My Winter Wardrobe Is Now Complete

I have mentioned in previous posts of my winter holiday in Seoul and the accessories that I have been knitting. I have just cast off another 2 items .....

..... Lintilla. I decided to knit it really long (70") so that I can wrap it around my neck a couple of times and be warm. I really love Martina's designs and have knitted 3 out of the 4 patterns in the ebook. They are great patterns and all garter stitches which I find so relaxing. In fact, I was sad to cast off this scarf and wished I could knit on and on. 

The last item for my winter wardrobe is ......

.... this cape which I have been working on for the last 2 months. It's a top down cape and I just knitted it like a cardigan except that there are no sleeves. I just keep increasing on the raglans until I reached the size that I want. I think I had more than 500 stitches on the needles and then I just keep knitting to the right length. I used 6 balls of Rowan 4ply Wool Cotton and it's a nice yarn to knit with.

I love the faggot stitch detail that I used on the raglans ......

As the moss stitch bands are knitted on at the same time, there was no picking up and when I cast off, the cape is done. I can't decide if I wanted buttons so I am using a pin at the moment. I am really happy that the cape turned out well and it will be warmer than a shawl.

So now I am all ready for the winter in Seoul and I hope that these knitted items will keep me warm.

I am leaving on Sunday for Singapore, spending a few days there, then leave for Seoul. We will be in Seoul for 8 days and I promised there will be pictures of these knitted accessories in action. After Seoul, we will spend another 2 weeks in Singapore and back home at the end of January.

Wish all of you a Happy, Healthy and Knitty 2013 !

I Am Still Alive & Kicking

Yes, I am still around & so sorry for not blogging for such a long time (almost 3 months). I just can't believe that such a long time had passed but so many things had happened that I have lost track of time.

I was away in Singapore & Phuket during Dec & Jan. Then school started in Feb & it was crazy getting back to routine plus I was working almost every day. The summer here in Perth this year was really hot & humid & by the end of the day, I was just too tired to do anything but I knitted.

I have finished a few projects, so here are 2 of them .....

..... Vixen Shawl, knitted in Kauni. I needed an easy project for the holidays & Vixen was a relaxing knit & the shape is interesting. The only problem with this shawl is the yarn. I will never use Kauni again as it's a very coarse yarn & not nice to knit with. Even after blocking, the yarn is still not soft enough to wear next to the skin. I chose this yarn just for the colors.

While I was in Singapore, my Mum requested for a vest. I found this free pattern which I made a few changes to & knitted it in the round from the bottom up. It was a quick knit as it's all in 1 piece including the bands. I knitted the vest in Bendigo 8ply cotton & it turned out great. My Mum loves the vest & I love it too - if only I have the time to knit one for myself.

There are a few more projects that I have finished & I will share them with you in my next post. I am in the process of finalising the details to a new shawl design. I promise to post more regularly.

Melbourne & Bendigo

We had been talking about this trip for the past 6 months & finally the day came. The 7 of us were so excited when we met at the airport at 5am for the flight to Melbourne.

We arrived in Melbourne around lunch time, checked into our hotel in the heart of the city & immediately went for a quick walk around the shop. We also went to Morris & Sons & knitted with the local knitting group ......

We woke up early next morning to take the 7am train to Bendigo. It was a lovely train ride as we sat & knitted ......

We were full of excitement when we reached the show grounds & started wandering around the sheds. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Bells walking in through the gates, then there was Random Knits & Knitabulous . I have been reading the blogs of these 3 lovely ladies & now I am seeing them all standing right in front of me !

We went through all the stalls & I was really good & did not go wild with my purchases. Unfortunately, during all the excitement, I forgot all about my camera & only took a couple of pictures ...

... the knitwear fashion show

...... and of course, the highlight of the show.

From the showground, we went to Bendigo Woollen Mills ....

... & I did not buy any yarn!

We had a lovely lunch in the town center & then took the train back to Melbourne. One of the ladies was anxious to start knitting with her newly acquired skein & we started winding ....

All of us had a great time at Bendigo & were pleased with all our purchases. These are mine .....

..... 2 skeins of lace weight cashmere & 1 skein of bamboo/bunny silk

...... 1 skein of lace weight silk & 1 skein of bamboo/merino

...... 3 different styles of shawl pins

..... a nostepinne which I have seen on the internet & have been curious about it's function. Now I have to learn how to use it.

..... and lastly, not knitting related - a magic wand for my daughter.

We did a lot of walking & shopping in Melbourne for the next 2 days & we went to another yarn shop - Clegs & they were having a 20% sale. No one can resist a sale, so we bought more yarn & I walked away with these .....

.... 1 ball of bamboo sock yarn & 2 balls of merino/alpaca/possum sock yarn.

