Ooh, I got bit by the Twilight bug. I've seen the movie a while ago. My daughter has all 4 books. I figured, why not read them. Of course, I started with the first one and finished it in one day. Could be because I already knew what was going to happen.

Next comes the second one, New Moon. I finished it by day 2. This one was my favorite. Very hard to put down. I fell in love with Edward.

Day three and I'm off to reading book three, Eclipse. I liked this one too but not as much as New Moon. Bella's being wishy-washy. Still madly, deeply in love with Edward, I am.

Book four, Breaking Dawn, and finished it by day 4. By this time, my teenage image of Edward and Bella is gone. I can't picture Rod Pattinson as Edward anymore. I don't know how they can make this into a movie with a PG13 rating. No way.

SO, off I went and saw the DVD again with a more critical eye.

I am so looking forward to watching New Moon when it comes out in Nov '09. I might go see it with my teenager.

As you can tell, I didn't get any knitting, cooking, sleeping or computer time done the past 4 days.

I am knitting again but too tired to do anything else. The weekend after the funeral, I caught a bad cold (sore throat, coughing, fever, the works). I was getting worried about the swine flu. Went and saw the doctor, of course. Not swine flu, not strep, just the common cold. Plenty of rest, liquids, yada, yada, yada.

Here are some token pictures to make this post a little less boring:

Windmill dishcloth

Some tawashis I've been crocheting



Picture of me and some of my cousins from all over. Our kids are here too. My uncle brought us closer together more now that he's gone than when he was alive. We took lots of things for granted. Not anymore. I hug and kiss my mom and dad more now. I'm not shy to say I Love You anymore. And I think I might have lost my stage fright.

Romeo Bautista DeCastro

Visitation for my uncle was last night and again today. I'm totally amazed at the number of people who were there last night, some family whom I haven't seen in a long long time and hundreds of friends. The place/chapel was overflowing.

I'm also bothered at how superstitious beliefs can rule one's life. One of the long removed aunts refused to let Christian music be played during viewing even after my cousins and aunt requested it. It had to be one of those sad wailing Catholic music that only depressed everybody. We explained to her that we wanted to celebrate Uncle Romy's life and that he would not have wanted us to grieve so much.

She's also the one who won't let the family bring home some of the leftover food that was brought to the chapel. She also can't explain why. Most of the food had to be thrown out.

I was once a Catholic before I became a Christian. I prayed the Rosary before and attended Catholic church. But my relationship with my Savior now is more personal. Last night, they prayed the rosary not once but twice. The second time, they changed the words. It appeared to be more of chanting, more of repeating one kind of prayer over and over, prayed by people who probably did not even know my uncle.

When it was the Christian chaplain's turn to pray, I noticed the total disrespect of the Catholic ladies present. They started talking and laughing amongst each other while the chaplain was speaking and reading from the Bible. Unbelievable.

Tonight, I will have a chance to speak my eulogy. Hopefully, people will listen. We'll see.

My favorite uncle in the whole world, Uncle Romy De Castro, passed away yesterday morning at 6:34 am. I know he's with the Lord now, body whole, no more pain, no more suffering. But we will miss him sooo much. I won't say goodbye. I know it's a temporary separation. We will see him again, someday, in heaven.



You are home now, Tito Romy! Welcome home.

Here are some pictures from last Winter Camp at Sierra Pines. It was a church sponsored event for our 5th and 6th graders. It was a fun time even though I realized that I am truly a tropical person. We stayed in rustic cabins, well, maybe not so rustic, since we had heat, toilets, running hot and cold water, and bunk beds. From our cabins, we walked up this road to get to the lodge for meals and assembly.



I didn't account for elevation and the road's steepness. After a few minutes, I was totally out of breath and woozy. I got the hang of it by the 3rd day.



We had to cross a tiny covered bridge to cross this tiny creek.



I didn't realize how high the snow was until I saw this picture.



And this is what we saw on the way down the mountain, on El Dorado Hills, when the snow turned to rain.

