Ghostknitter

walk all over you

2011-04-02T22:33:00.001-07:00

walk all over you, a photo by khora on Flickr.

Whampoa Makan Place.

Serves great food. The point is that wherever you look people concentrate not on this or that topic of conversation, the anxieties inevitably intruding on a difficult day, but on the food itself.

Handspun yarn on handspindled handwoven scarf

2009-11-13T03:33:00.001-08:00

DSC01987
Originally uploaded by khora

It's taken me much longer than I anticipated to spindle and weave this scarf from the Bluemtnhandcrafts batt that my secret pal 14 Kathy sent me, and almost as long to spin up the Crystalcreekfiber batts, ok, that didn't take long to spin, but the spun singles squatted on the bobbins for a long time as I waited for my new Lazy Kate. There is another full bobbin of 2 ply waiting to be skeined. But I want to show Kathy what I had made with her thoughtful choices, and thank her for being such a great pal. Yes, I too regret that this round is over. Now I have to decide what to knit with this yarn. Thanks Kathy.

see the bag'o'fiber beneath?

2009-09-19T03:02:00.001-07:00

see the bag'o'yarns beneath?
Originally uploaded by khora

The reveal parcel from my secret pal 14 who is Kathy from Houston, Tx (kathyr65), thank you very much Kathy you have been a great pal.

You are right I am going to spin up the Lorna's Laces superwash merino roving, and knit one of the projects from the book. You didn't know, but my favorite feature of Spin-Off magazine is the projects, I like the challenge of trying to spin the yarn and knit the item, fact is, I have just finished two of their projects, a pair of purple lined mittens, and a pair of orange socks. I am going to upload them so you can see.

Current WIP

2009-08-28T08:53:00.001-07:00

Current WIP
Originally uploaded by khora

Early start on Christmas presents ...

Secret pal 14 parcel 2

2009-08-26T23:40:00.001-07:00

Secret pal 14 parcel 2
Originally uploaded by khora

The second parcel from my secret pal arrived today, I love it. I can't wait to spindle up the 2+oz of sparkly wool roving "productively" lol. Tigs had her ears up when we were taking the photo, something was making very interesting sounds. And the lacy patterns are so beautiful, perfect b/c I just finished Leda's Dream, I should take a photo but there is just no way to block it here, I need to get some foam blocks and blocking wires. Coincidentally yesterday night I started Hanging Gardens by Sivia Harding. Thank you so much, she is one of my favorite lace designers and so is Anne Hansen (I have finished patterns by both of them).

February lady cardigan

2009-08-13T01:45:00.001-07:00

February lady cardigan
Originally uploaded by khora

Well, the most recent FO. I need to sew 3 nice big buttons. Right now still have a shawl and a cardigan on the needles, but the shawl is messy and the cardigan on hold ...

Recent spindling

2009-08-13T01:44:00.001-07:00

Various spindling
Originally uploaded by khora

The big one on the bottom is 2 plyed fingering weight wool. Right now I am 3 plying the dark emerald green merino singles, which is from my Spindle Addict polymer clay spindle swap pal, the spindle from her is right at the top.

Last 2 month's spinning

2009-08-13T01:42:00.001-07:00

Majacraft bobbins
Originally uploaded by khora

On my Majacraft Rose. They need to be 2 plyed but I am waiting for a proper Lazy Kate. The Kiwi fiber swap cream merino/silk will probably be plyed with the 100% angora fur gifted by my Sock it to me Thrice pal (it is ridiculously soft but slow going, my cat keeps attacking the rabbit fiber). The 2 bobbins of Enchantedknoll "Diamonds in the rough" batts will be plyed with each other (which reminds me I need to rejoin the club when finances permit). I haven't decided whether to ply the top 2 bobbins with each other, with another fiber, or just use as singles. Oh, I have also finished the Grafton lilacs batt, the singles is being tensioned on the niddy noddy.

Secret pal 14

2009-08-13T01:36:00.001-07:00

Secret pal 14
Originally uploaded by khora

Secret pal 14

Piecework & Knitscene magazine, Crystalcreek fibers wool/silk batt, lipgloss, orifice hook, black cat tape measure, plus edible treats for me and Tigs (all gone lah). Thank you secret pal!

I am spinning this fiber right now, it's beautifully soft, right now it looks like denim on the bobbin.

SP14 Questionaire

2009-07-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

Here's looking forward to a new round of secret pals, and may it be the best one yet.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love knitting with my own handspun yarns spun from colorful, always next to the skin soft and sometimes sparkly fibers, especially those from my favourite fiber pushers Enchantedknoll and CrystalCreekfibers.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Hand sewn folding fabric cases.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 10 years. Between intermediate and advanced, I can follow complicated patterns but my hands get painfully cramped after knitting with fine yarn on skinny needles, I guess that's one thing that is not going to get better with time!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No.

5. What's your favorite scent? Geranium.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? No (ok, wishing that I DON'T).

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Does a bear poo in the woods? You betcha I spin more than I knit nowadays (it's easier on the hands)! I sometimes make jewllery and used to make bears (probably will do it again one day, I found the hand sewing finger cramping).

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD). I am taking a rain check on this as I have a hearing deficiency ...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Tend to prefer the cooler end of the spectrum: greens, blues, purples; don't usually wear browns, yellows, oranges or red.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? One cat

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, lace shawls scrunched up as scarves.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Lace shawls.

13. What are you knitting right now? A lace shawl. A February lady cardigan. A sock.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Addi lace for lace, knitpicks for sweaters, various others as and when.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Can't remember.

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? Christmas, because we try to go to the UK to be with DH's family.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Spindles, vintage silk laces, mother of pearl buttons and bears.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I did love one of the new heart cut out cup spindles from the Spanish Peacock on Ravelry, and if you mention that you are my secret pal Tom knows me and my preferences very well :) If anyone is interested in learning I totally recommend his spindles.
What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I subscribe to IK and Spin-off.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Um, just to get better at what I know. And to have time! I have been meaning to try dyeing and felting, I have the supplies, but I have been sick for the last 3 weeks or so and just haven't had the time or energy!

22. Are you a sock knitter? Yes. What are your foot measurements? 8.75 to 9 inches.

23. When is your birthday? February.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Yes, Ghostknitter.

my daemon

2009-05-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

Your result for The Golden Compass Daemon Test...

Curmudgeonly Soul

You are an independent, confident person. You march to the beat of your own drum, and if other people don't like it, they can go f*** themselves. You don't really care what they think, or at least you THINK that you don't care. You believe that people should live and let live.

You are an introverted soul, disliking the crowds of morons and idiots that you find at big parties or clubs. You prefer to be on your own, or with a couple close friends. When you are forced to be social, you get tired quickly. You need to curl up with a good book or spend a night on the computer to recharge.

You have a strong sense of self, and it doesn't bother you much when people criticize you, especially strangers. You care more about what your family thinks, but probably not enough to change yourself for them. In any case, your loved ones know that under that gruff, aggressive exterior there is a caring friend. Your daemon's form would represent your confident, occasionally aggressive and solitary nature, but might betray your softer underbelly. He or she would probably help you make fun of the idiots around you, but would also provide the comfort and affection that you sometimes deny yourself in everyday life.

Form suggestions: Badger, Jackal, Black Bear.

Take The Golden Compass Daemon Test at HelloQuizzy

Flickr

2009-02-06T04:38:00.001-08:00

This fiber arrived along with the other parcels hoarded by my mad postman. It's 4oz 80% merino 20% silk from moonligthbaker on Etsy, and it's from my secret pal 13. Thank you secret pal, it's soft and sheeny and it's got my thumbs up.

This parcel arrived at the same time, it's 3oz angora blend fiber, 0.5oz white sparkle, a gorgeous autumn leave shawl pin, and a seriously cute brass sheep needle sizer, which will become my fave sheep too. I am going to have to spin this fiber up asap, it's like clouds, so thank you so much Pam, and thank your spinning friends too, they are so right.

More later ...

Been thinking

2009-01-30T01:57:00.000-08:00

Because that's what a NEW year is all about ... ok, it's the end of January, but I have always been slow off the mark.

Anyway, I have been wanting a loom to weave scarves to sell since I started spinning in 2007, but haven't been able to afford one, and in the current depressed economic situation, it doesn't look like I will be able to, anytime soon anyway. I have asked DH to ask his parents to look out for a cheap second hand one, but still ... I do want to sell handmade stuff, but I worked out the economics long ago, and weaving was the only way to make any profit because it's much faster than handknitting.

I have been knitting for almost 9 years, when we travel I buy yarn as souvenirs, and get DH to buy me yarn on his trips, so I have this collection of luxurious and interesting single skeins that I have been saving to use in scarf weaving projects. But as I said, the loom still remains a dim and misty possibility, and I have been thinking that if I knit up some of these yarns and sell the FOs I could earn the money to make the loom an actuality.

I actually think there is an opening. Most of the handknit scarves on ebay are either a) novelty yarns artsy scarves meant more as neck embellishments for all weather wear, and actually only simple garter and dropped stitch; or b)soft wools, but more small neckwarmer or scarflette than scarf, and again only simple stockinette or garter. This makes total economic sense, because 1)dropped stitch open patterns and short scarves use less yarn (only about 50-100g, yarn = $); and 2)they are faster to knit (less time, time also = $). I am thinking of using various slip stitch patterns, much more time consuming but as close to a woven fabric as is possible for knitting, and at least 3 different balls of yarn (about 150g). That makes my average MRSP cost about US$25, or US$8/50g, and I would try to use mostly natural fibers, and definitely only fibers that are wearable next to the skin (I have sensitive skin, so only if I can and would wear it myself).

I am thinking US$50 per scarf sounds reasonable, obviously I have to knit up about 10 to 12 scarves first, and then perhaps I can sell it in my niece M's prospective shop (b/c she's good at marketing, I suck). I am also thinking berets and fingerless mitts for US$25, we will see. The good thing is, if they don't sell in this economy, I will have finished 2009's Christmas presents, and since hopefully by then there will be online pictures, DH's family and relatives can have the fun of choosing the one they want. (US$25 per scarf knitted in a tedious slip stitch which takes me 3 days is sheer slave labour, but I don't see how else I am going to get a loom which should reduce the time to produce a scarf to 6 hours).

Well, let's see how M. is getting on with her earrings first. I did the economics of demand and supply with that, and I just don't see how she can compete with US sellers. I am probably not savy enough and she has a cheaper supply source.

CNY and handspun Laminaria FO

2009-01-28T06:07:00.001-08:00

handspun Laminaria
Originally uploaded by khora

Chinese New Year 2009 was not bad, mainly because I decided to avoid the painful stuff by just not visiting or even calling my mother. Enough is enough, and I have finally just given up on mantaining any relationship. I wish her well, but we will probably not be seeing each other again, and that will be best for both of us.

I did go to my aunty's as usual, she is looking well and the Perankan food was as delicious as ever. My little niece M. is all grown up now and we met her BF of 3 years for the first time. She was retrenched from her job but isn't interested in knitting or spinning, instead she wants to make beaded earrings to sell online. Will help her, cf.

The highlight was meeting my favourite cousin L., I still remember her taking me out when I was young. Can you believe we have been married almost 11 years and this was the first time she met DH? I had really lost contact with the extended relations (various reasons). I was working on Laminaria, everyone said it was beautiful, which it is, and a few commented that I could sell it for as much as S$100 (US$66). Haha, little did they realise that the fiber + shipping alone cost US$30, and it took me a month to spin and knit it up, working almost exlcusively on it (b/c I can't work on more than one thing at a time). US$36 for one month of labour? Thank you, but no thanks, I would much rather keep it for myself. Here is a photo of it unblocked.

I am very pleased with it. Next is a scarf for the RSE 3, and a pair of socks for Sock it to me 3. I know the color but I haven't decided on the pattern yet, I am spinning up laceweight for the Morning Surf scarf, but there is also the linen stitch scarf using 3 different yarns (which I am so tempted to knit 12 versions for this year's Christmas presents instead of the Grafton Fiber Club, b/c we are going over in April and I can bring the FOs along then). I am just going to do both and let her choose.

Spindle spin yarn for Laminaria

2009-01-19T11:33:00.001-08:00

DSC01075
Originally uploaded by khora

This is the yarn I am knitting up into Laminaria at the moment. Actually this yarn has both good and bad memories, good in that at least I got to try spindling on my ultimate spindle for a week, but in that the spindle no longer belongs to me ... it arrived with cracks in its shaft near the tip, and I sent it back just before the new year, and for the last 3 weeks or so I have been on tenderhooks about whether it will be repaired, I was so worried it kept me awake at nights, and drowsy and grumpy during the day, and I didn't even feel like blogging or anything until I had some news. Well, now I have and it's bad news, but at least I know, even if I don't understand the reason why. The yarn is knitting up lovely though, which in a way made me feel sad because I am not sure I can replicate the yarn without the same spindle.

Green batt

2009-01-19T11:26:00.001-08:00

DSC01069
Originally uploaded by khora

Another drum carded batt.

First drum carded batt

2009-01-19T11:25:00.001-08:00

First drum carded batt
Originally uploaded by khora

From my new to me Pat Green Deb's Delicate Deluxe, once on handcards, one pass through the drum carder. It is coming out as a tweed yarn, at least fingering weight. The Ashford Traveller is much easier to spin with the elastic drive band and new flyer bearings.

First secret pal 13 parcel

2009-01-19T11:24:00.001-08:00

First secret pal 13 parcel
Originally uploaded by khora

This was the first parcel from my secret pal 13 all the way from Finland, it arrived just before Christmas, and it was the only fibery or any kind of Christmas present I received this year from anyone besides DH, so it was very welcome! Thank you secret pal. I plan to combine the three rovings into one, and would already be spinning this but am on a lace KAL dateline right now.

Secret pal 13 questionaire

2008-11-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

13 is an unlucky number in some cultures but we are not superstitious ...

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
2008 is the year I began knitting almost exclusively with my own handspun yarn and I love the holistic process of spinning fiber into yarn and then knitting with the results, the yarn feels more special and it makes knitting even more meaningful to me and hopefully to my recipients. Soft fibers are even more important now because the resulting yarn is only as soft as the fibers used to spin it, I do not like to spin anything over 22 microns unless it is for a specific purpose (more durable socks, novelty art yarns).

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? A hand sewn needle folder.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? 8 to 9 years now, I can do difficult intermediate knits, but lately I have gone back to knitting simple basic patterns because they seem to show off the handspun yarns better.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, would like Judith McKenzie McCuin The Intentional Spinner.

5. What's your favorite scent? Geranium.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Caramel dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Does a bear pooh in the woods? I looove spinning so much it's almost taken away my knitting time.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Jazz. I guess ... not sure.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Likes: mermaid, sea, peacocky colours; dislikes: yellows, reds, earth and fire ...

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? One cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves when overseas, usually in the UK.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Presents? Scarves, hats, mittens. Myself? Lace shawls.

13. What are you knitting right now? A skirt (well, eventually a dress, but I am still on the skirt bit). The bleeding hearts stole from my handspun yarn.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Alumium circulars, I love my Addi lace and Knitpicks Options.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Have I frogged it? It could be hidden somewhere, oh maybe 6 years?

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Mini bears, antique Steiff bears, French chantilly silk lace, mother of pearl shell buttons, fiber and yarn, spindles and even wheels!

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I am still enamored by spinning, and would love to get spinning fiber (especially sparkly batts) instead of yarn. My personal favorite fiber artist is EnchantedKnoll, but I am sure there are many others out there. You could also consider a 3 month fiber club subscription (again, EnchantedKnoll comes to mind), which might be a good way to save on international shipping which is so terrible nowadays. Interweave Knits and Spin-Off.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Improve my lace knitting, it just requires more practice (and time! NEED MORE TIME). Same for improving my spinning.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, I think 8.75 inches.

23. When is your birthday? 21st February.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Same as my blog, Ghostknitter.

New beginnings

2008-10-27T01:31:00.001-07:00

well, almost. I have lots of FOs to photo and show in the next few days, right now I am trying to clear out the study/book room it is a massive, dusty dirty job ... sigh.

First secret pal 12 parcel

2008-09-29T22:47:00.001-07:00

First secret pal 12 parcel
Originally uploaded by khora

All the way from down under, I am happy to be able to show off my first secret 12 parcel, a beautiful lace shawl pattern and 2 x 50g of 100% alpaca lace to knit it, but an extra 50g of merino lace. Thank you secret pal, now I can't wait to find out who you are.

Interims

2008-08-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging lately, although all has been well here at least. I think one of the problems is that I don't have anything to blog about ... I am not employed so almost everyday I stay home, and spin or do some knitting. No finished FOs to show b/c I haven't finished anything, I still have to sew up the Granny Smith cardigan. I drink coffee in the morning and throughout the day, I spin more than knit, at night I watch cable TV. 3 times a week I try to exercise, but I find excuses not to. My brother says I don't make an attempt to update them on what I am doing, but the reality is that I am not doing anything. Oh, I am happy and I enjoy spinning and knitting and reading and watching TV ... but none of it is real. Most of my swap parcels have not arrived, so I don't have any updates on that either. I don't like blogging about bad things, like how some MIA parcels from my US visit still have not/never (will) arrived. I don't like to think about bad stuff, like how, when I got my handphone a bluetooth connection to my hearing aids, and phoned my mom, she ended up disowning me (again for the umpteen time) and this time telling me I am forbidden to go to her funeral or she will rise up from her grave to haunt me. No, I haven't done anything to her since the last time I talked to her a few months ago. My mother is mad. I am actually happy she said she never wants to see me again b/c now I have an excuse never to see her again, and I don't need to feel guilty about it.

HHHH Questionnaire

2008-06-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

HHHH Questionnaire

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
Since September 2007, not a beginner but still have a lot to learn.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
Default/comfort zone is usually 2 0r 3 plyed lace and fingering/sock yarn.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
Wheel about 90% of the time.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
I love next to the skin baby soft luxurious and exotic fibers, merino is my standby fiber. I don't like scratchy or harsh fibers, the way I spin (fine, worsted) turns those fibers into barb wire and cuts into my finger.

5. Who are your favorite ~~crack dealers~~ fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
EnchantedKnoll on Etsy.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
It might be interesting to try mixed fibered textured batts from other Etsy fiber artistes like WoolyTreasures, TerraBellaspun, and butterflygirldesigns. I am a bit of a stick in the mud.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn? Art yarn: coils and core-spinning.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn? Yes I do, I use kool aid and food colouring.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
I just bought a pair of hand cards, but prefer ready to spin fiber.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
Since I have only spun conventional type yarn, they are very knittable, and I have completed plenty of hats, some socks, scarves and am knitting a pair of mittens, all gifts.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
Spinner's control card and a McMorran yarn balance, I have home made versions of a threading hook (bent wire with a bead), diz (a shell), plying template (a spice shaker lid) and niddy noddy (a wooden chair leg). Have had to improvise a lot.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like oceany and flowery, jewelled combinations, I don't normally go for earth or firey combinations unless the fiber is to die for luscious.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
I am plying up an EnchantedKnoll batt I spun for the Solstice spin-in.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have? Knitting.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about? I like reading.

16. Do you have an online wishlist? No.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
Used to collect: steiff and artist bears, French chantilly silk laces, yarn and knitting notions; still collect: spinning wheels, spindles, fiber, mother of pearl buttons-for knitting.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have? The Sahara pattern, I subscribe to IK and Spin-Off.

19. When is your birthday? February 21.

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
When I tried the Jane Austen character quiz the match was Elizabeth Bennett.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)? Tropical/equatorial.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself! I kiss my cat all the time.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link): I really like the dawn Turners.

Candy: I sort of like caramel chocolate ... (bad, but have not had any sweeties for 2 months).

Food: Sashimi (raw fish)?

Drink: That would be Baily's.

Movie(s): I liked the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western trilogy.

TV Show(s): Supernatural (that was easy).

Book(s): Too many to list.

Guilty Pleasure(s): I try not to do things I will feel guilty about, but uh, caramel chocolates?

Secret 12 questionairie

2008-06-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like? I like super fine, ultra soft, next to the skin luxurious exotic animal/protein fibers, despite Singapore's climate I am not fond of knitting with cotton, no synthetics unless it's derived from a processed natural source like seacell, tencel, bamboo, maize, corn.
What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I use knitting needle rolls, one bought, one made, one given.
How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? 8 to 9 years. Intermediate advanced, but not as advanced as I would like to be someday.
Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No.
What’s your favorite scent? Geranium, rose, vetiver.
Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Yes, but on a rigorous no snacking diet (I have been in the US for 3 weeks and have not bought one desert yet).
What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I SPIN (major obsessively ... I have been spinning more than knitting since last September).
What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Classic jazz, classic rock as exemplified by SUPERNATURAL.
What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? Subtle tones and hues, think spring flowers (greens, purples, pinks), oceans, sea and watery colours, sunsets ... I don't like bright solid colours, like 1980s primary colors, and yellow and browns make my skin look bad.
What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Husband and one cat.
Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Knit many lacy shoulder shawls. Don't know about wearing, I have given many knitted items away.
What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Lacy shoulder shawls.
What are you knitting right now? The Granny Smith cardigan.
Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Who doesn't appreciate the thought behind them?
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Circulars, I use my Addi lace a lot and adore them, but I like to use my older Addis, and Inox too. I also like to use the Knitpicks metals for in the round sweaters for DH.
Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both.
How old is your oldest UFO? A few years, a few years.
What is your favorite holiday? I am a housewife, every day is a holiday? (ha!)
Is there anything that you collect? Antique Steiff bears, mini artist bears, old pearl and horn buttons, yarn and fiber, especially delicious batts, fiber tools, spindles and spinning wheels ...
Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I subscribe to Interweave Knits and Spin-Off. I am looking for a copy of Anne Field's Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics, and I would still like to knit the Sahara pattern (but not using Tilli Thomas yarn, haha) someday.
Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? This is more a spinning thing, but I want to learn to spin a thicker single and to spin novelty art yarns.
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? yes, 8 and 3/4 inches in length.
When is your birthday? 21st February.
What’s your Ravelry ID? Ghostknitter.

The only thing worse than being sick is being sick while on holiday in another country. Bummer.

Secret pal 11 reveal parcel

2008-01-26T01:47:00.001-08:00

Secret pal 11 reveal parcel
Originally uploaded by khora

Such a nice surprise from the postman today, the long anticipated third reveal parcel from my secret pal 11 Amy in Ottawa, Canada. (whistlepeaknits.wordpress.com) Amy, thank you very much for being my secret pal, you have a fabulous colour sense.

Other knitting stuff:
That simple enough for jet lag scribble lace shawl? It's on hold because my jet-lagged mind mistook 3 x 10g for 3 x 1oz , so of course I have ran out of yarn. What should I do? Wait until we re-visit Tokyo (could be a while). Ask anyone we know currently residing in Tokyo (tricky for non knitters). Cast off now (it's not long enough). Send desperate messages to Ravelry members who have this in their stash. Why, I think so.

Now on the needles: the Habu Kusha Kusha scarf. I should have just enough of the stainless steel silk. Then another Avril/Habu kit scarf, then perhaps I will be ready for kit 53 (I think, that looks most like the picture on the kit instructions, all in Japanese).

Mind you ... I am trying to not only knit for myself this year, but knit from my stash ... so this year Valentine's, my birthday and anniversary gifts will not be not yarn (although a Solveig Bohus kit is still somewhere in my future). Instead we have gorgeous little bits from Esty ... will take a photo when they arrive, but it will be another 2 months or so.

New Year Resolutions

2008-01-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Flew back two days ago, Heathrow as usual is a nightmare but not as bad as last year, where we had to shell out over a hundred quid to send excess weight back to my MIL's. The best thing about the last month? My MIL is so much better, and with physiotherapy will be walking as well as ever. We also finished three 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles and left her with another one.

