The BEST X'mas Present to YOU!
A friend sent me this amazing video. I think this is the most beautiful & best X'mas present I can think of for anyone! So this is from me to you, my friends! So let's all start validating & smiling today!
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Merry Christmas!
What a Merry Merry Christmas!
Remember the 4 lovely Knotty Staffs I introduced earlier this month? Well, it's finally time to meet these friendly ladies in person! Come on down to X'mas Fashion Fair @Dhoby Ghaut (just outside Plaza Singapura Star Bucks) now! The fair runs from now till 28th Dec, open daily from 12noon-10pm. On days when crowd lingers on, our hardworking elves will surely stay on till past midnite!
Since these diligent Knotty Staffs are helping me @Dhoby Ghaut, where is Betsy then? Well, I'm "stuck" in my home studio either teaching knitting/crochet, or rushing out new products to replenish for everyday's sales @Dhoby Ghaut lo! But if you really really miss Betsy so much, you can catch me everyday between 11.30am-12noon @Dhoby Ghaut, or 6pm-12midnite this Fri & Sat @Clarke Quay (in front of "Clinic").
Christmas has been busy busy busy since I started Knotty Bicsie. Tiring, but fun & fulfilling. 2008's been an eventful year for both Knotty Bicsie & me personally:
3) Hokkaido Trip,
5) Knotty Tea Party,
7) my O Level Art students achieving 100% distinctions,
8) on Sunday Times,
9) on Radio 100.3,
11) starting of our supply shop,
12) & now the Knotty Bicsie family has grown with 4 new wonderful helpers!
Wow! Exactly 12 happy occasions &/or breakthrough to celebrate over the 12days of X'mas! I'm counting my blessings everyday & am truly grateful for all that I have. Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year, filled with love, joy & celebrations. what better way to end a year & to welcome a brand new year of new adventures & surprises...
Merry Christmas, Everyone! :)
Busy Busy X'mas Fairs Season
Knotty Bicsie will be at Clarke Quay the following days:
12th Dec 2008, Fri
13th Dec 2008, Sat
19th Dec 2008, Fri
20th Dec 2008, Sat
from 6pm-12midnight.
Do drop by to say hi! :)
While I am not @MAAD...
I did not go to MAAD last weekend because it's Edward's Birthday yesterday (7Dec). Heard that sales was good for many people. Too bad for Knotty Bicsie, I guess, but definitely NOT too bad for Betsy! Since I had a jolly good time with Edward & our family :)
On Saturday, Edward & I found this idyllic massage place @D'Kranji Farm Resort. Treated him to a relaxing 60min session, which includes foot scrub, leg massage, plus head, neck & shoulder massage. Honestly, we were so relaxed, we were somewhat rather sleepy after the session :P Then before going to the Pameran Poskad '08 Opening, some of us from Pauseability met up fora quick, but nice dinner at Olio Dome @Dempsey Place. That night, both of us slept very soundly... aarrr......... :)
Finally, it's Sunday, Edward's Birthday! Woke up early to make him Abalone & Chicken Mee Suah. Yummy...! :P After breakfast, when he left home for Airward Runway, the show began! Rei delivered the intricately customized cake over. Boy, I was so thrilled when I saw the cake! Isn't it gorgeous! Mum & Dad also came over to make this very special surprise delivery to Airward Runway for our Birthday Boy. Everyone was impressed with the beautifully constructed "Zero" on Ed's cake. Thanx, Rei!
After lunch, we played tourists & went to the Singapore Flyer for the very 1st time! hehe... It was Ed's mum's treat. Yippee! :D It was really nice to see Ed's mum so happy & excited. We took many many MANY photos (at least 35 shots) @Singapore Flyer alone! haha.... Very touristy indeed! lol.... Well, not that there's lotsa excitement there, but rather, it was a very nice family outing. :) If only Ed's Dad could come too... everything would be perfect...
Had a discussion with Ed last night. Wondering if I should still put so much energy on running bazaars, since our knitting/crochet workshops are picking up. Well, since I've already gotten a small group of Knotty Staff, maybe I should gradually hand the bazaar hopping task to them, so they can be Knotty Bicsie's ambassadors, while I can concentrate on our crafting studio. Now the real test for my Knotty Staff is the X'mas Fashion Fair @Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. If they can be independent & dependable, then Knotty Bicsie will be all set to fly in 2009! Ganbatte ne! ;)
Knotty Bicsie is Growing... What a Great Way to Start the Long Weekend!
