My wonderful city is ready for Christmas. From the Flower market to the finest malls, there is Christmas magic in the air. Here are my photos for you. Enjoy!
{at the Flower market}
{IFC mall}
{in Prince’s Building Heather&March shop window display}
{Tiffany & Co. window}
{Christmas carols at the Festival Walk mall in Kowloon Tong}
{Festival Walk mall always has the tallest Christmas tree}
My absolute favorite holiday display however, is in the Landmark shopping mall in Central – a Christmas village in the snow covered mountains with a mechanical train riding through it. It is the work of American interior designer Preston Bailey.
Here is what he’s said about it: “For the last few years, I’ve been designing a holiday installation of my own for The Landmark, an impressive business and shopping complex in Hong Kong. I think this year’s designs turned out pretty well. I wanted them to be festive and fun for shoppers, and I think we accomplished that.” You can read more about Preston Bailey’s work on his blog.
Or in this case to be exact I should say hand knitted Christmas.
Every year before Christmas there are so many wonderful holiday decoration ideas shared around blogland. And every time I’m thinking I’ll make ‘THIS ONE’ for next Christmas. But the plans change fast and often and there seems always not enough time.
This year I actually have tried some of the ideas. I simply could not miss this one – worked in the round and stranded – all my favorite kind of knitting. And it is a nice little present to give away.
Down to business right away.
My first knitted Christmas ball.
It was not sitting on the Styrofoam ball as snugly as I would like it to be. But again it was the first one and I was trying to gauge. And this is no big deal since I’ve used wool that can be felted, and voilà – perfect shape.
After this one, I used different yarn and needles, so the next Christmas balls come out in just the right size.
There are five of them made so far. Some of these are gifts and some are to stay.
Hallway scones get decorated.
I plan to knit some more.
I like them so much, it’s going to be hard to stop me now. I also have some ideas on how to modify them with metallic yarn that I still have to go buy.
My previous years handmade Christmas – Christmas stockings for my family. The needlepoint and cross stitch work that I cannot live without and have to do at least a little every day.
In the absence of a fireplace my son’s stocking goes onto my chair :)
PS. {FREE Christmas ball pattern can be found here.}
The pullover knitting is moving along. I’m done with the part of the body that was knitted around and close to finishing the pullover’s back.
I love to knit around since the stitches come out neater than when I knit right and wrong side. That’s one of the reasons I have chosen Point Gammon pullover, besides the recipient likes it too.
On the picture below, you can see as soon as the knitting around is over and when it’s right-and-wrong-side-knitting starts, then the stitches become wiggly (the top of knitting) .
I cannot figure out why it is, but is has been always like that with my knitting. I have tried to knit through back and front of a stitch but it does not make any difference. The good thing is that washing and stretching will work its magic and the stitches will look strait. But it’s still bothering me.
The other thing with this particular design is that it does look small, well yes, because of the ribbing. I have moments of doubting the size. To assure myself I’m knitting it in the right size, I have to ask my son to try it on and on again. And it does look fine! It is exactly like Elinor Brown said “do not second guess yourself.”
Every time I knit a sweater, I wish that I own a jumper stretcher. I’m looking for it all over the Internet. There is one I really love on Jamieson&Smith website but the shipping coast of hundred and forty pounds threw this idea out. My hope is realistically slim that I can find one in Hong Kong. So it is more likely it will be blocking as usual, on the blankets and towels (heavy sigh here).
Back to my wiggly stitches tonight. Am I glad the sleeves are knitted in the round?
@#$&!*&^&*@ – was supposedly be a title for this post because that was how I felt after two nights of working on my new knitting project.
Every late fall, without fail, I feel an urge for knitting. That is normal I guess, except the temperature outside was still around 30 degrees Celsius and people were swimming in the swimming pool outside my window.
It didn’t bother me.
And as soon as I saw Point Gammon Pullover designed by Elinor Brown, I knew this is it – the project, a sweater for my son.
Next step – to find yarn. I opened my wicker trunk that is brimming of yarn in all colors . Apparently most of it are left overs and not enough for a pullover. Fortunately, the trunk is not the only place where one can find yarn in our apartment. So the chest’s drawers got pulled out and here it was – two BIG balls of Shetland wool plus another ball that had an unfinished sock dangling on! ‘Mo montay’ *, that can be ripped off. I was pretty sure I had enough yarn for a sweater, rolled up my sleeves and started knitting on the spot.
Well, that BIG ball of yarn was getting smaller and smaller too fast though. Then I remembered that I had used the same yarn to knit this:
and this:
{from these pictures the color of Shetland wool looks different on the two projects, but it is actually the same yarn}
After continuing with my knitting for a while and pretending there might be still enough yarn, I’ve realized I better stop fooling myself.
@#$&!*&^&*@
I had to go out and get myself another yarn and better in the right amount.
It’s Peruvian wool this time in the same ecru color as the Shetland wool.
Here is my happy knitting so far:
My helper that I had to keep an eye on, so he doesn’t get himself in trouble and I have to start the third time over.
*for those who’s wondering – ‘no problem’ in Cantonese.
Last June at Parisian Clignancourt antique market I was looking for a bed for my son’s bedroom. There were plenty. But as it often happens, when you look for something particular, it is not there. I had a hard time to find a single size bed. In my two days walking miles and miles at Clignancourt (not that I mind, oh no, not at all!) looking for a bed I only saw two beds that were about the right size.
One of them made its way to Hong Kong.
Here it is still at the dealers shop at the market.
It was made sometime before the WWII. It is in a wonderful condition, has Parisian furniture maker plaque on that speaks of its quality. The only thing that needed to be changed – its upholstery. Besides being old and faded, the silk upholstery was pink color that the young man of mine was protesting against.
I spent endless hours looking for an upholstery fabric for this bed. I had so many ideas! One of them was to have it in chinoiserie fabric. I almost decided, went ahead and bought Chinese Rustic by Schumacher. By the time the fabric arrived, I rethought the upholstery idea. It must be classic elegant style. So, back looking.
The fabric I found this time was a beautiful Italian silk/cotton damask fabric, exactly how I had imagined it.
For the next few days: the usual two-people team on their knees with the bed in the middle of our living room. Depending on the task, either with staple gun or a glue gun in our hands. Endless stops to admire and praise our work.
The custom size mattresses arrived this morning, bed sheets on, mission accomplished.