The last month has been quietly enjoyable, ironically so because with my recently acquired hearing aids it is probably the first time in ten years that I can hear (and understand) some people ... these people have know me for ten years and they tell me it makes a difference for them.

We also enjoyed a very quiet week in a croft on the west coast of Scotland. Very basic amenities, we raided all five beds for quilts and snuggled down in the tiny living room in front of a pot bellied coal burning stove at nights. Scotland does not get exactly the same programmes as BBC, and subtitles were erratic, but we watched many cookery shows, had Scottish shortbread, pancakes, porridge, Aberdeen Angus beef, venison, highland whisky, and went for long walks. Healthy. But not a place I want to settle in. Inverness was depressed, but we found classical LPs for 60p each. There was a nicer place that my MIL had grown up in, but I can't remember the name now. Upon reaching Aberdeen we mostly stayed in the hotel, for the convenience of a bathroom with bathtub and central heating. Not environmentally friendly but oh so nice when it is blustery on the verge of freezing outside.

Christmas with SIL's family. Besides two fingering weight lace shawls, and the cardigan for MIL and sweater for FIL, I knitted nine and a half berets this month, six from my second pound of handspun, all given away as presents. Also knitted the second Broadstreet mittens for DH. I received my coffee swap 3 parcel just before, and my MIL kept the ISE4 scarf for Christmas day. So many thanks to Angie (I hope you like the English breakfast hat from my handspun), and ... another Angie (I have worn your scarf since X'mas). Yours were the only yarn related items I received, besides a second copy of a book I already own (what is the etiquette?) The nicest thing was being able to hear my now thirteen year old niece. The nineteen year old nephew was living in a virtual Xbox world. The Christmas food might have undermined the effect of all the walking in Scotland.

The rest of the time passed relatively quietly and quickly. I did not do much shopping this time because I found Oxford street painfully unpleasant with the new hearing aids. Did snaffle one skein of Posh Yarn's Sophia 2 ply, which I think may become a Swallowtail. Attended the Iknit London New Year party, and talked to five people including Yvonne whom I was so pleased to see. That's five more than last year, and the good thing is that they are on Ravelry. Missed Jill on the last Thursday, which was sad (Jill, do you like the beret?). Managed to start the year off with a proper in person sale, DH was kind enough to drive me down to the Hipknits sale. I know Kerrie has had a bad 2007, but she is really nice in person, and her yarns are gorgeous. She had also bought out a yarn store on ebay, there were seriously a smallish mountain of yarns in black trash bags, and if I had thought to bring along the pattern book I would have bought the yarn to make DH another sweater. Nevertheless, with the exception of DH, and a cardigan for SIL's 50th birthday, plus maybe another for MIL if I can find the yarn (a pattern in Rowan felted tweed, but I missed the sale), I declare 2008 the year of knitting selfishly.

These are my new year resolutions (and I have not made any for at least ten years):
1) Knit for myself (plus DH, and a few commitments from last year).
2) Slow down on the swap and exchanges front (last year, I was let down by my Dye-orama [but she was sick, and I do believe she sent it, it is a postal glitch], the Summer sock party and Fave Place Fave Colour upstream pals, and I am still hoping for the reveal parcel from my secret pal 11 [again, I do believe she sent it, it is another postal glitch]).
3) Shop at the local wet market (especially fish and chicken) and expand on cooking repertoire. Do not estimate the importance of marination.
4) Exercise ... jogging, running, swimming, weights ... yoga?
5) Spinning improvements. I do need at least one proper lesson.
6) Not sure about this ... should I try to learn French again to stimulate my hearing in its use of hearing aids? There were still random feedback effects.
7) Get a medical checkup and see if there's any physical problems with conceiving.

Well, that's all for now. I didn't bring back much yarn besides the Hipknits haul, but I did bring back some spinning fiber. I brought out my Gem "Dean" (I have decided to keep him for now) ... and spun some of the Corriedale Cross from my third pound of fiber. I want to learn how to Navajo ply this into sock yarn. On socks, my Hogwarts swap 2 swap parcel and the Swap-bot gray/silver swap parcel arrived in the UK on the morning of the flight back, whew, and thank you both. I have to wind the Sophia and start Swallowtail, and I also have the Spring Surprise shawl to start and catch up on two week's clues ... I think I am going to use Zephyr on 3mm for that. Otherwise ... got to call my mum/family, got to see the tailor about some Chinese new year clothes, bring my glasses to the optician to tighten the screws, find out where to get a check-up, make an appointment with the hearing aids chap. Oh, wash some more woolies, clip Tig's claws, marinate, and post 2 parcels.

Sock it to me twice questionaire

2007-11-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

The Questions

How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? Since I must have been about 7 years now, probably advanced intermediate.
How long have you been knitting socks? 5 years ago on 2 circulars.
What are your favorite fibers to work with? For socks merino or blends.
What is your favorite color? Shades of blues and greens, especially limes.
What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? Two lace shawls for my SILs, origami cardigan for my MIL.
Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). Fleece Artist/Handmaiden seasilk and seawool, Koigu KPPM, most luxury fibers.
What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. Acrylics, synthetics, rough wools.
What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) Married with one neurotic cat.
Name some of your hobbies. Reading, spinning while watching DVDs, assorted crafty things from time to time.
Name some of your favorite movies? It changes from time to time. Right now I prefer to watch Supernatural on DVD.
Do you like to read? Yes.
Do you collect anything? Vintage and artist mini bears, French Chantilly silk laces, vintage shell and horn buttons, yarn and fiber?
Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? DH has 3, Rocky, Jazzy and Classy (ha-ha!)
What are your favorite type of knitting needles? Addi Turbo lace needles.
What knitting notion could you not live without? I can always improvise, but I find row counters, stitch markers and measuring tapes useful.
Who are some of your favorite designers? Norah Gaughan for ingenious sweaters and cardigans, Evelyn Clark for lace shawl designs, Kaffe Fassett for colour, Rowan in general for wearability.
Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) Just renewed my Interweave Knits subscription.
When is your birthday? 21st February.
Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? No, but it includes Evelyn Clark's new Knitting Lace Triangles and Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and I am keen to try Knitpick's Harmony Options needle tips (sizes 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm and 5mm).
Do you have a Ravelry ID? Same as my blog.
If you had a sheep, what would you name it? Dean.

One more sweater

2007-11-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

DH had a conference in Seoul last weekend. He says it is snowing there right now. I really wished I could have gone with him, but at least he will be back today, and I did manage to get in lots of knitting time. I finished FIL's sweater. I had to fudge the raglan increases a little, it may be a little short, and the sleeves have a 6 row difference in the ribbing. This would probably have meant a visit to the frog pond if it was any other time, or any other yarn but a boucle mohair. I will get a picture up, it doesn't actually look bad, and might be a nice indoor sweater. My fingers need a rest before starting another big project (MIL's cardigan, I am thinking a modified Origami cardigan), so I started on SIL's shawl. This is for my younger brother's wife. The pattern says 500yds, I have 440yds, so we shall have to see. Some fudging is indicated anyway because the pattern is in either Dutch or Norwegian.

In between knitting the thousands of boucle stockinette stitches this weekend, I have been reading the posts on Ravelry, although I haven't worked up to posting yet. It can obviously become as addictive and obsessive as knitting and spinning. Oh, about obsession ... I have been testing out the hearing aids by downloading some videos of the boys at the first Supernatural convention ... at full volume on the computer and normal volume on the aids I think I caught some of what was being said, but I think I need to download and save and try again on a proper device. Wow, people do get obsessive about things, which is probably something other people can be grateful for, coz posting those vids must have taken a lot of time. It's sort of weird, I have attended a few academic conferences, and, well, I have never ever seen such keen question answer sessions in any conference, not even for JD. Mind you, if the presenters looked like the boys ...

I am sort of late on the Favourite places Colour swap, mailing it today, on my way to my mom's. Ok, did that get by quickly enough? It will probably be the first time in 10 years where I won't be able to say I can't hear her properly. Even worse, it might be the first time in 10 years where I can hear her properly. I need to cultivate inner calm.

Very very upset

2007-11-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

It was definitely proven that I am not pregnant today.

The hearing aids work about 70% in the seminar room, but did not work with background chatter during lunch time, I still couldn't hear anyone 3 feet away.

Worst of all, my MIL fell and broke her leg. She is in the UK. We are here.

I don't know what to do.

I know, I am going to knit her a bed jacket as soon as I finish my SIL's shawl.

But right now I can't concentrate.

Call of the subconscious

2007-10-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

Physically the last few weeks have been sort of more down than up, getting the flu, trying for a baby, which was not only very tiring but rather depressing because I am now getting the usual PMT. In preparation for my hearing aids I finally joined a Yahoo group started by my secondary school classmates, and I find I do enjoy reading their posts and keeping up. It brings back many memories, not least of which was a group obsessive compulsive tendency. Right now it is running. I sort of intended to start jogging yesterday, good intentions but it was our 10th year anniversary and a bottle of 2000 pomerol and a pork knuckle won out. Today? Well, I am feeling a little too hungover and bloated to not eye the treadmill with anything but revulsion. Maybe tomorrow. I have to cook mango duck today, was hoping to have the rest of the pomerol but DH seems to have a sorethroat. If it's the flu he will just pass it to me and I will get sick again. I got the hearing aids last Friday still testing but already it is much better than the first pair, so I think in the long run it was a good thing I lost the old ones, otherwise I would never have even considered getting these new ones.

The Monkey socks 3 parcel from Susan arrived, so a belated thanks and they are gorgeous and will be photographed soon. DH's top down raglan is finished, it is a big and comfy sweater. I started an easy drop stitch triangle shawl while I was trying to decide whose X'mas gift to knit, and next thing I knew I had put it aside and started my Koigu KPPM Charlotte's Web shawl. Wasn't until I finished that I realised why: I have been reading Lonesome Dove, and when I finished I had a shawl like a Montana sunset. I do love Koigu colours, but sometimes the quality of the spinning is a bit wonky, and there was a knot in one of the skeins from Knit Happens. My first Charlotte's Web used Knitpicks sock yarn because I wanted bright pinata colours, as it was for my MIL who had just visited Mexico. This Koigu one is more like an oil painting. I am now knitting a third one, for my SIL's X'mas present. It will be a different combination of Knitpicks sock yarns, and hopefully the effect will be like acrylic paint, because she paints in acrylics and her house is full of bright flat areas of colour.

Knitter's Coffee Swap 3 Questionaire

2007-10-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

Got caught in the rain yesterday so back to sniffles and headache, but wanted to say that a most amazing parcel from Isobel for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap 3 arrived yesterday. I am going to post a picture tomorrow, in the meantime here are my answers to the KCS3.

1. Whole bean or ground? Whole bean, and unroasted green beans would be great.
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Fully-loaded, but if it's roasted I usually prefer medium to dark roast.
3. Regular or flavored? Regular
4. How do you drink your coffee? Black, hot
5. Favorite coffee ever? Kopi Luwak is truely amazing, and I couldn't have imagined a nice than Jamaican Blue Mountain.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? What do you think?
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? I have tried biscuits, chocolates, even muffins.
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? You know that joke about the cafeteria? With coffee one can only go forward, not back.
9. Yarn/fiber you love? Lace and sock animal fiber derived yarns.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Acrylics and most synthetics unless I am after a specific effect.
11. What's on your needles? Aran weight top down raglan for DH, 30% alpaca 70% wool.
12. Favorite colors? Duck & robin egg blues, lime & avocado greens, lilac and mauve, dusty pink
13. Allergies? No
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? I am really into spinning, sad thing is I have been too sick to spin this week although my lace flyer arrived last week.

What I am doing

2007-09-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Finished knitting both the IK Sunrise Surprise jacket and the simple stockinette & ribs pullover (it's an old Rowan pattern by Kim Hargraves). Not sewn up yet though, and I reckon that may take a while, I tend to delay seaming knits up. Still not lined the In the Sculpture Garden Noni, much less the pieces sent by my exchange pal. So nothing picture worthy for the moment.

On the spinning front, 3 x 4oz of merino roving (which was swapped for an unused spindle with an Etsy seller) has arrived. I plan to spin two of the coordinating 4 oz together, to make an 8oz skein with enough yardage for a shawl. So far my best effort is 20WPI, and all my other good rovings are at most 4oz, not really enough for a shawl. Only question now is, do I start spinning or do I wait for my very early X'mas present (I jumped the gun and ordered the lace and wild (plying) flyer kits, 4 months early, but it is slightly irritating having to break the yarn when plying). Would have loved the Little Gem II as my travel wheel, but the finances are not up to it, especially after the X'mas present yarns (for DH's family). Maybe I can rent a wheel while we are in the UK, or even borrow one ... need to check that out.

DH came back from Beijing without any yarns because I told him not to even bother looking ... learning to spin is probably the strongest reason I have found so far to stop buying yarns. A CD player is on its way here though, it's made in China. Let's hope it arrives in good shape, unlike my NZ wheel. Remember I nailed the legs back on, but it wobbled too much while treadling? I tried to get the legs replaced by a local carpenter, but it would have cost the same as a custom made table or chair (= price of a new wheel). So this afternoon I screw on an Ikea stool top, and now we have a new rather rustic looking occasional side table. It's doesn't wobble too bad when it's not moving.

Besides sewing up the knitted pieces, my next big knitting project will probably be a free coat pattern from Berroco. The next small knitting project will be the ISE5 scarf, I am thinking of knitting the Aces of Spades scarf, and then after that all the scarves & berets for DH's family.

Well, anyone knows where to rent a spinning wheel in the UK?

Some knitting contents

2007-09-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

DH flew to Beijing early this morning, he did manage to get his paper done in time for translation, so I guess that explains last week's tension. Also, the two main speakers bailed and he has to fill in for one of them. I am not going this time either mostly because of financial reasons, my budget's shot to bits from Rosaline, plus, I am sort of not that into buying commercial yarn nowadays (yes, shocking but true, I did not succumb to the most recent Webs sale), more into spinning my own. Though the yarns I ordered as Xmas prezzies for DH's 3 nieces arrived last week. Remember I sort of introduced them to knitting last X'mas? Well, turns out we gonna be in the UK again this year, so need to be prepared huh? They getting that plus everyone gets handspun berets from my own handspun yarn. Oh, I finished the Origami cardigan, and am on the right sleeve+side of the Sunrise Surprise jacket (free pattern from IK 2 years ago). Yep, that's about as fast as it gets on my list, yarns or projects sort of have to marinate for about 2 to 3 years before I start knitting. What's next? I probably need a coat for Scotland, we have booked a week at this remote cottage on the northwest coast of Scotland in December.
Non knitting contents. Um, well, I have re-watched season 1 and 2 of Supernatural. I enjoyed re-watching it, and it's probably not a bad idea to re-watch some of the other TV series we have on DVDs. I mean, I have these books by my bedside, I think I must have read them a hundred times, I still read them and enjoy reading them even though I have probably memorized them. The pages are shredded, and I mean shredded. Tigs likes to dig her claws right into my favorite books. Anyway, when I watch any DVD for the first time, I don't actually watch or see the show ... I just read the subtitles so I can follow the plot details. Second time, I don't have to follow the subtitles so much coz I already know the story, so I can watch the actors/acting more. What did I get out of the series this time? Besides the monkey socks, achieving 20WPI fingering weight yarn, and the origami + most of sunrise cardigans? Well, I think that the actor playing the older brother is almost absurdly appealing. Enough to check out his CV, and yeah, IMO he's gotten better with age, and his current character's bad boy edge doesn't hurt any. Channeling James Dean (check out the leather jacket), but way more SA. Don't know that he, or for that matter Dean, can act. Not sure it really matters, not coz it's all about looks, more iconicity + audience projection. I mean, sure, believability is important, but what is making the difference in the shows that I am following (i.e. waiting for their DVDs)? Deadwood (watching the third and last season, it's hilarious, multi-faceted, of course, but the Shakespearian conceit ... not just language but the whole shimmering looming for high noon atmospherics, and the rude laborers/servants oh yeah, side splitting and smart, pity it's been cancelled); 24 (plotlines getting more contrived but edge of seat tension, Kiefer Sutherland one of those actors definitely improved with age), The Shield (we went through like 5 seasons in 5 weeks? Absolutely impeccable pacing and more gritty realism); but of course Supernatural. Good acting? Well, maybe, jury's still out on that, but great scripts/lines/dialogue/characters from the writers, wonderful pacing (due as much I think to editors as directors), some nifty camera work, accurate casting ... all sort of behind the scenes as much as in front of the cameras. I don't know, but these are all re-watchable, along with Firefly, Farscape, The Prisoner (love the premise of that old series), Babylon 5, and any of the Clint Eastwood westerns. Actually now we have a new DVD player I might re-watch Firefly this weekend while DH is in China, because he sort of gets bored by most repeat watchings. The exception for him is some British comedy and fewer American sit-coms. I used to watch even less comedy on TV than I do almost any other genre, coz if you can't hear the lines comedy is not funny. On DVD, of course, Seinfield, Larry David, The Office, Extras, Little Britain, to mention a few we have watched on DVD, are sometimes painfully funny, and I am sure others like Ab Fab or anything by the usual Brit com suspects are absolutely side splittingly hilarious. I can watch comedy in the UK because they have subtitles. Here? Is that a joke? I don't know that it's about acting in these comedies. I mean, yeah, the characters and the situations they are in, the way they react to these situations, are funny, but the acting is more caricature (not that I think there's real acting, whatever that means), broad strokes, less believable than recognizable. Not that that's not good acting, I thought the two actors of Human Remains were incredible (there's just these two actors, they play a different couple in each episode ... seriously funny). The recognizable but not necessarily believable bit, I think that reduces identification and I think that's why these comedies work for DH. Personally identifications works for me. But some of these comedies, you know, the more repulsive the character or (series of) characters are, the worst they behave, the funnier it is? Like, you can't believe anyone can be so horrible and not get put out of the way? Oh, yeah, these repulsive characters seem to be more easily conveyed by performers who are sort of, um, not too easy on the eyes, ok, they are just plain plain if not downright ugly. Which again probably has as much to do with (type) casting as with (any) acting skills. Though good timing is always necessary for comedy, and like I said it doesn't hurt the other kinds of genre other, but that's less the actor's good timing than the editing's good timing. It's gotta be hard for Jensen to play repulsive, but if he does, well, that would be good acting.

Gee whiz how did that become a problem?

2007-09-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you read my blog, which I don't figure many do, you all know I have been spending a lot of time with my new spinning wheel Rosaline since I got her a month or so ago, right? Which is a good thing, coz spinning's like anything else, the only way to improve is lots of practice. So my latest yarn, hot of the bobbin, it's 20 WPI 2-plyed, spun on the third largest ration on the larger whorl. That's my first fingering/sock weight 2 ply. And I do have a long way to go, but that is an improvement over the first aran weight, inconsistently plyed skeins. It also means that, if I am happy with the idea of a fingering weight shawl, I can start spinning the yarn for the Journey to a Shawl knitalong. Which all seems fine, doesn't it? Now, you all also know I am a bit deaf, to say the least, so, I am spinning, and getting better at it, enough so I don't have to watch my fingers all the time, enough so that I need a little distraction now and then. But I am deaf, and the way the hi-fi sound system is set up has gone way beyond too complicated for me ages ago, and its maximised more for LPs than CDs anyway. And even if it weren't, there's a little hearing problem, which means, you know, my entertainment system of choice is gonna be more visual than audio. So what I normally do is, I pop a DVD into the player. For the past few days, it's been Supernatural, which I have watched before, which for me is also an advantage because I don't have to pay too close attention to the screen. I finished my monkey socks watching 6 episodes back to back, and my latest 20 WPI was spun with it on the TV screen. Don't seem like a problem to me, but DH just stalked out of the house muttering something like, now you are really a bored housewife, you just wanna spend your time watching cute boys on screen. Hey, no, I just want to spend my time spinning because that's the only way I am gonna improve, and I prefer to have something on the TV coz the house gets pretty quite and empty otherwise ok? The TV/DVD is my background of choice, after that I plan to rewatch Firefly, maybe Babylon 5 etc. I mean, what difference does it make? If the TV weren't on I did still be at the spinning wheel. Enough said.

HSKS trivia answers

2007-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

I have the flu, but here are the answers: a, b, c, a, d, a, a, c, b, d

Rolanda Hooch
Firenze
Argus Filch
Moaning Myrtle
Colin Creavey

Working on the origami cardigan and the monkey socks.

New arrivals

2007-09-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

My sock it to me upstream pal was Rachele (http://mynephewsknit.blogpsot.com), who sent me a beautiful pair of Colinette Jitterbug anklets, 2 skeins of turquoise Artyarns supermerino, a Clover sweater needle grip set, and delicious edible treats in a cute Japanese print fabric pouch. I will get DH to take a photo of this and my sockapalooza 4 socks from a few posts ago soon. Been working on Molly's socks, third time lucky. Also spinning, almost but not quite running out of fiber, but 100g of BLF arrived in the long awaited box from Hipknits this morning which I am going to spin up later today (DH says it must have arrived on the back of a camel, and missing two skeins, but luscious yarns, go buy!). All in all, justified the enforced yarn buying ban.

I did buy a few things over the weekend. First, I got a weird craving for maple syrup cookies (ok, not weird, it's because Rachele sent a pack of maple nut treats which were finished in less than 30 minutes), and I wanted more ... so 1 quart of maple syrup is on it's way from the US, the plan is for lots of maple syrup cookies, and hopefully the oven will cooperate. I wouldn't even have considered this before I started cooking regularly this year.
Second, I bought 2 handmade bags from Etsy. Ok, I own a Brother sewing machine, and I have sewn bags before, so why? Well, I was making the bag for my HSKS2 pal last weekend, and I wanted to include interior pockets for notions all around, and I realised that I didn't know how to do it. I can sew a patch pocket and that's about it. So in order to learn how it's either buying a pattern, or a finished bag to use as a model. I bought a great bag with 6 pockets all around the inside, which should be very useful. The second bag? Well, I bought it because it has a zipper. I was just thinking it's too bad so few of my bags had zippers, which makes them more usable, so I got this purse as an everyday, non knitting bag. I will post a picture when they arrive.
Got to start the Monkey socks soon. Recipient is allergic to cat dander, so I am going to need to knit this in the cat free bedroom. I have needle felted the bag for the autumn needle felted bag swap, I think it's coming together.

Fall felted bag exchange contest 1

2007-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

1. What is your favorite yarn for felting, and why? I do like the usual suspects (Cascade, Galway, Patons, Noro etc.) but they are not available here, so my fallback felting yarn is Panda Woolbale (S$4.50/50g) at Spotlight. The main thing about it is, I can be sure it will felt.
2. Name one person in the swap who is not from the U.S. and tell us where they are from, and link to their blog. Anna S. from Finland at http://blogit.hernekeppi.fi/tekele.php
3. Find one person in the swap who has a dog, and let us know the name of their dog(s) and link to their blog. Laurie at http://lauriesbag.blogspot.com has a dog named Bailey.
4. Find one person in the swap who has a child or grandchild and link to their blog. Pennie at http://extremeyarn.blogspot.com has 4 cute kids.
5. And finally, tell us if you like October or November more, and why! (Yea, I know part of September and November are technically fall, but for this question, only October and November matter!) November. My first date with DH was just before Halloween, we went to a German pub during Oktober Fest and they had German folk dancers!

