Kneurotic Knitter

Winter Challenge X 2

2012-01-15T13:51:00.000-05:00

A few posts ago, I mentioned that some items I knit fall into the "victory projects" category ... and I am proud to share two of those with you.

Both patterns are from 2007. Yes, it took me almost 5 years to gather up the perfect yarn, patience and stamina to tackle them.

Both require attention. I had to frog back sections of both projects due to wrong color changes, reversed cables, dropped stitches, wrong stitches...etc. The patterns were not at fault - they were both wonderfully written, I just wasn't paying attention.

Both designers have superb attention to detail. The cables grew from the ribbing and the fairisle pattern is perfectly symmetrical and well placed, it reminds me why I buy patterns and don't design them.

Both were love-at-first-sight. I knew I had to knit/have them back in 2007. They didn't take that long to knit; I just didn't know it would take so long to finally tackle them.

Both were knit with more economical substitute yarns (knitpicks and elann).

Both were 95% finished in 2011 but not completed until now. Still finished within the 1st half of January!

And here I present...

1) Autumn Rose Pullover designed by Eunny Jang

Knit with Knitpicks Palette, which I bought when a skein cost $1.99-$2.19. Unfortunately, most of the colors I used are probably now discontinued.

Of the three Eunny Jang fairisle sweaters: this one, Ivy League Vest and Venezia Pullover, I think this pattern is the easiest for a beginner. The chart shows the increases/decreases and the colors change every 3 rows so it’s obvious that they need to be cut.

I strongly recommend enlarging the pattern chart.

Details on ravelry here.

2) Dickinson Pullover designed by Kathy Zimmerman

I used elann Peruvian Highland wool, which is a lighter weight so I used smaller needles to compensate. I could have used a heavier yarn but the lighter yarn creates a less bulky (adds 10 pounds) sweater. I love the finished product.

Details here.

I still have a few months to wear them!

Noro Holiday Magic

2012-01-03T19:30:00.045-05:00

Combining my recent binge with Noro and chunky yarns, I whipped up this Noro scarf for my husband just in time for Christmas.

The pattern is "Scrunchable Scarf" and used 2 skeins of Noro Iro. For my version, I cast on 29 stitches (including 2 selvage stitches). The scarf was soaked in a warm bath and line dried.

Pre-bath measurements: 6 X 58 inches

Post-bath measurements: 8 X 64 inches

As usual, Noro is magical!

Happy New Year!

Noro loves me, noro loves me not,...

2011-12-11T16:01:00.010-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with Noro.

LOVE...Quirky color combinations.
HATE...Knots, tonnes of them.
LOVE...Color changes that make even the simplest pattern spectacular.
HATE...Difficulty joining skeins if you want to keep the colors flowing in order or smoothly.
LOVE...Predominately natural fibres.
HATE...Straw and other weird stuff found in the yarn.
LOVE...Absolute magic with the perfect pattern.
HATE...Sometimes it's very difficult finding the perfect pattern.

And yet... time and time again, I cannot resist buying a skein... or two... or more.

Here's another project knitted up with Noro Furisode!

Unlike the Missoni-inspired cardigan, this yarn was frogged a few (4!!) times. It was hard finding the perfect pattern given the chunky weight and cotton/silk content. The chunky weight made garments bulky and big a.k.a. fat factor, while the cotton/silk content made bobbles or cable stitches difficult (yarn had zero elasticity).

In the end, I just made a Clapotis wrap... the pattern that has never failed.

Feeling Purple

2011-11-20T19:41:00.053-05:00

By coincidence, I was destashing and both recent projects happen to be purple.

Mohair Boucle Cocoon

Found a perfect pattern for some chunky mohair boucle (Creative Fibres hand dyed mohair) called Boucle Cocoon which was a pretty design and a perfect match with the yarn (both in weight and yardage).

My version is more slouchy and the shape reminds me of the circle shrug/sweater in many stores. Details here.

Star-Crossed Love Cardigan

A pattern inspired by an Anthropologie sweater, it turned out great after 3 rounds of frogging and a nice wet block. A few modifications were made for a larger size and customized sleeves (details on ravelry).

The cables are basic, but they look great - minimum effort, maximum impact. I like!

I'm now more obsessed with the Anthropologie sweater patterns!

Picking Projects

2011-11-15T20:07:00.001-05:00

Someone recently asked me how I choose my knitting projects. I never really thought much of it but I guess there are 4 categories:

VICTORY PROJECTS

These are the ones where you flip through a magazine or book and immediately think "wow, this is beautiful, I wonder if I'll ever be able to knit it?".

Characteristics: Top of the difficulty rating, intricate fairisle, complex cables, lace and often involves tiny needles.
Examples: Ivy League Vest, Lace dress (WIP)

RUNWAY PROJECTS

These are the ones you see at the mall or upscale department store retailing for $$$ and know you can make it (usually for a fraction of the price).

Characteristics: Designer patterns from Vogue Knitting (i.e. James Coviello, Anna Sui, Rebecca Taylor, Nanette Lepore, Michael Kors, Missoni, DKNY), runway-inspired designs, chunky knit accessories.
Examples: James Coviello Sweater, Missoni-inspired Cardigan

FUNCTIONAL PROJECTS

For me, these are the projects are created for any of the following reasons:
1) the yarn was on sale, what can I make with it?
2) the pattern was available (i.e. free or in my library),
3) small enough for travelling or commute knitting,
4) easy enough for stitch n' bitch knitting,
5) I just need ... insert... socks, mitts, hats..a project, any project.

Characteristics: Classic and manageable patterns
Examples: Noro Shawl, Nordic Tunic

GIFTS

Occasionally I am unselfish.

Examples: Scarves for sisters, bridesmaid shawls

How do you pick your projects?

Second Time Around

2011-11-07T19:20:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, Vogue Knitting featured a stunning sweater pattern by an up-and-coming designer called James Coviello. At the time, I was living in tropical Hong Kong and abandoned knitting but the sweater was so gorgeous, I just HAD to have the sweater. It was the motivation for me to pick up knitting again.

Back then, chunky 9mm yarn was not easy to find, especially in Hong Kong, My first attempt was an epic failure. After knitting all the pieces, I realized the yarn was too chunky and the sweater was too "fat". So, I bought different yarn and knitted it from scratch again.

This was 2004 and the yarn pattern was from the Winter 2002/2003 issue of VK.

Since then, I have moved from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Vancouver to Toronto and Toronto back to Vancouver. The sweater was never sewn up, the dangling pieces just stored in a plastic bag, hidden in boxes throughout those moves.

The pieces were also chunky and lacy and I was afraid to sew up the pieces...

...Until now.... This morning I was perusing the new Anthropologie Catalogue and saw this for $328:

It is the EXACT sweater that I was knitting back in 2004. It's amazing that almost a decade later, this sweater makes a re-appearance and is as relevant as ever. And my love with this sweater hasn't changed.

Although my sweater is still in pieces, I am going to find them and sew them together right away!

i Steeked!

2011-11-04T20:53:00.001-04:00

It was not an easy project: multiple color changes, complex fair isle pattern, advanced shaping and my first time steeking.

From start to finish, this project took over 2 and a half years. This included various stints of hibernation and one big frogging. The buzz around this pattern seems to have dulled a bit (pattern is from Winter 2007!!), but alas, it's finally finished and I love it!

It's the Ivy League Vest by Eunny Jang, who is amazing. I can't wait to tackle her other two patterns, the Venezia Pullover and Autumn Rose Pullover.

Fair Isle is very addictive!

Harvesting Chunky Yarn

2011-10-31T23:22:00.002-04:00

Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of chunky yarn (well, a lot of yarn in general but I digress...). I wanted to physically reduce my stash and free up a few bins and felt chunky yarn would be the low hanging fruit to accomplish this task.

I love chunky yarn. It uses big needles (which means fast to knit up), it takes up a lot of space (which means fewer skeins that actually require knitting) and I don't have too many multiple skeins of each (which means small projects with little commitment).

Harvests from my chunky yarn include:

TWO HATS!

Kerr Hat using 1.5 skeins of Jaeger Natural Fleece

Cable Slouch Hat using 1.5 skeins of Rowan Chunky Print

ONE COWL!

A tri-colour cowl based on the Gaptastic Cowl pattern. I used 3 skeins of Rowan Chunky Print.

More chunky destashing to come!!

Scarves for Christmas

2011-10-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

I finished the Christmas gifts for my sisters! I love the color combinations and although the color changes don't create stripes, the colors still remind me of Missoni (yes, still obsessed with Missoni) :)

Each scarf was knit from 3 skeins of Mirasol Hacho. Details on Ravelry.

More Christmas gifts to come!

Missoni Madness

2011-10-09T16:43:00.000-04:00

On September 13, Target introduced products designed by Missoni (clothes, accessories, home decor...) I arrived in Washington DC on September 14 hoping to grab a few items, but sadly everything (except a few baby things) were gone. It was like it never happened and apparently, Target's website crashed due to the heavy traffic from other Missoni fanatics.

I love Missoni, ever since I saw a pattern in my very first Vogue Knitting magazine, but in reality, I don't have the budget to actually buy an authentic Missoni item.

So, I do what any other knitter would do. I knit myself some Missoni!

My Missoni-inspired Cardigan
Four skeins of Noro Furisode and the pattern Liesl, my Missoni wannabe cardigan was born.

I stashed more Noro Furisode in other colorways and thinking about something with zig-zags... a wrap, a jacket, a dress?

Lavender

2011-08-08T09:22:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since my last post as summer is finally here. Gotta enjoy the sun while it lasts!

I finished 2 sweaters, both the same color!

1) Lavender Cherie Amour

I used 5 skeins of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica to knit this free knitty pattern, Cherie Amour.

I wanted a higher v-neck so I knitted lace 2 X 3 repeats before starting neck shaping.

I completely forgot that Manos doesn’t have dye lots so the bottom lace, middle ribbing and body lace sections are now subtly different shades. Hope it's not noticeable or that it looks like it was intended that way...

2) Anthropologie Slouchy Stitch Pullover Reverse-Engineered

I saw a mesh sweater from Anthropologie and was inspired to make something similar. I used a free pattern from Tahki Stacy Charles, and modified it a bit. My version is less slouchy, longer and I omitted the slanted hem. I used about 10 skeins of Rowan Bamboo Tape, which I got for $2 a skein from Dressew. The entire sweater cost me about $20!

Happy summer and load up on vitamin D!

Lace & Swingy

2011-06-12T19:37:00.018-04:00

I originally bought this yarn (Elann baby merino lace) to make a bunch of hot pink bridesmaids shawls. Unfortunately, the color of the yarn that arrived wasn’t hot pink at all, but a deep cranberry red (dammit online shopping!!).

Then I saw this pattern in Vogue Knitting Fall 2008 (one of my all-time favorite issues) and the designer section(s) always pique my interest. The magazine said it's a Rebecca Taylor design but I have subsequently found this listed under Heather Carlson (in Ravelry). I am not sure whether it's a typo by VK or if Heather Carlson designed it for Rebecca Taylor or...? Anyway, the pattern required a lot of lace yarn, which I had, and so I casted on.

This was back in 2009...

The pattern took a V-E-R-Y long time to knit. It wasn't a particularly difficult pattern but I decided to knit the bottom twisted rib piece (2 fronts + 1 back) all in one piece. It was also required knitting 4 lace strands held together, which required a little bit more attention than usual. The entire piece was terribly unmotivating!

Then there were the twisted rib sleeves.

And after that, 3 lace panels.

The seaming also took a lot of time and planning. Since all the pieces were different sized and involved pleats, I had to do a lot of math and trial and error to get it right. The details of the seaming process are documented in ravelry.

