Mandala mania 3 - Variegated violets

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Namaste friends, are you a television buff? I am a big fan of TV but I wouldn't call myself an addict as I can switch it off at will and also survive for days without it if required. But I am partial to English programs whether it is serials, documentaries, cookery or science shows. TLC and Nat Geo are my favourite channels. As far as Indian television is concerned I prefer Marathi channels for their superior content, and wide variety of topics. Hindi programs with their melodrama, unrealistic stories and slapstick comedy are too jarring for the senses.

Wondering where I am going with all this. I have no idea... LOL

Okay, as a teen I was a huge fan of Three's Company, an American sitcom about three roommates. I liked everything about it, the cast, the theme song, the stories. And that is exactly the phrase that came to my mind when I thought my two mandalas needed one more companion. After all "Three's Company, too"...right? Haha

Yeah, I know I can be bonkers sometimes :) :)

Next question - Have you ever purchased variegated yarn because it looked gorgeous and then wondered what to do with it? It happens to me all the time! But the allure of variegated yarn cannot be avoided.

For my latest mandala, I decided to use a variegated violet cotton yarn languishing in my stash. Here is the result:

Those petals look so cute. Using variegated yarn for the whole mandala or doily would be pointless as the intricacies of the design would be lost.

This pattern is simply gorgeous and I urge you to try it. Check out the details in this POST.

Some more pics (with no jibber jabber from me)!  😊

All pics were taken with my Lenovo A7000* phone camera. One of these days I must get down from my ivory tower and get my camera repaired!!! Pity the repair centre is miles away 😩

Which camera do you use for your blog photography?

See you soon. Happy Crafting

Mandala mania 2 - Aqua n orange

Namaste friends, did you like the mandala in the last post? I loved it so much, I thought One good mandala deserves another, isn't that right?

So I went on to make another one. I decided to use totally different colours, absolutely different from the previous colour choice.

Here goes Aqua n Orange:

Isn't it gorgeous!! Even if I say so myself ;)

While I'm loving the mandala as a whole after completion I had doubts about the "sunflower" in the center. What do you think, does it go with the colour scheme?

I like the way the white stands out and makes the other colours pop.

Just changing the colours produced such a dramatic effect. It looks like a totally different pattern! Only on close inspection do you realise that it is the same pattern.

All materials are same as the last mandala and you can check out the details HERE.

Okay, only two more pics :)

Can you tell I am in love with it!! 

I can't wait to see what you'll have been up to. So I will be blog surfing for the next few hours.

See you later, crocheter :)

Mandala mania 1 - Peachy brown

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Namaste friends, How has the new year been unfolding so far? I hope you are enjoying it.

Time to start talking crochet in the new year. I came across a lovely mandala pattern and felt I just had to make one. Crochet mandalas are beautiful, useful, provide instant gratification as well as room to play with colours.

The mandala in the original pattern uses pink, mauve, violet and lavender. I decided to go for a peach and brown combination and I love the way it has turned out. The red adds a pop of colour, while the beige highlights the darker colours.

Isn't it gorgeous!! I am loving it. :) 

I adore mandalas for their beautility... no don't hunt your dictionary, I just invented that word. :) It is a combination of beauty and utility!! 

And now before you get ready to grab my neck and shake me :) here is the link to the Pattern at crochetmillan.com.

The website has many beautiful patterns and I will be going back for more.

Materials

Yarn:   Laura knitting cotton

Hook: 3.50 mm*

Dia:    15 inches

This yarn* will give you similar results plus it comes in a range of vibrant colours.

And yes, I have omitted the last two rounds which form the edging of the mandala as I found it a bit lacy for the "solid" body of the mandala. So I just went for a round of scs with picots.

What would be your colour choices for this mandala? 

Happy crafting!

Free Crochet Pattern - Slant n Stripe Scarf

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Namaste, girls. I am sure all of you are busy getting ready for the holidays ahead. Some of you may be scrambling around for last minute gifts. Today I have something that is just right for you. An easy scarf pattern and it is Free too!!

Slant n' Stripe Scarf Pattern 

The pattern is very easy and requires knowledge of single crochet and double crochet only. The pattern is a one row repeat, yup that's right it is a one row pattern which can be easily memorized and worked up in a jiffy. Just right for those last minute gifts. :)

 The fabric produced is soft and flexible and has a lovely drape. 

Here is a close up of the pattern:

And another pic in a different colour:

The borders on the two sides are made by the pattern itself so there is no need of an edging.

I used a DK weight yarn (yarn brand: Shining Star) and a  4mm crochet hook.

The scarf measures 6.5 inches wide and is 60 inches in length.

The pattern is in PDF form consisting of 3 pages. The actual pattern is on one page with no pictures or colours so you can just print that one page and take it with you, if like me you crochet wherever you go. :D

You can download the pattern HERE

The geometric design should work out well even for a men's scarf in the right colours, don't you think so?

You can also get your free pattern in my CRAFTSY store. If you are not already a member of Craftsy, you will have to register yourself, which is very simple and Free. Once registered you will have access not only to my pattern but also tons of other free patterns and dozens of free videos for all kinds of crafts like knitting, crochet, painting, sewing, baking...you name it.

Please let me know if you face problems or are unable to download the pattern.

I hope you enjoy making this scarf. If you have any questions or find any mistake let me know at crochetkari@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays!

Memories of those swinging times

Namaste Gorgeous. How are you? Thank you for joining me today.