Oh oh

2007-08-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

I confess that I have been a slack knitter, I haven't touch any of my knitting for a week, not since I tried Rosaline, my Majacraft Rose. I know I have a tendency towards obsessiveness, but I think I prefer spinning to knitting. In knitting I need to have a product related aim, which is why I have joined so many exchanges and swaps, to be able to knit something for somebody, but in spinning I don't really care about the product, it's more process oriented. I find the motions soothing, and as I am a tyro I am just trying to get the motions smooth (not even right), just smooth. I need to get photos of my spinning up, I am on my 7th bobbin, and I think it might be at least fingering weight. The first five were heavy Aran, the 6th was I think DK/worsted. I am on the second biggest whorl this time.

But don't worry, I have 2 pairs of socks to knit and I shall knit them. My sockapalooza 4 socks are so pretty, and my pal very generously included a skein of Socks that Rock (my first), and wow! I usually hate to follow the crowd but I have found that knitters are pretty right about most things, including this yarn. Need to post a photo and other details, maybe later tonight if DH cooperates.

DH thinks spinning is mechanical and requires less skill than knitting. Is he right? He also said, now you have a proper working spinning wheel, isn't it time to throw out the VERY expensive kindling you have cluttering up the flat? Perhaps he is right, ot's not like we can make a bonfire here. But ... there's nothing wrong with Dean that a new pair of legs, ok, plus a new spine, won't fix. Aye, there's the rub. Who's going to fix him? I would, but right now I lack the equipment and facilities, not to say expertise. Would you throw out a potentially working spinning wheel that cost US$230? Perhaps on a bonfire. The other thing, of course, is that even if Dean were fix, he doesn't and wouldn't spin as well as Rosaline. So even if he were fixed I wouldn't spin on him unless Rosaline was otherwise occupied. Which she is, pretty constantly nowadays. I think after this 7th bobbin (it's only 50g of variegated merino from Tokyo) tonight I will try the BLF roving my ITE4 pal Aura gave me tomorrow, and if I can get laceweight I am going to use it for the Journey to a shawl knitalong.

Sent the first & second secret pal 11 parcels, and the Hogwarts sock swap 2 parcel, yesterday. Still haven't heard from Hipknits, what's going on Kerrie? Finished the Hogwarts contest scarf pattern. Oh, the Hogwarts contest, 6 degrees of separation from the Dursleys to Draco Malfoy: Mrs Dursley is sister to Lily Potter, who was betrayed along with her husband James by their friend Peter Pettigrew (Wormtongue), who is the servant of You know who, another of whose Deatheaters is Lucius Malfoy, who is the father of Draco Malfoy.

First homespun yarn

2007-08-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

I just finished spinning the last of the complimentary Perendale roving that came with Rosaline, have already plyed the other 4 skeins, so will let this settle, ply it, then take a photo.

In Tokyo I was lucky enough to have the director of Ananda as my spinning instructor. He told me 3 things:

1) Anyone can learn to spin, some people will learn to spin faster than others, but everyone should be able to spin after spinning their first 3 lbs, it's not the brain but your fingers learning. Don't bother about what to use the first 3 lbs of yarn for, just aim for even thickness in the yarn.

2) It doesn't matter what wheel you have, if you are good enough you can spin any yarn you want on any wheel as long as it works.

3) To become a good spinner you have to spin and practice a lot. You can learn to spin in a few hours but it takes a lifetime to master spinning.

I think he is right about 1, but now I need to find another 2 lbs of plain wool roving for practice. It's easy for him to say that because he owns a chain of roving stores in Japan, but if there's one thing harder to find in Singapore than nice yarn, it's fiber of any quality. He demonstrated 2 by spinning a fine lace thread and novelty yarns on the Ashford Traditional I was learning on, and theoretically he's right in that for centuries spinsters have been producing fine thread like wool and linen yarn on very basic spinning wheels. I know this for a fact, because I own an antique 120 year old German Saxony flax wheel, which is double drive and has only a single ratio. But in it's time some German peasant woman has probably spun production quantities of linen thread for weaving. Right now there's women in Afghanistan spinning wool on spinning wheels that cost their local carpenter US$35 to make, and when I was in Bali we went to a silk weaving factory where I saw silk thread being spun on a bicycle rim spinning wheel. It's only in the last 30 years that the resurgence in spinning, generated by the interest in knitting and the fiber arts/crafts in general, has caused spinning wheels to become popularly available again ... especially in the US but because this interest is lifestyle rather than work/income based, not cheap ... sort of like nice yarn nowadays actually. That said, and being as guilty of consumerism as the next person (and spinning yarns is not an escape from consumerism unless one owns one's own fiber source), the wheel does make a difference in how easily one learns to spin, and how enjoyable one finds the learning process. Compared to the Ashford Traditional Rosaline seldom backspins. Her double treadles are much easier to keep going. And I was also right not to order her optional extras for now, because currently I am still on her slowest ratio. If ever my hands are move fast enough to spin true lace weight on her then I shall purchase her lace flyer kit. I don't think I need a Woolly Winder. For now all I need is practice.

Fall felted bag exchange questionaire

2007-08-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

How long have you been knitting or crocheting? How did you learn? or from whom?
Close to 7 years now, MIL showed me the English style (throwing) over Xmas in the UK but I had forgotten by the time I came back here, so I had to re-learn from a book, which explains my "unique" style, well, let's say the ladies at Liberty's had never seen anyone knit this way before, it's sort of continental but not really.
What was your first felted object, and why did you decide to try felting? A felted hat for my husband's niece Connie. I wanted to make her a felted hat.
What are your favorite colors? Any you hate? I like blues, greens, purples, pinks, dusty tones, I don't like yellows, earth or too bright saturated single colours.
What are your favorite styles\types of bags? (Long straps? Short handles? Handbags? Totes? Embellished? Plain? Include links to patterns or photos if you’d like – give your pal an idea of what you enjoy!) I loved the Adventure bag from my Spring Felted Bag Exchange pal, she was wonderful. However I also admire the complexity of miters, fairisles and intarsia designs (Nicky Epstein is good at that). I liked the Wobbly Circles tote from an Interweave Knits issue, that was cool. I have a phobia about these three things, but I am trying. This year I finished a simple intarsia sweater for DH (Shark by Brandon Mably), I am still working on the Elle fairisle felted bag, and after that perhaps I shall tackle miters.
What handbag or bag are you carrying today? Do you use a separate bag to carry your knitting? I am sort of hard on my handbags, I used to carry a robin's egg blue silk one but the fabric handles sort of fell apart. Right now I alternate between a mauvish blue silk sausage(? like an end bolster/cushion) bag given to me by DH, and a fabric hobo bag for my knitting.
What other things do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Socks, lace shawls, sweaters
What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum) Addi lace needles for smaller sizes, Knitpicks Options for everything else except felted bags which use 2 strands together, they are too tough on the Options (pull on the cords too much) and knit more easily on separate individual circulars.
What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make? Sahara top pattern by Stitch Diva--yarn is just too spendy. Well, too spendy in the sense of it being all for me. With the wheel, I would spin yarn for presents for other people.
What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with? Can you believe I can't think of anything right now? Buffalo yarn maybe, but it might be nicer to spin that ... Apple Laine sock yarn?
What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? I think it's because I just got my new spinning wheel, a Majacraft Rose I have named Rosaline, and I am finally spinniiiiing!
Besides yarn, do you collect anything? Antique and artist mini bears, French chantilly silk laces, shell and horn buttons, bags? Fiber?
What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to? Dark chocolate?
Do you have any kiddos? (Furry kind count!) One cat. She is my yarn quality judge (she only goes after nice yarns). She rips up more books than yarn.
What kind of project best personifies you and why? An intermediate lace shawl using a silk blend yarn ... moderately demanding but the results are worth the attention.
What is your favorite part of Autumn? You can also share a special Autumn memory if you'd prefer! Colours! Leaves. Feeling cold again and going to the UK. Hot chestnuts.
Tell us 3 things you would do if you won 10 million dollars in the lottery. Buy a cottage in the English countryside with roses around the door and raise my own fiber animals. Start a foundation for philosophers without boundaries, perhaps affiliated with, or run through, a university. Buy a pension plan so DH can retire, write books, and listen to the hi-fi system of his dreams.

Finally spinning

2007-08-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

My Majacraft Rose wheel arrived last Wednesday, DH put it together for me but I resisted using it for one week, until this morning, because I wanted to finish my Hogwarts socks swap 2 socks pal's socks first. I was right, I don't ever want to stop spinning on the Rose. In two to three hours, with coffee breaks, I have spun almost a full bobbin, which would have taken me more than a week to spin on a spindle. And that's just my first bobbin (ever for the practice bobbin at my spinning lesson in Tokyo). I am sure I shall improve with practice. I am using gray perendale, it's slightly thick and thin but I think should two ply at heavy worsted weight, so I may be making my shawl from this.

The Rose may be my most expensive purchase but it's also the most worthwhile. So it was fortunate that I didn't manage to buy the shop model Ashford Joy in Tokyo, and instead of buying a new Joy I decided to add the cost of the new Golding spindle DH promised me if I finished this knitalong and splurge on the Rose instead, although I had to promise not to buy yarn or fiber for the next 6 months. I shall just try to eke out what fiber I have.

I am naming my Rose "Rosaline", after a Rugosa rose that is native to the coasts of Japan, because I finally learnt how to spin in Tokyo. Rosaline sort of makes my other two wheels redundant, or maybe they were already obsolete: Lizzy is a antique double drive Saxony flax wheel, she is contrary, cranky, stubborn and creaky. Dean is a home made wheel from NZ, he would be fine except that his legs are broken, and although I have nailed them back he's all wobbly.

New wheels

2007-08-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

My Rose arrived today, DH has assembled her, but I have a major splitting headache, second time in a week. Will post pictures later after taking her for a spin. Good news is that the ITE4 bag has reached Deb and she loves it, so I am going to join in the Fall Felted Bag Exchange, sign ups open on 15th August. Crocheting the fringes on my Hogwarts scarf, and need to go to the post office to send off the sockapalooza 4 socks (bit late actually, but public holiday tomorrow). Bad headache.

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

2007-08-08T00:31:00.000-07:00

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

The basics:
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? Intermediate.

The measurements:

Shoe Size: Not sure of US sizes.
Foot circumference: 8 inches.
Foot length: 8.5 inches.

Yarn Preferences:
What colors do you love? Lime green and duck's egg blue.

Do you prefer solids or variegated? Variegated, stripy is fine but preferably not self-patterning.

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? Wool over cotton but never acrylic.

What colors would you never wear? Earth browns, yellows, bright saturated primary and secondary colours.

What are your favorite brands of yarn? For socks? Cherry Tree Hill, Koigu, Opal.

Are there any new brands you would like to try? Socks That Rock, Apple Laine, Seawool.

Cookie A. Patterns:
Which of her patterns have you already knit? Hedera, Potomatus, Baudelaire.

Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? Titania's Revenge.

Other pertinent information:

Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? Fine with either.

Do you have any allergies? No.

Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? One cat.

Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? Waiting List.

If you want to join in the fun at http://monkey-sock-swap.blogspot.com, sign-ups are going on until August 31.

SP11 Questionaire

2007-08-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love the actual process of knitting with luxuriously soft animal fiber yarns, and my standard base yarn is merino, unless I am using a technique like fulling/felting, or aiming for a specific effect. I have knitted with angora, baby alpaca, baby camel, bamboo, cashmere, different kinds of silks including seasilk and soy silk, superfine merino, qiviut, I think the gold standard so far is the qivuit but seasilk and seawool ranks high on my list of enjoyable knitting fibers. I have got some maize and stainless steel yarn in line for my needles. I have not tried buffalo, guanaco or corn and milk yarn. In order of importance is fiber content, colour, type and lastly brand, I find it easier to knit with classic fibers than novelty yarns, which I seldom use unless I am seeking a specific effect/look.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have sewn my own needle holders.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? 7 years now, advance intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Not right now.

5. What's your favorite scent? Geranium, rose, vertiver, vanilla, green tea.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Nice dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Yes, I have a revived interest (obsession) in spinning after I attended my first wheel spinning lesson while we were in Tokyo a few weeks ago, did not manage to buy a wheel there and then, but have since ordered a Majacraft Rose which was supposed to have shipped last Thursday. I love spinning and wouldn't mind if my pal sends me fiber instead of yarn.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD). Yes, but I am hearing impaired, very.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love diffused greens, blues, purples, pinks etc., would avoid wearing yellows, oranges, browns, earth colours and bright 80s primary or secondary colours. Nothing too plainly saturated, more variegated.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? DH, one cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Shawls and scarves. Hats, maybe if it's cold when I travel, but I think I look dorky.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Sweaters for DH, scarves for DH, shawls for myself, bags, hats, scarves, shawls as presents.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A scarf for DH to be entered into the Harry Potter related knit competition on Hogwarts socks swap 2; a Fairisle felted bag, 3 pairs of socks (DH, Hogwarts & Molly); vest or sweater for FIL, scarf for MIL, hats/berets for nieces/nephews.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Circulars, Addi Lace are the smoothest.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Can't remember, it's got miters.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas? Vancouver? Paris?

19. Is there anything that you collect? Old Steiff bears, artist mini bears, French chantilly laces, nice mother of pearl or horn buttons, spindles, yarn.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I just renewed my subscription to Interweave Knits, I buy Vogue Knitting at Borders, I am due to renew my Rowan subscription but am wondering whether I should because I haven't actually knitted anything in the last few issues. Someday I would like to knit the Scotch Thistle shawl from Heartstrings, and the Edwardian Lace shawl from Heirloom Knitting, and when I can afford it, the Sahara top from Stitch Diva, but I don't think I will ever be able to knit it in the original Tilli Thomas yarn. I am a Norah Gaughan fan, so any of her Berroco books would be welcomed,and the special issue of Interweave Felt which will probably not make it to our local bookstores.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Improve my lace knitting, wet and needle felting. I felt quite proud of knitting DH an intarsia sweater (Shark) earlier this year, and right now I am knitting the Fairisle bag (Elle bag?) to practice my two handed Fairisle so I can complete the Fairisle sweater kit that DH gave me oh must be 5 years ago now. I knitted the body but not the sleeves, so I want to try to finish that UFO this year.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, 8.5 inches in length.

23. When is your birthday? 21st Feb.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? On the waiting list.

sick

2007-07-31T04:59:00.000-07:00

Read HP Deathly Hallows in one night over the weekend, but paying the price now. Got up this morning with dizziness, nausea, chills. Too dizzy to read, fingers shaking too much to knit, or write, bones aching, real bad nausea. I hope I have the flu only and not anything worse.

Pretty pal green cotton yarn

2007-07-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my no sheep one skein pal Lana from Australia. You have been such a great pal, and I love the pale green colour of the Bendigo Mills cotton yarn, it's so perfect for spring and summer, and Singapore weather. I also love Tim Tams. Is it a coincidence that my PRGE mini partner Tianne also sent 2 packs of Tim Tams (all different flavours. Well, 2 were finished in 2 hours ... eek, is that greedy?). Many thanks Lana.

Catch up

2007-07-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the promised photo of the pretty bags from Aura (the multi-colored one) and Cathy (the pink one). I love them both and am figuring out how to assemble the pink one now. Thank you again Aura and Cathy.

When I came back last Friday night, I was greeted with the pink yarn swap parcel from Amy, and today the green yarn swap parcel from Jennifer and the love sock yarn swap parcel from Alison arrived. Gotta love swap-bot when it works. Thank you Amy, Jennifer and Alison. The yarn will be put to good use. The Rowanette exchange parcel from Minxxy arrived as a total suprise, what a pretty little cashmere lace scarf (Hipknits cashmere, oh I want my box); cute address book, scrumptious chocolate (right, where is it? gone, eaten!!! haha ... that is about the lifespan of chocolate in this household), and interesting sock yarn. Many thanks Minxxy.

The last parcel today is the, ta-da, Hogwarts Sock Swap parcel. Jaywalker Ravenclaw socks in Knitpicks Memories Yukon colorway from The KnittingMommy, plus Addi Lace needles, little stitch markers, and a bar of soap. DH and I went to Kinokuniya last Saturday and were nearly overwhelmed by HP fans. I read the first chapter there, but will have to wait because I ordered a copy online and it hasn't arrived! Thank you for such a great swap.

Still waiting rather anxiously for the Hipknits box which apparently has experienced a customs kerfuffle, and the Monkey socks. I finished the sockapalooza 4 socks (Hedera in CTH supersock solid) and the second Baudelaire sock in Tokyo. Both patterns look equally nice, but while I will reknit the former for other sock pals, I will never knit Baudelaire again, it's just too tight over the instep. DH has gone to the office so will have to post pictures another time.

Tokyo:

a) Japanese cuisine ranks high on my list of favourite foods. Tokyo is a great place to find fresh sashimi, and I had shabu shabu for the first time. Not going to be able to replicate the sashimi here (the fish was still wriggling, we had carp the first time and mackeral the second), but we bought the ingredients for shabu shabu yesterday and I am going to try it tomorrow. Contrary to my expectations, food is not expensive in Tokyo ... ok, put it another way ... most other types of food cost more in Tokyo than in Singapore, BUT, good Japanese food cost less than what the equivalent would have cost here, if you can even find it. Would I even want to eat anything but Japanese food if I am in Tokyo?

b) Japanese green tea is nice but so is roasted Japanese tea, which the Japanese drink cold at all times. Ice in tea is not a bad thing.

c) Japanese people really like their neutrals (black, charcoal, gray, navy, cream, white), earth tones (browns, khakis, creams) and pastels (baby pinks, sky blues, pale greens). I wore my Tomato (knitted in SWTC serendipity, which is a hot mixture of yellow, orange, red, purple), and felt like a sore thumb. DH wore his serendipity raglan, I thought he looked wonderful, but it really stood out too. If I did not want to look like a tourist I would have to wear their colours.

d) There's a strong handicraft DIY culture in Japan. Two words: Tokyo Hands. What can you not get there? ok, the yarn selection could do with some improvement, but otherwise ... we got a coffee roaster (now where do we find more unroasted beans?), and DH got a gold Gundum kit, which looks pretty nifty. I also couldn't resist a stamp making kit and some Paua sea shells for the mantelpiece.

e) Yarn: ok, I know this is what you knitters, if you are reading my blog, want to know about. Yes, there are quite a few nice yarn stores in Tokyo; but no, I didn't go to all of them. Actually, I only managed 3: Okadaya, Yazawaya and Avril. I picked up lots of yarns for presents, swaps and exchanges (can't show you that, but I am posting some tomorrow); wool yarn to make bags (should say, more yarn, coz that's also what I got in HK, I think I have enough yarn right now to make at least 4 more bags, in anticipation of the next round of bag exchanges); 5 balls of sock yarn (to add to the 2 from HK); 2 different brands of kid mohair lace yarn that I have not tried or even seen before, one variegated (Diamuse?), the other plain teal (some Japanese brand); a scarf kit for DH, and another for me (this has stainless steel in it), and the big spurge, a cardigan kit from Avril. The instructions are in Japanese, I can't read Japanese, so this should be fun.

f) I bought roving from Ananda, the Japanese spinning (plus felting, and probably weaving too) store. I think this was my favourite store, and it didn't even sell yarns. I took a spinning lesson, bought a pillow case of various rovings, and arranged to buy their demonstration Ashford Joy (a new wheel can only be delivered in a month). Fate, or fortune, however, intervened. I had the lesson on Saturday and arranged to buy the wheel next Monday. The last day of the conference was Monday night, so on Monday we had not managed to stop by an ATM. I went to the store to explain, that's when I picked up the rovings, for which I had enough on hand, and arranged to bring DH down and pay for the wheel on Tuesday. Well, it rained on Tuesday and we were both pretty whacked out, so I thought it would be easier to go down on Wednesday. We did, only to find a notice on the door that said (I think) that they were closed on Wednesday to make up for being open on Monday, which was a kind of national holiday ... marine day or something?. They are closed as usual every Thursday and our return flight was Friday. I feel very bad about this, I couldn't phone, I don't know Japanese and even if I did I wouldn't be able to hear. They were very nice, and I was going to name the wheel Karo after my instructor's cat. I mean, I seriously liked the store and the people there, it's probably my favourite store anywhere in the world. Now I don't even have a photo of it, we brought the camera along on Wednesday but the store was closed and it had aluminium roller blinds over the front. But I can really spin, ok not well, evenly or even quickly, lots of room for improvement but I need a working wheel to improve. I will get DH to take a picture of my first (and so far only) ball of wheel spun yarn later. Right now I am trying to repair my old German antique wheel (which actually works, and now I know it is a double drive traditional Saxony wheel); and my broken wheel from New Zealand (this was probably home made, it's flyer driven single drive with a separate scotch tension, and I think if I can hammer the broken legs back onto the base with 2 or 3 inch nails it can be used); but having serious thoughts about a brand new (no more second hand) working wheel. I learnt to knit by reading books, and thought I could do the same with spinning, well, maybe on a drop spindle but nothing beats a hands on lesson. Suddenly my wheels and spinning books made sense!

g) I experience the typhoon and an earthquake. Let's say that sometimes I feel it's quite nice to live here, especially when the whole room was shaking and at first I thought I was having one of my old dizzy spells! Duh! I only realised it was an earthquake when DH told me at dinner time.

Current knitting: none! Shocking huh? I am behind on the mystery stole knitalong, I managed to find the appropriate glass beads at Odakaya, but now need to wind the gray Knitpicks Cloud 100% baby alpaca from Adelle. Will probably also start a generic sock for DH (all that sock yarn from HK and Tokyo), and also his Avril stainless steel scarf (problem with that is the pattern, I can't read it). I think I am cleared on all the other swaps/exchanges, except the Hogwarts sock swap 2, haven't got my partner yet (this time it's a one on one exchange, we shall be knitting for each other). Tigs is VERY happy to see us, she's fine but I do hate to leave her. Last night we were in Tokyo I had a bad dream about her, same as my last night in HK.

Very quick one

2007-07-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

I received the ITE 4 tote from Aura and the Spring Felted Bag from Cathy yesterday, I have been extraordinary lucky with both swap pals, I have taken a picture, just no time to post right now, one hour before I leave for the airport. Thank you very much both Aura and Cathy, I will post a photo when I come back.

Nothing else has arrived, so if you have sent anything don't worry I will probably get them when I come back in 10 days time. The saddest thing is that the Hipknits parcel has still not arrived, I do not understand why when I paid extra for courier service.

Hong Kong ... only one day for yarn shopping, HK yarn shops good on basic DK merino yarns, most from Italy. Lots of high end designer synthetics too. DH picked up two pieces of audio equipment. Finished No sheep Tomato in SWTC bamboo, will try to post photo of wearing it in Tokyo when on yarn crawl. Also on gusset of second Sockapalooza sock, I am knitting Hedera in a muted shade of Cherry Tree Hill supersock merino solid (yarn as requested by pal), am happy with knitting and fit of pattern. Still have second Baudelaire sock to knit, but while happy with yarn (also CTH), am dubious about lack of ease, I can barely pull it on over the heel. Have not been able to start on Mysterystolealong 3 yet, but just as well, was not happy with green glass beads) only usuable size I had/could find), now I can look for silver ones in Tokyo.

Better go pack now.

