Golden yellow crochet purse

February 24, 2013, 5:55 am

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Hello friends, I hope you had a lovely weekend. I have been busy trying out various patterns which may be the reason I have not blogged as frequently as I really want to. 

But unfortunately my crocheting has not gone as planned and I have frogged 3-4 projects recently as the results were not as expected. All the said projects have been for tops or boleros. For a long time now I have been wanting to make something wearable, something with measurements, something that is supposed to fit you. I know what you are thinking...there are tons of patterns out there. Yes, I know, but somehow the ones I like are on foreign language sites - Japanese or Russian with only diagrams for reference. So far I have not been successful in properly deciphering any of those patterns. Very frustrating and also a loss of precious time!!  :(

Inspite of all this, my WIPs basket is overflowing with the dozen odd projects going on simultaneously. But enough about PhDs, now I want to show you the FO I promised the last time. Yes the crochet purse that I was working on. 

I was going to show you the purse after finishing it up with a lining and zipper. But no... I have still not gotten over my fear of my sewing machine. And zippers!!!.....certainly on my bucket list but just not right now.  :(

So here is the Golden Yellow Crochet Purse:

I knew I had to make it when I saw THIS PATTERN.  The material is a cord, easily available in Mumbai as purse making cord. Also known as macrame cord. I used a 4.5 mm crochet hook.

The handle is a Pin-spiration i.e. an idea I found on Pinterest. It is made by braiding three cords and to make the cord I did 200 chains and then sc into each chain.

Here is a link to the TUTORIAL for the braid. If you are planning to use this method for a bag handle remember to make the cords a few inches longer than required as the resulting braid will be much shorter. My cords were 40 inches each and the resulting plait is 34 inches.

I am quite happy with the result of combining two different tutorials. What do you think?
Hmmm... a lining and zipper would really make this purse look so finished and lovely. Maybe I will give it a try soon.

And now, would you like a peep into my WIPs basket? Hehe...as if I need to ask!!

Any guesses what this might be?

I am not sure I have got the "heart" right, so will post about it after working on it some more.  :)

So, what have you been up to? Do write to me. I love your comments (a big Thanks to all of you) and I really look forward to them. 

If you come across a good pattern for a bolero do send me a link. Here's wishing you a happy successful week ahead. 

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A Trip and a Trophy

March 16, 2013, 6:33 am

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WARNING!!! LONG POST HEAVILY LADEN WITH PHOTOS

(You might want to get that cup of tea) 

Hi friends!! I hope March has been treating you well so far. I am guilty of going MIA, but that is because I had a lot of WIPs and no FOs. Things are not going so well on the crochet front. But more on that later.

Today I thought of sharing something non-crochet. That's right...its about a trip and a trophy. As a Valentine's Day gift, hubby took me for a short trip to Udaipur. Udaipur is a beautiful city in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. Very picturesque and laden with history. But before that let me tell you why we went on this trip.

My son had gone to Mumbai to attend a four day All India animation workshop arranged by his Institute. He extended his stay for a further 10 days to catch up with old friends and to generally soak up the Mumbai atmosphere which he dearly missed. While he was having fun, I was bored out of my skull. Yes, because inspite of the arguments, pranks, ribbings and fights, he is the only company I have for a better part of the day.

Sonny boy returned just in time for his twentieth birthday which turned into a double celebration, as he had come home with a trophy!! He had won the Star Talent Award (for UI & UX design for Mobile) which IS an achievement considering that the event was attended by around 300 students.
Definitely a Proud Mom moment!

While he was away, hubby arranged a two day trip to Udaipur. Let me share some pics .....

Exquisite carvings on the outer walls of the Shamlaji Temple on the way. Photography is prohibited inside Indian temples.

A camel welcoming us into the hotel.  :)
As soon as we checked in we made a beeline for the City palace which was a five minute walk from the hotel.

Impressive... isn't it!

The main entrance

The royal emblem and coat of arms (I think)

A view of the Lake palace on Lake Pichola (now a luxury hotel) from the City palace

These windows called "Jharokhas" are typical of Rajasthani architecture and are seen all over the city.

A view of the kingdom sure to please any king...

Hubby helping another couple (unknown) with their photo

A fountain in the middle of the palace, maybe as a relief from the heat

Those are colourful mirrors you see on the walls of this beautiful room

The king's study. Can you see that wonderful fan on the right side? Obviously there was no electricity in those days... so how do you think this fan worked?
Using kerosene... ingenious!

I just love these mosaic peacocks in the courtyard. There are a few more in different poses.

Can you see the intricate, neat and painstaking work done on them?

It must have been a pleasure to live in such an ornate, beautifully decorated palace!

The detailing is mind blowing..

This beautiful chandelier is part of the princess' parlour (below) where she entertained other royal ladies...

To visit all these rooms you have to go through a labyrinth of steep narrow staircases like this one. The royals must have been quite fit... and slim too  ;)

The exit doorway...

I hope you enjoyed these pics. There are heaps more photos which I will share later (don't want to burden you too much on one day).

As I mentioned earlier all is not well on the crochet front as "another one bites the dust". (Not a Freddie Mercury fan...... okay(smile), never mind!) The white and aqua baby frock, which all of you guessed so correctly, was not turning out so well, with the skirt becoming ginormous with each row finally had to be frogged. Can't imagine any baby going around with such a huge skirt. I must say, you crocheters are so clever to guess it right away. Actually if you crochet (or craft) you have to be clever... isn't it?!! A little shameless back patting there ;)

But I was not going to let those cute granny squares go to waste. So what do I do.... nothing, just make some more grannys. And now they are all joined to form a lovely baby blanket. I will be blocking the blanket over the weekend and will be sharing it soon.
Thank you, lovely people for your wonderful comments about my yellow purse. I am glad all of you liked it and took a minute to write to me. The pattern is very nice so do try it out.

