Welcome to Knotty Bicsie!: May 2009

Meet Needle Felter - Jo Lin

"A very enjoyable class, with a very patient & friendly Betsy teaching me Felting. It's simply a fun & interesting craft! thank U Betsy!" - Jo Lin, 22nd May 2009

Many Things Lining Up Till July

For the 1st time, we had a surprise birthday party for a good friend, Deborah, last Sunday. I did what I do best for her birthday present - I crochet a trendy scarf for her. Looks fantastic on her, don't you think? :)

May has given me 2 weekends of good break with Edward, but also marks the start of a long list of things to do all the way till July at least...

Well, on top of my usual small orders & classes, my biggest headache now is this corporate deal with South East Community Development Council. They've ordered 210pcs of my Miniature Knitted Art. My target is to paint at least 20pcs per day for the next 11days, then I'll start wriggling my fingers for the knitted/crochet portion. As much as I truly think I'm the first & only one doing this type of artwork, I don't have the confidence to daringly declare that yet :P I have been surfing the net to see if there's any others doing this, well, good news is I don't seem to have found anyone else yet :) Unlike mine, which I incorporate knitting/crochet with acrylic painting, others are all fully knitted/crochet. Hehe... so am I really the pioneer in this??? I sure hope so! :D

Other things that I'll be busy with for the next 2 months are corporate workshops. I'll be doing 2 or 3 Art & Craft Workshops for kids below 12years old, & 2 Funky Knit Workshops for Hwa Chong Institute (College). I'm really thrilled about the Funky Knit Workshop @Hwa Chong Institute. It is always Knotty Bicsie's mission & vision to popularize knitting/crochet as a therapeutic life-long hobby, & also to make crafting a modern way of life for everyone. What better way to do this than to start with the young? :) I'm engaging 2 of my young Funky Knitters to be my assistant instructors for this workshop in July. I'm so looking forward to the day when the stereotypical image of old granny knitting in her rocking chair is to be replaced with trendy youngsters wriggling their fingers while chilling out! :D

Much Ado About Nothing

Last weekend turns out to be a really enjoyable one. We celebrated Adrian's birthday over "Much Ado About Nothing" @Fort Canning Park. All thanx to our dear friend, Michael Corbidge (who's 1 of the main casts), we got our tix at 20% discount! & most gratefully, we got a sumptuous picnic spread! Yum!

The stage setting is simply beautiful! I love the pool & Edward loves the wooden frames. Gorgeous! It was a FULL HOUSE that night.

Bought Adrian's birthday cake from tcc. Cocoa Cointreau is so yummy! Definitely will go for the cake again! Chenyee, the other Adrian, Deborah, Edward & I shared to buy a BIG BOXFUL OF YARNS for Adrian. Yes, Adrian knits alot too! In fact, some of you might even own Adrian's creations! ;) Actually, he's been knitting some pretty rose brooches, bags & "ginger-bread-man dolls" for Knotty Bicsie. So now u know who are, proud owner of Adrian's masterpieces ;)

Since it was still exam period, I only had a morning class on Sunday the following day, so Edward & I decided to go check out "Da Vinci - The Genius" Exhibition @Science Centre. Well, it was interesting, but I think it was more interesting to Edward, then it was to me, since I knew more about Da Vinci than him :) can see those aero-dynamic inventions really excite him a lot :)

It sure has been a long long time since Edward & I can can spend quality weekend times together like last 2 weekends. To think that I'm running a home-based cottage business, yet so little time with my loved ones. I really can't imagine how much quality family time normal working couples have! This is kinda scary & sad :(

New Booties Range Available for Grab!

Yay! Check out this new range of 28 designs available online now! More coming your way in the next 2 months. Look out for some good bargains too!

SHOP NOW!!!

Also coming your way by July 2009, our very own online yarn & supply shop!!! Will sure keep everyone posted once it's up! :)

Meet Funky Knitter, Christie

"Hi Betsy,

Thanks for teaching me the knitting skills, which is Greek to me when I first approached you. You are definitelya very patient person as teaching me is not easy due to the fact that I am not a crafty person and I am very impatient... Moreover, you are not selfish to impart me the knitting skills. Really appreciated the effort you have put in to teach me and I have my first and one of its kind knitted handphone pouch. Looking forward to start my next project soon!!!" - Christie Lim, 13th May 2009

Meet Knotty Super Model - Baby Chloe!

Baby Chloe's mum customized this pretty cardigan & a match beret for her wardrobe to Genting! Iyo, what a lucky little princess! Well, with a pretty smile like Chloe, no wonder Mummy's so inspired to keep shopping for her. I think Baby Chloe has a much BIGGER wardrobe than I do! :P In fact, as of now, Princess Chloe is already a proud owner of 4pairs of Knotty Baby Booties, 8 Knotty Beanies & Beret, 1 Knotty Cardigan, & still counting...

Knotty Bicsie is so lucky to have found so many wonderful Knotty Fans! Thank you, my dear!

Creative, Innovative, Resourceful & Enterprising People

Had a surprise birthday party for a lovely young lady, Cindy, last Saturday after MAAD. Met her @MAAD in 2006 X'mas. Pretty, sweet, chirpy, friendly - this is my friend, Cindy. Like many others, I never knew silver jewellery can be hand-crafted (especially not in Singapore, I thought), until I met Cindy! Check out Cindy's little nook, Purple Lush.

