that's like the yardage of 10 skeins of dk weight yarn!
I did do some research on Melbourne yarn shops, but since most of them are in suburbs, I only managed to get to very few. My first stop was Woolbaa in Albert Park, it was a lovely shop, just like what I imagine an lys should be, walls covered with yarn, plenty of space, good lighting and friendly staff. My live would be complete if only I have a local yarn store like that.
Then I stopped by and Clegs which was very central. It was more of a fabric shop, but they have quite a good range as well. I was shocked to see how expensive Rowan yarns are in Australia! I also passed by a Spotlight in Box Hill and had to check it out. You have no idea how jealous I am that Australians and Americans have big craft stores like Spotlight, Jo-ann and Michaels. Why can't we have those in the UK???

Anyway, yarn no.6 have since became this

Yep, another Le' Slouch!

Pattern: Le' Slouch by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Jo Sharp SIlkroad Aran Tweed, 2 skeins
Needle: 5.00mm
Comments: Can you tell I just can't get enough of this pattern? I've lost track on how many of these I've knitted. Just before I was leaving for Australia I knitted one in double moss stitch instead of seed stitch. Too bad I forgot to take a good picture of it and left it at home. The yarn came from Woolbaa, and I cast on in the plane, on my way back to London.

OH, talking about planes. Well, you know, I've been warned. I've heard that Australian airports don't allow knitting needles, or rather there is no regulation that says it's allowed. But I couldn't imagine spending 3 days in Sydney without my knitting. So I took a bet. I managed to "smuggle" my knitting into Sydney, but on my way back they found my needles! The poor guy who was made by his superior to confiscate my needle was shocked to see I was going to pull out my needles out of my knitting. "But you're going to spoil your knitting", he said. Too bad I wasn't going to check in my bag for an extra $10, my needles cost less than that anyway. I guess I'm unlike many knitters in that I'm not scared of pulling my needles out of my knitting, since I know I can quite easily get the stitches back on. Not the case with some fibres though, another story for some other post.

And oh yes, I'm FINALLY back in LONDON!! YAY!

Where have I been?

Would you like to take a guess on where I have been for the past two weeks?




Yep, I was in Australia!
I had great food,

and saw lots of amazing animals (zoos and aquariums are my top priorities on a trip, after yarn shops, of course).

I got to visit Melbourne and Sydney. Melbourne to send my little cousin off to high school, and Sydney to see friends and cousins. Melbourne didn't struck me as a great tourist town, but I think it's a great place to stay at. I mean, how could you be a knitter and not like a city with street names such as those? they have great yarn shops. I'm looking forward to go there again and stay longer next time. I only managed to visit a few yarn shops, but I've came back with a "reasonable" amount of stash enhancement. You can expect an Australian yarn porn for my next post!

Flo-ing along

That's all I've got after 12 days of knitting. A back, a sleeve and a front. The front and sleeve went pretty quick, but I reached a slump when working on the back.
So I guess logically speaking there's no way I could get it done in time for the Olympics' Closing Ceremonies, but I'll be knitting along anyway. My goal is no longer the gold medal, but simply to have a cardigan done and hoping it'll turn out beautifully.

I'm a bit disappointed at my productivity this holiday. This is my last 'real' summer holiday since I'll be graduating next year and have to face the 'real world' that I'm not sure I'm ready for. I thought I could get so much done during this holiday, with lots of knitting, sewing and designing projects planned. But, in reality, the sewing machine is still unseen and I haven't done any preparation for my third year dissertation.
Oh well, at least I did get two wisdom teeth extracted and hopefully a cardigan ready for autumn when this summer holiday ends.

Home report

Time really flies when you're on holiday, doesn't it? I've only been home for a bit more than month but a lot has happened.
The big thing was I turned TWENTY ONE!! I can't believe that I'm legally an adult now and the next time I go to the States I can actually go wine tasting (I only got to babysit for my cousin only 2 months ago, hah!). Of course I still feel like a 17 years old inside...
I never got to have a birthday party as a child since my birthday is either on school holiday or first day of school. So this year we had a "small" family gathering with 50 selected guests from the big family. Mostly people were just busy eating and there were no singing or blowing candles, but it was great to see some of my cousins and my hyperactive nephews.

