Heartbroken

After reading this post from Anna, I've been dreaming about this yarn store. So when my friend asked me to accompany her to London to look for accomodation, I jumped at the opportunity to visit the shop once we're done with her business.
So how could I be not heartbroken that when we got there, I just realised that the shop was already closed 5 minutes ago? It was a close call to screaming and weeping, but believe me when I say that it wrenched me inside. I mean, I just missed my first chance to see Koigu, Lorna's Laces, Handmaiden....ahhh....I can't go on, otherwise my keyboard would be broken because of my flooding tears.
I'm sure you guys would understand my pain. I have to go to London again on Sunday to help my friend moves, but the store won't be open that day. Hmmm...just realise that Loop is. Yay!

Talking about moving, I just moved host family yesterday. It was a downright nightmare. My stuffs must have multiplying behind my back. TWO cabs were barely enough to fit all of them. My former hostfather was shocked, my new hostfamily was speechless...but I heard her mutter something like "...it won't fit". The new house is out of nowhere, but I shall survive for 2 months. Anyway, I'll be in real trouble with the amount of my stuffs when I go to university, so I *might* have to...uhm...destash. We'll see if I can find anything I can bear to part with.

Knitting wise, I've been quite faithful to Diamond Fantasy Shawl lately. But I get really confused because it never seems to grow big enough for me.

Here's 9 repeats of it, it's supposed to be huge by now. I'm using 4mm needle with fingering weight yarn.
So I came to some conclusions:
-I'm a seriously tight knitter.
-The shawl will magically grow twice its size now once blocked.
-It's not the shawl's fault, I'm THE ONE that grows bigger.

What do you reckon?

Toothache is worse than heartache

That's how I've been feeling lately. My life these few days have been miserable because of the toothache. Thank God for Nurofen.
Uhm...so I guess that's my excuse for the long gap between posts.

Lucky I've got these pretty yarns to keep me company while I'm feeling down and not wanting to get out of my room.
I used to say that I don't wear blue. It makes me look dead and pale. But now, thanks to Project Spectrum, I've been stocking up pretty blues in my stash and wardrobe. There are still some blues I just can't imagine myself wearing, like those Jaeger Trinity up there, but they'll make pretty accessories.

Gee, I've got nothing more to say, blame the teeth.
Knitting wise, it's been great, I've got TWO new FOs to show you! But they still need to be blocked, so please be patient. Meanwhile I just cast on for Diamond Fantasy Shawl yesterday and I'm loving it!
I'll see you next time after the evil visit to dentist is over.

Open your eyes....

This, my friend, is my stash acquisition of May. The whole 12406 metres of it(yeah, I was actually dorky enough to take out my calculator and count). EIGHTY-EIGHT skeins of yummy yarns.
Why the sudden madness, you ask? Well, I just happen to finally get myself a debit card that actually works for internet. I always know a credit card in my hand is potentially dangerous, so I'm actually glad it's a debit card.
Let's make a list, shall we?

• 8 hanks of Rowanspun 4 ply from here
  
• 10 hanks of Cascade 220 from Webs
  
• 3 hanks of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool from Webs
  
• 10 hanks of Rowan Summer Tweed from ebay
  
• 9 hanks of handpainted wool from a swap
  
• 6 hanks of Noro Silk Garden from Kangaroo
  
• 6 skeins of Lion Brand Cotton Ease from a swap
  
• 5 skeins of Jaeger Como from ebay
  
• 9 skeins of super yummy Regia Silk from my new favourite shop
  
• 1 skein of Trekking XXL
  
• 2 skeins of Lang Jawoll sock yarn, both from the same shop
  
• 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
  
• 1 skein of Colinette Shimmer
  
• 1 skein of Rowan Natural Silk Aran, all from here
  
• 10 skeins of Rowan All Season cotton
  
• 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, both from ebay
  
• 2 skeins of Adriafil Rafis from ebay
  
  Ooh, I almost forgot to count these...
  
• 10 skeins of Paton Diploma Gold from ebay
  
• 2 skeins of Regia Silk & Shine from ebay
  

Hey, that actually makes it ONE HUNDRED skeins of yarn in ONE month!! That's almost half my original stash! OMG, I honestly don't know if I should be horrified or happy.
Shall I make a little confession? Well, that's not all.
I still have yarn coming, maybe today. And those that arrive tomorrow I'll count as June's yarn. That's not cheating right??