A big welcome to all the new friends who have joined us.
Wishing everybody a fantastic fun filled weekend. Phew... that was one long post, I hope you are still with me  :)

See ya soon,

Granny Square Baby Blanket

March 31, 2013, 11:12 am

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Baby Blues

Hi friends, how are you? I know I did the disappearing act once again. But there is a good reason for it. I wanted to post only after I finished the project in hand :) As I mentioned in my last post I had to very sadly unravel the baby frock I was working on as the skirt looked huge. The granny squares made for the yoke were too cute and I wanted to salvage them. So I made a few more and joined them to make a blanket.

And Ta-Da........

Crochet Baby Blanket

Isn't it super cute!! Okay, I know it is only a small baby blanket, no reason to jump with joy. But for someone like me who is notorious for starting new projects and then just adding them to the huge pile of WIPs this is really something great. The fact that I actually finished a project and a large one at that!

I love "instant gratification" projects, you know purses, coasters, pouches, bookmarks, they give you Ta-da moments very soon. Somehow gathered up all my patience and plodded on through this project, granny square after granny square.... 63 in all, phew.

To keep myself from getting bored I decided to make half of them in reverse combination ie blue with white. 

Okay, confession time, do you know why I actually managed to work non stop and complete this blanket. Because I desperately wanted to try this lovely border!

I just wanted to see how the border would work out and I love the way those aqua jewels peek through the white snow. The stitch is known as Block stitch, I think. I had to unravel the border a couple of times as the corners were not turning out right, but finally it turned out quite nice and neat.

Well, what do you know! A couple of days after I struggle and get the border right, a lovely tutorial was put up by Cherry Heart. If you want to try this border you might want to look it up first.

I just love this blankie, my first actually big project. I wish it was an afghan so that I could snuggle under it. What do you think?

Granny Square Baby Blanket

Bitten by the blanket bug, I have suddenly become ambitious and I have jumped right into making  another baby blanket. This new blanket has a lovely thick texture and practically no "holes". Hope to finish it soon and share it with you.

Another reason I am late in posting this is because I have just discovered the joys of sharing on Facebook. A few clicks and you are done. 

The difference is almost like the one between theatre and cinema. Confused?? Okay  :) Let me explain, as a teen I would watch these movie star interviews on TV (yes, a confirmed TV addict right from childhood) and if they were theatre artists as well, they would go on and on about how theatre is so much more fun, thrilling, how the audience reaction is instant, you don't have to wait till the movie is released to know your fate, how you cannot afford to make mistakes,  and how you instantly know whether your audience is moved or not with your acting.................. Well, now I know what they meant!

Putting up my projects on Facebook was just like that!! Likes and comments follow soon and you can also reply to them soon. And with that done I just forgot to write about it. But I won't let that happen in future  :)

Over the last few days I have been answering a lot of queries regarding the Floral pouch, on Facebook, on the blog, by email, so I am thinking of doing a tutorial for the purse. What do you say, people? Raise your hands for aye. Okay just joking, don't raise your hands just let me know in the comments.

See you soon. Let me know what you have up to. 

Have a smashing week ahead.

WIPs Wednesday

April 3, 2013, 5:09 am

≫ Next: Crochet Mandala - Vibrant

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Waves Ripple Afghan

Basket weave

 

Shells n Diamonds

Lucy inspired flowers

Newly laid pigeon eggs

Crochet Mandala - Vibrant

April 6, 2013, 6:24 am

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Hello friends, I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

In my last post I mentioned how I enjoy putting up my projects on Facebook. Well, I was not always a fan of Facebook. In fact I found the whole thing a bit weird and I had joined only because it was the "done" thing. I would log in occasionally and just see what my friends and relatives were up to, enjoy some good quotes and photos which were shared and log out. The idea of sharing my personal pics or writing a comment which could be seen by the whole world was just not appealing.

And THEN, I discovered  "Groups" and "Pages" related to Crochet!!! Now that was fun, joining like minded people, sharing your projects, sharing patterns, discovering new blogs, getting instant reactions to your projects. Yes, I was really enjoying this Facebook thing now.

I am now a member of many crochet groups and have "liked" many crochet pages. Recently I did something else for the very first time. I joined a CAL. Now a CAL is something very common in Blogland and even Ravelry, but I have never joined one for various reasons. Lack of yarn, project too big or uninteresting or being tied up in my own projects.

The CAL I joined was at Mandy's Craft Tales for a Crochet Mandala. The pattern Mandy chose is THIS one by the lovely Petra. In case you would like to join in the last date is 12th April which I think is ample time.

Here is my completed mandala......TaDah

Do you like it? I used Laura Knitting cotton from  THIS stash and a 3.50 mm crochet hook. The mandala turned out 12 inces in diameter. I did this in one night!!

My favourite part is this row which has stitches in two colours on the same row. Something I tried for the first time, quite simple actually.

I really liked this mandala and its Vibrant colour scheme. I plan to make a few more when I am in-between projects. Only not happy with the last scallop row. The stitch count seems to be a bit off. Will have to work it out the next time.

Mandy has made this beautiful collage of all the mandala submissions:

Mandala collage from Mandy's Craft Tales

Isn't it just super?!! (Can you find my mandala?) 

