Oiyi's Crafts

A Shawl for My Little Princess

2012-01-18T11:40:00.001-05:00

Last week, the Winter issue of Petite Purls went live. It's an adorable issue filled with accessories for the little ones in your life. My Princess Shawl is one of the fifteen patterns included in this issue. I am proud to be published in Petite Purls for the 3rd time in a row. Plus, this time my name made it on the front cover. It's a real honor to be included on that list of names.

As you all know, Melody adores shawls and hand knit items. She loves to be part of the design process when I am working. One day while perusing my stitch dictionary, she picked out a crown picot edging and told me it was a Princess Crown. I tucked it in the back of my mind for a future project for her. When I first saw Petite Purls' submission theme for the Winter issue, I immediately thought of a child's shawl inspired by Melody. And I knew I would be including the crown picot edging into the shawl design.

This is the swatch I used for my submission. When I knit a swatch for a shawl, I can make sure the math works out for the lace pattern and the edging of the shawl. Any adjustments that I need to make can be worked out in this triangle.

I included a picture of Melody to show scale. This is not something that I normally do since I usually design shawls for adults. But in this case, I thought it would be helpful to convey my idea.

The Princess Shawl takes only 1 skein of Spud & Chloë Fine to knit up the body of the shawl. For the edging, I used Vanna's Glamour for a bit of sparkle. Thank you to Spud & Chloë for the yarn support to knit up this sample. The wool and silk blend was a pleasure to knit with, shows the lace stitch definition well and blocked out beautifully.

Melody had so much fun modeling for the photoshoot. I did it in her bedroom and it came out well. She really hammed it up for the camera and was giggling the whole time. I love the 3 photos that the co-editor, Brandy, chose for the pattern page.

The shawl is also suitable for adults as a shawlette or neckerchief. In fact, I wore it to Vogue Knitting Live on Saturday and got lots of compliments. Please Ravel It for your queue or fave list. The pattern is available at Petite Purls.

My Little Girl

2012-01-14T00:45:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Things have been quiet on the blog because of holiday traveling and due to all my dead lines. I have been knitting away at a furious pace and also working on some new and exciting projects. But I had to pop in to wish my little girl a Happy Birthday! Yes, it's that time of year again. Her annual photos with Baby Bobbi Bear and Elijah are a tradition now. This was last year's and this was the year before.

She turns 4 yrs old today. As you can see, she is no longer a toddler. She has grown into a wonderful, charming and caring little girl. The joy that my husband and I feel with having her in our lives can not be put into words.

I am attending Vogue Knitting Live this weekend so I won't be able to celebrate with her. Instead, we celebrated early by bringing in cupcakes to school for her classmates. She got to be queen for the day and it sounded like she had a lot of fun. Happy Birthday, darling!

Knit Simple Winter 2011/2012

2011-12-07T12:03:00.003-05:00

Knit Simple Winter 2011/2012 just hit the newsstands yesterday. I am so excited that my Lace-Panel Wrap made it onto the front cover of the magazine. My first cover! The Lace-Panel Wrap is part of the Shawl We Knit? story. There is a workshop section in the magazine that teaches you how to work the simple lace stitches for all 4 of the shawls in that story.

Right now, Knit Simple is having a contest. You can win a yarn kit to make my Lace-Panel Wrap. The yarn used is "Ecco" yarn from Zitron/Skacel Collection. Enter the contest HERE. You can add the project to your Ravelry queue or favorite it, HERE.

My second design for Knit Simple is the Bobble Cowl. It is part of the Knitting By Numbers story. All the projects are knit with 1, 2 or 3 balls of yarn. The cowl is knit with 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alapacas Techno. The yarn is light and warm because it's made by blowing baby alpaca into a mesh tube of silk. You can add the project to your Ravelry queue or favorite it, HERE.

*All photos are from Knit Simple Winter 2011, photos by Paul Amato.*

Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake

2011-11-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Apparently, I didn't get enough of baking last week. The day after Thanksgiving, I was ready to fire up the oven again. I had book marked this recipe, Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake, a few weeks ago and it has been calling to me. The recipe was quick and easy to make. You just mix up the batter and throw in the apples. It was the perfect activity to do with Melody. She was so happy that she got to help make the cake.

The recipe calls for 00 Flour, but I used All Purpose Flour and it was fine. Since I had plenty of heavy cream leftover from the Thanksgiving baking, I whipped up some fresh whipped cream to go with the cake. Um yes, the cake was delicious and whipped cream does make everything 100 times better. :-)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. This year we are spending Thanksgiving at my friend's house in Brooklyn, NY. I am looking forward to spending time with friends I haven't seen in a while. We have been so busy with work and every day life that it's nice to slow down and relax for a bit.

This is my contribution to the Thanksgiving desserts this year. I had a lot of fun making these treats and hope everyone will enjoy them.

Maple Nut Tart ready to go into the oven.

Making the chocolate ganache for the Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles.

The finished Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes dipped in Chocolate Ganache.

A perfect 2-3 bite treat after the Thanksgiving meal.

My little TinkerBell wishes you all a Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T09:15:00.001-04:00

Petra Shawl in Knitscene Winter 2011

2011-10-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I showed you all these gorgeous skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage that I received to make a secret project. The colorway is called Terra. The yarn is a worsted weight, 100% superwash merino wool. It's super soft and squishy.

The color is eye catching. I got so many compliments on the color of the yarn whenever I was knitting this project in public. Even non-knitters would come up to me to comment. One afternoon, I was knitting this at the playground while Melody played. A group of mothers who were leaving the playground came and told me what a gorgeous color it was before they left.

The Knitscene Winter 2011 issue preview went live a few days ago, so I can finally reveal my project. The Petra Shawl is knit from the bottom up in one piece. All three sides of the shawl is bordered by a bobble border.

The worsted weight yarn makes this a quick and cozy knit. It takes approximately 600 yards (549 m) of worsted weight. Now that the weather is getting cooler by the minute, I want to knit one for myself.

Photo from Knitscene

The print versions of Knitscene should be hitting stores on October 25, but if you can't wait, you can buy the digital edition immediately. You can add my Petra Shawl to your queue or favorite list on Ravelry.

___________________________________________________
Are any of you going to Rhinebeck? It's that time of year again. Yes, the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival is this weekend. This will be my first year attending the whole weekend. I will be sharing a house with 11 knitters near Rhinebeck. It should be a lot of fun!

Please say hi if you see me walking around in a haze of yarn fumes. This year, I am participating in Rhinebeck Bingo by being a square on the bingo card and as a player. Allegra and Brandy, the editors of Petite Purls, won't be able to attend this year, but they sent me some post cards to hand out to knitters. So be sure to ask me for one if you see me.

Beyond Rectangles Cardigan for Isobel

2011-10-07T13:20:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of Craftsy yet? Craftsy offers online courses about all of your favorite crafty topics and each course is taught by an acclaimed instructor. Take a look at their course catalog to see all of the classes that they offer.

In June, I signed up for Linda Permann's crochet class called Beyond Rectangles. My friend, Sarah, from my knitting group was pregnant and we were going to throw her a baby shower. We wanted to shower her new baby girl with knitted and crocheted gifts. This was the perfect timing for me to take the class.

I have crocheted baby sweaters before, but it was always seamless or in the round in one piece. This class was intriguing to me because I have never made a sweater that was completely pieced together. What better way to try that technique than on a baby sweater? You don't have to invest too much time on it like an adult sweater and it's always guaranteed to fit a baby.

The pieces were pretty fast to crochet. There is a video for every part of the sweater. I was very impressed with HD (high definition) videos. Linda walks you through everything. She even shows you where to insert the crochet hook for certain stitches. As a self-taught crocheter, I found that extremely helpful.

When it came time to block, Linda shows you how to block the pieces to the measurements. The class includes a PDF file of the pattern and schematics, so you can refer to that when you are blocking. Blocking the pieces to the measurements is key for all the pieces to fit together.

Linda's seaming video made it look so simple to seam the cardigan together and it was! I was pretty excited to see how all the pieces fit together. It was hard not to feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I was done.

I can't stress enough on how detailed the videos are. After the pieces are seamed together, Linda teaches you how to crochet the border around the cardigan and even shows you how she sews on the buttons. I always find buttons a bit of a pain to sew, so I was grateful for Linda's tips.

The original Beyond Rectangles Cardigan is made with one main color and a accent color for the trim. Since I made my cardigan in one color with no accent trim color, I added my own embellishment. Btw, the sweater is made with 1 skein of Brooks Farm Willow. It's a wool and bamboo yarn perfect for a Summer baby.

The flower is made with a hole in the center so it can pop over the button like a cover.

I love the bright spot of color it added to the cardigan. Sarah is not into girly colors and one of her favorite colors is green. The pink flower added just a touch of girlishness to the cardigan. And if she didn't like it, its' removable. (BTW, everyone at the baby shower loved the flower, including Sarah.)

I also put a little safety pin on the back so that Sarah can use it as a broach for the cardigan.

I had the chance to meet Linda at TNNA this year and we had such a fun time chatting. I told her that I took her class and planned to write about it on my blog because I liked it so much. She generously offered a discount to my blog readers. Thank you so much, Linda! Beyond Rectangles is regularly priced at $39.99 (a bargain if you ask me). Click through this link to register for the class at $29.99. If you have ever wanted to learn how to crochet a baby sweater, I highly recommend this class.

Did I mention that the courses are available to you anytime you want, for as long as you want. Craftsy courses have no scheduled class times, so you can enjoy them entirely on your own schedule. Your access never expires.

French Press Cowl & Capelet

2011-09-30T09:42:00.001-04:00

The French Press Cowl is part of Larissa Brown's KAL Line. The KAL Line is a new line of knitalong-friendly projects that invite knitters to invent and play with embellishments and yarn choices. The idea here is to knit the cowl in a beautiful yarn and then thread anything (cord, ribbon, yarn, or whatever you can think of) through the column of eyelets to scrunch or distort the cowl.

Although the pattern calls for 400 yards of yarn, I found that 1 skein of Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted (210 yards) made a substantial cowl. I haven't come up with anything creative to thread the cowl with yet. But Melody was partial to this purple satin ribbon she found in my closet.

I was surprised to see that this cowl can also be used as a capelet for Melody. This is going to be an adorable and practical Winter accessory for her.

Pattern: French Press Cowl by Larissa Brown
Needles: US 8/5.0 mm
Yarn: 1 skein of Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Pagoda

Tummy Warmer Vest

2011-09-26T13:06:00.001-04:00

The Petite Purls Fall 2011 issue went live on Friday. It's another fabulous issue full of great projects (knitting, sewing, crochet) and articles. The 2 articles on photography was very educational and written by 2 awesome photographers, Brandy Fortune and Caro Sheridan. And how cute is this tutorial on making friendship bracelets?

I am really excited to have a 2nd pattern published by Petite Purls. My Tummy Warmer Vest would be a perfect Fall garment for a new baby. It is knit in the round, seamlessly from the top down. This vest uses a honeycomb pattern that is made with twisted stitches. By twisting the stitches, the thickness of the fabric is doubled and the air trapped by the stitches makes it very insulating.

I learned a lot from this project. Photographing babies are hard, especially when they are not your own. Baby Arden was such a trooper. She let me dress her in 100% alpaca in the middle of August! And not only once, but twice. The first set of pictures were not satisfactory, so I had to ask Arden's mom for another photo session. One of the things I learned is that there is only a small window of opportunity to photograph a baby. And once it has passed, it's over. The baby will let you know it's over. Don't push it. :-)

Thank you to Blue Sky Alpacas for the yarn support. Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight is lovely to knit with. It is a well plied yarn which gives great stitch definition to your projects. This is not the first time I knit with it. I have made a few scarves in the past as presents and everyone always comments on how soft it is. Alpaca is similar to sheep’s wool, but it is warmer, not prickly, and has no lanolin which makes it hypoallergenic. It is also naturally water-repellent and difficult to ignite.

You can get the Tummy Warmer pattern here or Ravel It for your Ravelry queue. Enjoy!

Chinese Short Ribs

2011-09-22T21:08:00.001-04:00

This recipe for Chinese Short Ribs is delicious and so simple. I have a bunch of projects with deadlines looming, so dinner preparations has to be quick and tasty. This was perfect. Just a few simple ingredients to make a great meal.

Instead of digging out my slow cooker, I just used my Le Creuset Dutch Oven and let it simmer for 3 hours on the stove top. I used Beef Flanken Short Ribs because it was available at my local market. It is cut cross wise, so all I had to do was cut them into pieces in between the bones. I also sauteed the broccoli instead of steaming because we like our broccoli crunchy. As you can see in the picture, I served mine over brown rice.

Thank you for the tasty recipe, Minty Fresh!

Birthday Gift - Woven Kitchen Towels

2011-09-20T22:04:00.001-04:00

Making the warp.

Weaving in progress.

Simple 100% cotton yarn from the craft store transformed into pretty fabric.

Washed and dried.

The birthday girl was thrilled. She had been admiring my weaving, so I thought I would surprise her with a set of woven kitchen towels.

Goodbye, Summer!

2011-09-16T13:28:00.000-04:00

Today, the temperature dropped dramatically in NYC. The humidity is gone and it's the first hint of what's to come. It was so cold that Melody's normal attire was not suitable. I had to dig around for something a little warmer for her to wear to school. Plus, I pulled out the Fall shoes I bought her a few weeks ago and her little face lit up. She loves shoes. I swear, she practically bounced out of the house with her dad this morning. Today is also pizza day at school, so that added to her excitement. Oh, to be a kid again!

This Summer, Melody had so much fun at the Jersey Shore. We had our annual vacation in July at Bradley Beach with my friend, Jen, and her two daughters, Veronica and Penny. We were guests at her parent's beach house (Rose and Marc). Melody loves the beach and her best friend is Veronica. So every day, all she wanted to do was to go to the beach with Veronica.

We ate fabulous food at restaurants and Rose's delicious home cooking. Rose always introduces us to new foods every year. This year, it was Padrón Peppers. They are served fried with olive oil and salt. Fantastic!

Here are some pictures from our vacation.

Bike riding in the evening at Bradley Beach on one of the hottest days in July. You can tell by the expression on Melody's face that she was not happy about the weather.

The kids always look forward to going to Point Pleasant's boardwalk. This was the first year that Melody went on the rides at the amusement park.

Penny riding solo and had a blast.

Penny riding the carousel with Grandma Rose and her sister, Veronica.

Amusement park food. It's bad for you, but taste oh so good. We always get this every year: bucket of fried shrimp and a soft-shell crab sandwich.

A typical dinner at the beach house for these 3 princesses. Watching a dvd and eating chicken nuggets. They are living the life.

How I blocked my Colfax Shawl.

2011-09-01T12:19:00.000-04:00

I have a weird confession. I love to block shawls. There is just something magical that happens to lace after it's been blocked properly. Blocking a shawl evens everything out and makes it light and drapey. It does take a bit of time, so I always try to do it after Melody goes to bed at night. I look forward to the quiet time when I can sit on the floor with my damp shawl and pins and contemplate on how I will shape the shawl.

I start off by giving my shawl a good soak with some wool wash. 30 minutes minimum. After that, I use a large towel and roll up the shawl to get all the excess water out. For most shawls I use pins. Specifically, these pins. I use these pins for sewing and quilting, but they have worked great for blocking my hand knits, too. Pins allow some flexibility on how you can shape the shawl. Did you know you can create points on the edging of a shawl by how you pin it when you block it? I often take some creative license when I block the edge.

