The Silkroad Journey

So...it all started with one little hank of this beautiful bunch,and the ultra cute OSW pattern. See the lovely green one? That's the one I'll be talking about.

I skipped school yesterday, just being plain lazy. It wasn't such a big deal because we're done with the school exam. And, can you believe it? I was actually running out of WIP! So what a girl to do? Cast on for more, of course.
There I was, being the lazy knitter that I am, I put it around my pillow while knitting(thanks to Tanti for the advice!).
I cast on confidently, without bothering to check the gauge and everything. Then, when I was about to knit the first stitch....*here's the horror part*...the yarn BREAKS. Can you believe it? I was a little shocked, but decided that it was just a little accident, or maybe that I pulled it too hard. So I cast on again, and was knitting happily for a few rows.
The yarn was sooo....soft and smooth. And the sheen....pretty, just pretty.
Then it came...the yarn BREAKS AGAIN. AGAIN, and AGAIN and AGAIN...
When I was done with the knitting part, I got this

People, that's a total of SIX breaks, 7 if you count the beginning. I'm sure as hell I didn't tug the yarn THAT hard. In fact, after that first break, I tried to be as gentle as possible. Now, I never thought that silk would be so...weak? delicate? vulnerable? I've never break yarn by hand before, except for when I was seaming Lucky, and I did pull really hard then.
So, well...this yarn without a doubt is beautiful and unique. But please, people, BE WARNED.
I'm not about to give it up though. And I've planned to try something else for the edging, other than the simple seed stitch.
It took my hours today to weave in those ends, they're pretty tricky to conceal, you know.
Ladies(and gentlemen), may I present.....Silky OSW!!

Here it is a little dressed up. Well...maybe not for you, but for me, black means dressed up. And to think that I my wardrobe consisted of only black, white and grey few years ago.....my black piece can be counted be fingers now(1 hand!).
And a close up of the crocheted scallop edging for the arms...

I was quite unsure about this, since it's quite big, not the small nice picot I initially wanted. And yeah, the yarn breaks once more time here. That makes it 8 times.
And here it is with a more cheerful(read : bright!) colour...

Please pretend that you don't see those bulges...*blush*
I still think that the finished shrug is lovely, even though I got the gauge wrong, and the whole thing didn't fit quite as nicely as my first one. And yeah, I think I can see more OSW coming in the future....
Note : I "accidentally" won another ebay auction, so I currently got a total of 2.6 kg of yarn coming my way. Not counting the 47 skeins from Jannete that's seems to disappear into thin air. I think I'll have to start selling part of my stash, since I can't take all of them back to Indonesia with me. Anyone interested?

Ta Daaaa....!!!

I had to frog this thing twice, but it's finally done!!

Sorry for the blurry pic, I gotta get a decent digital camera soon, one that could work with my shaky hand. If you can't see clearly, there's a cable running in the centre.
I'm so glad that it's done!! Hope I'll get a chance to wear it soon, but I'll need to find those transparent bra straps first...I know I've got them somewhere.
Wanna know what I've been doing lately?

Yep, crochet!! I desperately want to make this bag from a Japanese pattern book I bought back in Jakarta.

Pretty, isn't it? I took me quite some time to understand those Japanese pattern. Now I know that I'm more of a literal than visual person. I can understand written pattern much better than charts. And I cried when I read novels much more often than movies.
Remember the scarf for my teacher that I said was waayyyy too short? Well...since all I can get here is a much finer yarn(same brand, same colour), I decided to do some crochet(again!) to add some length.

See? Instead of admitting to being stupid enough to knit something knowing that I don't have enough yarn, I can say that I've been planning to do this from the start.
I know, I know...I've been doing more crochet than knitting lately. I think crochet is great and fun, but I don't think I'll be able to crochet anything big. I'll stick to those cute little stuffs. I think I can see more crocheted flowers in the future. Anyway, I'm in love with Kim Hargreaves collection. Too bad the pattern only comes in kit, and since I'm supposed to be in yarn diet, I think I'll stay away from it for good.
And yeah, my exam ended last Friday. So I was kinda taking some rest for this weekend. Catching up with lots of much needed sleep.
How did I do? Oh well....I, just as expected, did really bad in Physics and Biology. Told ya I never like those subjects. I failed my Advance Maths too, but at least I'm not as clueless as I was with my Physics. I'm quite pleased with my Chemistry result though, I love Chemistry!! If I found out that design is not for me, I think I'd love being a cosmetic chemist.
Anyway, I got a little gift from my SP ;)

Thanks SP, those candles are really cute!!
Anyway, I just found out that my SP is from Singapore!!

