Christmas Shopping Time! Ho! Ho! Ho!

My favourite time of the year is drawing near... & I can hear the Santa bells jingling already! My little Edda has just learnt to say "Ho! Ho! Ho!" too! hehe.... It's really funny when she does that! Ho! Ho! Ho! :D

I can't wait to start my Christmas shopping! Have u started yours yet??? Here's something u might wanna add onto your shopping list - Knotty Snowball Scarves! ;) Hand-knitted with loads of love by Knotty Elf Wenn Yann :)

2pcs only.

1pc only.

1pc only.

Each scarf is approximately 1.5m long.

Price: S$60.00/pc

(Postage surcharge is applicable. S$4.00 for local/Singapore address, S$8.00 for overseas address. Registered mail only. Alternatively, u may also arrange to self-collect from Knotty Bicsie Studio @Admiralty Drive, Sembawang.)

Yes, only FOUR pieces available. So grab them before they are all gone ;) To purchase, pls email bicsie@gmail.com & indicate if u want the mix-coloured, pink or blue one. Happy shopping! :)

"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!

Yours Sincerely Making Some Noise

Hello, my friends! I hope this post finds everyone well & happy. & I sure hope my dear knotty fans are still following my blog even though I seems missing in action on this blog for a long while :( Sorry! Occasionally I will receive email, SMS, comments on my fb from u wonderful friends out there. This really brightens my day & warms my heart! Thank u! Rest assure that Knotty Bicsie will keep knitting & crocheting, & will always continue to spread these addictive hobbies! ;)

No blog post doesn't mean baby Edda has taken away all my time (even though I'm really quite occupied by my active little munchkin :P). Our crafting workshop is still busy & crowded as usual, especially on Fridays & Saturdays. There's also been quite a handful of customized orders...Interestingly, at one point some weeks ago, I had so many scarf orders, I had to activate my 2 wonderful knotty elves (my mum & funky-knitter-turn-crochet-craze Irene) to help out! We were wriggling our fingers into the nights like scarf factory! :P

Then there's the usual booties orders. Here's a few of the many uniquely handmade with love ;)

There's also been a few customized wedding dolls orders. I really need help in our little cottage studio all the time, so I decided to "groom" our very own crafty Irene to be my assistant. She started off unsure of her skills & workmanship, but time & again she impresses me with her meticulous attention to details & intricate finishings. More importantly, Knotty Fans' faces lit up with joy when they finally receive her fabulous work of heart! ;) Well done, Irene! These are 2 of her masterpieces. U'll see more of her creations I'm sure ;)

Finally, one rather embarrassing (at least to me) incident happened last week. 1 funky knitter asked me during our workshop what programs I have lined up for Knotty Bicsie's Anniversary this year & she's really looking forward to it. I feel very ashamed & paiseh when I had to admit that I haven't had any concrete plan yet :( but definitely there'll be promotions la :) I know I have to plan something interesting & prepare some real good deals. I cannot disappoint you, my dear supportive fans! So stay tuned. Look out for updates on our anniversary programs & promotions here next Friday on Teacher's Day! ;)

Till then, keep crafting! ;)

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

Meet Crochet Craze - Regina

"Dear Betsy, first of all, a very big Thank You for your patient teaching & guidance during my time here. You made me realize the beauty of doing crochet & the desire to do more during my free time. I have learnt quite a lot of techniques & I love them all. My first piece of crochet project was a memorable one & I am really really glad too. Especially when u commented on my good progress & good technique, although I thought otherwise. Thank you so much!" - Regina Koh, 7th March 2010

Regina indeed has a hidden talent! No doubt a newbie in crochet, but her tension & workmanship is fabulous! She's now learning to crochet flower brooches from me. I'm hoping she'll be convinced soon to make them for sale :) I'm sure in no time, Regina will be a new elf @Knotty Bicsie :P Wait for my good news! ;)

Knotty Tea Party - "Handmade-A-Fair"

