It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Hope 2011 is shaping up to be a good year for all of you. Recently I’ve become very interested in iPhoneography – taking pictures with my iPhone. The Hipstamatic iPhone app has been particularly addictive! I’ve also become excessively fond of browsing the popular page on instagr.am (I’m @jenesaisquoi on instagr.am).

So any of you out there into iPhoneography too? What are your favourite apps? Do you also like browsing iPhoneography blogs? Hit me up with some good ones?

In other knitting/crocheting related news, I’ve hit a dry spell and lost my mojo. Nothing really inspires me to pick up my needles or hook nowadays. Being really busy with work and school is also not helping. If you’ve seen my mojo, send it back plzkthxbai.

Has anyone seen the new Kim Hargreaves book? It’s bloody fantastic! I thought Nectar was gorgeous and then Breeze came along and blew me away. Now, there’s Misty which is even better than Breeze!

One thing I love about Misty is there aren’t as many peplum designs compared to the previous books. Peplums are pretty but they don’t work for my short-waisted, short-torsoed figure. I look like a freakin’ penguin in them.

It’s sooo hard to pick favourites in Misty since I love almost all the designs but I think I want to knit these the most badly:

Man, I so love Kim Hargreaves’ classic designs.

The Ravelympics is here! I took this opportunity to take a break from sweater knitting and pop my shawl cherry with Clapotis (I know, I know, everyone and their grandma have done it already). I’m still doing the increases and will have to speed up a little if I want to do something else before the Ravelympics ends. I’m thinking about doing the WIP and Unwind events too.

My Clapotis is a complete Curly McCurly at this point but I think it will be fixed when I start dropping stitches. Wheeeeee.

Anyone else taking part?

My project on Ravelry

• Clapotis

And now for FO number 2 of 2010 and IntSweMoDo2010!

Pattern: Mondo Cable Cardi

Size: 34 (2″ positive ease)

Yarn: 4.5 x Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Charcoal (152)

Needle: 3.25mm (collar), 3.75mm (ribbing), 4.0mm

Modifications: I knit the body from shoulder to hem for about 19.5″ instead of 21″.

Pattern is clear and well-written. The collar is genius. GENIUS. I did have problems with the instructions at first. The trick is to just do it. Seriously.

I didn’t put the buttons and snaps on the cardi because I’m not going to wear it buttoned up to the neck. Too feckin’ hot.

The cables look pretty damn amazing in Cotton-Ease. The cardi is a little stiff due to knitting at a slightly smaller than recommended gauge for the yarn but I can live with it.

I think this will make a pretty comfy cardi for the freezing office. Also, I so need to learn to pose better. There goes my shot at being a suuupaaamodel.

My project on Ravelry

• Mondo Cable Cardi

First FO of 2010 and first FO for IntSweMoDo2010!

Pattern: Buttercup

Size: XS

Yarn: 4.5 x Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in Green Sage (021)

Needle: 3.5mm

Modifications: I’m short so I didn’t knit to 38cm for the body; I stopped at about 33cm.

This one isn’t really a modification but I didn’t cast on separately with new yarn for joining in the round. What I did: after knitting to 4th marker and purling to end, turn work around (wrong side facing) and cast on using cable cast-on. Turn work around (right side facing) and purl to Marker A. Begin knitting in rounds.

Picked up total of 8 underarm stitches instead of 4 and decreased to 4 on next round to eliminate holes. Unfortunately, there were still holes and I had to sew them up after finishing.

After picking up for neck edging, I attached edging to lace panel as I knitted by doing a k2tog with last stitch from edging and one stitch from lace panel cast-on edge. Anything to lessen the amount of sewing needed…

I love the fit of the top but I’m not crazy about the sleeves. I think due to my narrow shoulders, the sleeves seem somewhat droopy.

The pattern is clear and well-written.

Hempathy wasn’t easy to work with but the fabric had a nice drape and was soft and cool after a wash. Perfect for the tropical weather. However, the ends kept sticking out through the front. I think I’ll tack them down with some needle and thread.

God, I need a haircut.

My project on Ravelry

• Buttercup

1. Peasy 2. Liesl 3. Coraline 4. Margot 5. Estelle 6. Tea Leaves Cardigan 7. Featherweight Cardigan 8. Lightweight Pullover 9. Summer Petals Cardigan 10. Honeybee Cardigan 11. Myrtle Cardigan 12. Hope

New year, new beginning, new resolutions. This year, I’ve decided to join the IntSweMoDo 2010 challenge (formerly known as NaKniSweMoDo). The goal is to finish 12 sweaters in 2010. Probably biting off more than I can chew but that’s not going to stop me from trying!

