Waiting

Belated Merry Christmas to you all! Hope it was a fantastic one. The last few weeks have been fairly hectic, with work going non-stop, travelling back and forth, and birthdays, christmas and weddings to attend. This is my first breather moment, and I can't post what I want up :(

There is 1 sewing FO, 1 knitting FO and about 46 viruses on this computer prior to reformatting. This also means I don't have anything installed, including a simple photo resizer, so I'm not able to post the FOs. SIGH.

Regardless, I do hope you have a great new years and a wonderful new years.

PS. I will be MIA for a short while. Will be working for 8 days, then travelling back to Perth for a weekend of partying with best buddies coming in from Melb. Have fun.

Restarting...

I must be on a green kick. Or variations of it. First there was Martha, then there was the Golden Vintage Cardigan, and now i've restarted Lisette in a teal green. I still have the choc brown one, but i left that in Perth and being 600kms away means I can't access those knits :(

But anyways, here's hoping to a better Lisette this time round.

It's a knockout...

Have you ever knit something that you've fought every step of the way? Where you keep on knitting even though you have this feeling inside you of "im not going to like it" or "i hate this.. and i hate that" but you continue to fight it regardless?

Well, that's how i feel about the Golden Vintage Cardigan. The pattern/design itself is very classic, and I do love it.

What I don't love about my knitting it is the colour of the yarn i've used, the needles that i'm using to knit it, and the inkling that I could turn out to be some horrid 80's pastel flashdance character. And yet i continue...



You see , the yarn that i'm using is titled "icy mint". It's a sort of bright pastel green (similar in colour to the one i used for my Leaf Sweater) but brighter...

The needles that I'm using are really short. I couldn't get gauge on 4.0mm or 4.5mm but i remembered that I had a pair of Clover 4.25mm in my straights vase. Perfect. Except for the fact that it is about 25cm tall... and squishing 90 stitches on there is a bit of a challenge. But i persist.


I keep thinking to myself "just stop, reknit in another colour" but something in me tells me to keep going. Maybe it's because I just want to use the stash yarn (i dont think i liked the colour from the get-go).. or maybe i keep thinking it *might* turn out okay.. whatever it is... i'm still fighting it every step of the way!

FO: Bubble Bee Top

I finished this top a little while ago, but because of my hectic schedule of late, haven't had time to do a proper FO post on it.


The bubble bee top is the first item that i've conceived all by myself - usually I would look at something and go "i can make that" or "i like this, but a little bit different".. This time, I just bought the fabric and was inspired from thereon - but of course, it had to be cute! I also liked the idea of a bubble top as I love to eat (hehe) so having something that could hide my full tummy was always a good option ;)

Project details:
Pattern: My own design.

Fabric: 100% cotton for all parts - yellow gingham for the yoke and white bee fabric for the main. The lining is some scrap of light white fabric that i had - maybe poplin?

Notions:

• Elastic - the top was a bit bellowy rather tham bubbly at first, so my patternmaking teacher suggested putting elastic in it to keep it drawn in at both the top and the bottom.
• Bee buttons - they are perfect! I found them in the button aisle one lunchtime and knew that i had to have them ;)

Would I change anything? My original design featured a zip, but the extra fabric required for this was mistakenly forgotten in the patterndrafting stage. So, it had to be elasticated instead. I still would've preferred a zip as i think it looks a bit more polished, but oh well.

FO: Martha Cardigan

Ooh i didnt even realise how long it has been since i last posted until my SO told me!! Eek. Apologies for that - i've been rather busy with being back on site, one of my good friend's weddings, my own birthday, and getting things organised between the three places i spend most of my time.

So to make up for it, here's an FO! hehe. Oh and please forgive me for not having read your own blog posts - i have 13253 unread posts in my bloglines :S

Project Details
Pattern: Martha, by Sarah Hatton featured in Rowan Studio #2


Yarn: 5 balls of Grignasco Tango in a blue/green tweedish colourway. THe yarn is very similar to Rowan Felted Tweed (which is the yarn used in the pattern recommendations) in that it is made of the same fibre compositions, but for some reason it feels a little more springy than Felted Tweed, which is somewhat delicate and quite brittle at times. The yarn was a pleasure to knit with, and at $8.40 a ball, it was a cost saving compared to Felted Tweed.