My current obsession is knitting dishcloths and washcloths. Others ridicule the art of knitting dishcloths. What's the purpose, they say? You can buy washcloths at Walmart at $3.00 a dozen. Sure. But have you ever used a handknit dishcloth to dry off your dishes or wipe off your counter or even use a washcloth in the shower? You can't compare them to those puffy nylon tulle fuzzballs. I am definitely a walking ad for washcloths.

There are so many free and for sale patterns on line. Most designers will let you knit their patterns and sell the finished item. And let me emphasize, only the FINISHED item, not the pattern itself. When in doubt, ask the designer. Knitters, crocheters and crafters are very generous people.

One of my fave dishcloth designers is Knits by Rachel. She has lots of freebies and for sale patterns. Another one is Maile Mauch. Her website has lots of freebies. A third one is Designs by Emily.

Now, with this obsession of mine, I have knitted over 20 dishcloths so far.


baby washcloths



I packaged them into these:




with some of my handmade glycerine soap, tied them with a neat ribbon, with tags and instructions and they SOLD! My sister-in-law, Flynn, bought them all. (Did I mention she's one of my favorites? ;-)

BIG mistake

Okay, so, before you go running to join the Yahoo Monthly dishcloths group, I just realized a big mistake I made. Rather embarrassing because the dishcloth I featured yesterday-- that's not how it's supposed to look. ha, ha! The mistake is all mine. I reduced the cast on, made a big boo-boo and my resulting dishcloth does not even look like what it's supposed to look. But I'm developing an attachment to my little error. Emily says it looks like a garden, with the furrows in between. Actually, to me, it looks like a caterpillar, but what do I know?

I don't want to correct it even if that small voice says so. I am so moving on. I have so many patterns I want to knit.

midmonth feb09KAL back

midmonth feb09KAL back
Originally uploaded by SuanKnits

This is how the back looks like.

midmonthFEb09 KAL
Originally uploaded by SuanKnits

This is the latest Knit Along for Feb 09, mid month. Very textured. I made a smaller cloth by casting on 32 stitches. You have to be a member of the Yahoo group to get the pattern. Monthly Dishcloths

Tawashi

Ahhh, these things fascinate me! They are simply dish scrubbies (scrubbers) in Japanese. So I designed one. After crocheting one in 5 minutes, I was aghast. Oh my! It's easy. And used up all my tiny bits of cotton yardage leftovers.

Note: This is a very rough draft and is currently being tested. However, if you guys want to try it, go for it. I love feedbacks!

Front

the back (see the ridges? Perfect for scrubbing those dishes)

Oh MY!Tawashi ( crocheted scrubbie)
© Vicki Suan 2009

US size G crochet hook
a few yards of cotton yarn or acrylic

Abbreviations:

Ch – chain
Sc – single crochet
dc- double crochet
st- stitch
sp – space
Fpdc – front post dc
Fpsc- front post sc


Round 1: Ch 4. In 4th chain from hook, crochet 9 dcs. Join with a slip stitch to the top of ch 3. You now have a total of 10 dcs in the ring including the ch 3. From now on, every ch 3 counts as 1 dc.

Round 2: Ch 3. Fpdc around ch 3 below ( in round 1). * Dc in next dc. Fpdc around the same dc. (Do you see what you’re doing now? Round 1 has 10 dcs. You want to increase to 20 dcs in round 2. You are doing 1 dc and 1 Fpdc in each st to make this possible ). Rep from *. Join to the top of ch 3. (20 sts)

Round 3: Ch 3. In the next st, make 1 Dc and 1 fpdc (inc made) . * Dc in next dc; in the next st, make 1 dc and 1 fpdc (inc made in same st) **. Repeat from * to **. Join to top of ch 3. (30 sts)

Round 4: ch 1, sc in same sp; fpsc in same sp. * sc in next st, fpsc in same st; (60 scs). Join with a slip st to first sc.

Loop: Ch 20 and form a loop for hanging. Weave in ends.

This is a free pattern and must remain so. Can't be sold. If you want to share with a friend, point them to my blog. You may however sell items you make from this. Enjoy!