Anyway, back to knitting,
thanks to Kessa I manage to sail along the front of Phildar blazer. *hugs to Kessa, you're godsend!!*

However I somehow manage to screw the collar part that it looks kinda strange, but I have not a single idea where I did wrong. And I just find(much to my horror) after many inches that I missed one row of the left front. I don't think it's going to be frogged though, Ive been frogging a lot while knitting this blazer, just don't have any more patience to frog another 30 cm.

I'm up to the ribbing part of Orangina now, which looks like it'll take a long time. But I'm still happy to finish with the lace, getting sick of it already.

I predict little knitting to be done today, as I've got a deadline tomorrow for 1500 words essay about chair. Done so far? 100 words. Well...1400 words in a day is totally doable, right? RIGHT???

Updates...updates...

Since it seems to me(and I'm sure to you too!) that my posts are more about yarn porns than real knitting, I'll actually be talking about knitting today. Anyway, I know you guys don't mind the yarn porn at all, and I've got lots to show by the end of this month ;D.
So...few weeks ago(I could never keep track of these things), I cast on for Phildar Blazer no.33 from Phildar Tendances 443.

That's the back done and 2 sleeves on my needles at once. It's a real quick knit, I think the back was knitted in one night(well, so I did sleep at 5 that night). Then I cast on for the front, and that's where the problem started.
I couldn't figure out the pattern.
Could you expert knitters out there help me please?
How do I knit : 2 sts from right edge on foll alt rows, inc 5 sts twice. HOW do I increase FIVE stitches at once?
What I did was k2,m1,k1,m1..., which I thought was right but looked so wrong.
Not willing to give up, I decided to knit the sleeves first. BUT...if I follow the pattern, the sleeves wouldn't fit my kingkong arms(not kidding here). Fortunately I got some help from Knitty board. So I'm knitting one size up now, which should fit, but I'm already at the slope shaping part, and have to face the front soon.

Then there's this stole...

Since my last post I've been knitting a-repeat-a-day faithfully(or at least trying to). On some good day I get to knit 3 repeats, bad day none. But I'm happy to say that I'm finally done knitting the body, and even manage to memorize the lace pattern. Too bad my grafting skill sucks so bad that the joint is so visible. But I spent 2 hours doing it and have no intention to do it again. *hate grafting*
Since then, it's been lying on my chair(which is covered with WIPs) for 2 days, just because I'm so intimidated by the thought of picking up 640 stitches. The yarn is amazing though, love the sheen, love the crimpiness(is there such word?).

And just for fun...
*a picture of entrelac something should be here, but blogger is not cooperating*
Well, I'll share next time then. Shall we move on?

My next project would be this. Isn't it gorgeous??
I'll be knitting with Regia silk, which I'm afaid I'm addicted to thanks to Cmeknit (I know her name is Carolyn, I've been stalking her shawls).

Anyway, I'm pretty sure you guys have seen this gorgeous pattern by Anna. It's climbing high in my list ;)

Jaywalker finally

Jaywalker Socks
Pattern : Grumperina for Magknits
Yarn : 2 skeins of Regia Mini Ringel
Needle : 2.5mm Addi Turbo
Mods : Picot edges, shorter legs.

One more shot

I'm loving these outdoor pictures, you can expect more in the future ;)

I've got LOTS of new addition to my stash to show, but alas, they keep on coming non-stop that I kinda lost track. I just got myself a debit card this month, so that's my excuse for the crazy yarn purchases. I know you guys love yarn porn, and my blog has become more about yarn than actual knitting anyway. I'll share when the madness ends ;D

There are just too many things to say, so I think it's better to save it for next post. See ya!

Life's a blessing

Just joined the Project Spectrum....





It's Random Huggers day today! *Hugs to you all*

(note that sticker on my forehead?)

SP8 Questionnaire *waves to SP*

So, SP, here it goes...

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love natural fibres, hate novelty yarns most of the time.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Some zippered case, no real needle case though.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Been knitting non-stop for about one and a half year. I'd say my level is adventurous intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Got one in Amazon. Here, hope it works.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Fruity and floral mainly, I don't really like candles though.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Very sweet. Love dark and milk chocolate. My fav is chocolate brownies though ;)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Hmm...I crochet a little, like paper crafts too. I don't spin, but I'll learn someday.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
The usual MTV stuffs. Love Josh Groban too ;) I can play CD on my laptop and I've got an iPod.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Love bright, jewel-toned and sometime pastel colour. Look dead wearing electric blue and not-too-dark dark blue. Don't like dull colour.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Staying with host family in an over stuffed room, no pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves a lot, knitted lots of hats but never wear them. Don't have the guts to wear poncho, and it's too warm for mittens now.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Hmm....judging by the number of scarves I've knitted...but no, I love knitting garments too. Oh, and shawl, and bag, and socks. Never mind I haven't knitted lots of those, but why is it so hard to decide on just one?

