Whoops…

That is not the word you want to hear coming from your own mouth (especially) when you were in the middle of the WIP… It usually means that you either have to frog everything and start over, or you have to think how to wing it…

Now, before I admit what the potential disaster is, I would like to explain what’s going on about this crochet WIP.

In the pattern, the individual triangles should have 9.5 cm length in every side, and 8 cm tall from the tip to the base. I know how important it is to make a swatch, especially when the pattern relies on the number of triangles you made — instead of the length of the piece as you knit it. So, I did measure the triangle, twice, and I even adjusted the size of the hook to achieve the correct size.

You know you’re going to hear a but, don’t you? Yes… BUT, I think the pattern did not take the shrinkage of the length caused by the joining of the triangles as you go.

You see? When you were joining the triangles as you go, by making a slip stitch into the chain space of the main piece, you inadvertently pinched a very small bit of the edge. I don’t know if this happens to other crocheter, but when I do this, it will take some milimetre worth of the edge… times twenty triangles.

That’s the problem. In the end, after they’re joined in the round, I realised that the shrinkage on each triangle is then accumulated into a good inch and a half in circumference. I tried it on and it is still loose in my waist and chest so it might fit. I also count on the size after blocking, but I shouldn’t be too confidence that it will be anywhere closer to the size suggested in the pattern.

Yeah… a big whoopsie there 😦 But I think I am going to go through with the WIP, and see…

x ❤ x

WIPs Progress(es?)

It makes me wonder… if there are more than one WIP, would the progress should be in plural form too? To be honest English confuses me a lot, especially when it is learned properly (instead of the basic one used for daily conversation). But oh well… Let’s not let it distract me from sharing the progress I have made so far…

The first one is the crochet project I made during my trip to Edinburgh. You’d be surprised how much one can make during the train trip. The first few pieces that’s been connected looked slightly wonky, but the latter ones looked much better. Overall, I am loving this project… I think green is good for summer too, don’t you think?

And, I just realised that the other project was also green! It has gone very quickly too… before I accidentally nicked my finger with the sharp edge on the tin when opening a spam. Damn Spam… But the back and the front is done, and I am halfway on the first sleeve.

HOPEFULLY… I would be able to post more regularly again. It is nice to return to a routine…

x ❤ x

Crochet, Coffee, and Choo Choo Train…

Time off… 

I am off for a trip to Edinburgh, so had to leave my knitting WIP at home. The project is to big to be carried around. 

So… 

Tadaa! Crochet project is easier to handle while travelling. I have to carry scissors everywhere though. I’ll think about that particular problem a bit later.

As my husband says… we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Did i misquote? 

It Might Be A Boy… I Need Help!

I just realised that I have never even tried to find a knitting or crochet pattern suitable for baby boys. Not that I have a personal preference for baby girls, but I never had to make any knitting stuff for boys. Now that I know that my best friend is pregnant, and the baby might be a boy, I am in trouble…

Wait… You don’t think it’s my baby, do you? Of course not…

Anyway, do you have any simple jacket pattern for baby boys? Or your favourite jacket pattern for baby boys?

I always love it when the yarn finishes in the end of the row…

Right… while looking for a pattern, I have a WIP to show off. Apparently the Gosyo pattern is not as difficult as I think it would be. It goes really quickly, I think I quite like the yarn too. What helps me a lot is this link… https://dancingbarefoot.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/shaping-notation-in-japanese-patterns/

Wish me luck…

x ❤ x

Pierrot Gosyo Pattern

I have seen their patterns a lot in Ravelry. I really want to do them as they really look cute. But every time I see their patterns, I backed down again. They are confusing for me.

The patterns are usually made of pictures with very little instruction. You will have to decipher what the notation means, and you might have a different interpretation from your other fellows doing the same thing (at least, at that time I thought so). There are so little information — or I just didn’t see it…

k1p1 rib… not to difficult to understand so far…

But the pull is too big, and I thought I might want to give it a try. So, I started with this simple stockinette project. If I have known how the basic pattern works, I suspect I would be able to make it with the more complicated project.

Wish me luck 🙂

x ❤ x

 

P.S By the way, have any of you work with Japanese knitting patterns? How’s it?

Do You Make Swatch?

Like blocking, I have heard about making swatch since ages ago, but haven’t been really good at doing it. I think making swatch is boring, and I was usually so excited about going on a project — probably the reasons why I never got into making swatch at all.

I know that like blocking, it is very important to make your knitting project easier, and better. But since I am lazy, and am only interested in the knitting and making up pretty stuff, I usually skip this part and only refer to the gauge information in the yarn label.

But what if the yarn doesn’t have gauge information in its label? Like this one, for example… The yarn looks pretty, and is incredibly soft and would definitely make lovely project, but without knowing the gauge, it would be impossible to use it on a project.

So, I make a swatch. Counting the stitches is always the worst part… I don’t know how many people actually make swatch and count gauge before starting a project. I think those who are faithful, and not skipping this step deserve so much respect. I don’t know how you fight boredom while doing it…

Do you make swatch?

This Little Piggy is Participating…

Apparently there is something called Me Made May, to celebrate people to wear something they made for themselves in May — and share it on blogs for everybody to see.

I didn’t know things like this, and how do people know things like this? Is there an official knitting community out there making cool events every now and then that I don’t know about?

Maybe I am a bit late to participate now, but I will participate anyway. Me Made May 2017, this little piggy is participating…

x ❤ x

Which One is Better?

It is always great when you have an FO, especially during weekends. It does make you feel like you have achieved something while doing nothing.

Previous FOs waiting for buttons

Unfortunately the buttons I have been waiting for haven’t arrived yet. So now I end up with three very cute lacy baby cardigans, without buttons 😦 Oh well… not much I can do about it. I’ve been thinking of doing something else after this, at least until the buttons have arrived.

Talking about FOs… I do really like the white cardigan. I think I like it more than the yellow one. What do you think? Which one is better?

WIP Progress…

Since I haven’t yet learned how to make an interesting title for my blog post, I am afraid you will have to put up with the generic one — like this one. Yes, of course there’s nothing wrong with a generic title like this, but I kind of think that if the title says everything, it feels like spoiling the whole blog post.

Oh well…

Like I said, the title is pretty much self-explanatory.

I have to say that I like this pattern very much, but if I am not careful I would end up with hundreds of these, and then going to have a big problem finding anyone who would need the jackets. I think this is going to be the last one for a while, at least until mum or my sisters ask me to make more of these.

As the others before, it progressed really quickly. Just like what I suspected before, once I am used to the heart lace pattern, it gets much quicker. I could even do this while watching Miss Marple — and pretended that I am knitting with her while trying to solve a murder mystery.

I am going to have another FO really really soon. I really hope that the button will have arrived by then 😦

x ❤ x

Steady On!

I quite like it when the project just goes smoothly. Which means no frogging, nor pretending not to notice that I have accidentally skipped one yarn over in row 14 — or trying to convince myself that every tiny mistakes in handmade stuff is what makes it unique. Yes… that defines a good day for me.

In those kind of day, I would end up with FO, or at least something that resembles an FO.

I would love to call this an FO, mainly because I have done all the important things. I have knitted all the pieces, and sewn them all together. I have tidied up the loose dangling yarn, and it actually look finished for me. Problem is…

It doesn’t have buttons too!

I have ordered buttons for the previous almost-FO, but the buttons haven’t arrived yet. Now, I have two almost-FOs, waiting to be buttoned up. Of course, I am not going to let the buttons situation ruins my day… I don’t think you would let that either. Instead… I am starting another WIP…

Don’t you think this heart lace pattern looks good with white wool?

x ❤ x