Year End Knitting

The weather's getting colder. I wish I have more time to knit some shawls for myself. Would love to do a lacy pattern, but I doubt I can finish in time.

Consigned shawl - revealed

I've finally managed to post a pic of the consigned shawl that I made for Silvia. She's too shy to pose for the camera. Here's Phewy posing for me. Don't you think she look so tai-tai? Btw, I've always loved the way she do her make up. It's just so professional and nice.

Finished object

Phewy told me that she's schedule for a winter holiday in Greece in Feb 2007. She's not seen snow before, just like me. She's so excited about the trip and had been going around looking at winter clothings. It came upon me that I can make her a scarf for Christmas!

And since I didn't know what is the color of her coat, I chose a safe color. A variegated yarn with black/gray/white combination.

After finishing 2 balls of the above scarf, I decided to change my mind. The color just doesn't do the pattern justice and vice versa. I should have chose a plain color, so that the pattern is more obvious!

Well... It happens all the time. Or is it just me that I'm fickle minded?

And while I was chatting with Phewy last week, she told me that she's going to Rome on the week of 20 Nov! It is an additional trip!

OMG! That means I only have 2 weeks left, I was thinking. And she told me that she's bought a white winter coat with pink trimmings. It comes with a furry trimmed hood too!

Wow, it must be real nice! Then, I was thinking if I should continue to make a scarf. Does scarf go well with a hooded coat? I really have no idea at all! Anyway, I'll just do it!

And so I made a 2nd trip to spotlight, hoping to find another yarn. I was looking for something pinkish, but there isn't anything to what I was looking for. And so, I saw a variegated purple yarn which I thought looks ok. The lighter part of the purple looks like pink, or rather lilac. And so, I though it will match her coat.

I casted on and starting knitting last Friday night. I brought it along for my yoga session on Sat too! And for 2 hrs, I knitted at the yoga place while waiting for my class to start. I finally finished about 40cm of it and tried it on...

I changed my mind again. Suddenly, I think that it's not that nice afterall! Not nice as in it might not match her coat at all! Am I being too much of a perfectionist or what? What is wrong with me? Why can't I just make up my mind and finish knitting a project?

While digging though the stash, I mean real stash. Now that I've started to learn sewing, I have so much stash! Not only on yarn, I've also got fabric too!

Finally, I managed to find some boucle wool in light pink color. I love this pink! Its one of those yarn that you like it so much that you can't bear to use it! It's just like a collector's item!!

Well, at least I'm sure that Phewy will like it. And I had to speed through the knitting so that I can pass it to her on time. I was supposed to meet her this Fri but the gathering was cancelled. And she was too busy preparing for the trip!

It's autumn in Rome, not too sure if she needs it, but I'll just send it to her anyway. That means, I will need to send it out this week. And so, I've been knitting till late night since last Sat in order to complete this scarf.

Its finally completed! Its done! The fastest project I've ever knitted!!!

I wish I have more time to wrap it better.
I'm going to send this out today.
I hope she likes it.

Sushi, Anyone?

Polka Dot Bag - Sold

My first Amigurumi

Ain't they cute?

I would be selling them at $8 each if you are interested to buy them. They are all original and handmade with love.

They can be used as Xmas Tree ornament, hp accessory, bag charm or you can even use them as a deco on yr Xmas gifts!

jovneo@yahoo.com

Baby Blanket Sold

Annie bought this baby blanket from me, for a childhood fren of hers who had just given birth!

Thanks for showing your support.

I hope baby Lucas feel the warmth and love when being wrapped in it.

Consigned shawl done!

The shawl has been passed to the owner last week. I need to upload my pics...

Magic Yarn Ball Swap

I've received the package! It reached me on my bday eve! Danielle must have calculated it accurately!

And when I open it, I found that it's a pink variegated cotton ball of yarn! I love pink! I love cotton! I love variegated yarn!!!

The thoughtful lady had warned me of having something poky inside and want me to take extra care when unwinding my yarn.

She even had a tag which says "pull here" to let me know where to start!!

I had a good time unwinding then yarn. It's full of surprises during the journey.

However, something keep distracting me. I keep seeing this pair of cute eyes staring at me. Look at that pair of innocent eyes! I can't wait to rescue it from the yarn cocoon and see what's inside!

