More socks!!

I came back from a short, sudden trip to Surabaya 2 days ago and had these waiting for me....


My Sockapalooza socks!! Aren't they wonderful? It's Embossed Leaf Socks in Koigu KPPM. They're a bit on the big side, but they'll be perfect for chilly autumn and winter nights because I do get cold feet. They're my first pair of Koigu socks, and they're sooo soft. And as if it's not enough, my fabulous sockpal, Lisa, included these...

They're sooo yummy, I can't wait to knit with them! I just have to find the perfect pattern, any suggestions?

Meanwhile, I'm knitting this beauty...

Most of you would probably recognise this, Rowan Butterfly. I'm using Zephyr Wool Silk and it's coming along pretty well.
In less than a month I'll be going back to my stash....can't wait! I've been dreaming about them ;)

Three Socks

Thank you sooo much for everyone's comments on my last post!
I can't tell you how happy I am to know that I'm not forgotten yet in blogsphere ;)

The Lasik surgery went pretty well albeit the fact that I was so scared when they were messing around with my eyes. According to eyewitnesses(mom, dad and bro) it was much scarier watching it being done. Apparently the doctor made a flap on my eyes *shudder*. I'm actually quite glad that I didn't know what he's going to do beforehand, otherwise I might not have the guts to do it.
My eyes are still recovering and I have actual blood stains on my eyes, which would work pretty well for Halloween, I think. I can't knit anything that requires much attention yet because I can't put too much strain to my eyes. To be honest, I kinda miss my glasses, it feels weird not wearing it after 13 years.

Now, since the title is about socks and not eyes...let's talk socks.


Yarn: Rowan 4ply soft
Needle: Addi Turbo 2.5mm
Comments: This was the first pair of socks that I've ever knitted from Sensational Knitted Socks. When I fist bought the book few months ago I was disappointed since there were no instructions for toe-up socks. But after knitting a few more socks from Cookie.A's patterns, I actually no longer dread knitting cuff-down, I can even say I like it. So, even though I've bought More Sensational Knitted Socks which includes instructions for toe-up, I think I'd knit more cuff-down socks. Apparently I'm too lazy to remember how to cast on for toes.


RPM
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Socks "Watercolour"
Needle: Addi Turbo 2.5mm
Comments: Let me just start by saying how much I LOVE this yarn. The yarn was a gift from Mimi(thanks!), and while I've had it for quite a while I never knew what to do with it. That is until I saw Joy's. The pattern is perfect for this yarn and I can't wait to get my hands on more of these. NOW I understand why so many people rave about this yarn. It's a real joy to work with. Thanks again Mimi, for making me a Lorna's Laces virgin no more ;).


Sockapalooza Socks
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock Yarn "Aqua"
Needle: Addi Turbo 2.5mm
Comments: The pattern is again from Sensational Knitted Socks. My sock pal likes blue, so after searching around for the perfect yarn, I settled on this one. I was looking for a pattern that would somewhat ensemble water movements. The lace looks really pretty when stretched out, but I think I'll leave it to my pal to post the modelled picture. I should be posting it out on the 1st, but since I'm leaving that day I think it'll be posted tomorrow instead. I really hope she'll like it. *fingers crossed*

Anyway, since I mention I'd be leaving. I'm going to KL for a few days to send off my brother to uni then I'll be going to Singapore. Too bad I won't have any time to spare in KL since I'll have to stick with my parents. However, I'd love to meet up with other knitters in Singapore if possible, I'll be there from 5-11 August. I haven't bought a single skein of yarn in more than a month, I think I'm going crazy.

I'm having problem opening Hotmail at the moment, so I apologize for not being able to reply to emails.

Sooo....I doubt if people are still reading this blog anymore.
I'm still doing nothing much at home. There are not much knitting going on here either, but I did manage to finish 3 pairs of socks! They're all really pretty and I can't wait to share pictures with you guys, but that'll have to wait.
Now off to some rambling about what's been going on...
It was my 20th birthday last wednesday, and it was pretty uneventful. But it does help making myself believe that I'm still a teenager ;p
I've bought the latest HP on Sunday at a ridiculous price of more than 30 bucks! But what can I do, there's no way I can wait till I go back to London. Anyway, I finished the book in 2 days, slower than my usual pace. I can't wait till everybody is finished so that I can talk about it without worrying of spoiling it for someone else!
Lastly, I'm having Lasik surgery in a few hours....wish me luck, will ya??