I thoroughly enjoyed the CAL concept. So guess what I did.....jumped right into another one. This one is by The Crochet Crowd and it is for this lovely Ocean Waves Afghan. Click the link for all the details, the last date is 15th May 2013. 

Here are my colour choices:

Will keep you posted about the afghan as I proceed. Anybody want to join me?

Enjoy your weekend and make time for craft. Looking forward to hearing from you.

WIP reaches completion

April 13, 2013, 5:58 am

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Hello friends!

Yes, a WIP has achieved completion. But sadly it is not one of my WIPs.....hehe.
Remember I showed you this......

Well, now it has become this......

This pic was taken in the first week of April. The two squabs (that is what a young pigeon is called) have now grown quite big but the surrounding area has now become too dirty to click photos   :(

I got a lot of "I told you so" glances from hubby as I had insisted on letting the pigeons lay their eggs in my potted plant. Not only has the pot become extremely dirty but watering my plant has also become difficult as I am afraid I will drown the poor things. I am hoping they will learn to fly soon before my plant totally dries up and dies!!

Also as Aishwarya rightly pointed out they are a health hazard, my balcony is now kept permanently closed. Thankfully the squabs are not noisy and that is a relief.

See you soon, hopefully with one of my WIPs reaching completion.  :)

Rippling Success

April 23, 2013, 5:31 am

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Hello there, Glad you joined me today.

I have a lovely finished project to share today. Something that I have been working on for a couple of weeks. Actually that is too quick for me, but the reason this project reached completion is because it was an Afghan challenge at The Crochet Crowd.

So, here goes my latest Ta-Dah......

Ocean Waves Throw

This is my very first attempt at a ripple pattern and I am quite happy with the result. This is also my first large, mammoth project after my Aqua and White granny square baby Blanket. 


The ripple consists of two rows. The first row is worked in the back loops only. This gave a 3D effect of waves rippling and lapping against the shore.

Maybe that is the reason it is named the Ocean Waves Throw. The pattern is free on Red Heart.com. The CAL is open till 17th May 2013 in case any one wants to join in.

The blanket is approximately 36" by 60".
The yarns are from this stash. 
It used up around 625 grams of yarn and has a total of 80 rows.
It took me about 15 days to complete, which is something new for a procrastinator like me! Most projects get started and then they languish in the WIPs basket till I "feel the love" for them again.  LOL!

I think Rajeswari's idea of adding a border and lining the blankets is a good one and I may try it later. Right now I just want to relax and admire my handiwork.

And of course all completed projects have to be clicked in my favourite spot - the swing. Only then can it be called an FO.

Now off I go to visit my favourite blogs and see what you all have been up to. I have found two lovely scarf patterns that I am dying to try but my WIPs basket is beckoning me  :(

I will be going on vacation in the month of May. Where?... can you guess if I give you a clue? Okay... it is the only place where you can get frostbite and sunburn at the same time!!! Let me have your guesses....hehe. Yeah I know...I am so wicked!

By the way, I am having some problem with Google Friend Connect and am unable to follow other blogs even if I click the "Join this site" button. Is this problem related to the discontinuation of Google Reader...any ideas? Would love to have any suggestions on this matter.  :)

Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great week. Make time for craft everyday.

Temptation, Thy name is.....

April 27, 2013, 5:41 am

≫ Next: A Tale of Two (Eggcentri)Cities

≪ Previous: Rippling Success

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Stylecraft!!!
Yup! Finally succumbed to the lure of this yarn.

Hello friends, busy enjoying the weekend?

Another Stash Saturday and I am going to show you the Stylecraft Special DK yarn which has just arrived. (Oh..the joys of online shopping!!!).

Well, with everybody in Crochetland going gaga and then some more ga, how long could I resist. So I went ahead and ordered some for myself from Deramores. I have to thank Rajeswari for actually working out the cost vis-a-vis Indian yarns and encouraging me to go ahead. Also there was a 15% discount in that particular week.....and I took that as a positive sign from above!!

Here is my gorgeous collection;

After the yarn arrived it did look like a bit too much. But that is NOT my fault!!.....(my most favourite line when Anything happens).  :) It is their fault. Who are they? Stylecraft of course.

Not only do they have the most gorgeous colours, they have to name their colours instead of numbering them. How can you resist Saffron, Pomegranate, Apricot, Candyfloss, Sunshine and... Lipstick. The names were driving me crazy.

Want a closer look, I know you do :) I have clicked the pics with the names showing so that you can see which is which.

That's Jaffa, Matador, Apricot, Shrimp and Lipstick

Bright Pink, Candyfloss, Claret, Pomegranate, Raspberry

Saffron, Meadow, Camel, Sunshine, Citron

Sherbet, Royal, Cloud Blue, Aspen, Turquoise and of course White.

Aren't they just darling!!

The yarn is very soft and the colours are of course just gorgeous. I will do more oohs and aahs when I actually start working with the yarn. Right now it is safe in my secret hiding place (the pleasures of having a room to myself for my crafting!). 

I have not yet decided on a project for the yarn but most probably it is going to be an afghan/blanket. Right now I am very busy......doing what?!! Well, thinking of the "right" answer to explain the entry in the credit card statement to my dear hubby.......hehe.  ;)

Also succumbed to the lure of a lovely scarf pattern on a Portuguese? site. Will be sharing it with you soon.

[Note: A warm welcome to all new friends who have joined me. I am sorry that I have not been able to join your blogs even though I have visited all of you and signed up by email wherever possible. Inspite of trying a lot of tricks, still having trouble with left click. Not sure whether problem is with Blogger, Firefox or just my PC. So, please bear with me. This same problem is also not letting me make any changes to my blog layout...very frustrating. But I am still in the process of research and trying something new everyday, so hopefully soon........]

