Category: General

Zara oh Zara

Belinda (hi Belinda!) asked me a question in the comments of my last entry.

you’ve got be thinking about Zara as a sub yarn for DB Baby cashmerino. Isn’t Zara a thicker ply than Baby cash? What size needles are you using to get gauge or have you adjusted your cast on stitches and number of rows…I would love to here from you, as most of the projects I love from DB she has used her Baby cashmerino.

Yes I do love Zara, I think it’s a pretty good substitute for DB Baby Cashmerino. I’ve never used DB baby cashmerino myself though, it’s just a bit pricey for me… Zara is slightly thicker than baby cashmerino (according to the label it’s 23 sts x 31 rows to 10x10cm), but I’m not particularly worried about gauge when it comes to baby clothes.. just as long as it’s not too small… 😀 Me, I live on the edge!! 😀 I’m using 3.25mm (US 3) needles as prescribed in the pattern, but I’m knitting the 18mo size (my daughter Annette would be around 2yo by the time she wears this I guess, seeing that the weather in Sydney is becoming hotter and hotter by the day). Halfway through knitting the back piece I compared it against one of Annette’s cardigans and it looks like it’s about the right size, so I’m happy 🙂

The yarn itself is very nice and soft, very nice to knit with. And although it’s a bit thicker than DB baby cashmerino, the resulting fabric knitted up with the 3.25mm needles look just right, not too tight or too thick, and not too loose either. I wouldn’t recommend using needles thicker than 3.25mm with this yarn though. I swatched with 4mm, and after washing the resulting fabric is just too loose and kind of see-through. But with 3.25mm needles it looks great. I’d definitely use this yarn again, especially for baby clothes. Have I mentioned that I love this yarn? 🙂

27 October 2005

Creative Knitting

Got my copy of the latest issue of Creative Knitting! Issue 12 it is.

Issue 12

Apparently this issue is a children knitwear’s special. Yay, just my favourite. 🙂 Well, this issue is not all about childrens pattern, it’s got some adult patterns too. I’d say it’s quite a nice issue, nice patterns (*mentally filtering out the eyelash yarns*), interesting articles.

My favourite pattern from this issue is this one.

Crochet Blouse

A gorgeous lacy blouse and a matching cute little purse! Unfortunately… it’s crochet. I tried learning crochet a while ago, just from a book I borrowed from the local library. But I didn’t enjoy it very much. 🙁 The book was not helpful at all in describing how to do the stitches. And crocheting made my fingers hurt. But this blouse is just soooo pretty that I’m even willing to consider trying to crochet again. Maybe. I’ve even bought me a new crochet hook. And I’ve got some cotton yarn from the stash that would be great for it. Well, even if I don’t get to make the blouse, maybe I can try making the cute little purse.

24 October 2005

There’s an explanation…

… for why I couldn’t finish anything for a while… Ha!

I’ve come to realize there’s a Law of Diminishing Finishes. The chances of my finishing Project A are inversely related to the number of new projects I start before A is finished. It’s sad.

Source: larissa at stitch marker

8 October 2005

Stash Acquisitions

Oh what a weekend! First on Friday I discovered that the new Fall Knitty is up. Yay!! I really like this issue, there are lots of cardigan patterns! I’ve been looking for a good pattern to knit my first adult cardigan, so this is great!! I also love bubby, I’m definitely going to give that a go.

Then I discovered the YARN magazine, a new Australian knitting/crochet magazine! They have their first issue up on their website, with all the articles and patterns available in PDF. The articles and columns look pretty interesting. It really is great to see another Australian mag about knitting, and it would certainly be nice to see more of the knitting scene in Australia.

Saturday I went to the city to visit Lincraft and the Tapestry Craft. You can be sure there were some stash acquisitions! 🙂 First, there’s this Lang Moana yarn, which I’m thinking of making a lace scarf, perhaps Branching Out from Knitty.

Lang Moana

Lang Moana closeup

It has quite an interesting texture — a ribbony mesh-like yarn, light and airy. Looks like it would drape well. I hope so.

Then, I got this Filatura Di Crosa Zara merino yarn, which is destined to be a cardigan for Annette. It’s so soft!

Zara merino yarn

And then, I went past Dymocks and saw this in the Crafts section!!

At Knit's End

Woohoo!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it! At Knit’s End by the Yarn Harlot!! In a bookshop, in Sydney!! When the book first came out, I looked for it in various bookstores, to no avail. I resigned myself to the fact that knitting is just not that big a thing in Australia, and that for me good knitting books can only be acquired through Amazon. But now, here it is, in my very own living room! Yay!! Been reading it bit by bit since I got it, and I just love it! (See I live among people who still think that knitting is only for grandmas, so reading this book makes me feel like, there are people out there who understand how I feel!)

The other thing that I was looking for in my trip to the city was a longer circular needle for my Kiri shawl, but alas, none of the craft shops have it on stock. Oh well… maybe I’ll just have to order online, or just see how far I can go on the shawl with just a 60cm circs? We’ll see.

This weekend was also the first time I’m selling yarns through eBay. 🙂 Managed to sell all of the five items that I put up for auction, and I’m quite happy with the results. Thank you to all who participated in the auction! Selling for the first time, I must say that it can be quite an obsession 🙂 As the ending time neared, I would be checking my items list to see how many bids they’ve got, every a few minutes! I would ask the husband to check as well, when he’s on the computer. And he would say, “No, no changes in the last 2 seconds.” 😀

Overall, great weekend I’d say. 🙂

12 September 2005

Knitting Box

Welcome to my knitting blog. In this blog I’d like to document my knitting adventures — the good, the bad, and the … err, interesting.

I learnt to knit about two years ago, when some friends at church got into knitting scarfs, and then taught me to knit. I didn’t like it at first, it felt like I was juggling two giant logs that they call “needles” to make loops out of a thread. It was such an effort just to knit a row. So I put it down and decided I didn’t like knitting.

But that’s before I discovered knitting blogs. Oh the beautiful knitted creations! The wonder of seeing a project develop! The awe inspiring skills and tricks and tips! The comraderie!

Through a knit blog I discovered Debbie Stoller’s Stitch ‘n Bitch book, and it was just what I needed to start me off in knitting. I love reading about the techniques, the great patterns, the history of knitting, and my favourite, tips on how to fix mistakes. The book also contains web addresses of various knitters’ blogs! Inspiration: check.

Then I had baby Annette. One thing that I loved about getting a girl was that I could have fun dressing her up. Motivation: check.

I’m good to go! 🙂

21 August 2005