Knittin' Gal

Good Grief!!

2007-05-23T10:38:00.000+08:00

Dearie dearie me...
I can't believe that it's been over TWO years since I last posted!!! How time flies!! I haven't posted in so long that I literally forgot my username and password to get into this blog editor *mumble grumble* I MUST make it a point to write and update more often.

On the knitting front, well, much has happened. I've discovered the joys of on-line purchases and I have to say, eBay is THE most wonderful invention... I've purchased no less than THREE sets of bamboo knitting needles, yarn and THE must have for any knitter -- a ball winder!! Oh oh oh... how I LOVE my ball winder.

Let me think, in the past two years, what HAVE I knitted... hmmm... a few baby sets i.e. blankets, matching mittens, booties and caps. Those were kinda fun. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures (camera died and I have yet to buy a new one), a wrap for an aunt of mine, a poncho which I am going to frog... it didn't turn out right and that yarn is just too pretty to waste, a vest for my dad which I have yet to complete and a kimono type top.

The variety of yarn available on the Net is unbelievable. I'm currently obsessed with hand painted yarn... I bought some from handpainted wool but the colours came out darker than what I expected... not exactly what I wanted for a baby's blanket but pretty nonetheless and I've got another excuse to buy more.

I'll try to borrow a camera shortly and post some pictures, if I remember how to post them. Stay tuned!!

The World Wide Knitting In Public Day (WWKIP) is coming up and we are trying to organise a meetup but so far, the response hasn't been too fantastic. I don't know what's happening. We used to meet up every other month or so and now, it's died down. That's pretty sad I think. IF anyone still visits this sadly neglected blog of mine and you are in KL, Malaysia, please go to the Malaysian section in the Knit Forum and sign up. We are meeting up on 9 June 2007, probably somewhere in Bangsar or something.

Anyways, back to work. Will update this blog more often...

Fair Isle...

2005-08-19T16:48:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last wrote... what can I say? Life got in the way and has a strange way of turning in the blink of an eye. So here is a short update of what I've been doing on the knitting front.

Well, my hodge podge blankie is finally done AND in time for my dad's birthday. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the final product yet (will definitely take a picture when I do). My mum got a lady friend of hers to do the backing and apparently, it turned out very well. It was supposed to be ready by the 13th, heaps of time for my dad's birthday but it was only completed on the 16th... the day itself. Mum picked it up and snuck it into the house and spread it out on their bed when dad was getting ready for his birthday dinner. It was a nice surprise and very sweet of her!!

Since all the drama with the blankie i.e. only knitting and purling, I was in the mood to so some lace knitting!! So, I started the Cozy for my friend. I'd done one for her birthday in April but she didn't really care too much for the colour and I loved it (plus I was a little sad about giving away my first ever lace project) so I offered to do her another one. She picked the colour herself this time.

It was a breeze doing the Cozy this time round and truth be told, it was a little boring after a while. Well, I've almost finished it... just need to weave in the ends and send it to the cleaners before I hand it over.

After the Cozy, I started my Fair Isle Rug and progress on this hasn't been as quick as I had hoped it would be. I knew that it was going to be a challenge but how much of a challenge, I had NO IDEA! Believe you me, my left hand wasn't built to follow specific instructions from my brain. I KNOW what I am supposed to do but my left hand just doesn't seem to understand the signals coming from my brain. Knitting in continental style is a challenge and I can no longer watch telly whilst knitting... I am now listening to the telly as my eyes can't leave the knitting.

So, the BF got me the yarn for the rug when he was in NZ. As they didn't have the stock, they posted it to me and I recently realised that they stuffed my up order. They gave me two extra balls. Whether this was an honest mistake or they just wanted more business, I have no idea. But the fact that they forgot to send me the package until after I emailed them doesn't really work well in their favour. But on the other hand of things, they didn't have the needles I wanted but they gave me an extra pair to make up for it.

So anyways, I started my rug a few days ago. It took me a good two days to work out what I was supposed to do. I used three reference books to get an idea of what to do but that still didn't help. Thank gawd for Amy of knittinghelp.com. Laura pointed me to it. The knitting videos helped a lot! Learning how to knit from books isn't easy!!!

I tried a couple of times using some extra yarn I had and frustrating is an understatement!! My hands just wouldn't do what my brain was telling me. But after HEAPS of false starts, my "swatch" started taking shape:

Admittedly, it is a little short but by the time I got the hang of:

1. Knitting in the round and
2. Fair Isle knitting

I was sick of it! So I casted on for real and I am real glad that I did! The yarn I used for my swatch was just a little too soft and thin. The yarn that I am using for the rug is a little stiffer and thicker so it is heaps easier to work with.

So, my Fair Isle Rug is supposed to look like this:

It now looks like this:

A close up:

Knitting in the round... apparently, Fair Isle knitting was meant to be knitted in the round. This rug is being knitted in the round. To finish off the project, after I bind off, I am to cut the cords in the middle, to make the fringe. Interesting huh? But it is a pain to work with and is so easy to forget to wind the yarn around the needles on every row. Here's a look at the mess that is growing on my needles:

I've finished the first colour repeat and for some strange reason, I have heaps of extra yarn left over. I am using smaller needles though (7mm as opposed to the recommended 8mm) but I didn't think it would make THAT much of a difference. The pattern suggests that I should have finished 2 balls of yarn per colour repeat. After finishing the first repeat, I still have 1.25 balls of the blue left over. I might have enough for two rugs! Or I may just rip it out and make the rug wider. It is a little smaller than I had pictured it to be. Decisions, decisions, decisions... *sigh*.

Presenting...

2005-07-26T19:15:00.000+08:00

the FINISHED hodge podge blankie!!!

I think I am going to take a rest now...

Seaming Party

2005-07-25T16:03:00.000+08:00

A BIG BIG BIG THANK YOU to the gals who came over on Saturday night to help me seam my blankie.

So, on Saturday night, Mona, Lyn and Vanessa came over for a seaming party. I'd let out a LOUD SOS for my blankie as I am running out of time to finish it for my dad's birthday in August. So, in the true spirit of all knitters, they answered my call for help. I had promise nourishment in exchange for their seaming services.

As I can't cook to save my life, I managed to convince the BF to cook and cook he did. Well, it wasn't hard to convince him to cook as I think that he is as sick of the blankie as I am. I started it last September and almost a year later, it still isn't finished. As it is getting rather large, I have no place to store it so I've been keeping it in the living room whilst I work on it and being a neat freak, he absolutely HATES it there!

He fed us all really well, too well I think as progress after we were fed was rather slow as everyone was trying to digest the chicken lasagne, salad and sticky date pudding he made. I know that I am biased but I thought that he did a great job so a big THANK YOU to him as well *MUAH*.

Unfortunately, by the time dinner was served, we were all too hungry to even think of taking pictures of the food but here are some pictures from the night:

sprawled out on the living room floor... note: we realised that we are not as flexible as we used to be. Our backs started to give way before our spirit did!!

hard at work

group shot...

a close up of seams ... I LOVE how it looks like with the borders as it just "completes" it

Try as I could, I simply could NOT finish all the knitting on time i.e. before the gals arrived. Thank gawd for Vanessa as she managed two squares for me. Thanks to her squares, I had enough squares. As backup, Mona arrived with some of her crocheted squares. But then, I stuffed up the length of the border.