Last Saturday was Knotty Bicsie's 3rd Birthday Bash & it was a GREAT HIT! Our usual idyllic crafting studio was flooded with Knotty Fans & we were all packed like sardines! :P My family, friends & I were definitely very overwhelmed by the crowd. So Knotty Fans whom I did not get to talk to much, please forgive me. :P I felt like an octopus that day! haha.... :D Special thanx to Moses of Pauseability who came by to share with everyone about ATC. That 15min of "breather" for all the "stall-holders" was definitely precious! :P

Also special thanx to my splendid helper, Azreen. Azreen, Thank u so much! I know I can always count on U! :)

Here am I, caught by Jullie, in one of the rarest moment of relaxation on Sat :P

A few of my very talented creative friends definitely add lotsa vibrant colours to Knotty Bicsie's humble birthday party. Just beside me was Michelle & Jullie showcasing their crochet dolls & accessories. I'm sure all of you are VERY FAMILIAR with Jullie by now. We've worked together a few times already. We are "extra hands" to each other in many of our crafting endeavors :P Jullie, thank you for your friendship! :)

Here's the beautiful stall of Japonicas by Jet. While Jet was enjoying her holiday trip in HK, Mum & Pearlin helped sell her pretty Japonicas. They are so charming, Pearlin actually spent her entire pay for the day as a Japonica salesgirl, on a necklace & ring! haha... :D

Wendy of Tagaholic brought her little daughter along to let her experience "the morale of doing business & that $ does not come easy, & of course to have fun" (Wendy's exact words :P). Wow, a mum never fails to capture "teachable" moments! O, Wendy even very thoughtfully made a "Blessing Book" for me as a gift! (It's the beautiful red guestbook, in which all of u penned down your wishes & blessings for Knotty Bicsie!) Thank u so so much, Wendy! ;) Suzanne of Periwinkle-Su is undoubtedly one of the shining star on Sat. Her stuffs were almost "SOLD OUT" by the end of the day! I'm also a proud owner of Suzanne's hand-quilted work! ;)

Ayako of Something Magickal had the most "peaceful" stall inside my personal studio space, where she did 5 intuitive drawings & sold some of her postcards & medicine bag. She even did a very special "Red & Black Maneki Neko" for Ed & I as a gift for Knotty Bicsie's 3rd Anniversary! Thank u so much, my dear friend! We love it! :)

One of the most interesting stalls has to be Ellen's Singtatter-Corner! many Knotty Fans never even heard of tatting before last Saturday! & everyone is totally awed & impressed by Ellen's intricately beautiful hand-tatted creations. O, & Ellen's son, Ivan, even conducted a mini origami workshop for some Knotty Fans that day. Ellen & Ivan, thank you for sharing your work. We all learnt something new that day!

"When I Was Four" is a new indie label, but their creativity definitely is not new to us. Remember my Knotty Bicsie Shoes, which everyone adores? Well, it's hand-painted by Liling lo! So glad to see many new designs on that day.

Yet another special thanx to a dear friend, Adrian, who baked some beautiful cakes & made some yummy chocolates for Knotty Tea Party. Everyone kept asking for more! Adrian, I am so gonna cater from you when I have my very own KBCC (Knotty Bicsie Crafting Cafe) one day! ;)

Of course we did not forget our lucky draw! Lucky winners definitely went home even happier with our unique handmade prizes. :) As for our Birthday Give-Away, the lucky winner who gets to adopt our kawaii Knotty Phant is.... *drum roll*... our very dear friend, Ee Wei!!! Knotty Phant is going to Edmonton!!! Yay...!!! EeWei, I'm sure this little fella is gonna keep u very warm this X'mas! Just don't let your new cats eat him up! :P

Besides our Lucky Draw, everyone also gets to go home with our very own hand-crochet goodie bags! Took my Mum & I almost 3 weeks to make these for everyone! Lotsa hard work for sure, but it's all worthwhile :)

