Wedding count down…6…picture

It seems like a norm to enlarge one of your favourite picture and put it at the wedding reception for people to see. My hubby-to-be didn’t seem to like the idea but I like it so I enlarged one of my favourite engagement shots…done in London England.

I have to say….everything that we are trying to do are very smooth. Like this picture, I tried to enlarge it at Loblaws. I had the image downloaded on the thumb drive, got into the store and asked them to do it for me. The lady said it’s such a big picture (I wanted to enlarge to 20″x30″), and it has to be done online because Fuji has to do it at their shop. Unless I have it downloaded on a disc, then they can send it out for me. So I go, okay, how long does it take? 5 days. Seems fair, and I got a week and a half. When I did it online on my computer the same night, the checkout page says it takes 10-15 business days! What does it mean?! I freaked and called loblaws the next day and they said yes, the online information is correct. I said but I need it next weekend because I need it for my wedding! Her first reactoin was “if you did it online, you can’t cancel the order”. I said, I am willing to pay more…can you help me. She said she can call Fuji shop and see what they can do. She can’t promise much but she will try. An hour later, she called and they said Fuji is actually very quiet so it shouldn’t be any problem to meet my deadline, and asked me to call in a few days to see the status. The same night, got an email from Fuji saying the photo is done! Loblaws called me the next day saying the photo is delivered! How kind! This is just one example of the flow of our wedding. Everything happened for a reason and they just come together nicely.

Wedding count down…6 more days!

Count down…9…Just the Way You Are

I was thinking of what to post related to our wedding. But then I didn’t want to reveal too much to spoil the surprise. So I thought to reveal our wedding theme song:

Just the way you are by Billy Joel

Attached a beautiful sunrise view from my condo

Life is beautiful. Everyday is a new chapter. Enjoy!

Count down….13 more days to our wedding

Can’t believe it’s less than 2 weeks away from our wedding! It’s actually getting exciting and we’re down to final details. Those details are actually very minor….and I don’t think they even matter if they’re not done on the big day.

I’m one of those brides who are extremely calm, peaceful…I actually surprised myself! Not “bridezila” for sure! I hope I will enjoy the day…and able to remember it.

The picture you see above is actually related to my wedding. I made my own bridal bouquet, with the help of my mom, dad. Instead of using fresh flowers, I’m using Swarovski crystals. It’s very time consuming to twist every single crystals with the wires….but it’s worth it because the final bouquet is just gorgeous.

Don’t forget to come back to check out my count down! I will try my best to post some information related to my wedding during this period!

Happy New Year with my new shawl Haruni

Hello my fellow Knitters – Happy New Year!    I wish you all will have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2011!!!

Please forgive me….it has been busy.  With my wedding coming in less than 3 weeks, and the hectic workload at work, I got no time for my knits!  What a shame.  I wanted to start the new year with a new post.  Hope I can keep the blog up!

My dear friend Lillian gave me a birthday gift – Sundara Yarn – fingering silky merino in Wonders of Delight.  What a beautiful yarn it is.  I used it to make the Haruni.  Hey how can you say no to such a beautiful free pattern?! If you have Ravelry login, you will be able to download this free pattern. If not, give me a shout and I can email the link to you

Now look at the beautiful yarn…

Now look at my beautiful shawl!!!

I highly recommended this pattern.  It took me a while to finish it (nearly 3 months!) but I have a good excuse because I was busy preparing my wedding that’s coming up.  I was basically knitting this shawl while taking the subway to Richmond Hill every Saturday, and during the Christmas Holiday.  The pattern is easy to remember as you go along.  Although the last few rows were nearly 500 stitches, the end result is worth it.  And I tried to knit the shawl while watching TV so it flew by. 

The yarn was the most luxurious I could ever ask for.  It’s soft as butter, drape nicely, and it got such a beautiful colourway with blue and a hint of green.  Thank you again Lillian!

I will try to keep my post up to review my wedding plan.  Keep coming back!

Happy New Year Again…may you all be happy and healthy in 2011!!