Being at home, I've lost track of time. I have no idea how long I've been home, all I know is that today is Saturday.
I have a lot to share with you guys, but I've stupidly left my camera charger back in London, so pictures will have to wait.
Knitting wise, I've started and finished knitting Clementine Shawlette from IK Spring '07 and started Bonsai Tunic from the same issue of IK. I also bought 2 Japanese knitting mags and found a pattern I really want to knit, but haven't managed to figure out the Japanese patterns yet.
There's nothing exciting going on lately. I did receive an awesome parcel from Mimi before I left and I'll share a picture soon.
I haven't been able to drop by anyone's blog lately, and I suspect I won't be able to post much for the next 3 months but please bear with me. I'm not used to such a long holiday but I've been kept busy so far ;).
Sorry it's all so random, I do realise I've been rambling. I'm leaving for Bali tomorrow, so I'll do a 'proper' post when I come back. Talk to you guys soon!!

stalled

So....I finished Monkey last week

Monkey
Pattern source: Monkey socks from Knitty.com by Cookie A.
Yarn: Trekking ProNatura
Needle: 2.5mm 80cm Addi Turbo
Comments: Ok, so these socks are not as well fitting as my Hedera since I didn't know how to modify the heels. It's a bit of a struggle putting them on as I have to pull really hard, but once they're on, they're pretty.
I LOVE the yarn too, it has 25% bamboo in it that gives it a gorgeous sheen and that "crispy" feel I just love. The pattern is positively addictive too, I'm already contemplating a second pair! One thing though, I never had to block my socks but with this pattern I think some good blocking would make it look so much better. Now I'm thinking of getting one of those fancy sock blockers ;) Or I can just make my own....one day.

After finishing those Monkeys, I was at lost. I have NOTHING to work on!!
So, it was time to cast on for something new. But what?? I tried casting on for some stuffs but none of them work out well. Wrong yarn, wrong needle, wrong gauge. If you've been there I'm sure you know how frustrating it is.
Here's an example

I cast on for Endpaper Mitts by Eunny with the Regia Silks that I used for the Entrelac Socks. Who knew that ripping entrelac is such a pain in the a**. I worked it with 2.5mm needle since that's the size I stock in 80cm length. There's no way I can do colourworks with dpns. If you know the pattern, it calls for 2.75mm for the smallest size. My hands might be my only body parts that are not L size, but they're definitely not XS. When I tried it on I'm convinced it'd cut my blood circulation if I actually wear it. So it's being put on hold while I'm waiting for 3.00mm Addi Lace needle to arrive. I do miss doing colourwork though.
I also tried knitting other stuffs, but with similar devastating (yes, devastating) results. Then I remembered that somebody said something about "when you're unsure, do what you know best" or something along the line. So I did.


Fetching
Pattern source: Fetching from Knitty.com
Yarn: Lang Silk Dream, 1 skein
Needle: 4.00mm 60cm circular x 2
Comments: The yarn is leftover from my Sporty Cardi that I've been wanting to use up. Since I lost my beloved first Fetching somewhere between Venice and Paris, I fgure it's time to make a replacement. The top part of the first one of the pair came out a bit too short for my liking, so I did an extra cable repeat. I was worried about running out of yarn, but I had yards of leftovers. The yarn is still gorgeous and lovely to work with, makes me want to knit a pair in every colour.

The Fetching handwarmer only took me a night (ok, a very long night) to knit. So I needed somethine else to knit while watching all those Korean dramas.


Le' Slouch
Pattern source: Le' Slouch by Wendy at Knitandtonic.com
Yarn: Leisure yarn from Australia, 2 skeins
Needle: 4.00mm 40cm Addi Turbo
Comments: This is the third red Le' Slouch I've knitted, but this time, I'm keeping it. I cast on 96 stitches for my head and it fits quite well. I've even worn it for more than 10 minutes today, which really is a record.
I cast on for it last night and finished it at around 4 pm, after ripping out the whole crown because I was decreasing in the wrong way and ended up with pixie hat. I'm loving it so much that I forgot to snip away the ends before wearing it.

