Ta-Dah!

Here it is folks! My Kate/Milk Run Shawl is finished, just in time for summer weather to re-emerge so that I can just dream about wearing it.....I've moved on to some other winter projects that I would like to wear, if we ever get colder weather, but I am very proud of my shawl. Its not as long or wide as I would have liked, but I was quickly running out of needle space. The ruffle detail was pretty easy to do, but I would have liked it more reversed. Knitting this went pretty quickly since the pattern was easy to memorize and most of it was just mindless knitting. I will probably use this pattern again, just with thicker yarn. It will be good to take on the train, since they keep the air conditioning cranked up, or in the office as well. I still have two skeins left and thinking about making another little winter shrug from it, to match the scarf and socks that I've made over the past few years. I do love my peacock blue alpaca yarn......and so does my roommates pooch. My dog is too scared of the camera, so I use my roommates Yorkie as a fashion model. He always seems to know when the camera is on and comes running. I guess he wants to be just like royalty too.

New Projects:

• Glitter Shrug from Lion Brand
• Lilith by Breeanna Sveum
• midterms for grad school

Now to get busy with all three of these!

Look Ma- I'm just like Kate Middleton

So I have a little bit of a crush on Kate Middleton- always looking fabulous and seems like a nice lady, someone you might want to hang out with. Of course after seeing the photos of her running to the grocery store in a knitted shawl, all of us knitters went a little crazy about it, even giving the shawl its own group on Ravelry. After getting frustrated with, and frogging my ribbed shrug-thingy, I decided that peacock blue alpaca wool would be more suited to making a rip-off of Kate's shawl. After perusing several patterns, I decided it was best to go with Cat Wong's Milk Run Shawl, due to the various options and it looks like it will knit up pretty quickly, just in time for me to wear it to my masters classes and run around grocery store parking lots shouting, "I'm the Duchess of Cambridge, Soylent Green is People!" (Only one of these things will happen) This project also makes good public transport knitting, since the increases are so easy to memorize and then its just knit in stockinette stitch. I started this just a few days ago, and its increased pretty quickly- the other thing I like about this shawl is the tabbed beginning, which makes those ends a great deal more secure and means that there is a little bit less finishing to do, which is ok with me. Here is how it looks today.
In other news, I have managed to finish my Frangiflutti, but I wish that it was thicker and longer. Love love love how the colors in the Japanese yarn I was using turned out. This will be really nice to have once Hong Kong "winter" comes around. If I make it again, I will do a greater amount of increases in the first section, and possibly learn how to read German, since the English instructions were a little confusing.

Time to Level Up Knitting Skills

004, originally uploaded by yummystitch.

A few months ago I received this yarn in the mail from a dear British friend. I have managed to loose the tag fort this yarn, but I do remember her describing it as "the most British yarn ever". Its 100%wool, fingering weight, and looks like your favorite pair of jeans that you have had for about a million years. And it also looks just lovely against my hot pink sheets- a Christmas gift from my roommate.

When I usually get some beautiful luxury yarn, I keep it safe until I find the perfect pattern, so this one has been hibernating for a long time. Recently, through my journeys on the Ravelry pattern database, I found this beautiful cowl and fell in love. I've never attempted to add beading to my knitting, but now seems like as good a time as any to start and level up those knitting skills. After this project, I think that I can add a +5 beading to my stats!

Even Hipster Scum Need Hats

I have a few friends who sometimes qualify as hipsters, minus the overwhelming sense of irony and superiority, and decided its time to deck them out with the requisite knitted hipster garment. No, not an ironic false mustache or wool PBR cozy, but the ever-present slouchy hat. I have a lot of yarn where I only bought one or two balls, just because that was what was left in the shop, fully intended to buy more, and then just didn't......... So now ironic hats are flying off the needles like MadMen DVDs on sale!


My two favorite patterns for said hats are Felicity over on Knitology and Spring Beret by Natalie Larson. So far I have knitted two of each and more are planned for the future. Both patterns are easy to use and go fairly quickly. I work full time, but I managed to crank out one of these hats using the Felicity pattern in two days of commuting, which I feel pretty pleased with. So if I know you and you have either:

A. Told me music was "too mainstream"
B. Judged my taste in TV or films (Some of us like Demolition Man, thankyouverymuch)
C. Worn unnecessary glasses while looking incredulous
D. Drink PBR at any time, EVER!
E. Watched "The Room" while quoting along with the film

Look forward to getting your hat in the future. Wear it with pride my darlings, because it means that even though I can never be as organic-buying, free-trade supporting, indie music listening as you, I still care about your head being covered in fiber!

Let's Stare at the Crazy Lady

Since I switched jobs, I've been traveling a lot more via MTR, and thus doing a lot more knitting on during my commute. Recently I've been working some Christmas projects, which entails bulkier yarn than the average HKer would expect to see in summertime. This has resulted into me becoming somewhat of a sideshow on the morning train rides. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but there are few days where I would like to ask the creepy strangers, "Don't you have anything else to look at?" or the classic, "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Is watching someone knit that enthralling? Maybe I should start staring back at people who are doing normal activites, like reading their books, or the elderly man who picks his nose- that guy is a charmer.
And of course with planning knitted Christmas presents comes a severe case of castonitis! I have started at least 4 new projects this week that I want to have finished by Decemeber, plus some last minute finishing details on the baby stuff for my sister. (My neice is making her big appearence at the end of August!) The baby is get a lot of gear from me, and the family is thrilled because its the first grandbaby!

I did get a two hour break today because of a student cancellation, so I walked over to FiloKilo and picked up a second ball of Diakeito Rocco in the rainbow colorway. I know that this statement might cause some shock and awe amongst my fellow knitters, but I prefer this yarn so much more over Noro. There- I said it! Now I'm going to run for the hills!