Stitch 2 Stitch

Needless to say that I’m really enjoying knitting these days. I am (sort of ) proud to announce that I managed to knit up 1 WHOLE 50g ball in just 1 day which is excellent progress for me personally. In fact, Ted was pretty impressed too. lol I’m not too sure if he’s happy about how knitting has taken over my obsessesion of sewing!

I’ve actually become a bit of a yarn hoarder (if I have not mentioned this before which I’m pretty sure I have) and ever since I bought some slightly more exxy yarn (meaning more exxy than those Spotlight crap I initially bought), I’ve come to see the vast difference in the quality and the sheer pleasure one gets knitting it. I tell you, I will never buy another Spotlight yarn again….unless I absolutely have to. In all fairness, I have to add that I won’t be buying specifically SL’s acrylic 8ply yarn anymore coz they just go fuzzy from while being knitted so I cannot imagine how it will be like after a few washes. Tis a pity coz Brandon’s cardi was knitted from that. (

That said, my recent purchases have been from mainly the members on Rav who were destashing. I’m trying to get familiar with the more famous but affordable yarn (by my financial standard of course). So my stash has bred and filled up 2 boxes. Ted doesn’t know this and he doesnt need to either! I’ve got cotton yarn of 8 & 4 ply, DK wool….to name just 2. I’m not sure if I wanna get sock yarn just yet, they seem so fine and feels like it would take forever to complete. And I’m not really a scarf person so I don’t see myself knitting up scarves. Instead, I’m more into kids garments so cottons and DK type yarn would be my main focus.

I’m trying to get a grip of myself and control my buying because I don’t want to just go all out. But at the same time, I’m at that place where I’m always questioning myself : Do I buy yarn then find the pattern? OR Should I search for the pattern first then get the yarn? More often than not, I seem to be buying first and then noticing that the stuff I get don’t seem to be the right yarn to what I wanna knit! :/ And I’m not good at substituting yarn and needles. But at the moment, I’m knitting up a cardi for Arianna which calls for a recycle cotton 10ply but I’m knitting with a 8ply pure wool yarn. So I’m hoping that my needle increase will make a difference. Otherwise, KR will be the lucky new owner.

I knew it was a good thing to have 2 girls! lol

A hearty congratulations to Anna and Bret!! They welcomed baby Axel after a rather long and painful labour, I bet poor Anna was glad to see the end of it. Poor thing had her birth plan thrown out the window after labouring so long BUT I’m just glad that bub and mum are both reported to be doing fine. That’s all that matters. It’s what I tell most of my friends who are mums-to-be. A birth plan is just that, a PLAN. Don’t expect it to go as plan coz you gotta admit that sometimes, things just don’t go as plan and a birth plan is no different.

I’ve read how so many women were so disappointed coz they couldn’t carry out their birth plan and how sad they felt about it. I say, “Wake up, woman!!” It’s not about you anymore, and it ceased to be all about you the moment your bub was conceived. The most important thing during a birth is to ensure that both mum and bub come out of it safely. And to me, that is all that matters.

Apparently I’ve gone off track again. Anyway, Bret wanted to celebrate by buying some cigars to pass around and apparently he managed to get some cheap cohiba cigars. I don’t know much about cigars but I hope what he got, he liked coz they sure ain’t cheap to me!

Before I started knitting, I was chilling out mostly at my sewing forum, Crafty Mamas. (You should check it out, it’s GREAT there!) but since I started knitting, Ravelry has been my OTHER hangout site. While I’m not particularly active in any forum, I spend most of my time there looking through tons of free patterns available for download. (A big big thank you to all those generous knitters out there!)

While I know there are a million other sites out there which also offer free patterns, how many do you know of link up to the yarn that they are using or suggest? This function really makes my life as a newbie so much easy coz then I dont have to crack my head to figure out the adjustments unless it’s absolutely necessary. And I love the fact that the patterns also links up to other people’s projects so I can see what they have used (if not the yarns suggested) and then make my own decision after that.

The hardest thing about free patterns is that there is just have SO many to choose from, I get overwhelmed very easily. My library is full…and getting fuller by the day. My queue list is getting longer too! lol I don’t need to mention the number of patterns I’ve already downloaded. Man, I’m truly spoilt for choice! O, and not to mention the ton of patterns I already have in books. I’ve also got a bag full of patterns an eBay seller offloaded to me coz I got some needles from her – so sweet of her!! O.o I’m got so many pattern books, they are coming out of my ears….I might have a destash some day soon. Since I’ve got so much, might as well spread the love right?