Now that they're done, I'm back at the same point again. Arrghhhh.......
I'm thinking of casting on for more socks, but it would mean winding yarns into balls.....I'd need to buy a swift first. Duh.

WOO HOO!!!!

It's official.....MY HOLIDAY IS HERE!!!!
After days of sleepless night doing my assignments (and having bits of fun), it's finally over! I honestly can't believe I've just finished my first year in university, what the hell have I done so far??
Well...I might have been working, but that doesn't mean I haven't been knitting!

There has been lots of progress going on my Monkey socks. The second sock was cast on straight away and I'm already working on the foot.

Another FO that I've finished about a month ago...


Shetland Triangle
Pattern source: Shetlang Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark from Wrap Style
Yarn: Regia Silk 2 x 50g skeins
Needle: 4.00mm Addi Circular
Comments: I LOVE knitting this shawl. That's for sure. I love watching it grows so quickly the first few repeats. I love how squishy it is before blocking. I love how it grows in the water. I love how the lace pattern comes out all beautiful and delicate after blocking. Well, I guess this love can be applied to most shawls I've knitted and will knit in the future, and I see many many of them. The pattern was very easy to follow and I memorised it after the first repeat. This shawl is truly inspired by this post. Stopping by her blog that night had turned me into a Regia Silk addict. Anyway, the intended recipient went back to the States without telling me, so it'll be sent over to her soon. I really hope she's a worthy recipient and would appreciate it, that's all I ask for when I gift away my handknit item.

I was tagged by Amanda for a meme! It's been a long time since I answered one, but here we go.

7 random things about me:
-I once tried a lavender drink and hated lavender ever since
-I had 6 mascaras when I was 14, and almost never wore them
-I couldn't pronounce "R" when I was a kid
-My dad was very disappointed when he knew I'm a girl, but I ended up being a daddy's girl
-My hair was smelly when I was little, apparently because my mom didn't shave me bald when I was a baby
-I had a serious case of ingrown toenails for years, then had a surgery on my big toe when I was 14
-I once fell asleep during my driving lesson, my hand slid off the steering wheel and shocked my instructor to death

I'm sorry I'm bad at tagging people, but if you want to play along just say I tagged you....

Lots of fun I'm not supposed to be having!

I had a blast last Saturday. Me and my friends went out to a market nearby and it was raining, so we had to go into a department store until the rain is over. Said department store happens to have a haberdashery store (I knew, of course), so I stirred my friends in that direction just so I can check out the yarn.
I didn't see any yarn I fancy (ok, that's a lie, they have Sublime), but my friends suddenly decided they want to learn how to knit!
So we did some shopping, went back. Then we followed our original plan, making homemade kimchi. It turned out quite well, though I lost my ring and there's a BIG chance we'll find it in our kimchi someday. I hope nobody swallows it, I love that ring.
Then comes the best part, knitting!!

Here's me teaching my friend Lucy how to make a slip knot. She had a little difficulty with making a knot but then it's all smooth sailing and she's now knitting her first garter stitch scarf. My other friend Lilian started with a swatch where I showed her how to knit, purl, increases, decreases, etc., and now she's working on a Le' Slouch. We knitted for a good 4 hours until 2 a.m., and they were getting frustrated that they can't seem to stop! I'm happy to report that they still haven't found the "stop" button!

I'm glad to have passed the knitting bug, but their enthusiasm infected me too. I've been knitting madly on my hedera socks since then, and they're finally done!

Hedera
Pattern source: Knitty.com by Cookie A.
Yarn: Rowan 4ply soft "Wink"
Needle: 2.5mm Addi Turbo Circular 80cm
Modifications: Cast on 66 stitches instead of 60, to accommodate my fat calves. Used extra stitches for the heels since I have thick heels and decrease for the leg parts.
Comments: Definitely my favourite knitted socks to date! I'm so glad that I modified to better fit my leg shapes. It made such a big improvement on the fit. The pattern is very well written, and so easy to memorise. The yarn is also nice and soft, in I love the flirty colour soooo much! I even cast on for the second sock immediately after I finished the first one. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Here's an obligatory pretty shoes picture


I'm already planning on casting on for more socks. First, Knitty's Monkey! I've seen so many pretty monkeys around and I just couldn't resist. In fact, I've already cast on a few stitches while waiting for the pictures to upload. I'm using Trekking Pro Natura that I've been wanting to try for ages.

