Winter warmies and new projects

I've been a little slack with my posting of late , and I am unashamed to admit that the main reason has been due to Ravelry. I've been spending hours scouring through everyone's lovely stashes, projects, and coming up with a queue twice as long as the great wall of china !

Life has taken a bit of a different sphere at the moment. With decisions to make, and jobs to hunt for, it's been a little bit stressful to say the least.

Enter knitting.

Knitting has always been about "me" time.While Saturdays are about fitting in sports, catching up with friends, househunting and all the other necessary weekend things one has to do, and Sundays about winding down and getting to bed early for work the next day... Fridays are my one day of crazy knitting. I come home from work, have dinner with my family, and plop myself on the couch or in bed, prop up a great dvd or tv show of some sort and knit until the wee hours of the morning. Gosh, i heart Fridays!


Anyways, yesterday i came home to a lovely little welcome! My significant spoilt me with 8 skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed in Watery 152 so that I could start on the gorgeous little Patti Cardigan (go over to Knit Annie and see her version! I love it without the collar!).

So, I've cast on and done a few rows.


This is my first time working with Felted Tweed. I have to admit that at first, I wasn't impressed by the acrylicy feel of the yarn itself. However, knit up, it makes the most softest, nubbly, wonderful fabric. The stitch definition is just right, and my only gripe is that being made of 25% alpaca, it sheds a fair bit.

My other project that I've started is Knitty's Broad Street Mittens for my bf. I'm doing it in Heirloom Argyle in Brown, and Naturally Haven 100% Merino in a lovely olive colour. It's been awhile since I gifted my knitting but I'm hoping to finish it by Friday before I head over to KGI to see him.


Anyways, I'm off to high tea with my girlfriends. Hope you have a great one!

Revealed!

It's official - secret pal is coming to a close.

I've revealed myself to Elaine my spoilee, and been spoilt by MissyFee my spoiler!

It's been fabulous - can't wait till SP11!

Three yarns i'm dying to get my hands on...

Aww... secretpal 10 is coming to a close :( I've had fun on this one! It was actually my first, but it's been fabulous.

My spoiler has been miss fee - go and say hello :)

I have outed myself to my spoilee but i'm not sure if she's got my final package yet so that's still hush-hush.

Anyways, the last SP10 contest is 3 yarns i'm dying to get my hands on. Here we are:

Tilli Tomas Salt and Pepper - Silk and glass beads. How divine is that!! Unfortunately, at more than $50 a pop, I just can't justify anything that luxurious!

Rowan felted tweed - for a lot of people, this is one of their staples. I have yet to try it, but my lovely boyfriend has agreed to buy me a little to fondle :) I suppose I just want to know why it's such a loved yarn!

Malabrigo Angora because I love the softness of angora, because I haven't seen any malabrigo here in Perth, and it comes in over 100 colours!! Ohhhhh colour heaven!

A little bit of privilege

In this world, we have the haves and the have-nots. The haves are the ones toting around their latest Marc Jacobs Stam Bag, or the latest must have Louis Vuitton totes, while the have nots are the ones that walk past Gucci on King Street and peer inside and only dream.


In this world of knitting, I was a have-not. I looked on as thousands before me got invited into that elusive "Ravelry" community , wondering what special privileges those admitted to the club had received and what I was missing out on.



Well, two days ago.. I went from have not to have... I got my invitation! Given that I play sports after work, I wasn't able to have a proper play on there till today, and I love it! I could seriously spend hours on this thing, just playing and viewing and browsing. So for those that are still on the list, be a little patient :) It's definitely worth it!


(Oh, and the picture up there is the start to my Feminine Puff-Sleeved Cardigan by Stefanie Japel from her book Fitted Knits. I'm knitting it up on 4mm using Heirloom Merino Magic and making the 34 with mods for a 32).

*I am not a sock knitter * I am not a sock knitter * I am not a sock knitter*

*I am not a sock knitter * I am not a sock knitter * I am not a sock knitter*

.. That's what I keep telling myself :p To be honest, I never understood the sock knitting craze. I just don't understand why people spend hours knitting a pair of socks from yarn that costs more than a few pair of socks when I could go down to my local department store, pay $5.00 and walk out with a pair of comfy socks to be desire in 10 minutes.

.. But, I have always wanted to learn to knit with dpns, and when my secretpal gifted a little sock kit, it was my perfect chance to learn both the art of dpns, and the art of socking.



.. and you know what? I kinda enjoyed the experience :0 It was a relatively quick knit compared to all the sweaters I normally do, and I learnt a whole lot of skills. So here's a look at my FO.

Project Details:

Pattern: Silver's Sock Class

Yarn: Lana Grossa Sock Yarn

Needles: Umm I forget - I think they're 3.75mm dpn's - set of four.

Comments: For anyone who has yet to tackle socks, I would definitely recommend Silver's Sock Class. With fantastic photos and very clear step by step instructions, she guides you through the whole process from start to finish and explains everything in exquisite detail.

