Changing yarn colors

We must have some skills of changing yarn colors if we want to knit a piece of knitting in different color stripes or other colorful patterns. There are many methods to do yarn color changes. Anyway, I am going to show you my way to change yarn colors. This method shows you how to change yarn colors without having to cut your yarns and weave in the tails.

1. To change a new color yarn, insert the right needle into the first stitch of the left needle. Remember to leave a new color yarn tail for about 2-3 inches and don't cut the old yarn as we will carry the old yarn up the side of the piece and join in after a few rows.

2. Wrap the new color yarn around the right needle.

3 & 4. Knit it off.

5. Now, wrap the two strands around the right needle and pull the strands through as usual. Continue to knit the next stitches until the end of the row.

6. There would be only a few double stitches after the first stitch. It would be insignificant. I like to hide the yarn tail into the piece with this method.

7. Turn your work and start to knit the second row with the new color yarn. When you meet the double stitches at the last few stitches at your left needle that you made just now. Just insert your right needle into the two stitches and knit as usual.

8. The two different colors yarn would meet at one end every two rows. Twist the two different colors yarn so that the old color yarn to be set on the new color yarn.

9. Continue your knitting with the new color yarn.

10. Pick up the old yarn and knit it as usual if you wish to change back the old color for your next row.

Now, let us see the difference between  the right side and the wrong side of my garter stitch knitting piece. (Garter stitch is created by knitting or purling every row)

Note :

a.) For narrow stripes, loosely carry the yarn up the side of the work and join in when needed. (The way that I showed you in the diagrams above.)

b.) For wide stripes, snip the yarn and rejoin the yarn for each new stripe. When your knitting is finished, weave in the yarn tails which are hanging along the side. To do so, you need to get a yarn needle or any large eye needle and thread the yarn tail through it eye. Then, weave the yarn tail in and out through the bumps or eye at the side or the back of your piece.



There is another method to join in a new color if you are doing an Intarsia (blocks of color) knitting pattern. If you are interested in Intarsia color work, please click here to visit the post about one of the intarsia knitting methods. I only use one method to join a new color for my Intarsia color work. It is easy, I use it to join a new color at the beginning or in the middle of a row.

First, insert the needle through the desired stitch on the left needle. Wrap the new yarn around the right needle and leaving a tail of yarn about 4 inches long. Normally, I will insert the needle through the stitch knitwise at the knit side and insert the needle through purlwise at the purl side. Then hold the both ends and pull the yarn out to create a stitch. Don't worry about the tail, just let it hanging there because you will finish off the tail by weaving it into the knitting piece after the piece is finished.

Bind off / cast off

How to get your knitting piece off the needle? Today, I am going to show you how to finish off a knitted piece.

Binding off or casting off is the process of getting the finished piece off of your needle to secure the last row of stitches so that they don't unravel. Usually, the knit bind off  is worked on the knit side and the purl bind off  is worked on the purl side. This means that "knit the knits and purl the purls".


Knit bind off

1. Knit the first two stitches from the left needle onto the right needle. Now, you have two stitches on your right needle.

2. Insert the left needle into the stitch you knitted first on the right needle.

3. Lift the first stitch over the second stitch and completely off the right needle.

4. The second stitch will now be the only stitch on the right needle. That means one stitch is bound off. Then, knit the next stitch on the left needle. Again, there are two stitches on the right needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until the end of the stitches.

5. When you reach to the end, there are no stitches on the left needle and just one stitch  on the right needle. Cut a tail about 4 - 5 inches long and pull this tail through the last stitch with your finger. Then pull your yarn tight.

6. A row of knit bind-off stitches is completed.







Purl bind off

Since you know how to do knit bind off, that is easy to do the purl bind off. The steps almost the same.

1. Purl the first two stitches from the left needle onto the right needle. Now, you have two stitches on your right needle.

2. Insert the left needle into the stitch you purled first on the right needle.

3. Lift the first stitch over the second stitch and completely off the right needle.

4. The second stitch will now be the only stitch on the right needle. That means one stitch is bound off. Then, purl the next stitch on the left needle. Again, there are two stitches on the right needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until the end of the stitches.