Well...my next exam, a.k.a THE EXAM, is in less than 3 weeks. I really don't want to mess up with this one. My dad had been asking about my marks lately. He always has this sky high expectation in me, which is really annoying and pressuring. I hate being pressured, especially when he expects me to be the best in every thing. But since I've been using LOTS of his money, I'll try to do my best. Talk about being a good daughter.

SP6 Questionnaire and a visit to the frog pond

This goes to my SP out there!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Well....I do LOVE high quality yarn, but I still want to try stuffs like Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. And I'm a fan of Knitpicks too!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I crochet a little, and I'd love to learn to spin one day.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Hate smokes.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Um...a little more over a year.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I've got one on Amazon.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Jasmine, peach, wild rose and fruity smell, but no citrus please.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Do vegan eats vegetable?

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Origami, paper tole, cross stitch, but all ends after I got hooked on knitting.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Hmm....classical, pop, ballads, mostly 80's. Yep, MP3 will be fine.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love colours, green, orange, pink, white, purple, anything! But I prefer bright, pastel and warm colour palletes than dull, muddy, dark colours.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
My foster family has got 6 dogs!!!

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To be a designer(preferably knitwear!) and open a yarn store. And have a knitting room in my future home. With a yarn library.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Knitpicks, Rowan and Jaeger yarn are always my favourites. Would love to try anything else though.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Scratchy acrylic.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Sweater and cardigan.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Um...I can't choose, love everything!

17. What are you knitting right now?
A top to go with my OSW, a scarf for my teacher, and some UFOs

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Um....not practical, makes me look like a potato sack.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
They serve they own purpose, but I love circular!!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo and wood.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Yeah, 'sock' knitter, not yet a socks knitter.

22. How did you learn to knit?
The owner of my LYS taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Few months...

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Whale.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas!! and Chinese New Year, because I get money ;)

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Um...other than yarn? Origami paper, letter set, accesories, bags, books.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None. :(

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter, and lots more!!

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Like every pattern books and mags out there??? ;p

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
Yikes, I have wide feet. My foot is 9" in length, and my cuff is more than 9" in circumference!! I prefer shorter socks, as I have very big legs.

There you go SP, I'm easy to please, ain't I??

And here's the one who goes to the frog pond...

I should've known that it would turn out HUGE earlier, not after I've knitted 2 skeins of yarn. And now I need to decrease at least 60 stitches.
The problem is me and my self-denial. I was worried that it'll turn out too big from the start, but I just hush the voice in my head, telling me to stop. And it's not the first time either.
Remember Orangina?(I knew it's huge). Remember Lucky?(I knew there's something wrong with the sleeves). Remember Kiri?(I knew it would be too small for me). Remember the scarf?(I knew 2 skeins won't be enough).
So what's going on here? I have a problem. At least I would admit it.

Another FO? Why not?

Two Skeins Wonder

I finally did it!! This pattern had been around in my file for quite some time, and I even lost it once. Fortunately, Stephanie sent me another one immediately after I emailed her ;)
I'm quite hesitant to put up this picture, you know. Because it seems to be so focused on my....boobs(I'm feeling kinda weird saying this).
But still, I'm loving this little babe!! I think that the colours combination looks great, that I decided to knit a top to go with it!

The ribbing is knitted with Sirdar Breeze, which is surprisingly nice. My friend thought that my OSW looks so cute, so I offered to knit her one. She likes the colours combination, so I'll knit another one just like mine for her, only in much smaller size ;p.

Would you like to take a peek at what arrives in the mail today? C'mon, admit it, I know you do...now hold your breath...

Yep, they're the amazing HipKnits silk!! Aren't the colours beautiful?? Notice those sheen? The yarn feels very different to my hands, I don't think I've ever came across yarn with such crispness(now I sound like I'm talking about potato chips). See the green and baby blue single hanks? I'm planning to knit some more OSW with them ;). And the 3 pink hanks? Well....who knows what they'll be, I'll be just happy to have them sit in my stash.

May I rant now? I want to rant about....ZITS.
I used to have smooth skin, with the occasional tiny zits. People used to ask me the secret to my smooth complexion.
But NOW? These HUGE ZITS have been poping up non-stop since last month, and I have no idea why. People notice, and they make comments about it. I'm getting a little bit frustrated about this...maybe I should make a facial appointment soon.

Meme

How do you pronounce that word anyway? Is it me-me or mae-mae?
Well, I was tagged by Sara, I don't think you'd want to know more about me,but here it is anyway....