What I get in all...

1 pink variegated cotton yarn

11 stitch markers

1 pair of earrings

1 beaded bracelet

3 ribbons

1 amigurumi snail

1 paper weight

2 pcs of cute pink ladybird fabric

1 wooden pencil

This is such a cool swap! I'll definitely participate in a 2nd round!

Another swap

I've just sent out the package for another swap from the Craftster's site. This is call the "Magic Yarn Ball Swap". Some pple have already received their goodies! I hope I can receive mine very very soon!!!

I'M IN LOVE

I started knitting the shawl (that Silvia has consigned me to do) last night. It was quite fast, considering that I was knitting on 10mm needles. When I read the label, one ball of yarn was only 30m long, which is very very short! Thank God Silvia bought 10 balls of them!

As I knit along... I FELL IN LOVE.

The yarn was fabulous! It was so soft, warm and cozy. I imagine wrapping myself in that shawl. I felt loved.

I regretted not buying them! Biggest mistake in my knitting life.

I wish I can keep the shawl to myself.
But I already have so many shawls, I told myself.

And as I continue knitting, my love grew for it. I hope the yarn will keep running and running, so that I don't have to stop knitting it.

This is the time when I enjoy knitting a project the most!
Loving every moment of it, hoping that it will never end.

And this is my lover...

Time is running out

I need to start on the consigned shawl. 10 days more to go!

Consignment

Went to Spotlight early last week and they were having some sale for yarn. They are selling very cheap, and some were selling for like 50 cents or $1. This is the first time I see these yarn selling so cheap.

A fren of mine has consigned me to make a shawl for her. I have like 1 week to complete that. In the meantime, the sewing machine has to be an white elephant for this whole week.

I'm still comtemplating whether to finish knitting my afghan or sewing a new quilt. As usual, too many ideas, never enough time to do them.

Passport holders

After the sewing machine guy left, I made 2 passport holders the very same night. Guess I was already in holiday mood then.

Craft Addiction

There were so many times when I wish I don't have to work and can stay at home and craft 24/7.
I wish that whatever thing I make will be able to sell off like hotcakes.
I wish that my inspiration will be never-ending.
I wilsh taht I can craft whatever crazy ideas that I can come out with.
I wish that everyone will be able to appreciate my crafts like a piece of diamond.

And yesterday, I took half a day off, so that the sewing machine guy can come and do a demo on the machine. This is the first proper sewing machine that I've bought. The previous toy sewing machine (battery operated) one didn't work that well. I chanced upon this machine during a promotion period and get 10% + $50 off (for trading in the toy machine).

I had initially looked at the $299 machine, which was probably the cheapest available there and most suited to my skills. However, that company is very smart! They employed promoter girls are used to be seamstress. These pple made so many miniatures of bags, pouches, clothes... etc. All of them are so nice! Not only that, they purposely embellish these works with lots of cool stitches which are available in the more advanced machines. The promoter lady even told me that I do not need to pay to go to sewing school to learn sewing. She said that I can bring any pattern to her and she can teach me on the spot! Doesn't that sound cool?

I was tempted big time. I ended up paying $900+ to get a very advance machine.

As soon as I've made the payment, I started to waiver. I started to wonder if I will make full use of the machine. I was afraid that the machine will become a white elephant. The more I think about it, the more guilty I felt. It went to the extent that I wanted to get a refund for the machine before it was delivered. Though I had wanted to do that, my work schedule was so busy that I forgotten about all the regrets. The machine was delivered one day. It looked cool. And so I thought, why don't I try it out? At least I have something to keep me more occupied nowadays.

It took me some time to get the guy to come and do a demo. I really felt very relieved after the demo was done. I instantly tried it on my own and I can remember what I learnt earlier! The machine was so easy to operate and I was so "wow-ed" by all the features that it has.

Now I can say that I've made a right purchase! I'm happy.

In the meantime, look out for more works soon!

Pleasant surprise

I was supposed to meet some friends after work in town. Both my friends work quite far away from town and therefore, I had one hour of spare time to do a little shopping.







I decided to go to Plaza Singapura for a quick shopping trip. I had wanted to lookout for some nice fabric. I also wanted to buy some ribbons, as I was thinking of making a lanyard for myself.

