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