Some Stardust ★

After a whole day of mattress stitch, I finally finished my Slytherin scarf...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:43:00 +0800

Pictures to come! :D (once it gets a bit sunnier. haha)

I will now be known as “that person with the too-long Slytherin scarf” at college. Bwaha.

Needles used: 3.25mm A test swatch for a Loki scarf somehow...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:37:00 +0800

Needles used: 3.25mm

A test swatch for a Loki scarf somehow became a knitted bracelet today because I wanted to ~~pledge my allegiance to Loki because he’ll be taking over the world this May~~ keep it.

It’s frooping amazing.

The pattern I used was a simple houndstooth chart I found off ravelry. I basically just knitted it and smacked a buttonhole near the end. xD If any of you are keen on horizontal buttonholes, here’s a nifty tutorial. :)

Do you prefer knitting in the round with DPNs or with a circular needle?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:25:01 +0800

Personally, I’ve never tried DPNs. I don’t trust myself with small bits at all. xD (thinks of the countless times I lost and found and lost my darning needle) So I have to say circs, they’re so amazingly versatile. I have two sets of circs for each size I buy them in, so I can knit very big in-the-round projects, very small in-the-round projects and even just knit straight on them. c: It’s a shame they’re a little on the pricey side. >w<

Pattern: Fingerstache |Pattern| |Ravelry|Difficulty: EasyNeedles...

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:04:00 +0800

Pattern: Fingerstache |Pattern| |Ravelry|
Difficulty: Easy
Needles used: 3.25mm bamboo

I’m probably one of the very last to jump onto the moustache bandwagon (me being the incredibly outdated person I am xD). I knitted this up real quick the night before last and had a ball of a time rampaging around college the very next day “I moustache you a question!” “Indeed!” “Like a sir”

This was knitted with a provisional cast on and finished off with kitchener stitch, which was a first for me. Also, as I am still somewhat traumatised by the Merc’s Pride Scarf, I did this in fair-isle rather than intarsia. The floats went across quite a few stitches, but it’s a small project and multiple bobbins would just overcomplicate it. xD (I’ve included links to various video tutorials so you guys know what I’m talking about. >w<)

All in all, a quick, easy and rewarding project. :) I highly recommend it to all you aspiring sirs out there. haha

Until next time, cheerio!

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Hey! Your blog is really interesting! I'm a beginning knitter and I know the "basic" stitch, if that's even what you call the stitch you first learn. I just wanted to know if you had any recommendations for stitches I should learn next since I'm a beginner.

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:58:51 +0800

Hi, I’m glad you like my knitting blog. ^^

If the “basic” stitch is the knit stitch, you’re about halfway there, actually. The world of knitting is made up of two entities: the “knit” and the “purl”. Any other stitch is just a variation of the two. :) (also, the purl is actually the opposite of a knit. If you purl all in a row, they look like knits on the other side)

By ‘variation’, I mean abbreviation stitches like “k2tog” (knit two together) and “skp” (slip one knitwise, knit the next one and pass the slipped stitch over) and etc. Usually in a pattern, they’ll tell you what these abbreviations mean, so I don’t find a need to memorise all of them. Anyway, even if it’s not explained in the pattern, or you’re not sure what it means exactly, just key in the stitch name into YouTube. Definitely, someone must’ve posted up a video of them making that stitch. :)

So yes, all you need is the “knit” and the “purl” and you’re set. :D

If you meant what sort of pattern stitches you should learn next, I’d say, stockinette (knit all in one row, purl all in one row, repeat), moss stitch (knit 1, purl 1 to the end, then purl when you see knits and knit when you see purls) and rib stitch (knit 1, purl 1, to the end, purl when you see purl and knit when you see knit). They’re the most common.

I hope I helped. ^^ Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.

Happy knitting. :)

Pattern: Crochet Origami Motif |Right-handed| |Left-handed|Hook...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:12:00 +0800

Pattern: Crochet Origami Motif |Right-handed| |Left-handed|
Hook size: 4mm

Spent my Christmas learning how to crochet.