And so... I ended with some ribbons and more yarn! I just couldn't resist buying nice yarn.

It happened that I wanted to show my fren a bag that I made recently. So I brought it along. As I was queueing to make payment, one of the Spotlight staff saw my bag and commented that it is very nice. She asked for permission to take a look at my bag. So I happily just pass it over the counter to show her. To my surprise, more staff came over the counter when they heard the compliments from the first staff who saw my bag. Not only that, they passed my bag around, so that everyone in that department can take a look at it!

I was very pleasantly surprised by the reaction. Some staff came over and ask how I made it. Of cos, many said that it is very nice. And they were also so proud that the yarn was from Spotlight.

I was indeed very plesantly surprised and this is one motivation for me to get back into my knitting act!

It's been a long time...

... since I last pick up my knitting needles. The crafts that I'm doing now gives me more instant gratification. At the same time, I'm trying out different crafts to widen my "skills". I will go back to knitting very soon, I know.

Here's one pair of earrings that I just made last night.

Felted beads => Felted Palms

Saw a tutorial on Crafsters on how to make felted beads. I tried it and felted my palms instead. The result of the beads isn't that cool too. I shouldn't have used the roving on the yarn...

I bought a sewing machine

Mum made me buy it. She was the one who saw it at Bugis and asked me to meet her after work to go and see it. Nah...

I was just talking to her that I wanted to go to Community Center and learn sewing. And she said that I was crazy. It must be yet another hobby that I would give up in a while, she said.

2 days after that, she called me while she was shopping, telling me how amazing the sewing machine was. I was too amazed by the functions too! I gave in. I bought it. Unfortunately, there's no stock yet. I paid and wait. It's coming in sometime in July. I hope that it will not be made an white elephant.

Quick trip to Chinatown

Was meeting some frens in Chinatown for dinner. Made a quick trip to Mix and Match, the newly opened Lai Guan shops. Bought another book on beading and some supplies. More new projects to come!

More handphone charm

Office just started renovating. Had been so busy for the past few weeks that I was too lazy to craft. Managed to squeezed in a little bit of time to make a few charms.

The Pearl one is my favourite.

Something for Michelle

Here's another hp charm for Michelle for the new phone that she bought!

Spring...

Another beady handphone accessory

The things that I do now no longer followed my blog title "Knitting 24/7". Been very lazy to knit nowadays.

Was bored last night and decided to organize my beads. My beads have been all over the place, in different kinds of weird containers or in the plastic bags. I bought some tiny clear plastic bags with a little zipper on top some time back. I poured all my beads individually into these bags for easy storage and organization. At least I could write their sizes on them.

After the packing the beads, I decided to practise making some basic "balls". The first that I did was a pink one and it was so sweet that I couldn't resist the temptation to do more balls in other colors. Looking at the many balls that I have, I decided to try to make something out of it. Wanted to try a necklace, but I didn't have the relevant supplies with me.

But I can't wait! Ended up making another handphone acccessory. I happened to have those silver chain and tried to make the balls go into the pattern, just like a bunch of grapes. Either I didn't get the concept right or the balls are too heavy, or the chain is not strong enough. The balls all seemed lopsided. In the end, I just attach a few balls on the chain and added in a pendant that I've made earlier. I'm happy with the final results.

Candy Bag

It was a long weekend due to Vesak Day holiday. Went to Spotlight to buy a yarn for my shawl, but found this new yarn there. Couldn't resist temptation as usual, andn bought some back to make a bag.

I had forgotten to take a pic of how the yarn looks like. But the end product looks lumpy, sort of like a carpet... However, I like the way it looks.





This is the first time I made a bag lining by myself. Had wanted to use a translucent material, but it was sooooo hard to sew. I ended up using felt, which was more manageable.

Yarn Binge

Spotlight has just added some new stocks. Bought a whole load of yarn. 2 types to be exact, one for a bag and the other for a shawl. The black shawl that I use in the office daily is getting worn out. Time to replace another.

Here's a little swatch that I've done on the taxi this morning. I've love the variegated color and everything abt this yarn.

Look what I've got!

A colleague from Australia sent me these!!
I'm up for a dyeing adventure soon!!

More handphone accessories!

Swap items received

The Noodle Princess has already received her earrings that I made for her. Here are the pics.