For my Colfax Shawl, I decided to use my blocking wires. This shawl does not have any complicated lace that requires pinning out. So, I threaded my wires through the crochet loops on each side of the shawl. In some instances, I had to overlap wires because 1 wire was not long enough. I pinned the top edge. Then I pulled the wires as much as the knitted fabric allowed and pinned down the wires. I like to block the heck out of my shawls. Those wires are under a lot of tension. Once it dried, the shawl was incredibly light and airy. Success!

What did I pin the shawl on? I put a huge towel I got from Ikea over a piece of floor carpet that I also got from Ikea. If it's during the day, I might pin it on my comforter on my bed and direct a fan towards it. Some times, I even use the square foam alphabet blocks on Melody's bedroom floor. Shawls dry pretty fast and with the help of a floor fan, it dries even faster. Another tip, do not unpin your shawl until dries completely. You don't want to waste all the time and effort you put into pinning out the shape of your shawl.

The winner of Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi Book Giveaway is Tomobeans! Congrats! Please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address. I will forward your address to Potter Craft so they can send you the book.

Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi Book Giveaway

2011-08-23T12:07:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that I am huge fan of Anna Hrachovec's work. Last week was the release of her second book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi. The idea for this book started from her blog. She made it a personal challenge to design a new tiny toy every day for a month in 2009. But it didn't end there. She has kept it going and it has been so much fun seeing what she comes up with every week.

The book has over 40 itty-bitty toys to knit, wear and to give. The projects are quick to knit up and super adorable. Although the toys uses fingering weight yarn, it can be made with any weight yarn. Last year, I test knitted one of her tiny collections and they still came out very cute with worsted weight yarn.

Besides the cuteness, Anna's clever construction techniques is another reason you should try her patterns. Just like her first book, she has included "Toy Techniques" in the beginning of the book. It has step-by-step instructions and photographs to ensure that your toys will come out perfectly.

The following pictures are some of my favorite projects from the book. It was hard to choose, so I had Melody pick them out. She has been obsessively flipping through the book picking the projects she wants me to make. I can't wait until she is old enough so I can teach her to knit.

All photos are from the book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi.

For a chance to win a copy of the book, please leave a comment stating that you want to be entered in the giveaway. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either Ravelry name, blog link, or email address. Giveaway ends on August 31, 2011. If I don't hear from the winner after 1 week, I will draw another name. Good Luck! (ETA: The book is being sent by the publisher so the giveaway is only open to people with a US address. Sorry for the mix up.)

A huge thank you to Potter Craft for providing me a copy to giveaway to my readers.

My Interview on The Sexy Knitter.

2011-08-18T10:12:00.001-04:00

Last week, Sarah Wilson, aka The Sexy Knitter, interviewed me for her "Getting To Know You" series. I met Sarah in June at TNNA in Columbus, Ohio. It was pretty easy to spot her on the showroom floor. She was dressed liked a Goddess in her Sexy Jumpsuit. During the 3 day trade show, we ran into each other many times and got to chit chat. Sarah was so warm and friendly and easy to talk to. So, I was honored that she contacted me after the show to do a interview.

Check out my interview on The Sexy Knitter. It's my first interview! There is also a giveaway for my Kouyou Shawl pattern for one lucky commenter and a coupon code for 20% off of my patterns.

Mochimochimochimochimochi at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio

2011-08-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

A few of my knitting buddies and I met up at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio this morning. I always love seeing the store window display. Even people who don't knit often stop in front of the store to look at it. It's fun to see what they come up with.

Anna of Mochimochi Land has a new fiber art installation at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. My friends and I have been eagerly waiting to see it. We have seen Anna working on those little colorful creatures for many months now. It was so much fun to finally see the whole thing put together.

It's called Mochimochimochimochimochi! I am in awe of all the work that was involved in the making of this. And she knit them all herself.

I have to say that it was hard to resist not touching them. They have a "please squeeze me" look to them. Don't worry, Anna. We didn't touch it.

I couldn't resist getting a picture with the whole installation. Did I mention that the little creatures are knit with Koigu? AWESOME.

This is the second reason we went to the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. A few of us had Groupons for the store and we wanted to use it before they expired. I bought some "new to me" yarns. Although I have worked with plenty of Lion Brand Yarns, I have never knit with their LB Collection.

After that, our stomach was rumbling and our friend, Tomo, recommended a ramen shop near Union Square.

We got Pork Gyozas.

Cold Ramen.

Shio Ramen (salt flavored soup).

(All photos was taken with my Blackberry phone so the quality is mediocre, especially on a rainy day like today.)

Winner of the Knitscene Fall issue...

2011-08-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

And 4 skeins of Zitron Lifestyle in Grass #59 to make my Colfax Shawl is KnitNurd! Please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address.

Before sending off the sample to Knitscene, I made sure to take some quick photos. They keep the sample so I wanted to make sure I had a record of it before mailing it off and saying goodbye to it forever. I didn't have time to ask a friend to model, so Melody stepped in. She loves shawls, so I didn't have to beg or bribe her.

Since it's a full size shawl, it is quite big on her. But she was an enthusiastic model and tried really hard to mimic the poses she has seen in pictures.

She just couldn't keep her arms steady. I gave her an "A" for effort! Plus she had so much fun and was giggling the whole time. Isn't it all about having fun when you are a kid?

Detail picture of the border.

Thank you to all who commented and left such lovely and supportive comments. I will be having some knitting books to give away real soon so be sure to check back.

Colfax Shawl in Knitscene Fall 2011

2011-08-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

Photo from Knitscene

Have you seen the Fall issue of Knitscene? I am proud to have my first print magazine published design in Knitscene. Back in October of 2010, I saw Lisa Shroyer's call for submissions for Knitscene's Fall issue. I looked at the mood board and thought about submitting. At that point, I had only self-published 2 of my designs on Ravelry. I had a design that I had swatched a month ago and wanted to send that in. But I wanted to re-knit the swatch in a different color. Well, time went by pretty fast and the deadline approached. I never did get the chance to re-knit it. I was left with 2 choices: not submitting or submit my design in the current color swatch that day. Well, I went for it and quickly sketched out my design proposal. I really had no clue what I was doing, but I did the best that I could. Drawing was never my strong suit in art school, but I was hoping my swatch could convey my idea.

Photo from Knitscene

Melody was the one that kissed the package and dropped it in the mail box for me at the post office. She was my lucky charm. Honestly, I didn't feel that I had a chance of getting in but it wouldn't hurt to try. In the beginning of December, I got a email from Lisa that she loved my shawl design and the color yarn I used. In fact, she chose a yarn and color for the sample that is pretty much the same as the yarn I used. It was fate.

When I got the acceptance email, I was jumping up and down. Melody thought it was funny and started doing the same even though she didn't understand why I was so happy. I immediately called my husband and then my sister. Even though they both do not knit, they were excited for me. I was on cloud 9 for a while.

The shawl is knit from the top-down with a simple eyelet pattern and sections of stockinette. The border of the shawl is done with a crochet hook. You don't need to know how to crochet. As long as you can make chains with a crochet hook, you have all the necessary skills for the border. The finished shawl measures 60" wide and 27" deep at center point, after blocking. It's a full size shawl which is a first for me. I think there may be more full size shawl designs in my future.

To celebrate, I am having a little giveaway. I am giving away a copy of Knitscene Fall 2011 and the same yarn/color (Zitron Lifestyle in Grass #59) to make a Colfax Shawl of your own. Please leave a comment that you would like to be entered in the giveaway. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either Ravelry name, blog link, or email address. Giveaway ends on August 10, 2011.

In the mean time, Ravel It. It has been fun seeing the projects show up on Ravelry. I love the variegated versions that some people are doing.

Knitting Today!

2011-07-20T16:33:00.001-04:00

My knitting and crochet project bags are featured in the August/September issue of Knitting Today.

I love how they photographed it. Thank you to Linda Permann for picking my bags to feature in "Pretty Knitty Things".

The bags are available in my etsy shop. If you see one that you like, snatch it up. They have been selling quickly and it takes a bit of time to restock since they are all individually hand drawn.

Happy Birthday, Napoleon!

2011-07-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

My 1st fur baby turned 6 years old today. Happy Birthday, Napoleon!

Melody decided to put aside their differences and pose for pictures with Napoleon.

There has been misunderstandings between them so they are both cautious with each other. Although, you really can't tell in these photos. This was as close as she was willing to get to Napoleon.

Melody and Caesar are best friends. Caesar is really tolerant of kids. He howls along with her when he hears her crying.

Hugs! Caesar is basking in all the attention and affection that he gets from her.

My 1st toy pattern, Mao.

2011-06-29T16:38:00.001-04:00

I am proud to finally reveal my first toy pattern, Mao. If you haven't seen the Summer 2011 Issue of Petite Purls yet, you are in for a surprise. It's their 2nd anniversary and to celebrate, they published an all toy issue, plus launched their new website design. Co-editor, Brandy Fortune, did an amazing job with their re-design. She is the genius behind the design and coding of the website. For this special issue, she photographed all of the projects for the patterns. I love the photographs she took of the kitties in the tree for my pattern page.

This is the prototype of Mao. Mao is the name for “cat” in Chinese. It is knit in the round, seamlessly from the top down, starting at the ears. It has a flat bottom and the tail is made with I-cord by picking up stitches from the back of the cat. When I did the final version, I refined it a bit with different increases. And for child safety reasons, I decided to embroider Mao's facial features with yarn and embroidery floss.

I am so excited that my first toy pattern was included in this issue along with all the amazing toy designers. You all know that I am big fan-girl of Susan B Anderson. Well, I got see her Fat Robin and meet Susan in real life this month, but more on that later. This amazing issue features toy patterns that are knitted, crocheted, and sewn. It's been so much fun seeing the projects pop up on Ravelry. Take a look at this stripey Mao and this variegated Mao.

Thank you to Stacey at Knit Picks and Knit Picks for providing the yarn for this pattern. Swish Worsted is a great machine washable wool yarn. The pattern takes less than one ball. In fact, I think you may be able to get 2 cats out of one ball.

Ravel it or cast on right away, pattern is here. It's such a quick project, you'll have a full litter of kitties before you know it.

Crafting and Baking

2011-06-20T23:33:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Melody made her first arts & crafts project at school. I was so proud of her when she showed it to me after school. Seriously, it was hard not to tear up seeing her huge smile. I had explained to her that we needed to save the gift until Father's Day. She woke up from her nap when dh came home from work and ran downstairs clutching the gift. It was very cute to see how proud she was to present her daddy with the gift that she had made in school. Even if she was 3 days early! Oh well. :-)

Remember the savory item that I said I was bringing to the baby shower?

I had seen a recipe for Tomato Feta Scones a few months ago on the Etsy Blog and book marked it. Although scones are one of my favorite things to bake, I have never made savory scones before. The baby shower was the perfect excuse for me to give it a try. Unfortunately, Sarah, whom the baby shower was for, is allergic to garlic and onions, which the recipe calls for. No problem. I figured I would just omit the green onions and garlic salt. At the grocery store, I picked up a tomato and basil feta cheese to add in extra flavor that was taken out by omitting the garlic salt and green onions. My grocery store does not carry roasted tomatoes, so I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil. I made sure to drain and blot off as much of the oil as I could. I didn't want to make the scone dough too wet. They baked up perfectly and were absolutely delicious. I tried one while they were cooling, but I easily could have eaten two in one sitting. It paired well with a cup of tea.

Sun-dried Tomato Feta Scones
adapted from Tomato Feta Scones With Savory Sweet Life (Etsy Blog)

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg slightly beaten
1 - 4 oz package feta cheese (tomato basil flavor), diced up
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, 2 knives or your fingers until it resembles coarse meal

Stir in heavy cream and egg, until it comes together. Add feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough into a 1 inch disk and cut it in 8 equal pieces. Bake for 15 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Clusters

2011-06-18T12:04:00.001-04:00

I am attending a baby shower today and it's going to be potluck style. Last night, I whipped up these Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Clusters. I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while and I am glad that I finally did. It was really easy because it was more about assembling than anything else. I think Melody would love to help me make this next time. I am bringing both a sweet and savory item for the potluck baby shower. The savory item will have to be for another post because it just came out of the oven.

Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Clusters
from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies Magazine (special holiday issue)

Makes 1 dozen

1 cup pecan halves, toasted
12 soft caramels
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into 12 pieces (1/2 inch each)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside 36 pecan halves. Coarsely chop remaining pecans (about 1/4 cup)

2. On a parchment line baking sheet, make 12 clusters by arranging 2 pecans vertically, side by side, and placing 1 pecan vertically above them. On a piece of parchment, gently flatten each caramel, center 1 on top of each cluster. Bake clusters 5 minutes. Remove from oven (leave oven on).

3. Place 1 piece of chocolate on top of each cluster. Return to oven; bake until chocolate begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, gently spread chocolate over caramel without completely covering it.

4. Sprinkle clusters evenly with reserved chopped pecans. Chill just until set, about 15 minutes. Pecan clusters can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Flapjack Frog

2011-06-15T22:20:00.000-04:00

I was so excited to see Anna design another stackable toy pattern. Her series of stackable toys are so cute. I was happy to test knit the Flapjack Frogs for her. She didn't need the test knitters to knit up all 3 frogs, but I plan to when I get my order of safety eyes. I only had one set left for one frog. As always, her construction techniques makes the knitting very interesting. The only thing to seam up was attaching the arms and legs to the body.

Melody has been enjoying playing with it. She likes to make the frog eat the fly by hiding it underneath it's belly. It's so cute hearing her say,"Nom, nom, nom!"

Pattern: Flapjack Frogs by Anna Hrachovec
Needles: US5/3.75mm double pointed needles
Yarn: Cascade 220

Salty & Sweet Cashew Brittle

2011-05-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

Today, I was in the mood for something salty, sweet and crunchy. I pulled The Craft of Baking off of my bookshelf to see if any of the recipes would strike my fancy. The Cashew Brittle caught my eye. Quickly glancing at the recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients on hand and it did not seem like a fussy recipe. I wouldn't even need to pull out the candy thermometer.

The recipe was quick and easy. Mine turned out darker than regular brittle. I cooked the caramel longer before adding in the baking soda and salt because I was going for a slightly burnt caramel flavor. It added a depth of flavor to the brittle. It's delicious and dangerous to have a big bowl of it around the house. Thank goodness I will be having some friends over today to share it with.

Grandma Rankin's Cashew Brittle
from The Craft of Baking

Makes 1 3/4 pounds

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups of sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) salted roasted cashews

Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Stir together so that all of the sugar is wet. Cook the mixture over high heat without stirring until it turns a dark amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully whisk in the baking soda, followed by the salt; the caramel will rise and bubble. Using a wooden or metal spoon, fold in the cashews. Pour the brittle onto the prepared baking sheet, and using the back of the spoon, spread it out into a layer about 1/2 inch thick. Let it cool completely. Break the brittle into bite-size pieces, using a mallet or the back of a heavy knife.

The brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

My modifications:
-Used a silpat on the rimmed baking sheet instead of nonstick cooking spray.
-Used 1 tablespoon of regular salt.
-Cooked my caramel a little longer.

Winning!

2011-05-18T14:44:00.000-04:00

I clicked on this link this morning and was shocked to see that my Shizuku pattern won 3rd place in the 2012 Knitting & Crochet Calendar Contest. Totally unexpected! My pattern will be included in the 2012 Knitting Calendar and I will get a cash prize and a copy of the calendar. I am off to claim my prize. Have a great day, everyone!

Baking Soda Cooking Trick

2011-05-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

My friend, Tomo, recently told me about a cooking trick she learned. You can make pasta noodles taste like ramen noodles by adding baking soda to the boiling water when you are cooking the pasta. Have any of you heard about this?

