Crochetkari

Monday 6 January 2014

New Year, New Projects, New Beginnings


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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:

crochet cowl peach

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

cowl border details

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,

peach crochet cowl

peach crochet cowl

peach crochet zola cowl

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.

crochet shells fingerless gloves

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

crochet shells fingerless gloves

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!!! 

crochet shells gloves crochetkari

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!!!

Thursday 28 November 2013

Cowl Inspiration

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.

Plum crochet cowl

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 the Moroccan 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. 

Plum cowl detail

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.

crochetkari cowl detail
Image source: Wikipedia

Don't you agree? And if you have never visited the Taj Mahal you 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. 

Plum infinity scarf

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

Crochet infinity scarf

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

Plum crochet cowl

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,



Thursday 14 November 2013

Things to come.....

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.
Crochet projects collage

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.........;)

Crochetkari work
Source: Facebook

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

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