Sock it to me sock swap

2007-07-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

What are your foot measurements? (Please give shoe size, length and circumference.) Don't know my shoe size, but it's 8.5 inches in length and 8 inches circumference.
How long have you been knitting? How would you rate your experience? (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.) Advanced intermediate.
What is your favorite color? Your least favorite color? Lime green; brown.
Do you have a favorite fiber? What type? Yes, cashmere.
Do you have any allergies to certain fibers? No.
Do you have an Amazon, or other type of, wishlist? (If so, provide the link.) No.
What techniques, if any, would you like to learn? Advanced lace?
Do you have a sweet tooth? What are your favorite snacks? yes, dark chocolate.
What is your family situation? (Children, Husband, Pets...etc.) DH, no kids but trying.
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Metal, plastic or wood? Circular Addi Lace needles.
Besides socks, what are your favorite items to knit? Lace shawls for gifts, sweaters for DH.
Is there a pattern, (sock or otherwise), that you are dying to try? For lace shawls, Heirloom Knitting's Edwardian Lace Wrap and Heartstring's Scotch Thistle Lace stole, for socks, STR Titania's Revenge.
Do you like to read? What are you reading currently? Yes, reprint of a noir paperback.
Do you collect music? (On an iPod or MP3 player.) No.
What kind of music do you listen to? Whatever DH has on the system.
Is there anything you collect? Vintage Steiff, mini artist bears, French chantilly laces.
What are your hobbies, aside from knitting? Spinning, sewing, creafting, reading, watching DVDs.
Are you participating in any other swaps or knit alongs? Quite a few this year!
Do you have a favorite scent? Geranium.
When is your birthday? (You don't have to add the year if you don't want to, LOL.) 21st Feb.

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionaire Second Years

2007-07-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

Second Years

What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Ravenclaw

Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference? Length: 8.5 inches; circumference: 8 inches.

List your three favorite sock yarns (that I have personally knitted with):

a. Koigu KPPM

b. Cherry Tree Hill supersock merino

c. Opal (various)

Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand?
I would love to try Socks that Rock lightweight, and the pattern Titania's Revenge looks very interesting. I would also like to try Apple Laine or Fleece Artist seawool.

Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn? Vareigated

What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash? For STR, "Titania" or "Puck's Mischief". For Apple Laine, "Lady Blues" or "Party Time". For Fleece Artist, "Cosmic Dawn".

What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle? I am knitting more lace nowdays, I used to avoid lace because I thought it would expose too much, but the holes in lace socks don't really reveal too much skin.

Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.). No

Please join in the fun at http://hogwarts-sock-swap-two.blogspot.com/. Sign-ups begin on July 14^th.

PRGE mini questionaire

2007-07-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

Just a small one on one swap this time.

1. Why are you punk?
DH likes to think I am punk.
2. What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related):
DH, my cat Tigs and kittens in general, beautiful soft natural fibers (knit & spin), flowers (colours and scent, especially roses), bears (teddies and real bears), the sea (everything about it).
3. What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?
Shetland lace shawl from Scarf Style, chunky cashmere cabled sweater (own design), old shale lace pullover (own design).
4. What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?
Yarn, spinning fibers, spindles, artist bears, any size 47" Addi Lace needles.
5. What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?
Favourite so far: by brand or fiber?
Currently I like anything from Posh yarns, and many from Hipknits, I like to knit lace shawls and socks with lace & fingering weight yarns but find it easiest to knit sport/DK or even aran weight sweaters. I like the results of knitting with finer yarns, I enjoy the process of knitting with medium weight yarns. I love colour, so Noro silk garden comes high on my list, but there are so many beautiful, especially hand painted, yarns out there nowadays. It's impossible, my favourite is something I have used only once because it is so expensive!
My least favourite? Well, I have used various furry, eyelash and other novelty yarns to knit scarves for my young nieces and carried with one strand of wool to make felted bags, and it was not an enjoyable experience, I will only knit novelty yarns if I am after a specific effect. Rough wool and most cottons hurt my fingers, so I don't enjoy knitting with them either. The worst so far is a shiny Japanese rayon thread meant for crochet. I tried to knit a shawl with it and gave up.
6. What are your five favorite delicacies? Caviar, foie gras, ice-wine or sauternes, pomerol, dark chocolate.
7. What are your three favorite guilty pleasures? Fantasy books, Supernatural TV series, tim tams (dark chocolate biscuits).
8. What would you like your pal to know that is not covered here? Just enjoy it, I like anything.

On the postal scales

2007-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you for my beautiful scarf to my ISE 4 upstream pal Stephanie Yun all the from Sacramento for a beautiful melon scarf from Victorian lace in a lovely pink, lilac, mauve variegated combination merino lace, plus the cuddly soft skein of DB silk, and of course all the edible goodies half of which are already in my tummy ... I will try to post a picture tomorrow. The June skein from my upstream secret pal also came, all the way from Australia ... I have never had an Australian pal before, so I am very excited about that. She sent the prettiest mauve skein of Anny Blatt kanpur silk ... and a one skein scarf pattern, I can't wait to cast on for that! So many thanks too dear secret pal, the Australian chocos were scrumptious ... sorry, all gone, I REALLY cannot resist chocolates, I mean, seriously, food goodies don't last longer than a day in the fridge. On the other hand, I don't usually have breakfast or lunch, just one serious evening meal which I cook ... oh never mind that.
I posted the ITE 4, green yarn swap, and secret pal 9 reveal letter today, airmail. I had just enough left over to send the Hogwarts sock kit swap 2 parcel registered seamail ... just as well, because I didn't find small size metal DPNs (except Japanese sized Clovers) at GD yesterday, but then today, after posting the parcel, we went grocery shopping at Tanglin Mall and I spotted small sized metal Aeros, so that's off by air tomorrow with the registered number. By the way, that store still doesn't have small size normal Addis, but it does have some Addi Lace needles in ... huh! What's giving me a headache is the Webs box, oh, what a mix-up, you wouldn't believe how stupid some people can be, and that the Hipknits order still hasn't arrived. I had to send some other stuff for the green yarn swap. But it should be good when it arrives, only thing is, we are off to HK for 3 days next week, but for a few days, then off to Tokyo for almost a week. Oh, I think my spring felted bag partner sent me the pieces for the bag accidentally, so I will have to finish it up when it arrives ... I hope it's not too difficult. Oh, I printed out the patterns for the 3 sock swaps I am in today, all from Knitty: quill lace, hedera and reptilian lace ... won't say which is which so there's some surprise. My spinning ... I spun up 50g gray merino on a small spindle, one ply, it's 3 cops worth, um, I think at best it is sport weight? Need to try again but have to wait for more fiber. Knitalong ... mystery stole, have to wait until Monday to print out coz the home printer is not working, using white zephyr and green glass beads? That's all, I think. I did finish one Baudelaire, have to finish the other but definitely not the right sock for sockapalooza, it's hard work to pull that sock up over the heel, it's just too tight. I need a sock pattern that fits snugly but is stretchy, so hopefully one of the 3 above will do. I don't think I have time to start on the mystery stole before HK, but these socks should be perfect travel knitting. A, I am glad you like the shawl.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap 2 Questionaire

2007-06-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

Obviously I can't get enough of Harry Potter! But, did you see the third episode of Extras season 2? That was actually funny. Here's a linkhttp://www.hogwartssockkitswap2.blogspot.com/

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Ravenclaw

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars?

I use magic loop for socks, and so far may favourites are the new Addi lace needles, the old Addi needles (for such small sizes there's actually not that much difference between the old and new Addis), and Knitpicks circulars.

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

It would be nice to try the new "in-between" sizes of Knitpicks circulars, 2.25mm and 2.75mm, in the 32" lengths.

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

It doesn't matter, you can even mix all 3 colours.

ITE 4 tote

2007-06-24T02:35:00.001-07:00

Here's the fully fulled Felted Needle Bag for my ITE4 pal. With such a colour combination there can be no doubt which country it will be flying to on Monday.

I recently experienced a series of serendipitious coincidences with Adelle (how are you dear?), guess what,I found out who is my downstream pal in the Summer Fiber swap, and she not only shares the same name as my ITE4 pal, they also have something else in common, something that makes me slightly nervous. Ah well.

Sockapalooza 4 update. I ploughed ahead and finished the Potomatus socks. The pattern is not difficult, but it is definitely too holey for my pal. I cast on Baudelaire last night. The knitting is easy, the sock uses the same lace pattern as the Birch Leaf socks I knitted for my sockapaloooza 3 pal, but it is a little too busy for CTH potluck brights. These socks are definitely not muted. I thought of just frogging and re-knitting plain stockinette (this is a toe up pattern and right now the sole looks nicer than the instep), but I am not ready to give up on a little lace for my pal yet. I am going to try Hedera next, and there's always the Monkey socks as a last resort. Plus it is a pleasure to work with CTH supersock. When I finish these socks I am going to post them all in one picture, and then choose the most muted pair for my pal. (Her foot size is almost the same as mine, just 1/2 inch longer).

interim

2007-06-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Felted Needle bag for ITE4 has finally finished felting, after many many rounds and much fluff. I only hope it has not had any adverse effects on the washing machine. The bag is now drying. It shrunk a lot in height, not so much in width. It now looks like ... well, a Felted Needle bag. I will post a picture after it dries. The i-cord button loop seems to have overshrunk and now I can't get it over the pewter button that came with the kit, so I have to look for a smaller button.

Waiting for a few swap parcels, and even more anxiously, waiting for the non swap parcels I sent to A and M to reach their recipients. I think my ISE4 pal has flaked out, haven't heard a peep from her at all. Knitting ... sockapalooza 4, Potomatus is definitely out, it's too holey. I am going to try to finish the second sock before trying another pattern for my pal in her favourite CTH supersock yarn. What I am actually knitting now: a light summery scarf for my MIL. It's the Montego Bay scarf from IK summer, I am knitting it in MCY handpainted rayon, and I love the pattern and how it's coming out. The yellow and green remind me of the fields of sunflower when driving to Cahors last summer. I hope she likes it. I didn't manage to knit it in time for DH to bring over, but guess what she sent back with DH? Enough KSH to finish the Chantelle shawl. It's crocheted, so it will be slow going, but I already know it's going to be my favourite all time shawl, BECAUSE the yarn is a gift from my MIL and her sister (you see, they are the only family and /or relatives who have ever given me yarn besides DH, showing that they support my knitting, that is very important to me). I have got another skein of this yarn, in a watery colorway that was my original choice for the scarf (Montego bay?), but I changed my mind and am going to use it, together with kid mohair, for the Colinette Mulberry shawl. It will be just right for her to wear this autumn, and I will probably knit that after this scarf.

Purchases: no, still waiting for the Hipknits order to go through, and for my 4oz fiber to arrive. Oh, I did order 100g handpainted sock yarn from an Etsy seller yesterday, it's for the latest sock yarn exchange on swap-bot. Will post pics of all when they arrive.

Feeling quite sick now physically because the redcoats were delayed 2 weeks and have only just arrived. My hormones are all messed up, since the beginning of this year I think I have been late twice, so that's a month of missed P. Bad coz I am trying for a baby.

ITE4 tote

2007-06-17T03:48:00.001-07:00

red and blue
Originally uploaded by khora

This is what I have been knitting away on for the last week. DH got it back from the UK for me. I love this pattern. This is going to be a large size (not medium as I texpected) Felted needle bag for my downstream pal, who is someone very special in the ITE world. I really hope she likes it, I like it so much I may have to buy another kit, and you know so far I have never knitted any pattern a second time.

On the negative side, it looks like my upstream partners on the needle roll swap and 50s bag swap on swap bot have both flaked out. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I have just joined the Summer fiber swap and started the Creative handmade drop spindle swap. They are both fun, I hope plenty of people join. I joined the first one because the organizer is Deb, who was a great pal in a former secret pal round. I then surfed the web for good fiber supplies, gosh it was so long since my last fiber purchase that I had no idea the scene had changed so much. I also joined the journey to a shawl knitalong, this time I am determined to spin enough lace or at least fingering weight for a small shawl. I finally bought 4oz of merino silk in a lovely oceanish colorway from Farm Witch, can't wait for it to arrive.

On the positive side, my upstream dyeorama pal sent me 100g Wilderfoote sock yarn and more bear motif items, including black bear chocolate. I have never tried this yarn before, it's really nice, softer than many other 75% wool sock yarns. And what great colors, really like a blueberry patch, I can just imagine the bears gobbling it up, like I gobbled up the chocolate. Thanks so much Chris, I love it all and I don't believe anyone can overdo bear motifs, or be sick of bears. I watched the first episode of the 5th season of the Sopranos yesterday and got mad because they wanted to shoot the bear.

Other than the fiber, I have not bought anything else, because I am still waiting for my Hipknits order to be finalised. The good news about that is that Kerrie has the box back, it was returned to sender by the post office. Why? Otherwise, i would be really tempted by MCY's 20% off summer sale on their website. Cucumberpatch has some good Jaeger merino yarns. Stash has some luscious LH angora. And there's always Webs and Elann. But I am strong ...

Another scrumptious parcel

2007-06-09T01:55:00.001-07:00

arrived yesterday, this one from my Knitter's Tea Swap 3 partner Jeanette Robinson. Like the Coffee Swap 2 parcel from jeremy Corona, it will have to wait for a photo to do it full credit, but again I will probably not be able to resist scoffing up the treats. Thank you very much Jeanette. Full photo on the official blog asap when DH returns tomorrow (he's getting on the flight now), and the yarn for the shawl offer anytime you like.

Can you believe that UK domestic mail service is apparently worse than it's international mail service? The Sophia from Posh Yarn arrived within 3 days (so did the Cecilia, but the Tamara, as well as the first order from Hipknits, are still well and truly lost in transit!). On the other hand, a consolidated order I placed with Hipknits (over a few months, and at least 3 to 5 orders depending on what was processed), was to be sent to my MIL's for DH to bring back. It hasn't arrived in time, and I don't suppose I shall see the yarn until this December soonest. The worst thing, in my view, is that I meant a lot of it for yarn gifts, yarn to knit into presents, and yarn for swaps and exchanges (both as yarn and knitted items). Sigh. So it was a good thing I send out Adelle's and Mia's parcel without waiting for this to arrive. It does mean I will have to re-think the green yarn swap and the no sheep swap parcels, as well as sockapalooza 4.

After the Luna moth shawl, I have been sort of in a knitting slump. Been knitting away, but only on swatches, testing patterns for sockapalooza 4. I just can't seem to make up my mind. Need to get the house cleaned a little now.

Quiet finishing day

2007-06-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

I finished DH's bamboo top raglan, it's is a little too bright for me but I think serendipity is a good name because the colours remind of of a spiral nebula, I didn't use any pattern but knitted it to fit his polo shirt, and there's a bit of unplanned spiraling going on at the elbows. I used a chainette tape yarn that has incredibly good yardage, the finished sweater measures 47.5 inch to 50 inch around depending it's stretched, and only took 600g of yarn. Bamboo is a cool fiber for the tropics, it is antibaterial and moisture wicking, so I am hoping it will fit. I already have DH's next sweater in mind, but I need a bit of help choosing. I am beginning to realise that it is very sensible to knit tropical fibers, especially in this heatwave with the aircon all wonky. Should the next sweater be Lucky, in white soy silk, or Saranac, in variegated beige cotton (with a bit of cashmere)? They are both Knitty designs. Or should I knit something for myself next? We are going off to Tokyo and I want a top or shawl, probably a top. Choices are either Kyoto in Takhi cotton classic (from Knitty), a top down raglan tee in the bamboo leftovers, or Sahara from Stitchdiva (have to buy the pattern & yarn for that, thought at first I would like to knit the Simple Knitted Bodice because I so enjoyed knitting DH's top down raglan, but the v-neck is a bit too wide). Anyway, that's for later.

So last night I CO for Adelle's surprise, which I am loving, and today another candidate for the sockapalooza 4 sock, the Ripple socks from Mountain Colors. This is a purl pattern on basic stockinette, so it's not difficult, but I have reknitted 3 times, am up to the slip stitch heel and still think I will end up ripping it out. It calls for sportweight yarn on US size 2 DPNs, so on the first try I started with my 3mm Addis. Knitted 12 rows, realised my gauge was too loose, and went down to 2.75mm Aeros. Still too loose, so I ripped and CO with 2.75mm . Fabric seemed firmer and I knitted 6 inches of leg. Tried it on, and it's still too loose. Problem? There's no ribbing or anything, just a purled pattern on stockinette. I think I need to decrease the stitches.

My Hogwarts socks Kellie J at http://kelknits.wordpress.com/ received her socks on 22 May, the owl post was fast. She likes them, I am so happy. And I also found out who the mystery gifter of the delicious Posh Yarns yarn was, it is my knitter's tea swap 3 partner. I shall wait until my parcel gets to her before the reveal, but oh, there's always anxiety and I hope she likes it. I have also been purchasing shawl patterns lately, but not for myself. I intend to knit the Heartsrings Faceted Gems wrap for my aunt. The Hanami stole is for someone special because it is one of the most beautiful pattern I have seen, and I purchased the Spring things shawl for my knitter's tea swap pal yesterday after I found out she had sent the Posh Yarns, because the model shawl was knitted in such a lush green and she likes green.
I need to get 2 wraps out to pregnant mothers ... they have got to be fingering to DK weight, lace weight takes too long. I need to find suitable patterns for that. I think they are both due in August. Sweetie, is Anne and Victor's wife due to deliver this August?

Spring sock hop parcel

2007-05-30T03:12:00.000-07:00

A wonderful spring sock hop parcel arrived from Anne Wilson today, containing not only socks but sock yarn!. Thank you so much for such fabulousness Anne. I am going to get DH to post a picture asap he returns next Saturday. Sadly Anne doesn't have a blog up yet, but she's a fabulous knitter with a great colour sense, I couldn't have picked nicer colours. All will be revealed in a fortnight.

I also got my ITE4 match yesterday. I am still waiting for the pattern (from the UK) and the yarn (from the US), but it will be a challenge to knit for her (is that revealingtoo much?). Luckily, I like the challenge of knitting bags, and for me it is more a process than the finished item. Um, dear ITE3 pal, are you doing ok? I ahve not heard from you for while ...

I am on the right sleeve of DH's bamboo raglan, I am knitting away like a squirrel storing nuts, and being very monogamous (no lace or socks) because I need to time how long it takes to knit a simple no pattern sweater for DH. Then it will be the Thing for A, then, I have decided, 3 lace shawls (for younger SIL, I am abandoning the pink rayon yarn, waste of time and $$$, have to choose a more suitable yarn, maybe from Hipknits; for elder SIL, still blue wool lace, still I think Swallowtail; then my favourite aunt, I think I am going to buy the Heartstrings Faceted Gems lace wrap, use red Zephyr (good thing is, I may be able to use my skein of Posh Yarns Cecilia to knit another one). What I can leave to knit on and off is, the baby sweater for my new nephew (August delivery?), then the vest or sweater for FIL (birthday in Autumn?), then 5 scarves for my ex-supervisor/his wife and his three new adopted boys, they are not leaving Singapore for colder climes until next year; also, the lace shawl for our Sunday help. Tonight, need to check the Hogwarts site been a bad prefect. Gosh, it's so hot here.

The good, the bad and the beautiful

2007-05-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

Back from KL and I shall proceed in chronological order.

Many good things, although, sorry, I won't be able to post any pictures until DH gets back next fortnight. Best first, I went to the post office to pick up a parcel before last week's flight and was I glad I did. I received a giantonomous parcel from my sockret pal, who is, ta-da, also my mini lace swap pal and the greatest correspondent ever. There was Trekking and Lang sock yarns, Knitpicks alpaca cloud for lace, many many balls of 2 different cotton yarns for summer tops, a handmade notebook, patterns and Gossamer Webs, the Orenburg lace book from Interweave Press. It's not just what she sent, it's that she kept it a secret, and gave me such a wonderful surprise, and it's all so coincidental; because I had packed the yarn/needle for something for her into my bag, and it all fits ... the book, the name of the yarn I am using for DH's top down raglan ... thank you dear Adelle ... I will be writing to you too, and you will see how it all fits when I finish, I am still working on it so don't want to say too much about it now.

The other parcel which arrived like minutes before I left was the second and last parcel from my secret pal 10, she managed to post it in Singapore ... oh, how curious I am about her, coz I was actually in KL (where she's from), but too bad it's not time to reveal yet. She sent 3 skeins of Knitpicks shimmer, a ball of Regia cotton, and 4 balls of Jaeger Celeste, dark chocolates and candles. Great choice of colours, and more than that, I know she's done a great job because you won't believe it but I think yarn is even harder to get in KL than here ... we had only one free day, went to Central market and then Chinatown (Petaling street), where I spied a crafts store but all it had was acrylic carft yarn and some DMC or Katia cottons. But I came back to a nice surprise from my still anonymous Spring felted bag exchange upstream partner, who sent me a pair of 4mm Addi Lace needles, thank you very much! My downstream partner has received both the first parcel and the finished bag, which she seems to like, thank goodness, but how weird is the postal system?

Anyway, I had a great time in KL. Our Malaysian hosts were ultra hospitable, very nice people. Apparently the English Lang/Lit department is run by ladies ... very nice ladies. I didn't attend any of the papers coz I wouldn't have heard anything, but did join the rest for dinners. Basically my days consist of chilling out either in the hotel room or by the pool ... wake up, have breakfast (oatmeal with milk, some noodles, fruits) but skip lunch because still digesting breakfast (here I normally have one meal a day), knit in hotel room until early afternoon, swim, relax and knit on poolside lounger, bath and dress for dinner.

It was very hot. I loved staying in the hotel because of the cool aircon, the supportive mattress and the big bathroom with the big bathtub. Simple luxuries. I swam a little on the second day, on the third day I managed to swim over an hour (a personal acheivement, coz the last time I swam was in a kidney shaped pool in Bali more than a year ago, and the last time I swam in an Olympic size pool was 12 years ago in the university pool ... this pool is much cleaner and it was empty during the afternoons I swam, and oh, I figured out why I haven't used the university pool for so long ... it's coz, the last time I swam regularly, I was a 20 year old among other 20 year olds, now, I would be a mid 30s swimming among other 20 year olds ... I grow older every year but the students always stay the same age, haha), anyway, for the next/last 2 days I was almost incapacitated with muscle soreness. DH says I shouldn't have pushed it but oh well, now I know I can do it I want to start swimming regularly again ... if I can find a time when the pool is empty.

We went to a lakeside seafood retaurant beside the hotel the first day. Second day, some of the oragnizers brought us out for satay. Third day was the conference dinner, Chinese/Malaysian food at the hotel with ethnic dances/ers in between. Fourth day, Indian food at the top of the highest tower in KL (fifth highest in the world, is it the Merana tower?), and then, yesterday, after DH flew to the UK, instant noodles. We did not actually do much shopping because of time, we both had indigestion on the last day after the Indian dinner, it had started to rain, plus as DH pointed out we could get similar stuff in Singapore. But we did get 2 Batik silk shirts for him.

Although I knitted constantly, even during the conference dinner, but I did not finish the DH's summer sweater in time. Did read Gossamer Webs and Douglas Coupland's Jpod (surprisingly enjoyable). Didn't go for any spa treatments, but Adelle, the body scrub was scrumptious in the bath. I think my fingers remained permanently wrinkled from being immersed in water last week. Then I had a dream the last night, can't remember most of it but the bit where someone slammed the door on Tigs, and her tail fur was sort of scraped bare and she wouldn't let anyone near her but me. That made me eager to come back, she is pleased and happy to see us but first thing she did? She used her claws to knead DH's raglan sweater and in trying to disentangle herself broke the yarn of a stitch about 4 inches up the already knitted part. The bamboo yarn is a knitted tube, so it's hard to repair, but I am not going to unravel and reknit 3 days work.

