Knitting Time

Creativ Festival

2009-10-19T09:47:00.006-04:00

This year, I finally got a chance to visit the Creativ Festival! I always wanted to go for the past few years, but never got the chance. I heard that this year did not have as many vendors as last year. But oh well, I guess since it's my first time, there was no comparison for me. I like the show, a lot of cool stuff, from paper arts, to needle work, to sewing, and knitting. There are so many sewing machines in the show. Here are some of the pictures...

My Lunch Bag

2009-10-06T22:29:00.003-04:00

I've finished this lunch bag for quite a while. As you can see, I've been ignoring this blog for 2 month or so :P Ok, hopefully, I'll have the time to catch up with all the photographs this weekend. For this sewing project, the fabric is from Ikea, the pattern is exactly like my keyboard cover, it's just the color is navy blue. Thanks to a nice pal on ravelry who sent me this pattern. It's a lunch bag from Kitchen Stuff Plus. I made a few modification, no zippers (it's really beyond my sewing skills), and a bit taller. Overall, I am quite happy about it.

My New Powder Room

2009-07-23T15:01:00.002-04:00

I have been neglecting my blog for a while. :P I am kind of slow in terms of my knitting project, because I am using a fine yarn to knit a summer top, it's just going so slowly. The yarn is from Korea, soy and bamboo mix. At the mean time, I re-decorated my powder room. I've always wanted a dark color room, but I don't have the guts to try a dark paint color in my bedroom. After a few weeks of research, I am convinced that powder room is the best place to start it. Here's what I have, changes are:
- new paint (from CIL, "Purple Granite")
- new bathroom lighting (from Canadian Tire)
- glass shelf (from Home Depot)
- towel ring (from Home Depot)
- toilet paper holder (from Ikea)
The original room does not have anything except the mirror and simple lighting. I love the paint color, dark grey purple, it looks very sophisticated. I still need to some framed arts on the wall, and a nice soap dispenser.

Gardening

2009-06-14T10:58:00.004-04:00

The weather in Toronto has been comfortable, not really like summer yet. I finished several knitting projects these 2 month, but was just lazy to take pictures of them. I find that it's quite hard to take the pictures by myself. haha...But here are a few updates for my gardening. I've planted a few lettuce, hoping that I can have fresh salads during summer months. They've been growing quite well. :)

The second picture is the baby orchid that I hi-jacked from my mom several month ago. There are two new braches growing at the bottom. It's a bit weird, but at least it tells me it's healthy.

A lot of things to do...

2009-05-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

I never thought that there are so much work in lawn care. :P I've been busy lately since the spring is here. Ok, I guess my lawn is not horrible, but I really love to see a nice and thick green lawn. After reading through a long post on redflagdeals.com, I finally had a plan. Bought some grass seeds, top soil, lawn fertilizer, but mann, it's not as easy as I thought. LOL...
There's a small shady area in the corner of my backyard, I decided to plant some Lily of the Valley there. Wow, I have to say the flower is just beautiful, small, but very elegant. I hope it will survive and grow well there. I'll try post some pictures later.

I have been following The Geswein Family for a while now. The family's journey in Tianjin, China has been an interesting and fun read. Kimberly visits Tianjin orphage very often, and takes the children to McDonald weekly. Believe me, the smiles on those children will make your day! I just learned that one of the girls with special needs at the orphage going to have a permanent home in US, an amazing family, http://always-in-myheart.blogspot.com. To be honest, I've never seen a family that adopted so many children from China, especially those with special needs. The smiles on those kids are just....so amazing...

Finally done - cotton keyboard cover

2009-04-12T10:26:00.003-04:00

This one might be my longest project so far! I think it's been 4-5 month. haha...I bought the keyboard 7 years ago, and have been using the packaging foam as a cover. I decided to make a nice cotton cover for my keyboard. So it started from the fabric shopping, to pattern making, and finally to the sewing part. I got the fabric from ikea, 100% cotton, bought 1.2 meters. Making the pattern on newspaper first, it's not too hard. But I easily get confused when I do sewing...haha...and I constantly need my mom's clarification. The finally, the ruffle at the bottom (this part is much harder than I thought). I am just glad it's done!

Knitpicks Shadow - Essential Tank Top

2009-04-10T14:00:00.004-04:00

My latest finished project: The essential tank top by Laura Zukaite, using Knitpicks Shadow, Sunset colorway. I like the pattern. It's easy, and yet not too boring. I can easily tell if I made mistake. The top is a little bit tight fitting on me, but overall it's not bad at all...hehe...

Spring is here!