Nobody has guessed my holiday destination. So, here are some more clues:

The place is a desert, in India. I have to take a flight from Delhi to reach it and the landscape is beautiful. Come on girls, rack your brains.  :)

Do write to me, your comments add joy to my day. Hope you are having a fun weekend.

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A Tale of Two (Eggcentri)Cities

April 29, 2013, 10:45 am

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Hi friends. Oh! don't be confused with the title. It is just a egg centric tale. Or rather, a story centered around the two pigeon eggs in my balcony...hehe.

You already know the story that a pigeon had laid two eggs in my potted plant and much against my husband's wishes I decided to let them be. This gave me the chance to do a little "Avian Planet" photo shoot of my own.

So here goes. Feel free to give me your comments about my (attempted) photo documentary.

Look Ma, ....no downy fuzz...

Hmmm... so this is the Big Bad World

Should we venture out?

Maybe not just yet...a few practice flights inside the balcony.

Yay! we are ready to take the plunge today, under the watchful eyes of Mama and Pops.

The brown plank you see on the top left is the famous swing where all crochet projects are finally declared as "Completed"...lol. The two white dots you can see on Mom and Pops' beaks are not yet white but still grey on the twins. That is how I could tell them apart.

On Saturday, after being fully convinced that they can now fly, I finally shooed them away as the mess and stink was getting too much for me. This story spans around 45 days!

Also, can you see the green mat like curtain in the top right corner. It is made of out bamboo and you can see it in most houses in Ahmedabad. It keeps the harsh sunlight away, thus reducing the temperature in the house by atleast 4 - 5 degrees Celsius, I think. But the main reason we installed them last week is that construction activity has started in full swing on the vacant plot right next to our building. Which means tons of dust is now going to blow into the house through all nooks and crannies, so a small attempt to keep the dust away.

Till the pigeons were there I could not close it completely. But now finally I can close it and heave a sigh of relief. That's it, no more wildlife preservation attempts from me in the future. I think I have done my good deed....for now.

Hope you enjoyed my pigeon story. Write to me, make my day.

Question: How many of you have pets at home?

I love dogs, but I am not sure I can actually look after one. Maybe one day when my "little bird" has flown the nest. :)

Crochet Pineapple Neck warmer

May 4, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: The Cold and The Beautiful

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Hello gorgeous people, how are you today? I hope the month of May has begun well for you. For me, this is a special month as today I complete 365 days of having a blog. Yes, my blog is one year old and Today is my Blog Anniversary!!

Seems like it was just yesterday that I gathered all my courage and decided to put my thoughts onto the blogosphere and share my crochet handiwork with the whole wide world. Of course there was a lot of apprehension and also doubts whether I would be able to keep it going. But now at the end of one year it all seems so easy and certainly lot of fun. Here is a link to my very first blog post, just for nostalgia. Sometimes when I go back and read some of my old posts I do laugh out aloud at some of the things I have written. But, you my friends have made it all worthwhile. What is a blog without its readers. So today I want to thank all my readers, followers, Facebook fans for your encouragement, comments and love. 

The best part about this one year of blogging has been the countless friends I made along the way, all over the globe, across continents, across language and age barriers. Bloggers are so generous, loving and warm hearted, inviting you right inside their homes, sharing their life, their lovely pics, their wonderful recipes and of course their gorgeous patterns.

Yes, a blog anniversary is definitely a milestone. But as we are busy planning and packing for our big vacation which was due for a long long time, all celebrations will have to be put on hold until the month end or maybe even the first week of June. Of course a giveaway is in order, and I hope to gather something lovely on my travels.

Even though we have been looking forward to this vacation for a long time, I am a bit apprehensive about how we will adjust to this place. You see, the present temperature in Ahmedabad is 43 deg C and this place has daytime temperatures in the range of zero to minus 4. Also as it is high up in the mountains (almost near the Himalayas) the air is thin and has low levels of atmospheric oxygen, so fingers crossed that everything goes well and we come back only with pleasant memories!! (Hehe....... yes I am still being mean, and not divulging the name of my holiday destination.)

What I am going to share, is this lovely pineapple scarf I made from a Portuguese crochet site. It is actually a scarflette or neck warmer. 

So, Ta-dah.....

Crochet Pineapple Scarf

I call it the Handsfree neck warmer because of its keyhole feature. 

Just insert one of the pineapples into the keyhole and your hands are free, to  ride your bike, hang on to your kids, hold your shopping bags, whatever....

This is not a new concept but I just loved this pattern. It is so feminine and delicate. The scarf pattern comes with a flower to hide the crossover, which I feel makes it look really elegant.

I used a regular safety pin at the back of the flower so that it could also be used as a brooch without the scarf. Next time I will hunt for one of those brooch pins which are actually used.

I love the shimmery cream rose. Looks cute...no?

The stitches between the shells are worked as Fpdc forming these two lovely 3D ridges.

My trusty Tupperware bowl has agreed to model the scarf for me, so drumroll.......

Hehe.... looks so funny....no?

That is all for now. I cannot really predict when my next post will follow as we will be leaving soon and I may not have access to internet. So until then buh-bye. I hope to have lots of lovely photos to share with you.

Take care and keep crafting.