So if you’re looking for some knitting patterns, keep an eye out here. I’ll most probably list them in here.

Since we had kids, we’re always talking about wanting to take the kids on a proper vacation. Not some 2-3 day weekend away at Queensland but some place where they will truly remember for the rest of their lives. I want it to be a memory that they will cherish and talk about all the time and perhaps someday share it with their kids. Since we do not grow money on trees, we’ve talked about having a 5 year savings plan for this trip and in 5 years time, we will take the kids to…..DISNEYLAND!!

In case you’re thinking that we’ll be headed to the one in the US, I think not. I would rather we go to the one in Paris so that we can enjoy a nice Europe tour – something that I think both Ted and I will truly enjoy. Although I have already been to Paris, it was almost 10 years ago and I’m sure things would have changed a lot in the next 5. So, here’s hoping that our financial plan for this works out….other wise, I guess we could still go on a nice family vacation away to the US this time. I’ve been told that the rental options from carolina designs are quite a treat. Perhaps a personal vsit in person would suffice to see how true it is. A bit of sun is what we all need after all!

Somedays I wish I had someone to blame when my acne comes a-knocking. Despite leaving my teenager years long behind me AND having 3 kids, you’d think that I’d see the back of my acne but nup….instead of my teenage acne to deal with, I now have adult acne. *rolls eyes*

It’s bad enough that I feel too old to have to deal with this but I cannot imagine being an old lady with acne issues. *touch wood* I’d like to think that all this will end soon but the moment I think that it’s all over….it comes back to haunt me. *sigh* Makes me wonder why me? Setting aside my self-pity, I have to say that I do not have it as bad as my little sis. She’s had it longer and worst then me. I wish I could take it all away but I remember someone told me once before, you won’t look as nice without your pimples. I wish I could comprehend that but till today, I still fail to see how having zits on my face makes me look better….. *shrugs*

I finally finished another free pattern! This one is from Lion Brand called Child’s Beach Top.

It’s very easy to knit up BUT so boring coz the whole lot is mainly stocking stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) and then a little bit of garter st at the top (knit every row). While it wouldn’t have taken long to finish, I kept putting it aside coz it was just that, boring…. so I’m really glad to see the back of this! lol

I had planned to crochet a flower for the bodice but since KR wasn’t too keen abt this top once I had completed it, I didn’t bother. Instead, I just sewed on 3 random buttons from (my) Mount Button. I have a glimmer of hope now that there is 3 less buttons in this pile…

That said, I am personally not happy with the outcome. I always say that there is always a lesson learned with each new project. With this, I’ve come to realise that gauge is important….make your swatch!! With this top, I used 8ply instead of 10ply and didn’t adjust the needles, hence it’s a lot smaller. So this will last maybe this season only. Thank goodness I didn’t spend TOO much time on it and that it was a simple pattern.

Now on to another project, something for Brandon for winter. I’m making it in 12mths size.

Previous updates here.

I chanced upon Bluefly recently and I was instantly reminded of my college prom night and how dressed up we were back then. Almost a decade ago, I could have pulled off (almost) any these evening dresses because I had the *ahem* body to do it. I really miss all those days when we used to get dressed up and go out for the night. Being in my late teens/early twenties, those were the days of my life.

I still clearly remember getting dressed up in my really sexy (and see-through) saree (an Indian traditional garment) and when my bestfriend and I walked into the hall. (A few) Heads would turn to see who just walked in and it was just a tremendous boost for the ego to feel eyes just watching you! lol It certainly felt good to be noticed.

Back then, dressing up was important and although we couldn’t really afford designer handbags or shoes, it didn’t mean that we didn’t own any nice ones. I’ll always remember this fashion tip my mum told me – It’s not what you wear but how your carry yourself with what you’re wearing. This simply means that you could be wearing something off the clearance rack but if you know how to carry yourself, what you wear is an added bonus. Some very wise words from a very wise and experienced woman!

