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. ^^;

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 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 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. ^^

Pattern: Knitted Ball
Difficulty: Easy
Needles used: 3.25mm bamboo

Ball: They told me I could be anything I wanted… so I became a lemon. 

Something small I did last night when I couldn’t sleep. I don’t have DPNs, so I used my circular needles and magic-loop knowhow.

It actually can look like a ball, but I squished it to make it look like a lemon… because I like lemons.

My tension with magic loop isn’t perfect, so there was a bit of strain in my left thumb by the end of the project. I stuffed it with some scrap cloth from my cosplay sewing project.

All in all, a fun and easy thing to make when you have leftover yarn / are bored / can’t sleep.

3.25mm needles yields you a Golden Snitch sized ball.

Or lemon. :D

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 4: How did you learn how to knit?

When I was 10, I went to a learning centre called “Kumon” twice a week after school for Math classes. One day, I had finished my work before my little brother and went to the waiting room outside (when you’re done with your work, you don’t linger in the classrooms).

I remember a lady - around 30-ish - sitting on one of the sofas knitting. Curiously, I watched her and then, she asked me, “Do you want to try?”

She taught me the knit stitch (though I didn’t know what it was at the time) and I remember that she was knitting something in stockinette. So, after I did the knit row, she’d purl the wrong side and hand it back to me to knit. After awhile, my mom came into the waiting room to pick me up and she saw me knitting. My mom used to crochet, and my grandmum used to do both, so I guess it was natural that she was supportive of my newfound interest. ^^

The next day, my mom brought me to a yarn store, where we bought needles and yarn and the store-owner taught me how to knit. I already had a vague idea, so I caught on easily. But honestly, the lady at the learning centre was much more supportive, patient and kind. The yarn-store owner might’ve taught me, but “the lady” was my real teacher. :)

She was probably someone’s mother. I never saw her after that day. :(

Though, I’d like to meet her again to say “thank you”.

Pattern: Blue Monday Cabled Arm Wamers
Difficulty: Easy-Intermediate
Needles used: 4mm bamboo

Taking pictures of your own arm is really hard. lol. Please note at the topmost picture, my arm is slanting downwards.

I had to modify the pattern (for various reasons: yarn, needles, tension) to fit my arm. The circumference of my arm near the elbow is around 19cm / 7.5” and with 4mm needles, I had to cast on 51 stitches. The modified pattern is as follows:

Cast on 51 stitches.
Right side: 2k 3p 8k 3p 3k 3p 8k 3p 3k 3p 8k 3p 1k
Wrong side: Knit when you see knits and purl when you see purls
Do this 4 times, getting 8 rows in total.
9th row: 2k 3p (cable 4) 3p 3k 3p (cable 4) 3p 3k 3p (cable 4) 3p 1k

As you can see, all I did was add a stitch to each “section”. I’m not sure that a cable of 10 stitches is possible in a project like this, so I recommend you guys to use bigger needles if my modified pattern isn’t big enough. (note that I did mine on 4mm needles)

Anyway, this is a beautiful pattern and my new favourite accessory. :) I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try out cables.

30 Day Knitting Challenge
Day 3 - Do you have any other WIPs (works in progress)?

Shamelessly, yes. xD

I’m working on some cabled arm warmers because my arms get really cold when I’m writing or playing games and I have to wear a jacket most of the time. (the logic behind that is really stupid, actually, so I won’t delve too deep on that. lol)

Also, I have yet to properly sew together the two parts of the Gryffindor scarf I’ve been knitting. ><;

And I think the knitted flower I was making awhile back is still missing a few petals…

*shameshameshame*

PS. The colour isn’t too accurate because the picture was taken with warm lighting. (was knitting this in my grandmum’s house yesterday)