Turtle Tracks Cowl (knit) Free Pattern

This stitch is based on Barbara Walker's Track of the Turtle stitch pattern. Kathy Wesley of Creative Knitting Magazine (March 2005 issue) has a sock pattern called "Curvy Lace Socks". That pattern uses the same stitch. Permission has been obtained to adapt that stitch with this cowl.

Here goes:

(c) Vicki Suan 2009
2 skeins Lion Brand Cashmere
US size 8 circular needles (5 mm)

Cast on 90 (99 for looser fit). Join, making sure the stitches are not twisted.

K1 P1 rib for 1 1/2 inch . Or you can do seed stitch instead of rib .

Start pattern. This is a multiple of 9 stitches.

1st round : Knit all stitches

2nd round and all even rounds: * P2, K7. repeat from *

3rd round: * K3, YO, K2, SSK, K2. repeat from *

5th round: * K4, YO, K2, SSK, K1. repeat from *

7th round: * K5, YO, K2, SSK. rep from *

9th round: Knit all stitches

11th round: * K4, K2tog, K2, YO, K1. repeat from *

13th round: * K3, K2tog, K2, YO, K2. repeat from *

15th round: * K2, K2tog, K2, YO, K3. repeat from *

16th round: *P2, K7. repeat from *

Rep rounds 1-16 for as long as you prefer. With my 2 skeins of LB cashmere, I stopped when I had just enough to finish the border.

For final border, K1 P1 rib for another 1 1/2 inch. Or you can do seed stitch. Bind off loosely.

Enjoy!
(c) This is a free pattern and is not meant to be sold. Please do not post this pattern on your website or blog. Better yet, just point them to my blog by including this link.

http://suanknits.blogspot.com

Note: I'm still trying to research how I can upload a pdf copy of this pattern on this blog. In the meantime, you can get it at Ravelry by clicking on this LINK.

My Uncle Romy is slowly improving. He's not totally out of the woods yet but little bits of good news is welcome. Praise God! It is also a wonder that my friends from church who don't even know him and people who read my blog (thanks Eileen!), are praying for him. Thank you.

Keep on fighting, Uncle. We love you.

Tough Times

We are going through some rough times right now. My favorite uncle (yes, he's definitely my favorite) has cancer. We found out several months ago. He has developed some kind of lung infection and is currently in the hospital.

My Uncle Romy (shortened from Romeo) is my dad's younger brother. I believe he came here to the US in the 60's, joined the Navy (or is it Coast Guard?--my memory is bad). He petitioned for my dad so dad can come here. We waited 10 years for the petition to be approved and in 1982, my whole family (Dad, Mom, me and sis) came here as legal immigrants. Uncle Romy and his family supported us for a few months until we can support ourselves. They were (still are) the most generous bunch of people. I remember my cousins (all 3 boys), giving up their rooms and sleeping together in one cramped bedroom so we can use theirs.

He has always been vibrant and cheery and strong. It's very hard for me to see him in a hospital bed, under oxygen mask, IV's and all. And every time I visit, I want to make him laugh again, maybe forget for a minute what he's going through.

I have hope. And with God's help and blessing, he will pull through and fight another day. There are a lot of people praying for him and I would appreciate some of yours.

Until next time... I don't feel like knitting at all.

My order from Handpainted Yarn.com came in today:


Handpaintedyarn.com is the maker/supplier of Malabrigo yarns.

These are what's inside:
(pardon the airbrushing attempt)

The fuschia skein is 100% alpaca. The orangey skein is Merino bulky (somewhat similar to Malabrigo worsted).

The blue skein is 2-ply wool, sport weight. The orange skein is bulky Merino.



The chocolate/cherry roving on the left is super soft Merino while the multi colored green/yellow yarn is Ejido, 100% Peruvian wool that only costs $5.10 per skein (160 yards). Amazing!

I wanted to try their yarns for future designs. We'll see.

You have to check out this blog

CakeWrecks

Hilarious!