That's slightly bad, the real bad news is, vacuum cleaner has spoiled, the aircon is not working, the amplifier (S$15K) is not working despite us jumping into a cab to get a new tube that same day, and the DVD player is temperamental. We got a new vacuum cleaner, DH says there's no point sending the DVD player for repairs, we did that once and it will just go wonky again, and we will have to send in the amp after he returns. He got irritated that I am so useless about repairs, coz I said I can't phone the aircon repairmen. I would wish I was back in KL only I am so happy to see Tigs, but I am already missing DH and having to fight my tendency to hibernate until his return. He was kind enough to bring some parcels to post from the UK to the US, the three main parcels being the Knitters tea swap 3, Monkey socks swap 2 and the Rowanette exchange 2007. There's also a surprise for you Adelle, and an extra for the earth yarn swap (need to go to the post office to check that out). Unfortunately I can't post a Hogwarts sock swap picture now because I have already sent the parcel out. What else? Oh, Kerrie is going to send all my Hipknits orders (um I added a last one so that must be 4 consolidated orders? at least) to my MIL's (DH will be there, otherwise I would feel bad), the yarns + pattern I ordered for ITE4 should be there already.

Now, for the beautiful. The weirdest coincidence? I applied to join the Posh Yarns knitters group yesterday (although I only owned one precious skein of Posh Yarns Cecilia), and this afternoon the postman delivered TWO 400yds/55g skeins of Posh Yarns Sophia laceweigth pure cashmere yarn, in the most beautiful light greenish colorway imaginable (it's called "Bliss" there will be a picture of this next fortnight). Dee paints the most gorgeously subtle yarns, and this is the colorway+yarn I would have chosen if I had the choice (the nicest colors in Posh Yarns' Sunday sale sell out fast), but I don't remember being lucky enough to get this yarn (did I?). There's no note so I don't know at the moment who it is from, or what I have done to deserve it, but whoever it is, I don't know what to say, it's like being lucky twice over (this from someone who as I pointed out to DH at the conference dinner raffle never wins anything), I mean, if I could have bought this from Dee it would already be lucky, you know, but to have this just arrive out of nowhere ... I am speechless (but can already see what this yarn is going to be--the lace shawl from the lastest issue of Knitter's magazine). Thank you very much.

Hiatus

2007-05-20T05:13:00.000-07:00

I will be in KL, Malaysia, until next Saturday. Probably no email or blog access. If I owe you stuff on swap-bot or any other exchanges, do not worry, I will get back to you next week. Right now, sigh, I have to cook dinner and still have a ton of dirty washing to finish by tomorrow (or it gets mouldy). I owe my dye-o-rama pal 2 postcards, but am planning to send them from a different country so the secret doesn't get out too soon. My ISE 4 pal should be receiving her scarf soon, I hope. Otherwise, until next week. Planning to bring DH's summer raglan and Adelle's surprise along for poolside knitting.

Knitter's treat exchange parcel

2007-05-16T00:11:00.001-07:00

knitting and chocolate
Originally uploaded by khora.

These arrived today from Margie Dougherty (no blog?):
100g Opal sock yarn and a pattern for the Harris tweed stitch sock, the May issue of Creative Knitting, a clipped magazine article about dyeing yarn, and a sachet of chocolate sprinkles. She forgot the "pampering treat" but it doesn't matter, I can't wait to knit up these socks. Thank you so much Margie.

The last PRGE parcel also arrived from my pal Julie Tisone: She sent 2 x 25g of Madi Seta in a subtle earthtones colorways, so soft and I already know what I am going to knit with it, a bar of Hersey's dark chocolate and a political thriller from an author she knows, it's "An Accidental American" by Alex Carr and it's autographed! I am starting it today. Thank you so much for being my pal in the PRGE 2 Julie and I will look forward to seeing you here someday.

Still working on the monkey socks but I am also thinking about the tea swap.

What I am working on

2007-05-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

work in progress
Originally uploaded by khora.

One FO, one WIP, and one next in queue. The purple bag on the bottom is for the Rowanette exchange 2007. I had to speed knit and finish over the weekend because my recipient is allergic to cats, and while I was working on it I had to keep Tigs in the cage. I needed a bulky yarn for fast knitting, and my recipient prefers jewel colours, so I picked out this amethyst roving yarn from my stash. It was S$5/50g at Spotlight, and a perfect substitute for Rowan's Polar as it has a similar spin and fiber blend minus the alpaca. I used 6mm needles and slip stitch basketweave, half linen stitch and moss stitch to add texture and strength, then added a lining and finished with a magnetic clasp. I used up all of 5 balls, so the bag costs about the same as an average pair of nice socks.

Speaking of socks, do you see the sock yarn and the sock pattern at the back? The yarn is from Erin (Mrs Q), [thank you], who was my upstram partner in the Yarn Junkies Unite (blues) swap on Swap-bot. The 175yds/50g 80% wool 20% nylon sock yarn is hand dyed by her friend who runs a local home grown business (Rabbitworks Fibre Studio). I tend to go for bright colorways, so this is one of the more subtle sock yarns I have seen, and I am thinking just perfect for my sockapalooza 4 pal, who prefers muted colors, in the reversible sock pattern at the back. I did order a skein of CTH solids for her, but the pattern would come up much nicer with a shaded hand dyed yarn.

The bit on the bottom left of the picture is the socks I am working on for Monkey Socks swap 2. The yarn is standard 80% wool sock, but I like the way it is striping. However this is my first time knitting 2 socks at a time using magic loop, and I am not sure I like it because I have to slow down at the end of every half round to reposition the yarn. So far I think my fastest and favourite method is magic looping one sock at a time.

Speaking of magic looping, I really wanted to introduce it to my Knitting Gnome Swap pal, but since I couldn't find the required teeny Addis here (the store at Tanglin Mall where I bought her sock yarn has a few 60cms from 4mm to 6mm), I had to order them from a big online yarn supplier. Guess what? I just paid US$10+ shipping/handling for a pair of US$12.50 needles in a box (granted, they did arrived within a few days). The worst aspect of the whole debacle was that I forgot to add something else. I need to get a knitting needle gauge for my Monkey Socks swap 2 pal, but she lives in the US, and I have just spent the last week running around Holland Village (has the LYS closed down?), Spotlight, Tanglin and Golden Dragon etc., only to realise something I really should have known beforehand ... the gauges available here are in metric, not US, sizes. Duh! So, yesterday nght, I ordered one from the other big online yarn supplier. Like the first, international shipping is based on weight plus handling charges. This time I did add a few skeins of yarn, mostly felting yarn (Ella Rae) in preparation for ITE4, 100g sock yarn, 100g DK alpaca for a fairisle hat, and two magazines (Adrienne Vittadinni Spring 2005 which I have been after for ages, and a back issue of Interweave Knits). I don't know exactly how much I will end up paying for shipping.

But I was good, I didn't succumb to Posh Yarns yesterday. We have finished Farscape and are waiting for the next season. I think this series is better than Babylon 5, and almost as good as Firefly. I want to join the Sci-Fic knitalong, but can't think of a suitable character persona. Any suggestions? I mean, I love the idea of a kick-ass superwarrior woman, but it's not really me, you know? I mean, I was still sort of, not exactly, afraid (but sort of), to call my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's day yesterday ... but I did bite the bullet in the end and it wasn't as bad as I thought (almost). I will call her more often from now on though.

Post hospital blues

2007-05-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

I got ridiculously upset at the hospital today, Dh went with me and I think he got miffed at my attitude ... but, after making us wait one and a half hours despite an appointment, we got to see the doctor for about two minutes, during which he told us that the MRI scan didn't show up anything, and that they had no ideas about the deterioration of hearing loss in my left ear, but that it must be ascribed to my original viral infection/high fever caused hearing loss at two. For this privilege, we had to pay a consultation fee of $20, on top of the expensive MRI scan and higher consultation charges last time. Then he asks me whether I want to schedule an appointment to come back for a check up. Do I look like I need my head opened up? The whole exercise was a total waste of time and money. I don't need anyone to tell me ... I am sorry, but we can see no physical cause for your hearing lost (even though the test showed that I have more than 55% hearing lost in both ears) , perhaps you should think of a pair of hearing aids. Do I need a enteriologist to tell me that?

I did much rather have spent the money on yarn. Anyway, I got caught in the rain on the way home, and to while away the time and "expend" my frustration I went shopping. What was my haul? A pair of jeans, because my current 29 inch ones droop below my waistline and DH has threatened to junk them more than once, actually he says they are a disgrace. I got a 28 inch pair, but actually I find them a little too tight ... maybe they will expand in the wash like the old ones. A monkey T-shirt for a swap (what a find) and 5 others for me ... it's the first time I have bought any tees for 4 or 5 years, I usually wear out the hand me downs from my cousin and her daughter, but really, wouldn't you rather spend $30 on oh, 3 nice balls of Rowan yarn, rather than one T-shirt? However, most of my tees are really worn out. A pink/green cotton shirt for DH, just like the colors. Oh, a 50s print (cute Americana boys & girls) heavy weight cotton for a hand made bag swap, I have been looking all over with no success until now. Some pens and combs etc. to add to swap parcels. Then the rain stopped, and I realised I was feeling better. Tops for retail therapy huh?

Anyway, the Brandon Mably's Shark, I am going to call it the Supernatural sweater from now on because at night, the olive green background receeds and the 3 vermillion slashes really burn an almost spectral after image. The dark olive green is also the colour of trees by the highway in Britosh Columbia. This is a good stash busting project as it uses all almost all of 17 x 50g balls of King Cole merino blend, but might not qualify as knitting from stash because I only got the yarn last winter when we were in the UK, DH picked both yarn and colour himself. the next project for DH might also not qualify, because the yarn was ordered this year. See, last winter I was saying how nice it was that DH finally had the chance to wear some of his handknits, because normally it was too hot here, and some people pointed out that I should knit him something more suitable for tropical weather, like a cotton shirt. So earlier this year, when I was browsing the web for newish plant fiber derived yarns for a swap, I saw this bamboo yarn from SWTC called, I thought, "serenity," which I immediately ordered totally based upon the name alone, because last year I knitted him the Elsebeth Lavold "Aud" sweater which I renamed "Firefly," and of course sci-fic fans know Serenity is the name of the film maded after theTV series was pulled. I got 10 x 100g balls, because a stockinette knit sweater in his size (50") would usually require 17 to 18 50g balls, and I intended to include the extra ball as part of the swap. Well, the yarn arrived too late for the swap, way later than some yarn I ordered from the UK about that time, and get this ... the colourway is not serenity, it's serendipity! I think I have a mild form of deslexia (like, I spent one whole summer consistently confusing the names of DH's sister and friend, and my poor supervisor kept pointing out name spelling mistakes in my thesis, and then the next time, I would make the same mistake again, like I had it fixed in my head this was how their names should be spelled!) Anyway, would I be serene if my choice was serendipitious? haha. That will be his next sweater and I think it's going to be a top down circular pattern. I have sort of stopped joining swaps for a while, I am still waiting for yarns I ordered for previous swaps to arrive, and then we will see what happens. Right now, I have no idea really what's on backlog, coz I have had to substitute so many times.

I am working on a felted bag right now, trying to test the difference between 1 strand on 4.5mm needles and 2 strands on 8mm needles before I start my pal's bag. Mind you, the pattern hasn't yet arrived either. It's the Ultimate needle bag from Fleece Artist, and I stumbled upon it when I was surfing the web for a sewn knitting organizer pattern.

HP Socks for the Hogwarts socks swap

2007-05-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

HP Socks
Originally uploaded by khora.

Can you guess which house my pal is in? These are the sideways knit garter stitch "better mousetrap" socks by Debbie New, one of the more innovative knitting designers. These socks are reversible, so you get first or second year stripes HP, and they can be worn straight as nearly knee socks, or folded down to any length. In sport weight wool it feels very cushy, and garter stitch is very stretchy so should be well fitting. Can you see the extra surprise present underneath?

I finished Shark, it looks great on DH, I am calling it the Supernatural sweater tell you why later when I post a picture. Now working on a felted bring out to Sunday coffee bag for DH, also explain more later. The post is really a pain sometimes. So many things I have ordered for swaps etc. that haven't arrived and I have had to send something else instead, also weird that UK shipping is faster than US.

In the nick of time

2007-05-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

In the nick of time
Originally uploaded by khora.

my beautiful monkey socks from Rose (Madamepurl.com), along with a sock monkey coffee mug, sock monkey gift tags, a plastic sock monkey dangle and round wooden chip (hmm not sure what those are for but so cute anyway), a black sheep tape measure, and a postcard with a picture of a sock monkey saying welcome to Rockford. Which is where Rose is from, and it's the home of the sock monkey. I love sock monkeys, I have been meaning to make one for ages, so thank you very much for such a great swap Rose. And thank you Rebecca for organizing such an enjoyable monkey sock exchange.

Monkeysocks 2 questionaire

2007-04-29T04:45:00.001-07:00

red shawl
Originally uploaded by khora.

Monkey Sock Swap TWO Questionnaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting?
Almost 8 years now.

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
Considering the socks I have knitted-intermediate, but seriously, how hard can any sock pattern be?

The measurements:
Shoe Size: Not sure about the US or UK size equivalents.
Foot circumference: 8.25 inches
Foot length: 8.5 inches

Yarn Preferences:
What colors do you love?
I did describe my favourite colors as dusky or fruit sherbet pastels.

Do you prefer solids or variegated? Vareigated anytime.

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? Wool, no acrylics.

What colors would you never wear? 80s primarys or secondaries, yellows and brown earthtones (DH's colours, haha).

Knitting Gadgets
Favorite needles. Plastic, metal, bamboo or wood?
Magic loop on Addi Turbo works best for me.

Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like?
I think my basic knitting notions collection is adequate, I guess it would be nice to have luxury items.

Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? I am international.

Do you have any allergies? No.

The picture is of my Leaf Lace Shawl for the MOA knitalong.

I meet Lois and Louise at the knitting meet up at Raffles City today. They both totally rock (ok, not sure what that means but it's good), Lois was working on a thermal from Knitty in Rowan 4 ply soft 9she got a great deal on it last year, something like US$20/10x 50gballs ... yes go on drool), and Louise gave me a great knitting notions swap parcel ... full of beautiful and useful thing + online sock yarn. THANK YOU LOUISE. The best item was a magnetic chart holder which came in so useful for the Shark chart I was knitting but ... I obviously suck at intarisa. Can you believe that after 3 starts here I am on the 10th row and I have made two mistakes? It's intarsia so maybe I don't need to rip, or maybe I do ... urgh.

Yarn purchases, well, the Knit Happens kaalund yarn has not arrived, neither has the Hipknits. I am torn between 3 yarn choices for FIL's August sweater, first choice is 100% merino from Spotlight (S$5.50 per 50g retail price), second choice is one of the luxury yarns from Knitpicks (US$3.99 per 50g sale price) and third choice is Zephyr DK (US$32 per cone sale price). Great price for Zephyr, I have ordered from her twice before, both times I ordered 4 cones to qualify for the 4 cones bulk price discount, both times 1 of the colours I ordered was out of stock so she refunded for the cone but I didnt qualify for the discount. Sick huh? So wondering whether it's worth it now. If I use the Spotlight yarn can just get as much or little as I need. Oh, well, besides Hipknits (already buying from her so any buys are additions, not counted), and whatever I get for FIL, I got a felted bag pattern for the ITE4 ... I will show that when it comes, it's so neat I may have to knit 1 for myself.

Should I rip out the intarsia bits?

coffee questionaire

2007-04-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

It's been nice but a little tiring for the last few days, having DH's friends and colleagues over. It's mostly because I have to strain so hard to heard, much less participate, and then only get at most 20% of what's going on. But I have been able to knit on my HP socks while everyone else was having beers at Emerald Hill. Not quite halfway done on the second one. Need to check up on the ISE4 scarf, and bloody hell, got a 1 from a swap-bot user for a registered surface parcel not turning up 9yet). Hopefully the post office will do something and she will change the rating, it is irritating because that is one of the swaps in which I got a flaker confirmed not sending to me. Never mind. Now I need to sew 2 swap items and get something nice for the red swap. And post a photo of my MOA shawl. Just been watching the Supernatural DVDs, sometimes until the early hours of the morning.

Here are the questions:
QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? whole bean
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? fully loaded
3. Regular or flavored? regular
4. How do you drink your coffee? straight black
5. Favorite coffee ever? Jamiacan Blue Mountain
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? very fussy
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? very dark chocolate
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I like smooth coffees, because I drink it black
9. Yarn/fiber you love? luxury natural animal fibers
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? acrylics and all synthetics
11. What's on your needles? Harry Potter Gryffindor socks
12. Favorite colors? duck & robin egg blues, lime & pistchio greens, mauve & lilacs, rose & dusty pinks, bit of gold ... say a sort of dusty, dusky pastels, spring colors
13. Allergies? don't like smoke
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? nah, just have fun but would appreciate my pal's address soon coz parcel's got a long way to go

Spring felted bag exchange questionaire

2007-04-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

1. How long have you been knitting or crochetting? How did you learn?
Must be almost 8 years, from a book.
2. What are your favorite yarns to knit\crochet felted bags with?
Since this is Singapore, I usually use Panda woolbale 100% Australian wool, $4.99/50g from Spotlight. It does have a wide selection of colours.
3. What are your favorite needles to knit\crochet with?
For felted bags, Clover plastic circulars works well with double strands. But I like Addis, Clover steel, or Aero, circulars for lace and socks, and I use Knitpicks Options for everything else! Nice wooden straights are useful for scarves.
4. What are the last 3 bags you knitted\crochetted (include URL for Yahoo! or flickr album or your blog if you have them!)? You can also link to patterns if you don't have pictures of your finished objects!
There are all Noni patterns, Night Garden Evening Bag for the Knitted Purse Swap 2, 9 to 9 Evening Bag for ITE4 (it hasn't arrived yet) and In the Sculpture Garden (not yet felted).
5. Do you carry the bags that you make, give them as gifts, or both?
Umm, more as gifts. thta's probably why I like exchanges.
6. What is your favorite felted bag that you have made for yourself? I suspect I will like the Sculpture Garden bag but I haven't felted it yet.
7. What are your favorite colors? Do you like bags in these colors or choose other colors? Duck and robin eggs blues, lime and pistachio greens, mauves and lilacs, dusty and rose pinks ... yes, I do have non felted bags in these colors. My last bag (a brocade satchel which I used until the bottom seam burst) is light blue, and so is my current bag, a silk tube baguette DH bought from Holland Village.
8. Chocolate: White, Milk, Dark, or not so much?
Very dark.
9. Coffee, Tea, or Milk?
Good coffee beans or nice white/red/fruit teas. It's a strange contradiction. I like my coffees black but smooth, no milk, and my teas white or red, no milk or lemon, never black tea.
10. Do you prefer sweet or salty treats? What kinds?
Any kind, I have a sweet tooth but trying hard to saty on a diet ... which is actually easier than staying on a yarn diet :>
11. If you went into Bath and Body Works and could only come out with one item, what would it be and what would it smell like?
Don't know what it is, but possibly Geranium body cream?
12. Do you enjoy any other crafts or hobbies? Do you collect anything? Spin, sew, going to start making bears again, collect antique/vintage and artist mini bears.
13. Are there any bag patterns you have not yet knit, but hope to someday?
Err, I like the Belle bag but haven't yet attempted it because it's fairisle, maybe a mitered bag. The Berroco croisant bag, but it's not felted.
14. What is currently OTN (on the needles) for you?
Field of flowers shawl for SIL and Avalon knitalong, I hate it, it cramps my fingers so bad. Must finish the intarsia front of DH's sweater.
15. What is your most recent finished object before that?
Monkey socks for the first monkey socks swap, Chris has just received it and you can see it on the blog.
16. What's cutest: Puppies, Piggies or Pixies?
Bears, kitties, hedgehogs are all cuter than any of those.
17. Do you enjoy reading? Books, Magazines, or both?
Boths, knitting magazines.
18. Do you have any children? (kid-kind or pet-kind apply!)
My cat Tigs.
19. What are some of your favorite yarns for other projects?
I love cashmere, silk, superfine merino yarns.
20. And for the final question, one I see debated all over: Novelty Yarn: Love it! Hate it! or It depends! Hate it unless I am aiming for a specific effect. I used an eyelash with a cotton ribbon in a linen stich pattern as part of a summer scarf for ISE 4. I used a multi-colored fluffy nylon yarn with 2 strands of 100% variegated wool to make a bag prototype for the Spring bag kit exchange on swap-bot.

Going potty

2007-04-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's mad but I am ridiculously excited about the Hogwarts socks swap and the whole Harry Potter thingie, so much so that, well, let's say that even though I haven't got the sock yarn yet I spent the last day or so knitting something else for my pal. I will try to post a picture this weekend and you can guess what house she is from. I have also joined Sockapalooooza 4, but I think sign ups are now closed. You see, I bought 2 big skeins of yarn for the first Monkey socks swap (US$30 + $9 shipping), but didn't like how it knitted up in the Monkey pattern, so I am hoping to put it to better use in Sockapalooooza 4 and the Rowan exchange. Spotlight's weekly catalogue last week got me excited, because, you see, they seemed to be advertising made in Italy fingering weight yarn (a first), so down I trotted to the store and it was all hogwash! Bah! The yarns aren't in stock and they have no idea when it will arrive. Mind you, I still managed to drop S$30 in drips and drabs, bits and bobs to add to swap parcels. But I am still a little irate at the store. So when I came back, and quite by chance (ok, on my usual weekly internet check) that Hipknits had updated their sale page, well, I experienced a very painful fall from the knit from your stash wagon. As if that wasn't enough, I ordered more direct from Kerrie. And this is in addition to last week's order of the competition pack (which doesn't count because it is for a design contest, although I did add just one skein of cashmere sock yarn) ... that's like, 3 orders from the same company within 1 week! Oh, and 3 other small items from 3 different sellers: a pair of Brittany needles for my Hogwarts sock pal (less than US$10 even with shipping), a little piece of fabric to make a bag for an exchange, and a fabric knitting needle roll. Ok, if you are wondering about that last one (I mean, I have sewn 3 DPNs rolls and 2 circular cases, and am hosting a knitting needle roll swap on swap-bot), sorry dear, it was very late at night when I was probably not at my most resistant, I like the fabric, and it was on sale. Madness, that's what it is. But if you notice, I have not succumbed to Web's anniversary sale, or Elann's weekly sale, or even got anything from anywhere that wasn't directly or indirectly related to something for someone else (except the Posh Yarns and Hipknits exceptions). In spite of which, I have somehow ended up with more sock yarn than before I joined these exchanges and swaps with the sole intention of using up stash sock yarn. Huh! The field of flowers shawl is still very slow going, but it is just marginally more attractive than the intarsia front of Shark. I need some motivation like a dateline, perhaps that's why knitting for others in exchanges and swaps is so much more fun than knitting for myself. Ok, this is for DH, but it's almost summer now, when is he going to need another wooly sweater?

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionaire

2007-04-11T02:18:00.000-07:00

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Two out of three, makes a Ravenclaw of me.

Shoe size? US, UK, EU or Japan, shoe size is too confusing to memorize.

Foot Length? From tip of toe to back of heel, the tape measures 8 plus half an inch.

Foot Circumference? Slim or slender, only 8 inches all around.

List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.

a. Number one for all sock knitters must be, Celtic Swan sterling silver size 0 (2mm, 5mm).

b. Second in price abut more in reach, Celtic Swan bronze size 1 (2.38mm, 5mm).

c. But lovers of wood pledge their vow, on Lantern Moon ebony sox stix (2.25mm, 5 inches).

Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
Hereforth must confess, my trade is plyed,
Not with double points, but through magic loops,
Whence speedily I proceed, and any needle is fine,
but I do covet, if it not be a sin, Addi lace circulars (3.25mm, 47 inch).

If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? Blue and brown, or blue and gray, must say I find the latter more pleasant in May.

Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? Wizards and elfs, who can confine their sway?

I think it's too late to join, but you can check out the blog at http://hogwarts-sock-swap.blogspot.com/

Easter Monkey socks

2007-04-09T03:14:00.000-07:00

I finished my socks yesterday, and ... I am amazingly proud of them! Why?