2009-03-20T13:59:00.006-04:00

Spring is finally here! It officially arrived this morning at 7:44am. :) So it means some gardening. I hijacked this baby orchid from my mom last week. I want to try growing it, and hopefully one day it will bloom. Oh, btw, it's in the bowl that I made in my pottery class....hehe

Ok, speaking of the pottery class, I finally got the chance to take these pictures. Thanks to day light saving time change, now I can shoot picture in natural light after work. Here they are, first one is an incense holder with a pig. I painted using a glaze called "Shino". The vase is about 25cm high, it shrinked after burning. And I made it using a technique called "Coil", then glaze it with white color. (The color is a little boring, but I thought it will be easier to match any flowers I want.)

New Craft - Pottery

2009-02-22T11:24:00.004-05:00

I started a new type of craft last month: Pottery! I finally got back my first project. Here are the pictures. It's the first technique of pottery, called Pinch. It took just 1 hour to make it, then I got to choose the color of the glaze, and the teacher glazed for me. I love the green! The pottery studio I went is in Richmond Hill, called Shaked. The teacher's name is Shaked, and she's just a wonderful wonderful lady. I started my second project last week, using a new technique called Coil. This time, I am making a vase. hehe...and I'll glaze it myself next week!

Ok, more on knitting, the lush and lacy cardigan is still in progress. I almost finished the front, so 2 sleeves left...I am getting there! hehe

Free Flickr Pro Account

2009-02-10T21:01:00.002-05:00

Wow, I am so excited! I found out that if you have Rogers Hi-Speed internet service, you can get free Flickr Pro account! That's 24.95 US dolloar a year. So I went through all the steps and registered a new flickr account. Now, I really have to shoot more pictures, and try to improve my photography skills. No excuses anymore :P Here's a link to my flickr account.

A LOT OF pictures

2009-02-02T21:07:00.004-05:00

As promised, the offical-done February Lady Sweater picture. It took me a while to take this picture, and it's not that great, since it used flash. The sweater fits well, except the underarm is A LITTLE bit tight...hehe...The yarn used was given to me as a gift by my aunt, it was made in China, 50% wool, 50% acyclic. It was a very quick knit, I would definitely make it again with 100% wool yarn.
Fetching, fingerless glove I made last month. The yarn is hand-dyed by me. One of a kind, I would never found another pair with these colors; ok, the color is a little bit messy...hahaha

The following 2 pictures are work in progress, Lush and Lacy cardigan, using RYC soft lux, and my cross stitch project (see the little bird I stitched?)

Colorful Things

2009-01-11T15:05:00.005-05:00

Another sunny day in the Toronto area! I went to grocery shopping in the morning, and dropped by Dollarama. I am quite surprised to find this colorful red clay pot and the storage boxes. I just wanted to keep them even though I don't have a plant to put in yet. LOL. I guess I'll give it some thoughts and keep it in mind whenever I go out shopping. Oh, my February lady sweater is officially done. It's kind of late today, but I'll make sure I post a picture next time.

Happy New Year Everyone!

2009-01-01T09:59:00.009-05:00

What a wonderful start of the year! Markham, Ontario has a lot of sunshine on the first day of 2009, although quite cold. :P Ok, I debated for a while if I should post all finished projects for the year of 2008, because I am not really happy about the number, but I know that it's been improved since last year. So, I decided I'll post all of them here, and I can see the improvement next year, hopefully. :)

2008 Finished Projects:

Summer V-neck Vest

King Cole Capri Top

Swallowtail Shawl

Kroy Socks

Noro Socks

Feburary Lady Sweater

Travelling Fern Scarf
Pattern available to download on Ravelry

Happy New Year Everyone! More knitting and more fun in 2009!

New projects in progress

2008-11-26T12:19:00.007-05:00

Woo, it's been a while! But I have been busy :) I moved to a new house, so there were a lot of shopping to do, and organization in the new house. It's finally "almost" on track, except I still need a sofa and a tv bench.

So what was I doing for the past 2 month? Here are some pictures:

It was my first time to knit socks, but I have to say I like it too! It's fast project, and the different colors in the yarn just made it very fun. The first project is made of Patrons Kroy sock yarn, denim colorway; the second project is made of Noro Kureyon sock. I learned that wool socks are much warmer than cotton ones. :P

I started this famous Februray Lady Sweater about a month ago (yah, i know, it's long) Here's what I got so far. It's very easy knit, however, I am hoping it will fit my shoulder.