Our very 1st "Handmade-A-Fair" is such a HUGE success, we are already planning to have a bigger one next time! :P After Knotty Fans went home happy & satisfied from their shopping spree, we stayed on for a little de-brief to discuss how to make our next Handmade-A-Fair an even better one for you. So do be on a look out for our next Handmade-A-Fair coming your way, even bigger than this one! ;)

Many Knotty Fans were so so so sweet & brought presents for Knotty Bicsie too! Check out my new treasures... It was a birthday packed with abundance indeed... abundance of joy, abundance of well-wishes, abundance of laughters, abundance of prosperity, abundance of creativity, abundance of friendship & love... thank u all for making our humble home a house of abundance with all your support & blessings!!!

BEWARE! Imitations & Impostor of Betsy Toh (Knotty Bicsie) in Market!!!

(This is gonna be a long one. Please bear with me & read on, as it is VERY IMPORTANT!)

It has recently come to my attention that there has been someone going round claiming to be "Betsy Toh from Knotty Bicsie", while selling his/her own hand-crochet baby booties. I have also found out that all the other designs he/she claims to have, are also in fact other overseas crafters' designs! All of us have already wrote in to warn him/her of the violation of copyrights in her act, & we will all be taking legal actions against this impostor if this continues.

To safeguard, YOU, my wonderful knotty fans, from being cheated, hehe.... :P I am now gonna highlight the features of Knotty Bicsie, so you can be an expert in identifying the authentic Knotty Bicsie! ;) (haha... sound as if we are some branded goods like LV, Gucci, Prada... hor? :P) Well, I'm sure many of you are already excellent in doing this la!

1) Knotty Bicsie

The only name we have is "Knotty Bicsie" (pronounced as "Knotty Big-Sea"). & being a very kiasu person, I always make sure ALL my profile/userid/account/etc... on the internet are "knottybicsie" & are all linked back to this blog or our official website www.knottybicsie.com.sg & our 3 recognized email addresses are:

betsy@knottybicsie.com.sg

bicsie@bigfoot.com

bicsie@gmail.com

2) Good Quality Yarns

Since 2008, only tip top quality baby & cotton yarns are used in our baby booties. Our Funky Knitters & Crochet Craze are big fans of these yarns themselves when making wearables for themselves or their love ones. These yarns are also available at our Knotty Bicsie Crafting Studio. 

3) Splendid Workmanship :P

Each pair of Baby Booties are painstakingly & affectionately made to guaranty neat & almost perfect workmanship & finishing. Our Knotty Baby Booties are all uniquely handmade by ME (Betsy Toh) & my Mum (Mdm Quek Ai Choo), who is my inspiring teacher in knitting & crochet. Thank you, Mum! :)

4) Beautiful Range of Matching Buttons

We have a HUGE range of gorgeous buttons. I know MANY of you notice that because many of you have bought some buttons from me already. I hope u are having lotsa fun with the colourful buttons! ;) Most of my buttons are supplied by Sintek-Link, my granduncle's company, which is a local distributor of buttons, zippers, velcro, laces, ribbons, etc.

5) Our Yummy Gift Packaging

Most of you never fails to go "gar-gar" over my gift box, which is also designed by me & my printer friend, Thomas of Pica Digital. Exciting news to all: the boxes are finishing soon, so I'll be meeting up with Thomas again & we'll be revamping our box! Will keep everyone posted once our new box is launched. Look out for my good news in the next few weeks to come... :)

So you see, identifying an authentic Knotty Bicsie isn't difficult at all, right? :) So now, you can brag about being not just a Knotty fan, but also an expert in recognizing the REAL Knotty Bicsie!!! :)

Finally, I'd also like to take this opportunity to introduce to you the official Knotty Family! As our knotty studio gets busier, some of you may find some other faces behind the Knotty Bicsie booth/stall at bazaars & fairs. Here are some faces, which some of you may have come across...