Ten Years Ago
I was 8, still living with my parents in Indonesia. Just started 3th grade and have always ranked first (that's all about to change in my 3th grade). My primary school memory was a really fond one. My mom sent me to all sorts of courses. I did ballet, English, keyboard, etc. I was my teachers favourite, being as talkative(and cute!) as I am now. I hang out with girls and boys, spent lots of time in the library reading children's book. I was also quite notorious having been in lots of fights with boys(hey, they started it first!). I had daily fights with my little bro too, needless to say, I won most of the time. My mom used to dislike me back then, but our relationship got much better after I move to Malaysia.

Five Years Ago
I was 13, on my first year of junior high, second year in Malaysia. I had lots of new friends, having lots of fun, spending lots of money on useless stuffs. I was on my early teenage years, and we had a lot of curiousity in sex. I think I can say that I knew much more than my friends did, having my cousins explained to me about the sperm and egg and all that. Really, one of my friend thought that kissing could make you pregnant. Parents in Asia rarely discuss sexuality with their kids, so we had to find out by ourselves. Two of the boys got caught for opening a porno website on my shcool library. Silly.

One Year Ago
Mi sweet seventeen!! I had my first part time job as a waitress in a coffee & tea house. It was so much fun!! I met new friends, learn to make varieties of coffees and teas. And the food was delicious!! Well..we weren't supposed to eat the food while working...but sometimes....well...you know...
I worked for four months, more than 100 hours per month. I never thought that I'd enjoy it that much, but I sure did, especially when I got my fist salary ;D
Most of my time was consumed in working and tuitions, and I hardly ever went out with friends. I didn't really matter to me anyway. I was working on my first knitting project back then, a long ribbed scarf in pink and cream stripes. I sometimes knit while working, and I even taught my friends(colleagues) to knit!!

---

Five Snacks
-Mars bars
-Dried prunes, guavas, dates, sour plum...
-Rice pudding(had it only once, but loves it so much)
-Starbucks oatmeal and raisin cookies
-Chocolate chip cookies

Five Songs I Know All The Words To
-Superman by Coldplay
-I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith
-To Where You Are by Josh Groban
-Perfect by Simple Plan
-Superwoman by Karyn White

Five Things I'd Do With 100 Million Bucks
-Make a deposit account for my parents
-Buy houses in Indonesia, Greece, Turkey, America and England
-Travel around the world
-Open a yarn store
-Make a lot of donation

Five Places I'd Run Away To
-Buyukada Island in Turkey
-San Fransisco
-Yarn Stores
-English countryside
-Vineyard in France

Five I Would Never Wear
-Shapeless dress with all over flower prints
-Micro mini leather skirt(unless I lose 30 pounds)
-Rags
-Thigh high leather boots
-Yellow PVC boots(Phua Chu Kang style)

Five TV Shows
-Telenovela
-Ally Mc Beal
-The Oprah Winfrey Show
-Gilmore Girls
-Hong Kong and Korean drama

Five Joys
-Petting my yarns
-Yarn Shopping
-Eating(even a banana could makes me happy)
-Knitting and watching drama at the same time
-Standing on top of hills, looking down at magnificent sceneries

Five Things To Do, Just For Me, Before I Die
-Travel as much as I can
-Diving
-Knit at least an Icelandic, Aran, Fair Isle, Entrelac and lace sweaters
-Find a best friend
-Have a kid

This whole thing took me an hour!! Now...I'd like to tag:
-Van
-Laura
-Lois
-Doreen
-Peggy
Since you guys know so much about me, and I know so little about all of you. Really, I'm just being kepo(busybody). ;) No obligation here, but I'd love to know more about all of you.

Kiri = Left

Meet my beautiful Kiri....

Thanks to Polly for the great pattern. I considered this shawl and easy knit, and knitting with pattern repeats really makes you feel like you're progressing, unlike stockinette sticth.
Notice that I have a new model? It's a body mannequin like the one that's hanged on stores. I got this one for free from my auntie's friend. Yay!!
Here's another shot,

beautiful edging, no?
You might not notice, but actually the shawl is pretty small. I only did 12 repeats, which is fine for the mannequin, but not for me. I think I'll frog the edging and do a few more repeats. I like big shawls, the one that would drape and cling to my body.

I knitted this scarf for my form teacher.

Actually, she requested it months ago. So I made it a promise that I'll do it before I graduate. The pattern is from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Do you notice that the scarf is very short? Too bad I only have two skeins of the yarn, since I got it from KL. My LYS sells the same wool, but finer. I've got no choice but to double up the yarn to add more length. I'm hoping that it'll look fine.

And guess what? I finally casted on for OSW!! Well...since I'm on my second skein now, it would be TSW.

The yarn is Katia Regata that I bought from Cara. I first intended to use Sirdar Breeze, but it's way too fine. I'm pretty much fed up with maths to want to alter the number of stitches. I considered doubling the yarn, but it's way too bulky.
Can you guys see that I started to try to take more artistic photos? I love them. But you won't have any idea how many pictures I had to take. I never knew that I have shaky hands....