I had knitted 4 long, LONG rows of the borders i.e. 12 stitches wide and about 6 feet long of plain knitting. No purl mind you, just knit and it wasn't long enough! I had thought it was long enough and believe you me, after all that mindless and BORRRRING knitting, I was ready to chuck it all (it didn't help that my work project is due to be completed soon and I wasn't in the best of moods). I thought that I could simply stretch it out but thanks to the wisdom of Mona, we didn't. The blanket would have curled if we did. I never thought about that. It pays to listen to more experienced knitters :o) .

So, after the seaming party, my blankie still isn't finished. The gals stayed till close to midnight and did HEAPS but there was just too much to do. Vanessa is a WHIZ with the needle we can tell you... she was seaming along like Speedy Gonzales on speed. The woman can sew and she does it WELL!!

Once again, a BIG BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped. At the time of writing, I still have 1.25 sides and a few more squares to sew on and then I will be DONE DONE DONE!! Lace... need to knit lace... need lace... need lace...

The Finger "Yarn"

2005-07-18T11:27:00.000+08:00

A big thank you to everyone who wrote me regarding my finger. Well, suffice to say, I didn't break it. A good friend of mine dragged me off to the doc's after seeing it and the doc sent me to get an x-ray. I now have conclusive proof that it isn't broken. Turns out I strained the ligament and it became worse as I didn't treat it. FYI, for strained ligaments, it is best to keep it immobilised and to take anti inflammatory meds. This I have learnt.

Unfortunately, I had my fingers in a splint (which is a fancy word for a broken ice cream stick thingy, wrapped with a yucky, easy to unravel bandage) which limited my mobility in my right hand and made it virtually impossible to type, draw flowcharts, sign cheques and knit! GRRR!! I am so way behind on my blankie right now that it isn't funny. Anyone out there care to donate a square or two?

Right now, I need about 5 more squares and 2.95 more borders. I hope I can finish it on time for this weekend as I plan on having my seaming party then. If I don't finish it, there won't be much to seam!!

Thankfully my finger is heaps better. It still hurts but I was told that it would take time to heal and after me almost gauging my eye out with the ice cream stick thingy, I took the splint off. It is so easy to forget to not rub your eyes when one's fingers in encased in a splint. At least I can now knit... albeit slowly but I can knit! JOY JOY JOY!!!

Blocking & More

2005-07-13T09:31:00.000+08:00

After much procrastinating, I finally blocked my Ripple Shawl. I'd been putting it off as I was a little worried that I'd do something wrong and all my hard work would be wasted. However, as it is meant to be a present for my sister for winter (which officially begun early last month!), I bit the bullet and tried blocking for my very first time.

After reading the numerous books I had, I concluded that it isn't as harrowing a process as I previously thought it was. However, I don't have a spare bed, I don't have a blocking board etc. So, I rummaged through our old bed linens (well, the BF's bed linens) and constructed a blocking board of sorts, out on the balcony. I then proceeded to block the shawl. The shape of the original shawl doesn't need blocking but being the dufus that I am, I miscalculated (again) the amount of material required and the final product was just a tad too short. I had to stretch it out so that it can indeed be a shawl.

My makeshift blocking board out on the balcony.

Now, blocking isn't as easy as the gals or the books claim to be. Why? Well, firstly, the pins I had bought, well, they just didn't work. The heads were just too small and my shawl kept pulling away from it. Luckily, I had another stash of pins, with a bigger head. They worked better...

The pins I had.

I think I need another alternative to my "blocking board" as bed linens on a concrete floor doesn't work too well. The linens kept curling up and my precious stash of big headed pins kept bending as I was pushing too hard through the linen and ended up hitting the floor.

As I didn't have enough pins, I don't think I blocked it right. The edges might come out a little warped. Oh hindsight, I should have used more pins and pinned them closer together. The books didn't say anything about how far apart the pins should be *humph*.

The edges.

After painfully pinning and unpinning my work, I sprayed it with water. At the time of writing, it is almost dry. Hopefully it won't be THAT much of a disaster. At least, I got it to 60". That should be long enough for my sister, who is rather tiny.

On the blankie front, well, progress has been rather slow as work has been bogging me down. Since I last wrote, I now need another 10 squares and the border. Thankfully, Vanessa has done two, so I now need a grand total of 8 squares and the border. I saw the BF off to Sipadan today so in theory, I'll have peace and quiet to knit this weekend but NOOOOOOOOO, the forces that be are working against me *sigh*.

You see, last night after dinner, we were mucking around in the car on the way back home. He grabbed my fingers and to cut a long story short, he went one way and my fingers went the other way. I howled in pain and the poor lad felt so bad he almost pulled over, outside the apartment block. I actually started tearing a little, the pain was so bad. It hurt last night but the pain went away.

Unfortunately, that can't be said about today... my finger feels like it has been hit by a sledge hammer! I hope I haven't broken it or anything. That will seriously hinder my knitting plans this weekend!!! At least I can still move it. If the pain doesn't subside by the end of today, it's off to the doctors I go *sigh*. And I was so looking forward to planting my ample behind on the sofa, knitting whilst watching ER, Sex and the City etc... all courtesy off this most wonderful invention called peer-to-peer networking.

The Saga Continues...

2005-07-05T16:28:00.000+08:00

Life is hard with deadlines I can tell you... not only do I have work related deadlines and audits screaming out of my head and from places where the sun don't shine, but the deadline for my blankie is looming. There just isn't enough time during the day as I require sleep! A Panda is what I look like now and a life is what I don't have *sigh*.

At least my blankie is progressing somewhat... I did a tally last night... minus the one that Vanessa did for me, I need 14 more squares, plus the dreaded border. Let's see... today is the 5th of July. I'm planning on holding my seaming party on the 23... that gives me 18 days to complete 14 squares and the border... *mantra* it can be done, it can be done, it can be done. Oh thank heavens the BF is heading off next week for 5 days... guess what I'll be doing??

I read that Mona is now doing a hodge podge blankie as well... good luck girl! If you need some material, I'll gladly donate some from my ever growing stash... :o).

And The End Is In Sight

2005-06-27T12:02:00.000+08:00

YIPPEE!! The end is in sight. So, over the weekend, I decided to stitch on my completed squares and lo and behold, my blankie is now 13 X 13!!! I knew I had a fair number of completed squares but I didn't know exactly how many. 13 x 13!! It is now big enough to almost completely cover my queen size bed!

So, on a hunch, I brought it over to my parent's place and measured it on THEIR bed. My mum requested 15 X 15 squares and that is going to be too big hehehehe!! Oh lordi lordi lordi... just realised that my math is completely wrong. In my earlier post, I wrote that 15 X 15 = 300 squares! How wrong is that... and to think that I am a university educated person. Just whipped out the trusty calculator and 15 x 5 = 225!! Well, at least that is managable! Anyhows, the blankie is going to be 14 X 14. With the squares I still have left over, I need approximately 20+ squares only. That and my border.

A BIG BIG thank you to everyone who has offered to help me with my squares. If you haven't started so, please don't inconvenience yourself. I think that I can manage another 20 or so more squares and the border before my end of July deadline. I'll still hold my stitching party as well as I think that it'll be fun... and truth be told, it takes me AGES to stitch on the squares. I am dreading the thought of stitching on the border *sigh* but at least I am further along than what I thought I was...

