Machine punched through…

That line is from a song by  Moist, a Canadian band that’s my favorite all time band. Anyway, I’m feeling like a machine lately..in a good way. A feeding machine for my baby and a knitting machine for my crafts. I finished the hat I was knitting for my sister’s boyfriend. I hope it fits him and he likes it and actually wears it. It took me a little more than 2 weeks to complete it. I knit rather slow,  I think, but also because I’ve got 2 kids to take care of, which is much of a distraction.

Now I’ve started on a pair of fingerless hand warmers called Inverness Diamonds Handwarmers by Creative Yarn. I love it as it’s a very fast and easy project and beautiful to knit. It’s for my sister’s birthday, which is in 2 day time. I don’t think I’ll finish it in time, much less in time to send them by her birthday, of course. But I did complete one of the pair in 2 days and if I do have time today, I might start on the other one, and who knows, surprise myself with completing it on her actual birthday. I’m not counting on it though. At least, it won’t be too late, maybe only a week. That’s an accomplishment for me these days.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING by the way!

So here are the pictures:

Handwarmer:

Hat:

Yarn sale

I was seeking some shopping therapy the other day and went to ArticlePract in Oakland to browse around and my yarn fix even if I wasn’t going to buy. However they were having a sale in the back hallway and I bought 2 bags of delightful yarn at 40% off. They are Rowan classics in bamboo and Louisa Harding Kahmir DK, both in shades of white. Here are pictures:

Belated Birthdays

I’m working on a (hopefully) quick project for a hat for my sister’s boyfriend. It was his birthday on Halloween Day. After some consultation with my sister on what he might like (nothing too fancy, apparently), I started working on this pattern Running Beanie from WollyWormHead.com . I’m also trying to see if I could start a cross-stitch project for my sister for her birthday, coming up in 2 weeks. I’m sure I’ll be finishing it and sending it much after her birthday has passed. I haven’t ever really done a cross-stitch project before so I’ll see how it turns out. I attempted a while ago but it never went anyway because it was too complex and I didn’t have the time to learn it. I’m still rather busy with being a mother, but I’m hoping these simple projects won’t take up too much time, and will at least get me started again with my creativity.

Here is the picture of the hat I’m thinking of:

Inspirationz

I have not been knitting or crocheting or being creative in any other way for a long time. My recent pregnancy had kept me rather mellow. Now the baby was born October 18th with very smooth and fast labor and my body is back to its usual self, I’m trying to get back to creativity. Of course, the work of a mother to a newborn takes up pretty much all of my time and energy too, so it’s an uphill journey to return to my artistic world. Still, I do feel blessed with the family I have and such contentment gives me room for self reflection and exploration of existential concerns.

My father just gave me some textile my mother had bought in Burma. Looking at them, I thought about my wish to be able to knit patterns that represent or translate these ethnic designs. It’s quite complex and I’ll need to really master Fair Isle color knitting before I can venture on this idea. Nevertheless it is worth keeping as an inspiration.

Here I have completed the hat for my new baby:

I have started working on a bag modified from the “True Blue” pattern found in “25 More Bags to Knit” by Emma King.  It’s called Berzekley Bag, as the colors remind me of the city in which I reside. I like knitting bags, I realize. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I also have a huge collection of bags in my own wardrobe. In any case, I’m also going to get started on the kit I bought from Knitpicks.com , which is a farmer’s market bag. I’ll make one for myself, and one for my sister. She’s into all this environmental stuff, so I think she’ll enjoy it. She was asking for a bag after seeing the picture of the bag I made for my dad. I still have the bobble/cable sweater from Vogue in the works, stuck at and yet to be figured out with one phase of the pattern. Then, there is the Vegas scarf that is halfway done. I just need to join new yarn.

The other day, I was at Piedmont Yarn & Apparel in Oakland, and bought a couple of balls of yarn on sale in the discount bin. Their labels were missing, but they were quite nice yarn. I couldn’t help myself, even though I’ve got lots of yarn in my stash already. I was organizing them in my Ravelry stash account.

As for pregnancy, it’s been really hard on me. I’m glad I’ve got knitting to help me relax and feel capable.

Summer Vacation

Summer is here. And I finally ended my part time paid internship placement at the college campus. It was good experience but it was rather stressful work environment too. I’m glad to now have more time for real stuff like knitting and my crafts, and my family, and concentrating on my training at the other internship placement that is helping me grow as a person too.  I managed to finish up the projects in hibernation, such as the satchel bag for my dad and my wisp scarf/capelet. Here is the completed picture of the satchel, which I mailed off a few days ago to my dad for his combined 2 years worth of birthdays and Father’s Days gift. I haven’t a real good picture of the scarf yet so I’ll post that later. I am just so happy to be able to really work on my creative side. It keeps me happy and feeling alive.

I’m enjoying my Summer travels to Upstate New York for a long weekend, and in another couple of weeks to Seattle for another long weekend. Hopefully, I can fit another trip before the Summer ends, and before the new baby arrives. We’re getting closer to picking out a name for the baby boy (yes, it’s a boy!). I am working on a kitting up a simple hat for the baby boy. Still got booties to knit for him. I hope I can make it all in time as I also want to start on another project, maybe to sell on Etsy.com this time. I think I’m ready to sell some knitted stuff on my Etsy store. I also bought some more yarn at my favotire yarn shop in Oakland recently. I busted out my stash the other day and my husband saw it, and was surprised at the stash I had. I know I have bought a lot of yarn with intentions for projects. I probably should start working on some soon, instead of keep adding to the stash without actually working on it at a good pace. Of course, one can say, there can never be too  much yarn. I will post later what new yarn I’ve got. I am in a resort right now, taking a break while my baby girl (she’s so big now) takes her nap.