Of course, I had to give it a try. I had a small amount of Thin Spaghetti in the cupboards and added a heaping tablespoon of baking soda to the boiling water. Be careful to make sure you left room at the top of the pot. It foams up quickly when you add the baking soda. Guess what? It tastes just like ramen noodles! The baking soda somehow changes the texture of the pasta. It was delicious. (Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture. It was all I had at the time. And I was anxious to eat it.)

It is best to use a thin pasta noodles, like thin spaghetti or angel hair. Tomo also suggest adding a few minutes of extra cooking time. So if your box of pasta says to cook it for 12 minutes, you may want to cook it for 15 minutes. A recipe is not needed, but I know a lot of people feel more comfortable with a recipe. I searched the internet and the only thing that came up this how to guide. If anyone tries it, let me know how you like it.

We have a winner!

2011-05-04T13:10:00.001-04:00

Francie, please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address. I will also send you a email. The publisher will be mailing you the book. (If Francie does not reply back to me by May 11, 2011, I will pick another name with the random number generator.)

Thank you to everyone who participated. I hope to have more book reviews and giveaways soon.

"Spud & Chloë at the Farm" Blog Tour and Book Giveaway!

2011-04-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

I have been a fan of Susan B Anderson's work for a long time. In fact, I own all of her books and even the magazines that her patterns are featured in. I still remember the day I bought Itty-Bitty Hats at a Borders Book Store in Connecticut while driving back to NY from MA. The book peeked my interest because it had cute and unique hat patterns and the spiral bound binding.

I knew Susan's new book, Spud & Chloë at the Farm, was coming out soon and was looking forward to seeing it. So, I was extremely thrilled when Artisan Books asked if I would like to be part of the blog tour for the book. Lucky me!

Well, let me tell you that Melody has fallen in love with the book the day it arrived on our doorstep. She has been trying to convince me every day to let her have the "gook". That's what she calls a book. She goes to my book shelf in the mornings and pulls it out and say, " Mama, me, gook, me?" I shouldn't be surprised that the book would appeal to children. The book contains pictures of 13 adorable knitting projects and in the back, a 9 page illustrated story of Spud & Chloë.

I figured that she would be the perfect person to lead you through some of the inside peeks of the book. So here goes Melody's first ~~book~~ gook review. Please cut her some slack. Since she is only 3 yrs old, her comments are brief.

"Oh sheep! I lub sheeps!"

I told her that the doll was named Chloë. She said,"Chloë red dress. No blue." Clearly, she is asking me to make Chloë for her, but in a red dress.

"Pig! Pink! Oink, oink, oink."

"Wow, more sheep!"

"Chick-in! Mama and baby chicks."

"Baby mouse."

"Oh cute kitty!"

"Wolf?" I told her it was a dog and she said,"Oh doggy, woof woof!"

"Awww...so cute!"

"Story! I lub stories."

Since Melody will not relinquish her copy of the book, Artisan Books has generously offered to give one of you lucky readers a copy of the book. Please leave a comment telling me which is your favorite character/animal from the book. The last day to comment is April 21, 2011. The winner will be picked by a random number generator. Good luck!

Upcoming Projects

2011-04-11T10:20:00.000-04:00

The fun part of designing is getting sent pretty yarn to work with. Although, I don't get to keep the samples, it's still a treat to knit with these colorful yarns. All of these are for upcoming projects that will be published in 2011 and 2012.

It's been raining and overcast on and off since last week. Happy Monday! Hoping these colorful yarns will bring some cheer.

Noro Silk Garden

Knit Picks Swish Worsted

Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage

She loves shawls.

2011-03-24T05:00:00.003-04:00

Sorry that things around here have been a little quiet. I got back from Bermuda last week and I have been trying to adjust back to the fast pace of NYC (and my life). The locals in Bermuda actually make fun of themselves for their slow pace. One guy told me that you will realize this after only spending a few days there that this is how they do things. It's a relaxed attitude that is interesting to someone like me who has lived in NYC for over 11 years. It was a refreshing change.

I had a great time with my sister. Our first "sisters trip" and hopefully there will more in our future. It was what I needed. Time for myself away from DH, Melody, and my dogs. At first it was weird. I can't remember the last time that the only person I had to take care of was myself. No one to feed, make food for, make sure nap/bed time is on schedule, or be responsible for. On a daily basis, I have 5 mouths to feed including myself. And I am always last. On my first day back, I was a little disappointed that I had to make my own breakfast. Lol! It was nice to be served breakfast even if it was just for a weekend.

I promise that I will post some pictures of my trip soon. Right now, I am in the midst of finishing some projects that have a April 1st deadline. I can't wait to talk about it, but right now, it's hush hush. So, I am going to distract you all with pictures of Melody modeling a LaReine Shawl knit by my friend, Tomo. She loves trying on shawls and scarves. Lately, she has been asking for me to make her a pink scarf. Only 3 years old and already demanding hand knits!

{this moment} Melody & Penny

2011-03-18T10:50:00.000-04:00

Fingers & Toes

2011-03-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

Look who got their finger nails and toe nails painted for the first time? I got a pedicure the other day and she was absolutely in love with my red toe nails. The next day, I offered to paint her toes and she enthusiastically agreed. All I had were a light shade of pink. She sat so still and was very careful not to smudge them until they dried. It was hilarious! After her toes, she insisted that her finger nails were done, too.

She could not be prouder! Look at that smile. She was very excited to show her father when he came home.

So, I got my pedicure done for my weekend getaway to Bermuda! My sister won a weekend trip from a Boston radio station and she offered to take me. My first trip away from Melody. I will miss her, but I am looking forward to relaxing and having fun with my sister. DH and Melody will holding down the fort. I hope they don't destroy the fort. Adios! See you all next week. Hopefully, I will remember to take some pictures to share.

{this moment} BFF

2011-03-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

What we are working on.

2011-03-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

I know that there hasn't been much knitting shown on the blog these days. Believe me, I have been knitting. Almost all of my current projects are for publications so it has to remain a secret until they are published. Last night, I started a pair of slipper socks for myself. The pattern is called First Time Tube Socks by Ann Budd. This is my first time knitting 2 socks at the same time with magic loop. I have done sleeves that way before, but it was with giant needles. These socks are knit in a worsted weight yarn with a simple stitch pattern and no shaping so it's the perfect comfort knitting amidst all of my deadline knitting.

I can finally reveal my current cross-stitch project. Anna will be releasing the pattern soon and has already given a peek on her blog. Super cute, right? It's been my Netflix watching project at night and I am so close to being done. Though I still need to get a frame for it.

Last, but not least, is Melody's project. She says it's a castle. Everyday, she adds and subtracts to it. This is what it looks like today.

{this moment} 100% Cashmere Yarn

2011-02-25T11:01:00.001-05:00

Celebrating National Pancake Month

2011-02-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Did you all know that February is National Pancake Month? A whole month dedicated to pancakes! I learned of this interesting American holiday from my friend, Rebecca, a few years ago. This year was my first time participating in the celebration of it.

Of course, I wanted to go to the best place in New York City for pancakes, Clinton St Baking Company. It's so good that people wait in line for 2 hours during their brunch/lunch hours. My friends and I opted for their evening hours so that the wait was not as long. Yesterday, we met up at 4pm and was told it would be 45 min before we would be seated. Luckily, there was a yarn store nearby so it made the time pass by very quickly.

Besides pancakes, they are also known for their delicious baked goods. Their muffins, brownies, cakes and pies all looked so good as we stood in line inside.

By the time I sat down, I was really torn between pancakes and their great looking brunch/lunch menu. I love savory foods more than sweet, but I came for pancakes and stuck to that decision. I got the Wild Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Butter Syrup. That maple butter is what takes the pancake to a whole new level. Absolutely fantastic!

Jane got the Banana Walnut Pancakes with Maple Butter Syrup.

Rima got the Market Salad. She already came with her husband 2 weeks ago for pancakes and opted for something different this time.

Oh yes, I also got a side of Double Cured Bacon. You know, because savory and sweet are the prefect balance to each other.

The Clinton St Baking Company has a special menu just for pancake month. It's only available once a year and the flavors change on different days. Check out the flavors, here. It will have you drooling. The special flavors are available Monday through Friday only. On their everyday menu, the pancakes are available in wild maine blueberry, banana walnut and chocolate chunk. There is still time left this month. Go and celebrate National Pancake Month!

{this moment} Goofing Around

2011-02-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Participating in SouleMama's {this moment}.

I had to post 2 pictures because it cracks me up. Have a great weekend everyone! And please leave your moment link here too if you are participating.

Secret Santa Gift - Woven Scarf

2011-02-14T06:30:00.001-05:00

Secret Santa in February? Yes, you read that correctly. For the last 3 years, my knitting group organizes a Secret Santa Exchange. We always exchange our gifts after the holidays. We figure that with holiday ~~stress~~ gift knitting, having the exchange after the holidays takes the pressure off. Plus, it's a lot of fun to get a gift after the holidays, too. Normally, the holiday party happens around January, but this year we had to postpone it to February. Fine by me, since that gave me extra time to work on my gift.

My recipient, Mica, wrote that her favorite colors were fuchsia, green and black. I looked through my collection of sock yarn and pulled out 2 skeins of Universal Yarn Ditto. It was different shades of pink with black mixed in. Initially, I thought it was a variegated sock yarn. As I wove with it, I saw that it was a self-patterning sock yarn. You can see the neat pattern the yarn was making in the first photo above. I also added big blocks of black stripes with Lisa Souza Sock! Merino. I used the black on the warp, too, but I couldn't see much of a difference. The only place that you can really see it is on the fringe. Oh well, that is just part of experimenting. You never know what you are going to get.

After soaking and drying, the yarn bloomed and gave the scarf a nice drape. The scarf is light yet really warm. I am still amazed each time I take a project off the loom. Weaving makes such beautiful fabric.

The details:
2 skeins of Universal Yarn Ditto, 440 yards total.
Lisa Souza Sock! Merino, 178 yards total.
Finished size: 7.5” wide. 62” long without fringe, 70” long with fringe.

90 ends + 8 ends(selvage)= 98 ends (49 crosses)
10 dent heddle
3 yard warp

{this moment} Her aunt's makeup bag.

2011-02-11T09:22:00.000-05:00

Rose's Kitchen Towels

2011-02-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Over the Summer, I got the idea to try my hand at weaving kitchen towels. It may or may not have to do with the huge amount of cotton yarn I had acquired during a July 4th sale at Joann's. We were headed to our annual Summer vacation at the Jersey Shore in a few weeks and I thought it would make a lovely hostess gift.

I got to work and made sample towels first. After I ironed out all the fine details, I set the loom up for the final towels. I was very careful with measuring them as I wove because I wanted them to be a matching set in size.

They came out as perfect as I could get them. I threw them in the washer and then dryer and was quite pleased with the outcome. I hem stitched both edges so that knotting the fringe was unnecessary.

I gave them to our hostess, Rose, and made her promise to use them at the beach house. A few weeks later, I received a email from Rose thanking me for the towels. She said, "In addition to looking great, they are soft and very absorbent." That is as good as any endorsement in my book!

Hopefully, these will not be the last towels I weave. I recently pulled out my loom again and wanted to start a new project. Looking through my weaving notebook, I noticed that I forgot to take any notes down on these towels. Whoops!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T11:20:00.001-05:00

Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth!

Melody was very excited to get her Lai See this morning. Hello Kitty style, of course.

{this moment} Melody with Scott

2011-01-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

Doing Things

2011-01-24T15:39:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the absence. Instead of getting well, I relapsed and got even more sick. Thankfully, Melody and DH recovered quickly. I still have a slight sniffle, but I can actually say I am 99% well. I have been sick for 4 weeks and it's such a relief to see the end in sight.

What have I been up to since I last posted?

1. I read a lot during my illness. When you can't breathe at night, you can't really sleep. I managed to read 3 books: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Dragon Bones and Petals From the Sky. That's a lot more reading than I have done in the last 6 months. They were very interesting reads. I learned a lot more about my Chinese culture (good and bad) and about Buddhism.

2. Knitting, but nothing that I can show because it's for Knitscene. This week, I hope to wrap things up and send it off by Monday.

3. Worked on more knitting pattern proposals, 3 to be exact. Now, I am playing the waiting game to hear back.

4. Started potty training Melody last week. We started on Wednesday and it has been very successful. Previously, I had tried when she turned 2 yrs old and it was going okay. I only tried for a week before giving up because we both got really sick (I had the flu). Through out the year, I have made small attempts, but never seriously.

Two weeks ago, I started again, but that was when we both got sick. This time, I started again as soon as she got better. It's very interesting to see what a difference turning 3 yrs old has been. She is older and can understand so much now. She pretty much got the concept down after 1 afternoon. She is basically diaper free except for nap time and night time. We also have to work on the potty thing when we go out. We stayed inside for 3 days last week during the training period and she went pantless around the house. We went out on Saturday and I couldn't convince her to use the public bathrooms at restaurants or stores. I think it kinda scared her. She would say yes about wanting to use the potty, but she would change her mind when I brought her into the bathroom. I am not going to push it. She is doing very well for someone who just started last Wednesday.

5. I also have been trying to get more organized. I ordered this mini binder (the mixed medium one) and it arrived over the weekend. I am in the process of filling it up with a DIY Planner and Calendar that you print yourself. I like that I can always print more pages whenever I need it and I can use it year after year.

I came upon this poster from a friend on Facebook.
This poster is awesome. It's from Baltimore Print Studios. It's a great plan for any one. Some times I get bogged down by all the little details and lose sight of a goal. This is a good reminder that I should just keep doing things.

Melody is 3!

2011-01-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

This was her birthday photo last year with her stuffed animals. Last year, she still looked liked a baby. But this year, she definitely doesn't look like a baby anymore.

I asked her the other day what she wanted for her birthday and she said, "Cake." DH will pick up a chocolate cupcake for her from a local bakery tonight. We plan to have a mini-celebration at home so she can blow out a candle (which she loves) on her cupcake. We were so busy after we got back from our Christmas holiday, there wasn't enough time to plan her birthday party for this weekend. My sister and I are planning her birthday party for the end of the month.

My sister-in-law gave her this dress for Christmas. I had her try it on this week and she wouldn't take it off. It was the perfect opportunity to take her birthday photos. As you can see, she LOVES the dress. Guess what she will be wearing at her birthday party?

Happy Birthday, darling! We love you.

I need a do over.

2011-01-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

The day after we came back home, Melody and I woke up with a cold. Just a small annoying runny nose type cold. By the end of the week, my throat was a bit sore. Then on the next day, New Year's Day, I woke up with Laryngitis. I was not pleased to start the New Year off like this. Since then, I have been a mess. Coughing all night long from the congestion, sinus headaches from being congested, not being able to breathe through my nose when I am sleeping because of the congestion and having that deep croaking voice which no one can understand.

My beverage of choice has been lots of ginger and honey with tea or hot water. The one good thing is that I have been exploring the many varieties of honeys. The Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey above is fantastic. Though these specialty honeys are way more expensive than the standard Clover, Orange Blossom or Honey Bear Bottle honeys from the supermarket, it's nice to treat yourself when you are feeling like crap.

I have been drinking my delicious concoctions with the new mug that my sister got me for Christmas. See that Canon camera lens in the background? It's actually a mug! It even has a lens cap to keep your beverage hot. I love it. You can get a Canon or Nikon one from HERE.