With all this socks love it's only natural that I signed up for Sockapalooza 4. I've already heard from my sockpal and she's said the magic words, "lacy", "stretchy, and "KOIGU"!! yay! I'm really excited to knit for my pal too. She likes blue so I've been searching around looking for the right yarn, and drooling a lot in the progress. I decided on this

Fleece Artist Merino in "Aqua". Variagated, but very subtly and won't disrupt lace patterns. It's very very soft too. I hope she'll like it. But meanwhile I'll be "practising" before I knit her socks. After all, it's only May, right?

And yeah, all these fun happened while I'm supposed to be working on my boring assignment. Who can blame me?

Almost back to normal

Life has been a bit hectic lately, I was fully booked for the past 2 weeks! My last class was on Wednesday, where I had a presentation and didn't win and was a bit disappointed but glad that it was over anyway. I thought I could relax then realise I have 2 more deadlines this week. Yikes.
But on other news, I found a house! Yay! I've been living in student hall so far, which has been great in the social side, but not so great when you need a bit of silence. Anyway, me and my friends had been house hunting and finally found the perfect house . I'll be moving there at the beginning of next month and I can't wait to start decorating! Too bad I have to go home after a week. Well, I do miss home a lot and I hate British summer anyway, so it's all good. I still think that every house should have air conditioners, can't figure out how people here handle the heat.

On the knitting front, Shetland Triangle is done and blocked, but I haven't had the time to take FO picture yet. So instead I give you an outdated blocking picture.


And another really outdated FO picture


Silk Sleeves
Pattern source: One Skein by Leigh Radford
Yarn: Kidsilk Haze "Meadow"
Needle: 5.5mm
Comments: Excuse the smiley face, but I felt that I need to protect the innocence of my recipient, Lucy. She loves it and everybody was all "ooh and aah" and was trying to get me to make them something. The amount of gift knitting I've been doing lately really concerns me, people seems to start assuming I'll be making them something for their birthday. According to my friend that's because they think "I have nothing better to do than knitting". Yeah, right.

I've decided to stop knitting the entrelac socks

See those unsightly holes? I love Regia Silk but I'm worried it's not the right yarn for this pattern. It needs something more stretchy to accommodate my big feet. I'm thinking the yarns would have a better life as Endpaper Mitts. For socks, I cast on for Hedera with some pink Rowan 4ply soft instead.

Anyway, before I go get ready for work, I'm sure most of you have already heard about Ravelry by now. If anything can make me more organised, then this it it. Go sign up, it rocks!!

the rarely seen progress

If you've been reading my blog for some time you probably would've noticed that I'm really bad at posting knitting progress. Seriously, whenever I look back at my own post all I see is FO or yarn porn post! I guess that's why I don't blog very often, I always get the feeling that if I've got no new FO or new yarn, then I have nothing to talk about.

Or maybe I'd just ramble and I'm worried that would turn people away.

But I do love talking, really. Try stopping me once I start. I can't even stop myself most of the time ;D
Just not today, consider yourself lucky. I'm posting now because I'll be buried deep in my coursework for this week, I doubt I'll even have time to knit.

Anyway, here's the progress picture I've been talking about

It's the Shetland Triangle shawl in progress. Well, theoretically speaking it should've been done last week if I had bothered to check with the pattern instead of knitting like crazy. The pattern calls for 8 body chart repeat, I'm on my 12th now. No wonder it seems endless. The lace pattern is super easy to memorise, I think that's one of the reason why I got carried away. This one is a wedding gift for my friend who's getting married in summer.
When I started it grows so fast that I couldn't stop working on it. Now that it's a nice 280++ stitches per row I'm not feeling the love as much. But we'll get there, and hopefully soon. I have a spring wardrobe to fill!