Oh, hehe, and this cross stitch project. The chinese character means "Bamboo reporting peace and safety". As you can see in the picture, I just started from the middle, and finished a small piece of bamboo. Don't know how long this is gonna take me, but I think eventually it will be done. :)

Niagara Falls

2008-09-13T22:16:00.004-04:00

I got a family friend visiting from US, so as a host, I drove her to Niagara Falls today. Actually, the weather is quite nice, it's not sunny and it's not raining; which means the pictures won't have shadow problems. :P
The flowers look so beautiful there, even better than summer time. Here are some pictures I really like to share:

Swallowtail Shawl

2008-08-30T11:32:00.005-04:00

Time passes by so quickly! I knit quite a lot this month. :) First of all, I finally tried Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark. It's my first lace project, and first shawl. I used Knit Picks Shadow, Sunset heather colorway. I was stuck at the nupps for a few days, then an explanation on the web finally clicked. :P Here are the final product:

Since then, I started on spa socks that appeared in Knit.1, Spring 2007 issue. I finished 1 sock, and needed to buy another ball for the 2nd sock. :) Hopefully I can get the pictures up as soon as possible.

Beading

2008-07-27T10:55:00.002-04:00

I went to beads shopping with my friend, Celina, last Saturday. Then I was just sitting beside my desk beading all day on Sunday. It was raining and cool outside. I have to admit beading is so much faster than knitting. :P

The first set is made of pink twisted marble, swarovski crystals and pearls. The color is not very sharp, because I am hoping I can still wear it to work without being too formal. The second set is made of two different sizes of swarovski crystal pearls, I think it will go well with my little black dress!
By the time I want take a picture of my swallowtail shawl, my Nikon camera is out of battery...I guess I'll have to post it next time.

King Cole Capri Top

2008-07-21T21:47:00.004-04:00

It's been a long while since I blogged last time. I have been quite busy at work (a new product has been released in early July), but I did find some time to finish a summer top. The yarn is from King Cole, called Capri. It's a very quick knit, since the yarn is aran weight. My boyfriend said it looks like chinese noodle...hehe...

Yarn Ball Winder!

2008-05-23T20:49:00.002-04:00

Finally, I got my own yarn ball winder!!! I ordered it online from Joann, then I picked it up from my cousin's home in NY. I gave it a first try today.

It's just GREAT! Saves a lot of time, and yet, the yarn ball is so neat and cute. :)

Tulips

2008-05-07T22:02:00.005-04:00

Havn't updated my blog for a while...hehe..I have been pretty busy, both at work and my spare time. I was able to take some shots in my garden, actually my parents' garden, tulips after an afternoon storm. :)

Hand Dyed Yarn

2008-03-12T20:34:00.005-04:00

I finally learned how to dye my own yarn. Here are my first three products. I like the yellow and green one. The blue is not really the blue I imagined...hehe, but that's ok, I think that's the fun for dyeing my own yarn. :)

Oh yah, I finished this V-neck vest from Knit.1 Spring 2007 issue. The cotton is a little bit thick, but it turns out ok, and it's very comfortable to wear.

In Progress - V-neck Vest

2008-02-10T10:57:00.001-05:00

This v-neck vest is progressing, and it's not that hard at all...hehe...and I learned a new technique, called "short row wrapping". It's quite cool. My gauge is exact the same as the requirement, however, I can't seem to get the correct number of stitches when I was picking up stitiches for the upper body part. I'll see how the final vest fits on me, hopefully this week!

What kind of yarn are you?

2008-02-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Dishcloth Cotton.You are a very hard worker, most at home when you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice.
Take this quiz!

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I was doing ...

2008-01-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

I finished my first cross stitch project. It's a pair of cushion for a friend's wedding gift. I am not so sure about the big redness of the cushion. :P Hopefully they'll like it. Then, I am getting back to knitting. I am working on this summer v-nect vest from Knit.1 spring 2007. After I bought the yarn and picked the needle and ready to start this vest, I realized it has the hardest rating of difficulty. :D

Last project of the year

2007-12-30T10:05:00.001-05:00

Time passes by so quickly! I have been blogging for a year already. I knit this vest after I came back from China, so it took me about 2 month. (I think my speed is improving a little bit. :P ) The yarn is 95% wool, so it's very very warm. I like to wear it in office. Ok, the size is a little bit small, because I thought the vest would stretch a little bit after the wash, but it didn't. :( Well, it's still wearable..hehe...

As the last post of the year, I want to thank everyone who reads my blog, and happy holidays!

New Project on the Way

2007-11-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

Since I came back from China, I started this grey vest project. I finished the front piece, and started the back piece yesterday. Um, I think I knit a little bit faster now. :) Oh, and thanks to my friend Barry, he got me the latest issue of Keito Dama from his Japan trip.

