A Dream Come True - Best Birthday Gift Ever!

A few years ago on my birthday, I set a goal to achieve something BIG by my 35th birthday - publishing an illustration book about a little girl who picks up knitting from a happy knitting elephant perhaps?

Well, on my 36th Birthday last year, not having a permanent space to continue with Knotty Bicsie, I was struggling to look for a direction for Knotty Bicsie. Not even anywhere close to the goal I set 5 years ago! "Fortunately" I was so busy picking up my pieces, I must say I don't remember feeling any disappointment nor sadness at all, for not being able to achieve my goal? Oops! :P

Another year has zoomed past, my 37th Birthday is approaching this Sunday. I'm proud to announce that I finally achieved something BIG! No illustration book YET, but I'm now a proud owner of Knotty Bicsie Knitting Cafe!!! And our official opening is of course this Sunday, 11Jan2015, on my Birthday! :D I am 2 years late, but better late then never right?? heehee... :P

Although a small shop, it really feels like a dream come true. Better yet, it feels like a 2nd home to my family & I. And so my NEW resolution, definitely aspire to be able to spend more time with my family, be it at our 2nd home, or anywhere around the world... AND to groom our 2nd home into a sustainable family "playground" for me & my 2 Dar-dars ;)

Here's a toast to everyone chasing your dream, may all your dreams come true like mine! May all sour dream manifest into something even more magnificent & magical!

In Loving Memory of Our Very Special Knotty Elf, Oreo

I have never really introduced this very special elf at Knotty Bicsie, but Knotty Fans who's visited our studio would've met him. Oreo was always charming, especially with the kiddos. Oreo had & will always have a special place in my heart. On Oreo's 2nd birthday, I started Knotty Bicsie. Every year as we celebrate Knotty Bicsie's Anniversary, we celebrate Oreo's Birthday...

On 24th November (Sat), Oreo waited till Knotty Fans from the morning class to leave to spend his last moments with me. I'm sorry we couldn't spend more quality time together, but am glad I was with you till you finally rest in peace. We will always remember you, Old Pal!

Oreo, 6 October 2004 - 24 November 2012.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Made these dolls for Edda's teachers @Happy Train. Really admire their dedication to teaching the kids & they do it always so cheerfully, making Happy Train always fun-packed with sunshine! :D Thank you, ladies! :D

Are There Many Knitters/Crocheters in Singapore?

When I 1st verbalize my intention to make knitting/crochet my "full-time job" (as my parents would say), u can imagine the shock look on my dad's face! Don't get me wrong, my dad is always very supportive. He just couldn't believe that his "well-educated daughter" can be so naive to think that this is gonna take off :/ Well, I must admit that I'm idealistic & willful when it comes to Knotty Bicsie la :P But this is how u have to be in pursuing our dreams, isn't it?? :)

Thankfully all effort sort of paid off when Knotty Bicsie started getting some media attention & our products & workshops are featured in shops, magazines & Straits Times. & my dad's response? "Hmm... I never knew there are so many people knitting & crocheting in Singapore!" Well, neither did I! I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of extremely crafty Singaporeans "hiding" in our own little crafting attic! If only we can all "come out" & show everyone how therapeutic & rewarding this hobby can be! :)

Recently, I chanced upon yet another crochet enthusiast, who turns out to be friend of my ex-students (yes, credit goes to fb again :P). Rachel makes kawaii amigurumi & posts them on her blog. Even better, she generously shares her patterns & "tricks" on her blog too! Check out her most recent creation - Singa, our courtesy lion :) Really admire her dedication in sharing this beautiful craft. Sure hope to collaborate with her on some projects some day :)

A Productive Tuesday

One of the reasons why I decided on making Knotty Bicsie a home-studio is so that I can put family as top priority as I work. And as many of u know by now, Tuesdays are my "off-day", when I get to run errands, do house chores, & also to catch up on my production la. So "off-day" really just mean "no class day" ba :P

I'm happy I'm really productive today. Managed to grab a nice breakfast with good coffee & do some marketing after dropping my girl off at school this morning. Once I got home, I started brewing our daily soup (a "must-have" for my family, radish soup today :)), do the laundry, transplanted some new "greens" at our balcony, reply some emails, place new orders for materials... then stomach started growling at almost 12noon :P Perfect timing, since soup is ready! So I had lunch, followed by A LITTLE knitting (yes, I do knit/crochet almost EVERYDAY :P) before bringing Knotty Every out for a "little spin" :P

