Horrible Customer Service Experience

On my way home from my knitting class at Personal Threads yesterday afternoon, I've decided to pass by the other knitting store, String of Purls. I purchased the "50 Baby Booties to Knit" book and asked a question about a pattern in the Debbie Bliss book that I bought from that store 2 weekends ago.

I was assisted by a very nice woman named Nancy, who also offered to help me figure out what was so confusing about the pattern. A few minutes later, Robyn, another woman manning the store, approached us and in a strong tone asked me "Did you happen to buy that at Personal Threads?". Nancy and I immediately replied that I bought the book from their store. Robyn walked away.

Nancy and I went on discussing our different interpretations of the pattern. She even helped count the number of stitches on my knitted piece to figure out how long the sleeves of the baby's bath robe should be. She was really nice and helpful. But another few minutes later, Robyn approached us again and in a crude manner asked "Would you like to just sign up for a private lesson? Nancy needs to go and we have other customers who just came in." WHAT?!?!?!?! I paused, told her I'm not interested to sign up. I was so freaking angry but I managed to maintain my composure, thanked Nancy properly and left.

When I got home I told my husband all about it. He thinks I should have returned the book that I bought before I left. I can't believe I was just treated that way. I can't forget about it. Robyn has ruined my afternoon. Mark said I should write a letter of complaint. But guess what I found out from their website? Robyn is a part-owner of the store. Great. So writing a letter would be pointless. You would think that part-owners would go far and beyond to provide excellent customer service. Well this woman did just the opposite. I am now officially their ex-customer. Never going back to their store again.

News Update

My apologies for not having posted anything for 3 weeks. For those who don't really know me personally, my husband and I are getting ready to move to our new house a week from tomorrow. Half of our stuff at home has already been packed in boxes, including most of my knitting stuff. So packing compounded with my usual chores and running errands are what's keeping me utterly busy lately. My husband is actually quite surprised that there are days when I fail to knit. He knows knitting is my daily "vitamins"... he now probably thinks that I might start getting sick. Ha, ha!

Anyway, let's back track what happened to me, knitwise, these past 3 weeks...

Remember the baby sweater? I already gave it to our friends' baby (Jonathan) a few weeks ago. To be honest, I feel bad that the baby sweater seems so "amateur" --- it being my first intarsia and first sweater project ---- BUT our friends liked it, so I'm glad. Another thing I feel bad about is timing. I gave it away when it's a few weeks before the end of winter. But then again, at least I finished it and gave it to Jonathan as intended! :) So anyway, to compensate for my sweater's being "amateur" and late, I also gave him a couple of cute tiny hats that I made: the multi-colored striped one that I posted on my last article, and this hat shown on the right.

News #2 is that I got "in" on the Saturday class at Personal Threads. Wooooohoooo!!! I seriously wanted that slot as I would like to get back to working again soon. But Lydia (my instructor) can only take 5 students per class and if not for one of her students who backed out, I seriously wouldn't have gotten in. I swear, I'm not going to let go of this slot --- EVER! Haha.

So what is my current class project? My Grandma's request: a poncho. Well, the truth is, she asked me for a shawl... but she's my grandma... I don't want her to be hassled by putting together both ends of the shawl everytime she wears it... so I decided to make her a poncho instead. I got the pattern off my One-Skein Wonders book and I'm using Cashsoft DK in Savannah and Donkey, and Ritratto Stacey Charles #94. It looks sooooo pretty... my "classmates" are even saying that I might change my mind about giving it away. Ha, ha! Don't worry Grandma, that will never, ever happen. :) (Picture will be shown on my next post!)

Lastly, I don't know what happened to my signing up for Secret Pal 10. I went to their site to register and posted on my blog the answered questionnaire as early as February 11... but I got no email from them and my blog site isn't on their list of participants. Sniff, sniff. I was really looking forward to that :(

Hats, hats and more hats!

I swapped knitting books for a week with my knitting 'classmate', Tiffany. She's got my Adorable Knits for Tots while I have her Itty Bitty Hats... OMG! I am now obsessed with her book... and making lots of adorable baby hats!

The patterns in the hat book call for just DK yarns... but I needed LOTS of colors. So instead of spending so much on Rowan and Manos del Uruguay yarns, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought Caron Soft yarns in different colors.

