Alluring Lace Cardi

My latest fo is the alluring lace cardi from the current issue of creative knitting. I made this cardi with a sports weight yarn in my stash. I made a lot of modifications to this. The lace was changed to a dayflower lace (using the double lace scarf pattern found on ravelry and the lace pattern from the dayflower camisole). I really wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go with this. I made the bottom half (of both front pieces) in all lace, and only did 1 dayflower lace pattern up the front. I had intended for it to look somewhat similar to the original design ~ even though it doesn't! It was a good experience making changes to it and trying to figure out what to do next. I'm happy the cardi is complete but I'm not happy with all the changes I made (because I didn't account for the extra stockingnette stitches+1 extra stitch in garter). I realized too that I still need a lot of work in the seaming department! One day I'm going to have to take a class on seams!

I have 2 knitting projects I'm current working on. I have always loved the feather weight cardigan I made last year. Last summer? I put it in the wash and the cardi felted! I was very sad so I always intended to make another one. I finally started on this last week. I'm using (again) yarn in my stash. The yarn is a lace weight called Shimmer in Spice from Knit Picks. It's more fall colors but I thought it would go with one of my dresses. The second project is called beach party. It's a summer dress from the July 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. (Yes, I do like Creative Knitting Magazines)! I'm using the yarn Plymouth Fantasy I recently purchased from the LYS. I intend on finishing this dress by the end of May for a family graduation party.

I went to Stitches South on Friday with my friend, Carolyn. It was fun! It was a long ride, about 2 hours & 15 minutes. It made it nice that Carolyn drove so I didn't have to deal with the Atlanta traffic. I didn't attend any classes (next year), I just walked the market place. I got a chance to look at all the different yarns, patterns, etc. I ended up buying about 10 skeins of yarn. For lunch we went to a mongolian beef type restaurant which was delicious. It was a fun day and I got home around 4:30!

Lately, I've been feeling a bit heavy! I decided to start on a diet about 3 weeks ago. I've cut out most of the sugars (splenda is ok), and keep it low on the carbs. I can have all the salads I want w/ low carb dressing. I'm eating mostly proteins with some vegetables. I love sweets so I've made macaroons without flour and (regular) sugar! I also made some cheesecake yesterday, which are very low in carbs. It's not the real thing but it's still good. I'll probably keep experimenting with different stuff to keep the diet interesting. On a real positive note, I've actually lost a lot of belly fat which I'm thrilled! My jeans are no long super super tight! I can actually fit into some of my jeans from last summer... :) I'm also feeling better, I think cutting out the the starch and sugar keeps me more alert!

Easter Egg Hunt & New Yarn

My daughter's feeling better so we went to the egg hunt at the Arboretum. This year the crowd was smaller since there are 2 days of egg hunt this year and some of a schools are still in session. Honestly, I'm thrilled with the smaller crowd! My daughter picked up some eggs and she had a fun time with her Mommy and Daddy. The day was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures reaching in the high 80's later today! I am sad to report that I did not take any pictures. :( I remembered my camera but I was missing a battery! Oh well, I'll still be able to treasure this special day!

Yesterday, I was able to get hubby to babysit while I went yarn shopping. I know I was trying to be good but I wanted to reward myself for 1) not buying yarn since January 2) finishing the sundrop cardigan 3) Easter gift for myself. I was on the hunt for some DK-weight yarn. I had some trouble finding the LYS but I finally found it. (WARNING: VENT ALERT). To keep my self from sounding too whinny, the service was terrible, I almost walked out. What made the experience even worse is that when I asked if the yarn was a DK yarn (just before winding the skeins) , I was told that it was DK or even sport. As it turns out, it's neither. The yarn is a worsted weight yarn. I should know better right? Poor hubby had to hear me vent for a while. On the plus side, the yarn is nice and it will be great for another future project. I also found some "forgotten" DK weight yarns in my stash AND this will give me a good excuse to "stock up" on yarn at Stitches South. I feel better already....

