Quick and Ease-y Talia

Just a quick note to show off the very quick photos I took of Talia - finally cast off last night and ends still hanging.


The nice curvey back.



And flattering front.

It's one size too small as it is for my sister but I now really have to make one for myself - it's that cute.

A relatively painless effort that took 3 balls of Cotton Ease in Pistachio and a lot sooner if I hadn't had the boy's holidays in between, I think it would have taken about 2 weeks.

But You Know what?? Just looking at the pictures again and at the ones on the Knitty, I think I may have made a mistake on the neckline.

Sigh! Maybe it wasn't as painless after all.

Wavy Peaches n Creme

I took my time with this project but thankfully it's now done and waiting for my friend's wee one to make an appearance early May. I used about 12 balls of Peaches n Creme, with some left overs which probably go to more granny sqaures for charity.







The pattern is Soft Waves from 200 Ripples

Round and round the garden.

We took our little boy on his first plane trip to the Phillipines last week and the only that would keep him occupied during the 3 hr flight was that silly little game "Round and round the garden like a teddy bear..". He just would't sleep even though he was up at the crack of dawn on the day of the flight.


Have a look at our photo journal here, Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Meanwhile I put on my turbo needles and casted on the Hemlock Ring Blanket 2 weeks ago, trying to finish it by February 6 - by which time my brother can pack it in his luggage to take to my sister in New Zealand.

And in the nick of time I finally finished castin off last night and blocked this morning.



The unblocked version - looks like some sea anemone.



I didn't have a mattress large enough so I had to pin overlaps round the sides and hoped for the best.


A closer look - I love that flower in the center.

Hemlock Ring Blanket - Yarn - Cascade 220 - Colonial Blue - around 3.75 hanks
Needles 5.0 mm ( I'd go two sizes larger next time)
96 rows before casting off - using the expanded chart provided ( with grateful thanks) by the Hemlock Ring KAL Yahoo group

So glad to have an FO finally.

Playing the Hooker!

Yeah it's terrible that I took one month to recover from the end-of-old-year-beginning-of-new-year blues. I have been crafting on and off but mostly picking up the threads of an old hobby - crocheting doily. It all started from seeing a gorgeous japanese doily book ( I will post a link when I find one) and deciding to do one crochet doily a month. So I spent most of January 1st nursing a hangover and crocheting this -





The center is crocheted with Coats and Clarks Floretta, leftovers from my tatting days and I didn't have enough to finish the doily so I did the outer edges with DMC Traditions. Floretta is a stiffish thread - great if you don't want to block but so hard on the hands. Traditions seems to create fuller stitches and has more drape.

It took me about a week to finish it. Here's a closer peek -





Watch out for the February one next month.

On the knitting front, I have started the Hemlock Ring blanket and that's goin on fast track cos I do want to send it to my sister in New Zealand by the 1st week of February.

And I finally sucked it in and blocked the lace fichu I finished in April last year.



Red Fichu from Baxter Knits
500yds of HandPainted yarn.com Laceweight Red Pagoda




I've realised that I really need to take each month at a time - can't seem to concentrate for too long these days. I am feeling restless under the weight of so many WIPS. So I decided to practice some serial monogamy for a few months and stop project whoring until my cupboards are no longer overflowing with WIPs. Wish me luck!

A ripple and a half

I have finished my first ripple baby blanket BUT I am not so happy with the colours. It’s a little dull and manly, don’t you think? The pattern is from the free ripple pattern on Project Linus except I casted on less repeats.



I casted on another one using the Soft Waves pattern from 200 Ripple patterns book this time using the boat load of Peaches and Crème I got from this seller on eBay.




If you want to make this type of “Stash” blanket and don’t have spare stash or just want to have different colours of the same yarn, he’s a good one to go. He has a 1 lb assortment which you can request to have part variegated part solid.

I haven’t just been crocheting ripples –there’s a little top down cardigan I hope to get done by Christmas. I am not ready to let you have a peek yet.

AND I have been surfing the Drops free pattern site. Finally got my Adobe upgraded which allows me to make pdf files and I have just been going crazy…

I made a few stash sales which gave me a wee bit of money to spend on new stash for Christmas and I have been debating and debating on what to buy. I finally placed an order for a couple of Zimmerman books and Drops Bomull-Lin – a cotton linen blend from Scandanavian knitting http://www.scandinavianknittingdesign.eu/ for a very reasonable price. I have never tried linen before and of course there’s a whole host of yummy linen summery knits on Drops that are just irresistible.





What knitty/crafty stash are you buying yourself for xmas?

Surprise!