Well, in my last post I had cast on my pal's Monkey socks with the handpainted merino sock yarn that just arrived from an Etsy seller. While the color combination was beautiful, and the yarn felt very soft, by the time I reached the heel I was having second thoughts. not only were the colors pooling, the gauge on 2.5mm needles felt too loose. I re-checked the specifics and the yardage was over 800yds/4 oz skein. A very generous yardage, more than enough for two pairs of socks, but I think the yarn is more suitable for delicate lace items, especially since it's not superwash. I do love the yarn, especially the color combination, but it's just not right for the Monkey socks, which is sort of sad because I got two skeins (combined shipping $9).

So I had to re-t(h)ink, and fast. Well, I decided to give sock dyeing another go, and the result is this pair of Monkey socks in what I consider a beautiful color combination ... and what I really like about it is that not only is there NO pooling, but the two socks are almost identical twins. It's 100% merino sock yarn, but unfortunately it's also not superwash. Do you think it will be a problem? My pal has so far only used 75% wool sock yarn, and while this yarn is way more cushy and comfortable, the question is, would she be ok with handwash? I probably still have time to knit a pair in standard 75% wool sock yarn. I wouldn't have time to order more but I do have some stash English handpainted sock yarn that she might like. Tell me what you all think, is non superwash a problem? I won't post any pictures coz I don't want to spoil the surprise yet.

I am still procrastinating on the intarsia front of Shark, but I have started the wildflower shawl for youngest brother's wife. I was right, horrible yarn. Oh oh I just burnt the instant noodles!

Knitter's treat questionaire

2007-04-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
I like many types of yarns, depending on function (what's the project, who's the recipient). But in general I like knitting with natural fibers, soft wools or other animal fibers for winter wear, silk & various plant fibers in the summer months. I like good quality yarns, but not necessarily "branded" yarns as I am more a fiber snob than a yarn snob. I have tried some precious fibers with good results. Sometimes they are heavenly to knit, like qiviut or cashmere, other times although a little tricky the results look stunning, like a silk lace shawl. I try to match the yarns to the patterns, or vice versa. My comfort knitting is still DK weight yarn on 4mm needles, but my interest is knitting lace.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn? Acrylics and synthetics like polyacrylics, polyester, polyamid. Eyelash, fluffy and novelty yarns. Nylon is ok it adds strength to sock yarns.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop? Check out (i.e. fondle) any new yarn arrivals.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do? I try to spin & sew.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to? Interweave Knits & Vogue Knitting. I do have the latest issue of Knitting and Knit Today (UK magazines).

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:
Knitting / Crochet / Other Craft / Food / Home / Fashion / Celebrity Gossip / Garden

The order stands, but only because I don't have a graden, we live in a rented high rise.

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet? Sweaters for DH, lace shawls for everyone else.

8. Are you allergic to anything? No, but don't like cigarette smoke.

9. What do you like to* smell of? Geranium, which I use the essential oil as a perfume.
(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)

10. What's your favourite way to relax? Knit while watching DVD.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first? Is it morning or afternoon? In the morning I would go to the Italian cafe, in the afternoon to the dainty tea room for scones with clotted cream.

12. What do you come out with? Pithy words? Pimples? Rashes?

13. Where do you go next? Bedroom to sleep.

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal? Don't sweat over the exchange, just relax and enjoy it coz I will like anything.

Mushroom beef stir-fry

2007-04-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have been substituting and changing ingredients for at least two weeks, but tonight was the first time I cooked without following a written recipe. So here's my recipe for a tasty mushroom beef stir-fry for two.

Ingredients:
3 different types of mushrooms, about a handful each, cut into strips. I used shitake and white and brown oyster mushrooms.
Enough beef for two, cut into thin strips
1 red pepper cut into cubes
1 carrot cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, 1 inch young ginger, 1 red chilli, all chopped into small bits
vegetable oil, sesame oil, oyster sauce, light soy sauce

Method:
Heat the oil in the wok & stir fry the beef until it's sealed. Just before it is sealed, add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Then add the carrot, stir fry for two minutes, then add the red peper and a dash of sesame oil and stir fry a minute or two more, the vegetables should have softened up a bit. Add the mushrooms and the oyster sauce, stir fry another minute. Add a dash or two of soy sauce and let the whole thing simmer for a minute. The mushrooms should have soaked in the sauce and shrunk. That's it. We ate it with brown rice, and a yogurt and naval orange for desert.

Knitting: I have finished the back and both sleeves of Shark. Now, it's the ribbing, 20 rows of stockinette, then the intarsia bits. I am knitting the smallest size for a finished measurement of 50 inches around the chest. When I am sick of stockinette, I console myself ... at least it's not intarsia. Actually, it's not that bad. It is a soft superwash merino blend yarn in my favourite DK weight on 4mm needles, comfort knitting, or rather, TV knitting. Oh boy, we have just watched done of the worst films I have ever seen, DH bought the DVD (full price!) without reading the small print ... this is the result of a reality show. I have also been knitting the Monkey socks, almost finished the second one, it is looking good in monkeys among the bananas colours (gray, brown, white & yellow). I like the pattern very much. Should this go to my monkey pal or should I wait for the merino sock yarn in her preferred colours which I ordered from Esty last week? It should arrive by next week. I think I wouldn't mind knitting this a second or even third time, it is a very nice pattern. Only there's so many things I want to knit, or have to knit (presents: 2 shawls, 2 baby layettes), and for DH (summer sweater), for myself (a sweater, a cardigan?). You know the feeling. But I am being strong. I will not cast on until I have finished Shark.

Have I fallen off the wagon?

2007-03-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

If I need to ask that question, it's because I have probably over indulged in yarn buying. But who could resist the Knit Happens 55% off online sale, even though I stumbled upon it by chance a week late and the store had been almost cleared out (imagine a swarm of locusts)? Shame I didn't find out about it earlier, they were selling Addis at $8 and Misti baby alpaca lace for $2+! And Koigu for $4, Cascade for $3. Nope, I didn't manage to get any of these, but you know what I would have gotten if I had been early enough.

So have I fallen off the wagon? Ok, time to check the inventory. Since the beginning of the year, what have I purchased online?

Nothing in January. In February, 3 purchases (not on sale).

Birthday yarn: 1 skein Posh Yarns, 3 skeins Hipknits.
These arrived late so I bought the yarn for a Rowan pattern summer pullover for DH.

In March, 6 purchases (not on sale), 1 "sale" purchase.

Bamboo and soy sock yarn (for a swap, but obviously I had to order a few extras skeins to try myself, ok, enough for 3 pairs).

Metallic rayon silk chenille, handspun, handpainted and mohair yarns. Chenille and handspun have gone, the handpainted is due to go soon, the mohair is still waiting for the right recipient). These were from different ebay or etsy sellers.

Britanny & Addi needles and 2 more pairs of sock yarn (for swaps & DH).

Last night, 2 skeins of Kaalund kid mohair lace at the Knit Happens online sale. I am sorry, I had to buy something from the sale.

The shipping from individual ebay/etsy sellers is marginally better than from the online yarn stores, which charges me at least US$11 to $15 per order. But if I am only ordering one skein from an esty seller, the shipping is only about $6 to $9.

This obviously doesn't include the yarns I buy from my LYSs (and I do try to patronise them whenever possible). Actaully most of what I ordered in March has gone out, so it's not as bad as it looks. Nah, don't think I have really fallen off the wagon. Out of 6 purchases only the mohair is still waiting, the others were purchased with specific people or swap requirements in mind.

On the knitting front, I am on the second sleeve of Shark.

Color harmonies

2007-03-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

First, many apologies to my favourite color swap 2 pal Knitting Hooligan for this belated picture post: her parcel arrived last week just before the stomach flu, so I have been woefully behind in thanking my pals. I am going to try to get two pictures on this post.

First, on the right is the wonderful parcel from Knitting Hooligan full of Knitpicks goodness: 4 x 50g Knitpicks Gossamer merino lace yarn, 3 x 50g Palette Peruvian fingering weight yarn, and 1 x 100g skein of luscious Malabrigo merino, it's so squooshy you have to feel it to appreciate it. Best of all, though, is that everything, including the spa products, is a glorious shade of lime ... if yarn was edible I did eat it all. Thank you very much Knitting Hooligan.

Second, on the upper left, is the beautiful handspun skeins from my handspun secret pal Lisa (www.stitch-dom.blogspot.com) all the way from Canada, and she included some coordinating Fleece Artist Blueface Leicester roving. Thank you very much Lisa, not only are the colors so me, and the yarns so nice and soft, I can't wait to spin the roving up and make a stripy scarf. And thank you Interweave Press for a great handspun swap experience.

On the bottom left of this picture are two of my WIPs, the bag is a proto-type for the swap-bot spring purse swap, I am thinking something spring+flowers. The sock might be for the Sock Monkey swap, this is a wool-cotton blend sock yarn in DH's fave colors, it really reminds me of monkeys in a pile of bananas! The background of the picture is the back of Shark, I still have one more sleeve and front to knit. What an anthropomorphic week, with sharks, monkeys, pigs and skulls. I found some interesting items for my Punk Rock Gift Exchange 2 pal, but Secret pal 10's first parcel is a little delayed because I can't find the animal print I want to sew her something.

But look what came for me from my upsteam secret pal 10 (this is the second picture): 100g merino lace yarn from the Knittery in Australia, packets of tea and salad dressings, and I think a bar of some kind of chocolate (? .. not sure what because there's no label), and a drawer fragance sachet. I am into lace knitting so this is very timely. Most interesting of all, the parcel is from Malaysia, so I am trying real hard to guess who she is. My previous pals have all been from the US, so this is a first time.

Short note

2007-03-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

I was going to post a photo of the wonderful favourite color swap parcel that came through, just because, you know, of all the impact of all that yarny goodness in my favourite colors (4 skeins Knitpicks merino lace, 3 skeins Knitpick palette, 1 malabrigo); and of the 2 handspun skeins my handspun pal sent all the way from Canada; plus another photo of last week's Posh Yarns skein and this week's 3 skeins from Hipknits (all ordered more than a month ago, for my birthday) and I will, but it has to be next time because I have somehow contacted stomach flu ... my tummy is bloated and uncomfortable, I have a sore throat and headache, I feel cold and clammy, and my joints ache. But I am still knitting, coz a girl's got to have something in her hands. I have a few swap projects waiting to get underway (Monkey and Spring Sock Hop socks, ISE 4), and 2 gift shawls, but right now, since I cannot deal with complicated patterns, I have CO DH's Shark: DK merino blend, stockinette on 4mm needles, mindless TV or sickbed knitting. Until I feel better.

Parcel from PRGE

2007-03-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

A nice surprise in the mail today, the first parcel from my PRGE secret pal, consisting of 2 x 50g Regia Ringel sock yarn, a blue knitter's T-shirt, and a punkish resin ring. They are very timely. I have been thinking DH is due another pair of socks, and the T-shirt is just what I need for our new exercise threadmill. Thank you PRGE secret pal, I will get DH to put a photo up soon. I actually want to post a picture of the shawl I just finished for the Mist of Avalon knitalong. It's the Fiber Trends Leaf lace shawl, I knitted the smaller size, using fingering weight 70% merino 30% alpaca handspun on 4mm circulars. I had about 507yds/4.1oz, which was enough for the main body less 3.5 rows, and I used some fingering weight Italian mohair (bought by DH from China, leftovers from 2005 X'mas scarves fro DH's family) for the edging, added glass beads with a crochet hook on the last row and used Jaeger Odessa (mohair yarn with a strand of sparkly metallic gold) to cast off. The subtly variegated deep wine coloured handspun yarn reflects the rich russet of autumn leaves, and the glitter dew drops. A shawl for a faery queen. And it was stash yarn.
Speaking of stash yarn, I need to post a picture of the skein I scored from Posh Yarns, because words cannot do this yarn, or yarn dyer's talents, justice. I also received word that my oldest missing yarn purchase, from 2006's Labor Day sale, has ended up back in the USA. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I shall soon be able to cross this pernicious parcel off my MIA list. My secret pal 10 spoiler has contacted me, and I have contacted my spoilee, so it looks like this is off to a good start. I can't wait to start shopping, speaking of which, I found 2 Monkey related items for the Monkey socks swap today: a bookmark and a monkey head timble (and this is so cute). Another item arrived today, it's a 2.5mm, 42" Addi circular ... but, it's the nickel plated one, not the new Addi lace knitting circulars with the brass tips I wanted. Hmm.

Secret pal 10 questionaire

2007-03-05T01:18:00.000-08:00

The Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I find it easiest to knit with the softest natural fibers DK weight yarns I can find, and I try to avoid all synthetics. If given the choice, I prefer lace weight yarn to bulky or chunky weight. I love the colour variegation and feel of Handmaiden's seasilk (but I haven't tried any other Handmaiden or Fleece Artist yarns yet), CTH's laceweight yarns (silk, possum, suri alpaca, merino), Koigu KPPM, and Noro's self striping colorways, but really, I like different fibers, weights, yarns and brands for different purposes, it all depends on what I am knitting and who the item is for. I do knit many sweaters for DH, and I usually fall back on a nice bouncy merino. What I really would like to knit this year is lace.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? My Knitpicks Options comes in its own case, the other circulars are in a plastic chest of drawers and some straights in a Mumm's champagne tin.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Almost 8 years, self taught from books, more than intermediate intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I add my knitting books to DH's Amazon wish list and he brings home a surprise as and when.

5. What's your favorite scent? Geranium.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? dark dark chocolate. My current favourite brand is The Chocolate Club in the UK.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Spin yes. General crafty fiberyness.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD). Jazz, ragge, early rock, classical.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Likes: Lime and pistachio greens, duck and robin egg blues, mauve and lilacs, rose and dusty pinks, bit of gold and tangerine. Dislikes: brown earths and yellows, 80s bright primaries and secondaries.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married 9 years, no kids, one cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear shawls here, I wear scarves, hats, mittens when we visit relatives in the UK in winter.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Lace shawls for myself and also for presents, sweaters for DH, scarves and bags as presents.

13. What are you knitting right now? Bag present.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I love my Knitpicks Options interchangeable set.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 6 years, mitered cardigan.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Klemtu, B.C., Canada.

19. Is there anything that you collect? besides yarn? Vintage and artist mini bears, old French chantilly silk laces, old mother of pearl buttons, artist dichroic buttons, I have a small spindle collection, some handbags.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Books: DH likes to buy them for a nice surprise. Needles: still need 9mm, 10mm, 12mm Knitpicks Options points, am quite curious about the newest Addi lace knitting needles (3.5mm 42"), and have read so much about the unattainable Holz and Stein ebony circulars (3.25mm, 42"). Yarn: I like lace weight silk (or blends) yarns, am rather curious about Habu silk steel and Buffalo gold, never tried corn or maize fiber. Patterns: Edwardian lace shawl from Heirloom Knitting, Adrienne Vittadinni Spring 2005 booklet.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Like to improve my lace, like to get over my impatience with fairisle, intarsia and miters. Have to master backwards knitting (I have the instructions just not the patience).

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, 8.5" length, 8.25" width.

23. When is your birthday? 21st Feb.

Punk rock gift exchange 2 questionaire

2007-03-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

It was our 9 year anniversary yesterday, unfortunately the day started badly. I went to Spotlight (our local craft superstore) to look up some yarn, bag handles and accesories for a knitted bag kit swap I was thinking of joining, and to purchase some airtight plastic containers for the fridge, DH was with me, I had selected some yarn but decided to pay for all the items together at another counter ... between the two counters and trying to look for a sold out kitchen scale DH somehow lost the S$50 note he had taken out to pay for the items. I ask you, how can someone not realise they have a note in their hand and just drop it on the floor? Actually, I am still irritated over his carelessness, because I think it is a reflection of his extreme aversion to simply being in Spotlight. This incident is also going to bring back bad memories whenever I am at Spotlight, so it is likely I will have to avoid this place in future. So you can see I was simply not in the mood for the lobster, caviar, foie gras and champagne dinner I had planned. In the end we ended up at a Peranakan buffet, which was quite nice, and caught the fireworks marking the end of the Chinese New Year forenight. But I think this was the worst anniversary we have had, and yes, I supposed I have to bear some responsibility for that. I just felt so depressed that it's been 9 years, and while we have been very happy we haven't put down any proper roots. It didn't help that the redcoats arrived 5 days late the day before. So, I was just feeling ... no house, no baby, no job ... I just feel like it's too late and we have missed the boat. This is getting me depressed. Let's get down to the questionaire:

1. How long have you been knitting/crocheting/spinning? Almost 8 years now.

2. Do you consider yourself a beginner, novice or experienced yarn artist? Experienced novice.

3. What fibers (materials) have you knit/crochet with? Everything except Buffalo gold, Habu steel silk, maize and industrial fibers. I have some bamboo and soy silk I am going to knit as soon as I decide on a pattern.

4. What are your favorite yarns? To knit: softest possible DK weight, qiviut, camel, cashmere, guanaco, merino, seasilk, silk, kid mohair, yak etc. but merino is my usual standby. For effect: lace weight silk, cashmere, merino, kid mohair or blends, knitted into the most ethereal shawls.

5. What fibers are you dying to try? Buffalo gold, Habu silk steel.

6. Do you prefer solid, self striping, or handpainted yarns? I love both Noro self striping and Koigu KPPM variegated handpaints.

7. What fibers do you dislike? I try to avoid all synthetics, acrylics, polyester, polyamids, nylon, even rayons and microfibers.

8. What are your favorite colors? Lime and pistachio green, duck's egg and robin's egg blue, mauve and lilac, dusty and rose pink, bit of gold and tangerine.

9. What are your least favorite colors? Brownish earth shades, yellow, any 80s primary colours.

10. How did you learn to knit/crochet/spin? Self-taught from books.

11. What projects are you currently working on? Right now, another felted bag present, next, a shawl for the avalon knitalong.

12. How old is your oldest UFO? What is it? Will it ever be finished? Some mitered squares for the Colours on the diagonal jacket from Knitters magazine, must be 6 years old, hopefully this year.

13. What is the most heartbreaking project that you ever frogged? Never given anything up completely, even if I frog a complete back (as I did for 2 of MIL's cardigans, and 1 of DH's), I reknit using different needles or yarn. I frogged half a sleeve of Debbie Bliss's Nell, a fairisle jacket, because the gauge was too tight, but I will reknit it someday.

14. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I use the Knitpicks Options interchangeable circular set, I have all the sizes except the 9mm, 10mm and 12mm. I love it.

15. Do you own a swift and/or a winder? Both.

16. Where do you keep your needles? Knitpick Options comes in its own faux leather case, I have some miscellaneous socks, lace and felting needles in a plastic chest of drawers, some straights in an old Mumm's champagne tin.

17. Do you enjoy helpful hints about your knitting or does it just piss you off? I still have so much to learn.

18. What techniques are you still a virgin in (lace, cables, ect.) and are you interested in trying them? I have sampled most, better at some than others, prefer some to others. I like lace and cables more than fairisle, intarsia or miters, whether the picking up or joining kind.

19. What knitting magazines do you subscribe to? Interweave Knits, can get Vogue Knitting and a few others here.

20. Are there any books, needles, yarn, patterns that you are dying to get your hands on? DH likes to buy books for me. Needles: still need 9mm, 10mm, 12mm Knitpicks Options points, am quite curious about the newest Addi lace knitting needles (3.5mm 42"), and have read so much about the unattainable Holz and Stein ebony circulars (3.25mm 42"). Yarn: I like lace weight silk (or blends) yarns, am curious about Habu silk steel and Buffalo gold, never tried corn or maize fiber. Patterns: Edwardian lace shawl from Heirloom Knitting, Adrienne Vittadinni Spring 2005 booklet.

21. Do you enjoy knitting socks? How big are your feet? Yes, 8.5" length, 8.25" width.

22. Do you have a wish list? same answers as 20?

23. What are your non-knitting, crochet, spinning hobbies? Reading.

24. How do you feel about sports? I am physically am absolute klutz.

25. What is your favorite season? Least favorite season? Why? Love all the seasons. Chinese New Year is a bit of a trial because of family reasons.

26. What is your favorite holiday? Klemtu, B.C., Canada.

27. Do you like handmade gifts? Yes.

28. Do you wear jewelry that isn't real? I make my own jewllery and they are real.

29. What are your favorite foods? Scents that you love? Foie gras (bad, non P.C.). Geranium, rose, vetivert, vanilla, green tea.

30. What is your family situation? Do you live alone? Married 9 years, no kids, one cat.

31. Do you have any pets? One cat. She loves knitted fabrics and yarns. She's sort of my gold standard, coz she only goes after nice yarn, not acrylics.

32. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3's? Love classical jazz, blues, raeggae, early rock, and yes classical music.

33. What are your favorite movies? TV shows? Actors? Deadwood, 24, CSI, Larry david show, Little Britain, Extras (when we get the DVDs). Most of my favourite actors are either dead or very old. I love the Clint Eastwood sphagetti westerns, also his early Hollywood ones.

34. What do you collect? Besides yarn? Antique and mini artist bears, I have a spindle collection, old French silk laces, old mother of pearl buttons, I own more bags than shoes, but can't really say I collect bags, can I?

35. What do you do in real life -- besides knit and blog? I don't have a real life. I read, I cook.

36. When is your birthday? Is it a national holiday or just another day? 21st Feb. As time passes it becomes more and more of the latter.

37. Do you have any allergies, medical conditions or disorders that your pal should be aware of (ie. diabetes, food/pet allergies, ect.)? No.

38. Are there any scents, phobias, or sensory thing (ie, the way certain objects feel) that your pal should be aware of? Don't like smoke odours.

39. What is the most difficult thing that you have ever knit/crochet? River's pattern was easy to memorise but physically difficult to execute, KSH laceweight mohair on 7mm needles.

40. What is your personal style? Is there a time period/fashion movement that you take your cues from? I love the bias cuts of the 1930s. I used to wear these long flowing bias silk gowns sewn by my personal tailor, and just throw on a top or a shawl for going out, but they got so worned out I can only use them as nightgowns now. Tailor got too old to make new ones. So it's usually jeans or linen pants and a top.

41. Anything else that you would like to say? Don't worry, just have fun, because I promise to like anything you send.

Time passing

2007-02-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

Well, another birthday and I am officially in my mid 30s. Is it good or rather sad that I do not feel my age at all? Had a quiet birthday. DH is a darling as usual and he not only got me yarn (10 x 50g alpaca wool from Spotlight) but he cooked me Nonya pineapple prawns and meat/crab balls with bamboo shoots soup (and he normally hates soup in this hot weather). His mother sent me a cute tea towel with an applique teapot. Nice, but I did rather have yarn! I remember as a kid ganging together with my siblings to buy home related stuff for my mum for her birthdays, really puts her in her place huh? Well, time passes, and much as I hate to admit it I am now a housewife ... like her. It's also a little sad because MIL was the only person besides DH who had ever given me yarn as a present, and I still have an incomplete shawl kit that she was to give me bits of every year ... should I take it that she's not going to finish the kit and go and buy the yarn to complete it myself? More seriously, I have always felt that she was the only one to understand and support my interest in knitting. Am I now to take it that she is trying subtly to tell me not to knit her any more stuff, at least for a while? I mean, no yarn for Xmas and my birthday (and no, I was not expecting anything big, just one or two balls as a gesture). Even more seriously, what am I to do about the Charlotte's web shawl I have already knitted for her birthday? Should I keep it for X'mas, or for myself, or give it away to someone else, and send her something non knitted instead?

I am not very good at non knitted gifts ... now I have to make ATCs for a swap and I am sort of at a loss. However I will post the bags and a few other parcels today, and I should have a FO to show you soon ... my present to myself yesterday was to finish the slip stitched sweater for DH, it fits him perfectly and he looks very handsome in it. I am pleased.