The Cold and The Beautiful

July 5, 2013, 12:33 pm

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Hallooo there!! Oh please, walk right in.....I can see you peeking in, wondering where I have disappeared. Well, I am right here...alive and kicking, or should I say alive and crocheting!  :)

After coming back from a wonderful vacation it took us some time to slip into our regular routine. But once we settled down, calender pages just seemed to fly and before I knew it June had made way for July. And I had not written a single post!!! You have to forgive me for that, but I guess once in a while everybody gets caught up in domestic duties. I did finish a lot of new crochet projects but those are for another post.

First things first, I want to share the lovely pics of my trip with you. As Aishwarya and Preeti rightly guessed in the last post, my holiday destination was the Cold and the Beautiful Ladakh. "La" means pass and Ladakh - meaning Land of High Passes is a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. Ladakh is known for its scenic beauty and enchanting culture. Buddhism is the predominant religion.

The very first glimpses of Ladakh from the plane, had everybody scrambling for their cameras, mobile phones and what not, and then rushing from window to window to get the best photos. I was fervently praying that the plane would not tilt to one side, as in the movies. :) Truly breathtaking!

The first day was spent inside the hotel room, lying in bed to get acclimatized to the high altitude (3000 ft) and the low level of atmospheric oxygen. This is absolutely necessary as otherwise the consequences can be fatal.

Our hotel  - Hotel Grand Willow, Leh.

Sightseeing started from Day 2 onwards.

Shanti Stupa at Leh

Apricot Blossoms:

Sankar Gompa monastery with its gold spire

Leh Palace - built in the 17th century in the grand tradition of Tibetan architecture.

Day 3: We proceeded to Nubra Valley

Brrrrr..... it was freezing and it was a relief to finally reach the Diskit monastery....

the giant statue of Maitreya Buddha - the tallest in Ladakh

The white sand dunes at Hunder

We reached the camp at Nubra just before nightfall. Good thing those tents were sturdy and waterproof as it rained cats and dogs during the night.

Most of Day 4 was spent on the return journey to Leh via Khardungla Pass, said to be the highest motorable pass in the world at nearly 18000 ft.

Day 5: 

 Shey Palace and monastery, the 15th century summer palace of Leh's royal family

 No visit to Ladakh will be complete without a visit to the Druk White Lotus School. Confused?? Well, maybe it is better known as Rancho school from the Hindi movie "3 Idiots"  :)

The entrance to the museum at Thiksey monastery. I loved the painting and the Leh costumes.

Changla Pass the third highest motorable road in the world at 17586 feet.

Finally we reached our destination camp for the night - Pangong Lake. The lake is 134 Km long and 60% of its length lies in China.

This was our camp for the night. It was directly facing the lake and you wouldn't know from the photo but icy winds were blowing and as you can see the terrain, there is no place to hide. There was a small, teeny weeny, embarrassing incident with someone crying "I want to go HOME". Okay that was me.....hehe. What can I say.....I don't like being cold.

If this place looks familiar to you then you are a confirmed Hindi movie buff as scenes from "3 Idiots" and "Jab Tak Hain Jaan" were picturised here.

A gazebo at Pangong lake

The Brown headed gull - a migratory bird from Central Asia.

Day 6: Return to Ladakh from Pangong Lake

   Tibetan Wild Ass

    Grazing Yak

Day 7:

We proceeded to Alchi - a small quaint village in the Indus valley. Enroute we saw the majestic Sangam (which means confluence), here one can see the Indus river flowing and becoming one with the Zanskar river. Can you see the different colours of the water before they merge?

Alchi village - after days of seeing bare brown and white snow covered mountains, this greenery was a sight for sore eyes!

This path leading to the Alchi monastery was lined with 80 prayer wheels. (And yes, I turned each one of them).

Prayers wheels and stupas are common in Ladakh and you can find them just about anywhere. Giant prayer wheels are seen alongside the streets and marketplaces. It is believed that spinning the prayer wheel is equal to reciting the prayers and hence helps accumulate good karma.

Magnetic Hill - alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill, which was demonstrated to us by the driver of our vehicle.

Our sightseeing ended with a visit to Gurudwara Pathar Sahib (a Sikh place of worship) where one can see the huge boulder (pathar) hurled at Guru Nanak Dev ji by a demon while he was meditating. The rock turned soft like wax and did not harm him and one can see the imprint of Guru Nanak ji on the rock.

And the Military Hall of Fame, which is a MUST visit place.

A farewell gesture by the travel company - a cultural program which showcased the various song and dance forms of Ladakh.

What an incredibly long post!!! I have tried (with great difficulty) to keep my jibber jabber to a minimum, hoping that the photos will speak for themselves. I hope my pics have captured your imagination and your hearts and that Ladakh will be on your list of places to see.

Lots of crochet goodies to share with you in my next post. Until then, take care and happy crafting.

Waiting for Inspiration...?

July 31, 2013, 11:09 am

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...Then you will be waiting forever!

Hello friends, how are you? Eagerly looking forward to the new month?  I know I am, as hubby's birthday is on 28th of August.

I am afraid I have not been posting as much as I want to, and I can give umpteen excuses for that. And that is what they actually are...just silly excuses. Because, I firmly believe that if you really want to do something you have dozens of "reasons" for doing it, but if you don't want to do it then you have hundreds of "excuses".

Just when I was thinking up an "excuse" to begin this post... you know, like the weather was dull, my photos were bad, my neck was acting up etc,etc...to explain my tardiness, I came across this video which shut me up for good. Wondering what I am babbling about? Then you must watch this video. I have already shared it on my Facebook page, and I thought I should share it here too in case you are not a fan of my page.

Please click on the image to see the video.

