My Life, My Journey

Hello!

2011-06-20T13:48:00.002+08:00

Wow, it had been over a year since my last post. Time flies. My knitting has been put on hold, my sewing has been put on hold but I have just started baking! Light cheesecake and cupcakes have been my favourites so far. I should share them here, hmmm! Maybe next post!

I am picking up my sewing needle again last night. I thought of making myself a laptop bag. Best friend was laughing at me for using a recycle bag as my laptop bag. Not giving myself any time limit this time. Just do it when I like. :) Will share more in the next post.

New house is not ready yet... I hope to get the key in coming Aug as our current place is so full right now. Hubby's books and games are all over the place!

Two New Experience

2009-10-25T08:30:00.006+08:00

Friday
Went clubbing at Upper Penang Road with a bunch of colleagues. It is something new for me as I had not been to places like this. The music was loud and it was dark. I tried to enjoy myself but ended up not understanding why do people enjoy going to the clubs. I prefer to have beer with roasted peanuts and my 32" TV, at home. In fact, we used to do that every Friday but stopped when the doctor advised HK not to take too much alcohol. Bad for his liver.

We arrived home around 4am in the morning. I took a shower as I could not stand the cigarette smell on my hair. Went to sleep around 4.45am after having a "talk" with Marney.

Saturday
HK's birthday. As usual, we went out. I found a new fabric shop at Pulau Tikus - Friendship Quilts. I bought 1 meter dark red fabric and 0.5 meter rose pattern fabric. The prices of fabrics are somehow comparable to Q Gallery in QueensBay. However, Q Gallery gives 10% discount on its older stock as long as you are a member. I will continue to visit both shops.

"Inglorious Basterds" - funny name for a movie but the impact of the movie hunted me whole afternoon. I heard people snoring in the middle of the movie. I do not understand why as I found the movie nice. If you like "The Pianist", you would most probably like this movie too.

Dinner was unhappy. We planned to have claypot rice and noodles at the food court inside Tesco Extra, Sungai Dua but we ended up having Bak Kut Teh at another place. The reason - A lady cut queue when we made order at the counter. I was unhappy and told her we were in a queue and you know what? She pretended that she didn't hear me. We then told the owner of the stall that we were there first and the owner was being ignorant as well. I did not leave and waited for my orders, thinking that we would get our order first. Nope, we didn't. HK complained to the owner again and the owner said, "Your noodle is ready, take it or leave it. If you do not want it, somebody will want it anyway." I was so pissed of with his rude attitude and walked away. I am not going to dine there anymore. Honestly, I have not experience anything like this when queuing up for food in Singapore. What's wrong with the education system here? Do teacher not teach the students to queue up at school? Or, they did not go to school at all?

Grrrr...

Sine Wave August

2009-08-21T22:04:00.004+08:00

Although mask is not something that guarantee you from getting the flu, but we wear them when we go out, as a pre-caution. Well, some people might give way to you if you wear mask, you know... a true experience: I was looking for something in the mall and a guy who was carrying his 2 year old son saw me coming from front. He was so afraid and moved away from me! Well, if he is so concern about his son, I suggest he keeps him at home.

It had been a crazy week and I still have tons of unfinished work. Anyway, I would like to stop thinking about it for a while to keep myself fresh and focus. I feel tired and I need some rest. So, I head to a shop and get myself a sewing machine. ^_^!!! I'm so going to start my quilting project soon and I will update it in my flickr. Stay tuned.

Life Goes On

2009-07-24T17:19:00.003+08:00

A lot of times in life, we have to make decisions. Big or small, is still a decision. Where do you want to eat today? A decision has to be made. What do you want to wear today? Another decision has to be made. Yesterday I have made a decision which I should have made half a year ago. It was a pain but that's the right thing to do. I believe so.

Life is a smile anyway! Believe in that and you will be happy everyday.