Uhm....why does it seems that I'm knitting even more than usual when the exam is approaching? Gotta be the stress. I've been dealing with lots of Maths lately. I'm actually pretty good at it, my biggest problem ever is that I can never memorise the formulas. That's why I'm so depressed having to work with Trigonometry, Algebra, Calculus,...the list is still quite long, but I don't wanna give you a headache.
And I think I'll give up my Physics, since I never really get a grasp after these 3 years. Thank God I'm pretty good at Chemistry, English and Malay. For your information, I study Chinese at school. I had to learn the Shakespeare equivalent in Chinese. And trust me, I think it's much harder than English literature.
Enough academic talk, I can see you all trying to find another blog to read.

My lovely SP has revealed herself, she's Janet!! C'mon guys, drop by her blog and say hi to her. I'd like to make a public THANK YOU for spoiling me for the past months!!!

Lucky, but without much luck...

Yeah, Lucky is finally done!! All seamed, weaved and blocked. But well...there are some "little" problems....like the greyish back and left front, and that it doesn't fit.

The colour is actually much lighter when it's dry.
Do you notice the colour difference?

This is a close-up of the bottom part of the right front. The first 2" was knitted using the 'greyish' Clover circular needle, and the rest using bamboo once I realised what was happening. Ugh...the pink colour looks so nice on my computer screen, how I wish it's like that in reality.
I don't think I'll attempt to clean it up, since it fits me weird anyway. Maybe someday I'll became 'slim' enough to wear it, or maybe my mom would want it. Who knows.
Well....last Thursday I made another last-minute decision to go to KL again. I decide in the afternoon, bought the bus ticket, booked the hotel, and left at midnight. Some spontaneity, huh?
And the reason for me going? To apply for US visa. Yep, you heard me right. And guess what? I got it!! I can't believe my luck, really. The interviewer was talking as though he was going to refuse my application, but then he said, "Look, I don't want to make your life like hell, I'm going to approve your visa." I was so dumbfounded that all I could say was "Huh?" I was so ecstatic afterwards that I kept on jumping and smiling like a fool. They stare, trust me, but who cares? America, here I come!! Well, not until December, but I'm definitely going if nothing goes wrong with my dad's business. And with some more luck, I might be going to college in the UK next January!! So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that lady luck will smile at me ;). Or at least the fortune god.
Anyway, here's my latest purchase from KL. No, no yarns, but I've got some great books, and I'm sure you'll agree with me.

America Knits by Melanie Fallick, this book is amazing!! I'm really impressed with the stories of the artisans, they're living every knitters' dream (or at least mine)!! Most of the patterns are kind of intimidating, but I love the first pattern on the book, Girl's Trapezoid Jacket with Mitten Motif by Pam Allen.
Oh, and the pictures are beautiful!!
KnitLit (too) by Linda Roghar & Molly Wolf, this book, just like KnitLit, will become my loyal loo companion ;).
Then there is At Knit's End, by the ever-so-famous Yarn Harlot. I've "heard" knitters across the bloggyland rave about this book, but honestly, I never really 'get it', not until I laid my hand on one. This book is simply fabulous, I LOVE IT!!!
Anyway, did I mention that I went to KL ALONE?? For the first day, I got to spend some time with my friend, but I had to talk to myself for the rest 2 days :( I used to think that travelling alone would be great, but I think I'd rather have someone to talk to. I did have fun there though, spending hours at the book stores, walk here and there, and I even visited the newly-opened aquarium. Yeah, that's my idea of fun, now I sound like a geek.
For your information, my school's final exam(a.k.a UEC trial exam) is on 19th September. So, that leaves me about, oh, 15 days to revise EVERYTHING I've learnt for the 3 years of my senior high school life. In the science stream, no less. Then 2 weeks after that, I've got THE EXAM. Then I graduate. Time really flies, doesn't it?
Now, if you think that'll make me hold on my knitting, then you're very wrong. As I cast on this 3 days ago(midnight), just after finishing Lucky.

Can you tell what this is? It's a Kiri!! I know it doesn't look promising, but I'll trust the expert knitters who said not to judge lace before it's blocked. I had a little problem casting on, but with some tutorial from Lois, I was happily knitting along. I'm now on my 9th repeat, but it still looks very small to me. The pattern is quite easy to understand too, I can knit without looking at it now!! Not bad, eh?
The yarn is Shimmer from Knitpicks, and the "happy" colourway is called Happy Dance. Since the yarn comes in hank form, I had to wind it into a ball. By hand. Alone.
First, I put the yarn around my neck, but I almost strangled myself, ick.
Then I put it around my folded knees, and it seems to work. Took me almost an hour, but since I was watching Korean drama while doing it, it doesn't really feel that long.
Have you all seen the latest edition of MagKnits? I love Sesame and Alice!! There are so many sweaters and cardigans that I want to knit!!
Well...everyone, wish me luck, will ya? I'll need lots of it to get through this month. And next.
Have a nice weekend and happy knitting!!
Note : More than half of this post had to be written twice, and I blame it all on blogger.