I came home, tired but very satisfied with the trip & all my purchases & of course, a must have souvenir from Melbourne .....

Bendigo, Here I Come

1 more sleep & tomorrow afternoon, I will be in Melbourne with 6 other ladies from my knitting group. I hope I can get to sleep tonight.

As it will be colder in Melbourne & Bendigo, I decided to knit a jumper & this pattern has been on my list for a long time & now I have a reason to knit it. Plus I also have the yarn in my stash which will be great for this jumper. My only problem was that I have only 10 days to my departure. Well, I just have to give it a try & hope I will finish it in time.

I did it in 8 days ! Here's my Blue Owls ......

..... I am so please with it. I was afraid that it will not fit as the yarn is only 10 ply & my gauge was way off the recommended gauge. I had to re-work all the numbers & measurements too & only use the pattern as a guide. I was also worried about the shaping on the back as this is the 1st time I have done such a shaping. I usually shape my garments on the sides. But again, it worked & it looks great .....

...... and makes me look more shapely.

I use Cascade Heather which I bought at a sale a couple of years ago. I just wanted to try the yarn but have not use it as it was too thick for Perth's weather. It's the perfect yarn for this jumper & it's my favorite color.

I love the owls on the yokes & I use beads for the eyes. The beads are knitted in as I go, so I don't have to sew them in later. I have 25 owls across the yokes .....

Then I decided that I need mittens to keep my fingers warm, so I made these ....

It's a great easy pattern & so quick (as I don't have much time left) - don't need any increases for the thumb, just knit a tube with a hole for the thumb. I love the diagonal rib pattern as it produces a lovely textured look .....

I think I am all ready for Melbourne & Bendigo !

Shop Till You Drop In Melbourne

That's what I did during the 1st week of my holiday in Melbourne & had to buy a new suitcase for all my purchases and also many of the books that my daughter bought at the sales in Border. I think the problem started when we checked into our serviced apartment. I can't believe my eyes when I looked left, there was Myers & then right across the street (3 steps away) is David Jones & GPO & on the right is Chinatown. To top it off, it was 5 days before Christmas & the shops were all opened from 6am to midnight. So all I did was eat, shop, eat, shop, eat, shop ......

Of course, there was shopping for yarn as Morris & Sons was 10 mins walk away & they were also having a 20% sale. But I was very restrained & only walked away with these .......

These 7 balls of 4 ply merino are gorgeous & soft & I know they will be perfect for a cardigan.

I have been wanting one of these for a while & when I saw it in the shop, I had to buy it ......

I used it immediately when I went back to the apartment & starting knitting on my shawl. It is great & now my chart is not all over the place & I can keep track of my knitting with the magnetic ruler.

After all the shopping & eating, I was ready for my BIG TRIP ! We took the train from Melbourne to Bendigo & it was a nice ride. We arrived in Bendigo by 10 am & took a 10 mins walk to town & another 20 mins to find the Tourist Information Center. By then, we were all hot & sweaty as it was a hot day. I got all the information that I needed from the Center & then we started walking for another 15 mins & we arrived at Bendigo Woollen Mills ......

OMG, this can't be happening! I had just spend almost 3 hours & my husband & daughter are all hot & tired & I can't get into THE PLACE that I have been dreaming of for the past few months & all the yarn that I could get my hands on ....... I wanted to climb over the fence ..... I guess it's all my fault - I checked the website for opening hours & did not think of calling them to find out if they are open. This was my biggest disappointment & we had to walk back to town in the hot sun looking for a place to cool down & have lunch. I could not eat ! I just wanted to get out of Bendigo & go back to Melbourne for more shopping therapy. We caught the next train back to Melbourne & I managed to calm down with some knitting ......

The only good thing that came out of this trip is that I got the information that I needed for the Bendigo Wool Show in July which I am planning on attending & Bendigo Woollen Mills better be open !

On Boxing Day, we left Melbourne for Canberra & our 1st stop was this lovely seaside resort, Lakes Entrance. I think my husband had planned this trip very well as he knew that he had to get me away from the Boxing Day Sales as the shops were opened at 5am ! Anyway, I really enjoyed the peace & quiet of this resort & the seafood was so.... delicious .....

I managed to knit quite a bit on my 2nd Featherweight Cardigan during the drive ......

Canberra is so different from Melbourne as it's less busy & the streets are so wide & clean & everything seems so orderly. We did most of the tourist staff - Parliament House, Black Mountain Tower, Botanic Gardens, Chinatown & Central Shopping Mall. I love Canberra & I don't mind living there & it's close to Melbourne & Sydney - maybe one day.

We drove back to Melbourne & by then I was quite tired & ready to go home. We visited our favorite chocolate place for our last dessert before leaving Melbourne .....

I had a good holiday & will love to go back to Melbourne again ..... hopefully in July !