Mary Jane Skimmers
Pattern | Mary Jane Skimmers by Sylvia Schuchardt
Yarn | Puppets Cotton 8 ply in white
Needles | 3.5mm crochet hook

I was itching to work on something other than Nil’s one side sock but didn’t want the burden of having an unfinished WIP on my hands. So I thought, hey, why not work on another bootie for little Eva? I made two pairs for her – three months and nine months – but have nothing suitable for a newborn. I figured that these little skimmers would do the trick even though some may say that she’ll outgrow it fast. I don’t really mind actually since it keeps me busy plus it helps me dip into my stash. Not that my stash got really dented in the process. This project took up very little yarn and is great for leftovers and such – if you have tons of those.

I didn’t do a two-sole bottom as called for by the pattern because I wanted to keep it soft and such. Also, the center strap was lengthened by one to two stitches (two stitches was a mistake). When the two were complete, Nil remarked that it looked a bit tad on the small side and feared that our little one may not fit into it at all. I don’t think it’ll be an issue since cotton is stretchable to some degree and the yarn I’ve chosen to work with is quite pliable and soft to boot.

Now that this is done, it’s back to the packing and this time, we’ve continued on with the clothes – I’m so tempted to just the unwanted pieces with a wholesale clothing store – and our books. Clothing-wise, there are my work clothes which I brought from home (totally useless if you ask me). I might take a few pieces with me but otherwise, the rest will probably end up in storage like the winter clothes or just given away (especially the older pieces). Book-wise, Nil will be passing off his French comics to his mum while I get to bring over my cookbooks plus craft stuff. Huzzah!

And yes, now that Eva is full-term, the waiting game begins.

Miao
Pattern | Amineko Crocheted Cat by Nekoyama
Yarn | Coop Maxima in Pale Yellow
Needles | 3.5mm crochet hook

Yes, this is another toy I knitted up while watching Murder, She Wrote seasons 3 and 4 as well as looking up info on all sorts of things, eg nursing bras, breast pumps, Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney and such. (It’s interesting how there are such things as attorneys specialising in motorcycle accidents…we definitely more of those back in Malaysia!!!).

Anyway, this is what people would call an amigurumi toy – a Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small creatures or items like plants and such. It’s usually made up of a few pieces which are stuffed separately and then joined together by handstitching the parts together. In Miao’s case, I had to make two arms, two legs, one tail, one torso, the head, two ears and the piece for the mouth. Looking at the list, it may seem tedious but it is quick and almost mindless work during to the nature of how it is crochet – spiral.

Instead of plastic pellets to give it some weight in the arms, legs and torse, I settled on filling instead to make it squishable. And yes, as you can see, I even gave Miao an attitude to boot! Now to see if Eva will like it…

The Grey Whale
Pattern | Sludgie the Whale by Carrie Melago
Yarn | Coop Maxima in Grey
Needles | 3.5mm crochet hook

Since I’ve been waiting for a while to get some dye-fixer solution in the mail (thus resulting in a halt in my sewing), I wanted to work on something while I catch up on Murder, She Wrote (Season 3). I just can’t stand not doing something with my fingers while I’m watching something. It’s been a habit of mine for the past one or two years – so I thought, why not work on a toy? It’s fast and well, hardly complicated. And we do need a toy or two to keep Eva occupied while she’s in the crib/bassinet and such.

I had read that babies have not much colour sense in the first six months and thus are attracted only to contrast – black & white plus solid patterns like stripes, circles and so forth (think barcodes and barcode scanners – see if you can find the link! ^^). So I thought why not crochet up a toy in some grey yarn that I have lying around? Hence the birth of The Grey Whale as seen in pics above and below. I made some changes, choosing to omit the removable water spout and replacing the plastic eyes with embroidered eyes instead for safety purposes. The stuffing is leftover polyfill which I had used in my previous toy project.

While the original whale looks a little bit more happy with a smile and softer, I like my toys firmer and squishable – hence why the “stiff” and morose look. Still, Nil thinks it’s quite cute and personally, for me, it’ll do as a simple toy. I have a couple more toys queued up in my projects list over on Ravelry and I might be just tempted to do a “soft” one like a bear or something. We’ll see how it goes…

Dual Colour Strapped Booties
Pattern | Double Strap Baby Booties by Sylvia Schuchardt
Yarn | Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Rose and Bark
Needles | 3.5 crochet hook

I had actually finished this a few days ago but had placed it aside since the buttons were coming in from Hong Kong. Yes, the selection of buttons at the local store is kind of…uninspiring and well, since most of my “allowance” money is tied up online, I thought I’d buy them off Ebay or something. Turned out to be a very well-made decision considering that I’ll be knitting a few baby clothes, booties and things that need buttons and that these buttons are awfully cute – I have some in the shape of dog bones and red ladybugs!

