Things in February 2014

So what have been happening around this second month of the year.
It has been pretty hectic month frankly speaking.
With Chinese New Year started on 31st January 2014, my preparation to welcome this horse year just as busy as every other year.

As usual, I always do my very own baking but the only difference this year is I only bake about 3-4types cookies which considered lesser than the year before.

got the inspiration for this cookies from a friend of mine 

hubby did help out to emblish those doggie cookies that I made for sale

decide to make something different with the look of this cookies this year and again hubby was helping out while baking this 😊

my very first attempt on making this design and just glad on how it turn out

made this for the 9th day praying ceremony

And the celebration this year could not be more special as it was our first time to held the praying ceremony at our own home, since all along it has always been at my parent's place.

Excited to start this horse year with all the necessary preparation, I just wish me, my family and friends to have a great year ahead fill with luck and joy abundantly 😄

It has been a while...!!!

I remember few months back, after I clean up my blog, I promised to always spare some time to write in about what I have been up too. But too bad, I believed that was not happening for the past month.

My little girl finally enter school in the beginning of July and that means I have to add another remarks in my everyday to-do-list for sure. Not to forget a little bit time management issue has also become another problem of mine.

So what I have been busy with for the past six weeks? Well, I have been involving in lots of kitchen work for sure since the little one has started her school. I found that I have been quite excited with the meal box (Bento) preparing moment for her to bring everyday to school. A friend of mine has inspired me a lot with this, as she always prepare cute and nice looking bento for her soon everyday. I am still in learning process to make it even cuter for sure.

Some of my Bento that I have done

I also get to do some bread baking, at last. Thanks to recipe I found online, I have finally conquer my fear of baking bread and loving it for sure. Been baking few time since then, especially when hubby said he loves my bread hahahaha.

My favorite baking recipe for the month

And I also have managed to finish two knitting project which had moved quite slow in the knitting process comparing to my usual speed though. A vest for test knit - Merewether and a blanket - Baby Chalice Blanket.

 

So that what has been going on with me since July up to today and it has been a great experience for sure. Hope you will have a great day ahead too :)

A harsh pledge for myself!

For the past few day, due to my knitting incident where I hurt my hand till I have to actually rest and do no knitting at all. With nothing to be done, I really find days are hard to pass, especially when all you can think of is to get your project finished soon, yet you can do nothing about it.

So yesterday, I actually decided to clean up my personal stash back at home to kill my spare time. And through the 3hours cleaning process, I was kind of shock to see that almost half of my stash is usually sort of useless. Yes, I am using the word USELESS.

Before the Clean Up

After the Clean Up

These are the reasons why I said that:

1. 40% of my stash is in blend colour and some of it really too striking I might said.
2. 35% of my stash only has 2-3skeins for each colour which yardage is barely enough to make big project such as wearable even for my little girl.
3. 25% of my stash is actually of the same type, the only different is on its colour choices.
4. 30% of my stash is made of material that might not even suitable for the weather in my country.

All mentioned above are pretty clear reasons to declare that my stash half useless for sure. So now I am thinking to either really make use of it by working on suitable project or to actually sell it off to my fellow knitter here.

This really makes me realised that how recklessly I have been spending on yarn all this time, without actually analisying the chances on how I am going to make use them for my project, which makes me decide to make this pledge for myself and to be witness by every one on the internet. Hoping that If I do not obey it, some one out there or maybe a friend will be kind enough to remind me on the reason I should go back with the pledge :D

Week 2 - 09/365 : Tidying up time!

So it has been a while since I browse through some great blogs and wanted to have the design of the "follow me" social media icon shown on my blog just like theirs.

I finally manage to sit in front of my laptop and spend time on creating my own social icon button.
Though it is not as fancy as those we can found freely in the web, I still feel proud with it, cos I add up with some details that I love.

I also cleared up some gadgets from the blog which I think not very useful which only make everything too crowded. So with its new look, hopefully I am able to regularly keep updating this beloved blog and meet up with more new more friends for sure.

The last day of the year..

The 2011 is about to end in counted hours. It just seems yesterday, when we welcomed the change of year. Time do flies very fast just like a blink an eye.