Halfway through seaming, I realized that the instructions may be wrong. The neck opening (for the back) was supposed to be 3" but mine was only 1.5" (my gauge wasn't off, the math in the pattern didn't add up). Since I was never fond of the garter stitch collar anyway (I felt that there were too many different types of stitches - twisted rib, lace, scallop edge) and since I didn't want to rip the sewed pieces apart, I designed a new collar. The instructions for the collar are also documented in ravelry.

It is F-I-N-A-L-L-Y done. It was a lot of work and planning (even with a pattern) but the final product is worth it. It looks like something that would be found in an Anthropologie store. I love it!

Something Old, Something New

2011-06-05T15:58:00.015-04:00

I knit a boobtube some years ago which I never wore. It was a little too pretty/frilly/cutesy for me.

A friend recently had a baby daughter ... and the more I looked at the boobtube, the more I thought it would look great as a baby girl dress.

I only had to unravel about 3 inches of the boobtube to transform it into a baby dress. There was a bit of knitting and frogging to get the top right but it now looks pretty/frilly/cutesy - perfect for a baby girl!

The instructions are documented in Ravelry.

This one's for baby Katelyn!

There's Something about Noro

2011-05-29T19:28:00.008-04:00

I saw Noro Aurora one day at elann and bought all that was left (6 skeins). There’s something about Noro… the color changes are always surprisingly beautiful. This colorway is called Jewel Box and indeed it's a gem. Who could imagine that pink, orange, teal, emerald, dark red and black could look so great together?

This yarn is a bit strange, it has some tinsel-sparkly bits spun into the wool, but it’s beautiful.

Worried that the tinsel would be itchy against my skin I chose a shawl pattern. It is free and was perfect to showcase the color changes!

MODIFICATIONS:

Omitted increases on the WS
I wanted thicker stripes along the outer edge. To achieve this, after finishing the 2nd skein, I alternated between 2 skeins i.e. 3rd with 4th skeins and 5th with 6th skeins (following the same color changes) to prolong the color.
Instead of kerchief size, I kept knitting until most of the yarn was used up. It's now a generous scarf size.
Used a 10mm crochet hook to cast off. I find this cast off method easier to get a loose tension.

Who wouldn't love a shawl of emeralds, sapphires, garnet and sparkle?

All Seasons Cotton Bug

2011-05-22T15:50:00.026-04:00

A few years ago, I received All Seasons Cotton as a Rowan Membership gift. They accidentally sent me 2 packs instead of one, so I had 8 skeins in total (score!). I finally found a pattern perfect for the yarn ... and it's free, you can find it here!

Valpuri

I knit it in the round and added a few inches to the length of the body. To compensate tighter knitting in the round, I up-ed the needle size in the ribbing section(s).

I really like the yarn. It's part acrylic but quite soft, doesn't split and makes cables pop.

I found more All Seasons Cotton in my stash, and decided to knit something for my friend's baby boy. I picked Trellis and my yarn was the exact same color as the one used to showcase this pattern in knitty.com.

Trellis

Again, I knit in the round (the 2 fronts + back pieces). Since other Ravelers didn’t have enough yarn to finish this size and said the sleeves were too long, I made the sleeves 1-2 inches shorter. I would not have enough yarn if I didn’t do that.

Hope baby Seabass likes it!

Nordic Tunic

2011-05-15T15:52:00.003-04:00

I found SWS on sale at $2.77 a skein and wanted to knit this Nordic Tunic from Vogue Knitting Fall 2008 (one of my all-time favorite issues), which was designed with the same yarn.

GRIPES:

As usual, Vogue Knitting has TONNES of errors. Remember to read the errata before starting!
Didn’t like the yarn. It is like roving and splits like crazy!
Didn’t like the yoke construction. I had no idea how to measure the sweater and wondering whether I should add/decrease any length to the sleeves and body. It was also really heavy, which made the tension for colorwork a little bit challenging to be consistent.
However, I did like the minimal number of edges to sew!

MODIFICATIONS:

Lengthened the body a bit
For neck portion, did a k1p1 twisted rib

Finally finished and it fits perfectly!

It's a bit too hot to wear it now but packed away in a safe place for next year!

Another Chunky Lace Scarf

2011-05-08T19:51:00.003-04:00

I hate having yarn leftover. When I had various mini-skeins of this left from my Twinkle cardigan. I tried making a hat (below), but the bulky yarn was too stiff so it was frogged within 24 hours!

So I chose a crochet lace pattern because it was easy and it was flexible enough to use up all the yarn. It's the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf pattern but I couldn't understand the crochet instructions and improvised a bit

I crocheted a total of 30 motifs... with very little yarn left! :)

Chunky Stashbusting

2011-03-22T17:57:00.042-04:00

After knitting the three bridesmaid lace shawls on skinny needles, I needed some instant gratification.

Took out a bunch of leftover chunky yarn and made a bunch of accessories!

Chunky Print in Native (beige), leftover from Sister's Vest

I did try to make a chunky vest for myself, but the fit was terrible and frogged it. Instead, I made the Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret and Reversible Drop-Stitch Mobius.

Chunky Print in Swizzle (white, with red and grey twists), leftover from my Chunky Vest

With two skeins leftover, I made a cowl that could be worn separately or together with my Chunky Vest.

Almost forgot about the joys of knitting chunky yarn! Fast!

One WIP Down

2011-03-15T15:41:00.033-04:00

I originally bought some Classic Elite Alaska to knit something Twinkle. I chose the Groovy Sweater but it was a failure. I love the yarn - it's soft, squishy and the heathered colors are beautiful - but it did not match with the pattern.

Frogged!

...And reworked into the Chunky Cropped Jacket by Lutz and Patmos. It was supposed to be an easy project but took me a long time! Alas, it's finally finished.

I lengthened the sleeves so they reach my wrists.

I like it but it's a little heavy!

Bridesmaids Gifts

2011-03-06T10:11:00.011-05:00

For the past month and a half I have been working exclusively on bridesmaids gifts. I wanted something lacy, versatile and easy to make so in the end I chose Elann's Midnight Sonata scarf. Love those lace circles.

And there were three:

Rather than choosing my wedding theme color, I opted for colors that my bridesmaids liked. Purple, purple and green.

Each took about 2 weeks to make but I did not spend a lot of time knitting - usually just on my bus commute to work.

I think the mini shawls/scarves turned out really well, even though I made some minor modifications to the lace pattern. Eventually, I will make myself a large shawl with this pattern in hot pink (my wedding theme color) but in the meantime, I am temporarily laced out!

Fast Cars & Princesses

2011-01-08T15:51:00.001-05:00

These were made a few weeks ago for Christmas presents! Now that all the presents have been opened, they can finally be posted!

The dude and I made some Christmas gifts for his niece and nephews. We bought some Disney patterned fleece (Cars and Princess), added flannel bindings and appliqued the kids' names. I did most of the work but he contributed by cutting out the letters (which I later had to QA).

One thing I learned? Fleece cannot be ironed!!! I learned the hard way but luckily the melted bits were conveniently hidden by the applique letters.

We made three - for his 2 nephews and 1 niece!

2011, already?

2011-01-03T20:00:00.013-05:00

Wow, were did 2010 go?

Last year was a year of many changes - I got married, relocated back to Vancouver, and transitioned back into a world of "family" after many years of being "independent". I'm still re-adjusting to the West Coast even though I grew up here.

I don't usually have resolutions but here are a few for 2011, for fear if I don't document them here, they will be forgotten.

1) QUILTING

To begin and *hopefully* finish one crazy, intricate, heirloom quilt with very many, very small scrap-sized pieces of fabric. Inspired by this and this.

To design, begin and also *hopefully* finish one value quilt. Inspired by this and this.

...AND to not buy any new fabric.

2) SEWING

To use my sewing machine at least once a month, even if it's for 10 minutes to hem pants.

...AND to not buy any new fabric.

3) KNITTING

To finish all my UFOs (some lingering since 2005!).

To start and finish Kathy Zimmerman's Dickinson Pullover.

... AND to not buy any new yarn.

I'll leave you with a list of UFOs, so you can see how serious my problem is:

Michael Kors Cable Lace Pullover

James Coviello Perplum Pullover

Shirley Paden Lace Dress

Heather Carlson Side-to-Side Lace Cardigan

Eunny Jang Ivy League Vest

Nancy Bush Enes Scarf

Lutz & Patmos Cropped Jacket

Old Dress (circa 1996) Reworked to be Kristina McGowan's Suspension Dress

I think that's more than enough to keep me busy!!

Best Wishes for 2011!

Jaeger Natural Fleece All Ready for Snow

2010-10-26T19:40:00.002-04:00

Vancouver has mild winters but apparently, due to La Nina and global warming, we are due to have the coldest winter... ever! Yay!! I love snow and I love wearing chunky sweaters.

Excited about the weather predictions, and armed with 10 skeins of Jaeger Natural Fleece, I finished these!

First, the Drops Jacket with A-Shape, which only took 8 skeins but over 2 years to finish! It got a bit boring and I just tossed it aside. Predictions of snow quickly motivated me to finish.

It was the first time I used a DROPs pattern and I really liked the pattern because it already included 2 sets of numbers for 2 very different gauged yarns. I didn't need do any math or make any adjustments. The pattern itself jams a lot of information together and I found it helpful to highlight my size.

The buttons are recycled from an old cardigan.

With 2 left over skeins, I made a hat and a cowl. I considered dying them so they did NOT match the jacket, but I am too lazy.

The hat is a from a pattern and I made up the cowl. You can find the patterns on Ravelry. The hat is a little too small for me (I like slouchy hats) so it will go to my sister. I intended to give her the cowl too but it was soooooo cozy when I tried it on, I might keep it for myself. :)

And now, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

Chunky Lace Shawl/Scarf

2010-10-18T20:39:00.001-04:00

Two chunky lace shawls. Both very different - in terms of yarn, gauge, pattern, shape and size, but both turned out!

The first one is crochet using a pattern similar (if not completely identical) Queen’s Annes Scarf. I found a pattern from Crochet Today!, and I love their patterns because they chart them with diagrams.

I used left over yarn from the Seaberry Shell and I still hate the yarn (Anna Blatt Hariana)! It splits! But now I have used it all up so I don't have to deal with it anymore.

The second shawl is the Oscilloscope Shawl made from Cherry Hill Possum yarn. I only had three skeins of the yarn so I skipped one increase repeat and the shawl is a little small but still decent sized.

I can't choose which one I like more but I'll probably get more wear out of the second one.

Delayed Hello from Vancouver

2010-09-19T22:22:00.004-04:00

Gosh, time really travels fast. It's already been 7 weeks since my move back to Vancouver but it feels like just yesterday.

My containers took over 2 weeks to arrive and although most boxes are still unopened, I feel like things are just finally settling. I just got the TV hooked up (last week) and have a very small area for my sewing machine.

Weather here is rainy as usual, but I did mange to sneak in a few pics when it was sunny!

Vancouver says Hello!

Dress Refashion

2010-07-19T13:19:00.001-04:00

While packing, I found some old dresses that were now too small to fit me. However, I resisted donating or throwing them away because they were 100% silk and from a designer sample sale.

So, I cut off the bottom and turned them into skirts!

1) Colorful Skirt

Out of the three, this one is my favorite print - it screams summer! The silk piece and lining were different widths so it took some trial and error. I had to serge the silk piece and lining together first, then sewed them to the elastic using a zig zag stitch.

2) Black & White Skirt

For this black and white multi-tiered skirt, I also basted the skirt pieces to an elastic. 3) Sparkly Skirt

For this dress, the skirt section was actually the right fit (it was the top that was too tight). I just inserted a zipper and used a ribbon to reinforce the waistband.

There's one more in this collection but I accidently cut the skirt too short. Will have to figure out what to do with it!

Stripey Socks for Me

2010-07-17T11:11:00.001-04:00

I made these for my dude's birthday back in January. Now I have a matching pair!

Same pattern but slightly smaller size (fewer stitches).
They are a bit snug but the ribbing stretches.

Now, onto the Dude's socks for next year!