A good friend of mine was visiting and wanted to go to Bali, so...

I've been to Bali a lot of times, but never with an actual tourist, and it made all the difference and I got to see the island from a different perspective.
Oh, and I went diving for the first time! It was scary as hell and the water wasn't very clear but I'm already itching to dive again.

To me, going home means taking care of myself. That includes hair cut, manicure and pedicure, facial, blood test, and.....going to the dentist. This year one of my wisdom teeth had to be extracted. The extraction itself didn't really hurt (except for when the needle was going into my gum, and then the drill was buzzing in my ears and the dental surgeon had to use a screwdriver), but the swelling is really uncomfortable and makes me look fat. I guess just one thing you have to get through to be an adult. I envy those of you who don't have to go through this, really.

I realise this is a knitting blog, so let's talk about some knitting! I've been between projects ever since I came home. Ene's scarf got a little progress and I believe it's now halfway done. I managed to finish one side of Bayerische socks and almost one side of Fiori di Zucca socks(Socktopus sock club's 4th installment). Ivy League vest only got about 2" of progress. I cast on for a stripey sock and I'm up to the first leg.
BUT, all of those WIPs will have to wait for 17 days because of...

I'll be competing in Sweater Sprint for...


So for the next 16 days all I'll be knitting is FLO. Yep, you heard me right. I actually picked a cardigan with RUFFLES in 4 ply yarn. Guess I wasn't thinking straight when I picked the project. I've cast on and knit for a few hours now but all I've got is 2.5" of sleeves. I'll be swimming in stockinette sea. Please cheer me on so I don't drown!

Back on the game

Mosaic
Pattern source: Sockopus Sock Club Third installment, designed by Diane Mulholland
Needle: 2.5mm
Comments: I adore these socks! They're the first sock club kit I managed to finish in time for the next one. The pattern is easy, yet entertaining. And those colours are just gorgeous together, don't you think?

I've also been working on these

It's Charade in some Koigu KPPPM that I've had in my stash for about 2 years. The pattern is perfect for knitting on the go as it's so simple. I simply took the stitch pattern and knit it toe-up with short row toes and heels, easy peasy. I cast them on because I was in need of some easy knitting for when I went to Brighton with Socktopus knitters on a day out. It was great fun and I got to meet other knitters and drink Pimms and knit by the seaside. Totally worth dragging myself out of bed at 7 am.

And because I've been so bored this week, I figured some more attention demanding projects would be appropriate, hence...
Eunny Jang's Bayerische Socks
Ene's Scarf
These two projects have been on my queue for ages, so I finally bit the bullet and cast on 96 stitches for the sock and 375 for the shawl, which took quite a while. So far they've been immensely enjoyable and they remind me how much I enjoy reading charts. Seriously.

Anyway I have to move on Tuesday, so this weekend will be spent packing and knitting. Since we've lost our internet connection I shouldn't have much problem focusing on packing, though my knitting might be distracting enough.
Oh, I'm blogging from a friend's place, by the way. She lives closer to John Lewis and I wouldn't want to miss first day of the sale! I even woke up before 7 this morning, early morning blogging is truly a rare feat here at Chez Yuvee.

SFO - Soooo finished obejcts

It's been exactly a month since I last blogged. A LOT has happened since then. My trip to America itself would take more than a post, since a lot certainly happened on the trip. However, I think it's better for me to share about my trip to Switzerland first. So instead of doing any of those I chose the lazy way and talk about knitting instead! After all, this is a knitting blog.
Here are some small projects that come and go so quickly that they didn't make it to the blog.

Left-right:
1. Scarf for Elvi - My friend requested this scarf for her birthday present, we found a picture of a scarf she likes online and I took inspiration from it. The yarn was Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK
2. Stripey beret for me- The yarn is leftover from the scarf.
3. Ridged beret - Filatura di Crosa Zara, a gift for Naia.
4. Blue Thorpe(link to pdf) - Another gift for my friend Naia together with the beret.
5. Dashing - Gedifra English Tweed, knitted this for my Swiss trip.
6. Cable Footies from One Skein - Patons Classic Wool Merino, Christmas gift for my friend Valentine, never got a chance to take FO picture of it.