Back From The Land Down Under

2005-06-21T13:01:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I've last written... but in my defense, I've been traveling
(for work) and stuck out in a power station in whoop whoop land somewhere in Australia.
Work has been totally hectic in recent times but the end is near (I hope).

So where do I start?? Hmmmm... on the knitting front, I'm proud to say that amidst
all the madness, I've somewhat managed to "finish" my ripple shawl as well as my
Kiri one.

My Ripple Shawl

I did this in ZARA Merino, Extra Fine... a LOVELY yarn to work with! The original
plan was to do it in the main colour but half way through, I realised that I didn't
have enough material and as the store didn't have any more, I opted to use multiple
colours (yes, I frogged it). I think it looks better this way though. I still need
to block it as even though I added on two new balls, it still isn't long enough.

My Kiri Shawl

Oooohhh I can't believe that I've "finished" this one. As per my Ripple Shawl, I need to block it as well... hopefully this weekend seeing that the BF is going to be away. According to the gals, it should stretch out as I am a little worried about the size. It looks rather small. I did this in Katia Mississippi 3, a lovely yarn to work with and the yardage makes it economically appealing :o) .

So, upon my return from the land down under, my mum, who has recently returned from a trip to the UK had a BIG, BIG surprise for me! You see, sometime in May, my parents saw my hodge podge blankie and for some strange reason, my dad decides that he wants it, for whatever reason I have no idea I think that it is rather warm for use in Malaysia. So, I tell them, "I don't have enough material to finish it". What does my mum do? Well, she was at a flea market in the UK and she bought me some yarn. Now, my mum can be rather eccentric and she never does things like normal people do, i.e. she is kind of extreme. So, with my blanket in mind, and hoping to please her hubby, she gets me a whole mountain of yarn... that is no exaggeration!

You can imagine my shock when I saw her purchase

The mountain sorted out

Would you believe that she got this ALL for a mere 2 POUNDS??!! That is equivalent to roughly RM14 which is what half a ball costs here! So bang goes my excuse for not having enough material to finish the blankie. That, coupled with what I have already collected from the gals and my purchases (see below) I have enough to make another 5 blankies!!

My original stash

So, I've decided to try to finish the blankie by my dad's birthday, in mid August. A little ambitious I think for my parents sleep on a super king sized bed... when they saw it last month, the blankie was a mere 11 x 11 squares which equates to 121 individual squares. My mum wants it at 15 x 15 which means a total of 300 squares. I'm not even half way there yet!! At the time of writing, I've been knitting away furiously, making 6" x 6" squares and now, my blankie looks something like this:

My hodge podge blankie, currently measuring 11 X 11 plus a bit

Here is a close up:

A close up incase anyone feels the need to donate squares... each square measures 6" x 6". The only requirement is that the bottom and top border is 6 rows of garter stitch and the sides are 5 stitches in garter. I am looking for any and all completed square donations as I now have more than enough yarn :o).

How I am going to finish this in time, I have absolutely no idea. Thank gawd, the gals offered to help out. Stitching / seaming the squares together takes heaps of time and Lyn of Knitties suggested I hold a seaming party at the end of July and they'll all come over and help me stitch it together. An EXCELLANT idea!! :O) :0) :o) Ooohhh I feel so lucky to have gal pals like they are!!

We had a meet up last Saturday... everyone was knitting lovely projects and I was knitting plain old squares *sigh*. Oh I so want to start another project as I am so SICK of knitting squares. I had to curb the urge to look that the wonderful patterns that were floating around during that meeting.

However, since the BF is headed off to NZ today, I couldn't help but ask him to get me enough material for a rug, a Fair Isle In The Round. I got the pattern out of my Donna Druchunas book. This is going to be a challenge for I've never done a "Fair Isle" project before and for some strange reason, this rug is knitted in the round. Hmmmm... Hopefully he'll be able to get me all the materials and tools that I need for this project. I thought that it would make a lovely addition to the apartment.

Fair Isle Rug In The Round

I have GOTS to start making something that I can wear...

A Book Meme

2005-05-10T10:29:00.000+08:00

This is a new one for me. I've been "tagged" for what is known as a book "meme" by Lyn. Haven't come across this one before. I don't even know how to pronounce it... meme = "me me" or "mime"? So, a little research revealed that I had to answer the questions listed in the original blog that I had been "tagged" by. Interesting concept this. So here goes...

Well, I have to say that I am a book buff and much to the dismay of the BF, I collect books. Yawp, I buy books (doesn't matter if it is second hand or brand new) but I buy books and I KEEP my books. I don't like borrowing books as if I like it, I feel obliged to get myself a copy and then when it comes to actually paying for it, I start thinking that I am wasting my money as I've already read it... *sigh* I'm a little anal when it comes to my books too *sigh*. All the books that I read HAVE to be wrapped in plastic as I absolutely HATE those yucky corners or creased covers. Hence, I can't go to public libraries as all books that I read HAVE to be wrapped. Stupid I know. Books that are on loan to me, well, I wrap them first THEN read it. I think I have some sort of obsessive compulsive behavior!

Then, in my library, books are arranged alphabetically, via the author's names. Then, due to space limitations, I have my paperback section and my hardback section. As the BF and myself have diverse interests, I have a section on cooking (he used to be a chef), diving and aquaria, military (boys will be boys), computer literature and of course, knitting.

Total number of books in your house...
A rough estimate would be between 400 - 500 books. Not all of it are mine though, I'd say 5% - 10% are the BFs (he isn't much of a reader). I'd have more books but unfortunately, when I left for Australia, my mum donated my collection to a local orphanage (a good thing I know but believe you me, I was NOT happy upon my return... I had the entire set of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five etc).

The last book you bought was...
Well, I went shopping at Kinokuniya last Friday. My darling brother gave me some vouchers for my birthday and I thought of using them. I bought two books:

The Knitted Rug by Donna Druchunas
I got this one because I just adore the patterns within. As I've made the decision to NOT follow the BF to NZ, I am in the process of doing up our apartment and I think that a few of the rugs in there would make nice additions to our somewhat sparse abode.

Hollywood Knits Style by Suss Cousins
She has some funky designs in this book, one that I really adore. This book isn't all about knitting though, she incorporates some ideas and suggestions on how to host a knitting party e.g. some recipes are included. Hmmm who knows, I just might try them out one day.

The last book you read was...
"Smart Women" by Judy Blume. She is this totally fab author who is known for her pre-teen and teen books. Remember that exercise that was floating around about increasing the size of your breasts whilst chanting "I must I must increase my bust"... well, that originated from a book of hers called "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret". Well, "Smart Women" was apparently on the New York's best seller list for months (much to my surprise) as I didn't really like it a whole lot. Interesting read though but towards the middle, well, suffice to say I thought that her previous works were a lot better.

Right now, I am reading "The Rice Mother" by Rani Manicka. Long, LONG chapters but it is proving to be a very interesting read, about this Ceylonese woman who was tricked into marrying an Indian Malaysian man at the tender age of 14.

5 (or 6) Books You Often Read or That Mean A Lot to You...
Oh lordi lordi lordi... how to choose??? Off the top of my head...

