It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Hope 2011 is shaping up to be a good year for all of you. Recently I’ve become very interested in iPhoneography – taking pictures with my iPhone. The Hipstamatic iPhone app has been particularly addictive! I’ve also become excessively fond of browsing the popular page on instagr.am (I’m @jenesaisquoi on instagr.am).

So any of you out there into iPhoneography too? What are your favourite apps? Do you also like browsing iPhoneography blogs? Hit me up with some good ones?

In other knitting/crocheting related news, I’ve hit a dry spell and lost my mojo. Nothing really inspires me to pick up my needles or hook nowadays. Being really busy with work and school is also not helping. If you’ve seen my mojo, send it back plzkthxbai.

Has anyone seen the new Kim Hargreaves book? It’s bloody fantastic! I thought Nectar was gorgeous and then Breeze came along and blew me away. Now, there’s Misty which is even better than Breeze!

One thing I love about Misty is there aren’t as many peplum designs compared to the previous books. Peplums are pretty but they don’t work for my short-waisted, short-torsoed figure. I look like a freakin’ penguin in them.

It’s sooo hard to pick favourites in Misty since I love almost all the designs but I think I want to knit these the most badly:

Man, I so love Kim Hargreaves’ classic designs.

1. Peasy 2. Liesl 3. Coraline 4. Margot 5. Estelle 6. Tea Leaves Cardigan 7. Featherweight Cardigan 8. Lightweight Pullover 9. Summer Petals Cardigan 10. Honeybee Cardigan 11. Myrtle Cardigan 12. Hope

New year, new beginning, new resolutions. This year, I’ve decided to join the IntSweMoDo 2010 challenge (formerly known as NaKniSweMoDo). The goal is to finish 12 sweaters in 2010. Probably biting off more than I can chew but that’s not going to stop me from trying!

I’ve my eye on the above 12 patterns. I may not knit them all since goodness knows what shiny new patterns will distract me later.

One look and it’s easy to see I obviously have a thing for cardigans. They’re all knit patterns except for one – Summer Petals Cardigan. I’ll like to add more crochet patterns but I’m having trouble finding delicate lacy-looking patterns (my preference) instead of solid fabrics of crochet stitches. Perhaps I should start venturing into the world of thread crochet.

My other crafting resolution involves sewing. I bought a sewing machine last year and have only sewn a small pouch so far. I hope 2010 will be the year I start sewing simple garments.

I’ll also like to try my hand at baking. I no longer have a proper oven but my microwave oven does have a convection function. Let’s see if it works.

Looks like 2010 will be a busy, busy year.

I doubt I can finish another project by the last day of the year, which is tomorrow, so I’m going to do my review now.

At the beginning of the year, I told myself I’ll try to complete at least one project a month, and I did i.e. I finished more than 12 projects. I only blogged about 9 of them but I had a few scarves and hats done that I didn’t photograph before giving them away.

Looking at all the projects I’ve finished this year, it’s amazing that only one of them was for me. Everything else was either a gift or donated to charity.

List of completed projects in 2009:

1. Little Button Loafers (2-button)
2. Little Button Loafers (1-button)
3. Child’s Self-striping Hat
4. Who?
5. Rachel Lacy Rib Hat
6. One Row Handspun Scarf
7. Annette
8. Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf
9. One Row Handspun Scarf

I’m actively working on 3 projects at the moment and I’m happy to report they’re almost near completion.

Mondo Cable Cardi. I’ve actually done a lot more than shown in the pic. Second sleeve is almost completed. Collar and buttons left.

Buttercup. Few more rows on the body, neckline and sleeves to go.

February Lady Sweater. Started on first sleeve and buttons left to be sewn.

I have other projects on the needle that are due to be frogged because I know they won’t fit. Most of them will be reknitted for better fit.

My next post will most likely be in the new year so let me wish all you crafters out there a very happy new year in advance!

I’ve shortened the blog name to Lis Crafts and the address is now http://liscrafts.com. The new feed address is http://feeds.feedburner.com/LisCrafts. Please update your bookmarks!

I’m still working on the blog so there may some broken link. If something doesn’t work, please let me know. This blog works fine in my Firefox browser but I’m not sure about other browsers.

If you also read my personal blog, it has now moved to http://stickfigurelis.com and the feed address is http://feeds.feedburner.com/AboutEveryLittleThing.

So how do you like the new place? :)

Merry christmas to those who celebrate it and happy holidays to the rest! Hope all of you haven’t been too burnt out crafting your holiday gifts to enjoy the season!

In other knitting news, I’m currently working on a pair of Jaywalker. Seeing as how I’ve a serious case of Second Sock Syndrome, I’ve decided I’ll post it on the blog only when I’ve finished both socks. I’m already on the second sock! Hopefully I can post about them by next week!

I’ve also succumbed and subscribed to both Interweave Crochet and Interweave Knits. Spring 2008 will be my first issues. I can’t wait! Thank goodness for the weak US dollar.

So anyone knitted or crocheted a pumpkin?