13. What are you knitting right now?
Umm...LOTS of stuffs, check the sidebar please.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I think I've never received any handmade gifts before, but I'd love to!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circular, metal(I'm talking Addi here) and wood.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Just got a winder, no swift though, have to use pillow.

17. How did you learn to knit?
Walked by a yarn shop 5 years ago, went in and asked the owner to teach me.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
Hmm...about 6 months.

19. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas, love the spirit!

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Other than yarn? Well, books and socks.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Lots of them! I'll update the sidebar ;) I've got Interweave subscription and Rowan membership.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Yep, dyeing(after I move from here), two socks at once and colourworks.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Kinda, my measurement is 6-7, but I've got fat calf.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
18th July(hey, that's close!)

And the extra questions,

1. Do you have access to ordering Knit Picks yarn?
Nope, but I could find a way in desperation.

2. Which do you prefer in jewelry...sterling silver or gold? Do you have a favorite semi-precious stone?
White gold and yellow gold, I can't wear silver. Diamond! Wait that's too precious...hmm...aquamarine and topaz.

3. Do you wear or even like Hemp jewelry?
What IS Hemp jewelry? I'm willing to try almost anything, so try me ;)

4. I know that most knitter use stitch markers but if you have any are they...
store bought?
custom made?
gifts?
Have some store bought, but don't like them. I used mostly beaded stitch marker that my previous SP gifted me, but I've lost most of them. I love beaded stitch marker that dangles, kinda like earrings.

5. What is your favorite animal?
Rabbit, sweet huh? I had 6 when I was small. Oh, and I kinda like snake too, but only the big, fat and not green kind.

That's it I guess, I always knew I'm easy to please ;)

Anyway, SP, I forgot to mention that I'm leaving that address on 16th August, don't know yet where I'll end up.

Tinking now...

You asked for it, you get it!

Almost forgot this one...

Sorry I'm not going to talk much here, just dropped a stitch for this...

Print O' The Wave stole from Eunny in Hipknits laceweight silk yarn.
Have.to.tink.
Arrghhh!!
Some updates here, let the pictures do the talking.
So I bought this as a solution to winding all those yummy hand-dyed yarns, without noticing that it's "vintage"

then spent hours winding these...that lace one took me more than an hour!

(the blue skein is 100% linen yarn from La Droguerie)

And some little FOs...
*Damn! Dropped more stitches*(of the stole, not clappy)


Mini Clapotis, 3 hanks of Noro Silk Garden, done before the trip.

Got one more scarf to show, but blogger suddenly decided to stop uploading my picture, ugh.

I'm planning a spring cleaning this weekend, might list my stash, so watch out!

Yuvee's Eurotrip!

Maybe this is what being young means...you go for a one week trip without much sleep, came back, and still have the energy to go on shopping sprees 2 days in a row. However, I finally allow myself to rest for the whole weekend, staying over at my friend's, cooking, eating, sleeping and of course, knitting(I just taught her how to knit).
Anyway, about my trip, the first day was quite an adventure I had expected. We landed in Milan, look around us, and wonder if we've caught the wrong flight.
With 2 big luggages in tow, we searched desperately for a place to stay. I was pretty sure it was to no avail, since we clearly came in the wrong time, when there were football matches and exhibitions around.
I guess that lady luck was with us. We were eating in good ole McDonald's when one of my friend spotted a Chinese lady. It's amazing and deeply touching for me how strong the bond of race is. She took us, 3 strangers, to Chinatown. Not the safest place in town, but she managed to find us a cheap room in somebody's apartment(it's illegal, anyway).
The room itself was just bearable, thought with no light and exposed window, but there were 6 men in the other room who were gambling whole night, enough to made the 3 of us slept as close to each other as possible, and not taking shower for 3 days(first time for me, I managed to wash my hair in the basin though).

The second day I spent most of my time trying out the seating places in Prada, LV, Armani, Gucci, etc, while my friend did her shopping(Prada has the most comfy seat, by the way). Not my favourite way of spending a day. I did manage to learn some Italian though, especially on how to read the menu ;D

We spent our last few hours in Milan taking some pictures,
before finally boarding on our train to Paris, where we spent 7 hours in.
That night was spent in a cheap hotel that's called, very descriptively, "HOTEL".