So preparing for the 2012, have you actually look back to what you have achieved through out 2011. Has your resolutions made before been achieved? What have you accomplished so far and what is your next plan to take? All these questions do bothering me for the past week. Telling myself to actually evaluate, what achievement had I made so far, what mistakes had I done which I shall not ever repeat again.


When come to resolution, I definitely want to emphasize in becoming a better mother to my girl in bringing her up to be better someone and also a better wife to my beloved hubby, which has been very supportive all a long. Because my days won't be complete without them in it every single moment I spend.


It also a moment for me to take a step further ahead in term of so called career as I have come so far with what I have now and hoping it will grow even more in the upcoming year, which can make myself & my family proud for sure.

Knitted Morning Glory & Crocheted Butterfly by ME

But above all that, I just wish for a year long filled with great health & happiness with all the people I love around.


Happy New Year 2012 to you who is now reading this & to everyone out there.

a great surprise for the day

It was a shocked to me that I actually captured the attention of local media called Tribun Pekanbaru, on what I only do as a hobby which is the Crochet & Knit stuffs.

the full page view taken from http://epaper.tribunpekanbaru.com/
dated 20th Oct 2011

The first time I received the invitation was about 2 months back, which I only discovered a month after it came in to my Facebook inbox. And with lotsa things been going on during Keidi's Crafts offline shop set up, it was only happened till yesterday I received the call from the reporter to arrange for meet up.

And surprisingly cause I never thought the news will be released that soon, I don't even know it until I received a notification email from my Facebook that some one congrats me for being published on today's newspaper.

never thought i will be in the local newspaper 

As happy and proud as I can be, I am actually starting to feel the pressure of making sure the effort I put in to my hobby will be long lasting and hoping one day it will become even bigger in future *finger crossed*.

A dream comes true..

The feeling I am having now is just as happy as if I won a 1 million lottery, cause I finally get to open my very own yarn shop at my town.

Having a very supportive hubby & family, really encourage me & makes it is all worth while doing.

The dream and obsession I had a year ago by looking through the net on every yarn shop available worldwide, now has become a reality.

Though it is not huge yet I believe it will be comfortable enough for other to hang around.

So after consulting the good date for opening with my dad, I finally decide to launch the opening today 10th October 2011 at 11am.

Hoping the other fellow crocheter and knitter will be just as delighted as I can be once they see the shop.

How was it started...

talking about this knit & crochet i have for awhile, cos honestly never come across into my mind that I will be so drown in it now.

my very own knit/crochet shop

It all started from the old time fantasy, being able to knit a piece of top for myself just like what I always seen in TV. I was lucky enough to have a housemate during my college time in year 2002, who actually know the basic knowledge of knitting. So there goes the encouragement to get myself a pair of knitting needle & cheap yarn.
I was taught on how to cast on & knit, managed to finally done it for few row, then it just stop right there.
That pair of needle and half way done project was then kept back in the drawer since then.


A year later after that, during my working time as a shop supervisor in one of the shopping mall located in Subang Parade, Malaysia, I came across this one shop Lily Handcraft, where I saw lotsa people was sitting & seems to have so much fun with their yarn & needle. That attraction which dragged me wanted to try it again and this time with the help for the professional. Honestly, the fire of learning to knit not last very long, it was kinda on and off mood, but i managed to knit a simple cardigan for myself, so I actually was quite satisfied then. And again it just STOP right there after that, with a bunch of needle have been collected & just put aside, not to forget some work in progress too.


Very much later after that, exactly on 2009, after I returned back to Indonesia, I found that there is a book of baby crochet by local designer sold in the store. Thinking that I have the crochet hook, had encourage me to buy the book, but the whole learning process actually started on April 2010, during the pregnancy of my little girl. Learning alone from the book and YouTube, was how I started with crochet with the thought of making something for my baby girl will be very cool.


And thanks to the social network like Facebook too, I actually managed to get to know lots of fellow crocheter & knitter around my country and even from around the world, and by looking at their posted finished object, it was like pouring gas to the fire, giving me the spirit to crochet and even to take out my long-kept knitting tools to start all over again.


My days now are hard to pass without yarn and needle, and it's a definite useful creativity for time killing yet it help you to stay productive, and everyday is a definite learning process, when it comes to sharpen the skill you have. I never been so excited and committed like this before as I recall through my whole life, but when come to yarn & needle, it give me the adrenalin rush each day.