Another present from my sister is the Sundara Holiday Gift Set. 3 skeins of Aran Silky Merino in the purple family. It makes me happy just to see the beautiful colors sitting on my desk. I can't help but pet it every time I walk by.

These 3 books arrived on my doorstep this morning. I can't wait to look through them. They are from my awesome friend, Jennifer, who also happens to be a top notch book editor. Boy, did these cheer me up this morning. Melody came down with a fever 3 days ago and has been extremely sick. We finally got rid of her fever and then the coughing and congestion started. She has been very sensitive and needy because she feels horrible. I haven't had much sleep due to caring for her at night because she wakes up crying from the coughing and congested sinuses. And when I do get to sleep, I cough all night. DH couldn't be immune to all of this forever and he finally complained of a sore throat the other night. Luckily, he seems to be recovering faster than any of us. Ever since I was a child, I have always had a weak immune system. So it's not surprising that I was the first one to get sick and probably will be the last one to recover.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, germ free of course.

Looking forward to 2011.

2010-12-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

I am glad to see the last day of 2010. Although it hasn't been a bad year, things turned very badly this last week of 2010 for my family. I should have known. For the last few years, we have not been able to escape the holidays unscathed. I am determined to not let it get me down. Instead, I am going to relish the fact that tomorrow is a brand new year with a brand new start. I have many things to look forward to.

I am sure it has been obvious that I have been bitten by the designing bug. Ever since I published my first pattern, the ideas have not stopped coming. It has been interesting for me to see my myself grow into this new creative endeavor. I will tell you that I had a lot of self doubt in the beginning. I am a former jewelry designer and I don't have any background in knitwear design. What I do bring with me is my attention to detail, creativity and my love of knitting.

It has been gratifying to see the positive responses of my designs. It gives me great joy to see projects knit from my patterns being added to the Ravelry pattern pages. A lot of people have messaged me or emailed me about my patterns and I am touched that people are taking the time out of their day to offer some positive encouragement. In early December, Ariane (the blog author) and along with a bunch of my blog readers, messaged me that my shawl, Kouyou, was featured on What's Hot on Ravelry? in the Neck and Shoulder Wear category. It was exciting to be amongst so many talented designers.

While I was away during the Christmas Holiday, Knitscene's Hot List of 10 Designers to Watch in 2011 came out. I am on that list. You all should have seen my face when I read it. I was flabbergasted. Since Interweave has let the cat out of the bag first, I can now announce that I will be having a pattern published in one of their upcoming issues in 2011. That ball of green yarn is what I am knitting the sample with. And that is all that I am going to say about it for now. I have lots and lots of work ahead of me, but I am going to enjoy every minute of it. See you all in 2011!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-25T05:00:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas Day and we are in Massachusetts. Melody has been having a wonderful holiday visiting all of our families. Everyone is spoiling her and she knows it. It has been 1 year since we have come back to visit and everyone is delighted to see that Melody has become a very charming and social little girl.

The following pictures are from a few weeks ago. My sister invited us over for a day of tree trimming, watching Christmas movies, gingerbread house decorating, and dinner.

I had recently knit up this Tiny Snowman and threaded yarn through the top to use it as an ornament. I used worsted weight yarn and size US 4 needles, so the snowman is bigger. It's fast knit and oh so cute! The pattern is available from Mochimochi Land, but I got the pattern from the first issue of the CraftSanity Magazine. It's a really neat magazine with lots of projects ranging from knitting and crochet to sewing, weaving, paper craft and embroidery.

Melody has never decorated a Christmas Tree before, yet she knew exactly what to do. At the last minute, my sister realized they didn't have any lights for the tree and she ran out to the store to get some. Melody couldn't wait and dug into the box of ornaments and got to work. We had a fun time watching her.

As you can see, the tree is kinda bottom heavy with ornaments due to her height. But we quickly fixed all that after the lights were strung. She really enjoyed decorating the tree.

After dinner, we pulled out the gingerbread house. She was delighted and again, needed no help on figuring out what to do. She waited patiently for us to spread the icing on the roof and then went to town with the decorating.

She was so focused on decorating. I think she could have done that for hours. She really is starting to show a great love for arts and crafts. That's my girl!

The completed gingerbread house. Melody's first masterpiece. I can't wait for next year.

I hope all of you are enjoying the holidays with family or friends. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Pomp-a-Doodle Plum Scarf

2010-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Melody has been really enjoying the handknits lately. One evening, after the success of the pink mittens, she requested a scarf. I didn't even know she knew the word, "scarf". Although, it took some time for me to decipher what she was saying, I finally understood when she kept pointing at her neck.

She had chosen this skein of yarn at the local craft store a while ago. I asked if she wanted a scarf from it and she excitedly said yes. I looked at the You Tube Video produced by the manufacturer and I immediately casted on. As you can see, the yarn has a unique construction. You do not knit or pull the pom poms through when you knit. You knit the strand between the pom poms. It took some time to get use to it, but it's a really fast knit. I had to frog back and cast on less stitches because it was too wide for her. Even with the frogging and starting over, it only took me a few hours in the evening to complete the scarf for her.

These are the pictures I took of her when I presented her the scarf the next morning. She was beyond grateful and that really tickles my heart. I feel like such a lucky momma because my daughter really enjoys what I knit for her.

Pattern: Pomp-a-Doodle 1 Ball Scarf (Free Pattern)
Needles: US 9 - 5.5 mm
Yarn: 1 skein of Pomp-a-Doodle in Plush Plum.
Mods: I casted on 8 sts because 12 sts was too wide for my daughter.

Tulip Cardigan

2010-12-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

This sweater should not have taken almost 2 years to complete. Yes, you read that right. I kept letting it languish in the UFO pile during it's many stages. The yarn was salvaged from the beautiful Trellis Sweater from Knitty.com that I never completed. Never try to finish a heavily cabled sweater after your child is born. At least not for the first year. My brain was pretty fried from the lack of sleep, plus I was trying to knit the whole thing in one piece to avoid seaming little pieces.

One night, I came to the conclusion that by the time I finished it, it would never fit her. So I frogged it. Then I became obsessed with this fair isle sweater. I rummaged around and found all the colors that I would need to make it. It took me one evening to complete the yoke. The color-work was very addicting. Then during the week, I finished the body and one sleeve. There it sat for a while. The challenge and interest was gone and I was off on the next exciting project.

My memory is fuzzy about the whole thing so bear with me. At one point, I completed the 2nd sleeve and there it sat again waiting for me to pick up the stitches to make the button bands. After another long while, both bands were knit and all the yarn ends were tediously woven in. I soaked and blocked it. Now it needed buttons.

My friends and I planned a trip to the garment district to go button shopping. We all brought our projects to find the perfect buttons. The selection was over whelming. Thank goodness I had friends there to help. Plus, the prices really varied depending on where you went. You could end up spending more on the buttons than the cost of the yarn to make the sweater. My friend, Penelope, was ever so patient and went through a million buttons before these were chosen. It fit all the criteria: worked well with the sweater, the right size for the button holes and it did not cost a small fortune to buy 8 buttons (bought 1 extra just in case we lost one). They are really cute flower shaped buttons.

You would think the story ended there, but nope. I brought the buttons home and forgot about them. Fast forward to a year later. A few weeks ago, Melody found the buttonless sweater and insisted on trying it on. She instantly fell in love with it. So, I dug around the closet until I located the buttons and quickly sewed them on . She was so thrilled when I showed her the completed sweater.

Just so you all don't think I am horrible procrastinator, I knew it was too big for her a year ago. I think that's why I never felt the need to rush to finish this. But seeing her fit that sweater so perfectly a few weeks made me realize that I did need to put those buttons on so she can wear it during this Winter. I used a worsted weight yarn to make this sweater in the 6 months size. I just made sure to knit the sleeves and body longer.

Pattern: Tulip Yoke Baby Cardigan Free Ravelry Download
Needles: US 6 - 4.0 mm
Yarn: 2 skeins of Shelridge Farm Soft Touch W4 in Green Apple. I love this yarn and always try to purchase from them at Rhinebeck every year. The rest of the color-work on the yoke was knit with small partial skeins of worsted weight yarn I had laying around.
Size: She is now almost 3 yrs old and I followed the 6 months size on the pattern, but made to sure to lengthen the sleeves and body.

Pink Mittens

2010-12-10T11:20:00.001-05:00

The weather here in New York City has take taken a nose dive. It's not that bad when it's sunny, but the wind factor makes it almost unbearable for Melody and I to take our afternoon walks. Last weekend, after a morning stroll to run errands around the neighborhood, I noticed that her hands were quite red. She came home and kept telling her father that her hands hurt. So, I decided to knit her some mittens. Though I was not quite sure that she would wear them. She loves to keep her hands free to pick up leaves or stones when we take our walks. Plus, she always has assorted knick knacks or stuffed animals that she has to hold in her hand. Trying to convince her to put them in her pocket or mine has been futile.

It was a quick knit. The first one took longer because I was custom fitting the mitten to her hand. It took several fittings to make sure I got the length of the mitten and thumbs right. It's knit from the cuff, so that was pretty easy to keep having her try them on as I knit them. After the first one was done, I used my notes for the second one. Knock on wood! She has been wearing them. I am hoping the novelty will not wear off too soon.

She does adore them which pleases me. She likes to put them against her face to feel the softness. And she insist that her father and I sniff them. Lol!

I let her choose the colors herself. It's Cascade 220, 100% wool to keep her hands warm and toasty.

Please excuse her bed head. She had just woken up when I presented her the mittens. I took the opportunity to take the pictures while she was in a good mood and hamming it up for camera. There are many days where the answer is "NO!" when I ask her to try on something.

Pattern: Toddler Mittens on a String (Free Pattern)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cascade 220
Needles: US 4 - 3.5 mm for the cuffs and US 5 - 3.75 mm for the rest of the mitten.
Mods: I did make many changes. I will note the changes on my Ravelry project page when I get the chance.

Random number generator says...

2010-12-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

...that Muddling Through is the winner! Congratulations! Please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com so I can send you the scarf. Thank you all for participating.

Here are 2 more examples of Shizuku. You can see that it also works well with variegated or semi-solid yarns.

Tomo knit this one using Malabrigo Yarns Silky Merino. The color is called Indiecita. She made is for a friend's birthday gift and she told me her friend loved it. I think the silk content makes this a scarf a pleasure to wear around your neck.

I have been saving this yarn for a special project. It’s Buckwheat Bridge Angoras, 70 Mohair Kid & 30% Cormo, 250 yards. It is a natural indigo dye and produced entirely with solar power. I purchased it at NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, Rhinebeck 2009.

I knit to 34 stitches for the widest part and then started decreasing. I used 220 yds and had 30 yards left over. After blocking, this scarf is much longer than the original Shizuku. It's so soft and I love the color. This may be a hard one to part with.

I have been enjoying seeing everyone's version of Shizuku on Ravelry. It's a really quick project and there is still plenty of time to make one for a holiday gift. I already started another one for a birthday gift.

Download Shizuku Now or Ravel It!

Shizuku 雫

2010-11-29T18:44:00.001-05:00

This is my latest pattern design. Shizuku means drops or tear-drop shape in Japanese. This scarf is knit from side to side with the droplets knitted along one side. The droplets are made with short row shaping.

The scarf is made with 2 skeins of Noro Kureyon, but you can substitute any yarn with the same weight. This colorful example is made by my friend, Tomo, who is also the one modeling both of the scarves. I love the colorway that she used.

This one is knit by me in the colorway 150. Noro Kureyon really softens up quite bit after a good soak with Eucalan and blocking.

Guess what? I am giving away this scarf (the one that I knit) to one lucky winner! Please leave a comment by Sunday, December 5, 2010 stating that you want to enter to win this scarf. Anyone may enter.

If you don't want to wait to see if you win, you can knit one up for yourself. It's a super fast knit. Plus the pattern is FREE! My gift to you all of you for the holidays.

Download Shizuku Now or Ravel It!

Warm Up with Blankets

2010-11-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

The first signs of Fall had me scurrying for my blankets. Unfortunately, I think I may have been over zealous in my Spring cleaning this year. Lots of things were donated to charity or simply thrown out. So, I quickly dug through my large collection of worsted weight yarns to put together a scrap blanket. This was inspired by a knitted blanket I saw on Ravelry. I am crocheting my own version. It will be done in the style of a coin quilt. I am plan on making 4 strips of colored stripes and then bordered all in white. The edging will be decided when the blanket is assembled.

After the successful blanket that I made with a hand loom, I immediately started another one. This one is done with a 4" x 6" Weavette. I chose to do a diamond pattern for the rectangles. I let it languish over the Summer, but I pulled it back out again. I just need 8 more rectangles before I can start seaming them together.

Speaking of blankets, I received some news from Potter Craft this evening. They have signed on with Warm Up America! to collect knitted squares that will be made into blankets for people in need. Potter Craft is hosting a Knitting Block By Block-a-Thon. The first 25 people who send in their blocks will get a copy of Nicky’s book. The next 25 will receive another free pattern. All the info and address can be found here.

To help out, Potter Craft is offering two free block patterns from Nicky Epstein’s new book, Knitting Block by Block. (Click on the pictures to get to their Flickr page so the pattern can be enlarged.) I hope many of you will participate in this worthy cause. I have my yarn and needles ready!

The Sport Weight Version

2010-11-19T12:20:00.000-05:00

This is my sample for the medium size of the Kouyou Shawl, which is made in a sport weight yarn. The yarn is The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Sport. The color is called Rusticate and I felt it was the perfect color for a Autumn shawl. My friend, Tomo, is modeling the shawl and as you can see, it matches her hair. It was not done on purpose.

This yarn was a treat to knit with. The resulting shawl is smooth and silky with a sheen to it. I am not sure which version I love more, the Malabrigo one or this one. I think I love them all equally.

Lisa test knitted my pattern and she did a fantastic job. She used Quince & Co Chickadee. I have been wanting to try Quince & Co for a while now, so it was neat to see her use that for the test knit. Her photos are gorgeous and you can see more of her beautiful work on her Flickr page. All photos below are used with permission from Lisa.

I am really thrilled with the response of this new pattern. Thank you all for your support of my new creative endeavor. If you make this shawl, I would love to see it. Send me a link to your blog or add your project to Ravelry.

Another Fall Favorite

2010-11-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Fall is definitely my most favorite time of year for knitting. It signals the need for warm woolly knits before Winter finally arrives. In the past years, I would start knitting in a frenzy when the first sign of cold hits. Summers use to slow my knitting to a halt. These days, I am knitting all year round, so the mad dash to start knitting every pattern in sight is curbed.

My other passion is baking. Fall is when I love to fire up the oven because certain Summer months are just too hot to bake. There is never a lack of baked goods in my kitchen during the Fall and Winter months.

Next week, Thanksgiving will be the start of my baking season. I want to share an amazing cookie recipe with all of you. It comes from the book, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. The Black Forest Chocolate Cookies are a delicious combination of chocolate and cherries. Everyone I've shared it with has loved them. My friend's husband, who does not like cherries, fell instantly in love with this cookie after the first bite. That's saying a lot from a humble little cookie.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Yield 24 Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
16 oz. dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. (6 oz.) white chocolate chips
1 c. (6 oz.) dried cherries

Directions:
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Kouyou 紅葉 is now available!