Oh, saw my niece over Chinese New Year, she says she has had no time to knit even one stitch since I saw her before X'mas. Well, I do not believe people who say they would love to learn to knit but do not have the time. If they can go out with friends etc., they have time to knit, at least a few rows a day. Like everything else, knitting is a choice, an opportunity cost. I know I am not getting younger, and I have less time to live with each passing day. Other people may choose not to waste their limited time on knitting, I however do not consider it a waste of my time, because I enjoy it. I can think of far more harmful ways to "waste" or "spend" time, and knitting bloggers are some of the nicest people I know about and have virtually "met". So if you want to learn to knit, just do it and don't give excuses. Or just say straight out ... I have only this much time and I don't choose to waste it on knitting. I am fine with that and everyone has a right to choose what they do with their time. I wonder whether DH's nieces will stick to their knitting.

More bags

2007-02-16T22:02:00.001-08:00

More bags
Originally uploaded by khora.

Two of the bags are for exchanges, one is an angel bag for the last tote exchange. I hope the recipients like ithem I am going to add some yarn and bits and pieces, and then it will be flying off after the Chinese New Year hoilday on Monday. I sort of decided that the main difference between a purse and a tote was the use allowable by size.

Tote Exchange supplies

2007-02-13T21:15:00.001-08:00

Tote Exchange supplies
Originally uploaded by khora.

I am using Panda woolbale and 8mm needles for the bag, smaller DPNs for embellishments, and either a crocheted strap or handles.

Updates on exchanges and swaps

2007-02-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

After five rounds in the washing machine the swatches in the yarn I am using for the tote and the purse exchanges (Panda Woolbale 100% Australian wool at $4.99/50g from Spotlight) has felted to a suitable degree. I think it took longer than usual to felt this time because I followed the Noni pattern instructions to knit 2 strands on an 8mm needle. Normally, I knit with either 1 strand on a 6.5mm needle or 2 strands on a 9mm needle. Those swatches did felt faster but I think I am going to stick to the pattern this time.

I have sent out all the parcels I need to send out, but have just had an unpleasant surprise email from the Interweave handspun exchange. I sent out the yarn (30yds of 1 ply wool + 1 ply raw silk, dyed with kool aid after spinning and plying on a wooden handspindle) at the same time as the handspun sock yarn exchange. Well, the latter arrived more than a week ago but apparently the former has not yet arrived ... both were sent on the same day by airmail to different US cities. Go figure. And by the way, my dear upstream handspun pal, I have not received my January skein either ... but I am cool.

I have signed up for secret pal 10, and I am rather looking forward to, but I know nobody can beat my wonderful secret pal 9 (Bobbi Kraft) or still unrevealed sockret pal. I have also signed up for what I think may be the most challenging swap yet, the Punk Rock Gift Exchange. Yes, I know I am probably the opposite of a punk rocker ... no, not the fluffy opposite but the classic opposite, as in, not top of the charts elevator muzik pop but traditional jazz and classical music ... but as an intellectual exercise it is interesting to think about the punk rock knitting. The other exchange I am having fun planning for is the Favourite color swap 2. This one is challenging in another way: my downstream pal is almost intimidatingly intellectual. She is sarcastic in a very funny way, and has the sort of no nonsense, will not stand fools gladly, persona I associate with my MIL and SIL. So in a way she is scary. Luckily, she is not an amazingly accomplished in a very short time knitter (that's admirable but intimidating in another way), so I am just going to send her some very nice yarns, and patterns/needles/notions. Oh, I have a decision to make about this. My initial idea after reading her blog and her email preferences was to send her a Birch kit (Rowan magazine 34, plus 3 skeins of kid mohair yarn), BUT, I went to check out the price in Chinatown and Holland Village, and it is very expensive at both places, so I won't have enough left to purchase 3 skeins of yarn, plus the cost of postage for a 550g book is almost the same as the book itself. I do have 3 other options: a) send her my copy, but I am reluctant to because it was given to me by Jill Richard after I lost my original copy, and anyway it has other patterns I would still like to knit, b) buy a copy from a US online store and send it directly to her (US$19.99 from The Knitting Garden), leaving the same for yarn, or I could order the yarn too, but then I will be breaking my new year's resolution not to buy from online stores this year, c) send her the yarn from Singapore, suggest Kiri instead of Birch, and add some Clover and Aero circular needles. What do you think? Suggestions would be helpful, because she is dangerously intellectual.

Oh, I have not finished DH's birthday sweater (forget his V's day sweater, and the anniversary sweater is also I foresee going to be pushed back). I have also invited some of my old school friends for basketball (they play, I watch) and dinner next month (I intend to cook). And there will be, oh help, the reunion dinner this Chinese New Year ... or will there be? DH has just pointed out that actually none of my brothers are living with my mother anymore ... second brother has dinner with his wife's parents, will third brother, just married last year, do the same? What about eldest brother? Oh, elder sister has dinner with her husband's family. Talk of scary stories.

Stash Reduction Thoughts

2007-01-26T00:35:00.000-08:00

For the knitting blogosphere 2007 seems to be the year of stash reduction. How am I doing so far? Well, I broke down two Sundays ago and ordered one skein of Posh Yarns Tamara during their first Sunday sale, for Erne's shawl, and on the same night I ordered some Hipknits silk and cashmere yarns (mainly because while I loved the Hipknits silk lace I acquired last year it was detrimental to my mental health to unskein, and this time I asked for the yarn to be wound into balls before shipping). A word of warning ... silk lace yarns do not take kindly to a swift and ball winder, it is easier to do it by hand. If only I had known that. The other thing that should be arriving soon is an order of Elsebeth Lavold the second Viking Knits Collection and some silk-wool yarn. I loved the first book so much I had to have the second one.

And then I am jumping on the stash reduction by knitting from your stash bandwagon. Yes, I do have a stash problem. But why is my stash taking up all the space in my little crafts room? Why is it creating breathing problems? Because I knitted 5 sweaters for DH last year, and I have the yarn and specific patterns to knit at least another twenty sweaters. Now, consider that since DH wears an XL, and each sweater may take up to 20 x 50g of yarn, you may easily conceive the bulk of 400 balls of yarn. It is not my fault. Knowing how difficult it is to find nice men's designs, whenever I find one I show it to DH and ask him whether he will wear it. With great enthusiasm he goes, yes that's nice, and that is the only cue I need to go hunting on the net for the right yarn. Which may lead to several problems:

a) Giving so many handknits devalues the worth of each. I am afraid DH is like, oh, another handknit. That's nice but when am I going to wear it? Actually, he's in the UK right now and it's snowing so is he glad of the Jarrett cardigan and alpaca DNA scarf he brought along this time.

b) When people know how many handknitted sweaters DH already has, the natural question arises: why don't I knit for DH's other male relations, e.g. DH's son, because they do not own any handknits. Besides the fact that I do not think it appropriate, in so far as, these people have their own female partners who should be doing the knitting for them if they want a handknit, or else they should be doing it themselves; handknitting a man's sweater is a huge investment not merely in terms of yarn requirement but in time. More yarn means more stitches, and let's face it, anything that takes that long gets repetitive and boring. My ONLY incentive for going on is that I visualize DH in the finished garment and I get all warm and fuzzy inside. But hey, I don't get the warm fuzzies knitting for any other guy in the world, and then it becomes a downright tedious chore. Unless, of course, I want to do it.

c) Big pile of yarn, you would imagine that, for instance, when my little niece comes for a visit and she sees this big pile of yarn, and she says (quite naturally), you have so many, may I have a few balls please ... oh, wouldn't I be mean to say no? Well, yes, I would be mean but I would have to say no and risk feeling mean and little, and yes, that scenario has happened. Because, dear knitters, that big pile of yarn was bought with projects in mind ... the patterns are there, the yardage for size XL was considered, with sometimes an extra ball thrown in for security, and the yarn may have been discontinued! So I cannot just take one ball of yarn from here and there and give it to anyone, I am not a yarn shop. However mean you may think me, after I finish knitting up the sweater I will pass you the leftovers, if any. But knitting twenty sweaters at the rate of five a year will take me the next four years.

Seriously, if I were to knit DH a sweater a month, I will reduce my stash by at least half if not much more. The rest of the stash consist a few Rowan sweater for me, lace yarns which do not actually take up much space considering their yardage, and the miscellaneous one or two skein luxury yarns. Oh, and yarns for specific scarves for DH. I have not finished MIL's Charlotte's Web but I have started DH's birthday sweater. I decided to knit the slip stitch sweater from Sally Melville's book on color in knitting. Then I think Shark for V day, and the assymetrical cardigan from the latest Vogue Knitting for our anniversary. It was going into the yarn room and deciding on this sweater that prompted this post.

Knitted purse swap II questionaire

2007-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like to knit with luxury fibers, animal and plant. Who doesn't? But there are different grades of snob fibers. I have learnt to distinguish between Italian or Scottish processed cashmere and Mongolian or Chinese cashmere. Same with silk, between reeled silk, spun silk and raw silk. I have knitted with quivit once, and with baby alpaca several times, but not with buffalo, baby camel, quanaco or yak. I have not yet knitted with seasilk, bamboo, corn silk or soy silk. I think my "standard" lace weight yarn is merino/silk (zephyr) and my standard DK/worsted yarn is merino, I tend to resort to these two fibers in knitting gifts.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A plastic chest of drawers, but I intend to sew some knitting needle rolls when I find the time.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I think it must be nearly seven years, but I did not become obsessed about knitting until 2005. I am intermediate. I can probably knit anything given the inclination and enough time, but I am still not good at fairisle, intarsia and miters. Which is probably why, when I took a look at the free patterns on the purse swap web page http://www.knittychick.com/freebiepatterns.htm, I found the most appealing patterns are the Felted Bag with Mitered Squares (my oldest UFO is the Colors on the Diagonal jacket from Knitter's magazine), I can't miter but I love how it looks, & in Noro! http://home.pacbell.net/kapleo/blog/domesticspherepatterns.html and also the Elle Felted bag (my oldest UFO, until I ripped it last year, was Debbie Bliss's Nell fairisle cardigan), http://home.earthlink.net/~bruxknits/pats/ElleBag.pdf. Can you imagine it in Kureyon with a contrasting black?

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I still need the 9mm, 10mm and 12mm Knitpicks Options needle heads.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
Geranium.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Very dark chocolate (isn't it lucky that my favourite candy has health benefits!)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I make my own jewellery. I try to spin. I try to sew. I try to paint. Eventually I will try fused glass and woodwork.

8. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love combinations of any of these: duck and robin's egg blues, chartreuse and lime, lilac and mauve, bit of gold and tangerine. I hate the 80s primary and secondary colors, I cannot wear brown or earthy shades, and any kind of yellow makes me look bilious.

9. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Husband, a rather neurotic little cat.

10. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Lace shawls for interest and gifts, husband's sweaters for stashbusters.

11. What are you knitting right now?
Charlotte's Web shawl (last knitter on the planet, I know, but I brought this yarn along to the UK in summer 2006, never got around to knitting it, it was supposed to be 2006's Xmas gift but now it is going to be 2007's birthday gift), starting soon on DH's birthday sweater.

12. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love love love my Knitpicks Options needle sets. (I love love love my secret pal 9 and my sockret pal for gifting me with them ... I use them exclusively). Oh, except for the sock and thin lace knitting ... I have not yet found the perfect needles for them, but I use the 2 needle and magic loop when possible. I do find straight hardwood needles nicer for knitting straight scarfs.

13. Is there anything that you collect?
Bears, vintage Steiff and artist miniature bears, precious stones(?), vintage mother of pearl buttons, vintage fine bone China, drop spindles, yarn?. Oh dear, that's too much.

Catching up

2007-01-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

or not. Since Blogger since won't let me move to the new Blogger, I still have not posted my photos to the sockret pal blog. I have been mailing, and have sent the reveal parcel to my secret pal 9, and a pair of socks to my sockret pal. I hope the sock fits, and that they both like their knitted gifts. A little domestic mishap, after finishing the item for my secret pal, I jumped up from the sofa to try it on, and the crochet hook fell from my lap to the carpet, sticking almost upright in the thick pile ready for the sole of my right foot to land on it. There was blood. It was not pretty. Another domestic mishap. I now find cooking dinner 3 or 4 times a week not too difficult, but I still tend to cut my fingers and get splashed by sizzling oil droplets etc. Why? There's bits of sticking plaster everywhere. Good news is my Knit Mitt Kit pal came up trumps, she is Valerie Burnett from Salt Lake City, THANK YOU Valerie, not only was it a great package, but it arrived yesterday just a few hours before DH left for the UK, I was already feeling physically sick but it sort of consoled me a little. Couldn't sleep last night, of course sleep away the morning. Washed the dishes and cleaned out the house but although I now can cook I still feel no desire to do so when Dh isn't here. But I have been knitting. I am an angel for the seocnd international tote exchange (because my knitter Kim came up with such a masterful bag ... it even made up for the awol bag from the first exchange), and it's done. It's a version of the Funky Chunky handspun bag. After knitting about 7 or 8 felted bags in a row last summer for presents I sort of did not want to make another one anytime soon, but hey that was last summer and now I am ready for another round of felted bag fun. I am in not one but two knitted bag exchanges: the Knitted Purse Swap II and the International Tote Exchange III. Am I mad? No. I was captivated by Noni patterns at the end of last year, and knitted a sample in multi-colored wool (I now think Noni patterns, like most lace, do actually look better in plain yarns), then was interrupted by X'mas knitting. Well, the presents are over, and I see these 2 exchanges as an opportunity to knit and gift someone with Noni bags (someone who will actually use knitted/felted bags ... I sort of suspect that DH's females relatives just think "that's pretty" and then put them aside). I have the questionaire of the person I am knitting for in the Knitted Purse Swap II, she likes red and black just like my sockret pal! And she is very artistic, actually I think she is a professional artist, which is sort of daunting. I am going to check her favourite color combinations against the Noni bags. Is there a difference between a purse and a tote? Is it a size difference? A purse is small, a tote is big? A function difference? Most of the shoulder bags I carry is about 10 to 14 inches length, 9 to 10 inches high, and 4 to 5 inches wide. Is that a purse or a tote? Besides the Noni, I am finally knitting the Charlotte's Web shawl, for a present. It is the second easiest lace pattern (the Shetland Triangle was the easiest), and I am knitting it without stitch markers. So far, it is very loud. And stripy. I am not sure the recipient is going to like it (getting an early start on my MIL's birthday). I have a list of to do lace shawl things, not counting Victorian Lace which was ordered 3 weeks ago when we came back from the UK (oh, the handphone is definitely lost), and has not yet arrived. Anyway, Charlotte's Web is the heaviest weight, then comes Erne's shawl (for which I broke down and ordered one skein of cashmere/lace from Posh yarns, two Sundays ago but has still not arrived ... speaking of what's not arrived, never mind the swap awols, but this retailer from whom I ordered yarn on 2006's Labor Day sale, it has still NOT arrived despite them saying they have sent it etc. I keep telling them to check coz it was supposed to go to my MIL's but DH says there's nothing from them, it's been at least 6 months), oh, and then either Diamond Fantasty shawl (I have knitted a small version in a handspun sock weight merino), dithering between that and the Swallowtail shawl for my handmaiden seasilk ... I can get 2 small shoulder shawls, but they are both in the same colorway and I think I did rather have 1 full size shawl? About DFS, although I love the diamond pattern I don't really like the edging, I prefer Swallowtail but the original is knitted in laceweight yarn ... never mind, I don't need to decide now just work on Charlotte's web, the Noni bags, and a scarf for Anne (DH's colleague exwife in cold Minnesota, apparently she's expecting another).

Good temperings

2007-01-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

SIA has not, or so they claim, found DH's handphone. We know where it was left, inside the front pocket of a certain seat on a certain airplane. As far as I can see, the only two possible options are either the cleaners found but deliberately did not report it or the next passenger found and decamped with it. Both are instances of dishonesty and I am disgusted that SIA has not not been more helpful. I am also disgusted that they lowered the maximum luggage from 35kg to 20kg. We bought the phone at $900 or 300 pound with contract. When we went to get a new chip yesterday we noticed that the same model is now about $500, and we also received a $100 off voucher for a replacement set. I still can't decide whether that is good or bad.

But on a positively good note, my sockret pal came up trumps. The sockret pal blog is on the new blogger, so I can't post until I change over, but it was a wonderful Knitpicks parcel. It arrived last week, I haven't posted because I have been knitting my one skein pal's project and also a thank you for my sockret pal, which is now finished and ready for the post. I am about halfway through the handspun sock yarn skein, but it should be ready by the end of this week. I want to knit a lace shawl for myself, but I have to knit the socks for my sockret pal and spin two skeins for the Interweave Knits handspun yarn swap. Ater which, I have promised our Sunday help a lace shawl in fine cotton, and my aunt in red Zephyr, and they both prefer rectangles. I also want to sew some needle rolls for the Liberty ladies before the 25th.

This year, we have decided to stop spending on luxuries and try to save up, in anticipation of a baby and a house. So I have decided to knit from stash and stop buying new yarns (unless it is for an exchange or swap). This should also be a new year's resolution, let's see how strong I am. We stopped at Spotlight yesterday before Carrefour, and I snagged an easy shawl knitting kit for Rosie (DH's 16 year old niece, got to encourage her to keep knitting). We came back laddened with a rice cooker and a non stick wok. This is because in 2007 I am to cook at least 3 nights a week and tonight is my first dish: stir fried pork with lychees. I am freaking nervous. When we first married 8 years ago I cooked salmon steak for DH, he was very nice about it but pointed out that it was still raw on one side. That gave me a complex, or at least I used it as an excuse not to cook since, and we have always either eaten out or DH would cook when or if he felt like it. But we both need to lose weight and have a healthier diet, so, I am going to learn to cook properly. About now, actually.

Good "holiday" but very bad day today

2007-01-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

Horrible horrible Heathrow airport. Flying from Singapore on SIA our luggage allowance was 36 kg each, this morning we arrived at the "self" check-in counter to find that they had unilaterally reduced it to 20 kg each, so of course we were stuck with excess baggage of 15 kg for which they wanted to charge us 500 pounds! Our only option was to take out the extra and send it back to MIL's in London, for this "service" they charged us 70 pounds! And because I was rather upset, well, the unnecessary bags were checked in before we could protest, and we had to send back the books that DH is using for his current work. We then had to go through the long queues etc. but then in the taxi on the way home we discovered that DH had left his very expensive handphone behind on the plane. We have contacted SIA but they have not phoned us back.

I am pleased I managed to finish and felt Elise for SIL, and that it fits her perfectly, and also Clark for FIL. I only finished sewing up Clark at 10:45pm on New Year's Eve. I also taught my nieces to knit, with a little help from my sister's old friend. Total amount of outgoing yarn = 1kg MIL, 650g FIL, 500g SIL, 400g Connie, 350g BIL's kids, 300g felted bag Penny (BIL's wife) = 3.2 kg. About 700 for Jarrett, which looks great on DH but I need to reset the elbow patches correctly. We also learnt how to use the Knifty Knitter.

I loved DH's poem in progress, and he also gave me Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge. FIL and partner gave me Sarah Dallas's second book. And Jill and Jacintha were so lovely, they each gave me a skein of beautiful silk yarn. And my wonderful secret pal 9 had already given me the Knitpicks Interchangeable Needles Set, which was my best knitting related Xmas gift this or any other year. My one skein pal Helene (thank you Helene) sent me a very useful pair of leg warmers (I wore them every day) and some wonderful coffee.

I sort of overdosed on the Chocolate Club gift box given by SIL, and was in a mild alcoholic haze all through Xmas and beyond, which was good because I had cramps on Xmas day itself bother. So that was a nice season, and MIL and SIL both liked their knitted stuff and the Vietnamese silk handbags, so that was a relief. I still have to knit my sockret pal's socks and my one skein relief pal Linda's item (and I still cannot decide what to knit). Lace shawl for aunty and Sunday help (she took great care of Tigs and she left some lovely roses and lilies in a vase for our return what a sweetie). Need to contact and spin for both handspun exchanges. Oh, and maybe a small bolero for Connie by end of this month.

New Year Resolutions? Learn to cook properly, exercise, read Continental philosophy, study Renaissance art, learn French/Italian, learn to spin on a wheel, take driving lessons.

Cost of shipping

2006-12-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

In the UK now and yes I do love being in the UK, it was great to see my MIL and I am very excited about seeing DH's nieces and nephews, and brother and sister. The presents filled up our large yellow suitcase completely. I think MIL looks wonderful in the black mohair coat, although I did not have time to reknit the left front lapel (and I wanted to send something to KnittingGranny to thank her for the ball of black mohair she sent me, but in the rush forgot to bring the envelope with her address and somehow cannot log in to the angel yarns knitting forum, duh! That's being sorted out now but it is slow). DH looks great in the yellow sweater I knitted for him early this year, he says it is very comfortable, and he also looks good in the Saddles at dusk sweater. I have sent the coffee swap parcel to Samantha, coincidentally she works at the same university as one of DH's friends who came down from Kent yesterday and we had coffee. We went to a concert at the Wigmore Hall yesterday (Elgar), the acoustics are good. I am knitting FIL's sweater which is Clarke, did not knit on the plane because apparently I confused the US and English needle sizes, I had bought plastic needles specially to bring on the plane and got through check-in with them only to find in the departure lounge that I had bought the wrong sizes. Just as well because I managed to catch 6 movies during the flight. DH woke up this morning and said he had dreamt of Tigs (our cat) ... we sniffed around and agreed there was a smell of cat pee around ... I think Tigs had peed on his black T-shirt haha I said I will slept with the T-shirt next to me tonight maybe I will dream of her.

We went to the supermarket day before yesterday. Now, I love being in the UK (especially the cold weather, it's our only chance to wear all the handknits), and I am continually in a kind of food daze when in the UK supermarkets, as the choice is enormous. But, I also get into ethical conundrums in the UK which never even arise in Singapore. There was an article in the Observer magazine today about how the demand for fish and the fishing industries is basically destroying ocean ecosystems. Now, we cannot eat chicken because of the Asian bird flu, and beef/cows coz of (something starts with B can't remember the name), and now fish coz farmed fish needs 3kg of wild fish to support 1kg of farmed fish, and catching wild fish just depletes the stock anyway, so although fish is good (if not farmed) we shouldn't eat fish because it's bad for the oceans. So we should all stop eating for instance cod for for example 4 years in order for stock to recover? But what about the people whose living depends on the fishing industry? What are they going to do for 4 years? Ok, but then if they keep going on at the current rate there's going to be a collapse anyway and they will suffer for more than 4 years. And although it doesn't seem right to put the other species/earth/world before people, why not? The human race are destroying the world/earth/other species. You would think, with the so called power of the blogsphere, even if people can't change the world they can at least change how they interact with each other and their environment. But MIL points out that it is only people above a certain income level who can afford to have ethical considerations about their food. People below a certain income level are just happy to have anything to eat at all, and the cheaper the food the happier they are. So, like, if we think in terms of food cost being the price that suppliers and supermarkets set, then sure that's what consumers are going to be happy about. But what if the price we have to pay is not just what the cost of food is, but all the bad things that happen because so called cheap food gets on our table? (Cost to environment etc.?) I know poor people can't afford to think about that, but, can we afford to have poor people not afford to think about that? Say, eradicate poverty first and then take care of environment. I don't think poverty can ever be eradicated. It's a human condition, like injustice, and maybe like the destruction of the habitat. Not to say we should try.

Just a quick note

2006-12-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

Whew the postman came today and what did he bring?