The first pattern that caught my eye was the Rainbow Marley. I wasn't really crazy over the I-cord toppings but I know I can make just a plain striped hat and still make it look adorable! Unfortunately though, I've ended up mixing the stitches with my first hat coz I knitted while having a Grey's Anatomy marathon with my husband... but again, the colors looked soooo adorable and the hat nevertheless turned out cute and girlie.

My favorite color is turquoise so of course, the second hat I made, which I'm planning to make for a boy, still has turquoise on it. Check out this picture on the left.







The third hat, which I just finished knitting a few minutes ago, is my favorite. It's a birthday hat! The pattern actually calls for white as the main color and for the frosting to either be baby blue or baby pink. But I like chocolate cakes in white icing. So this is how it turned out. I used violet for the candle so that either a girl or a boy can wear it. Cute eh? Makes me crave for some chocolate cake...

I am going to make an upside down daisy this afternoon --- another adorable pattern in the book. So watch out for my next post!

New Books, Future Projects

My mother-in-law and I visited a close-out retailer store 2 weekends ago. I've heard about it but haven't been to one 'til then. Well, guess what?? I found knitting books for sale at only 30-33% of it's retail price!!! I got the Hollywood Knits by Suss Cousins and All Stitched Up by Jane Crowfoot. I couldn't help but buy it even though my husband just bought me the One-Skein book on eBay a few days prior. Gosh! Where else can I get such great deals?? Nowhere!

So anyway, I was still in a daze for the next 3 days. I couldn't help researching for other branches of this close-out store coz I was hoping to find more knitting books. Unfortunately, the 2nd store didn't have any... but the one on 84th St. has Hollywood Knits Style also by Suss Cousins. Yey!!!! I've almost completed all the Suss Design books that I have on my Amazon Wishlist! (I wonder if they'll have Home Knits too someday...)

So anyway, just last Sunday afternoon, I also found the book Adorable Knits for Tots --- omg! the patterns are soooo adorable! Makes me want to knit all of it for my future kids! Btw, I got it at Michael's with my 50% off coupon. =D

Yeah I know. I have so many knitting books now. That's it for me. Promise. No more books. (Unless I find Home Knits at 73% discount!) I think I have enough patterns to last me a decade. :P

Below are some of the patterns that I am itching to knit after my current projects are done. I can hardly wait to make those beautiful throw pillows for our new family room! Oh! The baby bonnet and the girls' daisy dresses... They are so adorable!!!!

Finished and Unfinished

It is not true that I have procrastinated from working on my projects.... only from blogging! In between running errands and my usual chores at home, I still found the time to knit and was able to finish and send off (to CA) my cousin's baby afghan. It's a 29" x 29" square and is very pretty. I actually want a lavander one for myself! (without the hood of course!) I also sent the cream beret hat to my friend Anne and the ribbed hat in roanoke gold to her twin, Grace. Anyway, they all should have gotten it already by yesterday and I really hope they liked it.

Here is where I am now with the baby sweater. I know I am taking such a long time to finish it... but it's my first sweater --- and my first time to do intarsia. It's fun to knit but kinda difficult. I have already sewn together the sides of the sleeves and the body... I just need my instructor to help me sew the 3 pcs together and to teach me how to do the neckline. I sure hope I'll be able to give this to our friend's baby before winter is over! haha!

I found some nice Lion's wool at the Hobby Lobby last week and tried to make the beautiful cabled clutch bag which I found in my One-Skein Wonders book. Unfortunately, until now, I couldn't find the right bamboo sticks to use as handle. I've seen some round and square plastic (bag) handles at Michael's and Hobby Lobby... but found no bamboo sticks. Oh well. I just have to keep searching, I guess. If anyone knows where I can find a pair, I'd appreciate it if you'll let me know. :)


Last week, I re-organized my knitting baskets and found more unfinished projects. If there is such a thing as a Second Sock Syndrome (SSS), I have the SMS ---- Second Mitten Syndrome. Sucks. I could've made a pair already by now if I just used the same kind of yarn! :P

Sweater Update

I finally learned to sew together the sides of the baby sweater. I'm currently working on the sleeves and should have it ready for my next class on Thursday so my instructor (Lydia) can teach me how to sew it to the body of the sweater. Everybody in class loved it and one of the ladies, Tiffany, plans to make one for her 2-year old boy too. Oh yeah... another thing about the class last Thursday was that my "classmates", who are all English knitters, got interested in learning continental knitting. They all think it's more efficient than dropping off the needles in making every stitch. Cool.