Textured

Textured Top
Pattern Source: Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed "Gold", less than 5 hanks
Needle: 5.00mm Addi Turbo Circular
Modifications: Shorter length, short sleeves, no slits, no purl ridges framing the texture.
Comments: I initially knitted it following the pattern length, but it looks horrible on me when I put it on. Fitted tunic really isn't suitable for my wide hips. So, after letting it ferment in the knitting basket while I'm working on other stuffs, I finally took it up again. I'm glad I pushed myself into taking it up again, otherwise it'd just sit there for months or even years.
Even though I made it shorter, I still want to keep the design element of the slit, so I knitted a seed stitch panel on one side and put some buttons on for the illusion of a slit. I didn't knit the purl ridges at first because I missed that part of the pattern and just kept on knitting. But actually I prefer it this way since I think those purl ridges would accentuate the bust part even more, and I really don't need that. As for the short sleeves, I've never been much fan of long sleeves anyway and it'd be more suitable for spring/summer wear.
Of course, the original pattern from the book is gorgeous, and had I been working with wool I might've kept the long sleeves.
The yarn came from my stash. I bought it off ebay last year since I've heard so many good things about it, and Kim Hargreaves uses it a lot in her lovely designs. It took me quite some time to get used to the rougher texture since I've been working with soft wool yarns for my other WIPs. But I do love the glorious tweedy texture, it's so pretty. The colour isn't my usual colour too, and I doubt I would've chosen it if it wasn't on sale. But I think it's a gorgeous colour. Perfect for spring and oh so Project Spectrum appropriate!

I finished something else too...

Midwest Moonlight
Pattern Source: Scarf Style by Interweave Press
Yarn: Jaeger Wool Silk 6x20g
Needle: 4.00mm Addi
Comments: I never blogged about starting this because it was one of those project that I only pick up while I have nothing else to knit. It's been on my needle for months, I can't even remember when I cast on for it. The pattern was really easy to follow and with pretty result.
The yarn also came from my stash, it's a vintage yarn won from ebay with 60% wool and 40% silk. It's lovely to knit with and has excellent yardage considering it's only 20g per skein. The whole scarf weigh only 120g!

There are two other projects that I finished, but I don't have pictures yet so they'll have to wait.
So, on Sunday(or was it Saturday, can't remember), I ran out of project. The only thing left on my needle was the entrelac socks, but I wasn't feeling like working with it. I think I spent about an hour rummaging around my stash and my knitting magazines and books looking for a project to knit. For those of you who have a longer-than-live list of things-to-knit this might sound crazy. But I do have a long list of things to knit, and a long list of yarn to knit with. It's just that most of the time they don't really match. I finally remembered that I've been wanting to knit Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style in some pure white Regia Silk I've got in my stash as a wedding gift for a friend. So I cast on, knit like a mad woman while watching a ridiculous amount of anime and I've got 9 repeats done. I'll be sure to share a progress picture next time ;)

And thank you soooo much for all you nice comments on my cadigan!! Each and every one of them are very much appreciated, I love knowing there are people out there who would understand the happiness we get from getting a nice fit from a garment or finding the perfect button for a project.
Anyway, can you believe I missed my own blogiversary?!! I can't believe I've been blogging for more than 2 years now! Can you?

Puff-sleeved Feminine Cardigan

Pattern source: Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Knitpicks Merino Style "Rhubarb" 7++ skeins
Needles: Addi Turbo 4.00mm and 3.25mm
Comments: I love it!! I was lazy as usual and didn't swatch since I'm using the yarn called for in the pattern. The pattern was easy to follow though I did get a little confused with the lace peplum chart. It's very wearable and doesn't itch at all. The yarn is really soft, excellent for it's price, though I'm not sure how it'll hold up. I'm hoping it holds up well because I can see myself actually wearing it quite a few times. I actually wore it to grocery shopping today (and the skirt I'm wearing in the first picture is purple, not black). Maybe I should've lengthened it a few inches, but it looks fine with a layer inside. I love the little pearly buttons too. And yeah, I do feel VERY feminine wearing it. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing.
And the colour...I'm liking it more and more. It's perfect for spring and perfect for this month's Project Spectrum!