In the morning we woke up to start our days in Paris, and I'm deeply in love.
Blogger won't upload my photoshopped collage, so here's a list of stuffs we did in Paris:









-ate creme brulee for breakfast, yummy!
-went to Montmarte Sacre-Cour and witnessed a huge mass
-ate crepes while walking down Champ-elysee
-hang out with Schumacher and his buddies
-saw the cutest car ever
-saw Arc de Triomphe
-bought another crepe from a Monacoan man who spoke Korean
-went to Eiffel Tower...love it!
-played carousel opposite Eiffel tower
-ate a huge cotton candy
-stare in amazement as lights twinkle all over the tower
-went to Gallery Lafayette
-bought the most expensive eye serum ever(and found out it's 20 euro cheaper in the airport, grr!)
-got asked by some Chinese ladies to buy LV bags for them(for sale again, I suppose)
-yummy mussels for lunch
-visited Louvre(huge, but seriously lacking toilets)
-saw the MonaLisa in person, though in a crowd of hundreds
-ate a nice 3 course dinner and drank wine(cheered for our future!)
-watch Paris night view from Montmarte
-got myself a cute Eiffel earrings
-only to find a 4 times cheaper pair the next day

Last day in Paris
-separate myself from my friends
-went on a journey to find Paris LYSs!
-first stop, La Droguerie

-got snapped at for taking pic(oops!)
-got snapped again for taking the beads myself(double oops!)
-finally got a great personal service and bought some beads, buttons and yarns





-second stop, Pelote


-went in, asked for nearest cash machine
-came back, fondled yarns, and of course bought some
-nice, friendly service
-ate a crepe with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce nearby

-third stop, got lost trying to find Phildar shop in ledru-rollins
-gave up after about half an hour wandering about

-last stop, Phildar in Place Monge

-thought I was in a wrong place, more than half of the shop is for clothes
-finally found the yarn section, quite small but well stocked
-bought 14 balls of Aviso to knit one of the cardigan in the latest Phildar mag, either 30 or 33, got the buttons for both
-bought about 10 balls of various yarns. If you know me, you'll know that I'm guilty for buying odd yarns without any idea what to do with them
-bought a nice bag of acrylic on sale, surprisingly nice and soft
-got a wool wash too
-nice and friendly service too

-by then my feet were very sour and I had spent 6 hours straight walking, yarns can be really heavy, you know.
-met my friends at the hostel, and they inform me that they only have 2 euro left
-had to pay for dinner, had just enough to pay for taxi to airport the next day

I'll go to Paris every weekend if I could....love it! Can't wait till next holiday, must visit Venice, Florence, Rome, Brussel, Nice...the list is quite endless, hope I could visit them all during my 3 years here.
Anyway, many thanks to Polly for the Paris lys guide ;).

Adios!

I'm off to Milan tomorrow morning! I'll be back in a week, hopefully with great adventure to share. I'm talking about great adventure because we haven't manage to book any hotel in Milan so far....so if you're in Milan, and saw 3 asian girls sleeping on the street, have mercy and take us home ;D

Anyway, I just came back from my interview at Leicester, which is 3 hours away. Very tiring journeys, but it was quite a pleasant visit ;)

See ya!! Happy Easter ;)

Can you handle more yarn porn?

Guess what, I just came back from my first ever interview!
I was so nervous and worked till 3 last night, but I think it went fine. I've got no idea of the result yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyway, did I mention that I was going to London for my visa application? I went there last Friday, and since the Stitch & Craft show happens to be round the corner, a girl must stop by and take a peek, right?

This is why I brought extra cash with me...

Some Hipknits goodness...2 skeins of silk lace yarn for some lacy shawls, I've been itching for lace lately because of Eunny. Then a skein of yummy aran silk for another OSW, perfect for summer! The green one is the famous Malabrigo that I've been wanting to try for so long.

Then some hand-painted goodness...

Colinette Giotto, Colinette Point Five and Debbie Bliss Maya

My favourite buy of the day...

This yarn is soooooo.......yummy. I'm totally in love with it.

I've got one big problem with all those yarns though....how the hell am I going to wound them into balls?? There's no way I could do it manually, especially since there's more than 1000 yards in one hank of the lace yarn.
One more slightly smaller problem, what am I going to knit with those single hanks of hand-painted yarns? Squares for afghan? Little bags? Hat? Scarf? Any suggestions?