Or click this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfaSmDxVZQ

Did you watch the video? Let me know if the link is not working.

I find this woman to be really remarkable. Picking up a craft/skill you already know is one thing, but to actually learn something new after losing one's eyesight is simply fantastic!! What courage and determination this woman has! She has motivated me to once again try my hand at sewing and tatting.... two things that I always felt I will not be able to do.

So, if you have always been wanting to learn something new, but never have because of "no time", "I don't know how", "I can't do it" or "I am not good enough".........I hope this video pushes you in the right direction.

Did you enjoy this video? Let me have your comments. Yes, go on write to me, make my day. I will be back soon with my latest projects (minus excuses). LOL

"Til then, keep crafting and have fun.  :)

Heart to Heart

August 7, 2013, 7:02 am

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Hello friends!!

Finally I am back with a crochet post. At present I seem to be on a scarf making spree but today I am going to share something different.

Recently my physiotherapist Dr. Vrushali saw one of THESE hearts hanging from the strap of my purse and she liked it so much, she promptly placed an order for a few.

Here are the hearts I made for her...

Dr. V had asked for six, but I made eight so that she can pick and choose. But guess what, she ended up buying all of them!! 

Do you want to see them up close? Here goes:

Making these hearts was fun, but do you know what was even better! Getting paid for making them!! Yes, the mere thought that somebody likes your handiwork and is ready to pay you to make them is wonderful. Hmmm..... like having your cake and eating it too?!

You can see the first hearts I made and get the link to the free pattern HERE.

I will be making another batch of crochet hearts in Christmas colours, so if you would like to have a set, just drop me a line.

See you soon with another fun project (also a custom order). Until then happy crafting.

P.S. Expect a book tour soon as I am dying to play with my new toy - a Canon scanner.

Happy Independence Day

August 15, 2013, 2:25 am

≫ Next: Scarfed for life

≪ Previous: Heart to Heart

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HAPPYINDEPENDENCEDAY

TO ALL MY FELLOW INDIANS

Scarfed for life

August 19, 2013, 7:14 am

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Hello friends.

Thanks for popping in. I know I am not blogging consistently but I have been crocheting like it is going out of fashion. Now that my hook has become hot let me keep it down and pick up my camera.

But first I want to thank everybody for their good wishes on our Independence Day and also for your lovely comments about my crocheted hearts. And a warm welcome to all new friends who have joined us.

You may have read one of my previous post about our trip to Ladakh. Before this trip, I used to think that scarfs are fashion accessories and I always wondered how a thin strip of fabric could protect you from the cold. Well, that trip put all my doubts to rest as I wore my scarf 24/7.

Once home I decided to make a few more, now that I had realised  that they were useful and handy and definitely helped to keep you warm. 

I decided to use a pattern I had already used here but with a twist. This time I decided to use two colours. 

Soooo...... tad dah.....

And this is my first scarf

The two colours make it look like a whole new pattern, doesn't it? But I love both of them.

When my scarf was done, I thought it looked like fragrant "parijat" flowers strewn down a pathway. A sight that greeted us every morning when we would go to our native place, Mangalore during school vacations.

Pic source axsoris.com

Don't you think so?

Do you think it needs a fringe?

Well, scarf done, now what?  I am going to make a matching hat. 

But before that, let me tell you something funny. Since Ladakh is an extremely cold place I was happy that for the first time I could actually take all my hand crocheted goodies along with me and of course flaunt them. But after reaching Ladakh.....flaunt was the last thing I wanted to do. WHY?... Because I had my ivory colored scarf (shown above), my canary yellow fingerless gloves and a deep blue beanie (this pattern) I had made.

Now you can well imagine what a sight that must have been - blue beanie, cream scarf, yellow mitts coupled with my outfits in various colours. A real clownish ensemble!!!  :)

Well, at that time I was more worried about keeping myself warm rather than being fashionable...!!!

So that is how I was struck with the idea of making matching sets. [Confession - I am a big fan of matching sets]. I will be back soon with my matching hat.

Till then, happy crafting and have a great week ahead.

---

Snow Capped Orange

September 5, 2013, 6:28 am

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≪ Previous: Scarfed for life

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Hi friends,

Yes, its me! Still alive and playing hooky as usual. I know I am writing after many, many days and that is because I was busy with some "behind the scenes" activities. More about that later.

For a change I actually remembered something that I promised earlier and that is, to show you the matching hat I made for the orange and white scarf. So here it is:

Cute, isn't it? It does look like any simple crochet hat but I am very proud of it. Why?  Because I made it without any pattern. Something which I very rarely do as I am a slave to the written word and also because I just do not have the patience. But this time I had to rack my brains as I wanted a matchy matchy set.

 

The trick was in adapting the scarf pattern to the hat. While the scarf is worked by crocheting back and forth the hat is worked in the round. But I managed to do it without any gaps showing in the pattern. 

I will discuss more about adapting patterns in my next 'scarf and hat' post. I chose white for the crown as I thought orange would look too bright and even kiddish. So the white cuts through the orangey-ness. But I kept the cuff orange as that is the part which is handled the most while putting on and taking off and white may get soiled quite easily.

The set looks just lovely. What do you say?

Here is a closer look at the stitches and cuff

And here is some unknown model wearing it.....   :)  LOL

Now, about those "behind the scenes" activities, you may have seen the advertising banners and links on the blog. I know that they are a bit irritating but please bear with me. Recently I came across many articles about monetizing your blog and I thought I should give it a try. Also the real reason is that I am hoping in the long (looooong) run it will help me pay for my yarn acquisition disorder without feeling guilty when I stock up. Since Adsense, for reasons unknown to me, does not want to be my friend I had to hunt for other options. Also fear of html is a big handicap.