5. When you reach to the end, there are no stitches on the left needle and just one stitch  on the right needle. Cut a tail about 4 - 5 inches long and pull this tail through the last stitch with your finger. Then pull your yarn tight.

Cast On Stitch

What is cast on? Cast on is the process of adding the very first stitches onto the knitting needle before you start to knit. There are variety of methods to cast on. Here I only mention the two methods that I always use.

1. Long tail cast-on
2. Knitted cast-on


Long tail cast-on
This method is common, quick and popular, in addition, you will only need one needle for this method. One drawback of this method is you have to be able to estimate the amount of the tail yarn for your cast-on at the very start of your knitting.

1. Make a slip knot and leaving an enough tail yarn on the slip knot. This will be your first loop.

2.Place the slip knot on your knitting needle and then put it tight and snug.

3. Hold the needle with slip knot in your right hand. Grab the strands of yarn in your left hand and secure with your last three fingers. Then, insert your thumb and index finger between the strands of yarn (Your tail yarn should be on your left thumb and your working yarn should be on you left index finger.)

4. Now, pull the needle downward to create a “V” shape as shown in the photo.

5. Bring the needle tip up through the loop on your thumb.

6. Then, pivot the needle tip to the loop on your index finger and grab the yarn.

7. Pull the yarn on your index finger down through the loop on your thumb.

8. Slip off the loop of yarn on your thumb and bring your thumb back under the loose strand of yarn.

9. Move your fingers to snug up this new stitch on the needle. You have just cast on your second stitch. (The first stitch was your slip knot.)

10. Then, create another "V" shape and continue the rest of the steps. Knit the cast on stitches until you reach the number of stitches needed. A row of long tail cast-on stitches is completed as shown in the photo.





Knitted Cast-on

Casting on without a big long tail? yes, you can do it with a different method called "knitted cast-on".
This method is simple and suitable for beginners.

1. Make a slip knot and leaving only about 2 inches on the end of your yarn.

2. Place the slip knot onto your left needle.

3. Insert your right needle into the loop.

4. Wrap your yarn around the right needle counter clockwise.

5. Pull the yarn through the loop (just as you work a knit stitch), but don't slide the original loop off the left needle.

6. Now, slide the loop from your right needle onto your left needle.

7. There are now two loops on the left needle. You have just completed a knitted cast on. Pull your working yarn slightly to snug up the new stitch on your left needle. Insert again the right needle tip to the stitch you just completed on the left needle and continue the rest of the steps until you reach your desired stitches. 

8.  A row of knitted cast-on stitches is completed.

Knit Stitch and Purl Stitch

The knit stitch and the purl stitch are the only stitches used when knitting any garment or project. We can create variety patterns of knitting with these two stitches, depending on how we apply them to practice.

The knit stitches and the purl stitches have difference visual effect. The knit stitches look like "V" shapes interlocked vertically and the knitting is looks flat, whereas the purl stitches look like a wavy horizontal line across the fabric and the knitting is looks bumpy.


Knit Stitch 

1. Cast on your desired stitches on a needle. Hold your needle with the cast on stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Insert the tip of the right needle from front to back through the first stitch on the left needle. Keep the right needle under the left needle.

3. Hold the stitch with your thumb and index finger and bring the working yarn under the needles. Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the tip of the right needle to create a loop.

4. Draw the loop out through the stitch on the left needle with the right needle tip.

5. Slide off the first stitch from the left needle carefully.

6. A knit stitch is completed. Pull your working yarn slightly to snug up the stitch on the needle. Insert again your right needle to the next cast on stitch on your left needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until you have knitted and transferred all the stitches on the left  need to the right needle.

A row of knit stitches is completed.











Purl Stitch

1. Cast on your desired stitches on a needle. Hold your needle with the cast on stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Insert the tip of the right needle from back to front through the first stitch on the left needle. Keep the right needle on top of  the left needle.

3. Hold the stitch with your thumb and index finger and place the yarn in the front of the needles. Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the right needle tip to create a loop.