Before I continue, here are the rules:

Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

8 Things About Me

1) Ever since I picked up knitting/crocheting, I don’t feel so guilty about watching TV because I only knit/crochet during TV time. The downside to this is that TV time has increased by leaps and bounds because I’ve been telling myself I need more crafting time. Hee.

2) You might have noticed this if you’ve been following this blog or rummaging through the Finished Objects 2007 label. I picked up knitting early this year but have yet to have a single FO to show for it although I’ve various WIPs…

3) I used to do cross stitch back in secondary school but stopped when a friend gave me a piece of cross stitch she has completed for my birthday. I realised I didn’t know what to do with it mostly because most cross stitch patterns in vogue during that time were Precious Moments type of patterns and I’m just not the country girly deco kind of chick. In short, I enjoyed the hobby but wasn’t feeling the finished products.

4) Due to a constant diet of Enid Blyton books when I was a kid, one of my childhood dreams was to have a doll house. Eventually, I hope to fulfil that dream and make my own.

5) Along with number 4, I’m also fascinated with miniatures so I’ll definitely love to pick that up to fill up my future doll house.

6) I’m also interested in sewing/designing doll clothes but can’t sew to save my life so probably have to give up on this one. Can you tell I’m obsessed with small things? Heh.

7) Something else I’ll also love to pick up are candle making and soap making but I could be dangerous about fires so… It’ll be awesome to assemble your own bath sets (knitted/crocheted wash cloths/hand towels, soaps, candles) from scratch as gifts.

8) I’m truly very happy that many people have said they love the photos on this blog but truth be told, I don’t know a thing about photography. I just happened to have access to a decent camera. I definitely hope to pick up some decent photography skills so as to take more delicious yarn porn pics. Yummy.

So now I’ve to tag 8 other people. Please don’t feel obligated to do this but I’ll sure love to know 8 things about you!

Erin of Opportunity Knits
Jackie of Jackie’s la la za za
Becka of Whimsical Knitting
Lesa of Lesalicious Style and Life
Rain of Rain’s Knit-Bits
Regg of .
Lily of LilyGo
Lois of Get it Knitted

Lis + Hurt Hand = No Knitting/Crocheting

I haven’t been able to knit or crochet the past couple of days because I hurt my left hand over the weekend. I don’t know how it happened but I’ve been told by the doctor not to strain the hand any further. It hurts lots when I try to do anything with the hand so I’m taking it easy. Thank goodness for painkillers.

PS: That’s why the photo seems a little shaky.

Long, long time ago in a southern province in China, there lived a 40 year-old bloke named Bob. One day, he decided to have some fried noodles for lunch. Well, he wasn’t very hungry so he started using his chopsticks to play with his food. Five minutes later, he realised he’s picked up knitting. Wait a minute, that’s the wrong story.

The right story began in the bedroom of a 7 year-old girl. For the past three hours, she has been struggling with a school arts and craft assignment. It was a recycling project and she was supposed to make use of some empty toilet rolls, cardboard backings of notebooks and pieces of coloured paper and make them into something. Anything. Our little girl here was born without the crafting gene and nobody could tell what the heck the lump (it was supposed to be a train) she has made was supposed to be. She started bawling. All she wanted to do was watch Sesame Street. Her doting father decided to give her a hand and told Daddy’s little girl to go to bed.

This was what she woke up to in the morning:

Needless to say, she got an A.When the little girl with no crafting gene turned 14, she decided to pick up crocheting. She got herself a little instruction book and managed to make a chain so long that if Rapunzel ever suffered from severe hair loss, she’s welcome to use the chain to let that handsome dude up the tower. After a while, she got bored with the endless chain and tossed the book in a corner.

Five years later, she got herself another instruction book. This time, she was going to learn how to knit. Well, she never even got past casting on and the book was banished to the same dark corner as the crochet book.

Fast forward to ten years later. The girl (now a woman but still without the elusive crafting gene) has discovered online instruction videos. She has since managed to crochet a bag (thunderous applause, please). As for knitting… let’s just say she’s still learning. One day, she’ll learn how not to poke herself in the belly button with the knitting needles while she attempts to produce a piece of knitted… something.

Ok, that was crap. The real and only reason I set up this blog was so I could have a place to use those pretty percentage bars that I kept seeing on other craft blogs. Of course, I could have just used my main blog for that but what would I keep track of there? Percentage of the world population that I’ve told knock knock jokes to? Number of bottles of Bling H2o I’ve consumed (none)? My plans for world domination? Nah. Anyway, that was till I realised installation of the oh-so-deceptively-simple-looking-bars involved the use of Teh Scary HTML. So for the moment you won’t be seeing any bars for a while, not till I get myself re-acquainted with that fine piece of Scottish ass, Mr. Chivas, and feel brave enough to tackle Teh Scary HTML.

In any case, even if I’ve no exciting crafty tales to share, I can always use this spot to catalogue the number of times I poke myself in the belly button with my knitting needles. That’s always exciting.