Happy Birthday, Fiori!

Last Friday was Fiori’s second birthday. She is very adorable and cute.

She loves to dance lately. Whenever she hears music, automatically she shakes her bootie.

Whenever somebody mention want to go out, she will run to get her shoes.

If she does something naughty and I scolds her, she will bow her head and show sad-face expression and sometimes accompany with a few drops of tears. That makes me very difficult to stay angry with her. The minute I forgave and hug her, she all smiley again.

Her favorite word: "Help!"For her, it is the most effective word and it works every single time.

Do you know about “Malabrigo Madness Stock Up Event”?

Here are event details listed on the site:

Welcome to the Malabrigo Madness Stock Up Event!

How it works:

1. We will be placing a giant group order from Malabrigo Yarn approximately May 25, 2010.

2. Use this section to select from any available Malabrigo Yarn in any colorway currently produced either by the bag or skein.

3. Orders up to $50.00 will receive 15% instant cash back and free shipping.

4. Orders up to $100 will receive 20% instant cash back and free shipping.

5. Yarn purchased “Buy the Bag” will receive 30% cash back and free shipping.

6. Cash back incentives will be applied to your account AFTER your order is placed.

7. Credit card orders will not be charged until we place the order with Malabrigo. We will send you a updated order total prior to processing any payments.

8. For all other payment methods, please choose check or money order during the checkout process and indicate your method of payment in the comments box. We will bill you separately.

9. Orders to Canada will received free shipping on all orders over $25. All other international orders under $100 will receive reduced shipping rates as provided in our shipping policies. Orders over $100.00 will ship free.

10. We expect to ship orders placed on or before May 25, 2010 approximately 8 weeks from May 26 2010.

11. All participants who are paid in full by May 25, 2010 will be entered into a “Malabrigo Madness” drawing for free Malabrigo Yarn! Winner(s) will be chosen and notified May 26, 2010.

So based on my calculation, if you buy a bag it only cost you $12.88/skein for sock yarn (100 gr), $6.16/skein for lace (50 gr) and $7.5/skein for worseted (100 gr). Don’t you think these prices hard to resist?

I have some Malabrigo worsted in my stash that I haven’t used yet. At this moment, I have new crochet project that use Malabrigo lace. Actually I don’t really enjoy crocheting with it. It’s not as smooth and fast as Jagerspun Zephyr, probably because Malabrigo doesn’t have silk content in it (it’s 100% wool). However, I can see that the final result is going to be gorgeous, plus I read a lot of good review in Ravelry about Malabrigo.

So, I order some. Not as many as I would like to, but enough for me to get busy using it and play with it for sometimes.

Red Patchwork Again

Finally I managed to make another 2 red patchworks just like this for my cushion cover. So now total I got 3. When the first cushion cover had done, I didn’t really like the color combination, but it grew on me. The more I looked at it, the more I loved it.

Since I have taken the photo of the cover with the cushion inside, this time I took the photo before I insert the cushion in. Isn’t pretty? To tell you the truth, I waited until I was alone before taking all these photos, because not everyone can understand why I have to take so many pictures of pillow cushions.

I folded this way and that way and tried to get the best picture. I don’t know about you, but I always have the satisfaction feeling whenever I finished a patchwork, and that satisfaction feeling always follows with an urge to start another patchwork project. An addiction I suppose.

I use red button as a closure on the back

Something to Occupy Lauri

Lauri almost 6 now and she is a good girl most of the time. She can play and amuse by herself with her toys. She likes to draw, and do some sort of crafting involving a lot of paper, glue, tape, color pencil, marker and so on (minus scissor since the accident last year). Some of her handycraft I kept, but mostly I threw away.

Recently, she got a present from her Beepa and Beema (grandpa and grandma), It’s some sort of Lego Set with instruction how to assembly. She loves it and for several days she was busy assembly them one by one. She only asked my help if the blocks to hard to stick together. To my surprise, she is very good at interpret the instruction. I am very proud at her.

Display them on top of my printer (which is placed on top of my table) so Fiori could not reach them.

Fiori was admiring her sister’s work

Garden Path Crocheted Shawl Pattern for Sale

I saw so many gorgeous knitted shawls out there that I would love to knit, but somehow I could not find a crocheted shawl pattern that I would like to make. So, I decided to design my own crocheted shawl. I made 2 versions of this shawl. One is a scarf version in blue and the other one is a shawl version in black.

As always, this pattern comes with row-by-row written direction in US crochet term and charts.

I hope you will enjoy making this pattern!