2010-11-08T13:00:00.002-05:00

Fall Foliage is called "kouyou" in Japanese and the kanji (Chinese characters) means red leaves. Kouyou is inspired by my favorite season, Fall. The leaves turn brilliant shades of reds, oranges and yellows and the brisk air makes it perfect weather for a cozy shawl. Knit from the center back to the bottom edge, Kouyou can be quickly knit up in either worsted or sport weight yarn to ward off the impending chilly weather.The shawl is designed to sit on your shoulders without slipping off. That's the way I wear it when I am sitting in front of the computer. Now that Fall has officially arrived in NYC, I am always cold. At Rhinebeck, I purchased a beautiful wooden shawl pin so that I can wrap the shawl around me when I am out and about. No matter how you choose to wear this shawl, it will be stunning.This 7 page pattern has both written and charted instructions. The shawl starts off with a simple stockinette section, then the lace portion and it ends with a bind off with picots. It also includes directions and pictures on how to block the shawl.

Yarn Requirements: There are 3 size options for the shawl: A (small), B (medium) and C (large). A: 420 yds/ 384 m of worsted weight, B: 450 yds/ 411 m of sport weight and C: 500 yds/ 458m of worsted weight.

The sample was made with 2 skeins of Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in the color: Frank Ochre.

The pattern is now available for sale. You can click on the Buy Now button and buy it through Ravelry without having to be a Ravelry member. It's an instant download for the pattern.
Kouyou 紅葉
$6.00

You may prefer to buy it on Ravelry if you are a Ravelry member. Or you can get the pattern through my Etsy Shop. The pattern will be emailed to you if you buy it from my Etsy Shop.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-04T12:00:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, we drove to South Orange, NJ to meet up with my friends at the Halloween Parade in the center of town. It was a beautiful Fall day with just a slight chill in the air.We took the kids around the stores in the center of town to get their treats.Here I am posing with my pal, Veronica, and Melody. Aren't they adorable?Veronica's mom, Jen, was a sexy devil this year. I didn't get a picture of her whole outfit, but she had on cute red heels, awesome spider web stockings and a black skirt.We went back to Jen's house to warm up and let the kids run around the house. Then we decided to have pizza before taking the kids out trick or treating.As you can see, the kids jumped right into the candy basket. All 3 girls were giggling and having so much fun. I couldn't get a clear picture of Penny, Veronica's little sister. Sorry Penny!Veronica is my best model. She will pose as soon as I whip out my camera. She was such a pretty Cinderella.The jack o'lantern was carved by Veronica and her father, Jason. They did an awesome job.

The kids had a wonderful time going from house to house. Melody really got the concept of Halloween this year. It was so cute seeing her following Veronica around. She was still very shy, so she would let me hand the basket to get the treats and then immediately take the basket back. LOL!

Sneak Peek!My next shawl design! It is a worsted weight shawl made with 2 skeins of Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted. I am just waiting to hear back from all the test knitters this week to finalize the pattern. It should be available early next week.

Forest Friends

2010-11-02T12:17:00.005-04:00

Over the Summer, I had the opportunity to test Anna's new cross-stitch pattern. I did this set of three during my vacation at Bradley Beach, NJ. I was able to get all my supplies from Michaels, even the the 3" embroidery hoops. Cross-stitching is very affordable because the supplies are inexpensive.

This was super fun and almost instant gratification. It was the perfect project to take along on my vacation because it's small and portable. By the end of my trip, I had this set of three to hang on Melody's bedroom wall.

This set of three cross-stitch patterns is available at Mochimochi Land. As a bonus, Anna has included a pictured step-by-step tutorial on how to frame them in the hoops.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

It's Melody's 3rd Halloween and she was super excited when she saw her costume. We will be taking her to South Orange, NJ so she can go "trick or treating" with her friends, Veronica and Penny.

She couldn't stop pointing and telling us about her wings.

My little Lady Bug wishes you all a very Happy Halloween!

Rhinebeck 2010

2010-10-26T17:48:00.000-04:00

This was my 4th year going to Rhinebeck (NYS Sheep and Wool Festival) and it seems to be more fun every year. I got up at 4am and met up with my friends, Rebecca and Tomo, to share a car service to Park Slope, Brooklyn to board a bus. It was chilly, but I was so thankful for clear skies. It had been threatening to rain and I was not looking forward to walking around a outdoor festival in the rain. The ride up was beautiful and you could see the beautiful colors of Autumn.

We arrived promptly at 8:55 am and the festival opens at 9am. I was on the 1st bus and arrived a bit earlier than the 2nd bus. Can you spot Rebecca and Tomo waiting to get in the entrance?

Tomo is the one on the left shivering from the chilly breeze. Rebecca, on the right, was dressed in perfect layers.

As soon as we got in, I made a beeline for Brooks Farm. Rebecca and I made our first purchases there. We were in and out and avoided any of the crowds that would soon envelop the booth. They are a very popular vendor, so I always make that my first stop.Look at the amazing colors from nature. The Sheep and Wool Festival is such a perfect Fall activity. It wasn't all yarn shopping. I met many people there that day. People I know in real life and people from Ravelry and blogland. It was a lot of hugging and introductions through out the day. It was especially fun to spot people we have only seen online. Rebecca and I got to meet up with Craftivore! Rebecca has met her before, but this was my first time meeting her. She won a book from my blog contest and I got to hand her the prize in person. Yes, I look like a hobbit standing next to these 2.For lunch, I knew that I would be getting the Chicken Pot Pie. It's the perfect meal for the Fall weather. The line wasn't too bad, but I knew to get in line early. They always sell out every year. Once we all refueled, we ready to see the animals and the rest of the festival.Interesting sheep, no? It gave us a good laugh while we snapped away with our cameras.There was also sheep shearing. I think Melody would have loved seeing all the animals. DH said that maybe next year we could all go and make it a family event.
For my second LaReine shawl, I had knit the shawl with Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors Sock Yarn. Karin saw it on Ravelry and asked me to stop by her booth if I got a chance. Here I am wearing it and that is Karin on the right. The color is called Avocado and it's an awesome variegated green. Karin is an amazing dyer and I am in love with her Watercolors line. She gifted me 3 skeins of a Cranberry Red for my future designs. Thank you so much, Karin. I am currently swatching with it and it's knitting up beautifully. This was my Rhinebeck haul. It is not as much as I normally would buy. Don't laugh. This is the smallest amount I have bought in the last 4 years. I can't wait to start knitting with it. I think over the years, I have become more selective about what yarns I want to buy from the festival. As you can see, I did not buy any fiber this year. I have plenty at home and nothing called out to me this year.

LaReine is now available!

2010-10-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

The pattern is now available for sale! You can click on the BUY NOW button and buy it through Ravelry without having to be a Ravelry member. It's an instant download for the pattern.

You may prefer to buy it on Ravelry if you are a Ravelry member. Or you can get the pattern through my Etsy Shop. The pattern will be emailed to you if you buy it from my Etsy Shop.

LaReine was inspired by my summer vacations at the Jersey Shore. Every year, we stay at my friend’s beach house on LaReine Ave in Bradley Beach. Every time I look at the shawl, it reminds me of the ocean and the countless hours my family and friends have spent frolicking in the waves.

This pattern has both written directions and charts. Although, it was designed to use up one skein of sock yarn, it can be easily customized to a larger size. There are instructions on how to make the shawl larger.

My friend, Tomo, helped me test knit the pattern using Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the colorway Lettuce Leaf. It has a silky feel to it with a wonderful drape. It blocked out beautifully.A huge thank you goes out to my test knitters: Rebecca, Penelope, Tomo, Lisa, Susan and Emily. Take a look at Rebecca's stunning orange version of my shawl.

Okay, drum roll please! The 3 winners of the shawl pattern, sock yarn, and tape measures are: Celtic Cast On, Lori of Time Thrums, and misplacedpom! Congratulations, please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com to give me your mailing info and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice of yarn color. Remember, first come first serve.

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. I promise that there will be more in the future.

This Saturday, I will be in Rhinebeck , NY for the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival. Please feel free to say hi if you see me walking around with my shawl. I will also have printed copies of my pattern for sale if you would like to buy it from me in person.

Are you ready for another contest?

2010-10-07T12:40:00.003-04:00

Let's get down to business first. The Random Number Generator has spoken and the lucky winner of 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats is Craftivore! Please email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com to give me your mailing info and I will ship the book out to you. Congratulations!

Now for another great contest! My first shawl pattern is scheduled to be released next week. I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway. I will be giving away 3 printed copies of the LaReine pattern (Ravelry link). Plus, there is more!
The original sample is knit with 1 skein of Sena from Okayknits in the colorway, Water Green. I had bought 2 just in case, so I will be giving away the second skein for the contest. Okayknits dyes her yarns in batches of 2 skeins so each color is non-repeatable and extremely limited. I love knitting with her yarns because it doesn't pool and has such depth of color. One of you lucky winners will be getting the original yarn and color!
When Jane of Okayknits heard I was going to be running this contest, she generously offered up 2 skeins of her yarns. On the left is Sawa Sawa in the colorway, Vermeer. On the right is Sena in the colorway, Sweetie Pie.
Wait, it gets better. Tomo from Tomo and Timo wanted to add some more fun to the contest by donating 3 of her awesome fabric covered tape measures. These are the cutest tape measures. She has been selling them at yarns stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan and recently opened up a etsy shop. Her tape measures are also featured in this month's issue of Crochet Today.
There will be 3 winners. Each winner will receive a printed copy of my pattern, one skein of yarn and one tape measure. The one skein of yarn will be enough for you to make my shawl. When I announce the winners, it will be first come first serve for the choice of the yarn color. Whoever emails me first, will get first pick.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment on this blog post by Oct 13, 2010 (12am EST). Anyone may enter, even if you are outside of the USA.

I want to try something different this time. I am offering more chances to win this contest. How? You can increase your chances by blogging about my contest on your blog and link back to this post. For those of you that have Twitter accounts, tweet about it and link back. Even Facebook! Post my contest/link on your status update. And let's not forget about Flickr.

So, you can enter this contest up to 5 times. For each type of entry, please leave a separate comment. For example, if you blog about my contest, please leave another comment with your link. If you tweet about it, leave another comment with a link. For Facebook, it will be an honor system since I can't exactly friend everyone on my personal account. But leave another comment that you wrote about it on Facebook.

Good Luck!

1000 Fabulous Knit Hats

2010-09-29T18:15:00.003-04:00

Last year, I submitted my photographs for a upcoming book by Annie Modesitt called 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats. The whole book was going to feature 1,000 knit hats. All the photographs used in the book was going to be contributed by knitters like you and me. I figured it was a long shot, but decided to do it on the day before the deadline. I even had to delay my vacation to the Jersey Shore for 3 hours because I needed to format all the digital photos correctly. Many months later, I received a email saying that they wanted to use one or more of my photos. They needed me to resubmit my release form because it did not go through correctly. I was so excited when I found out the news. I kept it to myself because I wasn't sure if I was going to make the final cut. I know in the publishing world that not everything makes it into the final book. As the saying goes, I didn't want to count my chicks before they hatched.

A few months ago, I received a email from Quarry Books announcing that the book was going to released soon. I asked them if I could get a copy to review and I would give it away to my blog readers. They were so nice to send me a copy. Thank you, Quarry Books!

If you like hats, this book is the perfect inspiration book. In the beginning of the book, they feature 10 originally designed hats that designers had submitted. They were judged and prizes were given for the top 10 winning designs. The 10 patterns are located in the back of the book. The rest of the book is broken into sections: Hat Shapes, Stitch Techniques and Specialty: Babies and Children.

You will get so many ideas from this book. From color combos, stitch patterns and interesting shaping, it has something to suit every one's taste. Berets, Cloches, Stocking Caps, Cabled Hats, Crocheted Hats, Lace Hats...way too many to mention. Plus, it's amazing to see so many talented knitters out there and their well-knit creations. If you are a hat knitter, this book should be included in your library. I am going to purchase 2! One for me and one for Melody.
When I received the copy, I was delighted to find that 7 of my photographs were used in the book. And Melody is in 4 of them. In the above photo (left), Melody is wearing the Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap that I knit with Sundara Sock Yarn.Left hand side, is my husband sporting his heather grey, Seaman's Cap. I told him that his head made it in the book, but not his face.Top right, Melody is wearing the Baby Hat by Leigh Radford from the One Skein Book.Bottom left, Melody is wearing the Coney Hat by Vyvyan Neel.Bottom right, Melody is wearing the Simple Baby Cap 3 by Susan B. Anderson from the book, Itty-Bitty Hats.Bottom right is the Hat Ornaments I knitted for our tree. Pattern is called Santa Baby Ornament by Susan B. Anderson.
And my dog, Caesar, made it into the book, too! The hat is called Cable and Seed Stitch Baby Hat by Sundara Murphy.

So for a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats, please leave a comment by 11pm est, Oct 5, 2010. Anyone can enter even if you live outside of the USA. Good luck!

(Whoops, DH caught my mistake. The deadline to enter is Oct 5, not Sept 5. Sorry!)

Mushroom Cap

2010-09-27T12:50:00.001-04:00

Today, I decided to go through my Winter knitwear and accessories to figure out what Melody and I will need before it gets too cold. I made this hat for myself in January, but I never wore it and I kind of forgot about it. Naturally, Melody wanted to try it on as soon as she saw it. To my surprise, it fit her quite well even though I had made the adult size. Kids have big noggins!The brim is super stretchy so it's really perfect for fitting different sized heads. She needed a new hat anyways, so this worked out well. I like that the brim can cover her ears on those super cold and windy days.I am sure she wouldn't mind sharing the hat with me if I wanted to wear it. Though she looks way cuter in that hat than me.Did I mention that it only took one skein of yarn and it's a super fast knit? You can have a hat in a day. Go make one!

Pattern: Shroom from Knitty.com
Needles: US9 and US11
Yarn: J.Knits Wash Me-Superchunk, colorway: Indiana. One skein has 95 yards and I had 2.5 yards leftover.
Size: Adult size

Coming Soon - LaReine

2010-09-08T17:35:00.000-04:00

My first shawl pattern that I designed! I am super excited about this. Designing a pattern has been on my bucket list for the last few years. This was a challenge for me every step of the way, but I am glad I did it. It has made me appreciate all those amazing designers out there even more.

LaReine is a top down shawl pattern that uses 1 skein of fingering weight yarn. For my sample, I used Okay Knits Sena in the colorway: Water Green. The pattern was inspired by my summers at the Jersey Shore (Bradley Beach). Everytime I look at the shawl, it reminds me of the ocean and the countless hours my family and friends have spent frolicking in the waves.

It's currently being test knitted by a group of awesome knitters. I hope to have the pattern released by the end of October or sooner.

Last day of August?

2010-08-31T17:00:00.001-04:00

I am dreaming of cool Fall weather so that I can wear some of the scarves I have woven. This is a Sampler Sock Kit in the colorway, Autumn Leaves, that has been sitting in my stash for a while. I bought it from Knitabulous Yarn. It came packaged in cupcake liners. Oh so cute!
There are a total of 5 colors. I used each color once for the warp stripes. Then I used each color for the weft in sections. I started with orange and then green, red, yellow and ended with blue. (10 dent heddle, 70 ends, 2.5 yard warp)I wove it looser than my previous scarves to achieve more drape and to see how much the yarn will bloom after washing. The results after washing? A light and airy scarf.

We ended August with a birthday celebration. Melody's pal, Veronica, turned 4 years old! I brought my camera and even remembered to charge up the battery. But I forgot my memory card! Sigh! Here are the pics taken with my Blackberry Phone.The birthday girl, Veronica! The birthday party was held at The Messy Artist in New Jersey. It was a great party. All the kids had so much fun and the staff was very nice. One of the best parts was that the kids can get as messy as they want, but leave the party all cleaned up and the mess behind.Melody painted a Teddy Bear that she got to bring home.There was a painting table set up with lots of paint. Melody made a beeline for that table right away.See the stuff that they are scooping? It's Oatmeal! What a great idea.Pizza was served for the kids and adults. The kiddies got juice boxes and the adults had wine.And for dessert, pink sparkly cupcakes! Thank you for inviting us to a awesome party, Jen & Jason.