Needles : 4.0mm needles , and a cable needle.

Modifications? No modifications (i think?). You will notice however that in my FO, i am missing the top button, which is not intentional on my behalf. hehe. I actually bought 4 buttons but I was at my dad's place and misplaced one of them. I'm not in Perth at the moment so I can't go and buy a fourth button, but next time i'm there I'll definitely pick one up :p


Comments: When i finished this cardigan, i thought "ugh" thinking it was extremely granny like and absolutely not my style. However, once i put some little yellow buttons on it, it became a little more likeable. Then i paired it with some shorts and i thought "cute!". It's still not entirely wearable with my wardrobe, but at least i found something cute about it ;)

PS. Apologies for the mess in the photos - I was taking photos in the guest room, where we are getting it ready for xmas visitors.

Cotton.. cotton everywhere

I arrived back in Perth on Wednesday night, after doing a 9 day stint out on site. As always, I'm usually a bit unfocused when I come back from site because the last 9 days has been all about work, and living at work, so it becomes a bit hard to get back to "reality".

Anyways, I arrived back in the evening and found a gigantic parcel from Bendigo. It didn't really click in my head that I had ordered some yarn recently, and so it was a very nice surprise.

I opened my parcel, and in it :


3 skeins of cotton 8 ply in parchment (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 8 ply in damask rose (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 8 ply in latte (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 4 ply in teal (about 1400 metres).

.. and guess what? I had no idea what I wanted to use them for, and really (2 days on), I still don't!. I looked at my ravelry list and can see several items made from cotton dk/fingering on there, but i don't know which colour I had assigned to which project and whether it really even was for that project.

I'm in a pickle.. not sure where to start and how to knit :S Oh well, at least the yarn is nice to look like (a bit like a colourful icecream stack really!)

Interweave Knits Winter 08

Is anyone else really disappointed with the latest Interweave Knits Winter 08 preview? Actually, come to think of it , I've been rather disappointed at the last two issues (i think?) and haven't bought one since Spring's beautiful issue.

There are only two things I like in this issue , one of which I would actually knit and the other is a "maybe".

Manchester Jacket (a maybe):

Elaine's Blouse: (a yes, but i will wait till it is available on Knitting Daily's Store I think)

And does anyone else think that this is practically a ripoff of the Phildar Leaf Sweater??

Rant over ;) I'm starting back on site again, but with a shorter 9 days on, 5 days off roster. I've ordered my yarn requirements for my next 4 projects but am still waiting for them to arrive. *patience*

Made on the Left

This morning, my sister and I went to "Made on the Left" , a local market held at various intervals, and showcasing some of the Western Australian arts and craft talents and I picked up some gorgeously cute things, and just wanted to show my support for my fellow WA-ians! =D There was a lot more I wanted to buy, but I had set myself a limit for the markets, and easily spent it all long before we left.. Most of them have etsy stores, myspace accounts, or exhibitions coming up so I've tried to link where possible.. enjoy :)

A cute set of buttons from LisaMax and Jessica McLeod: (oh how I heart the underpants one!)

A felted bird brooch from Hanako:

Owl earrings from Osier! :

Apple earrings and Gingerbread man brooch from Brown Paper Crown:


Babushka doll earrings from J2aney, and Bird Earrings from Blush of Boys:


Gingerbread singlet from Brown Paper Crown:


Polymer clay ring from J2aney:

Lil piggy almost finishes a cardigan

So. I've been rather slow in finishing Martha... But to prove that I *have* been working on it.. here it is, unfinished, and looking rather ... grandma like. Hopefully some buttons and a bit of styling will help it look less grandma, and more... vintage..(insert hopeful look).


Also, just one day after I finished my temporary duct tape dress form, the store called me to say that my REAL dress form had arrived and I could pay and pick it up when I wanted. Oh well - at least I have a second dress form to use if i've got two projects going at once (highly likely considering my low attention span). Unfortunately I won't be able to pick it up till the weekend as the store is not open late enough for me to head there after work, and I'll be heading back out to site again on Wednesday.