My Furkid

2009-06-19T09:33:00.002+08:00

I used to have a dog named "Blackie" when I was a teenager but he was an outgoing dog and you could only see him at home during the afternoons, resting. The rest of the time? He went out - social. There was once he came home around 3am in the morning and he had his head stuck on the gate's gap (he sneaked out through the gap) and my mum had to open the gate for him to come in. He sneaked out again the next day. No lessons learnt for him as having party is more important than risking his head stuck on the gap. What a dog. My father likes going for a morning tea everyday and there was once he caught Blackie in town. He fetched him home. Blackie was just a dog for us then.

Ok, enough of Blackie. Now Marney. Two weeks ago we noticed Marney was walking abnormally and his rear right leg seemed to be in trouble. He also had trouble standing up after a long sit. We went to the vet. While waiting to see the vet, I was so sad and shed tears. All negative imaginations struck my mind. I shed tears again when the vet had to sedate him for X Ray. VIP who was standing next to me said nothing but just looking at me.

As Marney is only 7 months old, surgery is not recommended. Glucosamine is given and if its' dysplasia is under control, we may wave off the surgery. For days, we went home during lunch just to check his condition. Now seeing that he is a happy kid again makes us happy. By the way, he has a new friend - Sepet. It is a friend's golden retriever and Marney enjoys playing with him. We bring Marney for a short walk every night and for that one day, we drove Marney there. For the following days, Marney would wait at the car whenever he passed by, hoping that we would bring him there again. He misses his friend. What a cute guy.

Making Decisions

2009-06-01T08:51:00.004+08:00

I used to think I could post at least 2 posts in a month but it seems like I was wrong. I missed the May post. Geez.

Nothing much had happened lately except I am moving towards safe cosmetic products. I have started with my body lotion when I switched from using a local made product to Rhone (http://www.rhonebotanicals.com/) which I have shopped online. They have sent me samples of other flavours and I have to say that I like using them, day and night. My skin needs them.

A colleague of mine asked, "why a sudden change in choosing the product?" "I want to stay healthy," I said. It all started when I checked the ingredients of my body lotion here, http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/. I was so shocked with some of the content and I thought, ok, I have a choice to make - throw it away. I suggest you to do the same. Check the ingredients of your shampoo, conditioner, shower cream ... etc. You will be puzzled with the results.

Please e-mail me if you have any safe product to recommend. I am looking for a good shampoo. Thanks.

A Small Accident

2009-04-19T00:00:00.005+08:00

I encountered an accident today when I was on my way back from getting Marney a new bowl...

After a "Bang!" sound, mother who was sitting next to me asked me what had happened. I - who was still in "not-sure-what's-going-on" mode, looked at the back and saw a blue local made car and suddenly I realized, "Oh, God! Someone banged into my car. Darn!" I switched off the engine, went out and checked the back of my car. The guy who banged me walked out from the car too and said, "Sorry, I will repair for you." Then a biker passed by and said, "Hey, move to the side! It's jammed at the back!" At first, I feel like punching the guy at his face and tell him "Hey! Do you mind? We have an accident here" but hold myself because I didn't really want to bother any other thing except my car. However, to clarify, yes, he was right.

We pulled our cars to the side and he called his workshop guy to take a look at my car. While waiting, I asked mother to jot down his plate number. Her hands were shaking. I guessed the accident shocked her. After a few minutes discussion, this is the conclusion: I'll bring my car to the workshop anytime I want and he will pay for the repair. Ok, done. I drove home.

This is not the first time my car was hit by another car, though. The last time was some months ago where an Aussie tourist banged his rented bike to the side of the car. It was raining and he was so shocked that we could see his face turned so pale. It was just a minor scratch so the story ends there.

Marney, Knitting & The Economy

2009-03-18T12:38:00.004+08:00

Marney would woke HK up around 6am in the morning to open the door for him as he needs to go to his toilet (which is placed outside the room). After that, he comes back to the room and waits for HK's alarm to ring. Once the alarm clock rings, he is the happiest dog in the world because it's time to eat! That's how we start our day. Marney.