Trying to Beat the Heat.

2010-08-09T16:20:00.000-04:00

The heat and humidity has been unbearable when Melody and I try to take our afternoon walks. A lot of times, she requests "Rain". That's what she calls the sprinklers. I am sure all this heat will be a distant memory when the Fall season comes. In the mean time, I will keep bringing Melody to play in the "rain".

Scarves 2 & 3!

2010-07-23T20:05:00.000-04:00

We just got back from vacation and I am way behind in everything. I am still trying to catch up. So, in the mean time, I am going to show you my other woven scarves.This was actually my 3rd project, so I am going a little out of order. As I said before, there was to be one finished scarf for my class, Weaving 1. That was the red one I blogged about a few weeks ago. This one was done all by myself. A week before our final class, I wanted to make sure that I could make a warp, sley the loom and basically do everything by myself. All the other projects, I have warped the loom under my teacher’s watchful eye and her explicit instructions.I used one skein of Yarntini Self Striping Sock Yarn in the colorway, Grape Ape, for both the warp and weft. With a self striping yarn, I didn't know what to expect. It turned out really well and striped perfectly. As you can see, Miss Melody has claimed the scarf as her own. She has been obsessed with the color purple recently so I was more than happy to give it to her. I am sure she won't mind if I borrow it every once in a while.
This was my second project. It's super long and super soft. Great for those very cold days when I can wrap this scarf several times around my neck and face.The yarn is Pigeonroof Studios Siren Two Sock in the colors: Lettuce and Icicle. One skein of each color. I used both colors to make the warp in a striped sequence. The weaving was randomly done with both colors.

And the winner is...

2010-07-09T13:45:00.001-04:00

Pixiewear, please contact me with your mailing address. You can email me at oiyi.yau(at) gmail (dot) com.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! Did you know that Anna has posted the pattern for the Baby Gators for free? You can get it here or here. Now let's see some baby gator knitting.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Last year, I test knitted a few of the patterns for Anna's book using yarn from my own stash. I had to keep it a secret for over a year, but now I finally can show what I made.
Plucky Mushrooms, I used assorted handspuns scraps I had on hand. The colors definitely indicates that it's a deadly fungi! At least they are pretty to look at.Squirrels on Wheels, it's a new breed of squirrels at the park!Grouchy Couch, all done in fair isle knitting. The knitting was labor-intensive, but totally worth the results. Everyone that I have shown this to gets a kick out of it.All 4 cushions are removable. Perfect for a doll pillow fight.I tried to adjust the t.v. for this little guy, but all I got was static. (The bear was made for me by Sara a long time ago. It's one of my favorite dolls in my toy cabinet.)

See how awesome all the patterns are from the book? Go get the book!

Knitting Mochimochi Review & Giveaway!

2010-07-01T19:00:00.001-04:00

Anna Hrachovec's new book, Knitting Mochimochi, is fresh off the press. I have been test knitting Anna's patterns since the beginning when she launched Mochimochi Land in 2007. We met via Flickr and I was her first test knitter. Now, 3 years later, she has released her first book! I am honored to be able to review her book. I also have a extra copy to give away to one of you lucky readers. Details to follow at the end.

I have always enjoyed knitting toys. Unlike garments, they don't have to fit anyone and there is no need to check your gauge. They don't need to make sense because it's a toy. Anna's toy patterns has always been on the quirky and fun side. She says that her toys are inspired by everything cute, funny or strange that she sees. As you will see in the following photographs, the patterns are definitely fun and cute.

One of the reasons I love Anna's patterns is the construction techniques. The patterns are as seamless as possible. You might be required to stitch up a few limbs or seams on some of the patterns, but she really does try to minimize that. She is quite inventive and clever with how her toys are knit up. There is detailed instructions and photographs to help you out with certain aspects of the pattern. Which I always find very helpful in any pattern.

With any toy pattern, it really does matter in how you assemble it. When you take the time and care to put a toy together, you get a professional result in the end. Anna has included a section in the book called Basic Toy Techniques. In that section, these topics are covered; The Stuffing, The Closing, The Eyes, The Seaming, The Loose Ends, The Embroidery, Additional Techniques, and The Magic Loop. The topics have step by step photos to help you in understanding the technique. One of my favorites is the Seaming Section. She covers 7 different Mattress Stitches that will help you seam up your toys.

For those of you who would like to try your hand at designing a toy pattern, she has a section called Design Your Own Knitted Toy. She starts off with a sketch of a Pig and helps you break down the sketch into sections. Then step by step, she walks you through on how to plan it, number it, knit it, check it, continue it, appendage it, finish it and write it and share it. She also includes guidelines for 4 basic shapes and increases and decreases to shape the design.

There are 20 super-cute strange designs in the book. From small quick projects to more elaborate projects. The Impractical Wearable chapter has patterns that you can wear! There is something for everyone. You can be a beginner knitter and still be able to make something fun from this book.

I recently had the opportunity to help Anna knit up 5 samples from the book with the original yarn and colors done in the book. They are for Cascade Yarns, which will be used for a traveling trunk show to promote Anna’s book. Cascade Yarns generously donated the yarn, Cascade 220 Wool. Believe it or not, it was my first time using Cascade 220! The colors are great and I love the feel of the yarn while working with it and the finished results.Bite-Free Bed BugsOrbiting OddityThe little guy next to him is Squoze from the pattern Hugs and Squoze.Baby Gators Neck NuzzlerTV GuyFor a chance to win a copy of the book, please leave a comment stating that you want to be entered in the giveaway. Anyone can enter, even for those of you outside of the United States. The last day to enter will be July 8, 2010. The winner will be picked by a random number generator. I will announce the winner on July 9, 2010. If I don't hear from the winner after 1 week, I will draw another name. Good Luck!

A huge thank you to Watson-Guptill for providing me a copy to giveaway to my readers.

My first rigid heddle weaving project.

2010-06-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

I mentioned a while ago that I was taking Weaving 1 at The Yarn Tree. It was 10 weeks of how to set up and weave on a rigid heddle loom. The store owner and weaving teacher, Linda LaBelle, uses the Kromski Harp for her classes. She loans you the loom so you don't have to purchase anything. I already had a loom because last year I had acquired a used 24" Kromski Harp Loom from Craig's List. It sat around under a pile of yarn and fiber until this year, April 2010. I finally took the plunge and signed up for the 10 week class. I can tell you that I do not regret it.

We made a sampler using acrylic yarn. She taught us weaving patterns and techniques for 4 weeks. It was a lot of fun just to practice and not worry about the finished product. After the 4 weeks, we began our final project. For the final project, it was going to be a scarf. After learning that I spin, she suggested I used my own handspun yarn.

This beautiful roving is Pigeonroof Studios Extra Fine Merino. I think it took me over 6 months to finish it. But only because I wasn't actively working on it. When I knew that I was going to be using it for my final project, I sat down and cranked it out. It was totally worth it because the finished yarn was amazingly soft and springy. And I adore that deep red color.I ended up with 2 skeins of a different gauge yarn. Totally my fault since I let too much time lapse in between working on it. I started spinning it thicker when I decided to finish spinning it because I couldn't remember how fine I was spinning it. The earlier spinning was very fine. Luckily for me, my teacher said that gauge didn't really matter with weaving and I could still use both.
She had everyone use the same yarn for the weft. It's called Tussah Fleck and it's a beautiful natural color silk. It's great to work with because it's super strong. There was no worries about it breaking. It's also amazing that all the students used the same warp, but we all ended up with different scarves. She let us bring in any yarn we wanted for the weft. The Tussah Fleck is neutral enough to go with any color. I plan on using it for future projects when I get a chance.Look at the final scarf! I love it so much. After a soak in Eucalan Wash, it bloomed beautifully.I used a combination of techniques I learned on this scarf: Leno, Warp Face, Weft Face, and added Weft Protector (aka hem stitch) for some texture. For the fringe, it’s a twisted fringe.We were encouraged to not follow a pattern. Just do what we wanted at any point of the scarf. For me, that was hard. Though I did the best that I could to free myself up from being rigid. The great thing about the yarn is that it did a lot of the work for me. I chain plied (aka navajo-plied) it so the colors would stripe like that. I love it!

It took me a week to complete this scarf. Which was 3 weeks earlier than I was suppose to . Um yeah, I think the other students wanted to throw their shuttle sticks at me when I came into class with a finished scarf. So what's a girl to do? I started and finished 2 more scarves before the last class! The last class was about fringe techniques.

I will be starting Weaving 2 this weekend and I am very excited about it. The whole 10 weeks will be dedicated to working through the book, Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom by Betty Davenport, from the first page to the last. There will not be a final project for this class because it's technique based. But I can only imagine the the textures and patterns I will be able to apply to my weaving when the class is done.

Stayed tune for my other woven scarves and other fun things I have planned. There will be 2 book reviews and giveaways coming up soon.

What he did on Father's Day.

2010-06-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

I let DH sleep in since it was his day after all. Then I made us Grilled Flank Steak and Eggs Over Easy for brunch. After that, it was a fun filled day with Melody. We wandered around the local street fair in the neighborhood, but it got too hot and she started to look miserable.We took her to Ft Greene Park and she played with dirt and sand. Give the girl a plastic cup and she happily filled and dumped the dirt over and over again.Since it was a hot and humid day, we decided to stop off at a playground for some sprinkler time. The water was a refreshing relief.She had so much fun running in and out of the sprinklers with her father.It took some coaxing to get her to leave.They both got completely drenched and had to walk home looking like that.
Saturday was my last class at The Yarn Tree. My 10 weeks of Weaving 1 is done. I'm a weaver! I also signed up for Weaving 2, which I am super excited about.

To celebrate our last class, I baked some Apricot Bars to share with my class. They were well received. And to make it a little over the top, I used my own Apricot Jam that I canned a while ago. I saved a few of these for DH's dessert tonight. Try the recipe. You won't regret it. I had these bars at a party a while ago and they were made with raspberry jam. Just as delicious!

Another UFO is done!

2010-06-11T17:12:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the absence. I haven't had internet connection for the last 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of dealing with bad customer service and missed appointments (they missed 3 appointments), I was surprised they showed up at all today. Our appointment today was from 8am-11am and of course they showed up after 11am. Enough of my ranting. I have a lot of catching up to do.
I got this yarn after the Artfibers Yarn Tasting. It's a tape yarn that normally I wouldn't be attracted to. But I was able to swatch with it at the Yarn Tasting and really liked the yarn when it was knit up.

I ordered enough for a pattern that I wanted to make, but it didn't work out at all. The yarn is considered a Bulky weight, but in my opinion, it's more like a heavy worsted weight. So refusing to give up, I came across Kirsten's free pattern and it worked out perfectly.It's been in the UFO pile for a while now, but now it's done! The only thing that I did differently was to knit the sleeves last. I also knit them at the same time with the magic loop method. I wanted to use up every last inch of this yarn because I don't like having small amount of
leftovers.

This little cardigan is quite warm. It will be a perfect cover up for when I am dining in restaurants with heavy air conditioning this Summer.

Pattern: Sunkist by Kirsten Kapur, free pattern on Ravelry or from her website.
Needles: US 8 - 5.0 mm and US 10 - 6.0 mm
Yarn: 400 yards of Artfibers Zoftig in color: 10 Gray

City Kiddie

2010-05-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

The weather in NYC has definitely been HOT! I finished this summer top for Melody a while ago, but last week was the first time she took it for a test drive. The pattern calls for sock weight yarn, but I used Sublime Organic Cotton DK. I knew I wanted for her to wear it in the summer and all I had for sock yarn was wool. I followed the 6 months size in the pattern, obviously using larger needles to accommodate the yarn, and made it longer. The top down construction made it easy to adjust the size. I kept measuring it against her pajama top so I knew when the length was perfect for her.The yarn is so soft and it was very nice to knit with. Which is not the case for all cottons. The knitted fabric has a very nice drape. I know she will get a lot of use out of this knitted cotton t-shirt. I purposely made it a little longer so she can wear it for more than one season.
Pattern: Country Kiddie by Brandy Fortune, you can purchase the pattern from Ravelry or from Pixie Purls.
Needles: US 6 - 4.0 mm
Yarn: Sublime Organic Cotton DK in color: 94 Scrumble (light pink)
Size: I used the 6 month old size, but made it longer to fit my 2 yr old.

Crochet Accessories

2010-05-19T16:45:00.000-04:00

Lately, everything that I am making is about the process and no product yet. I don't mind and I am really enjoying learning about the process. It's a nice break from my usual try-to-finish-a-product-as-fast-as-I-can mentality. Old habits do die hard, so I opted to make a few quick things for instant gratification. I made Melody a little beaded crochet necklace. It couldn't have been easier and you don't even need to know how to crochet. If you can make a chain with a crochet hook, you can make this.

I learned about this technique from Arnetta Kenney, a professor at F.I.T., last weekend. I took a weekend class (knitting related) with her and she showed us the necklaces that she made with this technique. They were beautiful and it inspired me to come home and try it out.I just used materials that I had at home. For Melody's necklace, I used embroidery floss and blue tiger's eye beads. I strung all the beads on first. Then with a crochet hook, make a slip knot and make a few chains. Slide a bead or it could be several beads down under the hook, and crochet some more chains. Keep repeating or it could be random. But all you have to do it make chains with a crochet hook and slide a bead on.She was so thrilled when I showed it to her after she woke up from her afternoon nap. I made it about 24 inches so she could easily slip it on and off her neck. No clasp needed.
Of course, then I had to make some for myself. It is so much fun that it can get addictive.
For this red one, I used crochet thread (Size 10) and the beads are Garnets (round) and silver and black glass seed beads (#10).This silvery sparkly one is made with metallic crochet thread and the beads are Mother of Pearl (rectangle) and Clear Quartz (round).

Enjoying the weather.

2010-05-04T15:50:00.001-04:00

On the weekends, we like to take Melody to Fort Greene Park. The usual playgrounds that I take her to to during the week gets really crowded on the weekends, so this is a nice change of pace. Plus, she gets to roam freely.She is always nervous in the beginning and likes to hold our hands. Given some time to warm up, she is off on her own.I am thankful that she is good about wearing her sun hat because she is quite fair. That's Waddles, her favorite "Babe" at the moment.Sipping on her favorite beverage, Water.

Have a great week!

A Busy Saturday

2010-04-27T16:10:00.000-04:00

At the last minute, I decided I wanted to attend the Customer Appreciation Party at Purl Soho. The party started at 12pm in Manhattan and I have a weaving class in Brooklyn at 2pm. It was going to be a jam packed day, but I decided to do it.A big thanks to Rima for accompanying me. She also had plans at 2pm, so it was going to be a in and out thing for the both of us. At the last minute, she asked if I wanted to come into Manhattan early to get something to eat. We planned to meet at one location at 11am. I got there at 10:50am and they said they would not be opening until 12pm. I was annoyed because they have opened at 11am in the past. I called Rima and she picked me up in a cab and took us to the Hampton Chutney Co. for Dosas.This was the first time I had a Dosa and I loved it. I got the Marsala Deluxe with Mango Chutney. It was filled with spiced Indian Potato filling, Spinach, Jack Cheese & Roasted Tomato.We got to Purl Soho with 10 minutes to spare and there was already a big group of people waiting outside. Purl Soho was really nice and gave all of us (the people waiting outside early) a goody bag. Then the rest of the day, they gave out goody bags when you made a purchase.

