balls of Naturally Aspire Chunky yarn.

(photo taken with iPhone 4)
 

finally received my yarn order from YarnSoft* yesterday. ordered a couple of chunky as well as medium-weight yarn. can’t wait to start crocheting!

xo
sarah 
 

p.s. somehow i’m finding joy in winding yarn. for those who need help in handling a hank of yarn this is useful - Winding a Ball from a Hank of Yarn

* Sarah from YarnSoft was a pleasure to deal with. for those in Australia, if you’re looking for quality yarn at good prices, would definitely recommend. 

somehow the month of april came and went…

snaps around Sydney.

(photos taken with iPhone 4)

the previous time i saw a chalk scribble saying “Sydney is beautiful and so are you” on a flight of stairs at Circular Quay, i was in a rush and didn’t stop to take a photo. although i must admit it put a huge smile on my face.

the other day whilst walking around Surry Hills, i saw another scribble. i made sure i stopped to take a photo.

hmm…now i feel like going around with a bucket of chalk and writing random quotes and questions at random places…

xo
sarah

i love how seasons change. how the weather gets colder and warmer and colder again. although Sydney didn’t get much of a summer this year, it is still apparent that the temperatures are dropping.

autumn is my favourite season. i love how the leaves turn red, fall and cover the entire pavement. i love the smell of autumn rain and the chilly wind that accompanies it. i love how the fallen leaves drenched by the autumn rain, leave imprints on the pavements even long after the leaves get blown away. and most of all, i love autumn cause it reminds me of how Sydney is so different from Singapore.

autumn is also the perfect time to crochet. i’ve always wanted a thick chunky infinity scarf. although i’ve seen a couple that i like in stores, there were usually rather expensive and the purchase can never be justified. so this year i’ve decided to crochet my own.

i found a pattern on JJCrochet’s blog, Crochet Cowl Pattern with Infinity Loop. it’s simple and really quick to make. best of all, the chunky yarn makes the scarf a perfect companion for the colder weather.

chunky crochet scarf, made with naturally gabbiano yarn in shade 1.

(photos taken with iPhone 4)
 

the best bit about crocheting your own scarf is that you can have it as long as you want, and as thick as you want it to be. the pattern also does not call for any specific yarn type, so make it with whatever you want and in the colour you fancy.

i know i’ll certainly be making a couple more to hand around :)

xo
sarah 

four and a half years ago, i arrived in Sydney with two suitcases. when i moved apartments last February, i am pretty sure that it took more than two suitcases to transport my possessions (and this was after weeks of culling clothes and items that i felt i could live without). 

how did i come to own so much stuff? the most ironic part of it is that on a daily basis, i barely interact with a quarter of these so called ‘impossible to live without’ items. 

this year, 2012, one of the points on my New Year’s action list* is to reduce the amount of things i own/possess. it is going to be hard, really hard, especially for someone who likes to keep almost anything and everything. however i will try my very best by taking a two-step approach:

 

1. clear and let go of items that i no longer need or use
    
2. reduce the amount of new purchases i make this year

hopefully, i would be able to practise and repeat the above two steps throughout this year and live a happier, clutter-free life!**

below are the blogs that have inspired and led me to believe that a clutter-free environment and owning less is key to a much healthier and happier life.

becoming minimalist by joshua becker
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

mnmlist by leo babuata
http://mnmlist.com/

cheers to a wonderful 2012!

xo
sarah 

 

* i avoid using the word ‘resolution’ as i somehow feel the word ‘action’ is stronger than a word which represents mere intentions.

** so far i’ve started on a good note by clearing out two bags of clothes last week, though i’m sure i can do better than that!

i say this every year, but i’m truly amazed how the first 9 months of this year flew by so quickly. we’re now in the last quarter of 2011 and summer is just around the corner! i’m not a big fan of the heat or the sun per se, but i do enjoy the longer (and sunnier) days we get with summer.

below are some photos i took on a visit to beautiful Palm Beach (located on the northern shore of New South Wales) during early spring. i haven’t been playing much with my camera but i sure hope to now especially with the longer days we’re getting. 

big thanks to my friend Jessie for being my subject :)

(photos taken with Olympus EP-L2)

all in all, September was a lovely month for me. even got to visit Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains region for the first time. never thought i’ll experience snow falling in Australia, but a blizzard happened the day we were leaving. 

same country, one week apart, 30°C difference in weather.

(photos taken with iPhone 4)

i’m looking at starting some hand sewing and embroidery projects soon, so stay tuned! :)

xo
sarah 

realised i haven’t posted in a while. the past month or so has been rather hectic but i am determined to at least post something this month. so here i am :)

last week i suddenly had the urge to draw. it’s been a while since i last picked up a pencil to sketch. i am by no means an expert at sketching but somehow i find that it helps release some tension and emotions. drawing is always good when you feel the need to express something that simply cannot be expressed by words.

i love drawing eyes. i don’t know why. perhaps because a person’s eyes can reveal so much about them. i am always fascinated by eyes. 

i am not very good with drawing without a reference. so for my drawing below i got some inspiration from a street photographer in Singapore called Danny Santos. really love his Portraits of Strangers project. somehow through the shots, particularly the eyes, you get to learn so much more about the subject of the photo; their characters and personalities are somehow revealed.

i was too lazy to scan the drawing so i took a photo of it instead. i really hope to be able to draw, crochet and sew more. just need to be more disciplined with my time management and hopefully i’ll be posting more stuff soon :)

xo
sarah 

can’t believe we’re already into June, the final month of the first half the year. it’s amazing how time passes. June also means the start of winter here in Sydney. although winters here in Australia are milder than it is in the northern hemisphere, being someone who lived in a tropical climate for most of my life, i get cold very easily.

so i thought i’ll be kind to myself (and my hands) and crochet some gloves for….ME!

i decided on a pair of fingerless gloves as i’d still like to be able to use my fingers for texting (touchscreen phones and gloves are not friends), inserting bus tickets, rummaging through my bag etc. 

i found a couple of cool lacy patterns on Crochet Pattern Central, but decided to go with Wristables kindly submitted by Chloe Nightingale, as the pattern seemed pretty straightforward. for someone who has never really crocheted before (apart from amigurumi toys) it sure made it easier to go with a simple pattern. 

fingerless crochet gloves.

(photos taken with iPhone 4)

the yarn i used was Cleckheaton’s Country Naturals, 8ply. i’m hoping to crochet another pair with a different pattern over the next few days. given that i’ve just had a wisdom tooth extraction and would probably be snuggling up in my bed, it will be the perfect time to crochet more :)

xo
sarah 

various patterns from Butterick.

(photo taken with iPhone 4)
 

bought some patterns from Butterick during one of their online sales as they are way cheaper compared to buying them locally. now i don’t have an excuse not to start sewing :)

xo
sarah 

for my dear friend Jessie, who was nice enough to buy me the books during my amigurumi craze.

(photos taken with iPhone 4)

finally managed to finish this baby blue octopus over the weekend after leaving the head on my desk for a few months! the pattern is from a book called Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli.

xo
sarah

around Manly.

(photos taken with Olympus EP-L2)

it was nice getting out of the city and exploring the north shore. apart from work, i rarely visit the north shore. although the weather was rather miserable, and most shops were closed (due to Anzac Day), it was still nice to walk around. would certainly love to visit the nice restaurants, cafes and bars there.

xo
sarah