And talking about Project Spectrum, this is another project that's colour appropriate

This picture is taken last week so I've actually got more of it done. The pink yarn is Regia Silk and the burgundy yarn is Regia Silk Shine. I cast on with both yarns for socks before, the burgundy one for Chid's First Socks from Knitting VIntage Socks by Nancy Bush and the pink yarn for something from Knitty but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. They never felt right on their own. The Silk Shine wasn't soft enough to make me want to work on it and the pink Silk was just too....pink. But together, I'm loving them. And I love working in entrelac too, even though my joints are somewhat messy. Knitting just seems to progress faster when you're working in portions. I don't think I'll make it knee-high though, since my HUGE calves would just make them look ugly.

I'm also working on other Project Spectrum appropriate projects. Remember my yellow Fitted Knits tunic? I'll get around working with it one day. For green, I'm working on Silk Sleeves from One Skein by Leigh Radford (see sidebar) in Kidsilk haze. Perfect projects to surround myself in springy colours. They make me happy.

Preview

Coming soon.

Spinning away...

Thanks for all your nice words on my FOs ;) They're very much appreciated as always.

This is for Katey (can't find your email address!), who asked about how I frog the pentagons. All I did was undo the seams for pentagon #1 and #7, frog them, and used crochet hook to do crochet cast-off on the live stitches of the other connecting pentagons. I hope I'm making sense here!

On other news, I took a spinning lesson yesterday!!! The class was great fun and I didn't get bored the whole 7 hours of it! I also met some other knitters which was great since we get to talk about knitting, my favourite subject ever! And look what I came home with



It was extremely satisfying to see the yarn coming out of my fingers. I started spinning a little with my new drop spindle last night, but it was sooooo slow!!! It'll take me days to get a 50gr skein of yarn! Spinning wheel is out of question though since it's very pricey and there's no way I can fit it in my tiny room, except if I stay in my bed all the time. That sounds strangely tempting somehow ;)

On knitting front, I've been busy knitting my Puffy sleeved cardi

It's progressing slowly but I'm sure it's growing, though I can't for the life of me see the growth! I've been working on it quite exclusively until last night, when I was lured by the fun of spinning. It went like this, one row of knitting, one length of spinning, all the while watching CSI. Love it.
And last night, waaaay past midnight, when I really should be in bed, I dig in my stash for that skein of very pink Regia Silk I have and together with my skein of burgundy Regia Silk Shine, and cast on for Eunny's Entrelac Socks from IK. I'm still fighting with the tiny dpns for the toes so far.
We'll see if it goes well.

Cape*** finally

Norah Gaughan's Cropped Cardi
Pattern source: Winter 06/07 Vogue Knitting
Yarn: 100% Alpaca from Campolmi Roberto Filati in Florence, Italy
Needle: 5.00mm Addi Turbo
Comments: Finally! I almost gave up on this cardigan and would've put it in the deepest corner of my closet if not for the constant motivation I got from other knitters who modified it with great results.
My modification went like this, remove pentagons #1 and #7, sew collar band to the bottom row of pentagons instead of top. Pretty straightforward, really. And blocking it really made a great improvement. I'm loving the stand-up collar too, cute, no?
My only complaint would be that the yarn is too itchy for me to wear next to my skin. I just recently realised how sensitive my skin really is, no mohair(not even KSH), no alpaca, even wool is a little itchy. Only merino seems to be okay. Still, I can always layer up and look cool!
What do you think?


Two-tone Ribbed Shrug
Pattern Source: Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needle: 5mm and 3.5mm circular
Comments: My first FO from the book! I'm happy with how it turns out, though initially I wasn't too sure about my colour choice. The pattern was easy to follow and quick to knit, even though it was A LOT of ribbing. I don't think I'll be wearing it a lot though, since the yarn feels a bit rough on my skin. Washing it did make it softer, but still not soft enough. I do love working with Cascade 220 though, it was nice and squishy ;) I still have a lot in my stash waiting to be knit.

That shrug definitely won't be my last project from the book. As you know I'm knitting the textured tunic from the cover too, and I'm done with the body. The thing is, I put it on and it looks hideous on me! It's not even the colour, but I'm now convinced that tunic doesn't look good on my body. So I'll be frogging it and make it normal length instead with short sleeves . Other than that I also cast on for the Puff-sleeved feminine cardigan. Main reason being I have the yarn in my stash after ripping this(Jemima, 3rd picture, pattern from Anna at Fashionable Life). The yarn is Knitpicks Merino Style "Rhubarb" that I bought back in 2005. I'm not too sure why I picked that colour, I'm convinced you can spot me from miles away when I'm wearing it. Anyway, the knitting is going really slow with the small gauge, but I'm enjoying it a lot! And that's what knitting is all about, right?