The party was fun and it quickly got crowded. We even ran into people from our knitting group. I got to chit chat with my quilting teacher, Cassandra. I can't wait to take more classes from her when Purl Soho has their class schedule finalized.The French Macarons were almost too pretty to eat. I had one Pistachio before I left.The also had pink lemonade.
Here is the goody bag. It's a Purl Soho tote bag with their P logo on it and it was filled with little goodies. Rima and I ended up buying Sashiko Kits, a type of Japanese embroidery. I can't wait to work on it when I find the time.

After Rima and I parted ways, I hopped on the nearest train. Of course, the trains are always re-routed on the weekends. It was fine coming into Manhattan, but going back to Brooklyn proved to be a little more difficult. After transferring a a few times, I made it back to my Brooklyn stop at 1:23pm. I walked back to my house, hopped in my car and drove to my class which is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I am taking a 10 week Weaving Class at The Yarn Tree. I will save that subject for another day. I got there in time and even got a parking space right in front.

After 3 hours of intensive learning, I was exhausted. But I had promised to attend a arts & crafts fair that 2 of my friends were participating in. Since it was in the same area, it didn't take any time to drive there. I got some really cute things and it felt good to support my friends and crafty people. By the time I got home at night, I was ready to pass out. I hope you all had a good weekend.

Fini!

2010-04-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

Finished! All 42 squares seamed together, and about a million ends woven in. Seriously, if you hate weaving in ends, this may make you go crazy. On 9 of the blocks, I used 2 colors so that meant even more ends to weave in afterward.All that work was completely worth it. It came out even better than I imagined. The blanket is light and warm. Perfect for a car seat or stroller blanket. I am amazed at how small and thin it folds up, especially since it's made with worsted weight yarn.After all the ends were woven in, I crocheted a edging around the blanket. I love the little decorative detail that the Crab Stitch gives to the blanket.When the whole blanket was completed, I gave it a good long soak with Soak. I lightly pinned it down to block it. It practically took no time to dry at all.I have to say that I have fallen in love with weaving and woven fabrics after making this blanket. Maybe even a little obsessed. But that is the way I am about any craft I fall in love with. I immerse myself and try to learn as much about it as I can.DH has suggested several times that I keep the blanket. Probably because he has witnessed me labor over this blanket lovingly and non-stop. Melody has grown quite fond of it, too. But, no it's going to be gifted to a new mother-to-be. Besides, I am already planning the next blanket.
Pattern: All the squares are woven with the regular directions (plain weave) of a Weave-It style loom.
Loom: Arbor Loom 4" X 4"
Yarn: 1 skein each of Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted in colors: Turquoise (1317) and Gold (1310)
Blanket Edging: I used a US G/ 4mm hook to crochet a row of Single Crochet around the blanket and then finished it off with a round of Crab Stitch (aka Reverse Single Crochet).
Size: 24" X 28"

21 Turquoise Squares
12 Gold Squares
9 Multi-colored Squares (woven with both colors)

In Pieces

2010-04-07T15:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, the weaving continues. And yes, I will some day knit again. Just after I finish this baby blanket.42 squares completed and now the fun part begins. Seaming them all together. I will also be crocheting an edging onto the blanket to finish it off.

These are the potholders that I got in return for the 5 that I sent to the Potholder Swap. They arrived this morning and I couldn't wait to open them. They are all so pretty. Maryse, one of the coordinators, also sent us postcards of photos that she took of her potholders. Thanks, Maryse!

Weaving on a hand loom.

2010-03-31T16:30:00.001-04:00

I have been preoccupied with my new toy. After buying the March/April 2010 issue of Piecework Magazine, I became fascinated by those Weavette or Weave-It Looms. I did a little research and found a place in Michigan that carried something similar. The vintage ones are ridiculously priced right now on Ebay due to the recent renewed interest. But there are other companies making similar style hand looms. The one I got is called The Arbor Loom. It's a 4x4 inch hand-held triple warp. Handcrafted in the U.S.A. by J.B.'s Custom Woodworking in Red Oak. I got it from The Old Farm Girl in White Cloud, Michigan. The owner, who is the only one who works there, was super helpful and very nice. She shipped it on Monday and I got it by Wednesday morning.My first test was using some superwash sock yarn I had in my stash. The square on the left is using a single strand of the sock yarn. It was a bit loose, but I kept on practicing. The one on the right is using a different technique called, Rigby Weave. For the first 2 warps, the yarn is held doubled and on the 3rd warp, one strand is used for the 3rd warp and the final weaving. It made a much tighter weave. Both of the squares are not washed or blocked.Before I discovered the Rigby Weave, I had already made a bunch of squares. I didn't want to waste them, so I washed and blocked 20 of them. As you can see in the above photo, it does bloom and the weave does get tighter. But it's still a loose weave and it's very light and soft.What did I make with the 20 squares? A Doll Blanket for Melody to put her babies to bed. I seamed up the squares in 4 rows with 5 squares for each row. Then I seamed the 4 strips together.
To make the edging, I single crocheted around the whole blanket and then added a row of crab stitch. The crab stitch gave the light blanket a nice sturdy edge and a cute little decorative detail. The finished doll blanket measures 15" X 19".After playing with a variety of different weights of yarn, my next project is already underway. I am using a Worsted Weight to make a baby blanket. I have a few friends with babies due this year, so I thought I should get started with the baby gifts.

Dancing Queen

2010-03-20T22:31:00.002-04:00

This picture captures the essence of Melody. DH loved it when he saw the recent snap shots I took of her. All the pictures were blurry because of her constant motion. But he said he loved them because it showed her true self, the happy little girl that never stops moving.

She likes to pull on that bubble skirt that my friend made her, put on a few accessories like a plastic beaded necklace and a bracelet, plus a bow for her hair. Then she will climb onto my bed and press the on button for the clock radio and dance away. She does this every single day.

On a roll!

2010-03-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

This was a UFO from 2008! I started it in July of 2008 and it even went on a beach vacation with me to the Jersey Shore. This has sat in a bag for a very long time. Last year, 2009, I had pulled it out again and was able to finish the garter band. Then I promptly lost interest again.Since I am on a mission to finish my UFO's, I pulled this out again at the end of February 2010. With a great determination, I finished this last week. Let me tell you that it was torture to knit this in black. Don't do it! I am surprised that I didn't go blind. You need very good lighting, like natural sunlight, to be able to see this when you are knitting. It was miles and miles of stockinette and I quickly remembered by I kept putting it off. But my mind was set to finish it and I did it.

The yarn is Lion Brand Microspun. At the time, I was a newbie at knitting adult sized garments, so I bought the yarn that the pattern called for. At the store, I had a choice of bright colors or black. That's why I chose Black. I actually didn't have any trouble knitting with this yarn. It is really soft in the ball form and knit up.I honestly love this blouson! It's very flattering and it's comfortable. This pattern runs extremely big, so be aware of that if you try this pattern. I only knit the skirt part for 8 1/4 inches and it calls for 10 1/2 inches. I have a very short torso so it's great that this pattern was top-down. If I were to make this again, I would knit the garter band with smaller needles. I got a tip from another Raveler about weaving in some elastic thread from the inside to tighten that up. So, I will try that when I get a chance to get to the store.

Pattern: #28 Short Sleeve Blouson (Ravelry link) by Cathy Carron from Knit.1, Summer 2007
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Yarn: 4.68 skeins = 786.2 yards of Lion Brand Microspun in color: Ebony.
Size: Small

Sage Blouse

2010-03-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

This sweater was started in the Summer of 2009 and I finally picked it up again in January 2010 to finish it. I started this sweater because I was procrastinating about another project. So for me, I wouldn't call it a long UFO. I am currently working on another UFO from the Summer of 2008. Stay tuned for that one.

It's a free pattern available on Ravelry and knit from the top down. The only tricky part for me was the Moorish Lattice Pattern. I had a hard time incorporating that part along with the Raglan Increases because there isn't any clear instructions on doing that. I felt like I was doing it wrong, but I kept going. After messaging the designer, she told me I was on the right track.The yarn is lovely blend of Wool and Silk. It's considered a Worsted weight, but to me it's more like a Light Worsted. I was able to get gauge with it using size US 4's.

I am really happy with it considering this is the first pullover sweater I have ever made for myself. I steam blocked it and the drape is very nice. I just wish it was more loose and blousey like the designer wearing the pattern. In hind sight, I could have knit this one size up, but didn't want something swimming on me. I have a feeling the sweater might grow a little when I wash it, so maybe then it will be a little looser on the body.It's optional to do the back plain (stockinette) or with the same Moorish Lattice Pattern. I opted to make the back decorative, too. My hairstyle is usually shoulder length or shorter, so the back would be visible. It really wasn't that much more work at all.

I am really digging this knitting for myself business and plan to knit many more sweaters for myself this year. After all, who would be more appreciate of my work than myself?

Pattern: Sage Blouse (free PDF pattern via Ravelry)
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Yarn: 6 balls (744 yards) of Crystal Palace Yarns "Crème", in color : Light Green
Size: The smallest size.

Winter Red Shawl

2010-02-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

Two blog posts in one week?! It's insanity, I tell you. I was really excited about finishing up this UFO the other day, so I need to post about this. Rima and I are on a mission to finish our UFO's that have been sorely neglected for far too long. I found this buried somewhere a while ago and had made 2 efforts to finishing it. It never happened. Finally, I pulled it out the other day and realized that I only needed to crochet the border to call it done.I pulled out my hook and got to work. In between, taking care of Melody and making dinner, I got it done by 2am that night. Um yeah, I am a night owl. That's my little secret on how I get anything done. After she goes to bed is my crafting time.

I started this on February 10, 2009 and I completed this on February 23, 2010. It's such a shame that I waited this long. The next morning, I soaked it, pinned and blocked it. I put an electric fan in front of it and it was dry by the afternoon.I really love it! The blocking helped open up the stitches and it made the shawl very drapey. I made this same shawl in green with a heavier weight yarn last year. I didn't have enough yarn to do Row 6 of the border, but this time I did. Row 6 is the Picot Fan part. It was tedious, but I like how it makes those little blips at the end of each point.

The yarn is heavenly. It's a 4ply Mohair, but does not feel like mohair. It's very silky and didn't shed as I was working with it. I had bought this as a splurge many years ago at Seaport Yarns in New York City. The owner had shown me a finished project made out of the yarn and I was sold. I didn't end up using the whole skein because I just crocheted until it was the approximate size I wanted. I still need to weigh the leftovers. The shawl is a nice little shawlette to drape around my neck.

Pattern: All Shawl by Doris Chan (Free Ravelry PDF download)
Hook size: 5.5 mm (I)
Yarn: Wagtail Yarns Kid Mohair 4 Ply, Winter Red 350 300
Size: Small Version, 37" wide by 17" top to bottom

Ravelympics 2010!

2010-02-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

I did it! I have completely ONE PAIR of socks! Sock knitting has been my nemesis for years. All the socks I have made has been one sock only, and no mates. Maybe it has something to do with the drudgery of making a pair of anything. After I finish the first one, the challenge is gone and I am bored.

My knitting group decided to start a Sock KAL/CAL (knit along or crochet along) for the month of February. I debated for the longest time on what to make. I have a large stash of sock yarn which is embarrassing for me because I don't knit socks. So, the sock yarn selection was not a problem.

I decided to use this new to me sock yarn called Stretch Socks by Patons. And I happen to have picked up the pattern booklet at Michaels when I purchased the yarn. The booklet is called Sweet to Your Feet and there are crochet and knit patterns. I decided to make the basic crochet socks.When I was 60% done with the first sock, I ripped back because it was way too loose. I needed a smaller hook size. In all honestly, I was going to call it quits. The thought of having to remake it made me cringe. But then I got roped into the Ravelympics 2010 by MacKintosh Yarns. Even though our team is not official, our individual entries are. So, I pledged that I would restart the socks during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics and finish them by the end.

I made these 2 at a time. I started with one cuff and then made the other cuff. I kept switching back and forth as I completely each section of the sock. That really helped motivate me because the technique I just used would still be fresh in my head so I can do the other one exactly like it. These were very challenging for me and there were a few errors in the pattern I had to iron out myself. I had to frog back more than once in several occasions.I finished them last night and I was proudly wearing them around the house. They are very comfortable. And I even tried them while wearing my shoes. The sock yarn is very stretchy so it's perfect for crochet socks. Crochet socks sometimes has the reputation of not being very comfortable to wear because the fabric does not have the same stretch as knitted fabric. In this case, the yarn selection was very important.

Pattern: Basic Crochet Socks from the pattern booklet, Sweet to Your Feet.
Hook Size: 2.5mm (I used a Japanese hook and they called it a 4/0.)
Yarn: Stretch Socks by Patons in Olive.
Size: 5/6
Mods and corrections: I will write them down on Ravelry page when I get a chance.

In the middle of working on my socks, I got distracted by the 2010 Potholder Swap. This year, they are running it through a Ravelry Group to make things easier. There is still plenty of time to join, check out the rules at the GROUP.

I don't have time to go into detail about the ones I made right now (Miss Melody has been hollering for me while I am trying to type this.). But I will put them up on Ravelry and all the details of what I did. Each of these potholders has two sides and I made them different on each side to keep things stimulating while I made them. Before I knew it, I made all 5 for the swap. And then I made myself go back to the socks.

The pattern is called Diamond Dishcloth (Ravelry link) and I made 2 sides and then crocheted a border around them to join them together. For non-Ravelry users, here is the direct pattern link. For the swap, they have to be made from 100% cotton, so I used whatever I had on hand. I even used cotton thread (Aunt Lydia's) which was very slow going, but I love the feel of the finished potholder.

Knitting a gift and knitting for myself.

2010-02-11T17:50:00.001-05:00

We had our knitting group Holiday Party in January 2010 so that we could relax and have fun. Just like last year, we exchanged our Secret Santa gifts after the holidays. We drew names in November of 2009 and had plenty of time to think about what we wanted to make.

I drew Jane's name. On the questionnaire that she filled out, she was not picky and was open to anything and any color. The only thing she specified was that she didn't like colors that pooled. She is a yarn dyer herself (I own a few skeins of her yarn) and is fabulous at it.I had bought one skein of Brooks Farm Acero in a gorgeous Red-Purple colorway at Rhinebeck 2009. I thought Jane would like it because the colors are deep and it didn't pool. I had this shawl pattern in mind when I bought the yarn. During one of our knitting meet ups, she mentioned that she had always wanted to knit that shawl. I was gleefully smiling on the inside that I was knitting something for her that she wanted.The yarn blocked out beautifully and had a wonderful drape. I did the full pattern repeats and it came out to be a nice shawlette size. Nothing too big. She was very happy when she opened her gift at the party.

Pattern: Multnomah by Kate Flagg (free pattern), see it on Ravelry.
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Yarn: One skein of Brooks Farm Acero, 420 yards. I used 404 yards and had 16 yards left.
Size: 48 inches by 17 inches

At the holiday party, we also had a One Skein Swap. Everyone brought in a ball of yarn and put it into a bag. We drew numbers and got to pick out a yarn from the bag, sight unseen, only by touch. I got a ball of "Suri Dream". It's super soft and light.

The next day, I pulled out my copy of One More Skein and looked for a pattern. I have been wanting a pair of light and soft fingerless mitts, so I cast on for the Fingerless Gloves. They are knit flat and folded in half. The thumb hole is created by seaming from the bottom and from the top to where your thumb is. These took me only ONE DAY to make! It was instant gratification.
Pattern: Fingerless Gloves by Leigh Radford from the book, One More Skein.
Needle: US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn: 1 skein of Knit Picks "Suri Dream", in the color: Woodlands. I used 62 yards.
Mods: I knit mine 7 inches long because my yarn is bulkier.