Updates!!

I don't know where to start...I think it's kinda hard after almost 2 weeks not updating :). Well..first, I got a parcel from elann.com last week, but I don't know who gave it to me. My only guess is, of course, SP!!
See, there are enough yarns for 3 pairs of socks!! But as you might have noticed, I've never finished any pair of socks!!
I went to Genting Highlands last friday to meet my parents, they were having a brief holiday there(mostly spent at the casino, of course). I had to accompany some of my dad's friends (the wives!!) with my mom shopping at KL for a few hours. I never have any mood for shopping going out with them, but look what I bought!!

Finally!! A digicam for ME!! Now I can say adios to blurry pictures!! This little cutie will definitely be my new best friends ;D And yes, it's orange!!!
Would any of you remeber the stripey cardigan I knit for my mom? No, it's now an FO yet, but I've been seaming it hoping I could gave it to my mom. Seems I'll have to wait till Nov. Anyway, I got her to try it out for me.
Sshh...she doesn't know that I'm going to put it here. She doesn't know that I've got a blog, and I don't even think she knows what a blog is. What do you think?? I'm glad that it fits, now I'll just have to knit the button band and it's done!!
But for now, I think I'll work on Lucky first. I'm knitting the very long neck band now. But I've seamed the sleeves to the front and back, check it out.
I have a really strong hunch that the sleeves won't fit ;(
Let's see...so far I've put 4 pics in this post...shall I put another one? Oh well... take a look at this one
Rowan polar bought from ebay. I was expecting the colour to be sharp pink, but as you can see, it's VERY purple. Now, I can handle bright pink, but I don't think I can handle bright purple. Well...there's nothing I can do anyway.
I've got a week holiday now, so I shall enjoy myself, and...uhm...study.
Everyone, have a nice week!!

Uh Oh...

Something was wrong with my notebook when I came home from school and I had to use the recovery cds and well...recover it. Recovering it includes deleting everything in my computer, making it the same as when I first bought it last year. Since I had NO CHOICE, I did.
So...I lost my 800++ songs, my hundreds of pic, my downloaded programs, everything!! But...as if it's not bad enough, I just realised that I lost my OSW pattern too!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!I've saved Orangina pattern inside my PDA phone some times ago, but haven't do so with my OSW pattern, and now it's gone!! What should I do??? Do you think I should purchase it again??
I'm having a problem with Lucky too. It involves corroding needle coating and pink-turns-greyish fabric. I can't post a picture now because I haven't install the program transfer the pic from my phone's camera. What I can say is I have different shades of pink for my left and right front side of the wrap. One greyish pink, another pale pink. It looks kinda weird I tell you. I posted about this with a cry for help in the Knitty Coffeeshop and got a lot of advice. Some of the more experienced knitter there told me to try something called Spray And Wash and Oxyclean. Since I'm pretty sure they're not available here, maybe I'll go to the supermarket and buy all the cleaning products. :(
Hopefully it'll turn out right. I like Lucky too much to give up.

Lucky is back!!

I've finally made some progress with Lucky since last week. Here she is now...

The back is done and now I'm knitting the right front. It has been a smooth knit and I'm getting along with the yarn surprisingly well. The Rowan 4-ply cotton yarn produces a very light fabric when knitted up, something I didn't usually found in other yarn, and something that I really like. I'm still not so sure about the colour, but at least now I can accept it. I should be able to finish Lucky in this month, since I'm not having any exam and there'll be a week of holiday on the 20th. Still....THE EXAM is creepingly slowly but surely...the countdown shows only 78 days left. And before that I got a trial exam, which is my final school exam next month, GASP!! I really need to do some study, and leave my knitting for a while. As if I could.
I watched two classics while knitting Lucky just now. Thouroughly Modern Millie, starring Julie Andrews and Breakfast at Tiffany's. I sure love classics! And I love Audrey Hepburn!! She's just so pretty and elegant and most of all...very lovable. I can see myself watching the movie over and over again, along with A Little Princess (another favourite!). Hhmmm....it's been quite some time since I watched Sound Of Music too...and My Fair Lady...and Annie. Did I mention that I LOVE classics?
Anyway...I finished the sock last week...

but I'm not really pleased with the lace part and that silly ruffles. I'm going to change it into something simpler and with smaller ruffles. Well...at least it fits.

