Rows of Purls

Shopping in Seoul!

Sunday morning I left for a three day, ladies only, shopping trip to Seoul. Once we arrived in Seoul, we took in a few sights, checked into the hotel and then headed for the night markets. The night markets open at 10:00 pm and are open all night. At one of the first markets we visited, I purchased a dress form. I was a little hesitant about purchasing it because I didn't want to carry it around all night. However, at such a great bargain, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We continued shopping until 3:00 am and then decided to call it quits. The highlight of my shopping trip was visiting Dongdaemun Shopping Complex. This five story shopping center is a bargain shoppers dream. There was an entire level for housewares, linens, fabric and many types of handcrafts. Of course my favorite section was the fiber arts. I purchased, at 75% off retail, 7 pairs of Addi needles in sizes 2.0 - 5.0 and a stitch holder. Since I became overwhelmed with the seemingly endless isles of yarn, I decided to plan my strategy and purchase yarn when I return next month.

I have been “8 Things Meme” tagged!

I was tagged by my Cyber-Knitting Friend, Craft Lover.

The rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, here are my 8 things:
1. I love Korean food
2. I was debutant queen my senior year of high school.
3. I played the flute in high school.
4. My favorite beverage is green tea...hot in winter and cold in summer.
5. I collect porcelain dolls from countries I visit.
6. I eat chocolate frosting straight from the can...with a glass of cold water.
7. I used to fall asleep with the TV on...until I moved to Korea.
8. I always take off my shoes upon entering someone's home.

And here are the 8 people I chose to tag:
Andrea, Christiana, Wanda, Celia, Lily, Nicole, Hand Knit is Fun, Saartje

Happy Birthday!

"...all things were created by him, and for him." Colossians 1:16

Thank you God for your Blessings and for another day in this Gift called Life.

Reading-In-Bed Shrug

This shrug was definitely a quick and easy knit. I completed it in three days, working on it for three hours each day. The pattern calls for size 9 needles, however, I used size 8 on the ribbing. The change to a smaller needle size caused the sleeve to fit a little snug, therefore, I had to stretch it to achieve the correct measurement. I also worked 14 traveling leaf pattern repeats, instead of 13, for a more comfortable fit across the shoulders. I added the edging to make it a little longer and give it more structure. The ribbon was added for an extra special touch.

GGH Soft Kid is much softer and warmer than I imagined. Angel Yarns was having a sale so I decided to order enough yarn to knit a couple of shrugs to give as gifts. The bad news is, the company could only fill part of my order because their supplier is discontinuing this yarn. I decided to replace the GGH Soft Kid with Rowan Kidsilk Haze...I hope this yarn works as well as the Soft Kid.

Pattern: Interweave Knits Spring 2007 Staff Project
Yarn: GGH Soft Kid (70% super kid mohair, 25% polyamide and 5% wool)
Color: 60 Soft Flesh

Wearing the Cardigan!

Today I received a photo of my niece and goddaughter wearing the Debbie Bliss Cardigan I made for her in January. She looks so adorable and the soft peach color looks great on her. I'm now on the hunt for Spring and Summer knits for her.

Book: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino 2
Pattern: Cardigan with Moss Stitch Edging
Yarn: Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino in soft peach

Things Are Lookin' Up!

My knitting has been on the back burner for a while, however, thinks are looking up. I recently completed a small project for Mother Bear and I'm currently working on a Jeager cardigan I started last year. For the past month, I've been vacationing in Vietnam and Japan. Last month, I visited Vietnam where I stayed in Ho Chi Minh City and Pandarus Resort. There were many beautiful sights and the shopping was fantastic. The city was crowded with a variety of street vendors and markets offering great bargains. The main mode of transportation was scooters. There were hundreds of scooters with as many as four people on one. The weather was extremely hot and humid. Amidst the heat and humidity, I found a few ladies sitting on the sidewalk knitting sweaters and scarves. I also managed to find a few small yarn shops and a few sidewalk vendors selling yarn. The yarn was sold in plastic tote bags each containing 6 balls of yarn, 2-50g and 4-100g balls. At such a great bargain, I couldn't walk away without making a purchase. I purchased two bags of 100% Wool, one of mocha and one of powder blue. The pictures below are of Pandarus Resort, Ho Chi Minh City, a ride around the city with friends and my yarn purchase.

I decided to use some of the yarn I purchased in Vietnam to make a bear for the Mother Bear Project. The project is a non-profit group dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of hand-knit and crocheted bears. The pattern is simple and is a quick knit. I've volunteered to teach the pattern to a few ladies from my Church group. In a few weeks, I'll post pictures of our progress.

After returning from Vietnam, my husband and I decided to take our daughter to Fukuoka, Japan for Spring Break. The city was beautiful and pristine. We visited a few museums, but mostly we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful city and the Cherry Blossoms. At the hotel, I asked about yarn shops in the area and was given directions to a craft store. Craft World was located on the fifth floor of the Hakata bus terminal. To my surprise, the store had a great selection of yarn, Japanese knitting books and the cutest knitting and crochet kits. In addition to yarn, the store had a large selection of beads, fabric, sewing notions and many other craft supplies. Luckily the store was near the hotel because I needed two visits before deciding on my purchase. On my second visit to the store, I decided to purchase a Let's Knit Series book, nine balls of Diababy...Diamond Knitting Yarn and a few knitting notions. I plan to use the yarn to make a baby blanket. My daughter, who enjoys making pom-pom animals, purchased a variety of Clover pom-pom makers in the picture below.