The cat is out of the bag

2010-07-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

I am moving to Vancouver!

But before I go....

10 things I will miss about Toronto:

1. Jerk chicken.

2. My condo. Love at first sight, it was my "I'm an adult" moment!

3. Queen Street (the main bits)

I love how it transforms from east to west: beaches to quirky to ghetto to downtown to shopping mecca to artsy to camh.

I love the brunch choices: For pancakes, go to Niche. For pastries, go to Bounjour Brioche.

I love having 5 yarn stores along the SAME street (from east to west): Naked Sheep, Purple Purl, Americo, Romni, Knit Cafe. I don't love all of them, but certianly can't complain about the choice and the TTC-ability.

I love the window displays at Mokuba.

4. Anthropologie. When are you going to open in Vancouver?

5. The Red Rocket. Dirty but oh, so convenient and there's a subway station right at my door.

6. Summer in the city: Doors Open, Luminato, Nuit Blanche

7. The theatre. Monty Python's Spamalot was my favorite while the dude liked Jersey Boys.

8. Less than 2 hour flight to New York City and Chicago. And just across the pond from Europe.

9. West Elm and Crate & Barrel. Same as 4.

10. ... and last but not least, every one of the lovely ladies I met here, especially those who I met on a Wednesday. You know who you are!!

2010-07-07T23:13:00.002-04:00

My friend adores Elvis so when I came across some Elvis fabric, how could one resist? I chose 2 prints and bought 1/2 yard of each.

I didn't have any projects in mind - Bag? Kitchen mitt? Placemats? Pillowcases? After a few months, I decided to make something for her daughter, Presley:

1) Pillowcase Dress
Although there are quite a few online tutorials for pillowcase dresses, I opted to improvise, which is not a really good idea since I am unfamiliar with baby sizes. Well, it's better to make it too big than small, right? That way, she can wear it as a dress first, then as a tunic once she grows taller. Although I didn't use a pillowcase, the pattern still worked (I think it worked; Presley still needs to try it on).

I used the large print for the body of the dress, then stitched a "ribbon" out from the blue print.
One of the tutorials (sorry, forgot which one!), recommended using bias tape to reinforce the sleeve edge. What a great idea! I have a lot of bias tape on hand and this method produces a very clean & professional-looking edge.2) Twirly Skirt
With the leftover blue print, I made a simple skirt with elastic edging. Again, I have no clue how big Presley is, but I do know she is 2 years old. Googled told me a two year old's waist size is around 20 inches to 21 inches. Again, I improvised. I hope they fit!

A Gem in the Ghetto

2010-06-11T12:34:00.004-04:00

Greetings from Vancouver!

Yesterday, I was in Gastown and ended up in the ghetto DTES (downtown eastside). It's not a very nice area and although the area is supposedly getting revitalized, it's still sketchy in most parts. Luckily, I was only roaming near the border of this not very nice area, and in the corner of my eye, I saw a fabric store called Dress Sew. The store window featured dressforms and lots of fabric.

Curious, I stepped into the store (which is HUGE), and right into the yarn section. Every skein of yarn was $1.99. I thought I would only find Bernat, Patons, Red Heart and other unknown fibres, but I hit the jackpot!!

I found Regia sock yarn for $1.99 per skein (Kaffe Fassett too!), random Rowan for $1.99 per skein (I.LOVE.ROWAN), Nashua for $1.99 per skein and some other European yarn... all at $1.99!!

I didn't need any more yarn but I would regret it if I didn't buy any. I really couldn't help myself and bought 19 skeins of yarn. 14 skeins of sock yarn (below) and 5 skeins of Rowan Chunky Print. The hoarder in me came out.

I almost didn't want to share this with other knitters...but it's too good. The shop is on 337 Hastings St W.

And for quilters... they stock Michael Miller fabrics. Not a wide selection and not necessarily cheap ($12.99 per metre? yard?) but I usually buy my fabrics online and it was nice to see and touch the prints.

Bonus Lap Blanket Three

2010-06-09T10:31:00.001-04:00

While in sweatshop mode to make bridal gifts #1 and #2, I managed to finish this quilt for the MIL. Since I made this for my mom, thought my MIL would like to have a lap blanket too.

I chose the layer cake called Wiscasset designed by Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson for Moda. It was on sale :) but the blue, taupe and deep reds are beautiful. I actually really love some of the fabrics. With paisley, delicate flowers and traditional striped florals, I would call it modern country. My favorite print is the back print, which is a whimsical paisley.

Again, 5 X 8 squares yield a 48 X 76 inch lap blanket.

Bridal Gift: Second One Complete

2010-06-05T10:15:00.002-04:00

I'm in Vancouver to attend two weddings. For one bridal gift, I made this. The colors were fresh and light and reminded me of ancient Chinese ceramics.

For the second gift, I used a Essence layer cake designed by Sandy Gervais for Moda. These colors match the bride and groom's living room furniture of warm browns.
Again, the quilt featured 5 X 8 blocks and I had 2 blocks left over. For the back, I chose a slightly "man-lier" print of leaves in mustard. The quilt measures approximately 48 X 76 inches.

Congrats Li Shia & Joe!

Wrap Dresses

2010-06-02T23:55:00.002-04:00

The dress made famous by DVF. I've always loved her designs and wrap dresses in general, but my body and wrap dresses don't mix. They always end up unravelling or becoming too loose in the front, and I'm constantly paranoid about wardrobe malfunctions. Alas, I attempted to make 2, each from a different pattern:

Butterick 5030

This is the first one from a few months ago. It failed. I didn't like the pattern at all. There's interfacing along the sides to reinforce the edges but I found the collar too flimsy. Then, I attached bias tape around the edge but the collar ended up too stiff. You can't win!! It looks OK on the mannequin but on a person, it's just too stiff. I gave up.

Simplicity 4074

This one actually turned out OK and it's because it's not REALLY a wrap dress. It's a mock wrap! I top stitched the front criss-cross portion. :) It's the first time using the serger that I was not afraid to follow the 5/8 seam allowance and went right ahead and chopped all the fabric off. For once, the garment fit first time around!! ... SUCCESS!

In the meantime, I am going to try to fix the first one.... Stayed tuned!

Sewing Room Makeover

2010-05-30T22:12:00.002-04:00

I love my blue sewing room but it needed a makeover! It might not look much different from before, but there's a new sewing machine cover (the blob on the Expedit), a serger cover (the other blob on the Expedit) and mannequin cover (party chopped off on the left). I had stash fabric that I was saving for something special. I still have some fabric left over for a few small organizational items.

Although hot pink is my favorite color, this combination of baby pink, baby blue, and brown comes in a close second.

Today I took a serger class at The Sewing Studio. It taught me a few tips about finishing ends, how to figure out the different threads, serging corners...etc. It inspired my motivation to do some serging. I finished a dress and fixed a skirt. I'll post them later.

Noro Summer Lace Scarf

2010-05-25T14:28:00.003-04:00

I bought this yarn from last year's TTC knit along after some persuasion from Sandi Purl.

It's a lovely self-patterning Noro Matsuri yarn but I only bought 2 skeins, which at 145 m per skein would yield enough yardage for a summer scarf.

I tried a few different patterns but none of them really worked. I tried...:

1. ...crochet using double chain and larger needles (6.0)… it was too loose and like a rag.

2. ...knitting the Midwest Moonlight Scarf… but the pattern competed with the beautiful color changes of the yarn. This pattern would work well with solid colors.

3. ...knitting a simple lace pattern over 45 stitches… but it was a bit too wide for summer and I was in danger of running out of yarn

4. ...casting on 27 stitches over this simple repeat: K2, yo repeat, k1 Purl all stitches. However, after a few inches, I hated the curling created by the pattern.

Finally, I found Palette and knit away. Voila! The pattern doesn't curl, the pattern is lacy enough to be airy but dense enough to have some structure, the yarn's color changes are shown harmoniously, it's the perfect length for a scarf and I had minimal yarn left over.

Looks like after a few false starts, the stars aligned after all.

Bridal Gift: One down, one to go!

2010-05-23T23:11:00.005-04:00

I have 2 girlfriends getting married in June. Here's a gift for the first one!

It's made from Nature's Notebook layer cake designed by April Cornell for Moda and the back is a light and airy damask pattern from the same line. I pieced the 10" squares into my standard 5 X 8 squares configuration. The quilt measures approximately 48 X 76 inches.

Congratulations Connie and Victor!

Christmas Gifts for Moms

2010-05-18T19:08:00.003-04:00

Now that I'm married, I feel like I should make things in two if I want to make something for my mom. :)

Here's the first set of gifts... originally, I planned to make these shawls for two friends who are getting married next month. However, I decided to make something more appropriate for the brides and felt that moms would appreciate lace shawls more.

To be fair, both shawls are from the same pattern - Flower Basket Shawl. I've made 2 previously and love the pattern.

This one is for the dude's mom, made with 2 strands of Knitpicks Shadow in Vineyard Heather.
This one is for my mom, knit in 2 strands of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino. This yarn is thinner, and as a result, a bit more lacy.These will be Christmas gifts!

Wardrobe Refashion

2010-05-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

I had a black fine knit vest that was getting frumpy... so I I made this!I bought half a meter of the striped fabric and sewed it to the vest. Then, I attached a thick elastic on top and topstitched it to the vest/skirt.

The elastic prevents the need for a zipper and the skirt is a little poofy.

I love it!

2 New Spring Dresses

2010-05-10T19:13:00.003-04:00

I love the recent Cynthia Rowley patterns from Simplicity. There's this, this, this, this, this and this. I finally made one of her dresses, the easiest one.

Simplicity 2472

With no zipper, no buttons and no elastic, I used the serger* and it sewed up really quickly. It looks great with leggings, and a wide belt, or by itself as a dress. I can't wait to make Cynthia Rowley's other dresses!

Simplicity 2360

This new Project Runway dress is also easy. The shaping is done with an elastic waist which eliminates the need for a zipper.

I used a rolled hem* to finish the ruffles and I love it!!!

Both dresses are made from a polyester slinky material. Not the best fabric (it's very static-y) but I'm not very good in dressmaking and wanted to use an inexpensive material to practice.

They are not perfect but I can still wear them!

* I recently upgraded my Walmart Singer serger to a Janome Harmony serger. Love the Janome! It's so easy to transition from rolled hem to four-thread seam.

Swanky Lap Quilt

2010-05-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

The Nest Lap quilt was oozing Fall and Winter colors. Since the sun is shining and it's now Spring, I decided to make a Spring/Summer lap quilt!

I used another layer cake, this time with Swanky fabrics. I cut the 10" squares into 5" ones and pieced together 8 X 14 squares for the center. Added a white border, and added yet another border of green fabric with blue polka dots.

The back features an intersection of small colorful blocks.

It reminds me of Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie. The colors are so happy, I'd like to do some boogie woogie myself!

Applique BB Quilt

2010-05-02T22:42:00.003-04:00

Made this for a friend's newborn baby - Elyse. I used a pre-quilted fabric, one side is plain yellow, one side with orange and yellow dots. I added a simple solid binding and appliqued "elyse" .Congrats P & S!

Nest Lap Quilt!

2010-04-26T20:10:00.002-04:00

I have a soft spot for charm packs (5" squares) and layer cakes (10" squares). I adore the idea of having at least one square of every print in each collection. Who can resist the assortment of different but coordinating fabrics?

This quilt is made from a layer cake for Nest, by Tula Pink for Moda.

Because the fabrics featured large prints, I kept it simple and just pieced them together. There were 40 squares so I made a 5 X 8 square quilt. It's a great lap blanket.

For the back, I chose one of my favorite prints, a green one that features whimsical birds. This print is gorgeous and I just used it for the entire back. A small border was added.

Another reason to like these fabrics is that it matches my crochet blanket. :) Mixture of dark colors with hints of teal and red.

Love it!