Sundrop Cardigan Done!

I'm thrilled to say that I completed my Sundrop Cardigan. I really wanted to finish this in time for Easter. I wanted to make this in white but since I'm trying to stick to yarn in my stash, I went with Lion Brand Cottonease in Pink. I used 3 full skein and a partial skein for a previous project.

The pattern is from WEBS designer Kirsten Hipsky. I used a size 8 needle for this project. I was a bit nervous doing this project because of all the lace. It's been a while since I've done one with an overall lace design! I was a bit obsessive about getting it correct so I was using stitch holders for every set and counting to make sure I have the right numbers of stitches! This process was really slowing me down! After about 1/2 way through the back, I've decided to abandon that and just do it. I'm thrilled to say that for the most part, the lace came out great. This project has giving me a lot more confidence in knitting lace!

This was another great design from Kirsten Hipsky. The pattern was very straight forward. Here are the modifcations I made to this cardigan: instead of the rib pattern for the front band, I used a garter stitch. I also added 7 button holes instead of 3. 7 seems like the magic number for me lately. I added so many buttons because I was afraid it would be too small and with only 3 buttons, I didn't want the cardi to bulge! I reversed the button holes by mistake! I lengthened the body to 14" and added approx. 3" to the sleeves. For the seams, I decided to try something different this time. I picked up stitches around the shoulders and armholes and did a 3 needle bind off. It was a lot more work but well worth the effort. (I'm very very happy with how neat the seams look). I did a "light blocking" this morning and now it's done!

Stitches South is this month. Hubby has those days off so I'll be able to go one day. My friend, Carolyn will be going with me which will make it a really great day! She's also into knitting and crocheting and we can indulge in our love for yarn. She'll be driving since she's familiar with the Atlanta area. I'm really looking forward to being able to touch and feel the different yarns. I can't wait to add some DK yarn to my stash, which is much needed for all the spring/summer projects I want to do!

My daughter's still has her cold. I'm hoping that she will be feeling better by tomorrow. Tomorrow will be "our" annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Arboretum. This will be our 3rd year and hopefully, her daddy will be there too (normally, he's working)! I love watching her "carefully" pick the eggs. Most kids are busy filling their basket but she's happy picking only the eggs she wants - especially if it's a red colored egg. It's so cute! I like that she's not greedy and she's happy just being there and getting some of the eggs. Anyways, I hope to get lots of pictures tomorrow.

Happy Easter! :)

I'm Back!

Hi! It's been so long since I last blogged. Thank you for those that inquired about my blog.

In the last few months, I have purchased several new patterns that I would like to knit. Several of them are from webs. They are: Lily of the Valley Pullover by Kirsten Hipsky, #276 Hosta Leaf Cardigan (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this) by Cheryl Burke, Tarconic V-Neck Pullover by Jen Ronning, and #301 Oriel Lace Cardigan by Kirsten Hipsky (which is my current fo). I also purchased the pattern, Cherry By Anna Bell. I hope to make this cardigan as part of my summer must knits.

What's currently on my needles is the Sundrop Cardigan by Kirsten Hipsky. I'm using Cottonease for this project. I really wanted to make this cardigan in white but since I'm trying to stick to my stash, I'm knitting this in a pink color. It will actually go well with a pink dress that I have. I'm hoping (keeping my fingers crossed) that I will have this done by Easter. A little over 5 days...sounds possible, but with my daughter on spring break and with her cold, Easter Egg Hunt and Bible Study, I may not complete it in time.

While surfing through Ravelry, I noticed that Stitches South will be in Atlanta from 22-25th of April. I wasn't sure if I was going. After checking with Hubby's work schedule, I realize that I probably will be able to go one day! It will be a 2 ~ 3 hour drive but it will be worth it. It's a good excuse for me to buy yarn since I've been itching to buy some DK yarn for some of the projects I plan to do! It will be exciting to around all that yarn and yarn fanatics. Maybe I'll even recognize some of the people from Ravelry. How cool is that?