Vicki's Pics

All about cell phones

I was driving down Elk Grove Blvd two mornings ago and I see this Elk Grove police car driven by a cop talking on her cell phone. Not one of those Blue Tooth thingies that you plug in your ear but an actual cell phone held by her left hand while the right hand single-handedly maneuvers the steering wheel . I clocked her at around 40 miles per hour (he, he). The cop looks like she's 19 going to 20, with a smooth blond pony tail. Believe me, she's a cop in uniform.

What irritates me is who gives her a ticket? Or do they get away with it because they're cops?

I don't use cell phones. Well actually, I have one of those pay-as-you-go plans, where I get to spend $15 a month to add minutes. I don't even use up all the minutes (talk about rollovers). I use it to keep tabs on my 19 yo daughter or to call home in an emergency (like I'm stuck at Joann's Fabrics and might be a few minutes late). I'm just learning to text. It takes me 15 minutes to finish one sentence. Maybe because I spell out every word.

I don't need to be on a cellphone when I'm doing grocery. I don't need to talk to anybody when I'm in church. I don't need to drive and talk-- or walk and talk. I will call you when I get home. I actually responded to a woman because I thought she was talking to herself. I didn't notice the blue slug permanently attached to her ear.

Isn't it amazing how anyone can get a hold of you 24-7? How urgent is it that it can't wait a few more minutes?

By the way, my old pay-as-you-go cellphone weighed about 8 oz and can do a lot of damage when thrown at somebody. Just this Christmas, I bought myself a small flip version for $19.95. They probably don't sell/make flip phones anymore.

Mine can now take pictures. Wooo hoooo!

Bottom Seam Baby Bootie - Free pattern

(Sorry for the blurry image. I'm not good at taking pics.)

I'm sure someone can figure out how to make this a no seam baby bootie (what with those provisional cast on thingies) but I found it easier to just seam the bottom of the foot, after you finish knitting the bootie. I love hand sewing anyway.

Depending on the weight of your yarn, your needles will vary. And you will be using dpns and knitting this in the round.

US size 5 dpns (3.75mm)
Baby yarn

Abbreviations:
m1 - make one stitch This website has good instructions
K2T - Knit 2 together
ssk - slip, slip, knit This website has pictures

Instructions:

Cast on 35 stitches. Join in the round making sure the stitches are not twisted.

1. PURL
2. K1, M1, K16, M1, K1, M1, K16, M1, K1
3. PURL
4. K2, M1, K16, M1, K3, M1, K16, M1, K2
5. PURL
6. K3, M1, K16, M1, K5, M1, K16, M1, K3
7. PURL
8. K4, M1, K16, M1, K7, M1, K16, M1, K4 (51 STITCHES)
9. PURL
10. Knit 4 rounds
11. K21, K2T, K5, SSK, K21
12. K20, K2T, K5, SSK, K20
13. K19, K2T, K5, SSK, K19

By this time, you can see that the stitches are deceasing by one before the K2T and after the SSK. So, continue in this manner (rounds 14-21) until you reach...

22. K10, K2T, K5, SSK, K10 (27 stitches)
23. K12, K2T, K13 (26 stitches. Yes, we want an even number of stitches at this point)
24. K1 P1 rib for about 1 inch, or 6 rounds. If you want to fold down your cuff, you can make this longer.
25. Bind off in rib. Weave in ends and don't forget to seam the bottom of the bootie.

Enjoy! Post a comment if you have any questions, corrections, etc etc.

I want to thank Thata Pang and her blog for the inspiration in knitting the bottom of the bootie. She has a different style bootie pattern on her blog, if you guys want to try it.

Here's a wallhanging from an Eleanor Burns pattern that I finished last year, around summertime (just to prove that I haven't given up on quilting).

You can see the progression here:













Tapos! (that's finished in Tagalog, my native Filipino language)

Here's a slouchier version of the Cluster Stitch newsboy cap, with a different colored brim. The pattern is from That Crochet Guy.



Here's the status on my crocheted squares project. I really am using up a good amount of my stash. If I just stick to making one square (or two) a day, I'll be right on track.

Coming up: I'm writing up 2 patterns for knitted cowls, which will be offered for free on this blog. If you want to know what a cowl looks like, here's one. Some people prefer them over scarves because they go over your head and you don't have to fuss over the tails/ends.