I have been knitting "pleated wrap" lately. So far I have finished 2.5 balls of yarn and there are 7.5 balls of yarn to go. It's an easy and mindless project. I knit while watching TV at night. Because of this, I have put my 80% done red shawl aside. I am sorry, red shawl...

Due to the impact of bad economy, we have been more careful with our expences. We have postpone our trip to Vietnam. During a moment like this, I think it is best we keep our cash and spend only when there is a need to do so. We do not know what will happen tomorrow, honestly. People now say "Cash is King".

Happiness is when...

2009-02-07T23:08:00.006+08:00

... Marney is there waiting for us to go home after work.
... Marney learns some new word (in action).
... Marney runs home happily after HK place the house key in his mouth.
... Marney jumps on the bed.
... Marney finishes his food in a few minutes.
... Marney goes to pee / poo at the place where we prepare for him.
... Marney tries to get attention by touching our leg.
... Marney lick HK in the face and sometimes on the lips.

Marney is bringing tons of happiness to us.

Happy Ox Year

2009-01-27T08:52:00.003+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

This is the year of Ox and I wish everyone the best of health and wealth.

Marney or Money?

2009-01-16T13:00:00.008+08:00

When we brought him back, we decided to name him "Money". After a second thought, I've decided to name him "Marney" but VIP insists to call him Money. Ok, I will call him Marney and VIP will call him Money. Fine. As long as he understands.

We are teaching him what is "sit", where to poo & pee and shall teach him "shake hand" after he understands all these. I learn patient by just teaching him "sit". He is easily distracted. You need to make sure he is looking at you when you are talking to him.

So now we have new routine. Priority goes to Marney. I am now spending most of my TV time sitting in the living room playing and talking to Marney. He seems to understand what we say.

Happy One Year Anniversary!

2008-12-24T20:37:00.005+08:00

One year ago, we were having our engagement dinner at this very moment. This year, we celebrate our 1 year engagement by having our pre-wedding photographs taken.

It is instead a very tiring day! Long story in short:
10:00: Arrive Bridal Shop. Try one of the dresses.
10:15: 1st make-up & hair-do.
11:45: First dress photograph session.
12:30: 2nd make-up & hair do.
13:30: First dress still...
14:30: 3rd make-up & hair do.
15:00: Second dress photograph session.
15:45: Remove make-up, clothes changing.
16:15: Lunch + Dinner.
17:50: Photo picking session.
19:35: Go home.
20:00: Arrived home.

We shall see how the photos go in Jan/Feb 2009.

Bali Trip

2008-12-17T21:22:00.007+08:00

Overall, it was a fun trip and quite a new experience for us. This is the first time we went traveling in a group. Lots of nice scenery and we wish we could stay longer.

On the first day, we went to a show named "Barong & Kris Dance"; saw some crafty stuff such as Batik, Wood Craft, Painting & Silver Craft; enjoyed Batur Mount scenery from Kintamani while having our lunch; visited Pura Tirta Empul (a temple build around the sacred spring, Tampak Siring); visited Uluwatu Temple and finally a special BBQ dinner at Jimbaran Beach. Overall, I like Uluwatu Temple the most as the scenery made me wanted to stay longer.

On the second day, we went shopping (bought some dried abalone & Chinese medicine); visited Taman Ayun Temple; visited Beratan Lake (made a cute "tattoo" on leg); visited Tanah Lot Temple (had nice coconut juice & did some shopping here); visited a small coffee factory (their coffee beans are roasted without any additional stuff); went for a 2-hour oil massage (I love Ylang-Ylang's smell); walked along Kuta Beach at night.

On the third day, we went shopping again.

(^_^)

Crazy Week

2008-11-28T14:02:00.005+08:00

It had been a crazy week. Everything was prioritized as Number 1. I have only 2 hands and worked late almost everyday. I didn't have time to surf net and let alone knitting... I am so tired, mentally and physically.