4. Draw the loop with the tip of the right needle back out through the stitch on the left needle.

5. Slide off the first stitch from the left needle carefully.

6. A purl stitch is completed. Pull your working yarn slightly to snug up the stitch on the needle. Insert again your right needle to the next cast on stitch on your left needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until you have knitted and transferred all the stitches on the left  needle to the right needle.

A row of purl stitches is completed.

 Now, let us compare these two stitches. Did you see the difference?

Heart Felt Keyring

Apart from rose, the heart is often a metaphor for love. Giving away a small heart gift to your beloved might be a good gesture of a feeling that cannot be described by words. You can say it with a heart felt keyring. Let do it now.

 materials:

 Two different colors of felts

 Two pieces of half inch-wide printed ribbon (6cm each)

 A metal keyring

 A small button

 Matching embroidery threads

 A small amount of poly-fill material

 A big paper heart pattern

 A small paper heart pattern 

To make the paper heart patterns, you can use computer software to draw and print them out. Of course you can draw by hand. After you cut them out and then put them on different colors felt respectively. Hold the pattern firmly and  cut around the pattern piece. You need two pieces of big felt heart and one piece of small felt heart.

Take a piece of 6cm printed ribbon and slip the keyring onto the ribbon. Fold the ribbon in half and baste the ends together. A ribbon loop with keyring is done and set it aside.

Now, make a bow with another 6cm printed ribbon. Fold the ribbon in half with the short ends overlapping each other at the centre . Then twist the folded ribbon in a bow. Thread the needle and insert it through the twisted part. Pull the thread through and tie the thread around the centre part as shown in the photo. Tie a knot and cut the thread. Set it aside.

Pin the small heart felt onto one of the big heart felts and sew it with blanket stitch. After that sew the ribbon bow and the button onto the heart as shown in the photo. The heart piece is looks good now.

Now, pin or hold the decorated heart piece with another big heart piece together. Put the ribbon loop in between the two felt heart pieces at the centre of the top end. Leaving about 3/4" of the ribbon loop exposed. Start your fist stitch with a space of 1mm from the centre of the top end by inserting the needle from the bottom of the ribbon loop, so the knot of the thread is hidden inside the felt pieces.

Sew the edge with blanket stitch and stuff the heart with poly-fill material before you reach to the end of stitching.When you come to the last stitch, tie a knot at the back then insert  your needle under the knot and come out at somewhere of the heart. Pull the thread tight and cut.

A loving keyring is in hand now.

How to make a tissue pack cover

I have some scraps of cotton fabric. Making a small project is a good way of using up scraps of materials, for example a cover for pocket-sized pack of tissue. It can be given away as a gift.

materials :
1. A piece of  printed cotton fabric (main cotton fabric)
2. A piece of contrasting fabric (plain)
3. Lace
4. Matching thread
5. A pocket-sized pack of tissue 

The size of my pocket tissue pack is 8cm x 12cm.

Now draw a rectangle that measure 16cm x 12cm (double the length) on the main cotton fabric. Leave 1cm seam allowance when cutting the rectangle from the fabric. Then, draw another rectangle that measure 18cm x 12cm on the contrasting fabric and leave 1cm seam allowance when you cut it out. This rectangle is 2cm longer than the main fabric.

Baste the lace (14cm each) on the right side of both short edges of the main cotton fabric as shown in the photo.

Place the two fabric pieces right side together. Sew a 1cm seam down at both short sides and then turn the fabric right side out. As the contrasting fabric piece is longer than the main cotton fabric piece, so the contrasting fabric piece won't be flattened against the main cotton fabric piece. Don't worry, you are doing it right.

Now, press and adjust the contrasting fabric, so that the 0.5cm of the contrasting fabric (stripe looking fabric) shown at both sides.

With the main cotton fabric facing upward, fold the fabric piece in half with both edges (edges with lace) meeting in the centre. Now, Sew a 1cm seam down at both short edges and then turn the right side out.

 An easy, simple and nice gift is done.