Project Update

I would say that for now, I have given up on the UGG-style baby booties. I found a berroco at Personal Threads last week though... so we'll see. Maybe I'll have interest in doing those booties again after I finish knitting my baby boy sweater.

Speaking of which, here is where I am now with my class project. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the sleeves before I go to class tomorrow so my instructor can already teach me how to sew it together.

In the midst of making the sweater, I got inspired to make a baby afghan for my preggy cousin, Rio. She's due to give birth to a baby girl by mid next month so I am trying to finish this project as fast as I can. Oh I'm so excited for her!! She'll be decorating her baby's room with pastels pink and green so this baby pink afghan would be perfect! I'm making it with Bernat Baby Coordinates (Sport Weight) using 2 strands together throughout the whole project. I like that it has some shiny element in the yarn, which unfortunately, you won't see it in this pic. (Sorry for the ugly shot) It's veeeeeery soft and pretty!! I can't wait to finish it!

My First Class Project

I've totally changed my mind about my first project for my knitting class coz I found this beautiful baby boy sweater from the book Total Baby Knits by Candi Jensen. I don't have any kids who could wear it yet, but I swear, this pattern blew my mind when I first saw it. I just gotta knit it. The pattern is called Fair Isle Friend and below is what the sweater should look like:


Pretty eh?? The pattern calls for Cascade Pastazas... but Personal Threads don't carry that yarn so I bought Gallaway yarns as an alternative. The main color that I am using is Gallaway Heather #711 and the 2 contrasting colors for the fair isle stitches are solid colors #152 and #83. Basically, it's the same palette as on the picture above.


It was a bit of a struggle knitting with 3 different colors at the same time but my instructor, Lydia, taught me ways on how to carry the yarns with my fingers. I started with the back piece and I am now at that part where I shape the armpit section. My target is to finish all parts of the sweater before next Thursday so Lydia can teach me how to sew the ends together.

UGG-style baby boots

I've been trying to make baby booties for 3 days now. Again, things aren't going right and this is getting to be too frustrating. First of all, I can't find the yarn that the pattern calls for --- Berroco Suede. So I tried searching at Michael's and Hobby Lobby for some other yarn. I found my former knitting instructor and she suggested using Baby Bee's Dreamy Baby Chenille. I was so stupid not to check the gauge and proceeded to making the boots using size 4 and 5 needles. I was just dying to make these boots! Unfortunately, it turned out to be big enough for a 3 year old. (See left boot in the picture) Sucks. Then I tried it again --- this time, using only size 2 needles. It came out smaller but I think it still is too big for a baby. Uggggh!!!

My classes at Personal Threads will start tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to find Berroco Suede there and my new instructor will be able to help me with it. I got the pattern from the DIY site, btw. Click on this link for your reference. As for the pic, this is what it's supposed to look like ---->

Dya now see what I mean about how cute these booties are??? It's to die for. I really gotta learn how to knit these right!

Hats Galore!

I couldn't get over how nice the ribbed hat and the beret turned out early this week so I made a couple more. This time, for my husband and for myself.


This one is what I said I was going to make of the black Nashua yarn. It's for my husband. The first ribbed hat I made (see previous posting) was a little to small for him (women's size) so the whole time I was knitting this, I had to "borrow" his head every once in a while to see if it already fits.



This is me in my new hat. I got the pattern off my "One Skein Wonders" book too. I just didn't add the I-cord decor on top.




About the yarn, I got all 4 skeins of those Cypress Mohair from Personal Threads at a sale price. (Only 2 skeins are in the picture as this shot was taken after I made the hat) I didn't really know what I was going to do with it when I was purchasing it --- but I sure am happy I got it coz it made a really nice hat! I'm sure it's going to make a nice pair of mittens too. I'll probably try that next!

