Testing a new yarn

It is not always that I find good yarn in my neck of the woods. So when I chanced upon paper yarn I went berserk. It was a tad pricey for such a wee amount of yarn. But what the heck! I wanted to try out this new material at any cost.
When asked to show me the yarn, the shop guy looked amused because I asked for that “yarn”.
“That is decorative paper madam,” he explained.
Though a wee bit annoyed that he thought that I couldn’t differentiate between decorative paper and yarn, I curiously fingered the yarn(?) and took three skeins….just to test the waters before getting a whole pack. Very doubtful that the yarn could break or tear, I spent the whole evening just touching and feeling it till members of the household threw me irritatingly amusing glances.
The next morning I spent at least half hour just thinking of which hook to use. When I finally selected the H hook and decided that I would make granny squares as a testing project.

After making the granny squares and I found that it was satisfactory, I decided that I would join it to make a pen holder.

Initially I was reluctant to slip stitch the squares for fear of breaking the yarn. But surprisingly I could easily slip stich. Finally, I glued the slip stitched squares to the base instead of slip stitching them.
Now, I had one skein and a few yards of the other skeins on hand. So I decided that I would test another pattern.
This was to be a flower basket. When my father comes home to visit, he takes a plate outside to the garden to pluck flowers for puja (morning prayers). So I thought this time I would give him a trendy basket to collect his flowers.

So with that in mind and armed with my H hook, I made this basket, the pattern for which can be found below. If you spot any errors please let me know.

Flower Basket

Ch 6. Join.
1. Make 10 sc in the ring formed. Join with sl st in the first st. turn.
2. Ch 1, sc in the next st. 2 sc in the next st, repeat around. Join with Sl st in the first st. (15 sc)
3. Ch1, sc in next st, 2 sc in the next st, repeat around. Join with sl st in the first st. (22 sc)
4. Ch 1, sc in the next st, 2sc in the next st, repeat around. Join with sl st in the first st. (32)
5. Ch 2, hdc around (32 hdc)
6. Ch 2, hdc in the next st, 2 hdc in the next st. repeat around. Join.
7. Ch 2, hdc in the next st, 2 hdc in the next st. repeat around. Join.
8. Ch 5, skip next st, sc in next st. Ch 2, skip next st, repeat around. Join.
9. Sl st to the center of next st, ch3 sc in next loop, repeat around. Join.
10. Ch 4, dc in next loop, ch 1 dc in next loop, repeat around. Join.
11. Ch 3, dc in next dc, dc in ch 1 space, dc in next dc, repeat around. Join.

Weave in ends. Turn bowl inside out.

A bountiful month

Complaints aside about the Chennai summer, the month of May has been cool. Why wouldn’t it be? After a vacation to the hills when half the family fell sick and recovered, I returned to the oven called Chennai to find a package from Nupur, a fellow raveler who had sent some yummy Malabrigo (merino yarn) along with several skeins of cotton yarn.

Morning surf scarf

In a couple of days we drove to Bangalore which was literally cool in May after rains. I quickly knit up the Malabrigo into a scarf to show off to fellow ravelers in Bangalore. I could meet only one, who was actually behind me to knit that particular pattern. When we met, Sanhita showed me the yarn she had bought for me from Delhi which I had asked for earlier and we went shopping for more.

Though I have been in Bangalore  for the past five years I have never ventured out to Raja Market. Most of my yarn hunting was confined to the side lanes of Commercial street. Raja Market is tucked away in the midst of a maze of interconnecting winding roads, in the heart of S.P.Road, which is actually an area where computer related stuff is sold. I don’t know if I can ever go to Raja Market all on my own, because I would definitely get lost.

We drooled over the acrylic fare and picked up a few skeins for ourselves and yarn crazy buddies who had given their preferences earlier. From Raja Market, we again weaved our way amidst the maze of winding roads to a godown (what all we do for a skein of yarn! in this case it was cotton yarn!) I just stared at the decrepit building in front of me where several packages and debris of packing material were strewn about. Sanhita coolly moved about like a pro asking me to follow her, which I did, though I have to admit I did look around wondering if some baddy like in the movies would spring up and show his ugly pearlies. Thankfully no one did. We walked to the end of  the building where there was a dirty staircase on which Sanhita began to ascend.

“Are you sure this is the place I asked?” 

“Come on up. It is the last shop in this floor,” she answered without batting an eyelid.

As the guy in the shop unpacked the cotton yarn which we ravelers recently came to know of, fears of baddies in the nooks and allies vanished and we dived into the boxes as if there was no tomorrow. As the garbage bags were full and our purses were nearly empty, the shop guy said “we have a godown next door, you can check that out.”

And check it out we did! The room was filled to the ceiling with several colors of  thread and yarn and other knick knacks. We were literally behaving like kids in a candy store asking for this thread and that and the shop guy obliged. He wouldn’t have seen such avid shoppers for thread…that he even asked us “What will you do with this?” And we patiently explained.

He gave us a teeny discount. After promising to return for more, the yarn addicts left the scene. We had nice cold coffee with ice cream along with muffin and samosas and discussed yarn, ravelry, cabbages and kings. We could have been there all day but Sanhita had to report for work and we reluctantly bade goodbye.
The other projects which saw the light of day this month is the Woodland Shawl by Kathy Merrick. My willing models are out of town so I took their doll (Loku) as the model. Here is she is

Woodland Shawl

I made a top for Shivani.

Lucy Locket

I also made the Starburst hotpad which was in queue for a long time.

Startburst

Projects completed, and on the anvil…

Whenever I go to Kolkata, I drool over the embroidered  saris and I make up my mind to do the Kantha work myself. The first time I went to Kolkata I got two Tussar saris and had the design transfered, one for my mom and the other to be embroidered by me. My mom finished the embroidery in a matter of six months and  I had done only a few flowers. It was then time for my mom to visit my sister in the U.S. And so I packed her off with my sari which she completed in the next six months.

 

My contribution to the sari was to work a few inches of borders and a few flowers. That I don’t have the time to complete a mega project never occurs to me…:) as I went to buy a sari in a different fabric this time. Similarly I completed a few flowers and it languished in the cupboard, while my mom completed her embroidery and has worn her sari too.  As usual she came to my rescue and completed the sari.:)

This is just a percentage of what I have incomplete. When I took an inventory of my craft cupboard, I went into a dizzy spell. I have cross stitch unfinished, a painting unfinished, two knitted scarves, one shawl…..:(

Last but not the least, I have a couple of people waiting to get the stuff I promised to make  for them.  I have just started to make a knitted purse today….need I say more.:)

Blackwork

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I love collecting knick knacks. Little boxes, bottles, interesting cartons….et. al, When I discovered a book on blackwork in the local library I was so smitten by it. I just made one of a lady and one of a little girl watering her plant. While making this project I found a little box which I thought I would embellish. Once I finished the project I thought that I should not use it on the box but to crochet a border and frame it. I crocheted a row and was soon I was busy with several other things, one of them was moving from the country, that slowly it began languishing in my craft cupboard. I don’t remember what happened to the little box. When I was clearing my stuff in the cupboard I chanced upon this long lost little girl in black and with it came all the memories of long ago. To this day I haven’t found another interesting pattern in blackwork. So here it is.

 

I hope to unearth some more projects soon.:)

Back after a break

I am back. It has been quite a long break, but then as I have mentioned in an earlier post, having too many hobbies can also be tiring at times. Especially with several projects on hooks and a couple on needles, writing two blogs….well!  I am not complaining.:)

So what have I been doing? Crochet-wise I have been doing things which I haven’t done before. That is, I tested a hairband for someone and it was pretty cool. I also tested a top for a designer and it turned out super cool. Also, it is the first time I am making a wearable for my own daughter. In    

all these years of crocheting, I have never made a hat, which somebody told was the project beginners chose. Somehow it never occurred to me to make one, though I had several patterns to choose from. I guess it could be because I never wore one.:) While the above took me just a few hours of my time, knitting seem to take ages. I made a couple of dishcloths. I just took three days to complete one, believe it or not. For a beginner, I think this time frame might be acceptable, but then I do get frustrated. It was during one of my knitting spree my m.i.l visited. She was looking at me knitting with an amused expression on her face. She looked at me battling with the cables and generously offered to teach. But the cables though a little out of shape were ok and I have to admit that it was tiring to hold three needles and managing to pull and not slip any stitches. But I left people in stitches. My binding off technics had people rolling on the floor laughing. I am glad nobody took a picture of that. I am ridiculously funny when I bind off my work. I twist and turn along with the stitches, pursing my lips at times, gritting my teeth and breathing a huge sigh of relief as I bind off one stitch in say five minutes at least. I really hope I quicken up my pace, otherwise I might end up giving up on knitting and losing out on a wonderful hobby.

Anyways I would like to end on a happy note. A friend of mine who went to Singapore gave me a very thoughtful gift. She brought me a ball of paper    silk yarn. I am still touching it and admiring it, unable to make up mind as to which pattern to make from it.

Knitting as a new hobby

Long ago when I was living in the US I had the chance to go to a fibre festival in Oakland. There were several stalls selling yarn, hand spun fibre, needles, notions and what- not related to knitting and crochet. There were classes too for beginners interested in knitting or crocheting.
It was pure fun interacting with designers, drooling over yarn etc. It was during this time the knitting spark entered me. And when I met this woman knitting without looking at her hands or needles or the project she was working on without a pattern… was when that the spark lit up.
It so happened that the people with whom I had gone were looking at the knitting machines when I spotted this lady with different yarns surrounding her. She wasn’t knitting then. When I finished my drooling, picked a skein and looked up, she was looking at me and my selection and smiled. She began asking me if I had a project in mind and we got to talking about cabbages and kings. Somewhere along the way she picked up her knitting and went clicking away with needles flying.
The lady went on talking to me about the different yarns she used and liked, and the patterns she conjured up. Not once did she take her eyes off me while talking. “Are you sure you won’t miss a stitch or make a mistake” I asked.
She just smiled… (may be at my naivete)
When I came back home from the fair I had a new hobby in mind, skeins richer and purse poorer.
I began learning to knit in right earnest. Several people tried teaching me the skill. But somehow the craft eluded me. I packed away my needles and stuck on to crocheting.
Have several hobbies and do justice to none: that is me. Having said that I am happy to announce that I recently revived the long-lost hobby – knitting.
After several you-tube lessons and tips from Leann my ravelry pal I have begun holding my needles.

 

Swatch turned ipod cozy

The above is a knitted swatch which I successfully completed and in a bid to preserve my first knitting effort and not ravel it to try another swatch, I converted it into a cozy of sorts, crocheting the sides. So my slim and trim ipod has found a new home in a stockinette sack.

As the year ends…

Another year ends. It has not been a full year of blogging for me. I started out late in July, with little or no hopes of filling my pages. When I moved to Chennai, little did I know about blogging or the number of friends I would make out of blogging. With the blog taking shape, I intended it to be a catalog of sorts for the different hobbies I dabbled in and a showcase  in which to preserve my projects.

Blogging I discovered is addictive.  The urge to look into the comments and interact with other bloggers is a pleasure. Surfing new blogs and learning and discovering the  amazing talent of other bloggers is truly inspiring.

My own limited knowledge about my chosen hobbies has undergone a sea change. I have discovered new technics, gathered knowledge about the  different tools used in the craft,  and this has helped me learn more in order to better my art. 

Last but not the least, it has also helped increase my already overflowing stash of different art materials.

In painting, my stock of color pencils, pastels, crayons, acrylic and oil paints have gone up. My embroidery floss collection has doubled. My knitting and crochet accessories have quadrupled. For general crafting work I have boxes of shells, beads, and interesting  colored seeds which I find falling off trees. The seeds are new in my collection of junk (so called by parents, sibling and the spouse)

This is but a fraction of what I have. Surprisingly, my stash of craft books has not grown this year, which I hope will rectify in the coming year. I hope my sibling and husband take note of this. ….friends too… (we all live in hope don’t we?)

Finally, the above bag is the last project of 2008. I have as usual tweaked the recipe to add a button. The rest of the pattern is the same. The pattern can be found in the pages of Ravelry. Though the husband doesn’t think too highly about the color combination, I love the bag. Its a gift for a friend who shares my hobby and adds her bit to my stash.

However, I have to admit the reason for this multicolored bag. I intended it to be a bag in blue, but ran out of the color and it wasn’t available in my LYS. So the I took out this color and thought it was not too bad a match. But then I now realise always by one spool more than what you need. One can always make a bag out of the scraps in the end

Anyways, alls well that ends well.

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all my readers.

First steps

The joy of making something and admiring it from a distance can be quite euphoric. Especially if it is something you made for the first time and it turned out better than your own expectations….

There is a standing joke in the family about the wearable I promised I would make for my sister. Since my sister is very finicky about what she wears, the color, the fit etc, I decided to make something for myself (by way of practicing on a wearable) before embarking on a project for her.

I had some multi-colored yarn (red, yellow and green) which seemed sober when I bought it. I made a sleeveless vest using that yarn. The finish was ok (I thought so). I followed instructions for large in the pattern and when I wore it it was larger. And the yarn looked way too loud after taking shape, especially after I wore it and when it invited uncontrolled spasms of laughter from the dear husband. So I decided not to make any wearable and definitely never in bright colors. My sister got me some cotton yarn during a trip abroad and reminded me about the vest I promised, but the yarn turned into something else. To this day I haven’t made any wearable for her.   I have frogged the bright colored vest now to make something else.

Recently, when I was going to through my stash I found this light colored yarn and a book I had for frocks for little girls. I have never made anything except afghans for babies so I decided to try the frock. I have to say I was thrilled after finishing it.

3

The small purse to go with it also turned out cute. I only hope my sister’s baby for whom I made this fits into it.

The first doll I made also turned out well. So it seems from the look of this raggedy Ann which has seen better days when the children weren’t around to play with her.

 ’

Since I am quite satisfied with my wearable and doll I have begun collecting patterns for both and have quite a few favorites to make now. Just waiting with bated breath for the yarn I have ordered.:)

A eureka moment

There are times when I look at someone’s work and give a long sigh thinking that it is impossible for me to complete such a huge project. There are times when I also begin a project with great fanfare and just abandon it, or frog it to start another mega project. During one such phase, I sent an email to a designer expressing a desire to test her pattern. I had forgotten about the email and went about drooling at other people’s work, when out of the blue she replied asking me if I would be interested in testing a table spread pattern of hers. I was elated and jumped at the offer. After sending her a sample swatch I was in.

I took close to two months to complete the squares joining as I went. Lo and behold I finished it and it was a record of sorts for me. However, her design wasn’t published and she sent my work back to me. I don’t know if she was as disappointed as I was on her pattern not being published. I even shed copious tears in the confines of my restroom and came out bleary eyed much to the consternation of the people around me.

This is the first and last mega project I embarked on. Though I have lined up some large projects for the future, this is the one which will remain close to my heart.

Haekel beutel sees the light of day

I was on a blogging break and am back with a bounty. I have increased my stash, finished a couple of projects which was not seeing the light of day. I also went on a stashaholic spree and acquired nylon cords for future bag projects, bag handles and threads for doilies.

And last but not the least I met a lady (age 70 plus) who crochets, but can’t to this day read any pattern and doesn’t know the name of any crochet related stitch. I have known her for over twenty years and was in touch with her on and off,  but never knew that she was doing crochet without knowing the names of her stitches. She photo copies some pictures of doilies from the Ondori book and seeing the pictures makes her doilies. She says she is confused with the diagram of the pattern and she finds the picture easier. This time when she gifted me a small pouch I was so surprised that this lady makes these bags and table cloths (medium sized) and is also selling her work.

The reason she gifted me this bag was because I had mentioned in passing that the string I had made for my bags hadn’t turned out well. Immediately the next day she visited me with this bag made out of some scrap thread in her stash. The pattern for this bag is entirely hers. She doesn’t give a lining to these but she lines all her clutch purses. I now have to figure out her pattern and write it down.

In return I taught her how to make the Haekel beutel bag. I have no doubt she would gift me with one the next time I visit her. 

While holidaying, I finished the Haekel beutel and a pinwheel doily.

The Haekel…. was done with Anchor Knitting Cotton, which according to me is slightly thicker than size 10 thread. I lined it before joining the squares.  I am not entirely satisfied with the bag because it sags.  

I am very pleased with my doily which I made with size 10 thread from a lesser known brand called Chain 10. Though I haven’t starched or blocked my doily, it has stayed in shape and is quite stiff.