I had a very fun Friday yesterday...
To start the day, Crochet Craze, Mimi, finally reached the assembly stage of her very 1st Amigurumi project. Can see she was very excited. When we were finally done, we were both very thrilled by how cute the little fella turns out! Kawaii ne!
"Hi! Betsy, thanks alot for agreeing to teach me desipte my deafness. Also appericate yr patience to write notes to explain during our crochet class. It is enjoyable to crochet, even though it was not easy at start! :P Yr blog 's very well written and lots of nice photos.. I wish I can blog like u but my grammer's not good. :( U might like to take a look at my website at http://www.micrafts.webs.com I love to try every crafts which interests me greatly...also I enjoy creating with my hands..:) Have a blessed xmas in advance!" - Mimi, 6th Dec 2008
Then Jullie came over with her freshly baked apple crumble to catch up with Dewi, who's completed her 2nd pair of baby booties. Jullie's apple crumble is sooo.... yummy, we all got so distracted from our crochet session! We even went out for coffee later in the afternoon! haha...
Finally, the day I've been waiting for... Knotty Staff Training! As you know I've been trying to get part-time sales promoters, so here they are: Del, Sharis, Azree & Ee Wei. We had a ladies nite till almost 10pm! We started the session with a little knitting, which everyone agreed it to be extremely therapeutic, especially after a long day... Then of course, I showed the ladies how the stall is usually set up, we exchanged some ideas & these wonderful Knotty Staff sure gave me lotsa great suggestions & new ideas! O, we even had role-play for everyone to practice how to promote Knotty Bicsie! hehe... our staff training very pro, right?? Dun pray pray ar! lol.... :P
Del, Sharis, Azree & EeWei, thank you so much for the fun time we had last nite. Special thanks to EeWei, who's always so supportive & helpful! You're truly an amazing Knotty Fan! Let's make Knotty Bicsie SOLD OUT everyday at the fair! Yay! ;D
Pameran Poskad '08
I had fun making this postcard to be exhibited together with other 200+ artists from around the world. The exhibition is opening this Saturday. All postcards on display are for sale. Do join us. Who knows? You might be able to own a postcard by someone famous at a very affordable price! Knotty Bicsie's artist # is 028, under Pauseability.
KBCC #08: Drink Can Fun!
It was a cosy & relaxed afternoon @Pauseability last Saturday. Michelle & Isabelle came in a little late, but just in time before we made too much progress in our drink can weaving project. 
After some squeaking, twisting, twitching, coiling... Wala! Check out our drink-can-bloom!
Then we decided to arrange them into a sculpture... Then came the idea of using them as our X'mas decoration for December's KBCC! Details as follows:
KBCC #09 - Rolling X'mas Party!
Date: 27th Dec 2008, Satyrday
Time: 2-5pm
Venue: Pauseability (Blk 125, Toa Payoh Lor 1, #01-541)
Synopsis:
Teacher EeWei will be showing us how to recycle plain rolls into beautiful work of art. Inspired by Yuken Teruya. Of course, not to forget our X'mas Cards Exchange! We've all decided to each make at least 1 ATC (Artist Trading Cards of size 2.5x3.5inches) on X'mas theme, which we will then trade among ourselves @KBCC.
So pls remember to bring rolls, scissors & cutters, completed X'mas ATC(s).
Registration: S$10.00/participant
RSVP: Pls RSVP by 22nd Dec 2008 (Monday)
Cya Next Year, Mee Suah...
Time flies... Today is the last day of Mee Suah Exhibition @The Arts House. But you know what? A group of knitting/crochet enthusiasts & I are already planning for next year's Mee Suah Party! So don't you worry, there'll surely be even more yummy treats to your senses coming your way next year! Look out for more colourful & playful Mee Suah in 2009! :D
For those who missed Mee Suah 2008, GOOD NEWS!!! Part of Mee Suah (only the FreeForm Knitted Art pieces) is travelling to Barang Barang (Central) for the month of December 2008, then to Barang Barang (SPC, Paya Lebar) for the month of Jan 2009. So you still got 2months to catch Mee Suah ;) Or you may also click here to view a VR video of Mee Suah @The Arts House. Courtesy of "Clair de Lune Photography".