Most of these are gifts, but guess what? It's not even all of them! I'll do the rest over the time, I mean, 3 months or a year delay don't make much difference, right?

For something that's not that outdated,


Otto my LOVE
Pattern source: And so to bed by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino
Needle: 4mm
Comments: He's probably my favourite FO ever. I knitted the base, then picked up the stitches for the body, sandwiching the tail in between. The tail, wings and ears are all knitted in one piece instead of 2 pieces like in the pattern. I'm glad I did it in the round since it saves me lots of troubles sewing up. The filling is from a cheap pillow that I cut up. And check out his Noro striped scarf! I'm really proud of him and have been showing him off to everybody. I might be hooked on toys knitting. Uh Oh.





Alpine Pumpkin Shrug
Pattern source: Alpine shrug from Rowan 42 by Sarah Hatton
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool in Ginger Snap
Needle: 10mm
Comments: This pattern didn't appeal to me at first, because Rowan magazines tend to be a little obscure in showing their garments, sometime it takes me a while to see which item is actually knitted. But one of the yarn shops I visited in Switzerland had it on display and my friend fell in love with it. Then when I was online shopping *ehem* I noticed that Stash Fine Yarns has it on sale. I bought 7 skeins but only ended up using 5 skeins. The design is really pretty and the construction is so simple, yet clever. It's a bit small for me though, but it might be due to the fact that I was too lazy to block it before I seamed it. In the second picture a friend is modeling it for me and I think it looks much better on her.

My friend Isabel (the model above) accompanied me to the World Wide Knit In Public Day Knit Crawl by Stitch & Bitch London yesterday. I was meaning to join them from the beginning, but was too tired and only managed to join the last 2 hours of it.
I taught her and another friend to knit a few months ago, and she finished a ribbed scarf and promptly bought yarn to make 3 pairs of socks! It's been a lot of fun knitting together with a friend and showing her the fabulous world of knitting. I'm pretty sure she's hooked. *grin*

Laglaglag

As always lagging behind with my posting. Just to remind myself, I still have to post about:
-My Swiss trip
-2 pair of socks
-Otto the owl
-Alpine shrug
-Wisp

Gosh, I feel like I'm cheating on this blog with Ravelry!
Anyway, all of those will have to wait until I get back from my trip! America here I come!!!
Be back in 3 weeks, stay tuned :)

The perfect Henley

Henley Perfected
Pattern: Henley Perfected by Connie Chang Chinchio from IK Spring '08
Yarn: Scachenmayer Nomotta Merino, 8 skeins, found in a yarn shop in Paris Chinatown (yes, I'm so Chinese I have to visit Chinatown in every city I visit)
Needle: 3.5mm Addis
Comments: So, I started this sweater a few months ago. The knitting part didn't take very long, it was quite a simple pattern and I added in some extra waist shaping. BUT, the finishing....the finishing took longer than the knitting. Then come picking the buttons (which I stupidly bought 6 instead of 7 required). I think the knitting only took a third of the time I spent finishing it up. And I managed to get it done just in time for summer!! (insert sneering tone).
Anyway, the finishing might have been hell, but I adore the neatness of all the hem. I did the folded hem for the buttonhole bands as well since floppy bands are just not for me. The yarn is soft, but also a bit scratchy against my skin, so I'll be waiting until it gets much colder so that I can wear it layered.


Rambling time....
I'm FREEEEEEEE.....WOOHOOOO!!! By free I mean no more stupid deadlines and courseworks, and I think summer has come to London! I'm still busy going house-hunting and slowly packing up and contemplating a destash *ehem*. We'll see about that. I'll be back soon with more summer wooly goodness!

