Knit, knit, knit....in Singapore and wherever I go!

30 mins.

That's how much time it takes to knit each of these patchwork pieces in the photos. And that's the speed now that I have gained momentum.

This project came about as a temporary distraction from all the garment projects I have been working on. I am hesitant to call this project a "blanket" or "sofa throw" as it may stop growing pre-maturely -- that's why it's taken me about 2 weeks to muster courage to bring this out into the open.

I am not sure if this project can withstand the mockery of being called a "scarf" or a "what-ever-this-thing-is" if its growth is stunted. It may die of shame and crawl under my ever-increasing pile of UFOs and bawl.

So I'll just refer to it as the *garter thing*. [A flash moment: I have never quite had a garter project before, not that I can recall.]

In an effort to reduce possible project ditching, I have also decided to knit and join the knit pieces as I move along to eliminate seaming. The hexagons initially took much more time as the decreases are done every 3rd row -- I have to be vigilant when it comes to counting the rows.

The gals have already ruffled my feathers, saying that I wouldn't be able to get this going to a reasonable stage. So in blind denial, I have so far been tote-ing this thing wherever I go, stealing moments to work on it. That means, even when I travelling overseas... and the project is actually getting wider and becoming a mini lap-ghan of sorts, keeping my legs warm on flights.

However, the thought of possibly having multiple skinny scarves as gifting presents is still proving to be very alluring. (Hey, one's got to think of how to minimize all possibilities of relegating a project to UFO status right?)

But I digress.

And without being deliberate, I just noticed that the colors I have used for this project is very much complementary to the crocheted cushions in my living room. At this point though, I am wondering if by the time I am finished with this *garter thing* that I should consider re-doing the cushions!

Pardon the inconsistent photo sig -- these crocheted cushions are completed back in 2005! (That sounds like an awfully long time!)

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Entrelac stripes within squares

Remember last year where the craze was all about Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style, by Pam Allen?

It got me very intrigued. I love the entrelac pattern but really can't see myself spending a lot of time working a shawl like this.

So I decided to use the entrelac knitting concept and created something else instead.

On a particular day in Feb this year, I browsed some of my references then went to bed at 11pm.

However, I was so pysched up by the idea of entrelac knitting that I finally got out of bed at 2am in the wee hours of the morning to get the project started.

Crazy isn't it?

Does this ever happen to you? I mean, getting so bothered (or jazzed up) by a project or a roadblock that you just can't get to sleep; you end up forgoing sleep to be awake through the night to straighten out the problem or start a project?

I had the phone placed in the picture to remind me of my crazy obsession with my crafting. The time: 6.57am.

Once I manage to grasp the concept, it wasn't that hard to knit this project. (Hint: This project isn't going to turn out rectangular nor square.)

I love the way the navy blue and turquoise green complements each other. And if you have been following me for a while, you will realize that I am rather a Plain Jane.

The only thing I detest about entrelac knitting? Look at the amount of tails I have to tuck in!

The project is now temporarily on hold as I get distracted by the other posts.

There are so many things going on that I figured that the way to get things back on track is to blog more frequently!

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Keeping really busy

Last Tues, I was really sick. I was coming down with flu and cough so I decided to stay home. The self-imposed one day quarantine is of my own will since the H1NI virus news was splashed over the news and I didn't want to deal with suspicious scrutiny if I do an occasional nose blow or cough when out in the public.

So I spent the time browsing pattern books and decided that starting yet another new project is the best way to go.

It actually progressed rather quickly, save for the one-time major rip back as my brain was clouded by the drowsiness-induced flu medicine prescribed by the doctor.

If I am lucky, it may be finished right within this month.


Blog revamp
And if you have been trying to access my blog directly for the last few days, I apologise for this blog's intermittent loading issues.

This blog has been around since Sep 2005 so it's coming to be 4 years of age soon. I figured a blog de-clutter and revamp exercise is necessary so I plunged straight into it over the weekend -- I've been meaning to get around to doing it but well...

I may be doing some fine-tuning work over the next few days so once again, thanks for your patience.

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Ms Shimmy jumps into the frogpond!

If you think that I really learn my lessons, you would be so wrong.

While I was thinking to think of a way to re-work the neckline of the crochet motif tank, I started a new knit project.

My motivation? The sweltering heat.

The crochet cotton, knitted silk lace tunic, silk fitted collar blouse & bamboo tops that I did previously fared so well under the sun -- yes, I wore them out and walked the streets; braving the 30 degrees Celsius or 86 Fahrenheit. And I didn't faint nor sustain any heatstroke.

What a great way to add an additional piece to my wardrobe!

I had this tank knitted circularly or in the round as many call this. Not only that, the yarn itself is a flat ribbon that is extremely shimmery due to the two-tone yarn construction. Initially I have my reservations about this choice as I've always been been a plain Jane - solids are top of mind. This yarn, on the other hand, is on the other end of the scale. I shall call this project Ms Shimmy.

Ms Shimmy grew fast as the yarn is very slinky and slick. In fact, I had to exert slightly tighter tension to ensure I don't lose grip when I knit without looking, such as when I am on the MRT train. As I worked on it, I decided that the shimmer is subtle and in fact, I have grown to quite like it. And soon, I was able to try Ms Shimmy on myself.

I do this all the time. I just hate the idea of trying on only when the tails are tucked in because it'll mean more blood and tears if the garment doesn't fit as well and you have to do the inevitable ripping.

[Believe me, it can be really a hair pulling experience if you can't find the ends you tucked in so well!]

Then it was the joining and attaching of straps. Surprisingly, this yarn is very lightweight and pleasant next to the skin.

However, at this point, I am sure you no doubt see what the problem was -- the straps are a little too skimpy. Moreover, they are spaced wider apart than I would have liked.

So this slinky little number is going to take a rest in its corner for just a wee bit until I can see myself wading back into the frogpond to revive it, along with the rest of the other projects.

Seriously though, I aim to be pals with Ms Shimmy real soon, before the rain comes along.

In the meantime, I'm moving along...

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Crochet merry-go-round

During my extended absence in blogsphere, apart from working on my various WIPs and not getting anything crossing over the finishing line, I do a fair bit of browsing whenever I can.

At the bookshops and the world wide web.

But it creates an issue. Checking out the latest magazines, pattern books and blogger reviews just makes me want to start more projects.

So I developed startitis -- the idea of starting a crochet project crept in. I decided that it wouldn't just be a continuous row by row pattern. Instead, something like crochet squares or circular motifs being joined together appealed to me. (Similar to the one I previously crocheted.)

Actually, that should have set off the alarm bells. But obviously, my brain wasn't heeding any negative thoughts. I just dived straight in.

This is the motif that I used. And I was well into my 4th round when I just decided that something didn't look right. Murphy's Law kicked in.

I started ripping back (about 3 motifs)....and redid some. But I realized something wasn't right. So I ripped back some more (about 8 motifs) and still the problem remained.

I got so upset that I decided to put my foot down and teach the project a lesson. I decided that I would go as far back as unravelling 2 rounds' worth of motifs.

THEN I found the problem -- a motif with an extra loop on the 2nd row! As a result of the 4 stitch loop, the amount of grief I experienced was inconsolable. I could have finished the bodice with the amount of back-ripping I was doing! *Imagine that!*

Learnt my lesson yet? You bet! I keep telling the gals that they have to check their projects every now and then so that they can minimize errors and avoid ripping back. So it's not the crochet tango that can happen but a crochet merry-go-round too!

I really do need to heed that advice myself.

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