Life has settled into a routine at our new home and sometimes I cannot believe that it is only three months since we shifted here. Feels like we were always living here! Yes, the human mind can be fickle at times.

The main reason that I do not miss the previous house could be that it was  a rented place and we always knew we would be shifting out one day. While we always assumed that we would shift back to Mumbai, this new home in Ahmedabad was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. 

But if there is one thing that I am sorely  missing it is my photo studio...er...I mean my photo prop... okay actually I mean the wonderful swing in the balcony in the old house.The swing was the place where all my WIPs were finally christened as FOs. (Am I the only one who finds "FO" to be mildly rude?)

The swing got the best light throughout the day and it was like being outdoors while still being inside the house.

So here are a few photos, in memory of the swing :)  :)

My ripple blanket. Get the pattern HERE 

My first knitting pattern. Click HERE for the the free scarf pattern.

 

An apple cozy for the hubby. Go HERE to see his reaction to my "gift" ;) and a link to the pattern

One more gift for hubby. Click HERE for the instructions for this Steering Wheel Cover.

The swing was a place to play with colors. Get the free pattern for the Rainbow Mandala HERE

 ...and a place to display and gloat over my crochet babies

 

Click HERE for pattern details of this lovely yellow purse

 

 Crochet nesting bowls

Crochet Basket weave basket

Crochet Rose basket. Click HERE for instructions

A custom order for Poonam who was so happy with the Cup cozies that she became my student!

Corner to corner baby blanket. Get the pattern details for the blanket and the border HERE.

Crochet triangle granny shawl. Click HERE for pattern details.

Hope you enjoyed these pics of my Swinging times. Ahem... I hope you did not land here looking for some other kind of Swinging tales. Sorry to disappoint you...hehe!!

I have not yet found an ideal place in my new house to click my pics. No swing, no balcony and no open spaces. So I guess my crochet Ta-dahs will just have to wait a little longer! :(

I am writing a pattern for a crochet scarf and I can't wait to share it with you. Would you like to test my pattern? Write to me at crochetkari@gmail.com. 

Life is short, so make time for your hobby or go ahead and learn the new skill you have been wanting to.

Crochet Rose Basket

Hello beautiful people, I know you are feeling wonderful. How do I know? Well, these last few days as I toured thru Blogland, I saw beautiful pictures of warm family gatherings, lovely decorated trees, snowmen, scrumptious goodies to eat, little children enjoying the festive season...some of them for the very first time and of course lots of gorgeous gifts. So I can safely say... a good time was had by all  :)

It did make me feel a little lonely as we are practically friendless here in Ahmedabad. But not to worry as I have all of you, my dear friends out there. Blogging really brings friends right into our homes doesn't it? Along with pictures of our crafts we share pictures of our homes, our children, pets, grandkids, kitchens and occasionally even bathrooms. Which is sometimes more than what we share with our non-bloggy friends...no? Hmmm, I love Blogland.

Now first of all let me welcome some new friends who have joined us;

Elisabeth from Elizy Art

Salete from Sacroche

Anna from Annasimplecrochet

Andreia Santos from Refugios dos Pontinhos

Aishwarya from Aishwaryas World

Roos from Freubeldingetjes

Yufang from Hollywood Cerise

Isha from Keep Crocheting

Beena from Beenascreations

Maria Nazareth from Maria's Creations 

and Lakshmi Kumar.

A warm welcome to all of you. If I have not mentioned your name please drop me a line with the URL of your blog.

I know I have not been posting much.  Actually I have been very busy with my hook but not so busy with my camera...(what with my recent hospital stint making me realise that life is short). While in hospital my thoughts kept running back to the loads of yarn at home which I had not yet opened from the packaging or ...fondled enough...hehe. As you all are aware one good photo on the blog means ten other photos taken in different places and light conditions, and I did not want to put my hook down to do that. I have been crocheting like crazy and I hope to share a few projects before 2012 comes to an end. Of course there is always 2013, now that the world has decided not to end itself  ;) !!

Today I want to share this lovely crochet Rose Basket. The pattern is from a Japanese book and I have been wanting to try it out for a long time. As you can imagine there was a lot of guesswork involved but I finally managed to get it done. It may not look like the pic in the book but I am quite happy with it. So here it is;

 

I have used Laura knitting cotton from THIS stash and a 3.0 mm hook. Initially I planned to click step by step photos to show how it was done, but along the way I realised that it was quite simple. And you can make it without a pattern actually. 

So here goes;

Just choose your favorite granny square with or without flowers, join six of them together.

 

 

Now crochet a circle as big as the ring formed by the granny squares. This is the pattern I used from the original pattern.

 

Then attach the circle to your granny ring with slip stitches. 

There your lovely basket is done! You can use it to keep your cosmetics, keys, jewellery, etc.

How do you like it? So, do you think I am going to use it on my dressing table?

Nah... of course not, I am going to use it as my crochet work basket... hehe.

The colors are a bit boring but this was also a way to reduce my stash. Next time I am going to try different colors and also a thinner thread. 

Did you like the basket? If you do decide to make it, please do send me the link to your blog post or atleast send me a picture of your basket. I would definitely love to see it.

Lots of other FOs to be photographed so off I go.

Right now I am following "Grey's Anatomy" (love it) and "Packed to the Rafters" (like it very much) on the telly, what are you watching?

Looking forward to your comments. Take care and Happy Holidays.

Love and hugs xxx