State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Why? Well, he does a lot of research when it comes to a number of his books and in this one, he challenges the notion that global warming does NOT exist and that we are being manipulated by the powers that be for economical reasons, much like all the hype about Y2K. I haven't yet arrived at a conclusion about what I believe in yet but this book has taught me not to take things at face value. A most intriguing read, albeit a little long but he quotes a lot of research which actually exists.

Wild Swans by Jung Chang
This is a classic and those who haven't yet read it, should! I've read it no less than 4 times since I bought it. This is my 3rd copy if I am not mistaken as the ones that I loan out, never seem to come back to me *sigh*.

Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
Well, I recently finished this book and it has climbed to the top of my must read book list as it dwells in life as a female in Africa, all about the tribulations and hardships, not to mention the horrific act of female circumcision.

First Wive's Club by Olivia Goldsmith
Every gal needs to have some sort of light reading to fall back on. I just love this book... heaps better than the movie though (which was also good). Sad to say, Goldsmith has since passed on (complications due to cosmetic surgery) and her last book, "Wish Upon A Star" wasn't one of her best work but the main character deals a lot with knitting and a few techniques and projects are mentioned throughout the book.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
A classic story which will never go out of style. The way he writes is just spectacular, the way he describes things, events and the characters.

Daughters of Arabia by Jean Sasson
I have to admit that I read a lot of these kind of books... firstly, it is interesting and secondly, when things don't go right in my life (it's horrible to say this but...) I think about the poor people that Sasson writes about and think "hey, my life isn't so bad".

Who are you going to pass this on to and why...
Ermmm I have absolutely no idea. Will have to work on this one.

Am Back

2005-05-06T08:57:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last updated my blog. No excuses but in my defense, I've been away. I went to Derawan for a week's worth of diving in what I can only describe as ridiculously strong current and I now know what it feels like to be in a whirlpool washing machine. Not a pleasant experience and I am glad to be back.

On the knitting front, well, sad to say that my projects have been on hold somewhat. I made yet another mistake with my Ripple Shawl. Believe it or not, I took my knitting with me when I went on the trip. Tip: when going on trips such as this where it takes 2 three hour boat rides to get to the island, circular needles are the way to go! I would have been bored out of my brain sitting in a boat for that long. I was upset that I couldn't bring my knitting with me on the plane though *sigh*.

Half way through my 6 balls and the shawl isn't half as long as I had hoped it would be, not even close actually *sigh*

So, the mistake in my ripple shawl... well, I didn't buy enough yarn. I realised this early on and ripped out my work and made the entire shawl narrower. I had thought that the yarn would be enough but I was wrong. I miscalculated the length required by the pattern *sigh*. I'm using ZARA Merino Extra Fine in a turquoisey colour and it is a treat to knit with it believe you me, especially after the KSH. I'm about 2 balls short believe it or not. Am NOT impressed with myself. What ANOTHER stupid mistake!!

A close up

I tried going back to the shop where I'd originally purchased the wool but it was closed (it hasn't been good on the knit front for me). I'll be making another trip there this weekend. Fingers crossed it'll be opened and she has more stock (although I don't think so as I seem to remember buying her entire stock). Solution? Well, if she doesn't have any more in the colour I want, I might buy two balls of another colour and make it a multi coloured piece of work. Or, if that doesn't work, I just I am just going to have to comb the vast catacombs of the Internet for a measly two balls!

My Kiri Shawl has also been put on hold but I have to say that I've been happy with my progress. If I remember correctly, I'm now on my 4th or 5th repeat. The reason why it's been put on hold is because the straight needles I have just aren't long enough!! I ordered some Addi Turbo needles through the group but I haven't had the time to meet up with the gals to pick them up. Hopefully I'll be able to meet up sometime this weekend. I need to knit. Need to knit. Need to knit!

After 4 or 5 patten repeats, the stitches are ready to fall off the needles!

A close up

I seem to have fallen into the trap of starting a new project without finishing my previous ones! I don't know what's become of me! Well, I did start doing the Kiri Shawl in KSH but I ditched that idea after multiple failures. So, instead of wasting the yarn, I decided to try making a scarf out of it, using the Ripple Pattern (I LIKE this pattern). I made good progress (it is ever so much easier using it in double strand (is this what you call it??). Well, somehow, I found that I made a lot of mistakes in the process and now I can't seem to bring myself to frog it and start all over. If you look closely, you'll see a safety pin on the work... I dropped this stitch somehow and I didn't realise it till I was way along the project. This is going to be a long, on going project I can tell you. Here is the progress:

My KSH Ripple Scarf

Just Once

2005-04-13T09:09:00.000+08:00

You know, just once, JUST ONCE I'd like to finish a project without having to rip it apart before I am done. Yes, I ripped apart my Kiri Shawl yesterday and believe you me, it was painful. Why did I rip it apart? *sigh* Well, I was curious yesterday and I wanted to figure out exactly how many stitches would be on the needles per repeat etc. So, I created an Excel spreadsheet and did some simple math. I worked out that on the 15th repeat, I should have 391 stitches on my needles. When I say 15th repeat, it could be the 14th actually as I am not sure how one counts repeats *mental note* I will have to ask the gals about this during out next meeting.

So, there I was, all ready to start my 9th repeat (or it could be 8th). I knew how many stitches I should have on the needles and lo and behold, I didn't have it!! So, I thought that maybe there was a mistake in my calculations etc. I proceeded to knit as per the pattern and naturally, it didn't work. Ripped out that lines and then examined my work and wouldn't you have it... I found a mistake about 1.5 inches down my work.

If you look closely, you'll see that that chain is broken.

So, I spoke to Laura and she advised me on what to do. Unfortunately, every single line after that mistake is wrong and I had to rip. I did think of weaving in what they call a lifeline just before the mistake but I wasn't looking forward to it. So, rip I did... I pulled it off the needles.

After coming off the needles, the shawl was bigger than what I thought it would be.

After my work came off the needles, I noticed that the lace pattern isn't as "loose" as I had hoped it would be. I tried stretching and pulling it etc but it was just too tight. My needles were a little small (3.5mm). So, I decided to change the size of my needles and am now trying to get it right. When I say trying, I mean trying. For some strange reason, since I ripped up my work, I can't seem to get past row 17 of the pattern without making some awful error! I've casted on and ripped my work apart no less than 3 times yesterday... I can't get past row 17. In frustration, I pulled everything apart and decided to take a break from knitting.

Oh hindsight, even with my stitch markers and all that I think that my row counting wasn't exact. I saw Doreen writing down numbers in her little notebook during our last meeting. After she'd finish a line, she'd mark it off. I thought that I was safe using my counter thingy... I'm pretty good at turning the counter after each line. However, the counter that I used is a little loose and perhaps it moved without me knowing. So now, to be safe, I have this piece of paper which I am using to mark off each line I do. Hopefully the next time round, I'll get it right!

Kiri Shawl

2005-04-11T11:23:00.000+08:00

A quick one here... taking a break from an oh-ever-so-hectic Monday...

I've been knitting like a mad woman possessed!! I don't know what it is but I can't seem to stop, not even when I am in physical pain. Yawp... you read that right. I am in pain... for some strange reason, my right bicep feels a little strained... my right elbow feels funny, like the muscles / tendons in there have been pinched and my little right finger feels numb. Also, both my hands feel cramped but does that stop me... NOOOO!! I must be mad.

I've decided to use my what-use-to-be-for my Kiri Shawl KidSilk Haze yarn to make a scarf. I'm doing it in double strands and the results have been quite surprising. Check it out...