Anyway, I have another bootie-loafer to finish crochet-ing and this one might be a little fiddly because I’m working with a sport/DK weight yarn instead of worsted (basically thinner than usual) and mixing it with some black Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton yarn. The leftovers will end up going into knitting up newborn to 3 month old booties, Mary Janes and loafers which will either end up in the store or as gifts to friends who are expecting.

In the meantime, I’m feeling quite adventurous and thus, have started work on a baby version of the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket as seen here. Wish me luck!!!!

Oh, here are pics of my other pair with some ladybug buttons! So squishable and tiny-ly cute!!!!

Double Strap Booties
Pattern | Double Strap Baby Booties by Sylvia Schuchardt
Yarn | Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton in Olive Green
Needles | 3.5 crochet hook

I must admit that prior to starting this project, my crochet skills were absolutely…well, I was rusty at it. So I had some problems reading the instructions, fumbled a little with crocheting into loops and back loops. On top of that, I misread the instructions at one point, resulting in at least two extra ends to weave in. In the end, I ended up with a really awkward looking bootie.

My second one was must better – at least I got the straps right in the middle and didn’t have to frog that much. By the time I finished the top part and the straps, it was safe to say that I got the pattern down to pat. It’s not really all that bad for someone as rusty at crochet as I was/am.

I would, however, work this with another yarn instead of this Debbie Bliss yarn even though the bootie turned out alright. It frays easily and has little to no structure of its own. Trouble is that I can’t seem to find much worsted weight cotton or linen here. Am currently working with some Rowan All Seasons Cotton and that seems to be much better for this sort of work! Still, any other suggestions from you knitters?

Junior’s Lilac Vest
Pattern | Baby Yoda Sweater by Cari Luna
Yarn | Coop Maxima in 1519
Needles | 4mm circulars

My first FO project is a lazy one, honestly. I had initially started this with good intentions of knitting a real sweater but over time, it just wasn’t doing enough for my knitting mojo and by the time I got to the sleeves, I was out of steam and I mean really out of steam.

So I decided to frog the sleeves, forgo like four balls of Coop Maxima still in my stash, and just turn this into a vest. As you can see, I even delayed on putting in the buttons; my excuse is that I’m looking for the right buttons…that’s if I can bring myself to actually go looking for them in town. It’s sad, I know.

Still, Nil and I think this is a pretty cute outfit – I’m making it really flexible…in other words, I’ll be adding about four buttons and the side seams can be removed easily, turning them into poncho-like structures which can then be closed by using simply braided “ropes”. Even without these modifications, this vest can be worn from 0 to 6 months making it really lasting.

In the meantime, it’s off to work on some promotional products and my other WIPs. Yes, I finally got back my knitting mojo!!!!!!!!!!! My spinning has taken a backseat but it’s ok….those woolies can wait a while.

Utopia Hat
Pattern | Utopia Hat by Smariek
Yarn | Handpaintedyarn.com Colonial in Carmenere
Needles | 5mm circulars

With winter fast approaching and having little to zero decent beanies to call my own – I could pinch HB’s but he has been stashing his in his coat pocket which he wears to work every day – I decided to quickly knit up one for use soon. This is supposed to match some fingerless gloves that I’ve been working on for like…ever and there wasn’t enough for a beret so a beanie it was.

As for my fingerless gloves, they are still in the making – somehow I’m awfully slow with any project that comes in twos.

The yarn is a single spun aran weight yarn from Handpaintedyarn.com and is suitable for felting. Pretty easy to knit if you ask me. Despite being a single ply, it has a good stretch quality and turned out rather well for this project. I made some modifications since I don’t want anything overly long. I don’t exactly have a big head so I did two cables for each of the upper and lower patterns and shortened the rest by a few lines. It turned out to be just perfect. Any more and I would end up with a cone shaped beanie.

Overall, I’m happy with this project. It’s good to get back into the knitting game again. Now if only I can speed it up a little while working on other stuff like this gift card thingie, my spinning, classes and work…

Diamond Skinny Scarf
Pattern | Based on a stitch dictionary
Yarn | Rowan Tapestry in 173
Needles | 5mm

The item is actually for the shop (listed here) but it has been a while since I last showcased my finished FO…including the shawl design I churned up (which is being featured on my shop blog).