This Week's Projects

I know I haven't updated my blog much lately... but that doesn't mean that I haven't knitted much either! You see, my friend shared this wonderful website last Sunday and I got hooked on it since then: www.peekvid.com It has a listing of different kinds of movies, tv shows, cartoons, etc. I have never seen Seasons 1 & 2 of "24" before and I am so glad to have found it on this site. So that's what I've been upto ---- 24 and knitting!

I have a couple of Nashua yarns that I impulsively bought before when I was looking for sock yarns. It sure made some nice hats. I made a beret for my friend Anne (the one who got me into peekvid!) and finishing another one for her twin Grace (I ran out of cream though so I'm going back to the store again today). As for the black yarn, I'm knitting a ribbed hat for my husband. (I'll post the picture later when it's done --- hopefully today!)



Btw, this is what happened to my Cascade wool... an unfinished sock. I hope to finish it this week. Just pray that I will have the patience to make the other sock afterwards. Haha!



I also made a ribbed hat made of the left over Malabrigo yarn that I used for my bubble bag. It's really nice. I liked making a hat out of it too!

Lastly, I'm finishing a pair of mittens for my grandmother. It's the same color as the fluffy scarf I gave her last Christmas. I hope she'll like it!

Socks: First Attempt

I bought a skein of Regia yarn yesterday in an attempt to knit a pair of socks. It's my first time to try a yarn this thin. Worse, with size 2 needles. I am so not used to that and it just felt uncomfortable. I couldn't seem to make the cuff right although my swatch seems to give me the right gauge. Sucks. I knew that if I continue any further, my interest in knitting will go kapoof!

So today, I went to the yarn store to buy the book that I so wanted to buy yesterday --- Knit Socks! It has patterns that call for worsted-weight yarns and bigger sized needles. So together with the book, I also bought 1 skein of jet black Cascade 220 yarn and a set of Brittany needles size 3.

I am almost done with my first leg now. Yey! I love how smooth and even my stitches are and how perfect the size is for my husband's feet!

Knitting Class

I signed up for another knitting class --- this time at Personal Threads. I'm really not in it for the lessons but to meet new knitters. Hehe. It's actually pretty cheap compared to the previous class I had before which was for $15. This one costs only $32 for 4 two-hour sessions, every Thursday, for the whole month of February. Great deal huh?? Their classes are in groups of 5 that's why I like it. Not like the "class" I took before, which turned out to be a one-on-one.

The project that I would like to learn on my class is "Shimmer" from the Knitty website. Reeeeally nice! It'll be my first attempt in making a shrug! I can't wait!

From Crimson to Purple

I couldn't sleep for a couple of hours last night so I started another project from my Pursenalities Plus book --- the "Crimson" pattern. Very pretty. Check out what the finished purse looks like at the lower right side of the book (see the picture below). I am using Malabrigo yarns: 2 skeins of Pearl Ten and 1 skein of Black, 1 skein of Trendsetter Dune #85 and a black acrylic handle from Design a Bag. I'm half done with the body of the bag --- ohhhhh! I can't wait to felt the whole thing! :)

My First Bubble Bag

Here's the second bag that I felted today. It was inspired by the bubble bag pattern on Pursenalities. I used Malabrigo worsted-weight wool in black and roanoke gold. To see the "before" picture, please see my January 14 blogpost. Sorry for the ugly shot. I was in the laundry room when I took it. And neither has the bag been dried nor shaven. I am just very excited to share it. :) Anyway, I really enjoyed doing this so watch out for more of my felting projects in the future!

My First Felted Bag

Just a few minutes ago, I felted the first bag that I knitted using Malabrigo worsted weight wool almost 2 weeks ago. It's soooooooooo cute!!!! Although I noticed that even after I left it in the washer to agitate for 12 minutes, some stitches are still visible. Sucks. I got the pattern from my book "One-Skein Wonders" but I think my stitches turned out to be too tight for felting. I guess that's what they meant at personal threads when they said I should knit loosely (on larger needles) if I was to felt my bag. But again, I still think it turned out to be soooooooooooo cute... it would be a really nice gift for Mark's niece! I gotta wait for it to dry first though... and shave it, of course! ;)

My First Beret

I finally figured out on my own how to finish my Yorkshire Tweed Beret. It looks nice. Although I think it would be nicer if I used wool or some novelty yarn instead of plain 100% cotton. Oh well. It's still an accomplishment though. My first beret. :)

On Needles

I used to buy those Addi Turbo circular needles because I like the softness of the snag free cords. But they are so expensive, aren't they? I've only bought 2 so far and thought I can't go on buying every size of these needles even though I like it. My husband would definitely freak out, as he's the one who's financially supporting my hobby (yes, i'm a housewife!).