This is cheery Azreen. I'm sure many of you have seen her before, some have even interacted with her more than once, I'm sure. She's so sweet & adorable, isn't she? She's a great help to me. I'm so lucky to have found her :) Thanx, Azreen!

This is sweet Sharis. She interviewed me once for her project, & she's the one who introduced Azreen to me. She's also been a great help at the Fashion Bazzar @Plaza Singapura last X'mas period. Thanx, Sharis!

This is wonderful Del. She's a strong & loving mother, who's very trustworthy too. Thank u, Del, for being such a great help last X'mas too!

This is my sis-in-law, Lina. She's been the BEST sis-in-law to help me with all the webby back-end stuff. Thank u so so so very much, Snoopy Fan! ;)

Here's my dad, Mr Richard Toh, & my hubby, Edward. They've been WORLD CLASS ICHIBAN chauffeurs & cheer leaders of Knotty Bicsie. Thanx, boys! ;D

This is the most important person behind Knotty Bicse - my MUM, Mdm Quek Ai Choo! ;D Not only is she my extra pair of hands, more importantly, she's my inspiring teacher. Without her, there would never have been Knotty Bicsie. I love you, Mum! :)

Last but not least, this is ME!!! I'm Betsy Toh, Founder & Creative Director of Knotty Bicsie! :) Yes, yes, yes, the talkative one who can't live without coffee, mushrooms, elephants & Atro Boy! Seriously. Hahaha.... :D

So you've met the official Knotty Family, all at once!  Well, I'm writing this entry with mixed feelings. On one hand, I feel flattered that Knotty Bicsie is good enough for people to wanna "imitate" & "fake", but on the other hand, it saddens me to know that there are people out there with a skill in handicraft, but choose to do things the easy way out & in such scrupulous manner :( I have always mentally prepared myself to come across "copycats" (in terms of designs) since day 1 of Knotty Bicsie, but never have I ever imagined that someone would actually go to the extend of trying to "steal" my Fans away from me by pretending to me! O my! It upsets me even more to find out that this same person not only "steal" from me, but also from other creative sellers around the world! One of the overseas seller even wrote to me saying, "... I'm FURIOUS! This site originates from Singapore,... & I recently sold 1 pattern to a Singaporean..."!!! Imagine the impact... Now even Singapore's reputation is at stake! :( 

Well, I simply cannot understand the mindset of such people. Copying from artists, designers & crafters may be a fast & easy method to start, but isn't this very short-sighted? The fact that they can find good & sellable designs shows their resourcefulness. Why can't they use the time to work on their own designs & branding? I also research on other creative sellers, but this is to keep myself updated on what's already available in the market so I can keep improving my designs & stay trendy. I also make friends with many of these creative sellers internationally, & I'm really glad that we share the same sentiments in building our friendship upon sharing ideas, exchanging contacts & occasionally whining about our common problems :P This way, we grow together & become better crafters too.

Knotty Bicsie has met many new people along the way. Occasionally I come across nasty people like this time. However, I must say most of the time for the past 2.5years, I've met many fantastic people whom I've learnt a lot from. Fellow crafters made me truly embrace the joy that crafting can bring to anyone. hence Knotty Bicsie's motto "Crafting - a modern way of life for EVERYONE!" :) Knotty Fans who never fails to make my day when they go "O, so cute!", "OMG! So pretty!", "I'd love to be on your mailing list!", or simply the fact that you just can't stop smiling while you look at my creations! :) To all these beautiful friends, THANK YOU! Knotty Bicsie will strive on & we promise to bring you little surprises every now & then! Stay tuned.... :)

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: 

1) launch of our online shop, 

2) Tokyo Business Trip, 

3) Hokkaido Trip, 

4) setting up of KBCC, 

5) Knotty Tea Party, 

6) my 1st solo exhibition - Mee Suah, 

7) my O Level Art students achieving 100% distinctions, 

8) on Sunday Times, 

9) on Radio 100.3, 

10) sponsor to "Booties for My Footie" contest, 

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! :)