Garter Vertical Striped Scarf

Add a touch of glamour to my outfit...

I knitted a vertical striped scarf with different shades of grey recently. Do you think that people wearing grey scarf might look more depressing? To me, I love scarf in pure grey or mixed of different shades of grey because it would be my perfect choice to match almost all my casual shirts and dresses.

I believe any scarf would be fashionable and stunning if we make a right match for our clothes or the shades that we choose tone in well with the whole outfit. Thus, not only the bright and colorful scarf but also the dark shades scarf would enhance our look and draw compliments from our friends.

If you don't want to hunt around looking for a perfect scarf to match your clothes, you can now try to knit one with your perfectly matched colors. This is a garter vertical striped scarf. To get the method of making a garter vertical striped you can refer to my previous posts - cast on two colors and Intarsia colors change on vertical line for garter stitch.

In the middle of the work......

Materials:

Yarn    : 100%  acrylic, weight 40g 

Needle : single-pointed needle (size 4.5mm) 

Pattern for this scarf :
1. Cast on  39 stitches with  "long-tail cast on" - 13 stitches for each shade of grey.
2. Knit every row ( be careful when you change colors at the right side and wrong side of your work because this is a non-reversible pattern).
3. Knit to a desired length and cast off.
4. Add fringes to the both ends of the scarf. I use one strand of yarn for each stitch and the three shades of grey will be used alternately.
Now, cut a length of yarn according to your need and then fold the strand in half. Insert the crochet hook through the edge of the knitting, catch the loop and draw it out,then grab the both ends of the fringing using your fingers and pull them out through the loop. Continue your work for the other stitches on the edges.

（ click here to find out the method of making a knotted fridge).

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

We enjoyed our trip to Yogyakarta in December 2014. Apart from the main attractions, we went around the other places to take a look at people's livelihood.

First of all, I would like to talk about a famous shopping area in Yogyakarta - Malioboro street. Maliobora street was a lively shopping street. A wide variety of goods like batiks, bamboo handicrafts, silver, miniature of traditional vehicles, begs, ornaments, T-shirts until sandals and small keychains could be found easily. It could be best described as a "souvenir paradise".

We saw many horse-drawn carriages and traditional trishaws waiting tourists along Malioboro Street. Tourist could take a horse-drawn carriage or trishaw ride to explore Malioboro Street, but we didn't go for it, we preferred to stroll down the street.

View of Malioboro Street

Traditional trishaw

I found that street art in Yogyakarta was very popular. I am not an aficionado of the street art or wall-painting but I felt some kinds of wall-painting infused a vibrancy into the city atmosphere.

Wall-painting

We could see the locals selling salak fruit everywhere in Yogyakarta. According to our taxi driver, salak fruit was their everyday snack. Salak fruit also known as snake fruit due to the scaly skin. Its taste was sweet and slightly acidic while its aroma was so unique that I couldn't express to you in words.

We stopped by a salak fruit stall at the roadside when we passed by a village. We bought some salak fruit at the stall and later we visited a small plantation of salak trees which was just next to the stall.   From a distance, salak trees looked like palm trees. In fact,it is a species of palm tree. The salak fruit trees are thorny that I was always careful when I stepped into the plantation.

salak fruit trees

The fruit sold here were very fresh and I especially liked the way they sold the bananas. Most of the bananas in the stalls were still kept in bunches and it was not until the the moment the tourists decided to buy a certain quantity that they would cut it into small combs.

Salak fruits and bananas

I took some pictures of  buildings in Yogyakarta......

Shops nearby the neighborhood of Malioboro Street.

Some of the houses in a village.

Hotel New Saphir Yogyakarta

Borobudur Temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Our next destination after Mount Merapi was Borobudur temple, a Buddhist monument. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. This temple was designed in "Hindu-Java Art" style - Javanese Buddhist architecture. Here we could see the influence of India on the region.

As we walked around and to the top of this magnificent temple, we all marveled at the intricate stone carving that displayed on the walls. The complexity of the stone craving had to be seen to be believed. On the way up to the top of the temple, we could see a few hundred Buddha statues around the whole temple.

There was a main dome located at the center of the top platform and it was surrounded by many Buddha statues which each of it was seated inside a perforated stupa.

Borobudur temple - a Buddhist monument

Stone carving on the walls of Borobudur temple.

A Buddha statue inside an open perforated stupa.

 

The surrounding landscape of Borobudur temple.

It was so wonderful that a lush landscape dotted with an archeological temple!!

Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

A chance to go to Indonesia came suddenly...... no planning in advance, no expectation and totally unprepared to go abroad for a holiday. Haha!! To cut a long story short, my sister and I went to Indonesia together in such an accidental chance on 16 December 2014.

Our first destination was Yogyakarta which is located at the foot of Mount Merapi in Java, Indonesia. It is one of the famous cultural centers of Java.

The day after we arrived at Yoyakarta, we had a lava tour on a jeep to Mount Merapi. Mount Merapi is an active volcano. I still remember the news about the Merapi volcanic eruption in late 2010. If I remember correctly, the large eruption claimed more than 300 lives and thousands of people were displaced. Therefore, it made me curious about this fierce volcano.

Mount Merapi  in Yogyakarta, Java

We rented a jeep with driver for about 500'000 Rupiah. It was an opportunity for us to experience a bumpy ride on a  rocky road. The jeep driver drove us to the mountain and drove around different sites included the cooled lava bed (lava flow area), the village that was destroyed in 2010 (It was turned to a museum), the "Alien Rock" and the bunker. Unfortunately，we didn't have enough time to take a motorbike ride to the crater top. Anyway, we were so lucky to be able to see the top of Mount Merapi. How majestic the sleeping Merapi volcano is!! I wish it would be a sleeping volcano forever ...... It would become fierce again once it awake.