1st stop: Activated C Studio

Met up with artist friend, Tang Ling Nah, at her studio, which is only 5min drive away fr my studio ;) I needed some advice from her on our Mee Suah 2013. Really appreciate her generosity in sharing with me all the "back-end" things to prepare & do. I've been "away" from the art scene for so long, I've almost lost touch! Thanx for all the tips & reminders, Ling Nah! ;)

2nd stop: Innova Junior College

A group of students from Innova Junior College is proposing a project work related to crochet & they found me on the internet & ask to interview me. Initially we struggled to fix a time to meet, so I offer to meet them in school since I drive. Finally met them & had a nice little chat in their canteen :P Pleasantly surprised when a Knotty Fan SMS me later, telling me that she saw Knotty Every drive past her neighbourhood! So Knotty Every is already a "celebrity" even before the extreme make-over??? Woohoo...! :P

Finally, I stopped by a coffee shop for my yummy ice milk tea before going to pick my 2 Dar-Dars up from school. Evenings are always nice & cosy family time... games, books, TV, cuddling :P after simple home-cooked food. Tonite's dinner - Radish soup noodles & steamed fish, Edda's favourite! ;)

Last but not least, blogging here, JUST before Wednesday! :P Tmr is gonna be another simply busy day I'm sure! Have a good week ahead, Knotty Fans! ;)

We are on Straits Time Lifestyle Again!

2012 has started with a bang for Knotty Bicsie. We are on Straits Time Lifestyle yesterday! Yay...! We were featured in Sept 2008 & so glad 3years later Straits Time decide to feature us again after we've reached a new milestone. It feels like receiving a beautiful report card after 5years of hardwork :)

Straits Time feature in September 2008

This feature is extra special to me because of all of you reading this now. I received lotsa SMSes, facebook comments & emails from our Knotty Fans since early morning yesterday. I'm truly overwhelmed by all your enthusiastic responses! This feature in Straits Time means nothing, if not for your support & well-wishes. Thank u so so so very much for sharing this joy in celebrating Knotty Bicsie's "good performance" for the past 5years! I will continue to work very hard & attain new breakthrough to show my appreciation for all the love & support u've been showering Knotty Bicsie with! Thank you!

Here's wishing everyone a fabulous 2012 packed with abundance of love, health & wealth! :)

Raveling Friends, NEVER Rivalry Foes :)

For those of u who has been following my blog, u will not find this week's local talent unfamiliar, for she's been mentioned a couple of times here liao :) Similarly, if u are a fan of her wedding dolls, u'd also have heard (or read) my name mentioned a few times on her blog too :P Yes, yes, she's none other than my dear friend, Jullie! :)

I met Jullie online while exploring Etsy as a platform to sell my baby booties. Then together with a few other local Etsians, Jullie came visit my stall @MAAD some 4years ago. Somehow both of us just clique & even went out for dinner a few times after that :) Well, again, the rest is history la :P

I've literally witness Jullie metamorphoses from a passionate crafter yet with a clear direction, to one fabulous crafter with a distinct style of her own. Hop over to her blog now & I bet u'll be going, "Wow! Wow...! Wow.... Wa.....!" :)

Jullie is definitely more than a "raveling friend"... We've both seen each other through our *young* aspiring crafter days to finding our individual directions & style, even to becoming Mummies! :) Now our babies are friends too! :P

Jullie is a perfectionist & she always insists on intricate details for all her customized wedding dolls designs. Her beautiful dolls (I know it's an under-statement) definitely speak for themselves & her "hobby" grows into a serious business which requires additional pair of hands! Woohoo...! She now has a permanent helper who helps her crochet the basic body parts, while she will do the assemblage & finishing touches. She never fails to surprise me with every new dolls she posts on her blog... My FAVOURITE by far is this new Japanese-inspired pair. Just look at the details! I'm totally LOVING it, are u??? :)))

Nevertheless, I had to give Jullie my blessings with mixed feelings when she told me that she's going back to full-employment job & is gonna make her dolls in SERIOUSLY LIMITED EDITION (only 4pairs/month i think?!?!) starting next year! I know! Even U are disappointed right??? :( Well, just remember to book her REAL FAST to avoid disappointment then ;)

Jullie is actually not the only crocheter/knitter whom I've approached to do a feature on. Sadly, the rest turned down my offer & I think it's because most questioned my intentions, especially since I'm a knitter/crocheter too. Well, honestly, in my opinion, the only way to find our directions, styles & niche areas, is by knowing & learning from your "competitors". Jullie & I been doing exactly that! :) We discuss our business plans, our new designs, our new directions, & we get new insights from each other! This has helped us grow & develop a lot more than if we were to just hide in our little attic & knit/crochet away.