I was actually close to giving up because I just couldn’t get it. My tension was atrocious and pulling the loops through always ended up in the loop slipping off and the project unravelling. But yesterday, I tried left handed crochet.

This was the result. :)

Really easy and informative pattern-video. Highly recommended. I made this flower-thing without any crochet knowledge or history whatsoever, so even a potato could do it. lol

Don’t worry, guys. I’m still dominantly a knitter.

so im trying to make a baby blanket for one of my teachers and im having a real hard time just knitting that large amount of stitches. im supposed to cast on 130 and i keep messing up and having to start over on the 1 row of actual knitting. the most ive done before was like 40 and that was a pain. if you have anytips that would be very helpful :) thank you

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:03:00 +0800

How exactly did you mess up? I assume holes were forming and 130 stitches magically became 140 stitches? (that happened to me tons when I started out knitting)

Well, even if that wasn’t the problem, I’d say you should take it slow and pay attention to how you knit, step-by-step. (eg. needle goes through here, makes an ‘X’, yarn wrap counter-clockwise etc etc.) That really helped reduce my mistakes. Don’t worry too much if you think you’re going too slow. Best to get your foundation super strong, so you can knit really fast later on. =) Eventually, it becomes muscle-memory and some can even do it without looking. (I have yet to reach this stage. lollol)

Also, if it’s going far too slow and you’re afraid the baby will outgrow the blanket faster than the blanket’s being knit, you could always consider using thicker yarn and bigger needles?

I hope that helped and good luck on the blanket. ^^ Feel free to drop me an ask if you have any more questions. =D

I think I might have to unravel my hat...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 03:36:28 +0800

This is what I get for trying to be smart and modifying the pattern.

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 11: Do you have a “Knitter Hero” or...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:31:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 11: Do you have a “Knitter Hero” or someone that is just way too awesome for their own good? Do share!

One of them would definitely be Eunny Jang. I came across a video of her explaining how to manage colourwork and almost immediately, she became one of my favourite online knitters.

Another Knitting Hero would be hands-down, elsteffo on YouTube. Eight years ago, I was only taught the knit stitch. Abbreviations like ”k2tog, psso, slk, yo” etc were like an alien language to me. While knitting my first lace project, elsteffo was the knitter that helped me out the most. Her video is clear, she is clear, she demonstrates well and I could understand what she was doing after the first playthrough.

My knitting has been throwing off my sleeping patterns...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:06:00 +0800

On another note, I managed to edit my blog’s css. :D Everything is no longer in all-caps. Thank God… lol

PS. I don’t have a favourite pattern or designer, so I...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:49:05 +0800

PS. I don’t have a favourite pattern or designer, so I changed the question a little. >w<

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 10: Do you have a favourite ~~pattern or designer?~~ stitch?

Stockinette. I love stockinette far too much than I should.

This is a small snippet of a hat I’m currently knitting and it’s the first time I’ve knitted stockinette in the round. I have never seen my tension so pretty before… ever. Eveerrrr…

Usually the purl side will muck it up, but there is no purl side here! =D

*dances around*

Pattern: Hannele by BerrocoDifficulty: EasyNeedles used: 3.25mm...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:47:00 +0800

Pattern: Hannele by Berroco
Difficulty: Easy
Needles used: 3.25mm bamboo

A relatively easy pattern which proves somewhat challenging near the end. Extremely satisfying results. At the time of making the flower, I was still an amateur with increases and decreases, so it took about 50 minutes per petal. The fact that I was attempting to purl 3 together with small needles didn’t help too much either. xD

Also, here’s an alternative to the p3tog I really wish I found while knitting the flower. ><

I only made five petals because I was making a knitted Wayfinder for a friend. The centre was empty at the time (and still is) because I couldn’t think of what to put as the ‘core’. xD

Oh well, we’ll find one some day. :D

PS. I actually think I’m using the wrong side as the right side here. Well, check out the pattern picture. Apparently the flower looks best if you alternate both sides. :)

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 9: What fibre or yarn do you love...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:10:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 9: What fibre or yarn do you love working with?