I’ve my eye on the above 12 patterns. I may not knit them all since goodness knows what shiny new patterns will distract me later.

One look and it’s easy to see I obviously have a thing for cardigans. They’re all knit patterns except for one – Summer Petals Cardigan. I’ll like to add more crochet patterns but I’m having trouble finding delicate lacy-looking patterns (my preference) instead of solid fabrics of crochet stitches. Perhaps I should start venturing into the world of thread crochet.

My other crafting resolution involves sewing. I bought a sewing machine last year and have only sewn a small pouch so far. I hope 2010 will be the year I start sewing simple garments.

I’ll also like to try my hand at baking. I no longer have a proper oven but my microwave oven does have a convection function. Let’s see if it works.

Looks like 2010 will be a busy, busy year.

I doubt I can finish another project by the last day of the year, which is tomorrow, so I’m going to do my review now.

At the beginning of the year, I told myself I’ll try to complete at least one project a month, and I did i.e. I finished more than 12 projects. I only blogged about 9 of them but I had a few scarves and hats done that I didn’t photograph before giving them away.

Looking at all the projects I’ve finished this year, it’s amazing that only one of them was for me. Everything else was either a gift or donated to charity.

List of completed projects in 2009:

1. Little Button Loafers (2-button)
2. Little Button Loafers (1-button)
3. Child’s Self-striping Hat
4. Who?
5. Rachel Lacy Rib Hat
6. One Row Handspun Scarf
7. Annette
8. Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf
9. One Row Handspun Scarf

I’m actively working on 3 projects at the moment and I’m happy to report they’re almost near completion.

Mondo Cable Cardi. I’ve actually done a lot more than shown in the pic. Second sleeve is almost completed. Collar and buttons left.

Buttercup. Few more rows on the body, neckline and sleeves to go.

February Lady Sweater. Started on first sleeve and buttons left to be sewn.

I have other projects on the needle that are due to be frogged because I know they won’t fit. Most of them will be reknitted for better fit.

My next post will most likely be in the new year so let me wish all you crafters out there a very happy new year in advance!

The pattern is bloody fantastic for a quick gift which is just what I need as this scarf is supposed to be a gift. Knit in a worsted weight, it certainly went a lot faster than my first One Row Handspun Scarf which was done in DK weight.

Pattern: One Row Handspun Scarf

Size: ~ 70″ x 4.5″

Yarn: 1 x Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Fucsia

Needle: 5.0mm

I cast on only 22 stitches for a narrower scarf and slipped the first stitch purlwise with yarn in front for a neat edge.

They’re not kidding when they say Malabrigo grows. The scarf was about 59″ x 4.5″ pre-blocked. After giving it a soak and laying it out to dry flat, the scarf was about 70″ x 4.5″. While I certainly like the extra length, I prefer the thick squishiness of the pre-blocked scarf.

I also have this problem with the cast-on and bind-off edges being wider than the rest of the scarf (happens with most scarves I knit). How do you remedy this?

My project on Ravelry

• One Row Handspun Scarf

Wow. Looks like I haven’t posted in forever. I lost my knitting mojo for a while but I’m now slowly getting it back. I love knitting but living in a tropical country where I’ll never get to wear beautiful hand-knit wool sweaters gets a bit discouraging some time. Most of the time, I’ll just substitute with plant-based yarn but we all know that doesn’t work all the time and it’s just not the same.

Right. Enough with the woe cake and on to the FO. Again, this is a scarf I knitted for charity. Like the One Row Handspun Scarf, it’s wonderful mindless commute knitting but it doesn’t go as fast.

Pattern: Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf

Size: ~ 60″ x 5.75″

Yarn: Slightly less than 1 x Spotlight Basics 8 Ply Acrylic

Needle: 5.0mm

The original pattern has the scarf knitted lengthwise. That wasn’t very portable for me so I knitted it widthwise. I cast on 30 stitches and just knitted till the yarn ran out.

Anyone who’s interested in knitting this pattern should take note to use a needle size larger than the one normally used for the yarn.

I really like the woven look of this pattern. Must knit one for myself!

My project on Ravelry

• Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf

This has been completed for a while but I only just got around to photographing it.

Pattern: Annette

Size: S (knit at smaller gauge to give about 32″ size)

Yarn: slightly less than 5 x Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid

Needle: 4.0mm

Modifications: Started with 4 rows of seed stitch instead of 2. Did the same for sleeves. I also lengthened the body to 14″ by adding another buttonhole.