Cool Knitted Animation
Totally admire this work! This must be the MOST amount of knitting for a single piece of work!!! Special thanks to Moses of Pauseability for sharing it with me.
Live Interview on Radio 100.3
Yesterday was a fun fun FUN day! Ed & I made a trip to SPH where we had our live interview with DJ Wilson. It was the second time I've been in a recording room. It is totally different from the 1st time many many years ago when i was a kid! I remember how a typical recording studio is a solemn black box, very intimidating & stressful. But Wilson's studio is the exact opposite: cheerful & vibrant. The cosy environment really helped us feel more relaxed during the interview... :)
Actually before getting to the recording studio, Ed & I decided to get touristy & started snapping away... :P
This is me just outside SPH gate. See 100.3? :D
Then we see this HUGE side just outside the Podium & we just couldn't resist! :P
Wilson brought us up to the waiting area of 100.3 office to wait while he finish off some work prior to the live broadcast. Waited for 25min.... with nothing much to do, we decided to play with our camera again. hehe...
I have a recording of the whole interview, still trying to figure out which part of it to put on this blog... also trying to figure out how to do it with my iMovie. :)
Special Thanks to DJ Wilson for making yet another tiny little childhood dream of mine come true! You know what I mean. ;)
Ed & I felt a great sense of satisfaction & felicity yesterday. Never did we imagine that my seemingly crazy decision 2years ago, plus my willful & stubborn perseverance to run Knotty Bicsie have brought us so far & to so many places... We've been featured in magazines, Straits Times, made business trip to the kingdom of kawaii craft, Tokyo, been on TV with Pauseability, done my solo exhibition, now live interview on radio! Wow! I can never imagine such exciting journey if I had stayed on in my previous job. Tough route, but definitely adventurous & full of surprises, very fulfilling... I'm very grateful for all these colourful stories in this new chapter of my life, & I thank all of you who make these delightful stories possible!
Knotty Bicsie LIVE on Radio100.3!
Hello, listeners of Radio100.3!
If this is your first time here, I'm sure you'll be "stuck" here for awhile! :P When you're ready to start shopping & enjoy your special 100.3 discounts, click here to our online shop.
Remember to key in the special code given by Betsy on air to enjoy the special promotions.
For workshops enquiry, pls key in the special code under "Other Requests".
Special note to Knotty Fans:
I know Knotty Bangle Bags been "SOLD OUT" for a long long time.... X'mas is round the corner & big orders for bangle bags are beginning to flow in. So pls pls pls bear with me just for a little while more... New bangle bag designs will be up on my online shop for grab in 2weeks' time, once I deliver few big orders next week.
So do check back www.knottybicsie.com.sg at the end of November to shop till you drop! ;D
Felicity
This piece is called Felicity because it has all my favourite citrus colours. I almost can smell all the wonderful citrus fruits as I was completing it, & this sensation made me very happy throughout...
A little side track from my work... :P Those of you who came to Mee Suah Opening, if you like my goodie bag & Knotty Pom Charms, well, they were all lovingly prepared by my inspiring teacher, my Mom! Thanx, Mummy! :)
O, for those of you naughty Knotty Fans who have yet to activate your Knotty Fan Cards, please do so now le. No more discount for you then you know! :P hehe... no la, I'm in the process of consolidating my Fan Club systematically so I can give more special deals to you, my Knotty Fans mah! So please help me by activating your cards, ok? Thank you!
Passion
This is the very 1st FreeForm Knitted Art I did last year. It was a breakthrough for me indeed. When Ed asked me one day last year why I wasn't doing any painting after I quit my job, I started to wonder myself too...? So I went online I typed "knitted art" on my google search. I was amazed & totally inspired by what I found! I am most inspired by Prudence Mapstone & Jenny Dowde's intriguing work of art. Since knitting/crochet & painting are all extremely therapeutic for me, I decided to combine these 2 skills I have & came up with my own version of FreeForm Knitted Art, which I'm sure is visually stimulating to all viewers. I like how they leaves room for my viewers' imagination, while it is a very child-like play of colours & texture for me as the maker.
Possession?... Awakening!