I did however pop into the local craft store, and picked up some awesome piggy in the middle fabric . People who have known me for ages, or can speak chinese know that my surname is pronounced similar to "pig" and that growing up, i was always called little piggy - not because I was fat or overweight, but because I was lazy, and all I did was eat and sleep. hehe. Anyways, just thought I'd share :)

Duct tape forms and dressmaking

3 weeks after ordering my adjustable professional dress form, it still hasn't arrived in store yet. So, frustrated with having to wait, and making the most of having both myself and my boyfriend in town at the same time, I embarked on a (temporary) duct tape dress form.

So, armed with two rolls of duct tape, and whatever rags and unwanted clothes and plastic bags that were lying around in my old bedroom (at my parent's place), we rolled and rolled, giggled and cackled, and completed a duct tape dress form.


My first reaction was simply " really, that's me" as i realized that my boobs were too small, that my hips were too big, that my shoulders were mismatched, and that my bum was somewhat odd looking.

Anyways, after the initial denial, I set to work on a little dress that I am hoping will be ready in time for my friend's wedding. The imaginary picture in my head is a strapless dress with ruffles all over the bottom, similar to Jenny Humphrey's green dress from Gossip Girl.

When i started working on it with my duct tape dress form, I was having trouble pinning and adjusting by myself as the dress form did not have a stand or anything to stabilise it. Of course, my poor sister (aka, my unwilling slave) was forced to help me pin the ruffles in place while I fixed the darts and the bodice area.


After several mishaps where the 5kg dummy kept falling on us, we got smart and put it on top of one of my dad's bar stools (i wonder if he's realized it's gone yet??), on top of a stack of old uni books so that it was roughly my (and my sister's) height, and then taped the dummy down. Voila! It's now stable enough for me to work on it by myself and i might even try handfinishing the ruffle details later (after i catch up on this week's Grey's Anatomy).

As you can see, i'm currently confined to my old bedroom (at my parents' place) while i've been seconded to work in the city for awhile. When I head back out bush, ill be back out in my own house, and hopefully set work on that elusive craft room ;)

ooohs and aaahhhhs

I thought i'd share with you some of the latest offerings from various publishers around the knitting globe. While these are cute, unfortunately there aren't enough good patterns in each of the books/magazines they come from for me to buy it. Nonetheless, it's always worth a looksie, and who knows, i might be able to adapt another pattern anyways :)

Latest offerings from Debbie Bliss:

From RYC :

From Jaeger: From Kim Hargreaves:

Craft room ideas

Previously, I had posted about the exciting things that I was doing to my new house and one of the big things that I wanted was a dedicated craft room.

At the moment, the said craft room is still being used as a guest room as we have intermittent guests coming in and out but eventually, i want to convert it into a fully fledged craft room (don't worry, we still will have a guest room, just not in the same place as my craft room!).

While I've bought a few bits and pieces that I want in my craft room, those pieces are still sitting in the boot of my car as I am still unsure of how I want the overall craft room layout. And so, I have been trawling the internet for ideas, and have come across some awesome craft rooms. For your viewing pleasure:

From She Organized Life (am i this neat?)

From madcropper.com
(i like this hanging thing. Can see me using it for patterns)
From Melissa's Flickr
I like the idea of a central table for my sewing machine and for patterns

From Cottage Magpie (Just so pretty):
From hgtv
I love the colours, and the wall shelving.

From Apartment Therapy:
For my knitting yarns!!

Amateur draftsman

Having renewed my interest in sewing, I enrolled and attended my first dressmaking/patternmaking class on Tuesday night. I intended to make a simple skirt from a commercial pattern that I already had, but decided that I'd much rather use it as a class to actually learn how to make my own patterns and learn the finer points of dressmaking.


And so, armed with my bee fabric and gingham, I etched up a design and took it into class. And boy was it a great class! The teacher looked at the pattern that I had attempted to draft, got rid of it and showed my the basics of pattern making. In 2.5 hours, we covered everything from the basic block form, grading a pattern (still coming to terms with it and most probably will forget by the next class) to tracing and marking out on fabric. It was so much to take in, but at the end of the class, I had my drafted pattern, and was armed with homework to pin and cut the fabric. Unfortunately my pin cushions are looking a little worse for wear..