B'day gift from SP!!

I came home today to this...

A birthday present from my fabulous SP!! I love this book, thank you!!!
It's been quite some time since I got anything in the mail other than bills. And talking about it...did you remember about my yarn purchase that haven't arrive after more than 3 weeks? Well..there seems to be a little confusion between me and the seller. I just found out yesterday that she sent it to my home back in Indonesia! I thought that it was kind of funny, remembering how anxious I was everytime I came home, wondering if they've arrived. Unfortunately the yarn still haven't reach there either. I'm a little disappointed that I won't be getting my much-awaited yarn, but to think on the bright side,it means that I'll have less luggage to carry back home at the end of the year. It was my biggest purchase ever, I got 57 skeins of yarn! I promised my dad that it'll the last time I'm using his credit card (for this year!), but now it seems that I'll have a reason to buy more...hehehehe...;D
Anyway, I've frogged Orangina once again(too small!), and my friends were more than happy to help me. They seemed to have a lot of fun frogging, since it's not them who knitted it. Orangina seemed to hate me, so maybe I'll just give us both a break. Meanwhile, I've been having a little fun knitting this

A toe-up sock using Knitpicks Simple Stripes. I love to see how the self-patterning yarn works! I started knitting with dpns, but soon switched to circular needle using the magic loop technique.
I've been itching to get some of the Hip Knits silk yarn. They look sooo... yummy! And there are even cashmere sock yarn! But it's way too pricey for me, so I'll stick to the silk yarn for the time being. Hoping to place an order next week, when they have more stocks. Can't wait!

As I promised, here's a picture of me wearing Tivoli.


And here's a close-up of the contrasting colour band with little lace pattern.


What do you think? I think it's really sweet ;)
I decided to start working on Orangina again yesterday, this time using only a single strand of DMC Petra, which is really fine. I cast on 2 pattern repeat less, but now I'm getting worried that it'll turn out too small instead. Whatever, I can always give it to my mom if it doesn't fit me.
I've been watching drama way too much lately, and way too little of much needed studying. Still no sign of my yarn purchase from Jannette in ebay....I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Well....I still have a lot to say, but my eye lids are getting really heavy. I'll take a nap now...Zz..z.z..z.Zz.Zz.....

Finished....reading Harry Potter and knitting Tivoli

I got home really tired at 1 a.m. last Friday, and woke up at 6.10 a.m. on Saturday, so that I could go to pick up my pre-ordered Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Price. There were 2 of my friends coming too, so we go for yumcha afterwards (love it!). I read the first chapter while waiting for bus, but since reading in bus makes me dizzy, I have to really hold myself from opening the book. After I got home, I change clothes, then sat myself comfortably on the bed, and spent about 7 hours doing nothing else but reading. Then I got back to my knitting....
Tivoli is done, with a contrasting colour band and some little lace pattern. It's now blocking, so I'll post a picture some other time.
I'm getting a bit worried since my yarn purchase from ebay hasn't arrive yet. The other knitter have gotten theirs, and it's been 2 weeks!! I hope nothing goes wrong, since this is my biggest purchase ever (you'll see if they got here;D ).
Few hours till my birthday, and I'm having this Peter Pan syndrome. I never like birthdays, since it means I'm growing old. I know I'm still young, but turning 18 sounds like a big thing. I can now legally do a lot of stuffs, like smoking, get into a discotheque, etc. Stuffs that I don't really want to do anyway. I still can't enter a casino and have an eye laser surgery, not before I'm 21.
My dad has called 3 times and my mom once today...speaking of nothing that matters at all. Weird.
As for birthday present, I asked for a sewing machine from my mom. She thinks that I'm trying to be funny, before I told her 3 times. They told me to go out and celebrate with my friends, which I've been planning to, but I'm not really in the mood of celebration right now, so we'll see.

Almost an FO

Orangina? No. Gabby? No. Tivoli? Yes, please. Well, since my failure with Orangina, I've been knitting Tivoli non-stop (except at school, where I'm working with Gabby). I started last weekend and knit a-skein-a-day for 3 days, then another 2 skeins in 3 days, so I guess it's a quick knit. I haven't bind it off, since I actually still have another inch to go, but I'm running out of yarn. I'm using Knitpicks Shine in Blush, but I only have 5 skeins, while the pattern called for 6. I have another skein in Orchid, which I think will look good together. Here it is now...


