…I’m back on the dyeing front – can you believe it? – and it’s all for the store. I’m actually quite surprised by the results, after having spent a few hours soaking them and then a morning (or two) working on them. There is just something about dyeing ounces of wool with random colours after working on some 7-dfbx reviews!

For more yummylicious and colourful pics, feel free to check out the store!!!

Before we moved to Singapore, I remember going through my shop stock and putting some aside so that I could continue the trade after Eva was born. But things got sidetracked (a lot, I’d say) when she came. Suddenly I was not just swamped with running errands and housechores but tackling a newborn and later an infant. Despite my crazy schedule and breastfeeding, I wasn’t on a quick weight loss diet at all.

So my undyed fiber and yarns sat in its box, waiting to be unpacked. Until today…

I finally got my arse moving and spent some time sorting the store stash before deciding on dyeing up about 900gms of undyed superwash merino. It was a little tough trying to get started, especially with the colour combinations and mixtures but once that was settled, I discovered that dyeing can be quite fun although time-consuming and utterly tiring. It made me feel like a little kid again, playing with all those colours and imagining things again after months of routine and schedules with a child.

As the fibers sit on the clothes dryer, water dripping from its dyed ends, I’m awfully tempted to open up my handdyed fiber and yarn store again. But that’s just the keyword “awfully tempted”. I don’t know if I’ll have the stamina to do this regularly once I start work. Hm. We’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I’m happy – my dyeing mojo is back!!!

Trouble with the new patterns is that I need to source around for new yarns – still am on that 100% cotton though; none of that cheap, horrible acrylic! – and that requires some time and well, window shopping. I’ll probably end up in Chinatown tomorrow to check out a yarn store there and if I have the time, I might pop by Spotlight. In the worse case scenario, I’ll continue to use my current supplier but use a different colour chart for the new designs.

In the meantime, I’ve realized that I’m starting to experience mild (is there such a thing?) adult acne, especially around the jawline. It’s not a lot but it’s still enough to be annoying. Hai.

So what’s in store for the unveil? Hopefully the pic above will be tantalizing enough…

I have been busy but never quite this crazy busy, trying to rush out items for the store while making sure that I get enough rest. It has even gotten to the point where I have smallish pimples popping up on my forehead (best acne treatment, anyone?) and of all places, my thighs – well, they aren’t pimples…just red bumps that are filled with funny stuff when I press them. But enough of the gross stuff.

In my quest to have a lovely unveil for the new storefront, I had initially decided to sew up two types of baby items and crochet booties. One week later, I’ve only done four pairs of booties and about a dozen baby items. Not a lot, if you ask me. It doesn’t help that I’m constantly distracted with new items of what to feature for the store, shopping for materials for supposed new items and well, just wanting to be lazy! Ah, the perils of running a store! I definitely need to focus, focus, focus!!!

Yes, I’m integrating a shopping cart into the shop’s site and with any luck, it should be up and running in time for the unveil of the Tiny Tots line. Of course that means I’ll be awfully quiet and tired for the next few days on top of the sewing and all.

Hai, the perils of being a one-man show. O’well…

Part of me is awfully tempted to leave the yarns and rovings over at Etsy, and feature only baby goods at shop.thescarfer.net for a variety of reasons; one of which being that the target crowd over at the Etsy shop is very different from what I’d like for the baby goods (non-crafters, that is). Another is that in the long run, I’d like to keep my shop domain running for its actual purpose – a store!

So for now, do bear with me as I do some tinkering to the storefront over at shop.thescarfer.net – I promise it’ll be in working condition when I unveil my new range next week!

In the meantime, anyone up for some Orlando vacations? I’m in serious need of some “me” time!

I swear the best fat burners around are work and exercise. Not that I’m working full time but the shop is open again and while my usual stock of yarn and rovings are up on sale, I’m busy preparing the Tiny Tots range which I hope will do well.

It’ll feature more of my handsewn items rather than handcrochet or handknitted because of a few reasons – I didn’t want anything that will cost too much or is impractical. Plus dyeing has become somewhat difficult with a child – I can only dye my stuff on the weekends when Nil is around to keep her occupied (coz of the noise factor) so sewing is the next best thing.

To be honest, I’m quite excited about the stuff I have in mind for the store and am looking forward to churning them out. Plus this time, we have a test model at hand!!! Yes, who else but my little Eva!

Oh, just in case you thought that the foodie in me has died, fret not – coming up next, a yummy (and pretty ease) Thai beef salad recipe!

Apart from working on the afghan and the baby blanket, my hands have been busy churning out bootie orders that spiked because of a recent promotion (which just ended today). Above is the most recent pair that I’ve just completed and will send off on Monday.

I have another three pairs of booties and four pairs of mittens to work on. Then there is the store update for May which I really ought to get started on – I have some yarns and fibres to dye up for sale. After that, I’m not too sure if I want to do any more major updates, especially for fibres, until Eva is born. The last update really tired me out even though I split it into a few sessions. That plus the fact that we might be moving back to Asia come September is another cause for concern. While I’d love to stock up on supplies before moving to make life easier, I’m not too sure if it’s a great idea because of how we’ll be shipping our things over – by sea.

So yeah, planning and ideas aside, the next few days will see me busy crocheting and attending ultrasounds plus preparing for Eva’s arrival AND doing some light reading on stuff like Mesothelioma cancer. Eva will be 28 weeks come next Thursday and we have a crucial ultrasound coming up in the same week as well…so more on the baby blog then!

The shop is over two months old and I’m amazed at how much it has grown. The journey hasn’t been easy – the competition, the slow sales (due to a global slowdown), criticisms & ideas from all sorts of people about the prices/photos/profit (what profit?), and sometimes just slow braindead days where I can’t seem to come up with any new colours or combos – but I’m glad I never gave up.

For more of this journey of mine, please check out the shop’s blog!

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.