Suggested yarn:
Jagerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 Lace weight (held double)
1200 m for scarf and 4000 m for Shawl

Hook: 3.5 mm (E)

Level: Intermediatte

Finished Size:
Scarf: 47" across top edge, 23" long from centre top to point
Shawl: 84" across top edge, 40" long from centre top to point

Other Posts and photos about this project: Here

How To Buy:
Pattern is a full colour, 7 pages in PDF. Complete with symbols and diagram (like the one you always find in Japanese pattern book) beside the written instruction.
Payment by Paypal and delivery by Ravelry, no accounts required. Credit cards accepted.

USD 6.00,-

add to cart

Or you can buy the e-book: Shawl Collection to Crochet. Consist of 4 patterns: Garden Path, Gathering Leaves, Cassandra, and Remember Me.


USD 18.00,-

add to cart

Tada Moment: Garden Path Crocheted Shawl in Black

I can’t tell you how much I love this shawl. Well, actually I can. I LOVE IT SOOO MUCH! There! Not only I loved the result but I also loved the process of making this shawl so much that I am thinking to make another one in different color.

The yarn was very addictive to work with. This is the first time I work with Jagerspun Zephyr although I had this yarn in my stash for quite sometimes. Now, I understand why so many people like this yarn so much.

Actually this shawl was ready in January, however, I only had opportunity to take photos last Sunday. Since January until now, I used this shawl many times, esspecially when I had to go to a place with full blast air-conditioner.

Here are some details about this project:

Pattern: Garden Path Crocheted Shawl
Source: Here
Materials: Jagerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 Lace weight (held double)
Qty: About 4000 m
Needles: Clover Hook size 3.5 (E)
Start Date: 26 November 2009
Finish Date: 12 January 2010
Total Cost (including shipping): Yarn USD 44.85 + Beads USD 9.10 = USD 53.95,-

If you want to read all entry about this project, you can click here.

Smocking Dress

Today I want to show you some of Lauri’s new dresses that she got this year. Most of Lauri’s dresses are smocking dresses with embroidery on it. Nope, it’s not me who made these. I haven’t tried my hand on smocking yet, although I understand the concept. Too bad that these lovelies only wearable for 1 or 2 years for each girl (once they are too small for Lauri, then I will keep them for a while before hand down to Fiori). After that I am thinking to chop them up and make them into a patchwork blanket or something since all these made of cotton material.

Blue Crocheted Flower

I still have leftover yarn from my blue scarf. So I decided to make a flower using my no-seaming crocheted flower pattern. Near the end, I realized that I would not have enough yarn, so I modified it a bit and didn’t exactly follow the pattern. That’s why the final result not as “blooming” as the original one. And because the yarn I was using was lace weight, the size was also smaller. You can see from the below photo the size of the flower compared with my hand.

I used white flower button as a center. This button was once on Lauri dress, I saved the button and threw away the dress as it was too small for her and the condition of the dress too shabby too hand down to Fiori.

This is how I keep Lauri's hair accessories

Lauri has so many hair accessories. At first I kept them in my dressing table drawer. I used empty glass container of baby foods to organize them, but they were too many that most of the time I could not really see what was inside, so in the end Lauri kept wearing the same hair accessories day after day.

A week ago, I decided to use different method. I hang several of long ribbons and just display all the accecories there according to the color (I put them inside the door of the cupboard). For the cruchies, I just tied together in the end of the ribbon. This way, I can see directly what I have without have to waste my time digging my drawer.

My Pin Cushion

This pin cushion is made by my auntie (my father’s little sister), given to me the last time I went back home. She is the one who taught me how to do embroidery.

I could do embroidery very well when I was only 7 years. I used to go to her house during school holidays (it’s my grandparents house, actually and she still stayed there because she hasn’t married yet), and we spent hours together to do embroidery.

I normally did a bouquet of flowers on the corner of handkerchief. At that time, nobody bring tissue at school. We brought handkerchief. And I would proudly use mine, knowing that I did the embroidery myself. Too bad that I lost all my handkerchiefs.

Bouncy Cow and Raindeer

Both were having a blast riding it.

Using Lauri's Drawing to Decorate the Wall

Lauri likes to draw. Most of the time, I don’t collect her drawing. I only keep if I found it interesting or unusual.

Did I tell you before that my house was full of clutter? I did? OK then. It is still full of clutter now. There was this small divan + matrys under the staircase and we just dumped everything on top of them. My eyes hurt every time I passed that section, and I passed many times a day. So, I decided to clear the stuff and turned the place to become some sort of resting or relaxing space.