As arrogant as it may sound, but I'm never afraid of "copycats". In fact, I'm secretly flattered if I come across anyone trying to copy my work! :P "Copycats" will always victimize themselves in cannibalism in this small competitive crafting world. Only the true "masters" will "out-wit", "out-do" & finally "out-last" in the crafting world... It also puzzles me why crafters are always so defensive & possessive over "their style"... In the Art scene, everyone starts off by copying from the masters before we eventually find our own style. I suppose I can't speak much for real big art masters since a lot of them are already no longer in our world, but I really think Singapore crafters in general (including myself) still have a long long way to go...

Oops, sorry for the side-track (Jullie, pls forgive me :P) hehe.... hop over to check out Jullie's BEAUTIFUL DOLLS now! [http://http://www.julshandmade.blogspot.com/] :)

"Birthday Pilgrimage" to HCI

October 12 & 13 have been 2 very special days for Knotty Bicsie since 2009. These are the 2 days when the J1 students of Hwa Chong Institution gets to enjoy their 2 days of Sabbaticals Program, while their teachers go busy marking their exam scripts :P & coincidentally, itx the time when Knotty Bicsie celebrates our Anniversary! So it always feels like a "birthday pilgrimage" for Knotty Bicsie :P

This year, besides our usual Funky Knit & Basic Tatting Workshop, we also collaborated with Japonicas to conduct a very special course - "Mu" Workshop (Terrarium & Hand-Bouquet).

I'm really excited when the teacher-incharge told me the wonderful news of "full-house" for Funky Knit Workshop on both days. This means Knotty Bicsie will be able to spread knitting as a therapeutic hobby to 50 new Funky Knitters!!! It's indeed an honour to be able to make crafting (knitting in this case) a modern way of life for everyone. & I give myself a pat on my shoulder with every new Funky Knitter that Knotty Bicsie successfully teach :) So 50pats this year... I can have a massage liao! Woohoo... :P

With 2 full classes this year, which means I had to bring more "Knotty Elves" along... :P

Meet Master Wenn Yann.

Wenn Yann is extremely experienced in her knitting & crochet. In fact, I would say she's much more experienced than me! Knotty Bicsie is so honoured to have her join our humble team. Wenn Yann's experience, patience & approachable personality makes everyone (students, other "Knotty Elves" & myself) simply adores & respects her :)

Meet Knotty Elf - Chenyen.

Chenyen has a long history with Knotty Bicsie. We 1st met some 4years ago, when I conducted my very 1st corporate knitting workshop @Anderson JC. Chenyen was 1 of the very enthusiastic students I met then. Some even went to MAAD to look for me after the workshop! It was indeed a very encouraging & heartwarming experience for me. It was also a pleasant surprise when Chenyen called me up 1 day to say she'd like to continue knitting & learn more about knitting. & the rest, like they say, is history... From a young Funky Knitter, Chenyen has now bloomed into a wonderful Knotty Knitting Instructor (which never fails to surprise her friends)!

Meet Knotty Elf - Gina.

Gina is an extremely talented crafter. Among all the handicrafts, u name it, she probably had properly learnt from a teacher & even has a proper tool set for them :P Since she's left-handed, I was initially apprehensive about teaching her to crochet. When we both finally picked up the courage to just give it a shot, I was immediately amazed at & impressed with Gina's psychomotor skills! Within minutes, she was crocheting like a right-handed Crochet Craze! Nothing can stop her now! ;) She was shy & unsure when I 1st approached her to join the Knotty Elf Team. Very glad I finally managed to convince her (after a lot of persuasion & assurance! :P). Look at that smile! I know the students really like her & I know she truly enjoyed herself too! :)

Meet our dear friend, Ayako.

Ayako is not really our "official Knotty Elf", but she's always so willing to help when I need extra hands. Ayako is much more than just extra help. To me, Ayako's been a guide, a listening ear & a supportive friend. Thanks so much, my dearest friend Ayako!

I Love "Zakka" Style. What About U?

Sorry this feature comes rather late this week. Been really busy rushing orders, while running our annual "birthday pilgrimage" to Hwa Chong Institution for 2 full days of Workshops (will blog about it later :P).