Last Fancy Gentleman Socks

2010-04-24T10:15:00.002-04:00

This is the fourth time (and last) I've used this pattern. I love the result, but I'm done with the pattern.

Apparently, the pattern is also done with me. Luckily I didn't carry the actual book around... the photocopy is felting on me.

This last pair of socks is for me. The pattern features shaping for the calf, which I omitted for myself. I love this color, I believe it's called wine.

I'm also done with Knitpicks Kettle Dyed (fingering weight), which they have discountinued anyway. Love the colors but I bought 4 colorways on a whim (and subsequently knitted) and now I'm ready to knit some variagated or self stripping socks!

However, as I said, I love this color. Going to see if I can find some aran weight of this yarn for sale on Ravelry....

Moon Beam Quilts

2010-04-10T10:01:00.005-04:00

Two more...

This fabric is called Moonbeams in a Jar, with images of bears lounging in stars and floating onesies.

Quilt 1 - 5" Squares

I just couldn't resist. Simple, neat, tidy, lovely squares.

The back is like a story board. It's a bit small but ther eare bears hanging off stars and laying on the moon.
Quilt 2 - Random Stripes

I'm starting to like stripes. It gives enough room to see the pattern on busy prints and I can quilt with random lines.

More bears on the back! This time, all boy bears.

Next, I am going to make some lap quilts!

Princess Boutique Girlie Quilts

2010-04-06T22:00:00.003-04:00

Two more girlie baby quilts!

The fabric is called "Princess Boutique" and it features fashionably dressed girls, ruffled dresses, shoes and jewelry, flower bouquets, and fairy tale castles. It's bright and dreamy and girlie.

Quilt 1 - 5" squares

My favorite simple pattern of 5 inch squares!The back is pieced as well. Same pattern in two colorways with happy green stripes.
Quilt 2 - Disappearing 9 Patch

It's my first time using this pattern, following the tutorial from cluck cluck sew. It's still easy and but looks difficult! I'm liking the twists and turns created by the rectangles and squares.
The other side is just a simple backing in a busy print.

Again, I'm always amazed at how the same collection of prints looks completely different when cut and pieced differently.

Like magic!

Quilt Applique

2010-03-31T21:56:00.001-04:00

Remember this green quilt? I always thought it was missing something baby-esque to it.

The dude's best man* recently had a baby, so I added the baby's initials with applique in a light bright "Tiffany's" blue. The blanket now looks more "finished" and ready for the recipient.

Congrats to baby Daniel Eliott Chen!

*We didn't have a best man or maid of honor at our wedding ceremony, but the dude's best friend is still fulfilling the best man duties - organizing the stag. Yup, it hasn't happened yet (dude was sick and on antibiotics before the wedding and stag didn't happen), I am not sure if this is a blessing or trouble.

Socks for Mom and Dad

2010-03-28T21:54:00.001-04:00

My parents and sister were in town for a week. I previously finished my socks for my mom and I grafted the last stitch for my dad's socks just in time!

They are the same pattern - Gentleman's Fancy Sock - by Ann Budd. I found this patten and the yarn from Knitpicks to be compatible. I went a bit nuts when KP had kettle-dyed yarn - I bought 4 colorways! There's two above, I also had blue for the dude and red for me, which is now in progress. All four follow the same pattern, but for mine, I omitted the heel shaping and just cast on 72 stitches.

Although I gifted them, I am hoping one day all four pairs will reunite for a family photo.

Praha!

2010-03-26T23:44:00.004-04:00

And so... after the wedding ceremony, we eloped and ran off into the sunset to Prague. Originally we were planning to go to Athens but changed our minds last minute after hearing the general strike at the Athens airport. Luckily we did make changes, as there were tear gas attacks and riots during our vacation!

Prague was breathtaking. Every angle was like a postcard. It was like a karaoke video... you know, the ones with people (usually a couple with big hair) frolicking in the background (usually somewhere in Europe) and the scenes don't match the song lyrics?

Here are some highlights:

From top to bottom:
Prague Castle, Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Lesser Town, Along Vltava (Die Mouldau), John of Nepomuk on Charles Bridge, Deli Signs, Frank Gehry's Fred & Ginger a.k.a. Dancing House

We were not fond of the food. It was tasty... at first. But after two meals of boiled cabbage, bread dumplings and Goulash, the dude and I diverted to Chinese, Italian and even Afghan food!

In terms of shopping, these was not much to buy, which was good news to my wallet. Prague was famous for glass and we did buy 2 love birds, but how much glass can one really buy?

I did fit in some yarn shopping - visited all three blogged by Polly here. It's a great guide for any yarnies. I bought 4 skeins of yarn, total of 1000 yards, for 20 CAD!

But the jackpot was Marks & Sparks. Our hotel was near Palladium and there was a M&S in the mall - both a regular store and a clearance warehouse! The dude found dress pants for 30 Euros. For me... almond cookies, crisps and their lingerie section... oh, how I wish M&S would make it back to Canada!

Whirlwind...

2010-03-17T09:43:00.006-04:00

The past month and a half has been a whirlwind.

After living in sin for over 2 years, the dude and I eloped*!
* It wasn't entirely secret or sudden (as per wikipedia definition), but it was very low key and the parents didn't join. They weren't against the wedding (or either of us) but my parents were in Vegas and the dude's parents hate flying. The truth is, the traditional tea ceremony and banquet dinner are much more important for Chinese parents, which we will follow-up with some time later. To them, those are the events that really seal the deal. And so, we had the wedding ceremony at Toronto City Hall and flew off to Prague. Stories in the next post!

By the way, I put together the bouquet... a dozen roses from Metro intertwined with some kneurotic DIY style.

It was a great sunny day and we look warm and fuzzy, but believe me, it was very cold that day! Look at Sumi!

Showered by Shower Gifts

2010-03-13T09:46:00.002-05:00

My weekly S&B knittahs are a generous bunch. One afternoon, they showered me with tea, scones and wool bridal shower goodness! We were all dressed like ladies and I was channelling my inner Gossip Girl with a headband of course!

For tea, I picked a floral one...
And the gifts.... they were so thoughtful and beautiful. I can't wait to use them in my future kitchen! In no particular order...

Set of Placemats and 2 Coasters (Christina, Wendy, Cristina & Elsie)
Linen Placements for Special Occasions i.e. no dudes allowed! (Lisa)Hexagon Coasters (Nadia)

Dishcloths (Soosan)

Dishcloths (Avalee)

Elvis Dishcloth, Un-Elvis Dishcloth and Gloves for the Dude :) (Sandi)

Kitchen Towel (Vero)

Kitchen Towel (Holly) - It suspiciously looks like it has another potential use... no, no babies yet!

It's a bit overdue but I would like to thank the girls again for a lovely & elegant afternoon and all the wonderful gifts. THANK YOU!

XOXO

Bean Obsession

2010-03-03T20:38:00.006-05:00

I was in Chicago a few weeks ago. For those of you who know me, I was and is still obsessed with the bean. It was love at first sight and subsequently, I pay him a visit every time I'm in the city. He's extremely photogenic and has many personalities - I've seen gray bean, rain bean, lonely bean, sad bean, sunny bean, crowded bean... just to name a few. On this visit, the bean was blue, cool and crisp.

Chicago has many other beautiful landmarks. I've leave you with a few.

The El

Flower Building

Contemporary Art

Fact

Fiction

My next post will be a special one. :)

Hands and Feet

2010-02-19T23:11:00.003-05:00

After making cashmere fingerless mitts for my mom, I finished a pair for myself.

After almost a year of WIP, I finally finished knitting these for my mom. It's the same pattern I used to make dude socks last year, which I found to be a good match for the yarn.

My parents are planning to visit me here in Toronto in mid March so I can gift them to her then. At the same time, I have just cast on another sock with the exact same pattern to make matching socks for my dad in brown. Hope I can finish on time!!

Shrooms

2010-01-18T20:37:00.003-05:00

It's been a chilly winter in Toronto. While I adore snow, my ears don't agree. It's time to make some hats! However, hats don't usually make me look good. Perhaps it's because I wear glasses, or my head is oddly shaped, or too big... I find that berets or slouchy ones work best.

Shroom. I absolutely LOVE the pattern. It's easy, it's fast, it's free and it uses up stash. It was perfect with leftover Rowan Big Wool from the dude's sweater. When I washed it, the hat grew quite a bit but I like the extra slouch factor. This one used approximately 1.15 skeins.

I liked it so much that I ripped out this red touque that I've never worn to make another Shroom. The problem was I only had 1 skein and since some yarn was used to make tassels, I only had about 0.9 skeins left. I reduced stitches wherever I could and here it is.

There's not much slouch but it did grow (as expected), so at least it fits over my head. Although I love the color; I do prefer a more slouchy hat, so this one will be for a gift!

Hmmm... I have tonnes of super-bulky yarn left. I see a few more Shrooms in the future. :)

Momo by Wonderland Optical Illusion

2010-01-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

Butterflies, psychedelic dots and fantasy gardens... This Moda fabric reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Many fellow quilters love this line and I understand why. It's colorful and happy (but I don't know why there are scissors)!!

Again, I made 2 quilts - one is comprised of 2 packs of charm squares and one is cheat panel that looks like squares. Can you tell which is which?

1) Moda Wonderland Charm Quilt

This is the charm-pieced quilt. I love the fabrics - it's happy and colorful. I also love the polka dot pattern for the back!

2) Moda Wonderland Printed Quilt

When I saw this fabric, I was curious how it would look quilted. I also thought it would be perfect for a quickie quilt. The backing is also gorgeous - sort of like a chinese painting on steriods!

I tried cheating with the "cheat panel" and although it's hard to tell them apart from afar, I do favour the charm quilt. Upon closer examination, there's more just more texture and substance to the blanket.

Having said that, I did buy a certain Denise Schmidt cheat panel for a twin-sized quilt. That way, the quilt could be 100% reversible! I haven't started yet but I hope to have it completed in 2010!

Something Floral for Mom

2010-01-11T19:52:00.001-05:00

I wanted to make a floral lap quilt for my mom. Using a jellyroll of Wildwood fabrics and inspired by a quilt and tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew, I made this!
The front is made of 5 X 4 blocks with sashing. It's 64 X 52 inches. My photo assistant is MIA, so here's the best I could get of the whole blanket.
The back was made of various prints from the same collection and leftover jellyroll bits.

In total I used one jelly roll, 1 yard each of 2 different fabrics (for the back), 1 yard of the pink (for the back and for binding), plus about 1 yard (?? I wasn't keeping track) of white for sashing.

Because the strips were precut and all different prints, making the quilt top was fun. I didn't have to worry too much about fabric placement or cutting crooked pieces. The only thing that frustrated me was that the strips frayed after I pre-washed them. Not only did I lose valuable fabric but I had to spend time snipping loose threads. There must be a better way.

And so I googled. Although I always pre-wash fabrics, there were numerous debates about whether to pre-wash precut pieces. I found this answer on the Moda website.

Do you need to pre-wash Moda precut fabrics?
Moda precuts are not meant to be pre-washed and patterns do not require you to do so. Washing precuts prior to use could result in fraying and is not recommended.

Ahhh!! If I have known this earlier!

Do you usually pre-wash all your fabrics?

Sewing Up is Hard to Do

2010-01-09T17:20:00.002-05:00

I love knitting and I love sewing with a sewing machine. And yet... when it comes to sewing knitted pieces together, I procrastinate as much as possible. I hate doing the arm holes.

There is one sweater that I finished all the knitted pieces since 2004 and still have NOT sewed together! I did find the project... and will try to put it together sometime this month.

In the meantime, I finished sewing 2 cardigan/jackets!

1) Nan from Kim Hargreaves "Thrown Together"

The only modification was using smaller needles (10mm instead of 12.75mm). This was recommended on ravelry and also from my experience knitting Rowan patterns using Rowan Big Wool in particular.

