My very pink motif-based bag

2011-04-03-224828, a photo by happy.eclair on Flickr.

For this week, I made a new bag. It’s so pink, I LOVE IT! For the details, here it goes…

Yarns:
1 ball Katia Calipso (color/dyelot: 14/39960; yardage: 71 yards)
1 ball Katia Calipso (color/dyelot: 2D/39122; yardage: 71 yards)

Tools:
crochet hook, size N
tapestry needle/yarn needle

How I made it:
Basically I used a certain motif which I got from one of the Japanese crochet books I bought recently. I wanted to try making motifs, just because. Anyway, I wanted to make a quick project which would take me less than a night so I used my Katia Calipso yarns which are 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. I thought acrylic yarns would’ve been fine but in worsted weight, it might take forever. And if I was going to make it using acrylic yarns, I’d most likely have to line it, which is something I am too lazy to do so… yeah. :p I wasn’t sure how big the motifs would be considering the size of the yarns and the size of my hook. I ended up making two big squarish motifs. Maybe around 8×8 in. Then I made a rectangular side panel using alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet. I attached the panels together using single crochet. It was fairly easy 🙂 The strap came last because, of course, I had to make sure I had enough yarn for the main body! I practically used up the entire balls of yarn for this bag.
I’d definitely want to make some motif-based bags again soon. It’s just that I’d probably need more money for this kind of yarn. It’s easy to work with and it’s not so heavy when you use it. Really really cute shades of pink too!

Read Full Post »

Little Cotton Shrug

Little Cotton Shrug, a photo by happy.eclair on Flickr.

Thanks to Mimi Alelis, I now have my first crocheted piece of clothing. I’ve been wondering what to wear this summer because there are insanely hot days especially when commuting. So here it is, my finished shrug. The pattern isn’t so hard to follow, considering I am not an expert at crochet. It primarily uses single crochet and double crochet.

The amusing thing here is that with a 4/0 sized hook, my gauge is double than what’s on the pattern so I tried making the sleeve part already based on the small sized directions and it worked just fine. I had a problem with the shoulders though so I was fitting the shrug as I went along. As for the edging, that’s another tricky part. I am not sure if I will totally redo this part one of these days or make another one from scratch. Why? I find the edging a bit loose but the thing is that I need a stretchy enough edging to wear this. I am also not that familiar with how shrugs should really fit me. Ah well. I am hoping to make a cropped cardigan with this pattern as basis. Unless I find another pattern. It might look like it’s knitted but it’s not 😉 It took me a week, more or less because of the edging issue I had.

All in all, I found cotton to be a good kind of material to work with and the resulting shrug is lightweight. Perfect for summer.

Things I learned:
1. If you’re bigger, maybe you could adjust the pattern/adapt the pattern using a different gauge. In this project’s case, the gauge I had was double. Aside from being able to use the ‘small’ sized instructions, the shrug looks more lacy which makes it cute and summer-y.
2. Edging is not always easy to make/decide on. Because I used a bigger gauge, I couldn’t directly use the recommended edging. Also, I needed a stretchier edging that would let me wear the shrug.
3. Cotton thread is not scary to work with. I actually enjoyed working with cotton thread. Even if it was Monaco that I used, I think that having a bigger gauge also made the resulting garment have a softness to it. 😀
4. There are really great patterns out there which might look overwhelming but if you really want to make them, you could if you are very determined. Being used to making hats, I mainly work with sportweight or worsted weight yarn. Everything with thread looks overwhelming. Maybe I just really needed this project to overcome my fears.

I am looking forward to the crochet along by Interweave using the Moth Wings Shrug pattern by Mimi Alelis. Maybe I will have fun the way I did with this one.

By the way, her patterns are available as print outs from VC Trading in Farmers Plaza Cubao and other crafting stores. They’re sold for 70-100 pesos each. Or you could buy them online via Ravelry.