Anyhow, I am not letting anyone or anything ruin my holiday.
I am so happy thinking of the place I am going! (^_^)

Nokia... Connecting People

2008-11-06T23:22:00.006+08:00

My old phone was accidently "soaked" in the sea water when we were playing games during the tembuilding function few months back. For weeks, I had to use VIP's phone and he had to use Mili's extra phone. After a few complaints from VIP, we switched phones. However, more problems rose. My friends from oversea had problem calling me, the battery didn't last long and my sisters were so frustrated because they couldn't reach me. Another few weeks later, I bought this. I am not able to explain how much I love this phone... especially the keypad and the colour.

Welcome, Nokia E71! I hope you'll serve me well with the price I paid for you!

Happiness comes from Attitude

2008-10-05T21:34:00.013+08:00

Why do you like to knit? "Because I like to knit"
Why do you choose white over yellow? "Because I like white more than yellow"
Why do you eat chicken and not beef today? "I feel like having chicken today"
... ... and so on.
Try to add "... and that makes me happy" behind all the answers. It connects!

When you are asked "what do you think about a person" that you do not know well...
Some examples that I have heard:
"What do you think about Ms X?" "She is pretty"
"What do you think about Mr Z?" "He is a smart person"
"What do you think about Mr Y?" "He is good looking"
Now, try to add "... but that has nothing to do with me" behind all the answers.

When you are asked "what you think about a person" that you know quite well...
Some examples that I have heard:
"What do you think about your boss?" "He treats me very well"
"What do you think about Mr X?" "He is a funny person"
"What do you think about Mr Z?" "He is a stingy person"
"What do you think about Ms Y?" "She is so arrogant"
"What do you think about your father? "He is smart and he always know what to do"
... ... and so on.
Now, try to add "... and that makes me happy/unhappy" behind all the answers.

Peter is a friend I know for over 2 years now and everyone knows that he is a guy who admire smart or technical people. He only talks about smart people. There was once I asked him about his new workplace and he said, "There is a very very arrogant guy sitting near me. He ignored me when I approached him" "Is he technically strong?" "Yes, but he is so arrogant."

VIP came back from work one day and I asked him, "What do you think about your supervisor?" (His supervisor is a guy who known for his hardwork and communication skills and VIP had been talking about that for so long now) VIP answered, "He treats me very well." I was surprised!

Everyday in life, we think that we do a lot of things to impress the others but in the end, others will always remember us as people who make them happy/unhappy. It doesn't matter if you are smart, good looking, popular or rich, because your attitude is how people look at you and remember you. So, if you really care about someone, make him/her happy.

Just a thought from me...

Food Poisoning... What a Day!

2008-10-04T17:38:00.003+08:00

I had stomachache since 4am in the morning and ran to toilet a few times before the sun rose. I tried to woke up and get ready to work but I was too weak to do anything. I continued to sleep and waited HK to come pick me up to see the doctor. I was so weak and hardly walk.

I spent whole day sleeping after taking the medicines. I didn't have appetite to eat and all I did was drinking isotonic drinks plus plain water. I throw up when I drank too much. Later the day, I had fever. I asked HK to cover me up with two thick blankets to make me sweat. I did and got better after that...

I can't imagine being sick like this again... I lost 1kg in just one day... Well, something good out of the sickness!

Food Poisoning, please go away and don't ever come back again. Fever, you too!

Little Chuckles Done!

2008-09-27T20:30:00.006+08:00

To be honest, I have problem following a pattern row by row. I lost my concentration after sometime... *shame* This project is a good start and you know what I mean. However, I have modified the sleeves - from long to short. I am using Four Seasons Miami yarn again. I just love it! Do you like this sweater? I do!

Glenn is coming over for a visit in Oct and I hope he will like it! Modeled photo, LATER!

September...