At first, I was a little worried because the knitted fabric was a bit stiff so I blocked it. The yarn grew quite a bit and now the length and drape are both better.

2) Tweed Cabled Jacket from Debbie Bliss Magazine (Premiere Issue)

Bought some Rowan Scottish Tweed ages ago and wanted to make something with cables but I only had 8 skeins. Finally found this pattern and amazed that I have enough yarn to finish it! I ended up using only 7 skeins.

I love the pattern. Although the collar feels slightly too large, it does make a fashion impact.

I love both jackets. Both were quick knits and are very warm!!

I Love You Zoo

2010-01-05T20:06:00.002-05:00

Dark green, mustard yellow, orange and pink. Who would've thought these colors would work well together? At first, I wasn't sure about the combination, but now I just love the explosion of colors.

I seem to make everything in twos, and here are my pair of quilts made from I Love You Zoo fabrics.

1) I Love You Zoo Charm Squares Quilt

My favorite pattern - the trusted squares quilt. The back is Robert Kaufman with some scraps thrown in.
2) I Love You Zoo Tri-Striped Quilt

Something random but not really random. The back is an alphabet pattern.

I like how the same combination of fabrics creates a different look depending on how you cut them. I just can't resist making charm quilts... love those squares!

Primary Colors

2010-01-03T22:43:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

It's the time for resolutions, and I remind myself to finish WIPs

During the holidays, I finished a whole bunch of quilts. Although very different, these two share one thing in common - Primary Colors! There's something calming about the balance achieved by these three colors.

1) Cowboy Bears Quilt
The patchwork in the middle is a cheat - it's a panel! But I love this quilt, especially how it's reversible.
2) Zig Zag Quilt

Took me a long time to calculate the optimal number and placement of zigzags with just 2.75 yards of fabric (for both front and back together!). The triangles require accurate sewing, otherwise, the points will not be pointy. It took extra concentration (and lots of ripping), but I love the result; it's modern, simple, baby yet adult at the same time.
These two quilts were pieced with my Walmart-special Brother sewing machine. The quilting was done with my new Janome MC 6600P!!! I'm still trying to familiarize myself with all the functions, but I love the new machine. I just wish the throat was even larger but I had no issues maneuvering my quilt.

Two down, more to come!

A Temporary Distraction

2009-12-22T00:52:00.005-05:00

I haven't had many FOs to show of late, but I have been working on a bunch of projects, including at least 10 knitting WIPs and these 10 quilts in various stages of completion:

So many WIPs, but I was temporarily distracted by making these socks.

Every year, I knit the dude a pair of socks for his birthday in January. This year, I chose to knit a pair of ribbed striped blue socks. I don't usually like grafting/kitchener stitch, but I found a cheat, which worked quite well!

Hope he likes them!

Happy Holidays!

New York, Neeeew Yooooooooork!

2009-11-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

I was in New York City over the weekend and as usual, I absolutely love the city - the energy, the shopping, the bright lights, the abundance of beads/fabric stores, Purl Patchwork, the Christmas lights... A complete sensory overload.

At my friend's apartment, we watched the American Music Awards where Alicia Keys + Jay-Z performed Empire State of Mind. I was in New York, listening to an anthem about New York and I had a *moment* where I just oozed love for the city (and the song). Alicia Keys has her own version (without Jay-Z) and it's so much better.

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Let's hear it for New York, New York, Neeeeeew Yooooooork!

At Purl Patchwork, I bought some oil cloth/laminated cotton. I was afraid to fold it so was going to carry it onto the plane. Unfortunately I forgot to bring them home!!! Stupid me! It's now gathering dust at my friend's place and me, all I can do is stare at the swatches from Purl's website. :(

Here are some of my favorite bits of the big apple!

All you need is love...

The famous gold guy

My haunted hotel - Hotel Chelsea

Large Lacy Shawls

2009-11-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

I've made a few lace shawls in the past and there was a common problem. They were all so much smaller than expected! The Flower Basket, Swallowtail, Little Arrowhead...

So, I was determined to make shawl-sized lace shawls!

Flower Basket Shawl (again)

I finished knitting in October but took a while to block it. Here it is!

It's big enough to just wrap around my shoulders with room to spare. I love the peacock pattern, the pointy edge. You can even add or subtract repeats without the need to recalculate the edging. I may have to make another one...

Ene's Scarf

I casted on the same time as FBS, but haven't really worked on it since. Now that FBS is finished, I will tackle it. Aiming to finish it before Christmas but there still a long way to go!

Objects of Desire Sequel

2009-11-02T18:54:00.001-05:00

Several months ago, I made this quilt from the Moda Objects of Desire collection.

Because my on-line retailer accidentally sent me 3 yards of the backing fabric instead of 1.5 years, I had enough fabric to make 2 blankets and here's the second one!

In total, I used the following to make these two quilts:

- 2 packages of charm squares (40 X 5 inch squares per pack)

- 3 yards of backing

- 1 yard of solid ivory

Same fabrics but the two quilts completely look different! I love them both!

Green/Blue Traditional/Modern BB Blanket

2009-10-31T22:25:00.000-04:00

For this blanket, I used some scraps left over from the hot green boy blanket and some other scraps I found at Fabricland. On hindsight, I think the blanket is a bit too busy and serious (un-baby)... perhaps it would've looked better if the panels were a solid color instead of damask. Yet, at the same time, the colors work well together.

Originally, I sewed on damask print binding but the blanket didn't quite look right. There was too much going on with nothing to ground the blanket. I since ripped apart the binding and replaced with a more baby-friendly blue patterned binding. It completely pulled everything together.

For this quilt, I experimented with quilting in a zig-zag pattern on the damask panels since I was bored with straight lines and terrible with free-motion quilting (plus my machine is too small for it). I quite like the result! It serves the purpose of basting the layers and looks modern.

This blanket measures the same size as all the other ones I made (approx 35 X 45 inches).

It's kinda boy-ish in a traditional yet modern french-flair-ish way.

And then there were ...

2009-10-25T11:41:00.002-04:00

Two baby blankets!

One is for the dude's sisters's baby-to-be and one is not for any baby in particular. I just felt like making them together because they use the same collection of fabrics and I wanted to make sure I had enough for 2 blankets.

I used the following Moda Sleepytime fabrics :
- 1 printed panel
- 2 packages of charm squares (each package includes 29 X 5" squares)
- 1.5 yard of fabric (type-face print)
- 2.5 yard of fabric (colorful dots) - there is still about 3/4 yards left.

Blanket 1: Sleepytime Panel (for dude's sister).

Blanket 2 - Sleepytime Charm

Ah.... I love them both. If the dude's sister had twins, I would gift them both... but luckily for her sanity, she doesn't have twins!

Summer Basket of Flowers Charm Quilt

2009-10-23T23:50:00.004-04:00

This was a quick quilt and I had finished most of it some time ago but it took forever for me to sit down and attach the binding. Although only 35" X 45" in size, this is not intended to be a baby blanket, but perhaps a picnic blanket for an adult.

I thought about giving it to sister B, since I was planning to gift the Easter quilt to sister C. However, I'm not sure these muted country colors are really sister B's "THING". Might have to go back to the drawing board!

I used 2 packages of Moda Summer Basket of Flower charm packs for the quilt top. Each package includes 40 X 5" charm squares. It's perfect (no scraps left! yay!!). For the backing, I found a piece from my stash that had matching colors and also excudes a country, wholesome feeling. Although Moda calls the fabrics Summer Basket of Flowers, I think the colors remind me more of Autumn, perfect for now!

Creative Festival and Quilt Bottleneck

2009-10-19T02:26:00.003-04:00

I went to the Creative Festival on Friday night and bought myself a bunch of fat quarters, charm packs and layer cakes. It was quilt fabric heaven! I was equally impressed with the yarn booths (versus a few years ago) but didn't buy any yarn. For me, yarn is easily accessible - there are 5 yarn shops along Queen Street, and 2 near work. On the other hand, all the Toronto quilt fabric stores are inconvenient for me to get to and expensive too.

Although I do not have much to show, I am in the middle of finishing five 35"X45" blankets. 1) Why five unfinished quilts? 2) Why 35"X45"?

1) Why five unfinished quilts?

I used to finish one quilt before starting a new one. However, there are very distinct stages of making a quilt and each requires different mindsets and tools:
i. Design and estimating fabric requirements - math, research, inspiration. Needs a sharp mind to do all the calculations and maximize every piece of fabric!
ii. Cutting fabric - clear the table for cutting mat.
iii. Piecing top piece of quilt - snap on the 1/4" foot on sewing machine. Lots of sewing & ironing.
iv. Making quilt sandwich - find lots of floor space and pins
v. Quilt the sandwich & attach binding - install the walking foot
vi. Finish binding - hand sew. Need to be in the mood.

I find it much more efficient to make multiple quilts at once. eg. If I have the walking foot on, it makes sense to do all the sandwiching in one go before switching feet.

Currently, I have 3 quilts in stage vi (hand sew binding), and 2 in stage v (look for binding). I also have 3 unstarted quilts in stage i (design).

2) Why do I like making quilts 35"X45"?

The main reason, is that batting comes in this size. The size is perfect for a baby blanket or a picnic blanket for adults. It is small enough that it doesn't require too much fabric (cost effective) and is easy to maneuver with my sewing machine.

Speaking of sewing machines, I test drove a few quilt machines at the Creative Festival. I was in love with the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0, until I went home and read the online reviews. It apparently has some technical problems. Still, I love the IDT (Integrated Dual Feed - don't know why it isn't IDF instead), which basically turns the standard foot into a walking foot with just a click. No more screwing and unscrewing feet!

I also tried the Bernina Aurora 440 QE. The major selling point is the stitch regulator for free-motion quilting. For this machine, you don't even need to use the foot pedal. You just move the fabric and it sews by itself! But again, reviews reveal technical problems.

While tempted by the bells and whistles from these machines, I really don't have $2500 to spend. My current sewing machine can perform the basic tasks. Eventually, I will want a machine that can accommodate a larger sized quilt and can stitch letters/words... but that can wait.

Christmas Gifts Done (plus a back-up too!)

2009-10-10T20:08:00.001-04:00

Every year, not matter how early I start, I have trouble finishing my Christmas gifts. So, this year, I followed these rules:

1) To be unambitious this year - pick simple but equally beautiful projects to knit
2) To find mobile projects - pick small projects that I can take with me on the TTC
3) To start early - I did!
4) To knit things that are enjoyable - they are!

It's been successful so far.... as I've already made the following:

For my sisters - the yellow/gray and blue/purple claoptis from the last post

For mom - I finished the cashmere fingerless mitts.

The yarn is really soft and the pattern enjoyable… but I ended up with quite a bit left over. I have another 2 skeins for another pair, but next time, I will do a few more cable repeats in the beginning to use up more of the yarn. Cashmere is too luxurious to waste!

For ? (back-up) - this chunky spewing two skein scarf

I just wanted to quickly get rid of chunky stash. I received two skeins of this Long Batik BBB yarn from a yarn swap. It's 90% wool and 10% acrylic. I crocheted One-Skein Scarf but didn’t follow the pattern exactly, especially the scallop edging. My scallops were smaller as I was worried about running out of yarn but it turned out OK!

Finished all the crocheting in one night! The only step from this being officially finished is a dye job - I find the white/orange mix too much of a contrast (looks like someone/something spew blood on it). I would like to make this more harmonious and less disturbing. Considering whether to dye this red or brown.

I wonder if anyone has dyed a project (after being knitting up) with success? Would the dye become blotchy?

Clapotis Stashbusting

2009-10-03T11:59:00.000-04:00

The Clapotis is an interesting pattern.

The first time I knit it, I HATED it. It was interesting at first, but by the time I got to the nth repeat, I was bored out of my mind. I thought I would never knit this pattern again.