The yarn was lovely to work with and a wool-soy blend has never ceased to amaze me. The colourway was an unexpected purchase from Maryann’s stash and I thought it would go well with the current season (autumn). The smooth yet light texture of the yarn gave the finished product a very ethereal and airy feel, making it suitable for any type of weather condition. Now, top that with some gorgeous soft stripes of brown-chocolate, taupe and purple! Absolutely delish, if you ask me!

The pattern is easy to knit up and quick too…I took about under a week, if you count the other distractions and all to finish this. Anyway, there are more pictures on the shop listing here – do have a go look-see! I hope to churn out more handknitted scarves – am working on a thick-thin lacy one at the moment. Looking at the colours just excites me!!!

On the side, I wonder what people think about diets and weight loss pills…reading a BTB’s (Bride-To-Be’s) struggle with her weight yoyo-ing just before the big day brings back fond memories.

Toe-up Monkeys
Pattern | Monkeys by Cookie A
Yarn | Lorna Laces Shepherd Sock in Irving Park
Needles | 2.75 mm DPNs (very loose cast off by using 4 mm needles)

It took me a while before I finally jumped onto the Cookie A bandwagon and braved some Monkeys for my sock collection. But it was worth it! I chose to knit mine toe-up instead of cuff-down as per the pattern and substituted the heel flap for a more familiar short-row heel. Michelle did mention that heel flaps were easier to knit but I still like the whole “wrap and turn” thing.

The cuff and overall fit, however, is something that I’m not very pleased with. The foot is fine but from the leg up to the calf, it seems to be a bit tad loose and after trying it out on my feet, well, it has a tendency to scoot down towards the ankles. This was discovered even before I started on the second sock and thus, I started on my other sock WIPs in smaller needle sizes in hopes of getting a better fit. I’m tempted to even experiment with one size for the foot and another smaller one for the needle but we’ll see how 2.5mm goes with my other sock.

I also need to be more patient and knit a longer cuff. I suspect that the short cuff is not helping the issue at all!!!!!!!!!! Yes, so definitely a two inch cuff will be on the list for all my other projects.

Oh yes, those are DIY sock blockers which I just churned out earlier today with some simple instructions from Maryann. I couldn’t find cardboard so I had to use 220gm paper and because my placemats were transparent (is it just me or the Swiss just love soft Styrofoam-like placemats?), I had to cover both sides just to make it look…presentable. The cement glue didn’t help but beggars can’t be choosers. Other than that, the project was quick, easy and super fun! These red ones are for me; Nil will have a pair of his own which will be done either tomorrow or after next week, when we are done with our holiday in France.

Yes, he took a week off and we’ll be busy showing Mum around. So I’m bringing some sock projects to work on while we’re on vacation! Here’s the knitting in public!

Elfine Socks
Pattern | Elfine Socks by Anna
Yarn | Sockenwollen Wool in Teal
Needles | 2.75 mm DPNs (very loose cast off by using 5 mm needles)

I have always been fascinated with handknitted socks, particularly lace ones and when I picked this pattern, I had no idea that it would be this addictive!

I had a superb time knitting this pair; the pattern was interesting and easy to remember PLUS the feel of the wool against my skin and the needle made it all the more easier to chug quickly along!

The bind off is still a little bit tad loose but it’s for wearing at home so I guess it’ll be alright anyway. As long as it goes over and past my heel, I’m happy!!!!!!!!!!!!

A nameless, faceless and armless kitty aka Pink Kitty
Pattern | Stuffies by Ysolda Teague
Yarn | Schachenmayr nomotta Morena in Pink
Needles | 4mm circulars (2 x 75cm)

First things first – I HATE KNITTING SMALL DIAMETERS WITH TWO THICK AND LONG CIRCULARS! I didn’t have any 4mm DPNs with me and I certainly didn’t want to spend more than necessary for this project by buying new needles so I stuck to using my circulars which was fine if the diameter was big…but as it grew smaller, omigod…

I even ended up bruising my thumb!!!!!!!!

So Pink Kitty ended up becoming armless. Nil doesn’t know what to make of it – he thinks it’s cute yet strange but it’s a funny toy anyway. Hardly perfect – one less is shorter than the other and the head flops to one side – and I honestly don’t know what the recipient will make of it.

Honestly, I want to keep it simply because I think it’s cute!