Aaaahhh….I wonder when I’ll ever be able to doll myself up again and go crazy painting the town red. *sigh*

Since a couple of weeks before Brandon was born, I packed away my sewing machine and overlocker. It took me so long to pack them away because honestly, it was very emotional for me. You may think this sounds crazy but ask anyone who enjoys sewing and they can tell you that it’s like an arrow through the heart if they had to go without their machine for awhile. And here I am tucking my babies away for an indefinite period of time. When dh told me that I should pack them away, I thought he was kidding but coz he’s always teasing me about how crazy I get when my sewjo is in full steam. But he wasn’t and today, I know why. I really don’t have the time to sit and sew when I got 3 kids to handle. I envy mums who are able to do this….coz I wished I could find a way to manage and organize it in such a way that I can sit and sew. Alas, this is not to be…at least now.

That said, I am glad that I managed to sew a couple of things for the kids before the machines were put away. Sadly, I didn’t sew enough for Brandon and Arianna (KR is currently using Arianna’s hand me downs) so we end up buying from the store and omg, I really can’t believe the crater it created in my pocket in our recent shop.

I only got 2 2-piece suits for Brandon so I can mix and match them with other stuff that he already has, 2 pairs of leggings for the girls and 3 pairs of (the cheapest) panties for Arianna. And would you believe it that THAT lot of clothes cost close to AU60???? That is a LOT of fabric that I can buy and sew till the cows come home!! And still have scraps left for a quilt or patchwork! >.< Yet, I came home with this tiny lot and Brandon will outgrow them before anything can happen. *sigh*

Then I realise how tough it must be for people who don’t have the option of homesewing their kids clothes. While there is pure satisfaction to see your child wear what you’ve handmade, but the idea that the money you spent on fabric was well spent is just bliss. A good example is me buying 2m of fabric for both the girls and I would still have balance to whip up something small. The cost of the fabric may cost slightly more BUT it would be one of a kind….and you can sew matching outfits for the kids! Anyway, seeing that I’m really missing sewing so much, I’ve set a goal for myself : Until I get my driving license, I won’t bring the machines out. Hopefully this will give me that kick in the butt to make an effort to get my license. I hope….

Many times I’ve heard that Mum is always right and more often than not, this is true. Well, it is mostly true when it come to the decisions that I’ve made when I go against my Mum’s advice. They normally dont turn out well! lol One classic example was that she advised me to take up nursing after my highschool so that I would have the option of going overseas to work since nursing is a rather sought after position but back then, you didn’t do what your mum told you. You want to make your own decision and follows your friends and so I ended up going to college to take up computer science. Didn’t do me any good although I did end up with a degree.

Once I completed my diploma, I ended up working in a bank as a secretary and then after that, I got a job as an office admin. Both of which didn’t really require me to have a degree in computer science although that computer knowledge did come in handy more than once. Regrets aside, now that life has moved on in a different direction, I’ve always comtemplated returning to studying and perhaps taking up an online business degree since going to classes literally would be difficult with the kids. But why an online business degree? Well, let’s just say that one day…I hope to run my own business and I reckon this degree with definitely come in handy then! That’s quite a good reason, eh?

I made it!! I made it!! I made it!! ^.^ I never thought I’d see the end of this project but phew…I’m so glad this is over and done with.

Before I started this pattern, I was afraid that I would have to put it on hold for fear that I might not be able to follow the instructions (I learnt a valuable lesson knitting Brandon’s cardi, you see) but apparently it is an easy pattern and suitable for beginners such as myself. Who would have thought that something with so much details (by my standard) could be completed by a newbie?? I’m glad I stuck to my guns and finished it. I’m SO in love with this yarn that I’ve gone and bought 2 other colors. LOL And the best thing is, I have no idea what I’m going to do with it!! Anyway, here it is….thank goodness Arianna likes it or I would be SOOOOO devastated!

I got a smile!

Note Arianna is holding a knitted rag doll….I can’t claim credit for this. Grandma gave them each a doll when they were born. But that will be another post where I’ll show off.

While the knitting is done, I have yet to sew on the buttons and block it. I have no idea how to block it so I’m off to my forum to find out!

TFL……

Ps. I should mention that Ted thought I knitted a “hoochie” outfit for Arianna until he saw otherwise…then he asked me why I knitted her an apron! At least he got part of it right…I told him that the pattern is fashioned that way but it is NOT an apron! It is very versatile and that shut him up.