A bag that I'm currently working at

Working at this bag recently. It is the same version of the bag that I done for sister for Christmas. It is knitted on 6mm bamboo needle and I made it a larger handle so that it can be hang on the arm. One handle has been attached to the body of the bag. Most properly I will finish it after Chinese New Year break and will show it then.

What's knitting?

Started this project two weeks ago while me and Hubby were on a short vacation to "Pangkor Island". It's knitted on the gauge of 28 stitches x 40 rows using recycled cotton yarn obtained from a pullover that I bought from a reject shop, pattern from a vintage crafty book of "Make It Yourself". By such a small gauge, I guess this will be a long going project, finished object would only be shown in at least 3 months later or maybe even in more longer time. I hope I'll not drag it's progress and get it done faster. I'm now on the 3rd repeat of the pattern and it's about 6" from the bottom. The feel of this cotton is kind of soft and light as well, the only draw back is the bad slipping of the yarn, very bad till if I'm not carefully knitting those stitches, one or two ply of the thread will left out, thus making the knitting slow too. Anyway, I do hope this yarn will make this proejct comfry and more cooling to wear in humid weather here.

Cotton Friend magazine

I've searching and looking for "Cotton Friend" magazine since last November. However I can't be able to find it everytime I visit to the magazine stall that used to sell this magazine. I've been disappointed and thought that it would not be selling at local magazine stalls anymore. Last night, just trying to search for it while I went for window shopping at the mall, I found it!! The magazine stall hide those Japanese magazine underneath the shelves, you couldn't notice it once glance from it's shelves, they are just stalk up and not arrange. I was just so happen to peek underneath the shelves to see what they have, and there I saw them. Stupid magazine storekeeper, he never arrange the magazines, such a nice magazine, he goes hide them underneath the shelve, even stalk it high up till the top, I need to pull it out hard until a guy that stand next to the shelve reading magazine keep wondering what am I doing, pulling something underneath the shelve. It have teach me a lesson, next time if I go to the same stall to search for "Cotton Friend", I'll remember to search underneath their shelves, in case they hide the magazines again. However, I only be able to buy the Winter issue of the magazine, Autumn issue was over and I've missed it. Maybe I'll go search for it at Kinokuniya, they did sell this magazine but more expensive, double the price compare to magazine stall. No choice, hopefully it's still available there.

Make it yourself

I found these two vintage early 70's crafty books called "Make it yourself" during my last visit to a local second hand book store. I was so thrilled when I found them on the shelves, never aspect I could find such good source of crafty book here. Without hesitation I've bought them home. The books have lots of crafty goodies inside and the knit wears are so nice, love the patterns, would wanted to knit all of them if I could.I definitely will go back to the book store to search for other issues of this book again.

Lets have a peek inside those books. I have got some of the knit wear pictures shown here, aren't they nice?

Flowery tote

I'm in the mood of making bags recently, see what I've made, a tote bag. I used some of the leftover fabric from previous projects to complete it. It's my own pattern. Instead of a square tote, I made it abit rounded added pleats on it's bottom. Those flowers are handmade as well, they are the same as the one that I've made for the scallop top. I like the handle and inner lining fabric which are vintage 70's cotton, the little flowers are really cute, thus making the bag look more cuter when peeking inside.

Here is the inner view of the bag, I love the small flower print of the fabric.

Scallop stitch top finished

I've done this top over the New Year break last weekend. Kind of please with how it turn out and I love the colour, my favorite colour. However, the flower that I attached on it seem awkward, doesn't match at all. I've tried to place it on different spot of the top, none of them seem nice with it. I think I would not attached the flower at all when wearing.

The scallop pattern of this top seem intricated to knit, in fact none at all, it's fast and easy to knit. I knitted it based on a pattern I found from one of the Chinese knitting book that I bought some time ago, a compact pattern book which contained more than 300 patterns in one book. I believed those are copied and translated from Japanese knitting book cause I saw the same pictures and patterns before.

Since this project was off from the needle, I'll start another new project soon. I'll use the recycled yarns from one of the knit wear that I unravelled last few months ago. No particular pattern in mind yet, I guess I'll knit another top, maybe a sleeveless top.