I put “Tulip Medallion in Pond” by Denyse Schmidt fabric to cover the matrys and put some matching patchwork pillows on it.


Since the wall quite empty, I decided to put some pictures. Then suddenly, I got an idea, why don’t I use Lauri’s drawings? I gave her a piece of paper and asked her to draw something on it, then I framed it using the IKEA frame.

Awwwwww...... Isn't this cute? She said they are: Mama, Fiori, Me and Papa

She even put some gathering on my skirt

Since her drawing turned out too small, I decided to put some “inner frame” using the same matching fabric.


Hmmmm! Actually not bad. I will ask her to do more drawings :)

Red Patchwork

About 2 or 3months ago, I was addicted bidding cotton fabric for patchwork in ebay. Then I lost interest with them when they were arrived. Only about 1 week before Chinese New Year, I decided to make cushion covers. I picked red as my main color as Chinese consider red a lucky colour. Mainly, I used Henry Glass (Polly goes to Paris) and Jennifer Paganelli (Sis Boom Basic) fabrics (correct me if I was wrong).

I was planning to make about 3 cushion covers, but because both my girls down with flu, I didn’t manage to get them done. Nevertheless, I managed to finish 1 pillow case.

Ta daa...!!

Who said you can only wear one watch?

When Other People Made Your Pattern .....

I want to show you something that made my heart leaped with joy.

Ta..daaa.....

I saw this FO (Ravelry link) yesterday in Ravelry. It looks soo nice and soooo familiar. Guess what? It’s my Dahlia! YUP! Isn’t it so gorgeous? When I read her note, I got a goose bump all over my body. She called me genius! Hahahahaha! Me… Genius…. I could not pass through the door after that due the size of my head.

But seriously, when I read how she did the color change, I was amazed. Because of wanted to avoid cutting and re-attaching yarn (to avoid ends), she used 11 balls of yarn simultaneously, and she even managed to create her own “devise” to be able to do that.

See what I mean? She really put a lot of work into this project.

Lets see some details, shall we.....

Sighhhhhh!!! (I am very happy, can you tell?)

Edited to Add:

Although I managed to sell quite many of my Dahlia Top pattern, I only saw a handful of FOs. Some people even complain about the complexity of this pattern. I guess not everybody like to do math before they even begin, which is a must since you can make this pattern using any yarn or hook, so you have to know your own gauge and based on that gauge and your body measurement, you calculate the number of beginning chain you have to crochet.

Someday, I want to make Dahlia again using DK or even worsted yarn, just to show how it looks like, because I know not everybody like to work with thread or fingering yarn.

Girls in Pink

This year Chinese New Year falls on the same date as Valentine’s, so it’s only appropriate if we were wearing pink color outfits to go visiting.

By the way, did you notice my pink crocheted bolero? It’s a sneak peak of my new design. I still haven’t got the time to do a proper photo shoot. I love this bolero, it’s easy to make and very fast. Only need about 10 hours to make. Actually I have made 3 boleros so far: green, purple and pink. I will post them as soon as I manage to take the photos.

Fiori drinking tea while visiting


Lauri was happily playing fireworks

Fiori was crying because she was not allowed to play fireworks

What are they pointing at?

Quick update: Last week my girls down with flu. Now it's my turn to have it. I am so lazy to download my new project, so here old photos of my darlings.

Happy Chinese New Year to you all who celebrate!!

FO: Garden Path Crocheted Shawl

This is actually 2009 project (read my previous post about this project) but I just finished writing the pattern today. I am really exciting about this project. It had a very difficult start but in the end it is really worth all the trouble. I made 2 versions, one is larger than the other. This is the smaller or scarf version.

Pattern: Garden Path Crocheted Shawl

Source: It will be ready next month (I hope)

Materials: Miami Four Season 100% Cotto. Color 18 (blue) dyelot 203

Qty: 2 x 50 gram (110 m/120 yards per ball) I split the yarn into 3, so total I have 720 yards

Needles: Clover Hook size 3.5 (E)

Start Date: 2 December 2009

Finish Date: 17 December 2009

As usual I need testers for this. I need tester for the scarf version and also for the shawl version. I need tester that able to follow the written instruction only. Although the final pattern will have the nice diagram as always, I want to make sure that people can understand my written instruction. To tell you the truth, I actually can not understand my own written instruction, so I really need testers that ready to have headache.

Anybody????

Update:

I forgot to tell you the finished size.

Scarf: 47" across top edge, 23" long from centre top to point

Shawl: 84" across top edge, 40" long from centre top to point

And please let me know your email address so I can contact you.

Update:

I have enough testers.