Am quite pleased with the result actually.

Then, late Saturday night / early Sunday morning, I decided to try casting on for my Kiri Shawl. I'd purchased 4 balls of Katia Mississippi 3 Print in a beige / natural colour and believe you me, this one is heaps easier to work with than the KSH!!!

Katia Mississippi 3 Print :: Colour 204

Unfortunately, the photo above doesn't really show the colours but I think that it's lovely. So I did my cast on and began working on the pattern... didn't stop till about 2.30am on Sunday morning and believe it or not, I dreamt about the shawl that night / morning. I even woke up early to work on it!! How mad is that?

So, in less than 48 hours, my Kiri Shawl looks like this::

I've done 7 pattern repeats and the total number of stitches on my needles is 189. Somehow, I am beginning to think that the needles I am using (3.5mm, 60cm) isn't going to be long enough. I've used approximately 3/4 of my first ball. I think I bought too much yarn but better safe than sorry. I have to say that I don't really like working with circular needles because one can't really stretch it out to see what the garment really looks like. So far so good...

A close up

Need to work, need to work, need to work... must forget about knitting, MUST FORGET ABOUT KNITTING, MUST FORGET ABOUT KNITTING!!!

The KSH Nightmare

2005-04-10T14:03:00.000+08:00

My name is Jackie and I am a failure as a KidSilk Haze (KSH) knitter *sigh*. After much deliberation, I've decided to quit trying to knit in KSH. I think that I am not built to knit in this oh so fine yarn. Try and try as I might, I simply can NOT knit with it. Something almost always goes wrong and ripping it apart is a nightmare as it seems to have a mind of its own and doesn't want to be undone. This is one unforgiving yarn!

So, a few weeks ago, a few of us from the KL Knitting Meetup Group decided to start a knit-a-long. The pattern for this project was the Kiri Shawl. We got together and bought some KSH from eBay and were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the said yarn. Well, arrive it did and at the time of writing, one of the members of the knit-a-long has given up on the yarn. I've also given up and I feel GUILTY! I LOVE challenges and I thought that this would be a great one but I'm out of my league. It's time to admit defeat.

I tried casting on for the shawl no less than 4 times with the KSH. Every single cast on ended up in disaster. Why? Well, I'd be making mistakes and unraveling one's work is almost impossible in this yarn. On my 4th attempt, I got to the 11th line and found that the number of stitches I had on the needles didn't match the pattern.

First few lines of the Kiri Shawl in KSH

In frustration, I decided to give up.

Then, being the pig-headed person that I am, I decided to try an easier pattern using the KSH. So, I decided to try knitting the Ripple Shawl in the KSH. The pattern said that it was very easy so I thought, why not? So, I casted on the appropriate stitches and proceeded. It was fine going for a while but another lesson for the day... one should never ever try knitting when one is under the influence of medication *sigh*. I was going fine for a while... then, I wasn't feeling too well (down with the flu) so I decided to take a nap. After my nap, I proceeded with my project. Unbeknownst to me, I'd either missed out on a line or added another one and started doing the pattern on the wrong side of the work. I didn't notice this until I was about 4" into the project.

An attempt at the Ripple Shawl in KSH

So, another piece of work down the drain and even more yarn wasted.

Still, unwilling to totally give up on the KSH, I decided to try making a scarf out of it, but this time, using double strands... and this time, it WORKED!! For some strange reason, when you double up the yarn, it is a LOT easier to work with AND it doesn't stick together! Unraveling one's work is easy!!

So, I am now doing a scarf in the KSH, using a modified pattern from the Ripple Shawl and I am doubling the yarn. So far so good...

A close up

Advancing

2005-04-05T10:42:00.000+08:00

Hehehe... I think I'm improving as a knitter. After successfully completing my Cozy I was eager to start my next project. Unfortunately, the wool / yarn that we ordered from eBay hadn't arrived yet. Yawp. I've joined a knit-a-long with two other gals from the KL Knitting Meetup Group. Against my better judgement, I thought, "why not??". It's going to be a challenge and I'll be learning heaps.

Why is it a challenge I hear you cry? Well, firstly, we'll be knitting in this really fine material called KidSilk Haze (KSH). This sure is fine, FINE material and I'm a little scared of it to be quite honest. One of the other gals from the group, Vanessa of Coloursknits used it to make a cardigan and it turned out beautiful. But the texture of the material is a little overwhelming. She advised us to make sure our nails were trimmed and smooth, to avoid snagging the material. Well, Doreen, Laura and myself got together and made a group purchase for the KSH. Doreen and I chose the KSH in Dewberry, a sort of lavenderish colour and Laura chose Marmalade, a really sweet "apricotish" shade.

Well, the yarn arrived last week and has since been distributed. To be quite honest, I didn't really look forward to starting the project, as I was a little sceptical about this thingy called a provisional cast on. Didn't have a clue on what it was! Then, the pattern said to cast on THREE stitches... only THREE??!! What on earth???!!

After much delay, I whipped out my knitting books yesterday and used some spare acryllic yarn I had and experimented. Hehehe... it isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. After 2 attempts, I got the hang of it and proceeded a trial run for the shawl. Check it out...

Kiri

Am pretty proud about this one... thankfully, the lessons I learnt when I did my Cozy left me well equipped to handle this project. I whipped out my stitch counter thingies and didn't make too many huge mistakes. But then, I had a looked at Doreen's, attempt and I'm thinking hmmmm... 1. it looks a little different than mine and 2. the lass only used ONE stitch marker thingy and mine is ladened with it!! Oh... no prizes for guessing which one is the professional and the amateur. Doreen's Kiri project:

it looks nothing like mine!

A closeup of my trial shawl:

Kiri :: closeup

Oh dear... now I am hoping that I am on the right track... maybe her's just LOOKS different because it's on circular needles. I don't have my circular needles yet but I'm planning on getting them this weekend. In the mean time, I am pretty confident about casting on for real on my 4.5 straight bamboo ones. Wish me luck... *sigh*. I think I'm going to need it. Had enough problems with thick acrylic...

On another note, whilst waiting for the yarn to arrive and courage to start my KSH project, I started experimenting with knitting in multicolours... did one square for my blankie and it is FRUSTRATING. I think I spent more time unravelling the yarn than I did actually knitting the square. Everything kept getting tangled up!

My heart square.

At the worst moment, I had 7 "balls" of yarn hanging off my needles. There HAS to be an easier way to manage all that yarn. I read somewhere about this tool called "yarn bobbins" and I might just go have a look for it during the weekend. As an alternative, I cut up a few old business cards and tried using those... not a good idea. McGyver I am not. It created more hassle! The back is rather messy I think. My weaving skills aren't up to notch yet but I am working on it.

A close up of the messy back.

Still, this is a good experience. I think I might stay away from multicoloured projects for now... small squares are OK... I shudder to think about large projects! How people do it I have absolutely no idea!

It's Done

2005-03-28T08:51:00.000+08:00

WOW! What a weekend! On Saturday, I had to entertain the BF's out-of-town relatives. They wanted to go to Malacca and so we went, the four of us. I was looking forward to the trip as I haven't been back there in absolutely AGES, which is a pity since I was born there. One of my earliest memory as a wee young lass was chicken rice balls and I was looking forward to consuming it again. Sadly, the food didn't live up to my memory of it. I much, MUCH prefer normal chicken rice. Still, we had fun, walking along Yonker Street in the rain, having a peek at all the curious items for sale and basically doing the touristy thingy.

