Lap up the Lapels

The Salina front is done and I have only the sleeves to do!





I know it's a bit of an odd angle and you know Trinity is almost impossible to photograph. The colour looks like royal blue but in reality it is a lot more violet.

But check out those lapels. I love it!




It's pretty simple to do. Where a normal v neck front will have decreases at the neck edge, in this case just knit straight. Instead increase the moss stitch pattern by one stich on every row. Once the neck is finished, you only need to fold back the two flaps and there you go - a nice little lapel.

And here's a little taste of a mystery project I am working on.





Oh and I signed up for Dye-o-rama . Can't wait to get started.

Papaya Rose

It's a funny name but I can't really think of another name for this new experiment of mine.

This one was done quite some time ago actually but I never got the chance to take a picture in natural light.

I used a different method for dying this. I had two balls of Adriafil Baby in natural which is 100% wool 4 ply weight. I just took off the label and place both in a dish of water. Then I squeezed some green dye on one side and rose on the other then just steamed it until the water is clear. After some time I add a few drops of orange here and there.

By this time the balls look quite awful. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture but I was ready to throw them out. I left the balls to dry out on their own which took a really long time and then decided to skein it and ... well - serendipity!



Because of the very short spaces between dyes, it's not self striping or variegated, but a mish mash of colours of warm orange, rose and green.

I can't wait to knit something this yarn. Maybe Pomatomus.

However if someone wants to test knit this colourway for me, please email me and we'll talk. I am really thinking of doing more of this colourway.



TRI-KNIT-Y KAL
Sally has finished her Trinity project. She must be a knitting speed demon. Hope I get to see it this Saturday when we meet up.

Erin of course has debuted her beautiful smocked project last week


Carey (aka: bovinekitti) has just joined us and she is blogless but I'll post her updates from time to time. She has this to say :-

So anyway, I have this Trinity yarn and I'm looking foward to working with it again, but with support of others doing the same. I frogged my first attempt with it from a pattern book, but only because I was pregnant and realized I'd never finish and be able to wear it anytime soon. I still plan to make that garment, but will wait until I'm done with kids and get my figure back. Eunny made the same sweater and gave it away, and so I learned I'll need to size up to get the same look as the model is wearing. One thing I found is that Bryspun needles are easier on the wrists and fingers when working with this yarn. I think it's got some stickiness to it, as well as it being so unelastic. I tried bamboo, and needed the yarn to glide better on the needles, but aluminum wasn't the answer. The Bryspun are a pleasure to work with and I've since bought DPs to use on socks and the booties.

If there's a way to do a simple blog...where DH doesn't have to get involved (he'll say there's plenty on my plate to be working on that! - I have SO much to catch up on around the house as it is :) Then, I'll try to post updates on my progress. The only thing is that I'm going to try to finish a baby gift for a friend... It's become my albatross, as I'm making it bigger than baby-size, double-stranding the yarn on size 8's ....and it's an acrylic boucle (for washability). It better turn out good for the pain it's giving me ;) I'm giving myself two weeks to finish it then start on the Trinity. If I don't finish in two weeks, I'll start on the Trinity KAL anyway so I'm not too far behind.

The rest of us are still plugging away :)

Till later.

Let's go to the Zoo!

Not a knitting update - only a little post on what I did during the weekend.
We took our three year old and his two and half year old girlfriend to the zoo.

** Warning - Graphic Heavy**
As with all trips involving small cute children- there are a lot more photoes of the children not much of the animals so if you want to see a very good blog entry about Malacca Zoo and its inhabitants, go here.



Greg and Megan wave hello - spot the macau in the background.


Greg and daddy pose but Greg's still a little traumatised by the mummy marmoset and her baby ( bottom left) he just saw.


And here's the daddy marmoset.



Greg starts to get the hang of smiling into the camera with giraffes in the background.



Never attempt to walk the whole length of the zoo on a hot Saturday afternoon - thank goodness for the mini train. Actually the zoo is very shady and has plenty of places to rest but with 3 year olds it was easier for the parents to hop on to the train.



I think the loveliest sound on earth is the sound of children laughing.



And this is the whole reason we decided to go to the zoo. Nothing like a good long walk to persuade a hyperactive 3 year old to have a nap.

Tri-Knit-Y Round Up

I've finished the back of Salina. I'm surprised it went so fast, as I really don't like knitting in double knit. I put in roughly 3 hours of mindless stockinette a night since last Thursday and revisited my Star Trek : Voyager dvds. Thank God for Star Trek.


Lyn has changed her project to Tea Time and that flamenco colour is looking good.

Sally casted on a simple tunic knit and I believe she has finished a back too.

Lois is knitting the Drops Cardigan and reports that she is pas the 3rd lace repeat.

Erin has finished the knitting part of her project and is SMOCKING the waist! My hat's off to her! I'm really tempted to get that nice blue colour Trinity that she has.... it's subtle - like the Hibiscus colourway but lovely.

The others have not reported in yet but I am sure there will be on their projects in the coming weeks.

Twist and Skeined

Want to make your dyed hanks look more like the professionally hand dyed sock yarns?



Skein them in a different diameter, and twist.




Got to run and pick up my son. I hear he is causing a havoc at his cousins' house.

Will update on Tri-Knit-Y KAL on Wednesday.

Knitting Meet Up 1st April 2006

It was great to meet up with Lyn, Sally, Jackie, Poh Lin, Doreen, Kitman and Rozita on Saturday.

Sally and Lyn have already put up some photoes and here are some from my camera.



Sally and Poh Lin surrounded by stash and magazines.


Lyn showing Kitman her Diamond project. Lyn is wearing her Katia Jamaica top and Kitman , a lacy Japanese pattern top.


Jackie and Doreen doing a spot of KIP ( Knit in public). Doreen is wearing her Trinity Ribbed Corset.



All of us except Lyn - from left to right: Rozita, Jackie, Doreen, Sally, Poh Lin, me and Kitman.


Lyn and I casted on for our Tri-knit-y projects but Lyn has decided on another project while mine is too big. I'm getting 18 st to 4" instead of 22 st so I am going to recast a smaller size. I must be the loosiest (is this a word??) knitter in the world.

Until I have some significant progress on Tri-Knit-y project, let me just show you the first lot of books that I ordered during the course of last month. I was on a YARN diet not book diet!!



I've decided to go on the STASH diet after my momentary lapse last week. From now on I will only use destash maney for more stash. So why not help me out by checking out my destash site . There's still some fabric left and I will be posting some books in a couple of days.