This piece of work has a very special significance to me. When I was at a cross-road 2years ago, when I sought refugee back at my Mom's home for a week, I knitted this small baby blouse. Despite it being my very first project, I surprisingly completed it within 4days, shocking my Mom even more! It almost felt as though i was possessed by the "God of Knit"! Or i should say I was BLESSED by the "God of Knit" for all was clear to me by the time this little virgin project was completed. I knew very clearly then, which direction I should proceed on into the next phase of my life. So here I am, for Knotty Bicsie, I knit knit knit...All beautiful photographs courtesy of "Clair de Lune Photography".
Mee Suah Opening
Finally, steamy hot Mee Suah was served to all last Saturday! It sure was a hit, with about 100 guests crowding the small Arts House Foyer! It was very overwhelming for me indeed. Thank you all for sharing my joy of my 1st solo exhibition! My photographer is in the process of consolidating the photos of last Saturday. Will post them up here once they are ready. meanwhile, here's some shots of my colourful mee suah for al to enjoy....
I'll be posting up my exhibits over this month. Do check back regularly to see my work. Better yet, drop by The Arts House Foyer (1 Old Parliament Lane) from now till 24th Nov, 11am-8pm to see & experience Mee Suah for yourself!
All beautiful photographs courtesy of "Clair de Lune Photography". Thank you!
Steaming Hot & Yummy Mee Suah
Last week had been extremely nerve-wrecking & fingers-cramping. It was a mad rush, trying to finish up my work & also preparing for other nitty gritty things like tagging & framing. Luckily Jeff (my frame guy) has been superbly efficient & helpful in agreeing to help me do so many last minute job :P Thanx, Jeff!
When we reached the Arts House Foyer last Friday, the Technicians were busy tearing down the previous artist's exhibits of 10 big posters. When all the posters were down, I couldn't help but felt an overwhelming rush of excitement & stress, coz suddenly the Foyer is so bare & HUGE!!! Now I'm worried my tiny work will be totally swallowed up by the space!
So we quickly got down to work... I did a few quick sketches to show the helpful Technicians where I want which specific artwork. We also discussed about the general setting & layout before we get down to serious work... Thank goodness all was smooth & well. I also have to securely tack all my little creations down to the pedestals so Mary & Sheila can have a peace in mind, & not have to continuously re-arrange my stuff. Guess what? My worry could not have been proven more relevant! There was an "earthquake" on Sunday, when the whole pedestal, which my Knotty Ele friends are resting on, was knocked over by a clumsy passerby & my whole work fell onto the marble floor with a BIG BOOM! Well, good news is that it's proven how shock-proof my works are! Iyo... sure hope this is a 1-off bizarre accident!
The space is indeed too big for my petite work, & there isn't much wall space to hang my paintings, so I had to plan for new things to work on the layout. Returned on Saturday again to put up more stuff. Luckily I still got 1more week before official opening to work on the space. Ganbatte ne!
Jiahui, my sis's boyfriend, came over to help me take some shots of the products. Will need them for Knotty Bicsie's official website. He LOVES photography & he's a great photographer, you'll see! ;)
Now I would say Mee Suah is 90% ready to be served! Left 1more floor piece, which hopefully will be a surprise for everyone...
It's a finally count down....
Special thanks to Von, the Creative Director of The Arts House, who's conceptualized & realized this 1-year project to showcase selected designers of the Shop. This solo exhibition is indeed a dream come true for me & I believe many other designers too! Thank you so much, Von! You go gal! ;D
A Little Peep @Mee Suah Cooking...
Came across this rather hilarious artwork by Freddie Robin, in response to the post-9/11 ban on knitting needles in airplane.
Well, in case u start wondering if my fingers are still knitting/crocheting Mee Suah, or just clicking in front of my Mac, I decided to start letting u take small peeps at my work-in-progress...
This one came when I wished upon a star...
This little guy is so my style, partially made with my favourite yarn...
This little guy is sort of a break-through for me in terms of colours. rarely see blue & black in my creations, let alone a combination of both!
Somehow this little fella took me a long time to make...
This came after a special customized order by a friend, Koon.
More work in progress...
This one, or rather this series is the toughest - my FreeForm Wall pieces. Still struggling with 2 of them. Hopefully can finish in time to send for framing next Monday...
okie doo... hopefully I can steal some time to update at least 1 more time next week, before the final setting up on Friday. If not, You'll hear from me after next Saturday then. Tata for now... Ganbatte ne!
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