I don’t really have a set preference for yarn quite yet, but I’m pretty okay with anything I’m working with. Currently, I’m in that trial-and-error stage where I buy some new yarn, get to know the imperfections, and use it anyway. lollol. I’ve only started buying other brands of yarn quite recently. (mostly because before this, I was pretty occupied with getting that Gryffindor scarf finished)

The only time I can actually buy yarn is when I’m at college, ironically. There’s a place across the street and it’s the only yarn store I like buying from. mostly because the store-owners of other yarn stores in my area are TOTAL snobs and sharks… ~~It’s okay, they can be rude… I just won’t buy from them. lol~~

So yeah, I’m kinda stuck with these guys here till Christmas break ends. *cuddles skeins* :3

The Gryffindor scarf: |here| and |here|

The only reason I'm looking forward to going back to college is being able to buy more yarn from the nearby yarn-store.

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:39:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 8: What’s your most...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:57:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 8: What’s your most challenging project?

The Merc’s Pride Scarf…

In all honesty, it’s quite easy. Basic stockinette stitch and all that. The problem I’m having with it is that it constantly slows me down whenever I get to the stripes and that’s incredibly frustrating for me. It’s like taking a hundred-mile-roadtrip on an empty highway… with a Ferrari. Only problem is that this highway has a million-and-one speed bumps.

So you kinda speed up, bump, oops there goes your momentum, bump, there it goes again.

How did I ever convince myself this was a good idea?

| Another post about the Merc’s Pride Scarf |

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 7: Your least favourite? (piece...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:42:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 7: Your least favourite? (piece that you’ve knit)

None, really. ^^; Whenever I knit a new pattern and realise I’ll hate it, or find out that the size is grotesquely off (usually, after the first few inches/ hours), I’ll undo it. Yeah, it does hurt, so I’ll have to close my eyes and hold my breath before I can pull the stitches off the needles. xD I don’t mind my time going to waste, but I can’t stand my yarn going to waste. I’m an odd child.

I can confidently say that the projects I’ve actually finished are about 50% of the projects that I’ve started. ^^;

I might've caught "second arm warmer syndrome"...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:32:00 +0800

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 6: What is your favourite piece...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:31:05 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 6: What is your favourite piece that you’ve knit?

Hands down, the Gryffindor scarf I made for my friend. ^^

This was the last picture I took of it before I packed it for my friend. It was a nice scarf. Soft, big and comfy. It measured up to around 7 feet or so. I had fun seeing how many times it could wrap around my head. lol xD Nin-nin! (points for you if you get the reference)

And, yes, that is my scrawny hand

Please avert your eyes from the colourful mass of yarn and whatnot on the table to your left. Nothing to see here, guys… Nothing to see……. xD

Finished Project: Gryffindor ScarfNeedles used: 4mm bambooSkeins...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:11:13 +0800

Finished Project: Gryffindor Scarf
Needles used: 4mm bamboo
Skeins of yarn used: I forgot… maybe 6? 7?
Time taken: 100 consecutive hours

Finally finished the Gryffindor scarf I’ve been knitting on-and-off for the past few months. I did the math and I’ve spent a bit over 100 hours knitting it. Broke my heart a little when I remembered it was for a friend. ;_; (If you knit, you’d understand)

It’s so soft and gahhh!!

I cuddled it one last time before giving it away. I knitted 2 full-length sides in stockinette and stitched them together.

Stitch count:
Width: 44 stitches
Length: 604 stitches
Double sided, so multiply by 2
Grand Total: 53,152 stitches

PS. My friend was really happy when she received it. I’m glad. ^^

It’s okay… I’ll knit one more for myself… ohohohoho xD

30 Day Knitting ChallengeDay 5: How long did it take from the...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:30:05 +0800

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 5: How long did it take from the time you learned how to knit, to finish your first project?

In all honesty, I can’t remember. It was eight years ago. lol

Maybe a few days?

It was a simple garter stitch shirt with large bamboo needles, so it didn’t take too long. I remember curling up on my bed every night, knitting from 8pm to 9pm which is usually the hour I use to read my Enid Blyton books before sleeping. I used to be quite the Enid Blyton fan. ^^