Another activity is that I have now joined Twitter. I have not really got the hang of it yet but it is an easy way to "follow" your favorite bloggers, crochet designers and experts. Hoping to be active and tweeting soon. PS- Any tips are most welcome.  :)

This has been a hurried post as I am leaving for Mumbai to celebrate the Ganesh festival with my friends and relatives there. Last year I wrote a small post about this festival and you can read it HERE. I hope I have some good pics to share with you from Mumbai. 

I am also planning to buy some yarn in Mumbai, so wish me luck. No, not for buying but for camouflaging and stuffing it into my suitcase so that nobody is wiser!!  LOL The things one has to do just to keep your hobby alive.

So that is all for now. Can't resist one more pic of my orangey matching set!  :)

Happy crafting and Happy Ganeshotsav

Birthday Goodies

October 11, 2013, 7:16 am

≫ Next: Things to come.....

≪ Previous: Snow Capped Orange

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Hi Friends, remember me?

Well, I wouldn't blame you if you don't remember me since I disappeared for so loooong. I was actually jolted out of my stupor after reading THIS post by Sharon, that is when I realised that I had been neglecting my blog and my lovely friends too. I know you will forgive me but you see this is what happens when overgrown kids get too many toys to play.

Confused? I am referring to the presents I got for my birthday. As Aishwarya rightly pointed out I spent my birthday, which was on 10th of September, in Mumbai. And much to my surprise I got a lot of pressies which I was not expecting at all.

Firstly I was not happy about the trip to Mumbai, because;

A) Believe it or not, after all my grumbling, three years down the line I am finally calling  Ahmedabad my Home, and I hate leaving my house to go Anywhere.

B) Hubby could not get any leave from work so it was only me and sonny to Mumbai, which also meant I would spend my B'day without him....Grrrrrrr.

But then, surprise, surprise...Hubby managed to squeeze in two days of leave and reached Mumbai just in time for my birthday.

He also threw a lovely dinner party for me, along with a few of our closest friends at my favorite restaurant, Urban Tadka (at Ghatkopar), and with desserts on the house, what more could I ask for, right?

But wait there is more, a visit to my Mom's place revealed a huge pile of crochet, knitting and craft books bought for my by my brother!! Yes, dozen's actually, plus a whole set of "Stitch by Stitch" books which I think are now a vintage item. All thanks to the eagle eyes of my brother and my sister-in-law, both of them are avid readers and spend most weekends visiting all possible book fairs. Since I couldn't carry all the books back with me as my shoulder is on the verge of popping out of its socket, I picked the most colorful book of the lot. The rest are expected to reach me by courier. So here it is:

Easy Living Crochet By Carol Alexander
(Affiliate link) 

There are a lot of lovely projects in this book and I will give you a book tour soon (ulterior motive... I want to play with our new scanner).

Then a visit to my aunt who had just returned from the U.S. brought forth this goody, something that I have been lusting after for a long, long time...

 

This CD has sixty two issues of Crochet World magazine!!! Can you imagine how many patterns that works out to?!! Even if I make only one fourths of the patterns I think I am set for life... What do you say?

Think that's all......NOOO I am saving the best for last!!!! Guess what was waiting for me in my mailbox back home at Ahmedabad. This fantastic book which I secretly longed for, sent by the lovely Gale from Boocoos Blogthingy, all the way from USA. Now isn't that very very sweet of her. It was the prize of a giveaway but as I firmly believe in the power of Positive thinking I knew the book was looking for me too. ;) Hehe.

 Crochet Saved My Life
(Affiliate link)

 Ever since I had heard and read about this book I longed for it, (especially since I believed that the lives of People around me was saved because I never put my hook down to pick up any weapon.....haha) and it was definitely on my bucket list. Who knew my wish would come true so soon. Thank you, dear Gale. Did I mention the Bonus - the book is signed by the Author Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence. Now that is a first for me - an author signed copy!

So now tell me, can you really blame me for getting lost, poring (read that as salivating)  over the patterns and the books and forgetting to update my blog!! I am sure you will understand. :)

Now, no visit to Mumbai is complete without a visit to my favourite yarn store - Pradhan's of course. I got a lot of yarny goodies...kilos actually but more about that in a later post.
So do come back for the book tour, my review of "Crochet Saved My Life" and to see my yarn extravaganza.

Have a great weekend. Happy crafting.

Things to come.....

November 14, 2013, 1:08 am

≫ Next: Cowl Inspiration

≪ Previous: Birthday Goodies

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Hello friends,

I know I have been off the grid for a long time but hopefully things will be back on track soon. There a lot of lovely crochet projects to show you and many sites with free patterns to share.

I think you all know how it is....sometimes silly things like life, health, etc get in the way of important stuff like blogging and crochet. LOL. Just joking....

Well, my mother-in-law was here for her annual visit and two months just flew by with lots of travelling, eating out and festivities. 

Here is a teaser of projects I will be sharing soon.

Most of these projects were made from free crochet patterns so look out for a link to those sites in my posts. 

Hopefully things should now fall back into place and I should get my blogging rhythm right.

We also visited some quaint places in and around Ahmedabad and I will share those photos too.

Today, 14th November is Children's Day, 

which I believe is not just for kids...

but for all of us...

to celebrate the Child in Us...

never mind whether we are 6...or 16...or 60...

So, HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY to all my dear readers!!!