Test Knitting – Easy Bamboo Lace Scarf by Michelle Miller

Have you ever done test knitting for the fellow knitters?  Well, this is my second try and it’s a fun one!

My best friend Lillian told me she was test knitting for somebody and she was thinking of having her creation  published as well….then I thought, hey, I should try test knitting for others again!  So I joined the Ravelry Testing Pool group, and Test Knitting Testers, and found Fickleknitter to test her Easy Bamboo Lace Scarf. Lucky me, I got chosen and I got a chance to test knit this easy and fun scarf!

I first chose Habu’s Cotton Gima to try on this pattern. But then I figured it didn’t show the pattern well so I have changed to Habu’s Tsumugi Silk Yarn. Here’s how it looks like:

After blocking, the Tsumugi Silk is showing really well. And I love it. The 12 rows lace pattern is also showing well:

Don’t you love it? It’s a very nice layering piece for a cool morning in the spring or fall. And it definately adds some style with the lace pattern! And the best of all, the pattern is just a combo of knit, purl, k2together, ssk, and yo. I love lace pattern….

Here’s the one that’s made with Habu Cotton Gima. Pretty yarn but I didn’t like the effect. Maybe it will be better after blocking?! Any advice?

Here’s the close up:

The test knitting is mission completed. Now got to go back to the long waiting Blithe. Finished the left front, now working on the right front, and then finished the back. Do you think I can finish it in time to wear it this summer?! Wish me luck!

Hey, Knitty fall is out too!! Don’t missed it if you haven’t visited!

Update

It has been a while since my last post! I thought I would drop a line or two before my vacation back in March; but then all the last minute vacation planning and packing didn’t allow me to write a post; then I thought I would write a post on my trip and all the catch up both at home and at work didn’t make it happen.

Then my boyfriend and I decided our next big step in life….yes, we’re getting married! Long waited blog…now it’s finally time to update it.

We went to Paris and London for 2 weeks in March. The weather wasn’t the best because it was still cold and damp; but it was sure romantic to go with your love one to such beautiful places.

Here’s a view of the London Eye night view, with my Clapotis made with Noro of course!

Eiffel Tower, with my Clapotis

Picture at Eiffel Tower, again with my Clapotis

I swear….if I didn’t bring my Clapotis with me, I would have been dead with coldness! 

In this period, I also finished a shawl.

This is the Abrazo with Sea Silk.  I didn’t have a lot of yarn since I bought two skeins and I used one and a partial to make a scarf for my good friend Lillian.  I was knitting as I go and I got this restult.  Pretty happy with it!  Seasilk is just so soft to touch and wear.

And on my needles, it’s a cotton blend my mom got me from HK few years back. I am working on Blithe by Kim Hargraves. Love her design.

They came in cakes and it’s so heavy because of its weight! The owner just told my mom it’s pure cotton and 4 balls is enough to make a woman top. Without any gauge, needles, or contents information, all I can do is try. I am doubling it on a 3mm needle.

I am knitting in round since the pattern is pretty simple; but my gauge is way off so I had to modify my stitches. It’s a slow progress becasue it’s on 3mm needles and with my busy schedule I am only knitting a row or two every night. I wonder if I can finish it this summer and got to wear it once or twice before it’s over?! Wish me luck!

FO: Baby Cables and Big Ones too

So proud of myself….a year later, this sweater is finally DONE!!!

I cast on this sweater in January 2009. It was a Love at first sight pattern. Love how simple it is and yet sophisicated with the big and small cables. Just love it.

It’s a top down cardigan, started with big and baby cables. The pattern was easy to follow and I love chart knitting. After the cables are all done it was just knit in round. It’s a fine yarn too so it takes quite a long time to finish one round. From there I guess I just put it down and keep thinking I will come back to it later. By the time summer comes, I had no intention of knitting merino wool and cashmere….it was just too hot….after finished the wedding for my sister and moving, I restarted it again. Good that I kept notes!

I think I was a little too greedy…I should have knitted one size bigger, and honestly it’s a little tight on me and I ended up increase more stitches by the belly area. I also increase the length of the sweater by 4 inches becasue I like it longer and I also do a couple more rows of the stockinette rows so it doesn’t curl.