Yarn from China

2007-10-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

On this sunny Sunday morning, I decided to take a picture of all the yarns I got from my trip to China. :P I have added so many projects into my queue. :)

Pictures from Vacation

2007-10-27T21:16:00.001-04:00

As promised, here are some pictures with my new Nikon D40x. The first two pictures were from Shanghai. The third picture was from Zhouzhuang, 50km from Shanghai. There are a lot more pictures on my flickr site.

Back to working life

2007-10-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven't blog for almost 2 month. Time passes by so quickly. Here's a short summary: I resigned in September, and decided to go back to China for a 5 week vacation. I was back to Toronto this Monday. Luckily, I got a job offer this week, and will start working next Monday. So, life will go back to normal again. :) I will update the blog with some pictures from my vacation soon.

Black Tank Top

2007-08-26T09:20:00.001-04:00

I finally finished this black tank top. Everything turns out well, except it's a little bit see-through. :P Oh well, I guess it's not too bad. :) At the mean time, I am thinking what I'll do next.

Finally, I am half-way through

2007-07-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

Finally, I am half-way through this top. I can start on the back piece today. Hopefully it won't be too small. :P

Bruce Peninsula

2007-06-05T21:35:00.001-04:00

I went to Tobermory this past weekend with my boyfriend. We went to Bruce Peninsula National Park for hiking. It was perfect weather for hiking, and the scenary was just great. I also brought some knitting to do at night. :) It was a just very relaxing short vacation. I will have some pictures of the current knitting project up soon.

An Easy Project

2007-05-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

Umm, a very easy top with cotton yarn; knitting plus crocheting on the edges.

Finished - short sleeve knitted top

2007-04-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

My first knitted summer top is finished, and washed. :P Here are the pictures!!! Everything turns out well. Woo la la. I can wear it soon. :)

Knitting magazine from Italy

2007-03-17T12:08:00.000-04:00

Guess what I got from Italy..he he he....a knitting magazine called Sandra. The designs are not bad at all. There are actually quite a few sweaters that look really nice. However, now, reading Italian instruction can be a real challenge. :)

Short sleeve summer top

2007-02-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

My first top that has sleeves!! The pattern is from the same book as my first purple tanktop. I tried it on last night, and it's not too bad. The only thing is that the yarn is not heavy enough, so the sweater doesn't look as nice as the picture in the pattern book. :P I am hoping that it will look better after a wash (finger crossed).

Sean Sheep

2007-02-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to get some household items. I saw this new brand of yarn, and the color is quite nice. It even has a small piece of sample hanging on the shelf. hehe...So I decided to buy some. Umm....I am thinking to make a small vest using this purple yarn. (Arff, another project added to the queue.)

Knit.1 Magazine

2007-02-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

With all the knitting projects in the queue, I couldn't believe I bought another knitting magazine today. It's "Knit.1" Magazine, Spring 2007 issue. http://www.knit1mag.com/preview.php I like most of the pieces in the magazine, especially the piece for yoga. :) Hopefully I'll have time to make them some day.

Going to Italy next month

2007-01-28T22:37:00.000-05:00

My friend, Celina, and I have decided to visit Rome at the end of February. British Airway had a promotion with two nights free hotel. hehehe.... We are planning to go for 7 days, stay in Rome for 2 nights, then go to Florence for 1 night, then back to Rome for another 2 nights. And guess what's the first thing I check --- the yarn shops :P It took me a while to find this one in Florence from www.woolworks.org
Filati Campolmi
Via Folco Portinari 19/r
Florence
But I have trouble locating it on the map. hehe...So hopefully, I will have time to visit the shop there. :)

Knitted Purse

2007-01-13T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just finished the knitting part of this purse. It's a little bit wider than I expected; seems like I still need to work on the gauge a bit. (It's strange that the width looks ok while I was knitting, but finished width is always bigger) Now, I need to make a lining and put everything together!

Purple Tank Top - first product

2007-01-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

Last year, I finished my first knitting project, other than varies scarfs.
I saw the pattern book in a bookstore in China, and immediately decided that I would make this tank top. Then I bought the book, and bought the yarn; bought some beads in Pacific mall. It took me quite a while due to some adjustment in the size. :( It still turned out a little bit small; but I think it's not bad for the first product. :P

Welcome to Sherry's Knitting Blog

2007-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sherry's knitting blog. It's the first day of 2007 - a new beginning. I decided to create this blog and share my knitting projects and experiences.