Thanks for thinking of me, emailing me and leaving comments on my blog! (I'm sorry I didn't reply to some of the comments and I'll have to translate some of them because I can't read Chinese).

Have a great day everyone!

Here's my current fo:

Also, I took this one day when it actually snowed here! It's hard to believe since we get snow like every 7 years....my daughter was enjoying the snow. :)

Personal Security ~ Computer Virus

My PC has a virus. While hubby was on the computer, I thought my anti-virus program popped up showing tons of infected file. In a panic, I clicked on removes files...that was it. I download this terrible computer virus on my PC. For the past 24 hours, I have been frantic on removing this virus. While online, I saw some post on how to remove this program. I proceeded to download some of the programs, but I can't get any of them to run! My PC is now totally infected. I've admitted defeat and I will probably be taking my computer to an IT for repair. In the meantime, I'm glad I have my laptop! (I purchased it last year while my PC was under another VIRUS attack). I'm trying not to get too bummed out!

On the knitting front, I've starting another project. I'm currently knitting the knit cable hoodie from Lion Brand. I wanted an easy project to do. It's been a life saver really. While I've been waiting for some of the virus programs to load (from the previous 24 hours), I've been working on this hoodie. It's actually been relaxing in the mist of chaos! I've finished with the back and now I've started on the front. My goal is to finish this by my birthday but I think I'm being too unrealistic! Oh well, I'll just gradually work on this and see how far I get with this. Otherwise, this will be my New Year's Eve sweater.

On a positive note, I'm thrill to report that my daughter wore her Astronaut/Butterfly/Cowgirl vest today. She already had a different outfit on and I decided to put the sweater on her. She didn't seem to mind it too much so I thought I change her whole outfit and put on a green turtle neck underneath. To my surprise she didn't mind! I'm so thrilled, she's wearing the sweater I made her to school! I took some action shots but it may be a while before I can load any pictures.

Here's to wishing everyone Happy Holidays !!!!! :)

Felted Slippers

As usual, I'm pressed for time so I hope I can write this blog with minimum typos!


I wanted to make the French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernadi but I decided to try another slipper pattern. (Less sewing and on a large needle with only 1 strand of worsted yarn). The pattern I used is from Knit.1, winter 2007 Felted Slippers pattern. This was a very easy pattern which knitted up quickly on a size 10 needle. I used about 1 1/2 skein of Brown Sheep Wool Yarn. At first I was worried that the slippers would not felt to size, since the lactual length after knitting is 15 1/4" and the finished (felt) length, 8 1/2". After knitting up the first slipper, I decided to purchase the French Press Felted Slippers. I'm glad I did because in the pattern, there were good tips on how to felt since this was my first attemp ever! I checked every 5 minutes to make sure I didn't "over" felt. Around 45 minutes, it finally felt to the correct size! I was over joyed! Now that I know the first slipper felt to size, I was anxious to make the second slipper. I love how it made the slippers look! Next time though, I would put the slippers in a zipped pillow case so there wouldn't be so much lint/fuzz on them!


Here's a photo of how "big" the slippers are before felting:







Jasmine checking herself out in the mirror while modeling my slippers....




For the last few days, I've been trying to find my next knitting project. Quite honest, I've been feeling a bit discouraged about knitting. I thought about knitting the #99 Flutter-Sleeved Blousy Lace Cardigan by Sweaterbabe or the Vine Yoke Cardigan by Ysolda Teague but I wasn't sure. This morning, I got up at 5am. I decided to plug in the Christmas Tree and drink a cup of hot chocolate while looking through Ravelry. It was actually very relaxing and I finally found my next project! I decided to knit the Cable Luxe Tunic by Lion Brand Yarn. I always loved this sweater but I always thought it would be too hard to knit up...so 3? years later, I'm finally attempting to knit this! All the cables are very intimidating since I am so new at it! I know this will be somewhat of a long term project! Let's face it, with an active 4 yo, I'm not going to get much knitting done since I have to really concentrate on this pattern! Wish me luck!