However, despite all the things we were doing, I couldn't WAIT to get back home as you see, I am an obsessed knitter. I was down to the final bits of my COZY and I couldn't wait to finish it. Whilst making polite chit-chatter with the relatives in the car on the way there, I was kicking myself that I didn't bring it along. I could have easily squeezed in about 2 hours of knitting time in the journey to and from Malacca!

So I thought, never mind, will finish it on Sunday. However, the powers that be were against me as well *sigh*. At 4.06 in the morning, I get a phone call from my mum screaming for me to get back to the family house. You see, they'd been to a social function, came back in the wee hours of the morning and one of our family dogs managed to escape the compound. As he, the dog, Lucky was much beloved by the patriarch of the family, he took it upon himself to go looking for Lucky and somehow managed to fall into the rather large drain outside of the family home. So it was a panic type situation. The BF (bless his kind soul) and myself got to the family home in record time to find the patriarch on the floor, bleeding and in obvious pain. The ambulance hadn't arrived so somehow, we managed to get him to the local hospital. Thankfully, nothing was dislocated or broken. Just a few minor cuts and major bruises. He somehow managed to hurt his spine but it is nothing that a few trips to the physiotherapist won't fix.

So, after rushing him to the hospital and admitting him, we came back at around 6.30 and fell asleep but my knitting was still foremost in my mind. I had about 1/8th of my final ball left. I woke up dreaming of finishing my Cozy and I did! Got up a few hours later and knitted till my hearts content. I finished it! I finished it! I finished it! Took me 15 days to complete it and I've finished it... well, almost. It doesn't look like what it is supposed to look though *sigh* but I am somewhat happy with the final product, even though it is about 5" short of what the pattern requires and is rather heavy (used 5 x 100g balls of yarn).

it's done

I haven't weaved in the ends or blocked it yet as I have no idea how to do it but I will be digging out my knitting books for instructions. The BF claims that it looks like a very nice granny shawl *humph* but I hope my friend likes it (it is a birthday pressie for a good friend of mine). It is supposed to look like this::

the pattern

So, next on the needles... well, I've decided to join in a knit along with two other members of the KL Knitting Meetup Group and we are going to be using Rowan's Kidsilk Haze. We are going to be knitting the Kiri Shawl. This is going to be interesting as the yarn reminds me of very fine thread. I don't know how this is going to turn out for me but it will be a great challenge. I don't understand half of the pattern but the the gals in this knit along, Doreen and Laura have promised to help me out. I can't wait!! I thought that this shawl would make a lovely birthday pressie for my aunt who introduced my to my BF almost two years ago, on her birthday no less.

Also in the pipeline is a Knitted Ripple Shaw for my sister. I shouldn't have any dramas with this one as it looks rather easy. And I still have to finish my hodge podge blankie! After that, I'll look for other projects for MYSELF. I'll be living in NZ for a while, going there in the middle of winter and I have no winter clothes!

An Obsession

2005-03-23T08:56:00.000+08:00

I work from home and believe me when I tell you that discipline is a HUGE HUGE problem. Don't get me wrong, I do like the benefits of working from home e.g. I don't have to waste time in traffic, I don't have to get dressed up to go to work (tip: having a bra on when working from home is a necessity) etc. Now I find that my productivity level has greatly diminished and it is all because of two 5mm sticks and some cotton yarn.

I have found that knitting is becoming an obsession right now. I can't seem to stop! I take extended lunches and during lunch, I make sure that whatever I am consuming can be eaten with one hand. When I am sitting in front of the computer supposedly trying to do some work, I find my hands are twitching for the comforting feel of my bamboo needles. If I somehow manage to ignore the urge to pick up my knitting, I find myself browsing the many, MANY knitting websites or maybe even rambling on here.

I wonder if this is normal? On average, I spend at least 4 to 5 hours a day knitting. Admittedly, I was going slow but now, I find that I am going heaps, HEAPS faster. The romance in my relationship has gone down the tubes as I am so absorbed in my current project. The BF now has to sit in one of the two barker lounges (yes, yes, yes I know... I can't stand those things either) when we watch telly as he gets in the way of my needles. We used to cuddle up on the sofa but now, that is not possible. I LOVE seeing my project grow and believe me when I say that it is GROWING. See below if you don't believe me.

Day 11

Yawp, it is growing faster than weeds fed with fertiliser.

Then, I've been having some dental problems and I've spent a LOT of time recently on the dentist chair. Whilst staring up at the ceiling, littered with Disney comic characters (who, with the exception of Pluto, has NO teeth), I wanted to knit. Yawp, right in the middle of my root canal, I wanted to knit. I kept thinking that this is an unproductive waste of knitting time!

I'll be leaving for a diving trip late next month for a whole week and already I am trying to figure out if I can bring my knitting with me. The BF isn't going to be too happy if I do as we are already going to be overweight (diving gear is HEAVY). Maybe if I bring limited clothes... I mean, all I need is my swim suit right?? I'll just wear my wetsuit during the day and nothing at night?? But then I keep thinking of the 7 hour boat ride... what am I going to do then? Knit? If I do, what happens to yarn if salt water gets on it? Oooohhhhh...

My other hobbies are suffering as all I want to do is to sit and knit. The BF is looking after our aquarium now, the new books I got is sitting untouched on my bed side table, my foray into the culinary world has been put on the back burner, the apartment isn't as tidy as it used to be, I don't go out socially as much (well, except for knitting meets) and my journal writing has suffered. I wonder if there is a knitters anonymous out there? Then, to top it all off, my left hand is starting to cramp up, the onset of arthritis perhaps or maybe a knitting type injury, much like how tennis players get tennis elbow?

Then, as the icing on the cake, I am now scouring the catacombs of the Internet looking for my next project! I haven't even completed my first one yet, my hodge podge blankie has been put on hold and I am looking for a new one!! Oh geez... I think I need help! Back to work, back to work, back to work, back to work, back to work....

And The Journey Continues...

2005-03-22T10:25:00.000+08:00

One of the things that I've recently learnt is that frogging is NOT pleasant. I was almost in tears when I decided to pull apart all my hard work. Still, it is a good lesson in what NOT to forget to do... a very good lesson in gauges. I don't think I'll ever forget to check my gauge again. So, on day 5:

Cozy on Day 5 became

this.

Suffice to say, another one of the lessons I learnt on this day is that one should never ever cast on and start all over when one is irritated with one's self! I had to start over a fair few times as I wanted to get my project back to it's original state ASAP. I knitted way into the wee hours of the morning. Suffice to say, I made a lot of mistakes. I did think of tearing the whole thing apart again but I after so many attempts, the yarn was getting rather icky so rather than waste it, I decided to bite the bullet and put up with my mistakes. My friend is just going to have to understand that I am not a machine... to err is human after all. Besides, I think that my mistakes give the project a "human" touch. Besides, when I showed my work to the gals at the KL Knitting Meetup Group , they couldn't pick out the mistakes :o) :o) :o).

It was slow going there for a while... another important lesson is that one should never EVER drink copious amounts of wine when knitting, especially when one is attempting a lacy pattern and isn't a very good knitter. Mistakes abound... irritation grew... knits became purls and purls became knits. Counting becomes a challenge, stitches merged, eyes hurt... oh the list goes on and on and on.