(Put in something smart here...)

Just a quick post to keep my blog running ;)

Here's another successful gift knitting

Le Slouch
Pattern: Wendy at Knit and Tonic
Yarn: 2 skeins Bouton d'Or Laika
Needle: 5.00mm 40cm circular
Comments: I had to frog a few rows because I was worried I wouldn't have enough yarn, and good thing I did because even after that I still ran out of yarn. Since the time was tight I decided to compromise and do more decrease instead. It works fine and I'm sure nobody will notice.
I started this a day before the party. After I decided that Le Slouch would be the best choice, I had to dig in my stash to find a yarn that would suit the recipient. I thought of using the same yarn as my previous Le Slouch (which was a gift too), but it would be too thin and would take me so much longer. It's a good thing to have a big stash after all, being able to find the right weight of yarn in the right colour when emergency knitting is needed!
As you can see she is happy with it, and all my other friends were saying how awesome the hat is. Imagine if I had given her an aran sweater with the most complicated cables ever, I'd bet you anything they wouldn't be half as impressed.

On other news, I just got myself a waitressing job. It's only 10 hours a week, but I'm hoping it'll help me feel more productive instead of sitting in front of my computer whole day long. Less knitting time for me, but maybe I'll be able to treat myself with some knitting luxury later.

I didn't join this officially, but believe it or not I've only bought ONE skein of yarn since last month. Yeah, I don't even believe in myself.
Oh wait, just when I started to think this might work out, I spotted a sale on GetKnitted. Who was I kidding anyway. But, if by my next post I'm still yarnless, please take me to a GP.

I have another FO to show you, but it'll have to wait till the crazy weather is over before I can take decent FO picture. It won't be fun if it suddenly rains and I'm wearing alpaca. There, I spilled the beans.

See you soon.

Just illusions...

Illusion knitting is fun!

Counterpoint
Pattern source: Magknits Dec 2006 by Jennifer Crawford
Yarn: Cascade 220 1 hank Black, 1 hank White
Needles: 4.00mm Addi Turbo Circular
Comments: This scarf is a birthday gift for my friend who is a Valentine baby, but I was too engrossed with my pentagons that I didn't manage to knit it on time for her birthday. The solution? Wrap the yarns and gave her a card saying my vow to magically turn it into a scarf "someday". Pretty noncommittal, eh?
Fortunately for her soon after her birthday I found some Japanses dramas to watch that I actually finish the scarf in 3 days! 3 days of sleeping at crazy hours in the morning that is, but still pretty impressive I think. I loved watching the patterns grow, and I'll definitely be doing more illusion knitting. It's quite addictive, actually.
Here's the happy recipient

She looks pretty happy with it, don't you think? Oh, she might kill me for saying this, but she's an up-and-coming singer. Check our her music video here. If she asks, pretend you've never heard of me.

On WIPs,
I love this book so much I cast on for 2 projects from it.

The textured tunic in the cover, in Rowan Summer Tweed "Gold".

Two-toned shrug in Cascade 220, it's a longer version of the famous OSW.

One more thing,

Personalised magazine holder for my knitting books! I still have to paint it to cover the burns from the laser, but it's pretty cool, don't you think?

I'd love to talk some more, but I have a last minute birthday gift to finish before tomorrow, and lots of hole punches to design!

bad girl

Again, I'm being a very bad blogger.
Could all of you please give me a tiny smack on the head for breaking my new year's resolution? Being an ambitious and unrealistic person that I am I had 52 things on my new year's resolution list, one of which is to blog at least once a week. I have no idea how many of them I've already broken. My goal is to keep at least one, because "being realistic" is also in the list ;)

I could blame my lack of proper photography device, but I'll admit that I've just been lazy. Time passes by too quickly, seriously.
My new camera should be arriving soon, and with spring 'kinda' here, maybe we'll be lucky enough to get some decent lighting. I'm really hoping to spend more time on improving my blog, so I might need for some technical helps in the future, help me out ok?