Via Flickr:
Posted via email from eclair on posterous

Read Full Post »

A Year of Knitting :)

Dia, an improved version.  This is what I can make now. 🙂

It’s been a little over a year since Jonette taught me how to knit.  It was during a sleep over that we talked so much about life, crafting, pets and food. XDDD  I met her pet Tweed, such a handsome cat.  And she taught me how to knit despite having a different dominant hand.  She’s a leftie.  I’m a rightie. XD

Being shown how to knit made it easier for me to learn it.  Jonette was a patient teacher because I was asking a lot of questions.  And as early as that time, I was a tight knitter ~_~  Up to now, I still haven’t got the hang of tension yet (ahahaha now that sounds weird!) — because too much tension (or the lack of it) makes the stitches either too loose or too tight.  Well, at least I am a relatively consistent tight knitter hahahaha.  I was shown the English method of knitting and purling.  I was supposed to make a scarf as my first project but somehow, somewhere along the way, I stopped learning how to knit because I thought I should make a smaller project.  Now the smaller project was supposed to be a headband with crochet edging  but I ended up learning how to crochet, so I had more crocheted projects.  But I did pick up knitting again soon after learning how to crochet.  And I was crocheting and knitting different stuff, mostly hats, because I LOVE HATS! ❤  I’ve created an account on Ravelry and I lurk in the different forums of that site for knitters and crochet fanatics.

I started with knit and purl.  I started with straight needles.  Now I have several needles, some straight, some circular.  And I actually want more circulars now that I realize that they are comfortable to use whether in flat or circular knitting.  They are also portable, which is a very good thing.  I’ve knitted flat and in the round.  I’ve knitted with mostly worsted weight yarn and sport weight yarn.  I’ve knitted stockinette, ribbing and now meshy stitches.  I love it. ?

At this point, I’ve made several scarves and hats which may not be the most perfect items in the world, but I took time to make them with care.  And there are people who appreciate them a lot too. 🙂  This is thanks to that one sleep over last year.  I was inspired and I am still challenged up to now to improve my craft.  Today I can make hats, scarves, pouches and headbands.  I still have a long way to go before I can knit socks.  But I don’t mind.  It’s fun and worthwhile.

Read Full Post »

testing content

www.alistapart.com/articles/testing-content/

Read Full Post »

My food blog was featured on CraftGossip.com!

Posted in Blabberings, tagged food on January 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Hooray for featured blog entries. I love CraftGossip.com and I get all sorts of ideas from the posts there. The blog entry I wrote about using cute colored marshmallows as cupcake frosting got featured. Check out the entry on CraftGossip: Marshmallow-topped cupcakes!

And yes, I do have a separate food blog because some people prefer only food posts. I write about my kitchen experiments and other food that I like on Tabemashou!

Read Full Post »

Obssessed with Fonts

Posted in Blabberings, Geekery, tagged typefaces on January 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

Or typefaces. If we get nitpicky about it now, then I’d never finish writing anything. XD

Anyway, I’ve been fiddling around with the layout of my Crafty Cat account on Tumblr. I’ve found a theme I like, and a typeface I like, as well as a color scheme that suits my taste. And so I ended up putting to use my rusty CSS skills. It’s been a while since I seriously made any layouts to the point of implementing them using HTML and CSS. Anyway, fiddling around with Tumblr and Disqus made me appreciate the use of Google’s font directory and @font-face.

Right now, I really love these typefaces:

1. Lobster – It’s so retro and yet so readable.
2. Philosopher – It looks so clean.
3. Gothic Ultra OT – A calligraphic style which I also want to emulate in my handwriting! I kid you not.
4. Titillium – Sans Serif. Simple. Yet there’s a hardness to the shapes of each letter. A little blocky, I guess?
5. Josefin Sans – But I think it looks better if it’s on print. Hmmm. Something I must check out.
6. Qlassik Medium – I also like how it looks. If I were to write with this typeface, I’d use a broad-nibbed pen.

I’ve downloaded the @font-face kits of Lobster and Philosopher. Using Google’s font directory entries requires me to edit the HTML and include a <link> tag but I can’t do that for Disqus. Thankfully, fontsquirrel.com has a generator one could use for creating an @font-face kit when needed.