Just in time for Valentine's Day.

2010-02-05T16:58:00.002-05:00

I jumped at the chance to test knit this for Anna of Mochimochi Land when she asked for testers. This little monster will be the perfect gift for my little monster. :-) Even though I had a tight deadline for this project, it really didn't take long to whip this up.Everything is knit in the round and the arms and legs are done in I-cord. No seaming! The arms and legs were a bit fiddly in the beginning because you have to pick up stitches from the already stuffed body. You can also just sew the arms and legs on afterwards, but I like the fact that there is no sewing if you pick up the stitches.And if you are not into all that lovey Valentine's Day stuff, Squoze (the little guy) makes a perfect voodoo doll for jabbing needles into. Um, don't ask me how I know that.

Melody saw me working on it and she was absolutely in love with it. She kept bending over to kiss Hug's head. I can't wait until she sees the completed doll on V-day.

Pattern: Hugs and Squoze by Anna Hrachovec
Needles: US 5 / 3.75 mm
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in color: Rose and Dusty Rose. Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Grey Heather
Size: 6 inches tall

My First Hats (for myself).

2010-01-25T15:51:00.001-05:00

I am a knitter without a hat. I have never been a hat wearer. Growing up in New England, we drove every where so we spent more time in the car than outside. The other reason is a vain one. First, I think I look dorky in a hat and second is that wearing hats will flatten my hair.In the beginning of January, the temperature in NYC dropped drastically. Friends and strangers on the street would ask me where my hat was. Finally after one night of running errands in my neighborhood during that cold spell, I went home and casted on for a hat. I couldn't take it anymore. It has been over 10 years that I have lived here and it felt time for a hat.I knew that I wanted a slouchy beret after trying on different hats that my knitting friends have made. So, I used a fairly simple pattern that I saw my friend, Penelope, had used recently.

My gauge is off because I had to go up a needle size to use the handspun yarn. It came up much bigger than it was suppose to be so it's extra slouchy, but I don't mind at all. I like that I can pull it over my ears on a extra windy day. This hat is so warm and I love how it looks.

Pattern: Tweed Beret (Ravelry Link) by Kristen TenDyke. I used the pattern from Interweave Knits, Accessories 2009
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios "Hydrangea" handspun BFL yarn, used 177 yards
Size: Small size

After I finished the beret, I got a bit absorbed with looking at hat patterns on Ravelry. Maybe even a little obsessed. I saw this pattern knit with a handspun yarn and I fell in love. I have been saving the yarn that Micki had spun for me for a extra special project and this was it.The yarn was a pleasure to knit with, soft and springy. The yarn is a bit thinner than what is called for, so I re-casted on for the Large Size. I love the folded hem on the hat. It's a detail that makes the hat so much more special. If I were to make this hat again, I probably would do a provisional cast on to avoid picking up the stitches. But even that part didn't take too long and made such a nice sturdy hem.And the color! Oh how I just love this color!

Pattern: Wurm (free PDF pattern via Ravelry)
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm and US 6 / 4.0 mm
Yarn: "Jealousy" Handspun by Micki, used 294 yards, Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Out of Time" (overdyed with green)
Size: Large size
Mods: I knitted 9 pattern repeats, then one purl section, and then started the decrease according to the pattern.

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So this month, I feel very indulgent because I have knit more for myself than for others. You know what? It felt great. My birthday is tomorrow so I don't feel guilty at all for all the nice presents that I made for myself. As soon as I get the time, I will post the other projects I have made for myself this month. I just need to take pictures. Don't worry, there has been gift knitting, too, because first and foremost, I am a gift knitter at heart.

Tiny Things

2010-01-18T17:16:00.003-05:00

If you any of you have been following Anna's blog, then you have seen her tiny creations. If not, Anna has making miniature knitted objects and posting them to her blog weekly. I volunteered myself when she asked for test knitters for the 1st collection of Tiny Things.

The pattern calls for Fingering Weight, but I used Worsted Weight. I have a much larger collection of worsted weight colors than fingering weight. These were quick and simple to make and it took very little yarn. It's great for the yarn scraps you have laying around. Even though I used a heavier weight yarn, they still came out really cute.Tiny Violin
Tiny Toothpaste
Tiny Elephant
Tiny Corn on the Cobb

Pattern: Tiny Things Collection 1, available on her website and on Ravelry.
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Yarn: Assorted Worsted Weight Yarn

Birthday Girl!

2010-01-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today is my darling daughter's birthday! She is 2 years old and cute as a button. Two also happens to be her favorite number to say these days. She is a petite little girl, but she is super active. She can outlast any kid or adult for that matter. I kid you not. She does not stop moving, ever, unless she is napping or asleep at night. When I meet other parents, they are always surprised by her activeness and ask me if she is always like this. Yes.

Even though she wears me out to the core, she never ceases to amaze me. DH and I feel really blessed to have her in our lives. I feel like I blinked and she turned another year older. Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane.1 year old2 months old1 month old and pretty darn cute, but as you can see below, it wasn't all smiles.1 month old and fully into the colicky stage. I never knew what hit me.

The Only Christmas Gift I Made.

2010-01-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

I decided not to stress myself out over handmade Christmas gifts for last year (2009). Instead, I concentrated on making a blanket for my niece's first Christmas. She was the only new baby born last year in the family, so it made my task easier.If any of you have made any blankets before, you know that it takes a good amount of time and dedication to complete one. I chose to use a free crochet pattern I found on the Internet, but sadly it is no longer available when I checked tonight to link to it. The blanket is crochet diagonally all in one piece. You increase until the desired width and then decrease. The stitch is called Diagonal Box Stitch and there are free tutorials if you do a Internet search. I found this one on Ravelry that is the same stitch.Although the blanket doesn't need an edging to finish it, the pattern had an optional edging. I thought the edging added a nice finishing touch to the blanket. With the edging, the blanket measures 30 inches by 35 inches. It's a good size for her to grow into and it can be used for quite a while. She is only 11 months old, but she is in the 97% growth rate, so I am glad I made the blanket bigger.
Here is my niece, Celina, being wrapped in the blanket by her mother. My sister-in-law squealed in delight when she opened up the box. Both my brother-in-law and sister-in-law loved the colors of the blanket. I felt truly happy when she told me that it will be an heirloom and something Celina can treasure for a long time.

Pattern: Diagonal Box Stitch Blanket
Hook: 5.0 mm (H)
Yarn: 7 skeins =1050.0 yards of Plymouth Yarn Encore Colorspun DK in color : Pink, white, gray 7990. 1 skein = 197 yards of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solids & Heathers in color: Grey Heather
Size: 30 inches by 35 inches

Whoops!

2010-01-03T02:00:00.001-05:00

Wow, I didn't realize that I haven't put any pictures of Melody up on the blog in a really long time. Judging by all of your reactions from my last post, you are all surprised at how much she has grown. It's totally my fault because I have been so busy and she does keep me on my toes all day. I don't get any time to myself until she goes to bed at night. She is unbelievably active and most people are shocked by her never ending source of energy.

So tonight, DH and I used our Blackberry Phones to take some quick snapshots of her tonight. Ever since we got these new phones a few months ago, we use the camera function on it constantly. It doesn't take the best photos, but it sure is convenient.This week, she somehow learned to say "Cheese" when she sees me with a camera or if I aim my phone at her. She is actually posing for the camera now. It's hilarious to us because we did not teach her to say "Cheese" and she really doesn't say many words yet. Every week, she surprises us with something new.She will be turning 2 years old in a few weeks. The time did go by so quickly. She is turning into a pretty little girl, but I keep referring to her as my baby.See those stuffed animals on the tray? She doesn't go anywhere without her arsenal of "Babes" (short for Baby). It can be quite a feat getting her out of the house because she wants to bring all of them in her arms. She will cry uncontrollably if she knows one of them got left behind. Just between you and me, I have taken to hiding some of her babes before we go out. Out of sight, out of mind. :-)

I hope you enjoyed this quick update of Melody.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:44:00.002-05:00

Melody and I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 will be even better than 2009. Thank you to everyone who stops by my blog and takes the time to read my ramblings. I really appreciate the support and feedback from all of you.

Sea Lace Necklace

2009-12-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to test knit a pattern called Sea Lace. It's a necklace knit with a lace yarn that is made with wool and stainless steel. I have never knit with beads or this kind of yarn so I was looking forward to it. I met the designer, Sarah Punderson, several times while taking 2 different classes at the Lion Brand Studio. We both took the Master classes with Nicky Epstein and Lily Chin.

I bought a cone of LB Collection Wool Stainless Steel and rummaged around my bead collection to find something suitable. I ended up using these tiny seed beads and the color is rainbow clear. My only other option was black seed beads and black on black had no contrast at all.

The pattern is easy and after a while, I had the pattern repeat memorized. I used bamboo needles because it's all I had, but I definitely would use metal needles the next time around. She does state that in the pattern, but I wanted to get started right away. Bamboo has too much give, and for something like this, you want a sturdy needle. At first, it's a little fiddly because you are using size 0 needles and knitting with what feels like thread, but it's a lot easier once you get a couple of inches done.
When my sister came to visit for one day last week, I asked her to model for me. As you can see, it's a very flattering necklace. It's delicate looking, but the material is strong.

You don't need much of the yarn, so I have plenty leftover for more necklaces. On my next trip to the bead store, I plan to get more seed beads in different colors. I think these necklaces would make great gifts. It really doesn't take that long. For the clasp, I used a small sterling silver toggle clasp instead of the clasp she stated on the pattern. Again, for me, it was about using the materials I had on hand.

Pattern: Sea Lace by Sarah Punderson, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.
Needles: US 0 / 2.0 mm
Yarn: LB Collection Wool Stainless Steel in the color: Raven
Length: 16 inches

Pictures from the Art & Craft Fair.

2009-12-07T14:00:00.002-05:00

This is my friend, Tomo, behind our table after we set up. She brought a little lamp so that my yarns could get more light at the bar.These are my cotton projects bags that are for knitters or crocheters. I hand drew the images that you see on the bags. They were really fun to make.Tomo had basketfuls of knitted hats for babies and adults. Her baby mittens and adult fingerless mitts were a huge hit.Tomo makes these beautiful feather headbands that are sold in boutiques all over Brooklyn.I also knitted and crocheted some toys and sweater ornaments. Everyone got a kick out of seeing the miniature items.Beautiful pillowsReally cool neck ties for men.My friend, Dawn, who organized this event, makes Letter Pressed cards, coasters, tags and bags.Cool prints that the artist hand draws and then turns into prints.Pretty Christmas ornaments. There were a lot more vendors, but I only managed to take photos of the ones I featured here. I always forget about taking photos at these events so I am glad I did it in the beginning.

This was a really fun event and held at a nice bar. The owner was super accommodating and nice. He even switched all the light bulbs in the bar for brighter bulbs. Towards the end of the event, I got to try my first Hot Toddy. Delicious and perfect for weather we had on Saturday.

Thank you to everyone who made it to the event to say hi. The weather was less than stellar to say the least, so it's even more awesome when friends make the effort to show up. I even got to meet some new faces and directed more people to Ravelry that have never heard about it.

Last night, I finally set up my Etsy Shop. I put all the remaining stuff I had from the fair on there. Now, I am trying to spin as fast as I can to replenish all the yarns that I sold on Saturday. It was sad to see my favorites go, but I was also very pleased that they were so well received. Although there isn't that much stuff left, feel free to take a look, ATDcrafts.etsy.com. I am offering Free US Shipping for the holidays (until I leave for our Christmas trip to Boston).

Art & Craft Fair, Dec 5th in Brooklyn.

2009-12-02T15:45:00.002-05:00

If any of you New Yorkers are not busy this weekend, there is a Art & Craft Fair this Saturday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's being hosted at The Night Owl, which is a bar, from 12-7pm. You can grab a drink and shop for handmade items by local artists.

There will be everything from Letterpress Cards, Photography, Jewelry, Handknit Hats, Silk Screen Prints, Handspun Yarns, Children's Clothing and Felted Wool Clothing, and Handmade Christmas Ornaments. Too much to actually list it all here.

The Night Owl
170 N. 4th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
between Bedford and Driggs. 3 blocks from the Bedford L and close to the Lorimer G stop.

12pm-7pm

I will be partipating in this event with my friend, Tomo. She is selling handknit hats and hand made feather headbands. I will be selling my handspun yarns and a few crocheted toys. Wish me luck!

She calls him, Snow.

2009-11-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it's time to cast aside the Thanksgiving decorations in favor of Winter Holiday decorations. Although, the tree has not been put up yet, this Snowman has now taken the place of the Turkey. It's much larger in size and stands prominently next to the TV in the living room.

I test knitted this pattern for Daniel and I was very happy with how nicely it turned out. It's knitted from the top down, so the head, chest and bottom is all in one piece. Practically no seaming at all! There is an additional bottom piece that is attached so that the Snowman sits upright without falling over. How I love clever constructions! One of my favorite parts is the hat, knit in the round with simple increases that shapes it. The hat really makes the snowman complete. The tree branch limbs are done in i-cord and is also made in one piece.

I told Melody that it's called a Snowman once and now she obsessively calls it Snow. Whenever she sees it, she points to it and yells out "Snow!". Now, Snow will be a permanent part of our Christmas decorations.How about making your own "Snow" for your holiday decorations? There is still plenty of time.

Pattern: Snowman Toy by Daniel Yuhas, you can purchase the pattern from Here or on Ravelry.
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm
Yarn: Various Worsted Weight Yarn, specifics are on my Ravelry project page.
Size: 10 3/4 inches tall including the hat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T16:30:00.001-05:00

This is the only turkey that I made for Thanksgiving this year and it's not even edible! The whole family loved it. I think DH might have claimed it for himself.

This turkey started as a Mystery Knitalong hosted by Susan B. Anderson on the Spud & Chloë Blog. It was fun to log into the computer each morning to find the next clues. I followed along diligently until the last clues which was the tail feathers. I let this sit around until last night because I had some more urgent projects that needed my attention. I wanted to have it done for Thanksgiving Day, so I took my yarn and needles to my knitting group meet up and whipped out those tail feathers. I sewed them on after I got home. But not before I baked my Thanksgiving desserts.
Pattern: Tiny Turkey by Susan B. Anderson, Free pattern HERE.
Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm
Yarn: All done with Worsted Weight scrap yarn. I listed all the yarns I used on my Ravelry project page.

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So, what did I bake this year?
Apple Cake adapted from this recipe. For the batter, I grated 1 medium apple and mixed it into the batter. And used 1 medium apple for the apple slices on top of the cake.John's Pear and Almond Cream Tart. I omitted the jam layer and used only 1/2 tsp of salt in the almond cream.
Maple Nut Tart, which is also from Everyday Food Magazine. I could not find the recipe link on Martha's website. It uses real Maple Syrup and equal portions of Pecans and Walnuts. The smell was heavenly as it was baking.

So, I have made these desserts plenty of times before and I figured the tried and true route was the way to go. The little one has been keeping me so busy these days. I really didn't have the energy to try new recipes this year. The only thing I omitted this year was a Cheesecake. I hope my friends won't mind.

Only a few more hours before we get into the car and drive over to my friend's house for a huge feast of Chinese Hot Pot and a Roasted Turkey (for the kids). I can't wait to slice into the desserts. I hope all of you are spending time with friends or family and enjoying this holiday.