Forgive the blurry picture, my flabby arm, my messy hair and my fat belly. I promise I'll post a better picture once it's done. The yarn is really nice to work with, smooth and shiny, BUT it does make me sneeze a lot.
It's my school's 55th anniversary tomorrow, so I'll be busy the whole day. And guess what, since we'll all be busy tomorrow, we got an extra holiday for Saturday, which means.....Yay!! I can pick up my Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince early in the morning! I can't believe there's only about 30 hours to go, can't wait!
I hereby stated that I won't be knitting even a stitch before I finish reading HP6.
And what's more, I'll be 18 in 3 days!!! Can't wait? Hardly.

Froggy, here I come...

This is supposed to be a happy post where I report on my knitting progress, but somehow everything went really wrong.
This is the (supposed to be) first part of Greta (my light green Orangina)


I've started the back too, then I realised that it is WAY TOO BIG (19" across! I might be big, but not THAT big, and cotton stretch!). Okay, I have to admit that I realised it 15" ago. I had choices, just keep on knitting and got an Orangina T-shirt, or dive the frog pond. I made my choice, and here it is


That's just 2" of the back, I don't have the heart to frog the front yet. I was knitting with 2 strands of DMC Petra on #5 bamboo. It turns out surprisingly nice, but not-so-surprisingly heavy. I swear that my straight needles are not so straight anymore! I think I'll start all over again and knit another swatch with single strand and smaller size needle. Then I'm going to knit it 1 or 2 repeat smaller, can't decide yet. So I guess I'll be the last one to finish in the KAL.
Here's another WIP that I haven't been showing here. I name her Gabby (Notice that I started naming my projects? It feels like naming my own children! Not that I would know how it feels, but I suppose it is). Here she is...


I was knitting one of the strap when I tried her on. And guess what? The bust was too big!! I'm moving 5" downward and am currently trying to pick up stitches(230++!) again. Then I'll start from the bust part, no more increasing this time. She is the one I mentioned before, the one that's knitted using Jaeger Siena and #3 needle. Does anyone notice that I stole the lace pattern from Soleil? What do you think?
So, I'm moving downwards while everybody are moving upwards. Wonder if I'll ever get my WIPs done...

Note: 57 more skeins of yarn coming soon!
Note 2: 9 days till Harry Potter 6 release!! 11 days till I'm 18!!

Triple Happiness

Don't you just love it when you come home feeling really tired after school and found these waiting for you at home.


Yep, they are gifts from my SP and purchase from Cara. Can you imagine my excitement? I feel like a little kid opening my Christmas present. I can't stop grinning while I'm opening the gifts, and my grin got even wider when I saw what's hidden inside. Here...


There is Susanne's Ebony circular needle size 5.00 mm, which would be perfect for my project using Merino Style. Then there are 2 cards of R2 yarn, which I think would be really fun to work with, really cute beaded stitch markers (my first!), the knitter's handy guide to Yarn Requirements (which just proved that my Merino Style won't be enough to knit a sweater), yummy dark chocolate (which I'm currently enjoying. SP, how can you know that dark chocolate is my favourite?), and a big bar of soap that I forgot to photograph (it smells so good!). And as if those are not enough, there's this SnB journal, which I REALLY wanted.
SP, I really thank you for giving such wonderful gifts, you're the best!!!
P.S. : Do you realize there's a name with the billing address inside the Amazon envelope? I'll play detective and try to find your blog among the huge participants list ;)

Well, here's my purchase from Cara.


8 skeins of Katia Regata, 4 skeins of Katia Mississipi Print in 2 different colourways and a Katia magazine.
If you look at the title, it says Triple. I went out after school and went to the LYSs in a mission to find the perfect yarn for Orangina (I'm in the KAL! Look at the sidebar). I didn't find it, instead I bought these


Actually I'd rather knit the whole Orangina with the millefili cotton yarn. Unfortunately, my LYS only have 2 balls left, so I opted for the DMC Petra instead. I'm now considering using the Millefili for the ribbing part, wonder how it'll turn out. I knit a swatch using Miami cotton yarn in a very lovely bright blue shade. Then again, I only have 1 ball of that colour, and I really don't think a stripey Orangina will look good. All the cotton yarn I can find in the LYSs are either too dark and dull, or they don't have enough stocks. I hope Orangina will work out well with this yarn, I'll start swatching tonight.
I'm having a cold sores outbreak so I went to the pharmacy to get the medicine. Can you believe that a 2gr tube of cream costs me RM 41.55? It's more than US$10.00!!
I hate having herpes, but I'm still thankful that it's ONLY on my lips. If you know what I mean....

MADNESS

There's something really wrong with me.
Last Friday, I took an early leave from school and went to KL, skipping 2 days of school and just got back yesterday night. I was really tired, and yet, I can't sleep until 2 am. Now, it's 3:28 AM and I just took my shower. I woke up, thinking that I'm late (I usually wake up at 5:45 AM sharp). Strange thing is, I did look at my phone (aka my alarm) and saw that it's 3 something, but it still didn't occur to me until I came out from the shower. Now my hair is all wet and there's no way I can get back to bed. This of course means another sleepy day at school.
During my trip to KL, I didn't buy any yarn, but I did get these.