I didn't make any modifications - well to be honest, I probably have no idea how to make mods on socks.

The whole thing took me approximately 6 weeks, starting at the end of April. I haven't however been exclusive and after I finished the first sock, I went on a one sock syndrome phase. I did however, pick up the second sock on Saturday and today is Wednesday, and I have finished the second one.

The one thing I would like to do better is probably to make sure I start at the right point in the colour change so that my sock actually matches. Besides that, I'm quite pleased with my first sock attempt :)

A fabulous day of goodies

(Apologies for the lowlight photos - I took them at 2am in the morning when I got home from my friend's engagement party)

Friday came around and boy was it a great day! My work day seemed to buzz ahead, and when I got home, there was a lovely big box waiting for me!

[ My loot of goodies - ooh i'm spoiled!]

[ My brand new needle holders]

My brother had picked up the missed parcel for my on Thursday, but as I was totally exhausted by the time I got back from my daytrip, I was completely blind to the huge box sitting at the foot of my bed..

[ My first decorative stitch markers]

[ A card, a pouch to put my knitting in, incense, and a scented candle]

But come Friday, and it was the first thing I ripped open. (And as I giggled with glee, my sister shot me one of those "crazy" looks, but who cares :p) . A peek on my goodies (Thank you secret pal, you've spoilt me rotten these past few months!)

Patience is a virtue

I've never been a patient person. As a child, I was what some people might consider "spoilt". My parents gave me most of whatever I wanted, and if I didnt' get it, I often threw a tantrum (yes, a horrid child I was). Even in my post-childhood days (I'm 23 now), I was often spoilt by people around me.

And so, through this childhood and post-childhood, I became a somewhat impatient, impulsive person. If I want something, I often don't give it a seconds thought even if it's a substantial purchase. I've never been one to follow that rule "if i still think about it next week, it means I definitely want it" no matter how hard I've tried. If i am thinking about it 1 hour later, I often go back and purchase whatever it is.

And so, when I got home this afternoon, I found a little parcel from the UK. While it was addressed to me, it's actually for my secret pal and I'm patiently awaiting other items to come in from all over. But next to it was something that sent my heart a flutter. It was a little Australia Post slip saying I wasn't home and missed out on another parcel.

My mind is racing - what could it be? Could it be my eagerly anticipated Jimmy Beans Wool order, or could it be my final secret pal parcel as advised by my SP? *flutter*flutter*

Unfortunately for me, I wont be home till late tomorrow. I have a shocking flight/travel schedule:

• 0615 : Check in to flight
• 0700 : Flight departs and lands at 0820
• 0900 : Charter Flight to Port, Foreshore Re-Development, Oakajee, and Southern Transport Corridor
• 1020 : Port Authority Presentation and Tour
• 1200 : Lunch at Port Authority Boardroom
• 1245 : Bus tour of Mid West
• 1315 : Charter Flight to Dongara Oil and Gas Areas, Morawa, Kooloonooka, Karara
• 1510 : Bus tour to Geraldton Airport
• 1700 : Flight back to Perth

I've asked my brother to pick up the parcel for me, but I know i'm going to be too tired to play with it :(

In other news, Bendigo sent me a shadecard of their new yarn "Boutique".. OOOH it's gorgeous!

The boy with the sweet intentions

There are certain qualities in guys that I love - besides the British accent which I alluded to in my meme post (and which unfortunately my dear significant other doesn't have), I also love a guy who can dance (bonus points to my boy there) and a guy who puts lots of thought into being creative about presents for a girl (lotsa points there for my bf).

The other day, a good friend of mine was looking for something to get his girlfriend's birthday, and came up with the sweet idea of knitting her a scarf. Now, my friend is a big bloke - 2 metres tall and very well built. He is not what people would imagine a knitter to look like. But yesterday, armed with a little bit of shyness and a little bit of hesitation, we headed out to the LYS and he fondled all the wool and fell in love with beautiful silk/cashmere blends (yes, the boy has fantastic taste) but in the end, with the birthday looming in just 7 days, we decided on a bulky yarn to be knit on 10mm needles.

After 15 minutes of teaching him the knit stitch, he's got it downpat. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product (which I will , because I haven't taught him how to cast off yet, so will need to do that) and seeing Michelle's reaction to the gesture. Even if the scarf doesn't turn out perfect, the thought and effort he's gone through to learn the technique and devote hours per day is enough for a big hug and kiss!

In my knitting world, I've been inundated with work and assignments (2 down, 1 left to go for the semester) but have managed to score a little me time over this long weekend in between friends' birthday and teaching friends to knit..



I have made some progress on the Phildar Swing Jacket, of which the first sleeve is almost done. I just realized this has probably been one of the longest WIP i've ever had - with almost 6 months devoted to the project!

In anticipation of finishing, I also picked up some bias binding for the edging. I was thinking of going mature and natural with the dark grey binding or taking inspiration from the girlie parisian original model and going with the lilac colour.. Oooh decisions decisions! =D