Yarn purchase

I've just ordered some yarns from Elann, it's my second order with them. I'm very satisfy with their service and their prices are reasonable and cheap too. This time I choose surface shipping instead of airmail, surface shipping is more cheaper. Since I'm not in need of the yarns so urgently, I don't mind them to arrive in a month time. Yet, I'm still untouch my previous yarns purchased from them, so it's not in hurry. No particular projects in mind for these yarns yet, I just buy first and will keep it for future suitable project that I come across. Here are the pictures and details of the yarns.

Katia Denim
Fibre content : 40% cotton/40% acrylic /20% nylon
Gauge : 14sts/4" at 7-8mm needle
Yardage : 90m (98yards)
Colour : Sandshell

Lana Grossa Toccata
Fibre content : 100% gassed mercerised cotton
Gauge : 26sts/4" at 3.5-4.5mm needle
Yardage : 110m (120yards)
Colour : 1) Butterscotch and 2) Pearl peach

p/s : Mini : You should buy a sewing machine, I'm sure you'll enjoy sewing as well as knitting.

Bag to make

New project has been set in on Sew?i knit sew-along group, it's a bag project this time. I already have few ideas in mind for what kind of bag to make, however I haven't decide which one that I'll be doing and what fabric to use. Here are some bag's pictures that I got from Bellne, a Japanese online shop's catalogue. Those bags are nice and I'm thinking of making one of them in my own version, similar to those in the pictures.

This bag looks very feminine and coincidently I got lots of rattan ring that left over in my stash. Those rattan rings are for some bags that I've done previously and they're just left unuse in my storeroom, such a waste for not using them. I might do some changes and adjustments based on this bag pattern to come out one of my own version. Still searching for the right fabric and need to work out the measurement and pattern. Will be a challenging project for me if I do this bag.

This is a very simple and nice tote bag, I like the embroidery flower on it's body. The flower motives made the tote looks more interesting and the colour combination is just so matching. I might do this one if I can get the right fabric and flower motives to work on.

Back of crochet top done

The back of the green crochet top has been done last weekend. This project is easy and fast to do, in just one week plus I've done the back and at the neckline shapping on the front, it's about 4" to finish. Hope to get it all done next week before April is coming.

Cabled bag

Well, it's done. My third knitted bag, a small and handy bag to carry. I've attached a handmade flower brooch to make it more interesting.

Many of you must have been wondering how I made the bag's handles. Well, honestly speaking I'm not good in explanation and I really don't know how to put it in works. Rather, I'll lead you to a bag's pattern that I discovered at Craftster. This bag is very similar to what I've done, in fact it's more lovier than mine, have a look and I'm sure you'll like it.

Lovely leafly spring bag

Sew i knit skirt finished

I've done the first project of sew i knit but I'm not quite satisfy with the outcome, the skirt look very girlie to me. It seem kind of funny on me and not quite suits my age. Feel very disappointed, guess I might do another skirt to compensate the earlier one. This time I'll do a A-Line skirt instead of a flare one, no idea what kind of fabric I'll be using, it might depend on what fabrics that I got in my stash.

This picture show the skirt which is half way done, without the lace and ribbon and the bottom picture is the finished skirt with lace and ribbon attached to the skirt on it's layer. I prefer the first one, and if I really done feel comfortable with the lace and ribbon, I might take out the embellishment and go without them.

Sewing and crochet

I've started sewing my skirt last weekend, it's not finished though, I still need to install the elastic band and hemming the skirt bottom. Slow due to lots of disturbances during the process. I've try the skirt on without the band and it looks fine on me, hopefully it will. I'll try to finish it in these few days and will show more pictures then.

I always wanted to crochet a top but never found any nice pattern to until I saw this one. It's a sleeveless crocheted top with knitted double ribbing on all the edges. Kind of a lovely top and look feminine as well. I use a recycled yarn that I frogged from a cardigan that bought from local reject outlet. This yarn is not quite suitable for knitting as it splits badly, coincidently the colour and texture matches with this crochet top pattern, at least it could be used rather than wasted cause the cardigan that I bought sized XXXL, moreover it was a back of time fashion, I look like an old lady on it. Anyway, it's progressing well on the green top. *Cross my finger*

I'm still progressing slowly on my vintage top, pretty slow that I only knitted few rows per day. It's about 7" from the bottom, way to go. Guess it will be a long going project for me. Hopefully I won't get bored and keep it works till finished.

Start making my skirt

I've drafted the pattern and cut all the portions of the skirt to be last weekend. The fabric is thin, thus I've set in small seam allowances so that when I press the seam open, it would be less visible when wearing. Zipper sewing is kind of difficult on thin fabric and it will easily split the fabric if not careful, so in order to avoid such thing happen, I'll install elastic band instead of zipper.

At the same time, I also cut the fabrics for the cabled bag handles, it'll be in rectangle shape with an oval opening in the middle. When I tried to match the handle to the cabled knit, I found out that the body was too long and it look awful. Therefore I unraveled it about 3" to shorter the length and it looks better. Will try to sew up the handle while I work for the skirt, hopefully I can get both done by this weekend.