Before I forgot, I also scored some yummy alpaca...


And custom made earrings...

that looks like a skein of yarn!

I'm a happy bunny now, but it's such a pity that I didn't get to meet Polly then. Next time, maybe, I've got lots of visits to London in planning.

Meanwhile, there's been no real knitting going on. Does any of you realise that I show more yarn that actual knitting here in my little blog?
I'm also having rash now, the itchy kind, most probably caused by alcohol. How pathetic is it to be allergic to alcohol?

Gotta pack up now, my host family is kicking me out of the house for Easter.

Happy first blogiversary to me!!!

I can't believe I've been blogging for a year, can you? Honestly, it feels so surreal to me.
Within this period, I've get to meet lots of great people, amazing knitters. It's such a joy knowing you guys, and I've learnt so much from you. Thanks for all the supports you gave me ;) Love you guys!

Um...was it too lovey dovey?

Anyway...let's move on to the draw. Remember I said let's do a contest for celebration? Well, here we go....
7 names...

all folded nicely (so that I won't be tempted to peek)and put into my Hayden hat since I don't have any magician style hat.

hand in...

one drawn...

.................................................


........................................................
........................drumroll please.........................
........................................................................


We have a winner!!

Conratulation Mimi!! You just won yourself yuvee's first ever blogiversary prize!

Now, if you recall, I promised to take my knitting around town, and well...I did, but my hands were too freezing to take picture. Lame excuse, I know. Here's some pictures that I took anyway....
Spiral madness on my balcony door...

Spiral going to church with me on Sunday morning...

Spiral Madness

Pattern : by Nona
Yarn : 2 skeins of Louisa Harding Kimono Angora(yum...)
Needles : 5mm
Comments: It was fun fun fun!! I love the pattern, head over heels for the yarn, didn't really want to cast-off, been wearing it everyday ever since.

I also finished one Jaywalker....weeks ago...but only grafted it last night.

Slow, I know. But to make up for it, I also cast-on for the second sock yesterday.
No ribbing for me, instead I did this...


Anyway, I finished my essay after about 10 hours of hard work, with dangerous amount of chocolates and snacks on Sunday. Got another project due this Thursday and my first interview (yikes!) next Wednesday. Wish me lots of luck, will ya? I need it, deperately.

Mimi, will you send me your address, please?

happenings...

There have been lots of happenings in my little blog here...
1. I'm officially a hooker!
2. I joined a gym!(let's hope it'll last for more than 2 months this time)
3. I cast on for a new project(surprise, surprise...)
4. I just came back from my first official Stitch & Bitch!

Okay, so there are lots more, some new yarns, new projects at school, etc.

So, last week this book arrived in the mail, and it turned out to be a big mistake for me. Why? Because I'm a knitter! And now I'm in love with so many patterns in that book that I want to crochet more and more!
There's a birthday this weekend, and since I'm too poor to buy present that's special enough, I decide that something hand made is possibly the best thing I could give someone. Since it'll take me ages to knit a scarf, I decided to crochet one.

(I have no idea why the picture looks all hazy)
One(Half) Skein Scarf, from SnB Crochet
Yarn : Sirdar Aran less than 100g
I love this pattern! It's so easy and simple, took so little yarn and so fast to crochet! I might need to make one for myself in nicer yarn ;D
It took me a while at first to get used to crocheting again, but I sped up quite soon. I finished it in only 2 days!

I actually felt a bit guilty for not knitting, and I need a project to bring with me to the SnB(not that I don't have tons of WIPs lying around). So...I cast on again! Big news, huh? I'm not showing yet, though you could see what it is on the side bar. Actually, inspired by other bloggers who took their knitting outdoor and around
town, I'm going to do the same tomorrow! So watch out for it ;)

This evening, I met up with Peri(hey Peri!) and we built up our courage to attend the local SnB together. I'm glad I did. The other knitters were really friendly, and even though I didn't get to knit much(I frogged more than I knit), it was really quite fun that 2 hours seemed to pass by so quickly.
I think I'm going back next week ;)

I know I've been such a bad blogger, not updating for weeks and all that. No excuse for me this time, I was just being lazy. I do have a 1500 words essay due next Monday though, and I only have about 200 words so far, so I might use that as an excuse next time ;p.
Oh, I almost forgot! My blogiversary is coming soon! I can't believe it! Shall we have a little contest for celebration then? Anyone who leave a comment this time will be in, and I'll do a draw on the big day. No idea for the prize yet, but I'll figure something out ;)

I feel so far from where I've been