Last week my order of Rowan 4-ply cotton for Lucky arrived, and I was really disappointed. The colour was so not-me and dull (the colour is Allure) and the texture was not something I would expect to be getting from Rowan too. But since I ordered 10 skeins of them, I guess I should just knit with them anyway. I made a swatch for Lucky, I hope this would work out and that I have enough motivation to finish it. Well, I ordered some Noro Kureyon and Silk Garden too, love 'em. I'll knit the Spring Armwarmers from SnBN with the Kureyon.


On the knitting front, I've been trying to knit something from my own design using Jaeger Siena. It's been growing really slowly, considering I started off with 300 stitches on my needle and a gauge of 7sts/1". I'm in a real need of some FO, realising I haven't had any for quite a long time and looking at other knitters blogs to see great FOs at once. Maybe I should start knitting a dish cloth.

First Sock

That's right, I finally knitted my first sock ever. First, I made this training sock.


It's really cute and I just can't help but to show it off to my classmates. They immediately wanted it and I finally gave it to my friend who sit next to me so that she can use it as a mobile phone cover. I'll definitely knit more of them, they're so easy and fast to knit!
Then, I knit this sock using the pattern provided by the First Sock Knitter KAL. They're pretty easy and quick to knit since the pattern is using #6 dpns. I'm using the superwash merino wool from MCY. As you can see, the colour is really variagated and it changes every quarter row.
>

Anyway, please don't mind my big and ugly foot. I had to really stretch the sock before I can wear it. Lesson learned, if you have big feet and big ankles, then knit big socks. And yeah, I did say 'sock', not 'socks'. I'm not planning to knit another one of this, since I know that it won't fit anyway.

This goes out to sadls_star@yahoo.com.sg. I tried to email you twice but I got a delivery failure notification both times. I hope you're reading this, visit the Golden Dragon at People's Park Center 02#51. They stock lots of Rowan, Jaeger, Sirdar, Japanese yarns and lots more! I'm sure you'll like it there.

Back again

I came back from Indonesia yesterday, and had the same strange feeling I have when I have to leave home. It sure is not a good feeling, and I've been through the same thing over and over again for the past 7 years.
Anyway, here's the pictures of my new yarns as promised. Feast your eyes!!


Some knitting mags from Singapore, so glad to find them, not so glad with the price though. And check out those great CashCotton, they're sooo....soft. I only got 6 skeins though, not sure what I could knit out of it. Would it be enough for NBaT?


The lovely Jaeger siena, I absolutely love this yarn!! And 10 skeins of Merino Style from KnitPicks, I'm looking for a sweater pattern for this. Preparation for my future, if I get to move to somewhere with real seasons.


Shine is a really lovely yarn, I'm planning to knit a top with this, any pattern ideas? See those brilliant colours I got for Wool of Andes? Time for some felting!!


Some Sirdar Breeze to knit Cozy from Knitty Fall 04, or maybe another wrap pattern. It'll be a gift for my teacher when I graduate. Those 2 Patons PowderPuff will be a case for my notebook, then maybe I'll knit Candy Stripers from SnBN and use it as a lining.


A skein of Alpaca Cloud, and another 2 skeins of Merino Style. I'll be knitting something lacy from the Alpaca Cloud. Then there are my MCY , the colour are a bit different from what I saw on their website, but they're still pretty anyway.


I wanted to knit this top from Knitter's mag, it's called Squash Blossom. I planned to use Siena and I made the swatches, but I still can't get the gauge. Siena has a real fine gauge with 28 sts/4". I tried using larger needle, but I hate how it turns out, I love it when my stitches are tight. 2 skeins of sock yarn, I'm currently looking for an easy pattern to knit my first sock. Preferably using Magic Loop technique, since I suck with dpns.


Last but not the least, I got 2 skeins of Shimmer in the colour Happy Dance (I love that name!). I think I could knit a big Kiri with this, what do you think about Kiri in variagated colour?
My mom thinks that I've got enough yarn for a whole year, but I'm sure you'll understand my need to buy more ;) I've been itching to shop online again, since I still can't find Rowan 4-ply cotton for my Lucky.
Anyway, I'm currently knitting the second sleeve of my mom's cardigan. I'm hating it, and I'm really unsure about how it turns out. Oh, and my sleeve caps looks really ugly. Hope I can finish it as fast as possible and get it out of my sight. I hate finishing, there are thousands of ends to weave, and lots of edges to seams, Aaarrrghhh!!!!