The thing is, the end product is so versatile - a bunched up spiral of stitches that can be modified to be a scarf, a shawl or a wrap.

Then a fellow knitting told me to replace a knit stitch with a purl stitch for keeping track of repeats. Wow, what a difference a stitch makes!

When I found myself with random balls of ribbon yarn, there was no other pattern than the Clapotis to use up the stash. I even frogged some old ribbon scarves (they kept stretching when worn) to make mini-claps.

I've made quite a collection of clapotis! Some will be gifts.

Clapotis scarf from Berroco Zen Colors (Nippon Blue - 3 skeins)
Claoptis scarf from Berroco Zen (Hot Pink - 2 skeins)
Clapotis scarf from Berroco Zen Colors (Shandong - 2 skeins)

In addition, I previously made these:

Original Clapotis shawl from Handmaiden Lady Godiva (2 skeins)

Clapotis shawl from Mirasol Hacho (5 skeins)

I think I'm clapped-out but who knows? I might make more later.

Sew Random

2009-09-23T19:32:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of things that I made over these few months in an effort to stash-bust my fabric collection. I actually finished them a few months ago, but haven't had a chance to blog them.

Top - Simplicity 2594

I finally found a suitable pattern for a checkered piece of remnant that I've had for ages!

Tunic - Simplicity 3539

This pattern is an oldie but a goodie! The pattern had a belt, which I found to be too stiff and too insignificant so I ditched it and used a real belt instead. I screwed up with the cuff button holes. Note-to-self: one-step button hole doesn't work too well with knit/stretch fabrics! So, I ended up removing the buttonhole cuff since I screwed up the holes and replaced it with elastic. Now it's more flowy and casual. Unfortunately, the dress is baggy and makes me look pregnant (which is not a good thing when one is not).

Barcelona

2009-09-21T13:02:00.006-04:00

Back from my Barcelona trip!

I went to one yarn store... I'm not sure what the name is. On Knitmap, it's called Persones Llanes but the website is called All You Knit is Love and in the below picture is something in Spanish. It was steps away from my hotel and the Picasso Museum.

The store is small and carries Drops yarn, some local Spanish wool (very scratchy), a little bit of Filatura di Crosa and Lorna's Laces. The store person kept ignoring me and was too busy chatting with other customers so I didn't end up buying anything. Plus, my shopping exploits already put me in the $750 danger zone. (Canadians travelling abroad over 7 days are only allowed to bring $750 worth of goods tax-free back into the country).

Barcelona is a beautiful city but my friend had her purse stolen. Luckily I made the choice to NOT bring the big camera!! Here's a few shots of beautiful Barcelona with my Canon SX200IS.

(starting from top) Buildings along Passeig de Gracia, Park Guell, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

Happy knitting!

Blue Period

2009-09-12T17:44:00.000-04:00

In the spring, I bought 3 meters of navy jersey to make the Convertible/Infinity Dress. The idea is great - a dress with 2 long sashes that you can wrap/twist/wear anyway you want. I was particularly inspired when I saw this and this. Apparently, it's a popular bridesmaid dress since bridesmaids can customize their own look with the same fabric.

And so, I started. The pattern was easy... Unfortunately, I accidentally cut the waist opening too large and had to insert elastic to keep it up. I followed the pattern but I think the convertible sashes/straps were too long because they were long enough to mummify myself with 3 wraps around my chest/body, which meant bulk, which made my waist looked huge. That was the strapless dress look, so I tried the halter look. The straps were not sturdy and I suffered from a wardrobe malfunction. To solve this, I made a boobtube with leftover fabric.

Still, it was not flattering. The dress has a full-circle skirt and I should've known better. Although I am petite, I have an ample behind and full-circle skirts don't exactly help. I decided to recycle and make something else with the fabric. Coincidentally, the fabric was now on sale (3 months later) for $5 a meter so I bought another 3 meters.

And what can one make with a total of 6 meters? Quite a few items.

1) A top - Simplicity 4020 (1.5 metres)

Off the shoulder bubble tops are all the rage but I don't like such large necklines. This pattern is perfect! I love the bat sleeves and it was soooooooo easy to make.

2) A skirt - Simplicity 2608 (1 metre)
Same pattern as the 2 prints ones and still love the ruffles. I'm getting better doing the gathering. Again, I hid the ruffle seams on the inside.

3) A top/mini-dress - Simplicity 2554 (2 metres)
It only took me a few hours, but making this top was torture. That pattern was not difficult, I just accidentally serged the ruffle inside-out, which led to ripping (serged seams, which is NOT fun), accidentally cutting a hole in the ruffle (have no idea how that happened), re-cutting fabric, re-basting, re-attaching pieces... etc. Luckily I do love how it turned out. Upon closer inspection of the ruffle/gusset construction, the finishing is a little bit rough but who's going to lean close to me and stare at my underarms?

4) A bubble skirt - Simplicity 2608 (1.5 metre)
They are all the rage this season too. I like how this skirt is VPL-free!

I have an entire new blue wardrobe. I think this is my blue period.

Coincidentally, my hotel in Barcelona is very close to the real blue period masterpieces. My flight is later today! Although I'm not terribly impressed by Picasso's work, I'm soooo excited!

Cashmere and Me

2009-09-10T22:36:00.000-04:00

I remember my first cashmere sweater, a burgundy boat-neck from Aritzia. It was sooo soft. I remember someone telling me "cashmere is so luxurious, once you start, you can't go back to wearing wool." I even remember reading an interview of Reese Witherspoon "I can't stop buying cashmere sweaters, I have one in every color!"

Unfortunately, I think I have picked this up this habit over the years. I still wear wool nowadays... but it can be scratchy, despite the many recent technological advances to make wool softer. I just adore my cashmere sweaters.

So when Elann had 100% cashmere skeins on sale... I hesitated. Price was one thing... but what would I be getting myself into? What if my hands get used to knitting in cashmere and rejects everything else? But I bit the bullet and made a purchase.

I started knitting fingerless mitts for my mom. The pattern is from Elann (designed specifically with the yarn in mind) and requires 2 skeins, so it's not expensive. I read the pattern wrong so it's missing a few cables but here's one finished mitt.

It's soooooooooo soft. Once I cast on, the yarn and pattern were such a joy to work with that I could not put it down. Surprisingly, the yarn did not shed.

Now I am grateful that I grabbed as much cashmere as I could afford in that transaction... it's not a lot but every stitch was and will be a delight.

Another Clap

2009-09-08T22:49:00.002-04:00

And so the TTC Clapotis knitting continues.

Here's one in hot pink (my favorite color!). This one is also made from 2 skeins of Berocco Zen.I haven't really been playing with my camera lately but I took this shot before going to work. The lack of sunlight actually makes the aperture pop! I love my camera so much. It's old but reliable. I took this pic with my Canon EOS 300D and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens.

I'll be heading to Barcelona this weekend. Gaudi! Miro! Javier Bardem! Unfortunately, I have heard MANY stories about purse snatchings, theft, swarmings and gypsies. To the point that I have decided to abandon my DSLR camera. My travel lens (Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) is quite big and screams "mug me". Instead, I'll be bringing my compact ultrazoom point and shoot, which looks much more discreet. I'm quite sad about it. The picture quality won't be the same but I'm trying to balance safety with acceptable looking pics.

Has anyone else had this dilemma?

Still Knitting!

2009-08-29T22:10:00.003-04:00

Seems like I've been sewing like crazy lately (which I have) but I haven't neglected knitting. I've been working on the VK Lace Dress, which has been a very slow process.

The skirt portion has been completed! I've already started the bodice but starting to plan how to modify the neckline. The original pattern is sort of like a mock-turtle neck but I prefer something a little lower.

This is not the first dress I've knitted and although it is taking a lot of time, I quite enjoy the pattern. The lace panels keep me intrigued! And the changing of needles sizes keeps me on my toes!

Bags for my Sisters

2009-08-22T22:12:00.004-04:00

Had some denim remnants and made some bags from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing. It was super easy to make.

Because the bag does not have a zipper or any closure, I added a small detachable change bag. Inserting the zipper to the pouch was the only frustrating part of the project but I found a great tutorial, which helped a lot. There's also this and this, which are different versions but seem equally easy and helpful.

One bag for Sister B...

You won't believe it, but the lining is actually a rice bag. Once upon a time, rice came in fancy fabrics before transitioning to nylon.

and one for Sister C...

Next, I want to make one for myself!

Ribbon Stashbusting

2009-08-20T19:49:00.001-04:00

My obsession with (mostly red and pink) ribbon was mentioned here.

Since then, I made the Water Lily Top with Needful Capri. My math was horribly off because instead of 6 skeins, I only used 3.5 skeins!... which means I have 2.5 skeins left in the stash.
And so, I decided to look for scarf patterns that were suitable for ribbon yarn to stashbust! A pattern that didn't require a lot of yardage and a stitch pattern that showed off the ribbon texture. I previously made drop stitch scarves with Berroco Zen but they kept streeeeeeetching when I wore them, to the point they became very skinny and very looooong.

This time, I decided to make clapotis scarves. This project is perfect for knitting on the TTC in the summer. I already finished making one ribbon clapotis (yellow) using Berocco Zen Colors ribbon yarn and already on the 2nd one (pink).

STASHBUSTING METER

Waterlily Top - 3.5 skeins Needful Capris

Yellow Clapotis - 2 skeins Berroco Zen Colors in Shandong

More Skirts!

2009-08-18T23:33:00.001-04:00

Knit fabric was on sale for $5 a meter so I bought a few meters of various prints. I made more skirts!

Skirt - Simplicity 2608

I made these ruffle skirts and I love it!!! I modified the ruffle a little bit, it took a little bit of work to do but the skirts turned out great! They graze just above the knees. Loved it so much I made 2!! I will definitely make this again in a solid color.

I'm going to sew dresses next.

Reversible Skirts/Dresses

2009-08-15T22:59:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite Lululemon items is the Beat the Heat dress. I bought one last summer and it's great, you can wear it as a dress, flip the boob tube down and wear as a top or a skirt, plus it's reversible so there are a total of 6 looks!

Every year they introduce new fabrics so I often go the store and get tempted to buy more but it's not cheap.

Why not sew them?

ONE

On my first try, I just used the actual Lulu dress to trace the pattern and made this. For the bandeau, the Lulu dress is shaped in such a way that it fits the boobs better, but to make things simple, I just used rectangles.

Reversibility seems like a challenge but it was actually not difficult at all. I decided to swap the boob tube/waistband fabrics so the printed patterns matched when in top/skirt mode.

Dress Version 1:

Dress Version 2 (reversed):

Skirt (with boob part folded down):

TWO

Then, I remembered I found a free pattern here and made a version with these fabrics. One side a floral and one side dots.

Here's a pic of the dress with the floral pattern.

I love them. They are versatile (6 looks in 1!), comfortable, convenient (no ironing) and cheap (uses less than 1 meter of each fabric). With some jersey fabrics selling for $4-7 a meter, that's less than $15 for each dress!

THREE

Previously, I made another reversible skirt using the Simplicity pattern 2608 and replaced the waistband with a simple elastic. This one is more suitable for work (when it's worn as a skirt).

I must say, the serger has made my life easier!

Um.... I don't want to hear what you think.

2009-08-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

This morning I was riding the TTC as usual and knitting away. I like spending my morning commute knitting to ease the brain from sleep to work mode.

I'm always a bit self-conscious about knitting in public as I do not enjoy attracting attention but it's 40 minutes everyday which would otherwise be wasted. Most of the time, people just ignore me but occasionally I get the following:

Older woman who compliments my work and reminisces about her past knitting experience
Younger woman who is in awe and has interest in learning how to knit
Man who is in awe (especially when I knit socks).

Although I am a little shy with this attention, it does make me feel good.

But this morning, I received my first unwanted, unsolicited judgement from a stranger on my knitting method and habits.