On a final note, I was actually thinking of knitting/crocheting up little christmas ornaments for the children in my daughter's preschool class (16 in total). I thought maybe little candy canes, snow flakes or reindeer ornaments would be cute....I have a week to make these before her christmas party!

Happy Holidays ~

Busy Month of November

November just flew by! I was looking at the date of my last blog entry and it was back in October... I've been busy, or trying to stay busy. I decided that I needed more adult activity and I've attended a few MOPs meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers). I've also attended my very first Knitting Group. It was a long drive, 2 hours but I wanted to meet up with people who share my common interest in Knitting.



As far as my knitting projects, I've been steadily working on some new and not so new projects. I started on the February Lady Sweater. This sweater took me about the whole month of November to complete. I think it took so long because the lace is so boring and I decided to re-do the front band on my feather weight cardigan (more on that later). The yarn I used for my February Lady Sweater is Plymouth Encore. This was one of my very first purchase from the LYS. I think I always had this sweater in mind for this yarn. Unfortunately, I'm not too thrilled with the color and one of the skeins had so many knots, it was awful! I did manage to finish my sweater. The modifications I made are to the underarm area (to eliminate most of the puffiness) and adding length to the sleeves. It's a very easy pattern , just tedious!

I also managed to re-do the front band to my Feather Weight Cardigan. I had made this cardigan in the summer using a lace weight yarn. While pulling on the band one day, I manage to snap the yarn...so I decided that this was a good time to re-do the band. I needed a break from my February Lace Sweater. I didn't realize that when I had picked up the stitches before, I did not pick up every stitch around the neck area. This time I did. I also decided to go with stockinette stitch and just do some rows of seed stitch to finish off the band. I was hoping this would eliminate some of the "curling". I switched from a size 6 needle to a size 7 needle for the seed stitch and used a size 8 needle for the bind off. I'm happy with the front being longer but I HATE the neckline now! I've decided for now, I'm not going to frog it and keep it as it. I'll probably wash it later and just let the neckline roll! (Yes, it still rolls w/o blocking). Here's a photo with the cardigan blocked:








My final project for the month of November was the Cowgirl, Astronault, Cowgirl Vest for my daughter. I usually only make projects for myself but lately, I've actually been making projects for other people. (I forgot to mention that I also made a pair of leg warmers for hubby somewhere between the February Lace Sweater and the front band of the Feather Weight Cardigan). I was inspired to make a sweater for my daughter because of preschool. I was noticing the cute outfits the other littler girls were wearing and I thought to myself that I could make something cute, if not cuter for her! So with that in mind, I searched for patterns and found this vest. I wanted to make this vest in a variegated pink/red combo but I couldn't find any yarn in those colors I liked. Instead I decided to go with a green theme. I had trouble deciding on what color to make the band, but with help from fellow raveler's and hubby I decided upon beige. The bottom half of the vest went very quickly. I was excited and looking forward to getting this done way before my mother in law's visit.... I wish that the rest of the vest went as well, but I had to frog almost every step along the way...After the decreases for each front side and each back side, the stitch count would not match up! I had to modify the decreases to make the stitches come out to 12. It was very frustating and my poor husband had to hear me complain! I feel guilty because the person was nice enough to provide a free pattern and it it a very beautiful vest! After a lot of perseverance and frogging, I did complete this sweater in a week's time. I'm happy with my color combination and I hope someday I can get my daughter to wear i for longer than a few minutes! If not, I'll always have something to show her when she's older, that her mommy lovingly made this sweater just for her!





Me with Hubby's Leg Warmers (With "X" and "O" lace pattern):

And finally my daughter's vest: (I actually found some cute butterfly buttons)!!!