The typefaces I’ve linked to above are really just gorgeous. I could go on and on about how much I love them, but of course, each person has his/her own choices. Maybe I’d find other typefaces to love in the future. But for now, these six typefaces are enough for me.

Read Full Post »

2010 in review

Posted in Blabberings on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

January

Worked on an old project again. What a way to start the year, right? 🙂 But it was interesting, having a different aspect of the old project right before my eyes. It was also the time that I got to work with other people. By the end of the month, Jonette taught me how to knit. Sacha was also home last January and even shared home-made chili jam with us.

February

My birth month! Lol. I watched Rent with my dear JM ❤ Also had dinner with the PMBAs and our friends from work.

March

I started learning how to crochet. JM was the one who bought my first crochet hook from Dreams. Lol. And there were other things that I learned that got me really depressed and I think it was the time I knew I had to do something. Time for a change, so to speak.

April

The month went by so fast. I was deep in another project which challenged my skill in coming up with prototypes of screens that are going to be used in an application. It was fun despite the difficulties.

May

This month was my transition from my previous company to a newer one. Quick turn of events? Yes, but there were circumstances that led to the decision. It was also the month I got to spend more time with Chelle and Josh because I stayed in their place during that time. And Tali Beach! PMBA friends and I went bonding in Tali Beach. Fun times while drinking and sharing all sorts of stories. I even cooked after our all-night-long drinking session wahaha.

June

It was the beginning of my overtime at work because of SQL-related stuff. JM was patient enough to teach me a lot of SQL stuff on weekends. Crash course in SQL! It is his birth month too XD Dale and Evelyn got married in June. They looked so awesome in their outfits. Evelyn was in a Queen Amidala inspired gown ❤ Their vows made me cry, actually.

July

JM and I celebrated 5 years of togetherness ❤ However, this was also the month when Glenn (one of our close friends) left the country for work. Shane also celebrated her birthday in the same month. At least we were able to spend time together eating in Wan Chai one Saturday afternoon in July. Diane and Mark’s baby was christened that month too. Bebe Reibel was adorable ❤

August

Things were going insane at work, well, for me that is. But I had time to unwind with friends in Punta Fuego. I was frequently in the south around that time of the year, methinks.

September

I was getting sick frequently, probably due to stress. My headaches were terrible. The doctors couldn’t really find anything seriously wrong because the headaches were mainly tension headaches and were muscular. It was also the time I seriously read a whole lot of Inception fics hahaha. One of the fun moments in September was Peppy’s birthday. That evening was pretty fun because I met some of his friends who also love Merlin. 😉

October

The start of my hiatus from work. Decided that it was time to give it a rest. I started to crochet, knit and cook a whole lot more. I caught up with some tv series I was watching and some recommendations from friends. I was practically a hermit. XD Well, I did go out to WordCamp and Cosmania X! I cosplayed Canada ❤

November

I was cramming for a bazaar in Cubao X. I spent the second half of November crocheting and knitting like crazy. Teng and Emir dropped by and even taught me how to bake 😀 I also celebrated World Usability Day and went to Komikon — where I got to see the awesome Tepai Pascual again. I think it was November when I watched Till My Heartaches End with Kel — and that was simply because my curiousity got the best of me. Lol.

December

The first weekend was spent in the bazaar. I thank Cat for sharing the space with me and just sharing her stories because I learned so much. My friends dropped by too and bought from us! Yay for customer friends XD

This month, JM was also in Viare’s production of "12 Angry Men" where he was acting as Juror Number 8. Another production I saw was "Isang Panaginip na Fili" – it was a treat from my sister 😀 I also got to spend time with friends out of town some time before Christmas. Oh and I changed my Tumblr account’s layout for my online craft and brand related blog – Crafty Cat – so please take the time to visit it 😀

What’s in store for me in 2011? I have no idea. But I think it will be an exciting one for me because there are some things cooking right now but you’d just have to wait before I tell you.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »