A Trip and a Trophy

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,

Golden yellow crochet purse

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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Heart's Desire

Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends. 

I am always amazed by the fact that seasons in Blogdom, especially Crochetland change along with seasons in the real world. A few weeks back it was all snowflakes, snowmen, ornaments and Christmas trees... crocheted of course. And  now, come February, I give you one guess as to the flavour of the month. You are right it is Hearts, wherever you look, whichever blog you turn to.

If you have been following me for a while now, you will know I rarely make crochet trinkets or amigurumi. For me, Pretty always has to be accompanied by Utility. But I had to make an exception when I came across THIS heart pattern. Why? Because this lovely lady has taken the trouble to draw, yes actually draw by hand, every step of the pattern and very beautifully too. The whole pattern was now so clear and lovely. I just had to try it. 

Aren't they cute?! I wish I had used yarn instead of Bliss knitting cotton, that would have made them more fuller and puffy. 

 Here is the link  http://jose-crochet.blogspot.nl/2012/09/free-pattern-heart.html#more

I am not sure my dear valentine will actually appreciate these cute hearts so for now I am using them to decorate my new bookcase. Yes, this is the new bookcase my hubby ordered for me some time back, which I was supposed to show you long long ago. What can I say my camera has become so lazy.  (So it is not my fault, you see.)  ;)
By the way if I have said "will share with you later" or "will be showing you ------ soon" and then not kept my word, please, please do remind me. I can be quite absent minded sometimes. Since you cannot pinch me from there. a gentle comment will do.

Here is a pic of the empty bookcase the day it was delivered. I think it is made in Malaysia.

For the number of books I have I will need three more bookcases like this, which of course hubby is not going to get me. Anyway I am always thankful for small blessings. I chose this model as the drawers can accommodate all my sewing supplies, buttons, notions, hooks etc. A proper craft corner!!

My hubby has this cute habit of attributing any gift he gets for me to the next 3-4 occasions. LOL. So this was a gift for our Wedding anniversary, the New Year and Valentine's day and who knows maybe even my birthday which is in September!! Did I just say "cute habit", I seriously need to go and have some tea. Jokes apart I love the gift and the fact that he lets me go crafty (read that as batty) and potter around in my room the whole day. 

Here is a sneak peek at the purse I promised to show you. Yes finally did remember something! This the handle I have made for the purse.

 

Enjoy the day with your loved ones. I just called up my friend from fifth grade and we had a lovely chat. Get in touch with people you have lost contact with. Come on make that call, it is after all the month of Love.

I am a Cutie Pie!

Ahem... that is not me, but my blog that is a Premio Cutie Pie!! I received a message from the wonderful M.J. at Lots of Crochet Stitches passing on the Premio Cutie Pie Award to my blog.

Isn't that a super cute pic! Thank you M.J.

If you are really into crochet, you must visit M.J. Her blog is a veritable treasure house of crochet stitches, techniques and tutorials. She always comes up with something new almost on a daily basis. She is not only a talented crocheter but also a versatile blogger and manages three other blogs as well.

And now I have to pass on the award to five other blogs which I think are cute. Easy peasy. The five blogs I have chosen, in addition to being cute, also have something special about them. So here goes...

Diaper Mum by Rajeswari - for her lovely crafty projects and sharing pics of her two cuties.

T's Daily Treasures by Tammy - for her sunny disposition and finding joy in all the simple things in life.

Runner Girl in the Kitchen by Gauri - for sharing her low cal recipes, her running exploits and weight loss efforts. (Maybe one day it will motivate me to get off my butt and actually start walking!)  ;)

Lacy Crochet by Olga - for her genteel writing and gorgeous photos.

Cozy Things by Kristen - for her fun writing style and her great projects which show her expertise in the crafts of knitting and crochet.

That was fun, I think I will add a few more names later. I hope my nominees enjoy the award.

Well. it is mid week, so be happy that the weekend is nearing. Enjoy the rest of the week. Happy crafting. 

I am working on a purse and hope to share it with you soon.

Hand in (crocheted) Glove

Wow! We are already into the second month of 2013. January 2013 has flown by in a flash...or atleast it sure feels like it. 2013 - a year whose arrival was much awaited and that too with bated breath. Not because it is a special year but because we all wanted to see whether we would survive 2012! What with the doomsday predictions and all.

And now we are already into February 2013. So before the winter flies by in a flash too, I want to share one more winter item with you.

Actually I made these crocheted lace fingerless mitts last year. I have always thought that gloves are very romantic, elegant, sophisticated, Jane Austen-ey, victorian, Audrey Hepburn.... okay okay I think you got it. I really liked THIS pattern and had to make it right away.

I wear them at home whenever it gets really cold. I have never worn them when I go out and there are a couple of reasons for that.

A) I had never seen anybody wear such mitts, at least not in my part of the woods...

B) when they were done and I was strutting about the house wearing them, sonny boy very delicately and politely told me "Mom don't even think of wearing them in public. Especially if I am around."

So much for elegance...!!

The next photo pose is as per instructions from assistant cameraman (sonny boy...who else!)  ;)

But I am always happy to wear them at home and pretend I am Emma or Elizabeth... Who says make believe is only for kids ;)

Sigh.... that is all for now, girls. Off with the mitts as I go to plan today's menu. I don't think my Mr. Darcy will appreciate a bare dinner table.

A happy and joyful February to all of you.

Crochet Textured Scarf

Hi friends! I hope the week has begun wonderfully for you. We are enjoying a deliciously cold winter in Ahmedabad. I know that my friends who are actually experiencing snow and minus degrees may laugh at my idea of a "cold" winter as the temperatures here are in the range of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. But for a Mumbai gal like me this is definitely cold. 

And I for one, am thrilled because it has given me a chance to crochet and, also knit, winter items. I just finished crocheting a lovely textured scarf in a gorgeous ivory yarn. Can you imagine I had this yarn in my stash for the past seven years!! I refused to touch the yarn till I found the right pattern. Well, I did find the Right pattern. This scarf is designed by the wonderful Kara of Petals to Picots. I think Kara as well as her Petals to Picots site need no introduction. I consider her site a treasure house of crochet with lots of patterns, tutorials and loads of related information. I especially love her Monday 'Pin'spirations and Friday Link Parties. 

Here is my Ivory Textured Scarf:

Isn't it looking lovely? I am sure you want to see the texture up close.

The pattern actually has a "keyhole" feature and a fringe. But as I was not sure I could manage hanging scarf tails I made a slight modification and added two pearl buttons. So now I can wear my scarf long or button it up and wrap it around twice to form a cowl. 

 Luckily I had these buttons in my stash. Do you think they match the scarf?



Here is my scarf cowl

The pattern also includes a nice spiral flower which I plan to make in metallic thread and use as a brooch. You can find the pattern for this wonderful scarf and many other beautiful items designed by Kara HERE.

When I popped in at Kara's to tell her that I finished making the scarf, imagine my delight to see that my Mustard doily has been featured in her "I ♥ Fridays Link Party".

Isn't that peachy? This is the second time I am being featured, the first time around it was my Rainbow mandala. 

A big thanks to all of you for your best wishes in my last post. A very warm welcome to all my new followers. 

That is all for today. Off I go to tackle my next project. :-) What are you going to make this week?

Take care