I leave you with this poster that really captures my mood.........;)

Source: Facebook

I am sure many of you feel the same way too!! See you soon

Cowl Inspiration

November 28, 2013, 1:27 am

≫ Next: New Year, New Projects, New Beginnings

≪ Previous: Things to come.....

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Hello friends,

~*~*~*~*~  HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~*~*~*~*~

And Thank You, Yes YOU, my lovely reader. The person who makes me want to write and share a teeny weeny part of my life. The person who visits me even when my posting is erratic, sarcastic and ungrammatic (!) and also says polite things about my crochet projects. :) And especially You, who take a few precious moments from their busy life to write to me, words which feel like raindrops on parched earth, to me. After all a conversation with oneself is only a monologue and not a dialogue...or a blog!

In the last post I shared the "family picture" and then I kept wondering which of my babies (crochet!) should I introduce first. I decided to start with this gorgeous cowl, which I made inspired by a free pattern.

Now, most of my internet sessions start with Google and "free crochet patterns". While the patterns may not always be the ones you are looking for, I see it is a good way to find some lovely blogs and make some beautiful friends. One such blog, and one of my favorites is Mooglyblog.com.

The truly talented Tamara at Moogly has some gorgeous patterns AND they are all FREE. Tamara's patterns use a lot of lovely colours and there is something for everyone at home. You feel that you have to make them all!! The pattern that inspired me for this cowl was theMoroccan Market Tote. While I thought that I may not have the patience to make the complete bag, I was desperate to try the stitch which was producing such a wonderful texture. So I decided to make a cowl (a side effect of my trip to ladakh).

Isn't it gorgeous!! I simply loved the texture. The white yarn envelopes the plum yarn from both sides and it looks almost like a woven fabric. 

Have you ever visited the Taj Mahal? While this pattern is inspired by Moroccan tiles, the ruby jewels peeping through the white filigree reminded me of the beautiful marble inlay work at the Taj Mahal.

Image source: Wikipedia

Don't you agree? And if you have never visited the Taj Mahalyou must add it to your list of "Places to see before I..........". 

There is also a pattern for an afghan using this same pattern at Moogly with instructions for different sizes. It is accompanied by a video tutorial for the stitch pattern. I had a slight problem at Row 3 so I urge you to watch the video if you are going to try this pattern.

For my cowl I used yarn from THIS stash and a 4.00 mm crochet hook. The cowl is 60" in circumference and 6" wide. 

Such cowls are also known as "infinity scarves" as they have no ends. So you can wear it like a scarf, thus:

Or wrap it around your neck twice so that it looks like a cowl, like this:

The photos are a bit messy as I was trying my hand at some photo editing with (as you can see) not so good results. But I know you will excuse me.  :) I used the two different colours for the two edges just for visual interest.

Do let me know what you think of my cowl? 

I will be back soon with another cowl and another one of my favourite crochet blogs.

Until then Happy Crafting. I am anxiously waiting to see what my bloggy friends are going to make for Christmas - either for themselves or as gifts.

Ciao,

New Year, New Projects, New Beginnings

January 6, 2014, 2:30 am

≫ Next: First crochet project of 2014

≪ Previous: Cowl Inspiration

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WISHING ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS A WONDERFUL 

AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hello Friends, I hope the year 2014 has begun with a Bang, for you. It is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac and I hope, that joy, hope, peace, success, and wealth just gallop into your life. 

As I was born under the sign of the Horse, this year has special significance for me. But having said that, I cannot say that the year has begun well. Last  month ie  Dec 2013 we were  told  that  my   mother-in-law has a tumor in the uterus. She has been advised a total hysterectomy, due this week. So the year 2014 has started off on a tense note. I will be leaving for Mumbai in a couple of days to stay with her.

Last year, while I did not blog regularly I did crochet as if the world was coming to an end!!!  LOL. So in that sense it was a very good year. I also bought a lot of yarn, crochet thread and hooks in different materials. Ahhh....crochet paradise! 

I also managed to fulfill a dream and started a much awaited project, something that I was longing to do for a very long time, (some of you may have already guessed) but more about that later

Now let me introduce you to one more "baby" from my family picture. This pattern is also a free pattern, from one of my favorite crochet designer - the lovely Lorene from Cre8tion Crochet. Lorene has lots of free patterns on her site and her patterns are really lovely.

The pattern I chose is the Zola Stacked Shells Cowl. It was love at first sight as the cowl was simply gorgeous! Also I suspect the name - Zola, had something to do with my choice (if you are a fan of Grey's Anatomy you know what I am talking about - the cute baby who is Meredith Grey's and Derek Shepherd's daughter).

So here is my own Zola:

Isn't it lovely!! I loved the borders on either sides of the cowl. Gave it a very sophisticated look. 

My cowl is not as sumptuous as the original pattern because bulky yarn is not easily available in India and I am not really a fan of using two strands together. But nevertheless I just love this cowl. It can be worn in many different ways. I like that you can pull it over your head on really cold and windy days. Here are some more pics,

Visit Cre8tion Crochet for this lovely pattern and beautiful pictures of it.

I was left with a little bit of yarn so I decided to make a set with matching fingerless gloves. I repeated the same pattern from the cowl to make the gloves.

I always feel that gloves look very very elegant. Don't you think so? 

The next photo was taken by my "assistant cameraman" (sonny) and it makes me laugh, as it looks like I am holding a trophy rather than a simple tea mug!!! 

I hope to keep posting from Mumbai as I may have to stay there for 2-3 weeks.
So until then...Happy crafting. Have a great year ahead!!!