I was knitting with some ribbon yarn on bamboo needles. A complete stranger, sitting 3 seats away from me, started yelling (at me) in an obnoxious tone:
"Don't you find bamboo needles too sticky? I find it too sticky and slow to knit with cotton yarn. What yarn are you using? Is it cotton? Because I prefer metal needles for cotton. Bamboo needles are too slow. Bamboo needles are too sticky. Yarn just slides off better using metal needles, which makes it faster to knit with. You should use metal needles."

Then she got off the subway.

I was so mad!

1) Is it any of your business what needles I use?
NO! I don't care what you think! And I don't want to hear what you think!

2) What makes you such a good judge about what needles I SHOULD be using with my yarn? Do you even know my yarn?
I'm knitting with shiny ribbon yarn. RIBBON. When is ribbon 100% cotton? If you were such an expert, you would know that shiny ribbon yarn (like the one I used) is composed of nylon, which makes it very slippery, which makes it difficult to control using metal needles!

3) Do you think I don't know metal needles are faster?
Well I do know that, but this yarn is more suitable with bamboo needles. And maybe I just PREFER bamboo.

4) Did I ever complain that I was knitting too slow?
NO!

5) Did I ever ask you for your advice?
NO!

Bite me.

Stashbusting Rowan Membership Gifts

2009-08-05T22:19:00.008-04:00

I've been a Rowan Member for a few years now. Every year, they send you free yarn - which is a good thing but sometimes this leads to buying more yarn in order to use up the free yarn, which is a bad thing.

In the past month, I've been coincidentally working with (almost) all the free yarn I've received:

2006 - 2 skeins of Rowan Hand Knit Cotton - Cannes

Two skeins is not a lot to work with. I doubled it up and bought some Cotton Braid to make Cannes. I don't really swatch and for some reason, Rowan patterns are always on the large-side for me. Unsurprisingly, it came out large and I tossed it aside.
Last month, I made some modifications to the fit. Cotton Braid does not frog well. In fact, it almost disintegrated when unraveling… so I gave up frogging and re-knitting the entire thing. Still, I was able to take out the neckline and reknit it with 10 fewer stitches (5 on each “sleeve”). In addition, because the sweater was knit in the round, I sewed a "seam" on the sides that ultimately took out 2 stitches on each side seam.
It fits much better now!

2007 - 4 skeins of Rowan All Seasons Cotton (2 sets = 8 skeins)

This was the year Rowan opened up an office in the US to service North American accounts. Due to a mix-up, I was sent 2 gifts! With 8 skeins, I hope I have enough to make the Mirabella Cardigan. I just started a few days ago.

2008 - 6 skeins of Rowan Denim - Indigo Ripples Jean Skirt

I just finished the skirt this weekend. I had to buy 2 more skeins to make this and unfortunately, the 2 extra skeins I bought were of different dyelot and the color differences were quite obvious. So, I used the gift denim to knit the main stockinette section, and alternated rows of gift and extra denim in the lace section.

I knit the smallest size using 3.75 needles. I like the pattern… simple but therapeutic (knit all rounds)... until I got to the ruffle. There's a lot of comments on ravelry "the ruffle was a pain to knit/bind-off took hours/but worth it" and all those comments were 100% true. I spent 3 different nights on the ruffle but I LOVE the end result! However, I wouldn't go through it again!

Modifications:
- Used smaller needles - 3.75 instead of 4.0 (tighter fabric so can’t see through it)
- Knit 2.5 more inches of stockinette (I’m conservative).
- Knit 1 less repeat of lace - 50 rows instead of 60 rows (I’m short and worried I would run out of yarn). Phew I cut the lace short. I only have 2 loonie-sized balls left.
- Used twill tape for the waist tie/belt as I ran out of yarn and didn’t even have enough for an i-cord! I hate knitting i-cord anyway.

2009 - 6 skeins of Rowan Pure Wool 4-ply

I have not received the yarn yet but I already have a project planned - Flo or Rosa. I have some KSH in my stash so I don't have to buy any yarn this time!

Woo hoo!

Lace Mania

2009-08-03T20:19:00.004-04:00

My sister C and friend LL are both getting married next year. Both have chosen purple as their wedding colors.

So, when I saw this sampler (Deep Sea), I went mad and bought 2 packages. Figured that 400m of lace yarn (per color) was not a lot and limited the pattern choices so I bought 2 = 800m of each color. So many possibilities.

Before diving into the wedding presents, I was trying to choose patterns. Swallowtail Shawl is a possibility, plus Ene's Scarf and Flower Basket Shawl. And so, I started test knitting them (for myself :) ).

Ene's Scarf (in Little Knits Indie II lace yarn)

This scarf/shawl starts bottom up. So you start with a whole lotta stitches and decrease as you go. The lacy bits haven't really started yet.

Flower Basket Shawl (in Fleece Artist Sea Wool)

This shawl is knit top down, so you start with 2 stitches and increase as you go.

Top up or top down? Pain now or pain later? I can't say which method I prefer... yet.

Other Lace

Meanwhile, the VK lace dress is coming along quite well.

The lace pattern is not difficult; however, I wanted to shorten the length and got stuck with the calculations. Instead of cutting out repeats, I decided to use smaller needles to achieve the effect. Don't know it if works, but I'm plowing through it!

Serge it!

2009-08-01T11:32:00.004-04:00

I love working with jersey fabrics but I'm tired of popping stitches and sewing the same seam 2+ times to finish it. So I bit the bullet and bought a serger.

The unfortunate thing is that there's not a lot of choices to choose from here in Canada, especially entry level ones.

I wanted the Brother 1034D due to great reviews, the price and my sewing machine is the same brand. Although it's available in the States (Walmart), it's not available here. I emailed Brother Canada and was told "I’m afraid we no longer sell the 1034D serger and thus why none of our retailers would still carry it. We have updated that line and the current model offered is the 3034D." How convenient, because the 3034D happens to cost at least 50% more than the 1034D. Grrrrr. Although I didn't mind paying shipping from the States, I didn't know how much duties and UPS "fee" would amount to and didn't want to risk it. I previously had a bad experience with UPS, where I bought a pair of shoes for $20, paid for shipping and the UPS bill cost me an additional $40!!

I called up a few sewing shops but was told an "entry level" serger costs $500+.

I tried Craigslist but all the good ones were either snatched up right away or lived in far away towns. I think sewing stores hoard the downtown ones.

In the end, there were only a couple of choices and I picked up the Singer 754 from Walmart. Although it didn't come with an instruction video, there are a few videos online.

There were some reviews about how the threading is difficult but the machine came pre-threaded! It's just a basic machine but does all I need it to do - finishing raw edges and sewing knit fabrics.

It's so fast!!! I love it but I just wished the Brother one was available too.

And now, I'm looking at the dresses I made before... Being a perfectionist, I am really tempted to re-finish the seams with serging but I know I could potentially ruin the dresses... what to do?

Shetland Chunky De-stash Round 1

2009-07-22T22:08:00.001-04:00

When I first started knitting, I made a few multi-colored sweaters/cardigans from Patons (Beehive) Shetland Chunky. They didn't work out and throughout the years, those sweaters have been frogged and I tried buying new colors of Shetland Chunky to complement the old colors. After much designing, knitting, frogging and more buying, I ended up with a bunch of random balls of Shetland Cunky in pinks, purple, blue, green, cream, and other colors.
It became so ridiculous that I had collected a minimum of 5 generations of Shetland yarn. If you look closely, you can even see Eaton branded yarn. For those of you who live in Canada, you know this stuff is vintage.
I FINALLY found a perfect project for these random balls - granny square!! Or as Soosan calls it, a SCRAPGHAN. In the end, I decided to exclude the creams from the project and bought 10 more mini-skeins of wine from a fellow raveler to make borders and tie the project together.

The blanket measures approximately 46X46 inches, consisting of 49 squares in total (7X7). The border is 4 rows of single crochet with picot edging. I joined the squares using a slip stitch which showed the seams on the front of the blanket.

I had a bit too much purple left so I made this. I previously made a pair and they are great for wearing at home. The pattern is from Patons Next Steps 4 - Socks and Slippers.

Except for some purple, little bit of wine and the creams, most of the yarn was pretty much used up.

Yay for de-stashing! And now... what to do with the other 26 skeins of Shetland Chunky in my stash....

STASHBUSTING METER
Granny Square Scrapghan - 15 skeins Patons Shetland Chunky (various sized skeins @ colors ) @ 6.0mm crochet hook
Purple Chuunky Cabled Slipper Socks - 1 skein Patons Shetland Chunky (various sized skein)

Chunky in the Summer

2009-07-19T12:40:00.005-04:00

It's summer, but there were a few loose ends I wanted to complete from the winter:

1) Coffee Cup Cozy

My sisters seldom request knitted items. I just push things onto them. So when sister C requested a knitted coffee cup cozy, I was all excited. I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I wanted something with ribbing (to better fit the cup), a few cables (for aesthetics), bulky yarn (thicker) and super soft. It would be a great way to get rid of leftover yarn!Easy peasy! I used a very small ball of leftover Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky. Casted on 36 stitches with the following stitch pattern: K1, P2, K4 (6 row cable), P2

2) Concentric Vest

Last year, I used Rowan Linen Print to make Sloane. The original pattern was too loose and had no shaping. I attempted to deisgn my own pattern but it looked terrible.

Then I found the Concentric Vest from Teva Durham. I had 4 skeins and it was perfect - the gauge, the twisted ribbon effect, the amount of yarn I had (I have a small ball left). It's the first Teva Durham pattern I've knitted and she's absolutely brilliant! Due to the creative construction, it was not the easiest to understand and there is an errata on the interweave website. But the design was just brilliant.

I made a few modifications: I knit both the 2 fronts in one piece. It took a bit of trial and error (at least 4 times of ripping it out) to figure out the mirroring of short rows. But I got it!!

I love the cables. And it's so warm!

STASHBUSTING METER
Concentric Vest - 4 skeins Rowan Ribbon Twist (100g/60m) @ 10mm

Neutral Uncomplicated BB Quilt

2009-07-17T21:18:00.002-04:00

My friend, M, just had a baby girl! Before Chloe was born, she warned me "The doctor isn't 100% sure that it will be a girl (the pictures could possibly hide something). I hope the pink things I'm getting will work out!" In the end, the pink things are indeed useful but I made a neutral blanket "just in case".

The baby quilt has the illusion that it is complicated but it's not. It is Moda fabric called Objects of Desire. The stripe border and backing is stripe-printed fabric and the squares in the middle were made from 2 packages of pre-cut charm squares (5" inches). I love making baby quits!

Noro De-stashed: Granny and Scrappy

2009-06-09T18:30:00.001-04:00

GRANNY: One Big Granny Square

It's finally completed! I added 4 rounds of single coloured border. I found one ball from my stash (Galway Diamond Yarn @ $3) but actually needed 2 skeins to complete the 4-rounds. Picked up one more skein at the TTC-knitalong this weekend. It was worth the trouble as granny now looks finished!

It was also worth frogging Lizard Ridge!!

SCRAPPY: Noro Leftovers Scrappy Scarf

I felt bad, actually GUILTY, for investing all 20 skeins of Noro Kureyon in the Granny. So, I saved 1.5 skeins for something wearable outdoors. Found the pattern "Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf" on Ravelry and knit away. I actually cast on with softer wool (Rowan Designer DK) and ended up casting off with some of the leftover Galway from Granny. Because it was knit length-wise, I was never 100% sure how long it would be. After blocking, it turned out great!

It's the same colorway as but "the look" is completely different!

And last but not least, the damage from the TTC-knitalong and a re-stashing of more new yarns. Originally, I had 3 must-buys on my list:

- 1 skein of Diamond Galway to finish Granny

- 2 skeins Rowan Denim so I'll enough for the Indigo Ripples Skirt. (I already had 6 in my stash from Rowan membership).