Anyways, I met up with the gals on Saturday and I discovered, by accident, that there is this WONDERFUL invention called a needle marker!! Oh lordi, lordi, lordi... it was almost an orgasmic experience when I found it. Didn't know it existed. It's basically a plastic ring that knitters put on their needles to mark the beginning or end of patterns. Up till then, I'd been counting and counting and counting and at times, using a line marker to mark the stitches. This needle marker thingie made everything easier!! I am zooooming down the pattern highway now, it isn't a one way street but a free flowing highway!

it's a miracle

So, on day 10, my work is now progressing nicely... despite all the unnoticable mistakes. I've caught up to where I was before and even though I can be somewhat careless at times, life sure is a lot easier with needle markers!!

where I am at... 1.75 balls down, 3.25 to go

My knitting library is also growing. Mona sold me this great book, 100 Afghan Squares by Debbie Abrahams. It is a glorious book and I can't wait to start work on some of the patterns in there. My yarn / wool stash has somehow doubled in size since I started this blog so I have heaps to work with. My blankie is taking on a brand new direction!

Debbie Abrahams

Being a book loving fiend, I can't wait to expand my knitting library. My brother recently presented me with heaps of book vouchers as a birthday gift so Kinokuniya here I come!! Hehehehe... an online search revealed that they have greatly increased their variety of knitting related books. I can't wait to go check them out!!

ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

2005-03-17T11:59:00.000+08:00

Oh for F$#%$s sake!!! Talk about being your total duuuuuuuufus!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!! So, after writing my earlier post, the part about the length of the wrap etc. it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't know what the WIDTH of the garment is supposed to be... I DIDN'T CHECK IT!! I DIDN'T BLA#%Y CHECK IT!!! And guess what??? it is WRONG, WRONG WRONG!!! It is WAY WAY off!! It measures 12.5" when it is supposed to be 18"!! Even with me stretching and pulling it, the absolute MAX it would go is 16".

Oh why WHY WHY didn't I check the width?? I was so excited about getting the pattern right I forgot about everything else!!! Oh all your DUMB, STUPID, IDOITIC mistakes!! I did think it was a little narrow. As I didn't have 5mm needles, I used my 4.5 ones... why WHY WHY???!!!!

Grrrrrrr..... am off to frog now *sigh*. All that work down the drain :o(

The COZY Experience

2005-03-17T10:24:00.000+08:00

Well, up till last Wednesday (9 March), the only thing I'd ever knitting was a combination of basic knit and purl stitches. I'd decided to knit something more adventurous and after combing the vast catacombs of the Internet, I found a fairly intricate pattern that I thought would be perfect for a good friend of mine. As her birthday is coming up, I thought that it would make a great gift. The pattern is called COZY and it's been described as a "simple, tweedy lace wrap". So, armed with the pattern and some advice from the KL Knitting Meetup Group I bought the relevant tools and material during our last meeting.

I bought a 5mm circular needle and 5 balls of Sirdar's Double Knit Pure Cotton in a "champagney" colour. I thought that it is a lovely colour... neutral-type shade which will go with anything. As I couldn't wait to get started, I started casting on in the shop, on my first ever circular needle experience.

Tip: Casting on is easy, counting it is not, especially with circular needles and when one is in a group. I was with the gals from the KL Knitting Meetup Group and with all the chatting etc., it was HARD to keep count. Maybe I'm just not used to handling yarn but I kept losing count for some strange reason... it was like 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, .... 30, 32,36... then it was ARRRGGGGHHH and I'd start all over again.

Regardless, I got the appropriate number of stitches on and I began knitting away in earnest (a brand new experience, especially with the circular needles which kept twisting away, like it had a life of it's own). So, 85 stitches I had, 3 rows of garter stitch I needed. I got this down pat when we were sitting in Starbucks after our trip to local yarn shop. You can read more about our last meeting (complete with pictures) here. I thought that it would be better to start the lace pattern at home, where I can concentrate.

Now, I have to say that a lace pattern is HARD!!! I did the first row of the pattern without much hassle. Did the 2nd row, no problems. Then, on the third row, all hell broke loose. The pattern called for a repeat of 6 stitches and somehow, when I got to the end, I didn't have the prerequisite number of stitches. So I started working backwards i.e. undoing the last rows and trying to work out what went wrong. This didn't work as after I'd unpicked the last 2 rows, somehow I didn't have the 85 stitches I was supposed to have. So, I frogged it.

Again I began with the cast on, the knitting etc. After row 3 or 4, I lost my way. Now, you have to understand that this is my first ever "intricate" type pattern. I can do knit and purl stitches flawlessly, without looking at my work. I love watching television and knitting at the same time. For this project, with the needles held firmly in my hands, I was literally STARRING at the pattern the whole time. I was so afraid that I'd lose my way. If the phone rang, I'd ignore it until I got to the end of the row. If the BF talked to me, I'd ignore him, mumbling K2tog tbl, K1, S1, psso.

After the 6th or 7th time of frogging (before I'd even complete one round of the pattern), I smartened up. Swapped the circular needles for straight ones (heaps easier to count stitches) and I dug out my stitch markers. So, slowly I began, counting and marking every 18th stitch and doing a complete stitch count at every row (talk about anal and slow going). So, after more than 12 hours of me doing my first cast on, I had made my first repeat of the pattern, a whole 8 rows!! Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe the feeling. The BF was scared to approach me. I used a new yarn ball when I started casting on the straight needles as the original yarn looked rather icky after so much torment and I was sleep deprived.

So, armed with my straight needles, work progressed. I was still starring at the pattern, hugely afraid of looking elsewhere in case I lost my placing in the pattern. The BF was told (in between completed rows) to not come near me / talk to me when I am knitting. At the end of Day 1, after I put down my work, the BF cautiously asked me how long the wrap is supposed to be. 67 inches I told him. He looked at the measly 1.5" I had and shook his head.

Day 2 was heaps more productive than Day 1. My wrap actually grew and a pattern emerged! Truly exciting. I was still starring unrelentingly at the pattern, counting ever so often and THEN I realised that counting from right to left isn't enough... one has to count from left to right as well! This I found out after getting to an end of a row and discovering that I don't have the required number of stitches! Even now, when I get to an end of a row, I hold my breath and pray and hope that I have the right number of stitches.

Lessons learnt:
1. straight needles are a LOT easier to work with when working in a lacey type pattern
2. it is ever so easy to miss out on yarn overs
3. markers are indispensable
4. count, count and COUNT
5. make a note of where you are at when you take a break from your knitting as it is highly possible you'd start off at the wrong place when you start working on the project again
6. K2tog tbl means knit two stitches together, through the back and is NOT two separate instructions
7. following a pattern gets easier with time
8. count, count and COUNT
9. count, count and COUNT
10. count, count and COUNT

So, after 5 days of me starting the project, I can now recognise what the different stitches are supposed to look like so I can stop mid row and talk to the BF, answer the phone, take a bathroom break etc. I don't have to stare at the pattern anymore although I still use it as reference for every row (how the gals remember instructions without looking at the pattern is totally beyond me). Am progressing a lot faster now. Occasionally I get lazy and don't count and that's when I get into trouble... it is ever to easy to forget the YO or the sl.

