Let's take a tour

Hi there! How are you? Aren't you glad that the weekend is approaching?! Can't say I am looking forward to the weekend as hubby is out of town on a business trip, so it is just sonny boy and me at home.

I had expected to get a lot of crochet done as DH was away and sonny is happy with any one dish meal I can conjure up at the last minute. But sadly that did not happen, due to sundry aches and pains I had through out the week. 

Never mind, I will share one of my lovely books with you today.

So, get ready for the tour of "Crochet Mesh". This is a lovely book by Ondori and I just loved it the moment I laid eyes on it. There was a slight hesitation to buy it due to the high cost, but I am the kind who will gladly sacrifice a new outfit for a gorgeous new book so now the book stands proudly on my book shelf. Have I mentioned earlier that books make my mouth water and that I get goose pimples whenever I turn the crisp pages of a new book, and oh... that lovely smell of a fresh book.  Ok, ok I know, too much blah blah.....let's get on with it.

Ondori Crochet Mesh

This doily is the first one I tried from the book. It looked deceptively simple but gosh it was quite complicated. The last few rows required a lot of fastening off and joining thread and if there is one thing I hate to do it is weaving in the ends. So I was relieved to complete this one.

Here is the end result. It has survived years of use and washing and now I don't even bother to block it, poor thing.

The next doily or should I say centerpiece is what I attempted next. Today when I see it, I can't imagine how I actually managed to complete it.  You see I am notorious for accumulating WIPs and normally I have 6 to 7 projects going on at a time. Yeah... sometimes I do manage to get some of them done and sometimes I keep them pending just to remind myself that I am alive and I still have a lot to do!! Did that make any sense to you?

 Ta da, here is my masterpiece. As usual, too lazy to block it. Do you think it looks like the original? I would love to hear your opinion.

 Here are a few more pages from the book. Projects that I hope to make some time in the future, like these lovely cushions.

These cushions are lovely too, don't you think so?

This bedspread is one page that I love to open often and just stare at longingly. I wonder if one lifetime will be adequate to finish making it. Maybe a group effort with the ladies in the family might do the trick. Sadly, that is so not happening!

These coasters look cute.

When I was in my hometown Mumbai I used to conduct crochet classes from home and the runner on the next page was made by one of my  students but I don't have any photo of the finished piece :(

 

This runner with roses is definitely tempting.

Don't you just love the cats on the piano cover?

The next photo is not very clear but I added it anyway.

I hope you enjoyed the tour through Meshland. I do like filet crochet as it requires only chains and dcs and does not call for clusters, popcorns, pineapples or any other edibles!! But I think sometimes the designs are too subtle and do not stand out against the mesh. And in that sense I feel filet crochet can be tricky at times.

I hope I complete my Phd (Projects Half Done) soon and have something to share with you the next time. 

Till then, lotsa luv. Have a great weekend and do write to me. 

Book Nook

The sweltering summer of Ahmedabad has put all thoughts of outdoor activity out of my mind. The temperatures are in the range of 35 to 40 deg Celsius and coupled with the dry climate it is scorching out there. I am not even venturing out for shopping...just imagine! So over the last weekend I decided to tidy up my craft room. Not kidding there... when we moved from Mumbai to Ahmedabad my hubby actually gave me a room, all to my self, and it  is now filled with my heaps of yarn, my books, sewing machine, music system, fabric stash and all other related paraphernalia.

As I was cleaning the room I came across some framed Anchor long stitch pictures done when we were in our teens. By "We", I mean my brother and me. I thought I will share the pictures with you.
This lovely lady was done by me.

Kamini

When my brother, who is a dental surgeon , saw me doing this he thought it was a brilliant project to improve hand and eye co-ordination which in turn would ensure neat stitches during suturing. This beautiful waterscape is the project he chose.

Blue Lake

Sorry about the reflection of the flash, as the pictures are already framed I could not avoid it.

Let me also share the treasures I recently added to my book collection.

My current favourite...Mary Higgins Clark.

I was lusting for these two afghan books for a long time. Finally got them for a very good price at a book fair in Ahmedabad.

This book by Angela King has some very cute items which are just calling out to be made.

Sewing and knitting are not really my favourite pastimes. If my hands are not crocheting then they are definitely holding a murder mystery. But these two books seemed like "must-haves" for any self proclaimed crafter's library, so I had to have them.

These two "vintage" books were sourced for me by my brother. For both of us, a relaxing weekend consists of hours of browsing through book fairs and bargain book stores. Never mind the swollen ankles and painful feet, at the end of the day it is all worthwhile.

So, do you like my collection. My mouth waters just by looking at these books.
Mmmm... hours of beautiful activity.

A "guided tour" through some of the books is definitely on the cards but at a later date. Right now I am busy with a project for my son's classmate and here is a sneak peek at it.

Yes, it is a pen tablet cover. I am making diagonal lines of popcorn stitch for texture.

Well, I have to go back to playing hooky so see you later. Have a nice day.

My Favourite Book

Reading used to be the greatest passion in my life till crocheting took over. As it was simply not possible to read and crochet at the same time, books had to take the back seat. The other reason being that it is so much easier to crochet and watch TV at the same time. But I still love books very much and am always on the lookout for new books to buy.

Today I am going to show you my most favourite crochet book  Lovely Lace. 

This book was a  birthday present from my dear friend Malati, in the year 1988. Since then I have made many beautiful doilies from this book.

Here are a few pages from the book and some of my doilies;

 

This doily is now with my mom gracing her centre table.

This doily was an experiment in colour.

The last doily has since been frogged as the shaded pink was not doing justice to the beautiful pattern. As if it was not evident in the first few rounds... I completed the whole pattern before unraveling it ...duh?!

Here is a small tip for crocheters who use pattern books. I never crochet directly from the book. I always use a copy of the pattern and then put the book back in my library. I find it easier to mark my place, note down any modifications, write down the size of thread and hook etc on the copy.  So now you can see that my book is in excellent condition even after 24 years!

Did you find this tip to be useful? Do let me know.

Happy crocheting. xxx