- 3 skeins of Needful Capri to make Waterlily Top. (I already had 3 skeins in my stash).

The following picture documents yarn that was NOT on my list but ended up in my shopping bag:

- 1 skein Cherry Tree Hill supersock (over 50% off)

- 2 skeins Fleece Artist Sea Wool (over 50% off)

- 8 skeins Rowan Felted Tweed ($5 a skein)

- 2 skeins Noro Matsuri (40% off)

Yarn heaven!

Obsessed with Ribbon

2009-06-08T19:08:00.008-04:00

While looking at my stash, I noticed a reoccurring trend.

Ribbon yarn.

Red/pink tones (with hints of gold).

Random balls.

Clockwise starting from top left: Berroco Zen scarf, Rowan Linen Print, Louisa Harding Kimono Ribbon, S.R. Kertzer Sari, Needful Yarns Capri, Berroco Zen, Online Linie 96 Cascade.

With the exception of Rowan Linen Print, all of the ribbon yarns were supposed to be made into ribbon scarves. How many pink/red ribbon scarves does one really need?? Well, at least I consistently know what I like. :)

So after stalking on ravelry, I am hoping they can become the following:

Berroco Zen - Scarf or mini clapotis! I already knit a dropped stitch scarf with this yarn before. However, they stretch and get longer and longer as I wear them. I plan to frog and re-knit using a vertical dropped stitch method (i.e. clapotis)

Online Linie 96 Cascade - Crochet scarves?

Louisa Harding Kimono Ribbon - I don't know what to do with this. I'm just going to leave it in my stash but take it out once in a while to stare at it.

Needful Yarns Capri - Plan to buy 4 more skeins to make Waterlily Top

S.R. Kertzer Sari - Might abandon these.

Rowan Linen Print - Cardigan in mind.

No more red/pink ribbon yarn!!

Frogger

2009-05-31T20:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your comments. The verdict is: Granny won hands down! And so... I bit the bullet and unravelled all 3.5 skeins of Lizard Ridge.

Luckily I don't feel too sad because the big Granny is progressing quite well! (It's still growing)

Unfortunately, Lizard Ridge is not the only recent frogging incident.

As I was knitting Ivy League, I always thought it looked a bit tight and small from the very beginning. Previously, during the ribbing stage, I had tried it on and it fit nicely. I thought things would work out and continued knitting to the v-neck opening before trying it on again. It still fit onto my body... but very snug. I could hardly move or breathe. I think I'll have to frog this back to the ribbing, then switch to a larger sized needle. BOOHOO!!!

There are also a few other projects that have been hibernating or failed miserably. I am going to give up on them too and start fresh!! Here are the pre-frog pics.

1) Jeanie

It was love at first sight, so much that I went and bought the suggested yarn. But the infactuation quickly fizzled. Numerous stichmarkers and figuring out a bunch of charts... I only got to the 3rd row, I don’t like this anymore.-> Plan to make Thermal.

2) Maldi's Shawl

Love the pattern, but the yarn choice was a bad one. I haven't fully frogged this but took the needle out.

-> Plan to make a sweater instead.

3) Twinkle Groovy Sweater

Fun, fast but terrible fit. Looks hideous on me.

-> Plan to make Kangaroo Tunic or a cardigan.

4) Chunky Print Yoke Vest
Also looks hideous on me.

-> Plan to make the same deep-v vest I made for my sister, but for myself.

5) Cannes

Too big.
-> Plan to reknit the same pattern using a smaller size.

It's like Spring cleaning!!

Vote: Lizard or Granny?

2009-05-14T18:05:00.004-04:00

Some time ago, I bought 20 skeins of Noro Kureyon to make Lizard Ridge.

I started making one big Lizard Ridge... here it is. I'm not keen on the bright orange, the way the colors pool together and the short rows.

So next, I started experimenting with crocheting granny squares.

So...

which one do you think looks better?

Baby Blankets Everywhere

2009-05-07T18:42:00.000-04:00

I made these baby blankets last year but lost the pics!

Both are made from fabric from Fabricland and fabric.com, just a few 1/2 meters of various prints. Both combine squares (large and small) and strips to create squares. They look random, but not really.

Can you tell which one is for a boy and which one is for a girl?

This pink one is for baby Ingrid.

This green one is waiting for a male baby. :)

More blankets on the way!

Care Bear Cooks

2009-04-19T22:54:00.001-04:00

This "collection" of kitchen goodies was one of my first sewing experiments. I found a stack of Care Bear fat quarters at Wal*Mart and my little sister C LOVES the Care Bears.

I made 6 coasters, 2 pot holders, 2 oven mitts and 1 apron. They were stored in my "Christmas gifts" box for a few years and I finally took it out when sister C was in town to visit me. It's her early bday present (her bday is in December) but she gets it now because I'm too cheap to pay for Canada Post.Sister B loves Curious George. Does anyone know anywhere that sells 100% cotton Curious George fat quarters?

The Process or the Product?

2009-04-15T13:30:00.005-04:00

There are frequent debates regarding the driving factors why knitters knit. Some people find solitude in the knitting process (repetitive zen-like movements or chance to problem solve a challenging pattern ) while others find gratification with the end result (I made this!!).

Lately, I think I've been too absorbed with the PRODUCT. Too many times, I’ve been knitting under strict deadlines to deliver presents which took the fun out of knitting. Other times, I just wanted to make something, anything, just to get rid of stash yarn. More often than not, these were spontaneous choices, poorly planned and sloppily executed. I didn't really LOVE the pattern, but it fit the gauge of my yarn. It's not surprising that the projects didn’t end up the way I envisioned. Frog.

Recently, I re-evaluated my yarn stash. I also re-evaluated all the other crafts that help me kill time - quilting, sewing, jewelry making, cross-stitching. There just isn't enough time to do EVERYTHING. And I don't think I can EVER completely get through my stash. Which is fine, as I am not very fond of every yarn in my stash anyway.

This led me to re-evaluate and prioritize my knitting projects. I wanted projects where I would enjoy the PROCESS, those that were challenging yet not frustrating:

LIZARD RIDGE

I was always intrigued with the ripples, the yarn, the colors,... I was a little bit ambitious with this project - I chose Option 2, one big lizard ridge block instead of the popular multi-blocks version. So far, I'm on ball 4 (out of 20). The ripple pattern is no longer intriguing but I'm loving the color changes!
IVY LEAGUE VEST

I love Eunny Jang's fair isle sweaters, so much that I bought enough yarn for all three of her sweaters in one order. It’s been a while since I’ve knit fair isle and on such small needles. Half way through the waist ribbing and I’m loving it! I almost forgot how enjoyable traditional fair isle could be. I'm a little anxious about the steeking, but I'll worry about it when it comes.

SIDE-TO-SIDE LACE CARDIGAN (VK Fall 2008)

I love lace, but sometimes a lace shawl requires too much commitment - time, sanity, life lines. I love this because it's modern, has enough lace to be feminine and "knit 4 strands together on 4mm needles" to keep the time commitment in check. I haven't even finished the cast on (planning to knit in the round) but here's a pic from the VK Fall 2008 magazine.

I do believe that enjoying the process will enhance the end product.

Dude Surprise Revealed

2009-04-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

Here's some knitting at last! Both of these were finished by Valentines Day. One was a birthday gift and one was actually a Christmas surprise-turned-birthday bonus gift. Luckily, he still loves them!

First, these are the Dude's annual birthday socks, which follow these and these. I used 2 skeins of Knit Picks Essential Kettled Dyed but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of color variations. You can hardly tell it's kettled dyed yarn! The pattern is Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Nancy Bush.

And there's this. It's Bisto designed by Martin Storey and made from Rowan Big Wool (my favorite yarn for my favorite guy!)

I made a few modifications:

1) Knitting in the round

2) Ignored the bobble and replaced with a cable twist

3) When I got to the main cable, I noticed that all the previous cables were reversed! All the cables are now “modified”.
STASHBUSTER METER
Dude socks: 2 skeins of Knitpicks Essential Kettle Dyed yarn
Dude sweater: 8 skeins of Rowan Big Wool

Where did winter go? Where did I go?

2009-04-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

WHERE DID I GO?

I apologize for the MIA of late. In the past few months, I've been to Vancouver, Hong Kong, Macau, Nicaragua, Miami (20 minutes still counts), Chicago and New York. It was a lot of fun but also very exhausting!

Vancouver

Hong Kong
Macau
Nicaragua (San Juan del Sur)
Nicaragua (Granada)
Miami
Chicago

New York

WHERE DID WINTER GO?

I already received all the Spring magazines - Vogue Knitting (LOVE), Knit Scene (not so much), Interweave Knits (LOVE this issue), Knit Simple (OK)... winter just came and went? I missed it! This is a sad exclamation mark, because I do miss the cold days hiding underneath a cozy afghan.

I'm hoping to spend this long weekend hibernating. After all, almost everything is closed tomorrow Friday and Sunday. And I'm exhausted!

HAPPY EASTER HOLIDAY!

Oh Christmas Gifts, Oh Christmas Gifts, They Are (Almost) All Finished!

2008-12-25T10:50:00.003-05:00

Christmas... it's here!

I'm not a religious person, but I love Christmas. To me, Christmas represents the season of warm and metallic colors, twinkling lights, presents under the tree, stockings and Santa, snowflakes, parties and feasts... and homemade gifts.

This year, I decided to be realistic and only commit to 4 knit gifts:

1) Sister B

2) Sister C

3) Mom

4) Dude* (pending)

(I sewed a few items here and there, but those didn't require months of planning).

The sisters will get Monkeys, while I finally finished blocking this for mom!

Little Arrowhead Shawl by Pam Allen

I searched for something not too difficult, not too large, not too frilly/girly, but still looked darn fine!
I used 2 strands of the Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino.

The beauty of Ravelry saved me from hours of trial and error for this project. I didn't like the original edging and wanted peaks instead. Luckily, a few Ravelers already made similar modifications with success!

Meanwhile, the dude also gets something. Although I didn't finish it in time for Christmas, it will be a surpise for his birthday (which is in a few weeks). Since he might read my blog, what I will say is that it used up 9 skeins of Rowan Big Wool - my favorite yarn for my favorite dude. :)

STASHBUSTER METER

Little Arrowhead Shawl - 1 skein of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in Irish Moss (50g/600m) @ 4.0mm

Dude Surprise - 9 skeins of Rowan Big Wool (100g/80m) @ 10.0/12.0mm

Monkeys Everywhere

2008-12-20T21:20:00.001-05:00

Here's some Monkey FO's!
Monkey II

I received this yarn from a yarn swap. If you may recall, I knit Monkey last year, which ended up being too big for me. I decided to gift them to Sister C this Christmas. To make things even, I decided to knit a pair of Monkeys for Sister B.

Once I started knitting up this yarn (Regia), I started to fall in love and get attached to it. The sock stuck by me through Chicago and endless TTC rides. Although I considered keeping them for myself, it's now under the Christmas tree.

Monkey III

I didn't really intend to buy this yarn. But the colors, with the bright pinks and deep purples were just calling out "buy me".

I originally started knitting toe-up socks two-at-a-time from a customizable pattern i.e. you fill in the blanks with your gauge, yarn type, length, width, size of your feet. Unfortunately, I filled out the blanks in my head and didn't jot down any notes on the pattern. After putting them aside for a few months, I couldn’t remember which size/gauge I picked and where abouts I’ve knitted up to. It was demovtivating, especially when the sock looked much too narrow to fit my feet. To make matters worst, the colors started pooling. The pooling pattern looked intentionally ugly.

So…. I have decided to rip it and knit Monkey. Since I made Sister C and Sister B each a pair, this one’s for me! The colors work really well with the pattern!

STASHBUSTING METER

Monkey II - 2 skeins Regia 4 Fach Haltbar (50g/210m) @ 2.5 mm

Monkey III - 1 skein Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks (100g/349m) @2.5mm