This 3rd local talent in this week's feature has a "special relationship" with my family, for Ivy, creative hands behind ivbelongings, is Edda's "honorary dress-maker & hairband-maker"! :P Ivy is a work-from-home-Mummy, just like me & Jocelyn. She has 2 lovely daughters & Aunty Betsy has "special feelings" for the elder sis, Tzian... shh... pls don't tell Tshan :P I fondly remembers how Ivy will make pretty dresses for her girls & add little details to her own clothes, just so they will have "mother-&-daughter-look"... How adorably sweet, right! So when Edda comes into our lives, Ivy immediately comes to my mind when I was shopping for Edda's dress for her 1st Birthday! :))) Very very very pretty dress with many lovely details. It's every girl's (& Mummy's too) dream dress! Look how happy our little Angel is wearing the dress! :D & the yummiliciously cute hairband too, of course! :)))

Ivy is superb in her sewing skills. Her attention to details makes her creations extra sweet & special. Confession: I'm a collector of her hand-sewn baby booties, even when I was selling my very own hand-crochet booties @MAAD! :P Most of Ivy's designs are "zakka" inspired - a Japanese vintage style. This makes her work very timelessly lovely too. U can easily feel her simple, humble, ernest & sweet personalities from her amazing work of heart :)

Check out all her pretty knick-knacks on her online stall www.ivbelongings.com

Warning: Watch that hole in your pocket, for everything is so irresistible! :P

Size Does Matter!

AiClay - a mini yummilicious wonderland. Founder, Jocelyn, like Leatherprince & myself, is also a full-time crafter.  I do not (I prefer to say I have not yet) know her personally. So nope, I did not get to know her from MAAD, but instead, I found her on Singapore Etsy Group.

Even though I do not know Jocelyn personally, her warm & bubbly personalities literally radiate through the few email exchanges I had with her. Just go to her website now & you'll know what I mean :P Warning though: if u are a food lover, have an interest in Ball-Joint-Dolls, love admiring beautiful photographs, be warned that u'll be "stuck" in AiClay Wonderland for a looong time! :P

Jocelyn admits that she's a food lover too, leading her to start hand-sculpting these amazingly realistic looking miniatures. Interestingly, her unusual career also makes her more sensitive to the colours & textures of food. So next time if u catch a weird lady staring intensely at her food & stopping in between her bites to study her food, well, chances are u might have just ran into the crafty hands behind AiClay! :)

Jocelyn also shared her "crazy" dream with me... She dreams of opening up a miniature museum, whereby visitors will be required to literally crawl in with a magnifying glass to explore her masterpieces! Haha... what a quirky idea indeed! Reminds me of Hayao Miyazaki's Ghibli Museum in Tokyo! Definitely top on the "Must Visit List" for my little Edda! & Jocelyn, I mean your miniature museum too! Don't keep us waiting for too long though... hehe... :D

Just like myself, a good degree holder, Jocelyn also gave up her "stable" job in search of her little wonderland. It's a tough route, but definitely a joyous & fulfilling one too :) Jocelyn, hang in there, put your head up! When asked the "million dollar question" (as u put it), proudly announce that your are a crafty entrepreneur who makes a living by making beautiful miniatures that can brighten up anybody's day! ;)

A Fairy-Tale in our Crafting Land

Working full-time as a crafter can get rather lonely sometimes. Simply coz u don't have colleagues to gossips with, nor bosses whom we can b***h about?! hehe... so i should say I'm so lucky to have started my crafting journey @MAAD, where I met many like-minders who have become great friends :) SO I'm gonna take this opportunity to introduce these amazingly talented friends of mine here, one at a time, over the next few weeks, in celebration of Knotty Bicsie's 5th Birthday :)

Leatherprince - a hubby-wifey-team... Every couple's dream, or at least I'm speaking for Dar & myself la... We are so envious! :P When Beon & Candy 1st came to MAAD, I thought Beon looked real familiar, & I found out that he actually appeared on TV before as the few young cobblers left in Singapore! Isn't this guy simply brilliant??? To have successfully made a traditional craft/skill into such a trendy trade! Coupled with Candy's illustration background, nothing's gonna stop Leatherprince! What a perfect match! :)

I got this leather notebook for Edward a few years back, from another fellow MAADster, Colleen, which I later asked Beon to customize this Transformer Logo onto it. Look at the details! & Leatherprince actually apologized for the "bad finishings" due to the small size of the logo & nature of leather craft!? Dear Beon & Candy, are u kidding?? Itx looking FANTASTIC! Dar & I were so thrilled when we saw the finished work! Thanx a million, Leatherprince! ;)

Leatherprince has since shifted their focus onto their online shop @etsy.com & has made truly made Singaporean Crafters very proud in becoming one of the top sellers among strong international competition in a very short period of time. Our crafty Prince & Princess have also shifted to Taiwan (Princess' hometown) a few years ago. Still never stop making me smile with their amazing work of heart whenever I "stalk" them on facebook :P O, & I'm loving their studio too! hehe... Check out these cuties!!! :D Did they make u smile? They sure did make me day :)

To My Dear Friends, Beon & Candy, promise u'll keep playing with those leathers & never stop surprising us with your amazing creations, yah? ;) I'm sure The Leatherprince Story is gonna be just like in the fairy-tales... & they live happily ever after... :)

[Coming up next week: A sweet lady who made it big with miniatures...]