More beaded stuffs

I made the orange/white pendant based on a Japanese pattern that I saw at Kino some time back. It turned out different from the pattern cos I wasn't using the right beads. But I still love how it looks now.

The 2 heart shape key chain and the balls were made more than 2 years ago. I was quite into beading before I started knitting. And it's stopped since I picked up knitting. I can't think of what to do with the balls yet. Maybe I'll turn it into some kind of handphone charm. Any suggestions?

Supplies has arrived

I bought some handphone string from yahoo auction. It just arrived yesterday. I'm gonna be busy this weekend crafting some handphone accessories!

Lookout for more pics.

Package sent - 2006 Wishlist April

I've sent out yesterday, the swap item for The Noodle Princess for the 2006 Wishlist April Swap. Unfortunately, I can't post pics yet. Will do so after she's received it!

Panta's gone to the owner

Lisiepeasie got her Panta last night. I'm glad she likes it.

Here's my teddy modelling it!










And this is the surprise that she has for me! An Owl plushie! Isn't that cute? Love it!!!

Watching shows = new projects

Was catching some shows on dvds during the weekend. Can't remember when I developed this mentality that sitting down to watch shows is a waste of time. But sometimes, you just can't miss certain shows. Therefore, I always try to keep my time fully occupied by crafting while watching shows.







I need to learn how to take nicer pics! Tried taking these during the night time and it was so difficult to capture the real color. The shiny surface of the beads keep deflecting the lights away, and it always ended up looking too pale or ugly. The pink one was much more "pinker" in real "person".

These are handphone acccessories, in case you are wondering what they are. Some new inspirations. Need to take nicer pics and see if I can sell them away!

Panta's ready to go!

Panta's all wrapped up and ready to go!

I'm meeting Lisiepeasie tomorrow! She says she's got a surprise for me too! She's is just so sweet!

Let's call for a celebration!

Woohoo! Lisiepeasie's Panta is done! Took me 4 hrs, to complete, but it is really addictive. Once you have your hands on it, you won't want to stop!

I won't show pics yet, till I've given it to her.

Another Swap

It's been quite some time since I last participated in a swap. Due to my limited skills, I love the kind of swaps that allows me to see what people wants, so I can decide if I can make it. The 2006 Wishlist April Swap is one such swap. This will be my first swap in 2006! I just came up with an idea on what to craft for the person that I chose.

More pics to come up soon!

Ok, I'm moving...

I've started the Panta for Lisiepeasie last night. The pattern wasn't that difficult after starting. The problem is that most of my yarn are acryllic and wool. I seldom buy cotton yarn cos they are so much more expensive, plus, they are only available at Golden Dragon (which is inconvenient for me). I dug into my stash and found 2 balls of cotton yarn, 2 balls of cotton blend (not pure cotton, which makes it a bit warm). I tried knitting on one of them (8-ply), but it turn out to be quite thick and I think that it would be quite warm for someone to wear, unless she stays in the air conditioned area throughout the whole day.

Anyway, I'll try some other alternatives tonight! Maybe something on a 4-ply yarn. I think that would work!

Meeting with local crafsters last Wed

I've been surfing the Craftsters website for quite some time now. It's such a great place for projext inspiration. From there, I got to know some Spore crafsters. We had an outing to Arab St last year, but I missed it. We tried to plan for another meetup at Spotlight when they had the sale last Wed.

Only 6 of us attended. There was LiN (with her 2 frens), Lisiepeasie, and Dottydot. It was such an interesting outing. This is the 1st time I met up with them and am glad I did. They were so nice and interesting people. We had such a good time sharing about the crafts that we do!

And you know what? Lisiepeasie stayed in the east, which is relatively near to where I stay. It was very nice of her to send me home after the meeting. On the trip home, we realised that both of us attended the same Secondary School and joined the same ECA and played the same instrument! Of cos, I hadn't met her in school before cos I am much older than her. What a coincidence! It's just such a small small world.

Lisiepeasie loved the Panta but she couldn't knit! I'm gonna take up the challenge her one. Didn't get a chance to try it out during the weekend as I was too busy chasing after some Korean Drama. Hope that I can finish it in time before she leaves for her US trip!

ANyone interested in a carpet hat?

I agree with them this time... Check out!