Everyone handmade something for Cindy & I knitted this vest in her favourite colour - PURPLE! (I know, I know, this is lilac. Both belongs to same family right?? :P) Really glad it fits her perfectly too! ;) Happy Birthday, Cindy!

These few weeks have been a little quiet than usual @our crafting studio 'coz it's exam period. Students need to focus on preparing for exams, & parents need to stay home to coach & monitor their kids doing revision at home. Hence, I end up having a surprisingly leisure Saturday afternoon off! hehe... :P Well, I was suppose to stay home to rush a few outstanding orders, since I did not knit/crochet for 2 days after I went to see a Chinese "sinsei" for my painful right wrist :( But hubby decided to bring me out on a HOT date instead! :P

We started our excursion with a visit to Ed's favourite Sunday hide-out, which he calls "Woodlands Airbase". He put up an "airshow" for me, flying his P40, a birthday gift I got for him last year. By the way, he affectionately name it "Bicsie" because it was painted by me too! :D Read more about Ed's hobby here.

After that, we drove around some farms near our place, & then we decided to stop for an ice-cream @this roving "Mama-Shop" in a van. We strolled around the park while enjoying our ice-cream & to our pleasant surprise, we caught two very interesting sight. First of all, we saw a family actually cooking lotsa "bah-zhang" (rice dumpling) at a bbq-pit! & it sure look like those are for sale! haha... Didn't dare take any photo of this family since we were too near & we definitely had no intention to buy any from them! :P

Just beside this enterprising family, a HUGE crowd gather, all looking towards the sea in anticipation. As we follow their gaze, this is what we saw!

Apparently a few men had come back in a sampan full of FISH! & they are going for $3/kg! Iyo... people can be so resourceful & business-minded! Honestly, I doubt this is legal, but maybe if fishing there is legal, well, I suppose these people are just trying their luck?? :P Either way, Edward & I had a very interesting afternoon & it's been awhile since our last weekend outing together :) So it was real nice... :)))

Ed decided he wanted to go somewhere by the beach to have dinner, so we head towards Bottle Tree Restaurant along Sembawang Beach. Yes, all these very cool, Singapore's hidden treasures, are all VERY NEAR our Admiralty Drive studio. Are you jealous??? hehe... :P

We ordered this very interesting dish - Lychee Prawn Balls. As the name suggests, it's simply lychee+prawns, deep fried till golden brown in patter, & the taste is heavenly! Yummy! We were even inspired to try it at home someday... yes, someday... :P

Even though I injured my wrist & had been unwell for the whole week, I must say I'm absolutely enjoying my weekend! I know few of you (u know who u are) reading this must be wondering if I've forgotten all about your orders :P Hehe... Don't worry la! I'm definitely working on them & you are definitely getting your parcels next week, as promised :)

Oh, to ALL MOTHERS, especially my Mum AiChoo, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

ps: Mum, don't forget our hot date on Monday ;) I love you!

NEW!!! Needle Felting Workshop

Knotty Bicsie is adding this new craft to our list of workshops available at our Crafting Studio. It's so fun & easy, even kids can enjoy themselves in this 2-3hr workshop (depending on group size)! :) Check out these adorable wooly friends created by Xavier (10 years old) & Xaviera (9 years old)! :)))

First Ever Introductory Crochet Craze Workshop @MAAD

Last Sunday @MAAD I was kept extremely busy throughout the day with 4 New Crochet Craze & a few other Funky Knitters who came by in the afternoon for a knit-out (& chit-chat) session. :P

Meet Elaine, a fellow vendor @MAAD who stole some time away from her stall to come learn a new skill :P

"Betsy is a practical & realistic instructor, she does not promise you the sky about what you can do with basic crochet skill. Hence, with my existing craft knowledge, I am able to gauge how far I can go, how good I want to be for future projects. However, I felt that 2hrs is not enough for for a first-time crochet enthusiast to finish up a handphone pouch (on our own). But it is a very good introductory lesson to get a taste of what hard work is all about. I had fun during her workshop, which explore the cor-ordination between fingers of 2 hands, unknowingly increase unnecessary stitches, and with a lot of help from Betsy, I am a proud owner of a iPod cover. :P

Thanks for the workshop, I would continue to practice my crochet skill next MAAD." - Elaine, 5th May 2009

Jeslyn, who has been fascinated by some amazing Amigurumi pictures she saw from our blogs, came to try her hands on crochet as well.

"The workshop is very basic, just nice for someone like me who has never touched yarn before & who has no experience in crochet or knitting. It's good for me to learn & get the feel, & for me to see if my interest is there.

The duration is just nice, but probably need a few more lesson to complete a (proper) project for beginner (1st-timer like myself).

Thanx for the patience & guidance!" -Jeslyn, 3rd May 2009

Amanda & Pauline, a pair of cheerful & enthusiastic cousins, rushed down from their yoga class to try crochet for the first time too.

"Had a fun time learning the single crochet stitch. Would love to learn more from you in future! Thanks, Betsy!" -Amanda Yong, 3rd May 2009

"It's been an enjoyable & relaxing 2-hr crochet learning experience with Betsy, who's been patient with a beginner like me. Thanks a lot, betsy! :)" -Pauline Huang, 3rd May 2009

Knitted Gift for a Creative Friend

Now all of you get to see Fashion Designer, Rayson Tan's handsome face :P Knitted a vest in his lucky colour for his birthday. Really glad it fit him perfectly! :)