I knitted this cardigan twice! I started off knitting the XS thinking I was on gauge. Well, turns out my gauge was smaller and the cardigan was a little too small. Frogged it and knitted the S size instead. My smaller gauge meant that the cardigan came out to about 32″ instead of 34.25″.

The underarms were a bit too fitted for my liking. I can only wear sleeveless tops with this. I wish I’ve lengthened the sleeves.

Overall, this was a pretty simple lace pattern. Some people did have trouble keeping track of the lace but I didn’t have any problems.

Shine Sport is really comfortable to wear in hot and humid Singapore. I didn’t experience any significant shrinkage or growth after putting the cardigan through the wash once. However, it did lose some of its lustre and looked a little worn. There was also some fuzz when knitting with the yarn which tickled my nose.

My project on Ravelry

• Annette
  

I started this scarf for the charity knitting thread in Rubberneckers. The 4-stitch pattern’s perfect for mindless commute knitting. I can just put it down and pick it up again any time with no fear of losing my place in the pattern.

Pattern: One Row Handspun Scarf

Size: ~ 60″ x 6″

Yarn: 1 x Spotlight Basics 8 Ply Acrylic

Needle: 4.0mm

I cast on 34 stitches and just knit till the yarn ran out. I slipped the first stitch of every row purlwise with yarn in back for a neat edge.

Black yarn is a bitch to photograph!

My project on Ravelry

• One Row Handspun Scarf
  

This is Annette from Knitty Summer 2009. It’s almost complete. I just need to sew on the buttons and weave in ends and I’m done! Couldn’t resist taking a few pictures first though.

Annnd I’ve begun swatching for my next project! The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy and it came out pretty soft after throwing it into the washing machine.

My Project on Ravelry

• Annette

I’ve finally popped my Malabrigo cherry. Yea, I know it’s not the wildly popular Merino Worsted (which I’m dyyyyingggg to try) but it’s still Malabrigo, so it still counts, right?

Goodness, the colours are freakin’ awesome. The yarn feels soft and smooshy in the hank but I’ll only really know if I truly love it when I knit it up. I’ve rather sensitive skin and often the yarn feels great in the skein but itchy and prickly when knit up.

So what should I knit? I don’t want to do Monkey since I’ve already knit it once. I’m thinking maybe Embossed Leaves, what do you think?

I spend a lot of time on Ravelry and most of it is with the Rubberneckers. They’re a hilarious bunch of hoars. I knit three hats for Sharky’s charity knitting thingy on RnR and I apologise for being two seasons late.

I don’t have a small child to pose with the knits so my lamp will have to do. She has ambitions of catwalk modelling so I’m sure she’s secretly pleased at this opportunity.

Rachel Lacy Rib Hat

Pattern: Rachel Lacy Rib Hat

Size: Smaller one (CO 80)

Yarn: Slightly less than 1 x Spotlight Basics Delight

Needles: 4mm

This is my first time doing a picot edging and although it’s pretty, it’s a bloody pain in the arse.

I believe there’s an error in the crown decreases in the pattern. This is what I did:

Row 3: *skp, k1,p, k2tog, yo, p repeat from * to end

There is also no stitch count for the crown decreases for the smaller size so I’ve provided them here:

Row 1: … (63 st)
Row 3: … (54 st)
Row 5: … (36 st)
Row 7: … (18 st)
Row 9: … (9 st)

Child’s Self-striping Hat

Pattern: Child’s Self-striping Hat

Size: CO 104

Yarn: Not very sure but I think it’s less than half x Lion Brand Magic Stripes

Needles: 4mm

Easy and straightforward pattern. Plus, designer included different cast-on numbers for different gauges.

Who?

Pattern: Who?

Size: Infant

Yarn: 1 x Spotlight Basics Delight

Needles: 4mm

This is my favourite hat pattern out of the three. The owls are adorable! I need to make one for myself!

My Projects on Ravelry

• Rachel Lacy Rib Hat
• Child’s Self-striping Hat
• Who?

Yet another new home for the blog! I doubt I’ll be moving again anytime soon. The new URL is http://liscrafts.com and the RSS feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/liscrafts. Please update your bookmarks and feed readers.

Some things on the blog may still be broken so please let me know if you find any. This blog is still very much a work-in-progress so please bear with it more for the next few weeks. You may also see old posts pop up in your feed, sorry about that. You can opt to ignore updated items if your feed reader has that function.

On to the knitting! I got my copy of Breeze last week and I loooove it. I think it’s much, much better than Nectar. Certainly a lot more patterns I want to knit.