Just a short note to add my latest FO the Baby Surprise Jacket!

I really put on the express needles for this one - I was dying to see how it would turn out because truthfully, halfway through the pattern, I had no idea it was going to turn out.

Here it is unfolded.



Here's a quick look at the pick up sitches at the end. I fluffed my counted halfway to the project and had to make it up a bit as I go along so the pick up stitches don't exactly align to the decreases. Or in layman terms, the lines don't line up so well.



And here it is folded and yet unseamed



To tell you the truth, I didn't think it was going to be so small... I used DK weight yarn (Sirdar Sunggly Magic) and only about 250 yds and it's probably big enough for a 1-3 month old but no older.

Now it's back to the sleeves of my circular cardigan.

BTW there was a kniting meet up in the weekend but I saved the photoes on my home pc. You can find out what we did at Lyn's blog .

A new Spring

Over the Easter Break I managed to finish an old WIP from way back by just sucking up and knitting that mindless boring edging. Thank GOD for my new North and South DVD set and the Tudors.



Red Fichu from Baxter Knits
500yds of HandPainted yarn.com Laceweight Red Pagoda

It's not blocked yet, and I'll do that tonight now that the in-laws have gone home and I have a spare bed again. Unblocked the fichu is smaller than the picture on the chart but I think that it will block up fine.

I didn't quite like using this yarn because it was quite wiry but the finished knit especially at the garter stitch portion was a surprise. It's crunchy and spongy and a whole lot of texture that make my hand want to touch and fondle.

So with that FO I decided I want to start on a new lace project. Forget all the other WIPs in my cupboard - the huge stash need to be busted. Was chatting to Sally on GTalk and she mentioned the Forest Path Stole and I went (!!) . Of course! I've had this on my to-do list for ages!

Before you know it, Sally, Regg and I are discussing yarn and needles. I've chosen to use the laceweight cashmere from Colourmart in the colourway Aurora and because I can't find my 2.5mm needles, I used 2mm instead.




Think I need to go up to 2.5mm ? I kind of like the dense-ness of it but I am afraid the cashmere will bloom after washing.

Other than knitting - here's a peek at my stitching obsession at the moment.

Topi

I thought I'd ease mysef back into knitting by doing something simple and fast. So when my colleague asked me to knit a chemo hat for her dad undergoing chemotherapy, I jumped at the chance to try out Topi.

It was a fast knit using the Rowan's All Season Cotton leftovers from Samus. Camouflage green is a nice manly colour and I just love the yarn.

It took my two nights but as I was binding off and looking at the picture I noticed something strange. The brim look very much shorter than in the picture.





Looked over the pattern again and I noticed that I did not read this line -

Work back and forth in stockinette st until brim measures 1 inch, ending with a WS row.

just before the short rowing.

So I have to go back and finish this thing tonight.

The pattern is so easy and fast, I'm planning another one in girly pink. Hopefully this will ease me in to start back on my other WIPs.

Stitching Happy Dance

There are a few differences in crafter's dialect - knitters go FO!! and stitchers go Happy Dance!! - but the feeling is still the same.






Eightsome Reel from Papillon Creations. I used mostly the recommended GAST plus a few substitutes of my own. Stitched 2 strands over 2 on 28 ct Potato Cloth



I started out as a knitnut, then I became a quiltnut and a stitchnut and then a knitnut again. These days quilting has fallen by the way side but stiching is suddenly experiencing a revival. Good thing stitching stash is not as expensive as knitting stash.

There are few more samplers in my Stash that needs to be stitched but I might go back to knitting for the rest of the week. We'll see how it goes.

Snapshots

I always hate modeling my knits - I never catch the hubby in time to take a pic in the morning rush for work and I am always not in the best attire during weekends. (read braless and messy hair).

And when I do find someone in the office to take a pic, this in itself is a nervewrecking experience cos there's always someone or other coming round to investigate the flash of the camera. There there are family, friends and collegues not really clear on the concept of "focus on the knit" and take a full mug shot as well as the messy desk in the background, or never bother to get you sit or stand properly to show off the knit.

Anyways I tried my best and here we go :-



The one in the mirror at home.


The one in the office with the misaligned neckline.


I am due for a destashing soon - some Rowan ASC as well as some DK yarns - I have to take the pics and should be able to upload tomorrow.

Bianca's minor surgery

I had thought the dropped stitches on Bianca meant major surgery and so I put it off until I had a bit more time to myself. It turned out to be not as bad as I thought.

I got myself a small tripod today and decided to test it out on some super close ups.





It's not a very good picture but if you kind of squint you can see the two dropped stitches hanging out.

