Getting off the hook

It's with a heavy heart that I've to shut down this blogshop in compliance to the policies laid down by the organisation I work for. I tried emailing and calling but being put on hold for 15 minutes only to be cut off twice just isn't my cup of tea. So, until all the i's have been dotted and all the t's crossed, the 'shop' part remains closed.

I'll still keep in touch, maybe on Instagram, so you'll know what I'm working on. I'm currently overloaded with yarn, yarn and more yarn,,,
There are

• vermillon / grey throw that I'm knitting on the bias. Garter stitch as usual because this yarn is so fine and I'm using 4 balls at a go. More than half done.
• DS' raglan jacket that I've yet to start
• DD's cotton blanket that's going to use almost 2kg of yarn. That's 2 balls of 10 colours in the pattern that she chose. Incidentally, she now prefers the wrong side of the pattern, LOL!
• semi-circle shawl using beautifully dyed tonal yarn that was on sale because it's discontinued 
• semi-circle shawl using deep grey yarn from a cone. Not so portable project that I tried to bring around. I'll just work on this at home.
• knit/purl throw in mustard and navy
• green shrug - I think I'll frog this
• variegated orange shrug - I think I'll frog this too
• rainbow coloured cowl - I think I'll frog this again
• knitting loom shawl - I'll need to figure out how to get it off the loom and I'll have another FO
• book covers wrapped with Uniqlo and Yacht 21 paper bags waiting for the inside covers and paper. I've yet to decide whether to stitch the book together or just O-wire the pages
• multi-coloured pages waiting to be sewn together, now that I've found the string and the wax. What stitch shall I use? Perhaps Coptic in a single colour so it won't fight with the colours and patterns.
• and there are simply too many UFOs to list. Yes, insta is good. Snap and post so you can see progress. My current phone has 13MP which is so much better than the previous 8.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy and continue crafting. 

Thank you for staying with me these years and hope to see you soon!

Not my yarn

I was up and about most of this week so I couldn't sit at the sewing table so the next best thing was something portable that I could bring everywhere with me. DS gave me a face when I asked him if he thought I could finish it by the time Total Recall ended. He asked me what if I dropped a stitch in the dark? Anyway, I was just pulling his leg. I prefer popcorn and action. Knitting's probably for TV dramas that I can pause on demand. LOL! 
Not for sale 'cos yarn's not mine. 
Owner didn't have any inkling what she wanted, as long as it could be used to make something. I suggested a scarf and used my favourite pattern of garter knit on the bias.

Tis a bit odd that I was destashing my yarn a while back and here I am with more yarn. I still have some of mine that I intend to make into something in time. I should be concentrating on clearing mine, no? *grin*

Anyway, hope she likes it!

Have a blessed day!

Unravel this

I've had this yarn for years. It's finer than my usual yarn of 6/8 ply on size 4 needles. This is like, 4 ply, like a sock yarn but without the elasticity though I guess ribbing would help with that. I tried to knit something out of it 2 skeins at a time, doubled up, thinking that it'd be ok. Wasn't, so I unravelled everything and wound them into a single tight ball.

A thing about 2 about yarn, they have this twist about them. Two twists, rather. One within the ply and the other to hold the plies together. It's because of these twists that I had a hard time unraveling the yarn, splitting the one ball into 2 and then winding each up individually, while untwisting both yarns at the same time. And I had 2 balls.

So, with some Korean drama to take the boredom out, I finally split them into 4, soaked them in a bit of water and soap and voila! Good as new :-) Now I just have to wait for the sun to come out again and dry them thoroughly before I can finish the 2nd half of the throw.

Have a blessed weekend!

A-frogging we will go

Do you remember the sneak peak a couple weeks back? I was knitting this Cascade yarn that I found on the bias.

The thing about knitting on the bias is that it’s difficult to estimate the size based on the amount of material at hand. My aim was to finish all the yarn, not just knit a throw. Long before I knitted 7 skeins, I was already uncomfortable with the size. It was more like a wrap than a throw, meaning it was much longer and narrower than intended. After deliberating for more than a week, I decided to frog it this morning.

I got this tip of the internet and it has served me well, when straightening frogged yarn : Get a basin of water, add some laundry softener/hair conditioner and soak the frogged yarns for a minute or so. Before you soak, please do wind it up and secure it so there won’t be a tangled mess. You could hang a weight to help with the straightening while hanging it up to dry but I don’t do this. I prefer the yarn to retain its natural elasticity (and thus it’s softness), if possible.

Have a blessed day!

In a flurry

I'm still here.
Listening to the Chipmunks and Chipettes on youtube while I type this out. Lots of distractions so I've not been consistent recently in blog updates. These are some behind the scenes pics.

Bought this brown suede-like fabric from Arab Street because I like the texture. Used this as the prototype for DS' mouse pouch. Wonder if he'll prefer this instead. Fits my digital camera as well. DS wanted one for his mouse so that the tail won't be tangled up when he dumps it in his bag. Maybe I should make a larger one with 3 compartments, for the mouse, charger and earphones. Lots of wires running all over the place.

 Made these about a fortnight ago but didn't post pics. These are the WIPs. There are some more that have been completed and given away. Yup, it's fun to give away stuff...sometimes :-)
Can't decide whether to sell these at the KKH Bazaar in Oct. I should be working on clearing orders.

Found my Cascade yarn (50% superfine alpaca, 50% wool). The colour looks so washed out 'cos it's actually a rich grape colour. This will be another garter-stitched throw that will hopefully be completed by the time it gets colder towards the end of the year. I only have 10 skeins of this so it won't be as big as the orange one.
Have a blessed weekend!

Sneaks: Knitted throw

I've been focussing more attention on the pics lately and I hope you like the results. Took these today and which do you prefer?

TOP: taken with flash
MIDDLE: taken without flash
BOTTOM: taken without flash but using a macro studio

This is a work in progress using yarn that mum found and claimed it belongs to me. I didn't like it at first 'cos the label had synthetic fibres. I'm not a fan of synthetic fibres but after knitting rows and rows of these, the throw seems quite bouncy and squishy and I like it!
I've been knitting garter stitch throws on the bias recently 'cos to me, it's the fastest way to use up my yarn stash.

Pattern:
This is a rectangle and knitted on the bias (diagonally) in 3 sections.
A. Knitting the corner
Cast on 2 stitches, knit next row and increase 1 stitch at the end.
Repeat till happy with length of 1 side.
B. Knitting the body
Knit next row and decrease 1 stitch at the end.
Knit next row and increase 1 stitch at the end.
C. Knitting the end
Knit next row and decrease 1 stitch at the end.
Repeat till 1 stitch left and cast off.
You can add a fringe at this point.
Have a blessed day!