I’ve been eyeing Blithe even before Breeze came out so when I received the book, I cast on right away! So far, I’m really enjoying knitting with skinny cotton on teeny needles.

My Project on Ravelry

• Blithe
  

It was most unfortunate that in my virgin swap, my swapper went MIA. BUT! Thanks to the generosity of other rubberhoars, I got a swap package.

The package was sent priority and postage was clearly insane.

The package smelled wonderful as I opened it. As you can see, everything was beautifully wrapped. I almost didn’t have the heart to unwrap the individual packages but I soon got over it. :P

All the goodies unwrapped! Now let’s take a closer look…

In the envelope was a cute little knitty card from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.

I soon found the source of the wonderful smell. It was coming from these delicious-smelling candles.

The noms! The noms! The only thing stopping me from tearing into the packet of Reese’s right away was a huge lunch I just had. Oh what the hell, I lied. I opened it but they were a little melty from all the travelling so I popped them in the fridge after their glamourous photo shoot. There was also a box of chocolates and a box of tea. Mmmmm.

I must confess I was a little confused when I saw the egg decorating kit but put it together with the Knit Picks bare yarn and it turned out to be a little DIY yarn dye kit. Awesomesauce.

Then there’s the yarn… From left to right: 2 x Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino, Bristol Yarn Gallery Buckingham and Artyarns Cashmere 1. They are all soooooo gorgeous and pettable. I’ve never even touched baby alpaca or 100% cashmere yarn before! Love!

Last but not least, thank you to these wonderful hoars for putting together my package. Bewbie flash for you! (.Y.)

Edit: I know I said I’m moving the blog. I still am but I’ve been kind of busy so it’ll probably happen a couple weeks from now.

I’m home today because I somehow managed to strain my neck muscles. Hurts to turn my head. Anyhow, I decided to try my hand at making stitch markers. I’ve never made any before but had bought a pliers set and some bits and pieces a few months ago so I thought I’ll give it a try today. I used this easy-to-follow tutorial. My stitch marker turned out a little wonky but I think it’s a success.

PS: Just a heads up, I’ll be moving my blog in a week or two to a new domain. If you’ve subscribed to this blog via a reader, please make sure you’re subscribed to http://feeds.feedburner.com/LisCrafts and it should be fine.

I recently popped my swap cherry and joined the swap in Ravelry Rubberneckers. I just finished packing the box and it will be mailed tomorrow. There’re all sorts of goodies like baby-melting ackrylic yarn, fishy noms and Christmas leftovers. All are seconds, only the box is new.

Hope you like the package, hoar.

My mum loved my previous little button loafers so much she kept bugging me to make a pair for her friend who just had a baby couple weeks ago. I only had two buttons left so I made the one button strap version.

Pattern: Little Button Loafers (pattern is available for purchase from Sylver Designs)

Size: 1 (3 months) (3.75″L by 2″W)

Yarn: 0.5 x Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Cookie and a little bit of Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Military

Hook: 3.5m

I think my gauge changed because this pair came out a wee bit bigger than the previous pair.

After making the sole 8 times, I can memorise the pattern now.

My Project on Ravelry

• Little Button Loafers

Edit: If you would like a pair for your wee one but can’t crochet, I can do a custom order. Please convo me on Etsy.

I didn’t finish that many projects in 2008 so I told myself that I’ll try to complete at least one a month in 2009. A great way to fit in more knitting or crocheting time is to do so on my daily commute. The cardigan I’m currently working on is a little too bulky to lug around so I started a sock last night. This is the Nine-to-Five socks.

Ever since starting my cardigan sleeves on two circulars, I’ve been warming to the idea of knitting my socks on them too. However, I don’t have any 2mm circs (what I normally use for socks) at the moment and I don’t really want to buy crappy ones just to knit this pair of socks. It’s a big production to order from Knit Picks since I’ve to do so via a third party shipper so I’ll just have to wait a while more before getting those circs. In the meantime, I’ll stick to DPNs.

Another sorta resolution I’ve made this year is to try to whittle down my stash before buying more. I don’t have a ginormous stash but it’s still quite a sizable one. Hell, just Rowan All Seasons Cotton alone I already have 80 balls. I really do love the stuff though and I only buy the colours that’ve been discontinued. I just can’t bring myself to pay full price for them especially since I like to use them so much. If only we have Cotton Ease here at really low prices.

So what knitting or crocheting related resolutions have you made this year?

My Project on Ravelry

• Nine-to-Five Socks