2008-09-24T14:59:00.002+08:00

Well, you might be thinking about Autumn at this very moment if you are living in a 4-seasons country. Malaysia is a seasonless country and the weather is hot throughout the year. Thus, I don't have much choices on both my knitting yarns & knitting projects. However, I have been addicted in knitting baby clothes lately and I am proud to say that "Little Chuckles" is almost done by now! I will show it in my next blog post (in next few days). I promise.

This is a slow month and I haven't done much... not to say about knitting, even reading is behind the schedule. I've promised a friend to send him the book once I am done (about two months ago) and yet the book is still on the table collecting dust... I tell myself to finish it by end of the month. I hope I can do it.

We are planning for another holiday in December. Another famous beach. Looking forward to it!

Things Change and Life Goes On

2008-08-30T20:21:00.003+08:00

I was trying out the DVD "I am Sam" which I intend to send to a friend. One thing I really like about the movie... Sam's love over Lucy suppresses his fear to change.

How many of us really like changes in our daily life? I know I don't but still, things change everyday. Like it or not, we have to move along with the changes. That's how we learn to be tougher, brighter and happier.

Simple Question

2008-08-07T17:12:00.006+08:00

"When was the last time you feel happy, and with who?"
A very close friend of mine asked me few days ago. It is a simple question but with powerful answer.

Have you ask yourself the same question lately?

Koh Samui Trip

2008-07-21T12:21:00.006+08:00

Day 1 (18th July)
Arrived Koh Samui International Airport around 14:30 local time. The airport itself looks like a resort, facinating! Very creative of the person who designed it! On the way from airport to the resort, we could only see some small houses and small shops and VIP whispered, "Honey, where are we going?" He looked so worry and I said, "it's okay. Don't worry" After 20 minutes ride, I asked VIP, "Hmmm... after 20 minutes and we are not there yet." He laughed and said, "Yeah, where is he bringing us?" Finally after a 35 minutes ride, we arrived at the resort and they welcomed us with some herbal drinks (which I think is a mixture of ginger, lemon and honey). We checked in, rent a bike at 250 Baht per day and went out exploring the island. We stopped at Tesco Lotus to buy some doughnuts and then some crafts from a craft shop. We didn't manage to see any beach as we were not travelling along the beach. We went back to the resort and went swimming in the pool. We had a Thai style dinner and I was extremely exhausted! I fell slept without brushing my teeth! But!! I wake up in the middle of the night just to do that. Teeee... Heeee... :-p

Day 2 (19th July)
After the breakfast, we headed Chaweng Beach, the "heart" of Koh Samui. We followed the map and stopped in front of McDonald Restaurant. From there, we walked to the beach. It was still early and there weren't much people. At first, we wanted to try the jet ski but 800 Baht for 20 minutes is a little expensive for me. So, we tried Kayaking. Guess how much? 200 Baht for 1 hour! However, we returned the Kayak after 30 minutes because VIP felt dizzy. After changing our clothes, we had a drink at Starbucks. I ordered a hot chocolate.

We then continued our journey... watched monkey show (quite dissapointed with this), sea view from Hilltop, Hintai Hinyai (bought some clothes and souvenirs here) and lunch at KFC in Big C Hypermarket. I was exhausted and with some sun burnt on my shoulder, I told VIP, "let's go back to the resort." We returned our bike around 4pm and I took a nap before swimming in the pool. Dinner was unplanned. We were walking along the resort and saw a nice restaurant. The Vietnamese style noodle was nice!

Day 3 (20th July)
Wake up around 8am and I had rice porridge for breakfast. Greatest porridge ever! Very special indeed. We then headed to the beach for a short walk. It was early and the beach had no foot print on it. It was a cloudy morning and with soft breeze blowing, I was thinking, how nice if I could just stay here for another day! VIP took a lot of photos and he was so happy seeing some fish and crabs in the water. What a man, easily satisfied with these little things!