Luckily it's close to the neckline and also on the last lace repeat - so I didn't have to undo any more stitches to reknit the section. I only used a crochet hook to hook up the stitches for a few rows.

Since I had already crocheted the scallop edging I coundn't hook the stitches all the way to the top. So I cheated...





I pulled the stitch to the wrong side and secured it with a few double crochets in to the purl ridges.

Do you think the operation is succesful?





For Sally's benefit, here's a picture of the neckline




And a better pic of the whole project.




As for my modeling Bianca - I have to wait for DH to come back from his outstation trip this weekend as I have to confess I haven't worked out the timer on the camera yet.

So this is Bianca

Cotton Ease - Just over 6 balls


I will update with a few more pics and details later. I just discovered a huge hole where I dropped two stitches!! Major surgery will be performed tonight.

I miscounted the top a little and decreased more than I should for my size. Although the neckline still fits, it's not quiet as wide as I would have liked it to be.
I crocheted scallops around the edges which I think worked very well for this knit and eliminate the needs for buttons. I can still put them in if I want but I'm planning on just wearing it open with a brooch at the neck.

I'll just leave you with one knitting success - Chris' lovely blouse (her BF calls it the pink christmad tree, the silly man) which she wore to our mini meet on Sat.





Look at all that detail!!
And see! It suits her perfectly

Shedir Skull Cap

Quick update on a quick project I did in the weekend.

I have never done a cap before and I wanted to practice so that I can gear up to making some chemo caps in a charity project some of us Malaysian knitters are still discussing.


Shedir from the Knitty.com
Sirdar Rio Cotton Rich 50 gm ball x 1
3.75 mm size needles


I used needles a size too big and found that out quickly so had to reduce the number of repeats at the brim. The result is a Shedir skull cap for a very big head.




But I love the top motif and I enjoyed the cabling practice instead of all that lace.
That's all for now folks

Mountain Peaks blocking

I notice different bloggers have different ways of showing off their FO. Some wait for it to be fully blocked and then take beautifully modelled shots. Some like me who can't just keep posting in spurts the finishing process. I take about 3 posts to do the just off the needles, blocking and then maybe a modeled shot if there's good daylight and someone to model it for me.

Anyways here's a shot of the Mountain Peaks shawl blocking



Click on the pic for a bigger sized photo.


I was in a hurry to block so I didn't use the threading method to get a straight edge at the top. I didn't stretch it too much and still it turned out to be a good size shawl, about 50" across. Not bad for 650 yds.

Here's a look at the botton pointed edge




I just noticed as I took this pic that I had blocked the purlside facing up. I don't think that makes a difference does it?
As you can see it's a little wonky on the right side of the center leaf BUT nothing I can't live with.

As for Bianca's Jacket - one sleeve done.

FO FO FO FO FO!

I have been so busy at work that I have had no time to update the blog but I have been knitting like crazy. Finally after the whole stitch knitted bodice fiasco - I slaved and slaved and got this done.





Mountain Peaks Shawl from Mimknits
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr in Elderberry
Amount used: Just over 2 oz - 650yds.
Needles size : 3.75 mm
Time taken: 1 month to the day

I was so annoyed when my 2 oz ball ran out just inches from the finish line. Talk about yarnus interuptus!

It's unblocked and I am not to happy with the short row edging at the sharp mid point. It's a little scrunched up so I hope it will block out fine.



Stay tuned for pics of the blocked shawl.

My current challenge is to finish Bianca's Jacket in 1 week.

Don't ask - I will explain more later in a couple of days.

At Last An FO

Ok Plaza is soooo doone. Out of here. Hitting the Road. All the way to NZ and out of my sight.




You can see the body is really short, shorter than I expected.


Here's a look at the curly wurly details at the collar. That darn thing is soo heavy I think the collar might stretch out loads from the weight



The collar is still a little small I think.


Anyway on to my next project - I still haven't gotten round to getting the extra yarn for my Stitchi Diva bodice So I might just start a new project - hmmm, we'll see.

Meanwhile I met up with some Knitters last weekend - I did manage to engineer it so my in-laws would go shopping at Bangsar Village where the meet up was.

heheh




Here's Sally and I. We're sitting by the wndow and it was really storming so the photo got kind of dark.



From left- Doreen, Rain, Mira, Chooi Wah (she of the gorgeous blog), and Sally.

Doreen is wearing her latest FO, she always looks good in her knits.

I have to be back at work tomorrow, sadly, but I have bought myself a spa package to last 6 months, so I have to remind myself to take some "me" time every month before work gets on top of me.