Back to school

Back-to-School U-Neck Vest
Pattern source: Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Cascade 220 Quattro, 3 skeins
Needle: 5.00mm
Comments: I finished this quite a while ago, actually. The body was a really quick knit, however I slowed down when I came to the top shaping. The original pattern is quite wide at the front top, and narrow at the back. Since I didn't like it, I decided to do my own shaping. It works out pretty well and I'm liking it. It's a nice fit and is easy to wear. Well, maybe only when I'm having 'flat tummy day' since the vertical ribbing definitely enhance bulges.

P.S.: The headless pictures will have to do since I was having 'double-chin day'

You're A Winner!

Congratulations Peri!
Will you email me at yuviniaathotmaildotcom and let me know which prize you'd like and your mailing address, please?

It's funny because Peri and I met up a few years ago when I was still living in Brighton and she was my companion to my first Stitch and Bitch EVER!

four years and counting

I absolutely CANNOT believe that I missed my blogversary! 4 years and 27 days of blogging, can you believe it?
I started this blog when I was....what, SEVENTEEN? Gosh, it sure seems like an eternity.
Going back on my old posts get me thinking of how much my knitting style has changed. Sure, I've learned so much more since then. I can safely say that I'm a much better knitter in terms of technique and understanding. But I can't help but feel that I used to be so much more fearless and creative when i didn't know as much.
For example, I knitted this bag more than 4 years ago, even before I started blogging.

I had NO IDEA that intarsia was supposed to be hard, or that crochet eats yarn, or that cotton stretch, or that fluffy white edging with blue and purple clash. But it was my own, I didn't even use to read pattern back then. I guess my point is that the more I learn, the more timid I become. I'd really like to get back on track and USE what I've learned over the years instead of becoming intimidated by them. Being a design student, it seems a little ironic to me that I haven't been doing any designs.

On other notes, it seems funny to me that I still have UFOs from back then, like this cardigan for my mom.

Or that I still have yarn that I bought back then in my stash now.
Or that my amount of posts per yarn seems to decline by almost 50% every year.

But blogging has been a great part of my life, and I have met amazing people through it and made great friends.
So, my resolution for 5th year of blogging is to blog more often, to become a better blogger. When I grow up I'd like to become one of those knitters who inspire others. ( what can I say,I might be 20, but I'm still a kid at heart)

It's also been a while since I've a contest, so....




5 skeins of bamboo yarn. It's actually leftover from the boobholder I made 4 years ago.

My favourite sock yarn that I never use for socks,yet.
If you'd like any of these just leave me a comment and let me know which one you'd like. I'll pick someone on 19 April at midnight GMT +1.

Yes, I've been knitting

I'm back!
Well, actually I've been back for a week now, a week that's been spent resting. Resting from a vacation that wasn't even tiring, yeah. I guess some people would call it slacking, but I think of it as resting.

It might take me another 3 months to share my trip pictures but I'll try to be good and do it earlier this time.
Meanwhile, let's talk about knitting!



Turquoise Baudelaire Socks
Pattern source: Baudelaire socks by Cookie A.
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino "Turquoise"
Needle: 2.5mm 80cm Addis
Comments: I've been wanting to knit this pattern ever since it came out just because it's soooo pretty and I just adore Cookie A.'s patterns. It wasn't an easy knit, not because the pattern was hard, but because it's just so tight. I think it was the combination of the lace pattern, the yarn and the needle. This is another tight fitting socks for me, sometimes I fear I'd tear the socks since I have to pull real hard to put it on. I followed the instruction for wide heels, but it didn't help much. I guess my heels are just super thick.
Anyway, did you notice my new pretty sock blockers? They're from the second installment of Socktopus Sock Club. It's about an inch too small, but my socks blocked out beautifully and the yarn feels great after blocking too.

I managed to do some yarn shopping while I was in Switzerland, but that's for another post. One of the yarn that I got was a skein of rainbow coloured Zitron Loft yarn. I cast on almost immediately when I got home and a hat was done in 2 days.

Super Colourful Beanie(for the lack of better naming)
Pattern Source: Just a simple top down hat
Yarn: Zitron Loft colour 901
Needle: 7.0mm??
Comment: This hat went so quick and the yarn was so fabulous. I even had enough for a pompom, leaving me with NO LEFTOVER at all. The yarn was quite pricey when I got it but I've since found out that I can get it for much less online. I'm sooo tempted to buy one at every colour and knit lots of pretty beanies.