The oil massage was great and we both enjoyed it very much! Lunch was simple (Stir Fried Rice Noodles with lots of chicken meat in it) and we checked out early. We were early when we arrived at the airport. Finally when we came to the departure room, I was surprised that it looked so much like a hotel lobby! They even had a tank of fishes in the ladies' room. Impressive! Free food and drinks were provided, free internet access...

Arrived home around 11pm. Great vacation. Looking forward to another one, Vietnam perhaps?

July - A Hectic Month!

2008-07-08T10:19:00.004+08:00

July is a hectic month for both of us for 3 huge reasons:-

i. Annual Increment

VIP had been working really hard over the year to get recognized. Indeed, he got a promotion and a good rating but with an increment which is below his expectation. It hurts to see how sad and demotivated he is after talking to his supervisor. Blame the downturn. Me on the other hand, is still waiting for my review. I hope it will be a good one!

ii. A new LCD TV
Yay! Welcome on board, 32" LCD Panasonic. Finally we have a nice television hanging on the wall. I love watching tv and this is something I've been waiting for over the past two years. We were trying it out last night and wow... there IS a difference between 17" LCD monitor and 32" LCD TV!

iii. Thailand Trip
Koh Samui, I am coming! VIP confirmed the room booking and alerted the hotel to pick us up at the airport upon our arrival. Everything is ready! I even have my clothes picked. What to wear, when to wear... I even had a pedicure! He has been busy with his camera to ensure that he take good photos. "I want to take nice photos of you and the Island" he told me. Lovely Man!

Lessons Learnt and Life As It Goes

2008-06-04T11:03:00.002+08:00

There is always a low and peak in our lifes and I have encountered a low two days ago. How did I manage to get through with a smile on my face? I think good out of the bad and learn from it. I have read it somewhere before, "Thank the person who hurt you, because they make you stronger". I agree. I practice Learn and Forgive. Some people might say, Forgive and Forget. To me, that's wrong. You will never learn if you forget.

My friend, Thank You.
Things will never be the same again.

Things About Me Which You Might Not Know R01.01

2008-05-19T23:11:00.008+08:00

1. I don't drink from a dark colour cup/mug. I feel so uncomfortable if I have to.
2. I wash my hands once in every one to two hours.
3. I wash my bed sheet & towel only after I soaked them in boiling water + detergent.
4. I love dark chocolate, preferably 50 to 70%.
5. I've been using the same mobile phone for the past 4 years. Ask me about the the latest mobile phone and I'll say, "I don't know".
6. I don't like to sleep late at night, unless there is a special occasion.
7. Europe is the place where I really want to go.
8. I enjoy listening to country & old old songs.
9. My favourite food so far: Raw/Grilled Salmon.

The list will grow... ^_^

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-02T00:29:00.002+08:00

1st May is my birthday and I am so lucky to have a holiday for my birthday every year! I've got myself an early birthday present few days back and had my fiance pay for it, hahaha!

He brought me to his favorite place for lunch today - Seoul Garden. He had been wanting to go there for so so long... It's funny, it's my birthday but he got to choose where to go! We watched "IronMan" too! It's a simple birthday celebration, but that's what I like. I really do not like party or anything similar to that as I do not enjoying staying in a crowd.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for a birthday present which travels from the other side of the world and I have no idea what it is. Jo, it's late!

A day before my birthday, Patrick (my colleague) bought me two slices of cakes. It's very creative and nice of him to do that and I really appreciate it. Thanks, Patrick! To keep that in memory, I purposely took some photos and post them here... Here they are...

Yarns I bought at Dongdaemun

2008-04-25T20:28:00.004+08:00

When I know that I was going to Korea, the only thing in my mind was yarn. These are the yarns I bought during my business trip in Korea... I just took the photo few hours ago and had them edited using Picasa. Are they nice? I love them.

