Monday, February 27, 2006

Crochet tango

Thanks for all the compliments on the shrug.

Erin asked:
"I am wondering whether the 4 ply soft is too warm to wear in the aircond?"

Not if you have low cold threshold like me or my mom. This shrug (or some call a bolero) works wonderfully in the airconditioned malls and cafes. Tried and tested.

For the record, the pattern is found in Keitodama, issue 126. In fact, we find this shrug so versatile. My sister tried it on and it looks great too! (Besides, it's easier to get a good shot of someone's back rather than my own.)

And if you are wondering about the entry title, I have just gone to the WIP basket and brought out this:

I am sure everyone recognizes these as crochet work. There's 2 projects in the photo but I am working on one of them at the moment. And it's really pushing my patience limits!

For one, this project has reinforced the fact that crochet requires a lot more concentration for me than if I were to be knitting. Crocheting with a tiny hook means that I have to watch where I am going constantly so no simultaneous reading or TV watching is allowed -- and that's really uncomfortable for a multi-tasker like me.

And when mistakes occur (which somehow they do pop up more frequently than their K-mate), I ended up ripping back. It's unlike knitting where you can always go, "ok, so let's undo and ladder down when we get to this spot on the new row." So it's really been 2 rounds forward, one round back.

I know I should be more meticulous and careful but my brains at the moment is lounging somewhere out there on an idyllic beach, having mocktails. I am not going to give up so easily.

Watch my progress!

Monday, February 20, 2006

Strut the stuff!

Until yesterday, I was still working on the ribbing on Mom's shrug.

But at 4 pm today, I finally decided that I've gotten sick of ribbing so I just went ahead and finished the edging. And so here is it!

This took me no more than 5 balls of Rowan 4ply soft which I carry as part of my stock. It's much more of a 3/4 sleeve version on me but should fit my mom nicely. One of my students who came earlier for her knitting lesson this evening decided that she's gonna knit a shrug after trying it on. We'll be using different lace patterns as fillers.

As usual, modelling it seems to bring out the best of the shrug though my photography skills still needs improvement.

Remember the socks? I finally managed to convince hubby to put them on for a photo.

That's a pair of size 12 feet for you. :)

In case anyone's wondering about Agnes' comment and my short interview was featured in Knit.1 mag -- it's on page 25 of the Spring 2006 issue. (Just pardon that photo; doing a self-timer photo shoot isn't my forte yet.)

So if you have visited my blog as a result of the article, please say hi, will you?

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Growing

Thanks for all the compliments on Ms P. I am sure her parents are over the moon with all your kind words too. And if I do keep this blog long enough, I'm sure Ms P will get to reading the previous entry :) Hmm..., and plus all the past entries relating to her too!



I am sure you all can see why I want to keep knitting for her? She's just irresistible. Mind you, she opened her eyes wider when she sees me waving the camera about. Not only that, she's a 2 month old who doesn't even blink when staring right at the camera lens?! Man, I think she's destined for many phototaking sessions to come!

Meanwhile, Mom's shrug has grown so much that I could actually wrap it around my shoulders as I knit on it. That's a handy way to keep warm when I was in the cafe.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Ms P's modelling debut!

And with this crochet outfit consisting of a bonnet and dress, I was expecting it to be too way too big on her as it was for a 12 month old. I was wrong.

We didn't attempt to tie the ribbons under her chin as she's still little.

She's so cute in this that my sister is suggesting that a little red cape ala Little Red Riding Hood will be so cool!

We also dressed her in the suit I test knitted for Figheadh. It's still a little big on her (notice the sleeves and the pants) and she should still be able to wear it for a while.

By then, I was pretty upset as I realized that she's getting a little too grown up to even fit into some of the items I knitted/crocheted.

Take this set, for example:

And this:

Both are basically too small. She can't even put her feet into the white booties!

Moral of the story: If you have something hand knitted or crocheted, give it to the recipient and have them use it immediately!

Hmm...looks like I'll have to hold a toddlers KAL soon to keep up with her growth!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Small crochet

Taking a break from knitting, I decided to do some crochet work.

This stitch work is so tedious so a small one will suffice.

And I found a small pillow whose cover is in tatters so I just crocheted a cover over it.

And of course, being totally lazy, I just crocheted from the front and right around to the back! That way, it would work as a pincushion for me!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Chingay

There's a buzz of activities in my neighbourhood lately. Chingay is Singapore's equivalent of the street and float parade. It has always been the highlights right after the Chinese New Year and often held along Orchard Road.

However, of late; to bring it closer to the people, they have decided to bring the performances and floats to the heartlands. One of the locations happens to be right smack in the carpark in front of our block! So we have a bird's eye view of the performances.

They have set up a stage and some seats for the VIPs. Can you see the people standing along the right watching the performance?

Here's all the floats being parked after the parade to allow people to take photos.

To top it off, I was munching on this dark chocolate that I just discovered at our favourite Italian deli. It's so yummy!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Suntan

Thanks for the compliments on the tank top. Yes, it has to go to Mom as I have earlier promised her. Besides, the armholes are a little too comfortable for my liking. We'll see if Mom will agree to play model for that top.

Tank tops are really popular in our weather. Besides, they knit up faster as there are no sleeves to work on.

Here's Mr Sockie and pal getting a sunset soak... the new FOs for the month of February.