Another WIP is this

It's Neighbourhood Tunnel socks from the said second installment of Socktopus Sock Club. I adore the yarn, and the pattern is quite pretty too, but the fit is a nightmare. I did my usual short-row heel over 60% of the stitches but it's still very tight. I have to pull it even harder than the Baudelaire. Granted, I didn't follow the heel flap from the pattern. Actually I did, but then I read the part where I'm supposed to make changes for wider heels. I ripped the heel off because I just couldn't be bothered anymore. Lesson learned: READ THROUGH THE PATTERN FIRST. The first sock is now done and I'm really not sure what to do with it.

Two days ago, I finally cast-on for this

Yep, Ivy League Vest, finally! I had to cast on twice because I didn't have the right size needle. The ribbing is going very slowly and I'm really tempted to just do a normal ribbing instead of changing colour every freakin row. But it looks so pretty so I think I'll stick with it. This will be one of those project that'll take years to finish, considering the rate I'm going at.

And last night, since I needed a bit of mindless knitting while watching tv, I cast on for this

It's Haven scarf from Kim Hargreave's Heartfelt book. The yarn is Lang Mille Colori, another holiday purchase. It's intended for my International Scarf Exchange pal. I think she might love it, but I keep on having doubts, so maybe I'll just hope for the best.

Actually, there are lots more FOs to share, I find that I'm knitting so much more than I blog that I have trouble posting about them. But I'll be back soon with a sweater, a vest, few hats and socks.

Christmas trip report, much belated

It's been 3 months since I promised to show my trip pictures. My excuse would be that we took more than 1500 pictures and boy, they were hard to sort out.
I wouldn't want to bombard you with tons of pictures(I do, really, but you might run away), so here they are in mosaic! Aren't they clever?
First stop, Vienna!

What we did:
-Visited a museum (check out first pic!)
- Hanged out with musicians (that's me and Schubert there on third pic from the left!)
- Went to the zoo on Christmas day!
- Christmas market
- Wrote on ice!!

Next stop, Prague

What we did:
- Checked out the AMAZING architecture
- Ate A LOT (don't worry, we walked a lot too)
- Walked by the riverside
- Got some action (check first picture bottom left)

Last stop, Brussels

What we did:
- Ate some more
- Met Smurf!
- Checked out the cool graffiti
- Filled my suitcase with fresh Belgian pralines
- Flea market shopping

In case you're wondering why I finally end my procrastinating and do this post, it's because I'll have lots more to show soon! Off to Swiss tomorrow, see you guys in two weeks!

Mastering the art of procrastination

Another weekend with deadlines looming, what else to do but knit!


Thorpe Hat by Kirsten Kapur
Pattern source: Thorpe hat(link to pdf)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Maya
Needle: 5.00mm Addi Turbos

This hat is amazing!! It took me only a whole Sunday to knit. Mind you my day started way past noon. The pattern called for Dpns to begin with, but they are out of my league, so I used a very long(100cm) circular to do magic loop instead. Also, since I'm using a lighter weight yarn, I increased up to 88 stitches to get to my size. The contrasting yarn for the crochet edging I used was even lighter, so I did Double crochet instead of Half double crochet called for.
The yarn was a delight to work with, and the colour works perfectly for Project Spectrum. Orange, red and pink? Yes, please.

Can you tell yet that I love it so? I'm digging the stash to make some more of this baby!

Late night knitting

It is now waaayyy past midnight, I've done pretty much nothing work-wise the whole day, and we're having a client meeting next Tuesday that I'm so not prepared for. It is technically weekend, but really I am supposed to be working my ass off every single minute I have. But obviously I'm not. Instead, I watched TV, ate a lot, baked some muffins, and of course, I knit.

About fifteen minutes ago, I looked at the clock and it's over 2 a.m., and thought that the right thing to do would be to go to bed so I won't wake up past lunch time again. Then I cast on for a new project, because I'm hopeless like that.