Some Knotty News...

Iyo, it's been unknowingly 2months since my last post!?!? O dear... I've been such a lazy blogger! Apologies to my dear Knotty Fans... Well, I must say though that I haven't really been lazy, but VERY BUSY instead... Most of all, as most of u must've guessed, I've been kept busy with my fast-growing baby Edda, who's 10months+ now... time flies indeed. Here's a latest picture I took of her just this morning. Yes yes yes, she's modeling a Knotty Bicsie Knitwear ;P

Well, there's been quite a few customized orders as well. Special thanks to my "new pair of hands", Irene, who's been helping me with some of the productions, while I get busy with workshops. To those few Knotty Fans whom I've turned down your orders, I'm truly very sorry! Thank u for your kind understanding. :) Gentle reminder to all Knotty Fans, pls contact me with your order request EARLY, giving me at least 2-4weeks production time (depending on complexity/quantity/size of orders) to avoid disappointment. All Knotty Productions are uniquely handmade with lotsa love & stringent QC you know :P

As for workshops, well, Knotty Bicsie Home Studio has been busy mostly from Thursdays-Saturdays only, due to some ongoing corporate workshops:

1) Weekly knitting sessions @Warren Golf & Country Club is very fun for me as well. These ladies are truly enthusiastic & diligent! :) 

2)The gals at Singapore Chinese Girls' School Art Club are in the process of completing their very own knitted vest! I'm really excited to see all their masterpieces! 41 vests!!! The biggest class for Knotty Bicsie so far... Special thanks to my 2 lovely assistants, WennYann & Chenyen. Couldn't have done it without you ladies! :)

That's all for now... typing this while my "Little Empress Dowager" is taking her afternoon nap... :P

Edda @8mth, by 31Images

Time really flies... our little angel is already 8.5mth old! We had a most enjoyable session with a very talented & charismatic photographer, Sweng, some 3weeks ago. Little Edda, like most of u know, does not have "stranger anxiety", but she doesn't really smile at strangers much, even though she's actually very cheeky & playful with Papa & Mama :P Sweng is so good at what he does & is able to capture many cheeky smiles of our naughty angel ;) Thanx a million, Sweng! :D

Check out www.31images.com

Special Announcement!!!

Well, actually I have two $50-vouchers to 31Images' wonderful family portrait services that I'd like to share with my dear Knotty Fans here! ;) Simply spend S$50.00 (on product, supply &/or workshops) in a single receipt by 30th April 2011 to stand a chance to be 1 of the 2 lucky winners. Results will be published here on our blog & also our official website. Winners will also be notified personally.

Crafting Workshop for Kids by my friend, Cindy :)

Announcing the Arrival of Baby Edda!

Haha... this is long overdue... our baby Edda finally say "hi" to everyone on 6th July 2010 (Tue) @1440hr! (I was born @1444hr :P)

The 1st 2 weeks were indeed a challenge... pumping milk, feeding, diaper change, etc... everything so new, so overwhelming... I did not have a confinement lady (my supposed CL played me out >:( long story, but nvm...), but my mil cooked for me for the 1st 3weeks, while my mum helps me with Edda. Really grateful! :) Now that we've more or less successfully set a routine, everyday seems to pass by so quickly & before I realize it, Edda is already 1month old! Yay...! Edda's gonna get her very 1st haircut & manicure later when hubby gets home ;) hehe...

Edda's really growing fast! Crochet this cap for her & it fits her perfectly only for the 1st 2 weeks & she's now outgrown it liao! :P

Believe it or not, was knitting this beanie for her in the morning of 5th July, just before my final gyne appointment. Good thing I managed to complete it in the same morning... coz I was admitted to the hospital the same evening as I had actually already dilated 3cm! :P This beanie was indeed "JUST IN TIME"! ;)

Edda is such a sweetheart, isn't she??? :))) hehe...