as you can see, my new craft room has very little resemblance to the old one; however, this is still the same cobalt blue cardi. all pieces knitted and blocked (on my new blocking board!), waiting to be seamed.

can you tell i made some cabling mistakes here? it is probably obvious once i point it out to you, but, i'm not going to. this pattern has the traditional aran stitches, i love how everything had turned out, except it was difficult to adjust stitch tensions. perhaps it is just the yarn i used, who knows and who cares!

i'm seaming this cardigan up this week and i am hoping to wear it at least once until the fall.

posted by blossom at 06:15 PM | Comments (23)

i will be starting my new job next monday, so this week, we are trying to explore the new city like tourists. it has been fun! one of the places i wanted to visit is the georgia aquarium. it is currently the world's largest aquarium with many fishes... whales, penguins, sea otters and more.

how impressive is this viewing window? the largest viewing window in north america. i am not a diver so this is really the closest i'll ever get to a whale and that big fish.

wanna see the diver in the tank?

at one point his cart had slipped, that would have been interesting fo us and the fishes.

the line at the aquarium was crazy! i had heard about it so before we went, we reserved the tickets online. it really really saved us from standing in line for hours. anyway, i had so much fun, however, my husband is a diver, so he was not as impressed as i was. what can i say, i am a city bumpkin.

for those of you who are in love with ocean:

a gorgeous jelly fish (it may has a more intelligent scientific name, but let's just call it a jelly fish)

a beluga whale with a name that has currently escaped me. i never really paid attention to the writing on the wall

a school of stingrays. their tails were being nibbled by the yellow fish. really. it was really weird

a sea dragon. so beautiful it can be my desktop background

and lastly, at the river scout section, a bunch of hungry piranha. viscious fish, i tell you.

atlanta is earning my love by the day.

posted by blossom at 09:08 AM | Comments (11)

only yesterday i had the chance to finally unpack my craft from boxes. weeks of no knitting/sewing had been difficult... but i had sort of lost the urge to knit or sew like i used to. which was sad, i think. but yesterday i found myself thinking about knitting and wanting to finish some projects, start some new ones and share them with all of you.

i am eager to get back to my routine. really.

and, joujouka, a lovely japanese crafter, had sent along the greatest package this week. we had gotten to know each other through the sewalong. she knows my fascination of japanese craft and we did a little swap.

these are the most delicate supplies of knitting and sewing: two cones of yarns, one 100% linen and one 30/70 silk and linen. a book filled with the most beautiful sewing projects, and, some gorgeous linen and cotton fabrics from linnet and checks & stripes. i feel like in a crafter's heaven.

close up of the gorgeous yarns... they make great summer shawls and lacey tops!

i have great respect for japanese craft books, especially the newer, more comteporary ones. they are just incredibly beautiful to look at. in the end, these seemingly unnecessary lifestyle items became a "must have". also, all the projects are simple and i think i will be able to follow just by reading through the diagrams. this is inspiration to its purest form.

these are some of my favorites:

shoulder bag with a bit of ruffles. it complements so well with a handknit hat and top...

a dust bag. why would you ever need a dust bag, but i want one...

i want to look like the model, so wispy and delicate in this apron dress, it makes crafting so much more posh and trendy...

finishing off the projects with cross-stitching monograms...

ah... i can't wait to start. i think my dining room can use some handsewn table napkins, place mats, table runners... and i certainly need an apron for that.

posted by blossom at 10:34 PM | Comments (13)

hello.

i am here still, sitting in our messy house to write my overdue entry. the past few weeks, we have properly moved out of birmingham, the city where i used to work, and moved into the place in atlanta. what is left to do are tidying up our house here, organizing the biggest yarnsale yardsale* ever and moving the animals to the new city.

i will not bore you anymore with the move. it is only interesting if you are involved. here, let's talk knitting and sewing.

unfortunately, i have little to say about my craft. only things i do related to knitting are reading your blogs and window shopping for fabrics and yarns online. the next sewalong will be a bag project. i'm already thinking amy butler and her lovely home decor fabrics. delicious for the spring.

we are eager to settle down, really. this charming southern city is so vibrant, spring here is filled with energy, dogwood blossoms. i am also looking foward to discovering new yarn shops, fabric stores and possibly knit bloggers alike.

more later.

edit: did i type "yarnsale" instead of "yardsale"?? i meant to say yardsale. thanks, elizabeth. we have many furniture, nitty gritty stuff and work out equipment to get rid off, but yarns, i'm keeping them all.

posted by blossom at 10:54 AM | Comments (13)