This is the very beginning of Back-to-school u-neck vest from Fitted Knits. The yarn I'm using is Cascade 220 Heather, which I actually got specifically for this project back during the Knit Happens sale last year. I'm hoping this would be my simple, mindless knit, because I need one of those going on at all time.
Anyway, I'm knitting this (2nd row now!) while listening to new(-ish) knitting podcasts. There were Faery Knitting, Knitty Nora's knitting natter, and Knitting Rose. They are all pretty good so far, so they'll be staying on my subscription list. I've listened to some in the past where I just CANNOT stand the voice of the podcaster, it's a really personal thing, I guess.

And of course, I was knitting something else before I cast on for the vest.

This is half (sans thumb) of Herringbone Mittens(link to pdf) by Elliphantom.
I was feeling a bit guilty of not giving any decent Christmas present for some of my good friend (they did get Belgian pralines though!), that I promised to knit them something. One wanted gloves/mittens, the other wants a hat. This pattern has been on my queue on Ravelry for quite a while and I LOVE all the versions I've seen, so it was an easy choice. Plus I had the perfect yarn in stash, Knit Picks Wool of Andes. I'm knitting the second now, while constantly worrying of running out of yarn. But it has been a fun project so far.
My friend (the will be mittens recipient) said a really funny thing, she didn't want fingerless hand-warmers, not because they're not functional, etc (heard this one lots), but because she thinks they look "metal", you know, like punk rock style? I was like WTF?! Obviously she hasn't seen tons of the pretty pretty ones that knitters have made, not that there's anything bad with "metal".

So it's past 3 a.m. now, so I might actually get some sleep and hopefully have the motivation to work my ass off tomorrow.

P.S: Like my new header? Yeah, that's what I was spending my day doing, lol.

Obligatory new year post

Last week, I finally worked up the courage to attend a knitting meetup! I met up with Alice and went to Iknit London for their Kniterati book meeting. It was great to go out and meeting new people, and the yummy yarns and cider didn't hurt either. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to more meetups in the future.

Anyway because I didn't have anything small and simple enough to knit on during the meetup, I cast on for a hat, and it's done by the next day!

Gemma Beret
Pattern source: Rowan, found the link through Ravelry
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK, 2 skeins
Needle: 4.00 and 5.00mm
Comments: I've been wanting to knit something purple for a while now, and I just adore this hat! The pattern has a lot of errors in it, so I did everything my own way, except for the lace insert pattern. It fits me just right, but I think it might need a light blocking to straighten up the stitches a bit.

Going to a knitting meet-up was one of my new year knitalution(love the word!). My theory is that if I don't just bite into it, the year will be over before I do anything on the list. So out of impulse, I ordered this

It's a kit for Ivy League Vest by Eunny. I chose to go with a kit because it'll be my first experience working with more than 3 colours at once, and all those colours just boggle my mind. I got the kit from The Yarn and Fiber Company and they were absolutely fabulous! The yarns were backordered, but they came in less than 2 weeks, and the international shipping was FREE!! I have no idea how they do it, but I'm definitely going back for more.
As to when I'll be casting on, I doubt it'll be anytime soon, since all those hanks of yarn will need to be balled first. I have yet to cave in and buy a swift, but a homemade one sounds almost feasible.

WIP wise, the knitting on Henley Perfected is all done, all that's left to do is whip-stitching the hems, and it's taking me ages to do. Seaming suddenly sounds more fun.
So while I'm procrastinating on that, I'm working on this

Yep, it Baudelaire by Cookie.A. This pattern has been on my queue ever since it came out. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock solid that I got from Ally Pally. I love the deep and rich turquoise colour, and lace pattern always seems to stand out better in solid colours. I'm not enjoying knitting this as much as I thought I would though, not sure if it's the pattern, the needle or the yarn, or maybe the combination that makes it feel so tight to knit. Hopefully I'll be able to beat SSS on this one.

Actually my main reason for posting today(other than a much needed update) is to wish everybody Happy Chinese New Year! 恭喜发财! I love Chinese new year, and this time of the year I miss home more than ever.