6 x 100g navy Bernat lana 100% merino wool for FIL's sweater (Clarke from Rowan Vintage Knits), the shipping for this cost me US$32, effectively cancelling out any savings on the yarn itself. Next time I will buy a more expensive yarn and ask the store to send in a small box, not in a huge cardboard one filled with pieces of inflatable plastic padding (why do they need those? It's yarn!).

A Knifty Knitter long loom for Connie (and is she making a scarf this X'mas day!) This is an odd size item so it also cost more to ship than to buy (cost of loom US$8.99, cost of shipping US$25), sent in a smaller but still much bigger than size of actual item box. At least I got some knitting notions with it: 2 pairs of plastic circular knitting needles for the plane, a Susan Bates peg-it row counter and a set of Susan Bates socks point protectors.

My finishing present (I ordered this when I passed the viva): 16 x 50g of baby alpaca yarn for the bubbles sweater from Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature. I chose the same shade of blue. Shipping was US$18.

My X'mas present: 10 x 50g of Noro silk garden for Lady Eleanor's shawl from Scarf Style. I have been wanting to knit this in a long color repeat yarn for yonks. Shipping was US$25 but it included a lace shawl pattern (Skacel's romantic moments) and some sock yarn (for my sockret pal, I still have to knit her a pair of socks and I can still choose between this and the Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino).

So that's the sigh of relief. I reckon I just spent US$100 on shipping for 4 parcels. But I did received the items within a few days, which is a good thing. Strangely enough, my Labor day yarn order from Trash & Treasure (that must be a few months ago right?) has still not arrived, although they have charged the card. I don't really know what to do about it, I have emailed them a few times ... that was actually the yarn intended for the International Scarf Exchange III, I had to use another yarn when it never arrived. But, that's my X'mas present sorted out dear, so you just have to write the poetry booklet.

Knit Mitt Kit Questionire

2006-12-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

The Questionnaire:
Are you allergic to any fibers? No, but I prefer natural fibers although I find adult mohairs and rough wools a little scratchy.

What are your favorite colors? Duck and robin's egg b;ue, lime and chartreuse green, mauve and lilac, dusty pink and raspberry, tangerine and gold. I don't wear yellows, browns, earths and neutrals (they make my skin shallow), nor bright 80s primary colors (I hate the 80s, bad memories).

Are you a new mitt knitter? How long have you been knitting mittens? I am a newish mitt knitter, I have made mitts for my nieces and two swaps, but I haven't had a chance to wear them yet, although hopefully I will be able to this year in the UK.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? multi-color, I love Koigu KPPM and Noro colors, also Fleece artist and Handmaiden.

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Superwash natural animal fibers unless it's a felted mitten.

Where do you usually knit mittens? ugh, Anywhere?

How do you usually carry/store small projects? In my handbag, which is divided into two compartments, one for wallets and keys etc, the other I use to hold a small knitting project.

What are your favorite mitten patterns? I think thrummed mittens would be the warmest, but the kind where you can flip the top part off would be the most useful. Maybe a combination of both, but I have yet to see that on the market.

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? Two circular needles.

What new techniques would you like to try? Thrummed mittens, magic loop.

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? Depends, I use a variety of metal circulars and bamboo Dpns.

What are some of your favorite yarns? Ok, I am a yarn snob when I can afford to be, which means I have single isolated skeins of a few lovelies that I can't bear to use YET. On the other hand, I do care a lot about what I am knitting, especially for my DH, so although I generally cannot afford "luxury" yarns for big projects like sweaters (I need on average about 16 to 18 50g balls), I try to make sure that my "standard" yarns are still 100% merino or something special like hand painted etc. For instance, I am currently making my SIL Elise from Rowan Vinatge Knits, I am using industrial coned cashmere lambswool but it is still cashmere.

What yarn do you totally covet? I guess, silk lace like Schaefer Andrea, or Handmaiden silk lace and sea silk, or Cherry Tree Hill silk lace ... I want to make a silk lace shawl some day.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Yes, a silk Shetland lace shawl.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? Right now? My new Knitpicks Options gifted by my wonderful secret pal 9.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I think I would be silk lace: gets into tangles of confusion that requires someone with deft fingers and patience to sort out, easily snaggable on rough spots, requires smooth handling at all times, slippery unless firmly put in place, but oh, the results are ... worth it. Mind you, on one of those quiz things I am Shetland wool.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Dark chocolate, dark as the devil's waistcoat.

To my knit mitt kit pal, sorry for the confusion. I intend to send your kit from the UK by snail mail, timing it to reach you ON 16th January. I have finished the back and left front of Elise, and am now knitting one sleeve. Tigs pissed on my chair yesterday, after months of non pissing around. Sigh. She is a lovely little critter though she is so daft.

In case you didn't know, my secret pal 9 rocks

2006-12-04T00:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the sadly belated post and official thank you, but I am still overdue on my revision, and (panic) we are flying to UK this Thursday.

But, and this is official, my secret pal 9 pal is the absolute BEST. Did I tell you that her parcel arrived last week and she gave me the Knitpicks Options needle set? There is nothing I need more at the moment and her parcel is almost definitely the best Christmas present I shall be getting this year (ok, except for the handwritten poem from DH: he writes me each birthday, anniversary and X'mas). Plus, my secret pal also included a skein of Crystal Palace cotton chenille in a beautiful plum, which I am not to use yet ... Thank you secret pal.

On the knitting related front, I loved the tote Kim made for me in the International Tote Exchange too, and thankfully the tote I sent has arrived and the recipient seems to like it whew. My wish list 2 partner also gifted me with the most beautiful hand sewn knitting tote in Kaffe Fassett teal paperweight fabric. Thank you Cielle. I feel so spoiled with these two goregous bags I can't decide which to bring to the UK. The Knitter's Tea Swap 2 parcel has not arrived, but it should be arriving soon together with the big secret pal and sockret pal parcels. I have not had anything from my sockret pal but I think she's been sick so that's ok. I have sent out the swap-bot coffee swap parcel (registered to arrive in January), I will be sending the other coffee swap parcel from the UK. If you are reading this don't worry Samantha I have found two kinds of locally packaged coffee (um, not produced, coffee beans don't grow here), and I am sending you the last 4oz skein of yarn from the sweater I just knitted for DH, it's hand painted lopi wool/baby loopy mohair/silk blend from Over the Rainbow yarns, and the colorway is deep purples, blues and greens, just what you like. DH says the sweater reminds him of an oil slick, and this is enough to knit the felted Sophia bag. I have included a pair of the recommended size Clover circular needles, and other goodies. It is a very heavy box. I have also sewn the bag for the Knit Mitt Kit Swap, and will also be sending that from the UK. I have not started on the hat for my one skein pal who is so sweet she sent me a skein of sugar and cream cotton yarn to make a dishcloth which I have been wanting to do for a while.

Finished the Knit 1 bolero cardigan finally. I used a novelty cotton (two things I seldom use) and the closure is much lower than it looks in the cover picture: I did have to hold my arms over my head like the model! Also sewed up the criss-cross top from Vogue Knitting because I intend to wear it this X'mas. Still have to sew up Jarrett. I did finally figure out the frill edging pattern for Elise, I am past the armhole shaping on the left front but with the right front and two sleeves to go, I am almost certain I won't be able to finish it before Thursday. I have not even started on Connie's or FIL's sweater. I don't think I will have time to reknit the left front band of MIL's coat. My sockret pal socks will have to be knittedin the UK. Wanted to sew some presents for the Liberty girls but I don't think I have the time so I have bought Jill a nice embroidered silk purse instead. I have I think mostly gathered all the presents etc. in a huge pile on the table. Hopefully, my sockret pal parcel, the non swap-bot coffee swap parcel, the one skein parcel, the swap bot knitting kit parcel, the swap bot knit mitt kit swap parcel, swap-bot recycled softy (that's 6) arrived before Thursday or in January (but if you are sending stuff to me and need my UK address please email me).

I will try to get some pictures up soon, especially of Saddles at dusk, but I am going to be awfully busy until Thursday. Much thanks to all my swap partners you have all been so generous.

I'm so pleased with my new tote exchange bag

2006-11-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

chrissie bag
Originally uploaded by khora.

Finally champagne

2006-11-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

With apologies to my secret pals and swap partners, I finally passed my viva today (with typo and summary amendments) and will now have time for guilt free knitting and blogging. Perhaps even for catching up with actual life with family, relatives and friends even though I now have lots of Christmas gift knitting to get through. Actually, my oldest friend (secondary school classmate, whom I love) flew in from LA last week, or last fortnight, and all my old classmates gathered for a basketball session and dinner last Sunday ... I really could not even reply to their emails, much less meet up then, I was simply too nervy. Thankfully, they are (some of them at least) meeting up again this coming Saturday at her parents place and that I can go to with a clearer conscience. Our closest colleagues/friends are over for champagne and music, so have to go now, but I promise to post the international scarf exchange scarf and coffee swap questionaire really soon. I am also sewing the mitten kit swap bag up today or tomorrow. For swap pals sending parcels to me, we shall be leaving for the UK on the 7th of December and flying back on the 2nd of January. I will be posting 4 parcels from the UK because they will get to their destinations faster that way.

Coffee day

2006-10-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

The postman delivered 6lbs of coffee today, at 8oz per week this order should last us 3 months. He also brought some miscellaneous ciruclar needles (I am using straights on MIL's jacket since the longest cable of my Sears needlemaster broke last week), some cones of yarn which are the wrong size (I intended to order lace weight and didn't notice that the invoice stated DK ... I could return it to the vendor for an exchange but considering the extra shipping costs that doesn't seem a cost-effective option), and some yarn for what now turns out to be this year's X'mas presents. All the felted bags I made this summer have been given to their recipients, and since we are now going to be in the UK for X'mas everyone needs a handknitted X'mas present. So, today's yarns will be mainly for knitted but non felted bags, Jane & Connie's cardigans, some fingerless mittens, gloves or scarves for the boys. I swatched some stash navy DK yarn for Ripley (from Knitty), the gansey I am knitting for FIL and discovered that navy is a terrible color to knit because it is very difficult to see the stitches. I am wondering it's possible to knit Ripley in a lighter color and dye the finished sweater using dylon dye or something. Although this means that I will have to add 10 x 100g of navy merino to my stash since I have already ordered the yarn ... but it will be knitted up someday. I think navy or black yarn is ok as long as I stick to stockinette, but Ripley has knit/purl gansey patterns.
MIL's cardigan is coming along well, I am on the first sleeve. I have been looking for patterns for Connie, who is I think 10 next year. Most of the children's and babies variety type patterns are either too traditional, too plain simple quick knit, or too twee. She is fairy princess slim so she won't exactly fit an adult pattern yet, although she is taller each time I see her. What I need is a flexible pattern, one that will fit and she will wear now, and that will still fit her and she can still wear as a teenager in a few year's time. Sideways stretch means either all over double rib (too soon after Audrey) or sideways garter, so I think I will knit Knitty's Sonnet for her.
The one skein exchange coordinator contacted me, apparently I am not the only person who has been abandoned by her pal, so she is arranging for us to "adopt" each other. This means we each knit one more one skein item and send it to someone else on the abandoned list. That's ok by me.

Just waiting but in the meantime

2006-10-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

I mean, just dreaming about Christmas in England. I hope it will snow. High anticipation on my part. MIL's jacket is going well, I am now on the right front, and I am rather pleased with the resulting fabric. I have almost decided on either Patons merino blend or Bernat merino for FIL's navy gansey, King Cole merino blend is twice as expensive because each ball is half the weight. I need about 9 x 100g, will buy a full bag of 10 balls to be on the safe side (can you see me ordering one measley extra ball all the way from the US? Yes you can I have done it before when I ran out of yarn), that should work out to about US$60 not including shipping & handling, and if I were to buy Cleckheaton 8 ply crepe (100% Australian wool, S$6/50g) at Spotlight 20 balls will cost S$120 anyway. I will probably end up paying slightly more because of shipping, but I am happy to do so because I really prefer merino for FIL. Right sweetie? You ok with that? Ok.

Besides yesterday's orders of yarn for the knitting kit swap and the sockret pal socks, today I went ahead and ordered the two pairs of circulars needles sizes specified by the pattern. And because we are going to be spending X'mas day at Jane's, I also ordered a knitting loom and some yarn for Connie (hey's, she's 9, plenty old enough to learn to knit properly even though she gave up her first attempt after my X'mas gift of a learn to knit kit 3 years ago), but, I have a cunning plan ... using the loom we shall knit a scarf together on X'mas day itself haha. And it will give me something to do, you know I don't hear so well, and especially not after X'mas drinks. Anyway, this loom, I think it's called the Knifty Knitter, cames highly recommended and there are websites offering free patterns for it. Oh, I also ordered yarn for the Noni In the Sculpture Garden bag and for the Vogue Knitter Twisted Float Circular shrug plus some knit knacks and stuff for secret pals and exchanges etc.

Umm, that one didn't get pass you did it? I thought not.

Well, you see, I really want a Noni bag ... but since I see no hope of owning one unless I knit it myself, I decided to bite the bullet and just do it ... however when I make anything for myself I want to make one for someone else too ... in this case, I am thinking of my secret pal who loves bags but is not that good at making them yet. She would love a Noni too. But holy cow! When I ordered the yarn I realised that Noni bags fully justified their "designer" status in terms of yarn cost alone. May I point out that the yarn for this particular design cost more than a Della Q silk knitting bag? And that at the point I nearly turned around and ordered a Della Q silk knitting tote instead because it could hold more yarn, but then I thought "hey, was I thinking of using the Noni bag to carry yarn?". Let's see how this one turns out before I think about knitting one or two more as gifts.

We saw a shop sample of the Vogue Knitting twisted float circular shrug in the shop window of Stash, the LYS in Putney, and when you asked me if I particularly liked anything I pointed it out and you said let's buy it but it wasn't for sale ... I know I am going to need a coat or jacket this winter while we are in the UK, so I decided to knit up this pattern ... oh don't worry, I am not using Lorna's Laces (US$120), I have substituted it with Paton's merino and it's only costs about a third of the original. I think this will make a nice winter jacket.

Slower and surer

2006-10-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Just a note to people waiting for parcels from me, I have noticed that registered mail takes a lot longer to arrive than non registered mail. However, I have registered the Knitter's Tea Swap 2, the Harvest Socks, the Hotsocks and the second Sockret pal parcels because I prefer to have proof of posting, which of course is not proof of delivery so hurry up post.

I have sent the first parcel but am still preparing the other parcels for my secret pal 9. The second order of Knitpicks silk arrived, and some glass buttons from an esty seller located here! I decided to frog Serge after knitting almost 2 balls, the yarn was protesting and sending me signals which I tried to ignore but it got increasingly strident. Serge is knitted on 4mm needles and although I got gauge I think the mohair yarn really needs to be knitted on 5 or even 6mm needles. That makes two successive trips to the frog pond, first MIL's flared jacket from Vogue Knitting and now DH's Serge.

The good news is, I have started on another pattern for my MIL, Wonder from Rowan 40. I am making the L size, which requires 16 x 50g of Romance yarn. I think I considered buying the actual yarn for maybe 3 seconds, because it is always easier to use the recommended yarn, and Romance is a chunky yarn. But it is 36% acrylic (!), 27% nylon, 26% mohair, 8% polyamide and 3% wool for US$8.95 per 60yds/50g. For 16 balls I would be looking at US$143 for something that is mostly acrylic! Besides the pastel palette is extremely unsuitable for a jacket meant to be worn as an outer coat (I have already knitted her two cardigans). I know MIL likes to wear black, so I looked for a mohair/wool yarn that could be named midnight, black with a sprinking of stars. It was rather difficult to find a natural fiber substitute for Romance. There are basic wool or mohair blend chunky yarns like Lamb's Pride Bulky (6.5mm, US$8/113g) and Reynold's Lopi (6.5mm, US$5.95/100g), which knit up into sunstantial fabric suitable for outerwear, but they lack the airiness of Romance. Wonderwool from Skacel (51% wool and 49% acrylic), and Love from Filatura Di Crosa, (30% wool, 30% acrylic, 20% kid mohair and 20% polyamide) were serious contenders at great closeout prices (US$2 and US$5) but then I thought ... that's even more acrylic than Romance. Then I decided to swatch up some black King Cole Luxury mohair (78% mohair, 13% wool 9% nylon) with some silvery gray purple marled DK wool, and I got gauge on 7mm needles. I finished the back yesterday and am quite pleased with it.

I have decided to knit Aelf from Rowan 40 for DH's sister instead of Liv (I shall bring a swatch of the yarn for Liv to the UK and she can decide whether she can live with the lime color!). And since we shall be in the UK this winter, I would like to knit a sweater for DH's father too. I have knitted his mum a few things here and there, but so far only a hat, scarf and socks for his dad. Since I have used angora, cashmere, kid mohair, superfine merino, silkand now luxury mohair yarns for his mum, I wanted at least a merino blend yarn for his dad. Fortunately his dad likes navy, or else I would have been tempted by the Araucania Nature Wool closeout at Webs even though it is not merino. King Cole merino blend DK shade 25 French navy (£2.40/50g, US$56 for a full bag of 10 balls), Paton's classic merino wool navy (US$5.99/100g, actually I really like this one, and I wonder whether the International tote exchange bag Kim is knitting for me is made out of the Harvest shade, it seems a good substitue for Noro Kureyon, if a bit less subtle) and Bernat Lana navy (100% merino, I think US$5.99/100g) are my top choices so far.

I joined the knitting kit exchange on Swap-bot (ok, this is the last), you need to send a pattern, 200g of yarn and needles. I think I will send this year's Rowan membership gift, the Dolly bag. I have ordered 3 skeins of Rowan handknit cotton and will need to find a one skein pattern to make up the weight. I have also order Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino for my sockret pal's socks, the yarn will make comfy housesocks for this winter but unfortunately the colors are all pastels so I intend to overdye.

Goodies from my KTS swap pal

2006-10-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

from kts swap pal
Originally uploaded by khora.

The postman delivered a wonderful box from my KTS swap pal Samantha at mrspao.com today. It came all the way from the UK and included 100g of wool nylon sock yarn from a small English company called Curious Yarns in a deep winter colorway (I can see myself wearing these socks this winter), and 3 delicious fruit teas from Whittards, a tea infuser, a little tea booklet, dark chocolate bars, hand made stitch markers and postcards. Thank you so very much Samantha. Whittard's is a mandatory stop on every UK visit, and we tried the berry tea last summer, it was so delicious I meant to pick some up this summer but never found the time. I can see that DH has his eye on the blueberry and yogurt tea (one of his favourite yoghurt flavours) and we love mangos too. The funny thing is, I also chose Lindt's dark chocolate to send to my pal (85% cocoa big bar).

Other news: My international scarf exchange pal Jennifer Farrell has emailed me to say she has received and likes her scarf, so that's a relief. I am a little worried that the tote has not arrived, but it's registered so should get there eventually, likewise the KTS, harvest socks and hotsocks parcel. More good news is my downstream sockret pal has received her first parcel and likes it, although I have not yet heard from my upstream pal. But I have heard from my secret pal 9, and she is nice. I have not yet contacted my pal because I am preparing her first parcel, which is almost ready. I found the perfect magazine at Borders tw days ago and the perfect accessory set yesterday at a little temporary market stall in Clementi Central! I need to ship my crafting books and magazine swap, and I need to exchange US$18 for the hand made closure ... oh I should post a picture, it is expensive but rather beautiful (unfortunately the maker does not accept paypal so I am having to go through traditional channels).

It is for a winter jacket because it looks like we might be in the UK this X'mas. Two days ago I CO for a cardigan for my MIL, it is the reverse stockinette flared jacket from the summer 06 issue of Vogue Knitting that I bought when we went to Loop in Islington, the minute I saw it I thought a-ha I have plans. Anyway, I had to frog it after one ball even though the fabric (80% French kid mohair) felt luscious, because the 32" cord of my Sears interchangeable needle set broke and also because although I loved the soft lavender, lilac and sage color variegation I suspect it will be too Vicotrian for my MIL. So now I have CO Serge for DH using the mohair yarn he bought from Turkey, the fabric feels very thick and warm although it's coming out in broad stripes instead of the narrow stripes of Tapestry. Right now, I am still looking for the perfect yarn for my SIL's cardigan (I have a suitable in terms of gauge yarn but it is lime green and she specified sage green, purple or orange), yarn for my MIL, and maybe my FIL too, plus of course, all those X'mas prezzies.

Secret pal 9 questionaire

2006-10-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Answers for my secret pal, here you go.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I find luxury yarns like qiviut, silk, sea silk, kid mohair and superfine merino rewarding both in terms of knitting pleasure and resultant products; I eschew acrylics and synthetics including polyester, polyamide, nylon and even microfiber. Rayon and viscose depends on the blend. Tencel is ok, so is bamboo, corn, milk, soy "silk". I tend to prefer laceweight yarn nowadays.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A plastic chest of drawers for miscellaneous circulars, a long round tin (used to contain a bottle of champagne) for my straights, and my trusty old Sears interchangeable comes in its own case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
About 7 years, I learnt from a book ... I consider myself intermediate. I know many knitters who have "achieved" so much more in their first year ... but at least this year I have learnt two handed fairisle and lace.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I think DH just bought me all the books on my Amazon wish list but I would totally appreciate a set of Knitpicks Options Interchangeable Needles. The cords of my Sears Interchangeables are flaking away, probably due to age, possibly heat, humidity and environmental factors, and right now Knitpicks needles would be more useful than any yarn, even precious seasilk, esepcially if it comes with a pair of extra 40 inch cables! (Plus they can be sent in 3 separate parcels.)

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I wear geranium, rose, neroli and vetivert essential oils. I like the scent of green tea.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I don't really have a sweet tooth. I share very dark chocolate with DH.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin, but not as well as I want to, and I do some sewing, again not as well as I want to.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
DH is an audiophile who loves music and cares about how it sounds, we have the most extensive collection of music imaginable. I can probably make anybody any CD they want.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like shades of lime, chartreuse, avocado, duck's egg blue, robin's egg (or Persian) blue, teal (nut more blue than green), French blue, mauve and lilac, lavender, raspberry, dusty pink, tangerineI cannot wear yellows, browns or any earth colors, and I cannot stand the bright 80s primary (yellow, red, blue) and secondary (orange, purple, green) colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married for 8 years, single income no kids, one cat

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear lacy shoulder shawls in air conditioned places.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Sweaters for DH & myself, lace shawls, smaller items like scarves, hats, socks, mittens and bags as gifts.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A Garnstudio cabled bag.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, especially anything with Kaffe Fassett prints!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer metal (or aluminum) circulars but as I said my Sears circulars are giving out so I have been using wooden straights recently.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Longer than I can remember.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Klemtu, British Columbia. Or is that X'mas?

19. Is there anything that you collect? Selected artist bears, old bears, vintage French chantilly silk lace pieces, vintage buttons.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I would really really love to get my hands on a set of Knitpicks Options Needles, if only they ship internationally (sigh). I suppose I am still looking for the Adrienne Vittadini Spring 05 (I am actually interested in only two of the patterns, the lace ruffled cardigan on the cover and the cross-over front bodice top). And someday I would like to knit "In the Sculpture Garden" by Noni bags and the "complimentary" pattern given out by Skacel with their Skacel merino lace called "Romantic moments lace wrap & garter." Vogue Knitting is available at local bookshops and I recently subscribed to Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I want to knit complicated lace shawls and start on DH's Kaffe Fassett stone circles sweater.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I have knitted 16 pairs of socks so far, mostly as gifts. My foot measures 8.5 inches in length and 8 inches in circumference, but socks should be at least 9 inches in height from the base of the heel.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 02/21