So I tried researching online if Skacel has like an Addi set... but voila! I found the Knit Pick Options instead and it's wayyyyy cheaper!!! Only $59.99! My husband ordered it for my Xmas gift and when I got it, I never stopped knitting since then. The cords are so soft --- softer than my Addi's. The connection between the needle and the cord is so smooth too. So snag free. The needles are only from sizes 4-11 though. So we had to purchase sizes 13-17 separately. But it's only $6.99 each pair --- still cheaper than getting it from Skacel. Knit Picks doesn't have sizes 0-3 interchangeable needles though. They sell those like normal circular needles to maintain its quality, and at only $4.99 each. Great deal huh?? I might just purchase that at a later time though. I have already bought a whole bunch of stash the past couple of weeks. Besides, I'm not that keen on making projects using those needle sizes anyway. And my socks patterns usually call for double pointed 3's or 4's. So it can wait. :)

Yorkshire Tweed Beret

I started doing a beret yesterday which I found on "One-Skein Wonders" (page 168). I'm now down to the edging part of the project but I can't seem to figure out how to work on those last few rows. Frustrating. I unfortunately have casted on very tightly too. Now I'm having a hard time putting the cast on back to my circular needles, as stated on the pattern. Arrrrgh. I really like this project done. I think the beret would look really nice. Thoughts?

New Year, New Addiction

It's the year 2007. New year... new blog... for my new addiction --- KNITTING :)

It all started last November 22 when I attended a class at Michael's to learn knitting basics. Since then, I've made 8 scarves (plus another one in progress) 6 of which, I have given away to family. (Below are the only scarves I have left)


Sometime late December, I learned to locate 2 of the 3 yarn stores here in Omaha: String of Purls and Personal Threads . And I got more hooked. Purchasing yarns just give me a different kind of adrenaline rush. Addictive! :)

I think what I need now are knitter friends to hang out with. There are "Knit and Sit" hours at String of Purls. I went there a couple of times... not to knit though... but to purchase yarns while I secretly observed the knitters. Hmmm. I felt so amateur just watching and listening to them. Don't think I'm ready for that yet. But then again, they could also help me learn new stuff, right? Hmmm...

December 27-January 13th was an "everything 20% off" sale at Personal Threads. As I looked around there one day last week, I started a conversation with a very nice woman who is as addicted to knitting but more experienced than I am. Her name is Kathy. She is actually a resident of Indiana and just flew in for the weekend to take advantage of the sale. Wow. She's more addicted than I am then. LOL. She and her daughter (Kate, who also flew in from Idaho) have successfully convinced me to graduate from knitting scarves. That it was time for me to "move on". So I met up with them for a couple of days last week and they taught me how to make socks, a bonnet and a felted bag. Soooooooooooo cool!

I found out from Kathy and Kate that Personal Threads also have "Knit Nights" which happens every 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Cooooooool. I've already made acquaintances at that store so I think I'm going try that out too. They don't have it for this month though due to their annual clearance sale but I heard it will be back next month.

Since last weekend, I've tried making different kinds of projects. First was a pair of fingerless mittens made with Koigu... then a red purse and a bubble bag, both made with Malabrigo worsted-weight wool. (I have yet to felt the bags though as I can't seem to find any Eucalan.) Yesterday, I made my first drawstring pouch and today, I'm making my first bikini pair (all using 100% cotton). 5 knitting projects in a week. Not bad eh? I'll update you all as soon as I'm done with the bikini. Then I'll move on to knitting socks. :)



One thing that frustrates me though is that I have been trying to make baby booties for more than a week now and it's still not going right. I'm not sure if there's something wrong with the pattern or if I need to change my yarn --- it just always is too big on the foot and too tiny on the cuffs. Sucks. But I'll give it a try again next week using another kind of yarn.