Back on Thread

I’ve picked up the Satchel Bag for Dad that I put away for hibernation, and finally started moving along with it again. I was a bit stuck with the I-Cord Bind Off part, but eventually figured out I needed another dpn to help me work that thing. Duh! I do like how I-Cords look…it’s just confusing when they don’t write the instructions broken down into minute details, only since I’m still such a beginner, even if I do attempt big projects from time to time. I hope to complete it by end of this weekend although, I’m not sure if that will happen. I do want to mail it to my dad in time for Father’s Day, especially since it’s meant for last year Father’s Day and his birthday this year, and I guess, now this year’s Father’s Day, all combined into one gift.

Speak of gifts…I finally found the best present I could think of for my wonderful hubby. It’s always so hard to find something for him because he’s so special and he’s got his own taste in things. And what can you get a man who can get anything for himself? Certainly an experience but I don’t cook very well, not as well as he does, and I’m not very resourceful about parties and travels, as he is. And I’m also very very VERY limited in my own personal income, so I can’t afford to get him something costly. If I spend more, it’ll be more from his income and what’s the point of getting a gift that he’s paying for? Anyway, like I said, I finally got something I could afford that will mean something to him, I think. I can’t wait. It’s both for Father’s Day and especially his birthday.

Red

I have completed the stuffed crochet toy red octopus for my sister. It would soon be in the USPS mail en route to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada some time next week. The legs are unevenly attached as it’s hard to know how far to put them apart until I got halfway through. My daughter loves it…grabbed it even before all the legs were on and was rolling around on the carpet playing with it for a moment. She looked so cute with it, I wasn’t sure if I should send it to my sister. But I said I was making it for her, so I should send it to her. I’ll be knitting up a stuffed bunny for my daughter some day in the near future so she’ll have something of her own. That is, once I get through my other projects waiting in line. Here is the picture of the Drunk Red Octopus:

Taken on more than I could handle?

I’ve started a few new projects aside from the cable bobble pullover. I am knitting a rather easy hat for my new baby, using dpns, and that’s taking a rest now while I work on a crochet amigurumi stuff octopus toy for my sister. I wanted to finish it in time during her trip to visit me here, but I only got a quarter way there and as busy hanging out with her so never got to finish it. It’s almost complete now (though she left early this morning). I got the pattern from the free pattern directory at Lion Brand Yarns website. I came across it on my Ravelry pattern search. I’m working on my fourth leg now. Once they are all done, I’ll just have to attach them to the head, and then embroider the eyes and mouth and it’ll be complete. Then I can return to my baby hat since that’s another easy quick project. The cable bobble pull over was on hold since I couldn’t figure out one of the line of instruction, regarding how many times to repeat a certain pattern a certain way. I’m going to consult my colleague who knits too. She might be better able to decipher and understand it. Otherwise, that project is also progressing at a pretty good pace. Soon I’ll have to return to one of my projects that is hibernating, mainly the bag for my father. He just had a coronary artery surgery a couple of weeks ago and I really want to give him his belated Father’s Day/Birthday gift for last year.

Mother’s Day is around the corner. It wasn’t too big of a deal last year. But this year, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a challenging year for me as a mother this past year. I think I need to give myself some credit and pat on the back.

I also have my afghan blanket that is pretty much entering hibernation mode. I know it’s too large of a project to take on but I’m not giving up completely. It just will take some time before I feel like returning to the meditative monotonous quality of working on an afghan. Right now, I need quick rewards. Life has been rather stressful for me lately. I need to give myself little treats a lot these days.

Next!

So I finished my fingerless garter mittens! They are a bit loose since I’ve got small hands and I’m sure there’s something different with the tension. In any case, it still fits okay. I’m happy. Now I move on to my next project (although I still 2 in hibernation, one of which will be frogged, and 2 others WIPs). I shall attempt to make the Bobble/Cable Pullover in Vogue Knitting winter 2006/2007 magazine. Beautiful design by Kim Kotary. It’s quite a huge step and challenge for me since I’ve never really made anything form fitting, especially not a sweater, before. I did spend time on gauge this time. I had to use a larger needle (size 11 instead of 10) because I substituted yarn (yea, still the rebel in me; plus, I really just need to use up that yarn I bought a year ago….remember the Jo Sharp Desert Garden in Dew; and I really can’t afford to buy a more expensive yarn like the one suggestsed). I’m sure my own tension is different from suggested too.

I was already feeling challenged when I had to learn how to do cast on after having started the knitting. Thanks to my Stitch ‘N Bitch book, I learned how to in a jiffy, though it took a few times to get it right. It was scary, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but when I did get it, I’m glad I decided to stay through with it. It really wasn’t that hard, but just needed myself to read and follow carefully. Staying focus and present is important in knitting. And trusting in the process. When I first looked at the pattern, I was thinking, can I make sense of all this? Then I told myself, I’ll cross the bridge when I get to it, and got myself started.

Perhaps I picked up this project because I’m in a need of a challenge, and maybe even more, another journey at a reflective process that is knitting.

Here is what I got so far.