There's a whole heap of stuff to learn, and i'm extremely excited at what this class can bring to my crafting. No longer will I have to rely on "hoping" that a commercial pattern fits, now (well, eventually) I will be able to dream of something and hopefully draft it myself!

A bit of this and a bit of that

Apologies for the lack of posts, but there actually isn't too much to post about!!

There has been some rather slow progress on Martha, but nothing terribly exciting that warranted lots of photos or lots of detail . I'm up to the right front panel, and still have two sleeves and finishing to go so we might be in for a longer haul.

It's not that it's a boring knit, it's just that I have other things on my to do list at the moment!

I've decided to get started on some of the Rowan 44 projects that I have on my list, and as such have been busy selecting colours, reading comments, and reading pattern reviews. I figured that given Rowan loves to use dk or fingering weight yarn, it would be better that I be prepared than to be quick on the money, and waste hours knitting something that doesn't fit or doesn't quite turn out.


Additionally, with the return of Gossip Girl season 2 and the adventures of Lil J and her internship, my interest in sewing has also been revived. My SO is rather pleased with this as he always did like the things I sewed, and this time round, I've enrolled in a dressmaking + patternmaking class, and even ordered myself a dressmakers dummy. So expect to see some sewing posts littered in amongst the knitting from here on in.

For my first project, i've picked out some cute bee print cotton and some matching gingham for a very cute top that i've dreamt up. Fingers crossed it turns out well :)

Finished: Bainbridge Scarf

A finished red scarf for my sister - something she's been asking for for a million years, and has finally eventuated.

Project Details

Pattern:Bainbridge scarf by Minty Fresh, available here

Yarn: I barely used anything of the 2/3 ball of Bendigo Woollen Mills Colonial 5 ply that I had left over from my Cranberry Rose Cardigan. I could probably make another 5 scarves with what I have left in my yarn ball!

I'm sure Ive mentioned it before but I don't like the yarn at all. The crepe construction leaves a very rough looking finished surface, and knits up pretty ugly. Additionally, it's a little itchy and very unsoft to touch. I won't ever buy this again unless I was knitting something to be felted or requires a bit more texture , sturdiness and roughness.

Needles: I used 4.00mm 16" circulars. The pattern (and yarn) recommends 3.75mm needles to get a gauge of 6st/inch but I lost one of my 3.75 needle connectors so had to make do.

Comments and Modifications: None. A very easy, quick project that creates a cute preppy style FO. A great stash buster, and something I'd definitely make again in future.

Miss bossy two shoes

My sister is one of the most loveliest, sweetest, cutest people that ever roamed this earth. She's thoughtful, helpful and very considerate.

But yesterday, she got bossy.

She demanded I knit her a scarf. In red. In 12 hours.

If someone else had demanded it, I would've thumped them (and then while on the floor, I would've elbowed them a little further).

But luckily for her, she's nice. And my sister. And I found a pattern that is very quick to knit, and will be done in less than no time.


I'm using my leftover Bendigo Woollen Mills 5 ply in Cranberry from my Cranberry Rose Cardigan (which she has also stolen and made her own). I hate this yarn. Because of it's crepe construction, it knits up ugly, and roughly. But she likes it, and I have it, so it'll do...

Perth Royal Agricultural Show

When I was a kid, I loved going to the Royal Show because it meant showbags , games, goodies galore, prizes, and of course, tummy churning death defying rides. As I grew up, I went less and less to the show, partially because the price jumped something crazy ($12 for a ride?!) and partially because the novelty of showbags, wore off, I no longer wanted the plush toys, and the weaker tummy set in.

The last time I went to the show was about 5 years ago.

This year, something inside me felt the urge to go. While half of it was simply to do with the fact that I had a R&R break and was in need of relax time, and the other half was fueled by my growing love of knitting and all things woolly.

So off we (my pal and I) trotted..there was food galore...


And games...


And shows...


And sheep galore..


But despite all the wonderful "agricultural" things they had, there was no wool to be found. Only remnants to touch and feel, nothing spun (except for two drabs of 4 ply i spotted in the pavillion), and nothing yarn-ie.

Nonetheless, it was a bit of fun, and perhaps next year they might feel the need to sell some yarn at the show? *pretty please*