Sweet Amber Goes Botanical Garden

2008-04-11T19:15:00.006+08:00

My Sweet Amber is now finished and finally I have time to take a few pictures of it. This Top is a heavily modified pattern from Cobblestone and I took 3 months to finish it. I like it so far and I am going to give it to my younger sister, Mili. I hope she likes it too. ^_^

Left Brain and Right Brain

2008-04-04T14:38:00.004+08:00

This was the topic when I was having lunch with my fiance today. In details:

Me: I think photography and knitting really help in developing my creativity. Also, I find huge satisfaction when people praise my work in Flickr, either knitted work or photography.
He: That's good.
Me: Engineers are always "Yes, No" or "Pass, Fail" and always ask for fact. I think it is good if we can balance up our left brain and right brain by doing some different thing after office hours. A person's brain which skewed too much to logical side (left brain) will not be a happy person and seriously, I did see some of these people in my company. Their lives are not balance, they are always alert and very serious in their work. I am not saying that being serious is bad, but after working hours, you should be relaxed.
He: You can start to conduct a class, you know. You will earn a lot!
Me: Very funny! But seriously, I like to observe how people talk and how people act. You can actually see a lot of things by just observing how a person talks. There is no hidden side of a person if you observe well enough. I believe that.
He: Hmmm...

What do you think? Are you using both sides of your brains?

Sweet Amber 95% Done

2008-04-03T20:28:00.004+08:00

My Sweet Amber is almost done by now. One more sleeve lace to go and I will be able to model it and take some pictures. Hopefully I will be able to wash and block it this coming weekend... As for now, I need to think of a place to model my Sweet Amber. Pictures below show the neck seaming and sleeve lace knitting. I am so glad to have the Sony DSLR!

Mighty Whity - Simple Pattern!

2008-03-31T11:06:00.045+08:00

I wrote this pattern over a year ago and this is my very very first pattern written. It is written in women's size S. "Mighty Whity" is the result of the combination of two rectangular(s). Do drop me an e-mail if you want to ask anything about the pattern and let me know if you would love to have this pattern in .pdf file.

MIGHTY WHITY
by Andra
SIZE
Women's size small (S).

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Width 14”
Length 19”

MATERIALS
Yarn: FOUR SEASONS Miami (100% mercerized cotton; 120 yd [110m]/50g): #1 white, 4 balls.
Needles: A tapestry needle and a pair of Size 6 (4mm) straight knitting needles.
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

GAUGE
24 sts and 30 rows = 4” in pattern on size 6 (4mm) needles after blocking.
1 pattern rep = 1” wide and 1” high on size 6 needles after blocking.

STITCH GUIDE
Fishtail Lace: (Multiple of 8 sts +1)
Row 1: (RS) k1, *yo, k2, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, k1; rep from * to end.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl
Row 3: k2, *yo, k1, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k3; rep from * to last 7 sts, yo, k1, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2.
Row 5: k3, *yo, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yo, k5; rep from * to last 6 sts, yo, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3.
Rep Rows 1 to 6 for pattern.

BACK
CO 89 sts. Next row: knit. Next row: purl. Work in Fishtail Lace pattern (see Stitch Guide) until piece measures 19” from CO. (You may knit longer). Bind off.

FRONT
Repeat exactly like Back piece.

FINISHING
Join shoulders (top of back piece and front piece), 12 sts each side. Join side seams (sides of the back piece and front piece), 78 rows each side. Trim off ragged threads.
optional: Lace may be added around the sleeves to look more girlish.

STITCH GLOSSARY
co: cast on
k: knit
p: purl
psso: pass sl st over k st
rep: repeat
sl: slip
tog: together
yo: yarn over

Copyright 2008 by andraknits. All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission.

Cleaning Up My Blog

2008-03-28T21:25:00.004+08:00

You might be surprised to see that I have deleted most of my posts. Well, there is no special reason... just cleaning up my blog. I will keep on writing and post better pictures. ^_^

Finally, I have the chance to take some better pictures of "Baggy Blue" which I knitted about a year ago. It keeps me warm although it is knitted using 100% Cotton.