So, on Day 5 of my project, my wrap looks like this:

Cozy on Day 5

The edges are a little crooked but I think that with "blocking" that it will straighten out. It is getting rather heavy and I hoping that it won't be too heavy as a wrap. I bought 5 X 100g balls of cotton so theoretically, it should be about 500gs... I wonder if that is too heavy for a wrap.

A Close Up

I've even started on a 2nd ball of yarn and I have little bits of yarn hanging out (which I have no idea what to do with yet). Will figure it out later.

Loose Ends

The Hodge Podge Blankie

2005-03-16T12:23:00.000+08:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you are positively unproductive? Well, I am having one of those days today and when one is working from home, one has a SERIOUS problem. Anyways, thought that I'd ramble on a little.

So, prior to the middle of last week, the only things I knew about knitting was how to knit, purl, cast on and bind off, oh and how to use different colours as well. My current project is my hodge podge blanket as shown below. My mum found some bits and pieces from my old and not completed projects (more than 15 years old) when she was cleaning the store room. I frogged the pieces and decided to start knitting squares and make a blanket of sorts. Then, when I was in Australia late last year, I found some really cheap yarn and continued the project.

My hodge podge blankie

The blanket is supposed to be a queen size one but right now, it may be a single. I was running out of material to knit with but then some of the members of the KL Knitting Meetup Group, GAVE me yarn which they aren't going to use. VERY generous of them. Many thanks. Then, Laura and I got together and made an online purchase at Elann. I bought even more material for my blanket. And THEN, my sister in Australia (bless the smurf's kind heart), got me some more and is sending it down via a family friend. The stash should arrive sometime this week hehehe...

I think that this blanket might be too warm for Malaysia AND it is getting rather heavy. However, when my dad saw it (he had had a few drinks by this time), he claimed possession over it. Why? I have no idea. But the plan is to get it to queen size somehow, knit a white border so that the edging is somewhat even and to stick on a smooth, cotton cover behind (the back is REALLY ugly as my stitching stinks).

Truth be told, I'm not a very artistic sort of person / one who has good taste. I don't know if this looks good or not but it is fun to do, a little boring but fun. I mean, little squares are easy and fast and when I get bored of a colour / yarn, I just move on to the next. I have absolutely NO IDEA what this will end up looking like but I am hoping to complete it before I pass on. Who knows, it might just be a family heirloom one of these days.

In the Beginning

2005-03-15T12:16:00.000+08:00

It is only recently that I've picked up knitting in a big way. For those of you who are interested, I started knitting when I was about 8. A friend of my mum's gave me a knitting kit, you know, one of those ones which are aimed at wee lasses, with tiny fingers. I was taught to knit in the British way (it was a British kit).

Since then, I've knitted off and on but when I say knit I don't mean all those complicated things like k2tog tbl or psso. The only things I knew how to do back then was casting on, casting off (or binding off as I recently found out), knit and purl. Oh, I knew how to incorporate other colours too! :o)

I used to knit little swatches of I-have-no-idea what for a while... even at a young age, I found that knitting is very relaxing. Even I was desperate and I found myself without any sort of knitting tools, I used to use my mum's chopsticks. This she was not impressed with as ivory chopsticks aren't very strong and the tips tend to break off fairly easily. It's amazing what one remembers...

Then, one day, when I was prepubescent, I found this yarn shop in a local mall... Ampang Park for those of you who are familiar with KL. I picked up knitting again, this time with the help of this wonderful lady, Mrs DeSilva. Unfortunately, since returning to the craft, I've learnt that she has since passed on :o( . So, I selected my pattern and began knitting. My mum promised me a trip to London if I could knit a sweater in time... so I began knitting earnestly. Needless to say, I didn't complete the sweater in time, I've never been to London but I am still knitting.

Mrs DeSilva was a wonderful teacher but she babied me i.e. she would do the joining of yarn, the shaping etc for me, so my skills were limited to the ones I learnt when I was 8. She taught me the basics and encouraged me. During that stage, I finished 2 sweaters and started 2 more. I have no idea what happened to those completed ones but I recently found the material for my incomplete ones and I frogged (a new term I recently learnt :o) ) them. The yarn is now part of the blanket that I am doing. Pictures will be forthcoming once I figure out how to upload them.

During my university days in Melbourne, gawd only knows what possessed me but I did a few scarves for the BFs I was dating at the time. Nothing flash but fun. I remember drawing up "patterns" on checked paper, spelling out their names etc. Talk about your all time puppy love. I wonder if they still have those "scarves" or rather, wall hangings as my sizing was a little off. I still don't know anything about gauges and estimations.

So now, when I am in my 30s, I've decided that it is time I learn how to knit and how to do it properly. Armed this this ambition and my recently acquired DSL service, I'm now roaming the Internet, looking for help and other like-minded people. I've met some wonderful, very helpful and generous knitters, but online and here, in KL. I've made my first ever purchase from Amazon and got two great books on knitting. I've also recently ordered my first stash of yarn from Elann. Am sharing the shipping cost with Laura and I simply can NOT wait for it to arrive! The yarn is for my blanket which my dad wants.

As I am immensely tired of knitting simple squares, I've also started another project, my first ever lace knitting one. After roaming the Internet, I found a pattern which is challenging for my level. It's called Cozy. It is a simple lace wrap, for a good friend of mine who thinks that it is hysterical that a person like me knits. Come to think about it, most people do not believe that I knit. Why?

Well, I think that the perception that only old people knit is still very much prevalent in our society today. Then, I am fairly outgoing, I used to go to the gym a lot (plans are still in the making to get into some sort of physical activity before body parts start going further south), I dive a fair bit etc. Old friends are shocked when they hear that I knit. The BF almost died when I dug out my knitting needles and started knitting. Oh well... stranger things have been known to happen.

I think that this is enough for one day. Stay tuned for more...

Oh Lordi Lordi Lordi

2005-03-15T11:25:00.000+08:00

I am so technically backward it is EMBARRASSING!! What am I talking about? Well, I am a trained IT geek and I used to look down at HTML editors, preferring instead to write the code myself, from scratch mind you. All those editors out there... pish posh... no way I said. Well, it was a pride thing too. True IT chip heads don't use editors... we code from scratch. No, we don't use those online Tripod -type editors, we don't use those ever-so-simple file upload features etc. We code in Notepad (or Dreamweaver) and we FTP our files across.

So, until recently i.e. 2 hours ago, I decided to create an online knitting blog. Why? Well, I recently joined a local knitting club The Kuala Lumpur Knitting Meetup Group where EVERYONE has a knitting blog of some sorts... so I thought, why not? I do have another personal website but nothing that is knitting specific.

So, in I go to Blogger, create my own account etc. It is THEN that I find out how advanced web publishing has become. How idiotic is that? My thesis was entitled "Authoring For The World Wide Web" and back then (in the mid 90s), the editors were HORRENDOUS and I concluded that it was heaps easier to hard code web pages. Oh sure, there are limitations to the features that these blogging thingy has but it is EASY to create a nifty blog. Sure, there are limitations i.e. I have to tweak the code a little to create the *a-hem* effect that I want but this is EASY! They even have a spell checker thingamajig here. Then, then, then, they have this feature where you can update your site via email... how cool is that? Am TOTALLY impressed!!

So here it is, my knitting blog...