Teluk Intan Leaning Tower

On the way back from Pangkor Island on 12 December 2013, we stopped at Teluk Intan. Teluk Intan formerly known as Telok Anson，it is a town located in the state of Perak. It is the largest town in Hilir Perak district. The leaning tower which located at the town center is a famous landmark of Teluk Intan.

According to the information board in front of the tower, it stated that Teluk Intan Leaning Tower built in 1885 by contractor Leong Choon Chong. Originally housed the water tank that supply water to the town area and reserve during drought and fire. It was also used to report time and served as beacon to guide ship into Telok Anson Port. The tower drew comparison with the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. Standing at only 25 meters with 110 steps, it is not as tall compared to Leaning Tower of Pisa which stand at 55 meters. The tower have a 'pagoda' shape design. Although it look like an eight-storey tower, the circular brick structure is actually three-storey high. The structure is made of wood and brick. The base of the tower is 13 meters in diameter against 8.2 meters in diameter at the top. Now, the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan serve as a clock tower. The chiming clock which was installed in 1894 was bought from London and designed by J.W. Benson-Ludgathy.

Once we entered the entrance, we saw a Malay guy sitting at a counter on our left hand side. Initially, we thought we have to pay for tickets. Finally, the guy told us that it is free admission. One of us only needed to register name and address in the record book. We had a chat with the guy and we knew his name，Hisham Sahak. He is a staff of Teluk Intan Municipal Council who takes care of the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan. He showed us a piece of  paper which reported the interview between Hisham Sahak and a reporter from a local press. I read it and took a photo. From the paper,  we know the history about the tower,  factors of tilting and the mechanism of the clock. One thing that I was so interested in it is that the mechanism of this chiming clock is not self-winding, there is a need for manual winding once a week in order to maintain the normal function of the clock. Therefor, the clock tower's caretaker Hisham Sahak would wind up the clock's mechanism every Wednesday. Another information that I got from the paper is that this leaning tower slants to the northwest.

Many theories abound about it tilting. Some locals said it started to tilt four years after completion due to an underground stream. Anyway, according to Hisham Sahak one of the factors that caused the tilting of the tower was the weight of the water tank.

View of Teluk Intan Leaning Tower

The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan is decorated with blue, orange, purple and green lights that gradually change colour at intervals. It looks majestic at night. Thus, the locals and visitors are flocking to the town square at dusk.

Night view of Teluk Intan Leaning Tower

In the ground floor, there is what appears to be a well facing the main entrance and some old photographs adorn the walls. There is a narrow spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor is empty, only a few photographs hang at the walls. Another spiral staircase leads up to third floor. Here you can see the base of the old unused water tank above you. Walking by the encircling platform you would have a 360 degree view of Teluk Intan. Here you can see the Komplex Menara Condong (Leaning Tower Complex), Medan Selera Menara Condong (Leaning Tower Food Court), old styled shops as well as a town square which at the back of the leaning tower.

View of ground floor, the spiral staircase and the base of the old unused water tank at the top of third floor.

View from the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan.

Later, we drove around the town for about an hour. There are many hotels near by Teluk Intan Leaning Tower. The Grand Court Hotel and the Anson Hotel are impressive hotels.

View of Teluk Intan town.

After we drove around the town, we found a place to have some local food, the name of the stall is called Hawaii. It is just next to the Anson Hotel. We ordered the famous ‘Ice Wan Tao Long’. It is a kind of shaved ice with some special ingredient which looks like 'jelly' on top of it. The taste of the jelly itself is tasteless and no artificial colours but the shaved ice is sweet and sour. Other than that, we also ordered Ice Kacang, Rojak, Mee Kicap and Laksa with fish ball.

Ice Wan Tao Long and Ice Kacang

Rojak, Laksa with fish ball and Mee Kicap

Teluk Intan is not only known for the tower that looks very much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy but also the excellent traditional cuisines and snacks sold here. Many of the popular foods sold here have a long history with special recipes pass down from generation to generation. There are a lot of food courts, restaurants and street stalls around the town. To me this is a great destination for food lovers.