Inspired to DYE

I was looking at Dave's website this morning and was soooo tempted to hand dye some yarn for fun. Had been wanting to do that for quite a while already, but was concerned about the mess that would be created. After looking at Dave's website, my curiosity couldn't stop me anymore.

I know that many people use Kool Aid but I find it very tedious cos you need to soak the yarn to prepare it, then u need lots of vinegar and hot water. I was very afraid that I would scald myself, topple the colors all over, or any of the freak accidents that might happen. This is what that has been stopping me from trying it.

I just got to know that we can get Dylon dyes here. And guess what? There's this cold water dye (instruction below), which means that I don't need to handle hot water! Isn't that easy? I can't wait to try it!!! My curiosity is burning inside me!! Maybe its time to knit another Clapotis??? Oh no, my mind is going crazy, thinking about the various color combinations.



Dylon Cold Water Dye Instructions
· Suitable fabrics: cotton, linen, viscose. Lighter shades on polyester/cotton mixes because polyester and other pure synthetics DO NOT pick up dye. Lighter results on wool and silk.
· 1 pack will dye up to 250g / 8oz dry weight fabric (125g / 4oz for A52 Black).

You will need:
· Cold Dye Fix 125g / 4oz of salt
· Rubber gloves
· Flat bottomed bowl

Instructions:
1. Weigh dry fabric. Wash fabric thoroughly even if new and leave damp.
2. Fill a flat bottomed bowl with enough cold water to cover article (do not use a bath or sink unless stainless steel, as it may stain).
3. Wearing rubber gloves, dissolve dye in 500ml/1 pint hottest tap water. Stir well and add to bowl.
4. Dissolve 125g/4oz salt and 1 sachet Cold Fix in hottest tap water, add to bowl. (For Black, use 250g/8oz salt and 2 sachets of Cold Fix).
5. Put in unfolded damp article. Dye for 1 hour (3 hours for Black). Agitate continually for first 10 minutes, then occasionally after that, keeping fabric submerged.
6. Rinse in cold water until water runs clear, then wash in hot water with usual washing detergent.
7. Dry away from direct heat and sunlight. Wash article separately for the first few washes to remove excess dye.

Special Instructions for Wool:
1. Hottest tap water must be used instead of cold in the dye bowl.
2. Use 375ml / 13fl.oz of vinegar instead of salt and cold fix.
3. Use warm water to rinse and wash after dyeing.

How to use Cold Water Dye on Wood:
1. Rub down to bare wood, removing previous coatings. Wipe clean with white spirit.
2. Wearing rubber gloves, dissolve dye in 500ml/1 pint of warm tap water.
3. Apply dye evenly using a brush, sponge or cloth working in the direction of the grain. Allow to dry.
4. For darker shades apply further coats of dye, allow drying thoroughly between coats.
5. Apply any clear wood varnish to seal the colour.

Another knitted gift?

Someone's bday is coming up! I wonder if I should start knitting a present now. But that's provided I have the inspiration to create a gift. I hope I find something interesting at the Spotlight Sale tomorrow!

You knit what???

Everytime I saw this website, I kept wondering... Will I be featured there one day? I certainly hope not!

I've been Clapotised

Haven't really been knitting or crafting much except this project. Its working up very slowly. About halfway done. Actually, I noticed some errors, was supposed to do the [k1, ktb, k3,ktb] for all stitches within the markers, but I knitted it all the way through... This resulted in loose stitches on the part where we drop stitches.

Well, if I wanna be fussy, I had to rip the whole thing and do from scratch! So... I decided to close an eye.

Actually, I had the intension of doing another clapotis with variegated yarn. This was meant to be an "experiment" as it is cheap. The whole shawl would only cost less thatn $10.

However, those yarn at Spotlight were not variegated enough or the colors were too boring. Checked out Golden Dragon and loved the variegated range of the Butterfly Super 10. I would need 3 skeins of it and would cost about $33. It looks like it's gonna be quite heavy when the shawl is finished. I knew you would ask why don't I choose something like wool or merino, which is lighter. I can only say that I can't afford it! It would probably cost me a hundred bucks like that.

But I'll see how this baby turn out first before thinking about whether to make another investment. By the way, Spotlight's having a sale this Wed. Who knows I will find something interesting there.