Meanwhile, I am in the middle of sketching out the pattern for my new project, Sweet Amber. I am a beginner in this and I hope it will be a good one. ^_^

Sunflower Top Goes Gurney!

2008-03-09T14:24:00.009+08:00

I wake up feeling good today... It is instead a historical day for Penang! I hope the new state government will make some differences and do whatever they can for the people of Penang. I am not from local, but I wish the same change will happen in my hometown too.

After taking stir fried rice for breakfast (I cooked myself), HK and I headed to Georgetown. After driving around Georgetown and took some pictures, we went to Gurney Plaza. Both of us were having good time taking pictures as I was wearing my Sunflower Top!

70's, 80's & 90's TV Series

2008-02-17T22:33:00.003+08:00

I was chatting with mum and sis about those TV series we watched when we were really young. Out of all the TV series they mentioned, I can only remember these:

1. Beauty & The Beast
2. Little House on the Prairie
3. MacGyver
4. Beverly Hills 90210

Does it ring any bell to you?
I really miss watching those.

My Engagement -- 24th Dec 2007

2007-12-26T20:27:00.005+08:00

Day 1 (20th Dec):
Our holidays begun... We spent around 5 hours waiting at the LCCT, KL. No chairs provided inside the terminal and we had to sit on the trolley. There were so many people in the terminal, most probably due to the holiday season. I spent 5 hours sitting on the trolley knitting this new project: Sunflower Top. Again, I knit it in circular. I am falling in love with Addi circular needles!

Day 2 (21st Dec):

We had an early breakfast (7am) at a coffee shop and after that my future mother in law bought me a pair of bracelets. I was told that I have to wear that on the 24th dinner... This is the first gift from her. Yippiesss... ^_^

It was a day which we celebrated the arriving of winter season (dong zi, following the lunar calendar) although there is no winter in Malaysia. We had dinner at the restaurant and the dinner was great, but what came later was funny and I could never forget. My future parents in law like to have the windows wind down while driving. Somehow, a "blind" bat flew into the car and everyone went panic and shouting like crazy! (yes, I am sure you can imagine that) Everyone went silent when the bat landed somewhere in the car. Nobody moved and when the car passed through a spot where light shone into the car, we saw that the bat was actually landed itself on my future BIL's lap! Future SIL who was sitting next to him got shocked and shouted "aahhhhhhh!!!!" and my future FIL stopped the car immediately. My bf opened up the door and then "shhhhhuuuhhh" the bat away. That was the first experience... of getting so close with a BAT!

Day 3 (22nd Dec):

We wake up around 5am as we had to catch the 6am bus. It was the longest journey ever and I do not think I will want to take bus again... I felt sick and tired... Luckily, we arrived my hometown around 3pm and the first thing I did was rushing to the bed and took a nap. We had dinner with my grandma that night. The BBQ duck was really nice... :-)

Day 4 (23rd Dec):

Two breakfasts, a lunch and a superb dinner... nothing much besides that.

Day 5 (24th Dec):

It was my big day, but I wasn't nervous at all. HK came over early and helped me to hang the red cloth on the front door. I took only a piece of biscuit for lunch as I do not want to look bad in the cheong sam. Future MIL, mom, Mili and I went to the saloon around 3.30pm and came out around 5pm. We had our hair done and both the moms had their faces nicely "coloured". Total cost: 100myr. Super cheap! We rushed to the hotel around 6pm and arrived there around 6.15pm... some "bracelets wearing" and "rings exchanging" ceremonies were done in the hotel room and pictures were taken. We then rushed down to the restaurant (the restaurant was at 1st floor and the hotel room was at 3rd floor) and some of the relatives had actually arrived. There were total 5 tables including us. The food was great... The dinner was simple and ended around 10pm. My legs weren't mine after that... I hope I do not have to go through this again...

Day 6 (25th Dec):
Christmas Day! It is also the day we have to come back to Penang... so sad, the whole trip was too rush and I didn't even have time for myself. However, it's good that everything went smoothly...