At least a lot of knitting has been going on here, I can barely wait to share with you guys!

More small stuffs

After the disappointment with my capecho, I needed a quick fix of something. Something small, quick and preferably pretty.
So I made this

Neck Warmer
Pattern: None, just a strip of garter stitch
Yarn: Itaca Alessandra. 90% Wool 10% Cashmere
Needle: 12.00mm straight
Comment: I've been thinking of what to knit with the single ball of pretty yarn I got from Florence ever since I bought it. I have a bad habit of buying single balls of yarn just to own them, without knowing what to do with them most of the time. This turns out pretty cute, no? I'm not sure if it'll get much wear, but I am loving it. And the pom-pom, oh how I adore those pompoms ;).

One other UFO turned FO

Booga Bag
Pattern: Booga Bag
Yarn: 3 skeins Noro Kureyon
Comment: My SP gave me the yarn and pattern for this bag, and I cast on straight away. However, it took me months to get around felting them(by hand, no less!), and another month to attach the handles. I'm worried that it wouldn't be strong enough without a lining though. Hands up if you want to help me line it! Just kidding, I think I'll stick to carrying light stuffs in there, like yarn. And now I want to do more felting!

Happy Chinese New Year, wish you all a prosperous year ahead! I wish I could be home to celebrate it with my family, I miss the preparation, the food, the company, and of course the red packet!

up and down

WARNING! This post contains some horrible real-life situation pictures with extremely bad lighting and helped only slightly by photoshop.

So, I just finished knitting the second sleeve of my VK Norah Gaughan's Capecho, put it on, and here's how it looks like.

See those horrible bunches?
Even worse

I'm not so sure whether that side of the pentagon is supposed to dangle just like that.
And the back?

Strangely short and bunchy (blocking might solve this one, but not sure about the length).

So I tried a different style by pulling down the front and make it sort of like a crossover thing.

Not as bad but it practically makes my front looks flat, not a good sight.

Then I tried it upside down.

The coloured version will blind you, I swear.

And I have pentagons running down my stomach and hang just there.
The back

Much longer, no? Which doesn't really make sense since it's the same thing turned upside down.

So, now I have a few options:

1. Put the whole thing into a ziplock bag and hide it somewhere so I won't see it for another year or so.
2. Frog it and knit something else less...intriguing.
3. Put my trust in Norah Gaughan and actually knit the collar and finish the whole thing while praying hard it'll turn out ok.
4. Try frogging some of the pentagons and mess around with it and try to make it right.
5. Find somebody bigger than me with much more patience than I do and give it to her.

What do you think?

Oh, in case you're wondering, I did get gauge.

The Perfect Day

with the perfect scenery....

Maybe I've been waiting for this day for over a year to finally take my FO picture, remember this?

No, the dot on my forehead isn't some freakishly big pimples

Bulky Cabled Cardigan

Pattern Source: Glampyre
Yarn: Rowan Polar, 6 x 100g
Needle: Addi Turbos 8.00mm 80 cm, 5.5mm 60cm
Comment: This is actually my official last FO from 2005! I have no idea why I waited so long before posting it, but maybe I AM waiting for this day. My friend woke me up early (by early I mean before 9) to show me the snow outside my window. I was naturally pissed off but then I looked out my window and saw this
Totally worth being woken up for, don't you think?
So, back to the cardigan, it was a quick and fun project, and I don't think it looks bad at all. The thing is, it's not exactly a comfort garment. I've found out that my skin is sensitive to anything other than merino wool for animal fibres. So the alpaca content in the yarn makes it a little itchy. It's also white, which means I have to be a little more wary than usual while wearing it. It's also a bit short which doesn't go well with my body type. Oh, and the yarn sheds like crazy.
All in all, I'm happy with it, and will try to actually wear it more often, and actually wash it.

As for WIPs, I've been working exclusively on my VK cover "capecho"(hate the word!). Those pentagons are addicting!

This is my progress picture from a few days ago. I've now finished all the pentagons for the body and am working on the first sleeve. Hopefully it'll be done by next week. Whether I'll wear it or not is questionable, since my reason for choosing this project was purely because of it's interesting construction. Well at least we know I'll wear it for FO photoshoot ;), apparently the daffodils are coming out soon!