We had a lava tour on a jeep.

On the way up to the mountain, we passed by a very wide lava flow area.  That area was turned into a stone and sand mining area. We saw a lot of lorries, trucks, excavators and workers there. To me, that was the most impressive site.

Lava flow area

When we arrived at Petung village, we saw a home that was converted into a museum displaying the relics from the destruction caused by the 2010 eruption and some pictures showing the history of Merapi volcano's eruptions. One thing that impressed me in this museum was the wilted clock that hung on the wall. It showed the exact time of eruption on 5 November 2010.

It was especially poignant as I imagined how the villages were ruined and claimed a lot of  lives when a large pyroclastic cloud flowed descending and caused a ruthless destruction. Here, I could felt how large the destructive force of Merapi's eruptions.

Petung village where a home was converted into a mini museum.

The wilted clock showed the exact time of eruption on 5 November 2010.

Later, we visited the "Alien Rock" which the locals said that the rock was ejected by the volcano during the eruption and it had a minor resemblance to human face.

The "Alien Rock"

Wonderful view on Mount Merapi from the site of "Alien Rock".

Our jeep broke down on Yellow River when we were on the way back to the downhill road. Why I said we were on the river?!  Yes, Yellow River was a big river before the eruption but it used to flow of lava when Mount Merapi was exploding, and caused the river bed became flat enough to drive on it . What to do then ......? Haha, while waiting for the other jeep to fetch us, we found that it was a perfect place to capture the most beautiful scene of Mount Merapi!!

View of Mount Merapi from Yellow River.

It was a great lifetime experience. Although it was a short tour, I could feel the pain and panic during the eruption in 2010.

Rabbit Fun Land, Semenyih

A few months ago, I heard that Rabbit Fun Land in Broga, Semenyih is the largest rabbit farm in Malaysia and it has been established for more than 20 years with total numbers of 30'000 rabbits, breed from different countries. I was curious about this place. After searching some information from the internet, I found that it has a rabbit petting zone where we can pet and hug the rabbits. At that moment, Rabbit Fun Land was included in the schedule of our one day trip to Broga on 14 December 2014.

On the way back from Broga Sak Dato Temple, we visited Rabbit Fun Land which located just opposite Broga Hill. When we reached the destination, we found that it was perfect for a family outing. My kids were super-excited when they saw the cute rabbits......

The entrance fee was RM5 per person but it was free for kids aged 2 years old and below. We bought two packets of ready-packed carrot slice at the counter before we stepped into the farm. The price was not cheap, every small packet cost RM10.

The entrance of Rabbit Fun Land.

The rabbit petting zone.

Cute rabbits.

Rabbit and me ......

This farm was quite big, apart from the cute rabbits, there were other farm animals. We strolled around the farm and enjoyed feeding the animals.

other farm animals

He was admiring the goats.

He was enjoyed feeding the horse with carrot slice.

She was petting the donkey.

monkey and geese

Broga Sak Dato Temple, Negeri Sembilan

Broga is situated about 50 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. It is a small town that sits on the border of Negeri Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. Broga Sak Dato Temple is one of the famous attractions in Broga.  This temple is located on Broga Hill which is now officially known as Bukit Lalang. It is a beautiful temple which adorned with a lot of stone sculptures and statues. It is also very popular among many tourists and local 4D punters asking bet numbers from the Sak Dato deity.

We went to Broga on 14 December 2014. That was the first time we visited this attraction. Anyway, our purpose to go there was not for the bet numbers but to visit the temple and pray to the god for blesses. Of course we wished to visit the places nearby the temple too.

The entrance of Broga Sak Dato Temple

The cave next to the main temple houses the 

altar of Sak Dato deity.

There was another flight of steps led up to the entrance of the "Good Karmic Fruit Orchard". I found that it was also called " The Orchard of the Fruits of Kindness". Anyway, it was called "Shan Guo Yuan  - 善果园" in Chinese.  According to the title of this orchard and the antithetical couplet on both sides of the entrance, it seemed to tell us that "A good thought reaps good karmic fruit - what goes around, comes around". Walking up the steps there was another beautiful scene, we were attracted by the landscaping depicting the characters and scenes from Chinese custom and folklore.

The entrance of the "Good Karmic Fruit Orchard"

Dragon gate

Giant dragon head tortoise with golden nuggets which 
symbolize riches and wealth.

Statues of Chinese zodiac animals.

I love these giant durians!

We admired the surrounding scenes......

Behind the temple there was a suspension bridge connected to the Monkey God Hill. The bridge was quite long, I felt a little bit anxiety......When we looked ahead on the suspension bridge, we saw a magnificent Monkey God (Sun Wukong) statue standing on the hilltop. After the bridge, we walked up a short sloping paved trail that led to the statue of the Monkey God. Ha ha, we really enjoyed a great cardio exercise with its enchanting scenery on the paved trail!!

The suspension bridge.

We felt the bridge began to wobble in the middle of 

the bridge....

The Monkey God statue

We enjoyed a spectacular panoramic view of Broga from the top of the hill.

Later, we visited Sak Dato Broga Temple Gallery which was located just a few steps from the temple.

Sak Dato Broga Temple Gallery

The interior of the gallery.