Pattern:Baby Cables and Big Ones too from 50 villapeikkoa
Yarn: Lana Gatto VIP in pastel blue, 6 skeins
Needles: 3.5mm

One last thing. The yarn is LOVELY to knit with. IT’s so soft to touch and slide so easily on the needles. They were on sale I guess it’s becasue it has been discontinued. But it contains cashmere! Who can say no to cashmere?!?! Stock up if you see them in store. Remember though, becasue it’s wool and cashmere, you have to like being cozy…otherwise you will find it too hot. But for a cold person like me, it’s perfect!

Season’s Greetings with new FO

Seasons’s greetings everybody! 

How was your Christmas?  Mine is a little different this year.  Moved out from the family and spent the holiday seasons with

my love one in the new home.  It’s actually quite special!  We don’t have a big celebration but it’s very peaceful and calm.

Boxing day is a big deal in Canada; and yet it has became a boxing week, and this year, the boxing week started even in November!  We got everything that we needed before Christmas; but it’s nice to go with the flow and got into the crowd at Eaton Centre in Toronto.  What a crowd!  I didn’t take any pictures but I saw a lot of people with bags of goodies.  I didn’t buy anything.  Once I saw the line up for the cashier, I basically stepped out of the store – too many people!

I accomplished to knit a bit and finished something!  Dameson by Ysolda was done in Habu’s kid mohair in two tones.

A creamy white and a charocal grey. I think it turned out okay. Honestly, not as good as I thought becasue I tend to like pink or purple colours. I guess this colour combo will be easier for me to match the wardrobe since all jackets I have are black. What do you think?

Other than finishing this scarf. I also finished another sweater a while back. Will post this soon! Stay tuned!

My new condo

I can’t believe it’s fall already! Or should I have said where was the summer?! This past couple months have been busy. One of the big events for me was to be the maid of honour for my sister. It’s the second wedding in the family and of course I am involved in helping. From the discussion with the DJ, to the font of the invitation cards, I was all involved. The worst is that the wedding was the hottest day of the whole summer and my maid of honour dress went from dry to wet, and wet to dry, and dry to wet again. But it was a beautiful, touching, and memorable wedding.

It was a overcast night, but it still shows the moon well. Other than seeing the sunrise or moon view from my living room, I can also see the sunset from the dining room.

The second biggest events I have done in the past couple months was that I MOVED!!! It’s our first new home and we moved in as a owner and it’s the most exciting ever! The best is that we got a good view from our high rise condo home. Isn’t the view amazing? This is only part of the view and if my camera has a wide angle, the CN tower would be in the picture too.

MY family was over for a house warming and also the full moon festival. I have never seen a full moon’s reflection on the lake before. Do you know it can turn the lake into silver colour? Gorgeous….

As for the projects on the needle, a cardigan, a shawl, and a pair of slippers are on the go. Stay tuned as I will review them in my next post!

Wedding Gail Shawl in Silk

I hate last minute project. This shawl was one of them becasue I wanted to make a shawl for my baby sister to wear at my second sister’s wedding. The first shawl that I finished for her, unfortunately, she didn’t like it. She wanted an ivory colour to match to her dress’s ribbon, instead of a colour that will match to her dress. Oh well…..got to pick yarn again and keep knitting. Two weeks later, it’s finished and she loved it. Then it’s my turn and the time it’s getting tight. Good that I got a new stash from my best frined Lillian. It’s a cultivated silk yarn she got from a local yarn. It’s extremeley fine but it’s gorgeous.

Knitting shawl is a satisifying process as you see it grows inch by inch. If it’s a lace shawl, you can see the pattern started to come through – isn’t it gorgeous?

The shawl was made in time to wear for my sister’s wedding. The “funniest” thing was that the wedding day was the record high temperature, and guess what, I didn’t get to wear it! It was so hot and humid that I couldn’t even imagine putting the shawl on my shoulder. DAWN!!! Well, the Gail shawl is so pretty….maybe I get to use it for my own wedding in the future!

Cheers.