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.

Bags, Totes, et al.,

Bags, purses, totes, clutch, any other, in any material you name, I have it. But it was never enough. I had to make one on my own. Thus started my tryst with crocheting bags. So when I went to Walmart one day I chanced upon this flier for a string bag. The string bag was to be made using crafty cotton by Yarns Brunswick. So I picked up a couple of colors and in a couple of sittings finished the bag. I was so excited by the final look of the bag, that one day I even took it out for shopping. Wonder of wonders, I was stopped by two ladies in Costco, who asked me where I got the bag. Needless to say I was pleased as punch and told them it was my first effort at crocheting a bag and that I got the simplest pattern from a flier. After several oohs and aahs over it and other crochet related discussions I left them making up my mind to make a few more. But after this particular pattern, the bags which I made were all my own versions of sling bags and were all gifted away during Navratri to bagaholics like me. 

Recently when I was checking my inventory of bags, I was shocked to find that I just have two finished bags and one purse in progress. My other work in queue is the now famous Haekel beutel bag, which I have set my sights on.

My other finished tote is taken from a pattern from Crochet World. It is actually a back pack which I decided to overlook and made it into a sling bag using worsted weight yarn.

The reason for my dwindling collection of bags is that friends and relatives like my bags more than I do. Otherwise would I have gifted all those bags I made.  

There is also a nagging doubt after finishing a bag project if it was up to the mark, whether it puckers here or there, if the color is right after all…. it never ends. Also, like the cook who likes to tweak recipes to suit her taste, I have to tweak a pattern here or there which may be the reason behind my never achieving complete satisfaction over the bag I make.:) And so it leaves me with “Should I follow a pattern to the T?” Please let me know.

Afghans and Shawls

The number of Afghans I have made is just four. All the four were made with donations in mind. Thanks to Mary Cahill I donated two Granny square afghans to the charity, the group members were donating. The other two were single colored and simple patterned afghans favored by beginners, that I donated to a local charity on my own.

While talking to a friend about how I was planning to make an afghan as I had gifted and didn’t have any for myself, my five year-old who happened to overhear this, told me that I should make for her like I had made for others. Seemed a good enough reason to start on one. So I made this and she snuggled into it while watching TV. It worked well for the Bangalore winter.

Now with the move to Chennai, I don’t know if I would ever be able to make an afghan anymore, considering just three seasons the city is famous for in a year…. Hot, hotter and hottest.

I would also like to show off this lovely summer shawl that I made with fingering yarn, gifted to me by a lady in my crochet group. This is the first wearable I made.

 

Looking at some of the afghans in the magazines and the ones made by friends in cyberdom, I have got this strong urge to make one more, at least a baby blanket. But this weather does put me off. I have half a mind to join an Afghan making group  but I am procrastinating on that. 

The shawl’s pattern has been taken from the magazine Old Time Crochet. Unfortunately, unless I take a vacation in cooler climes it has to languish in its place in the cupboard.

Doilies from Kolams…..

“Kolams” or Rangoli, are traditional designs drawn outside most homes in South India. People drew these Kolams with rice flour and it was considered auspicious to begin the day. These Kolams have evolved over the years and there are several patterns, and are drawn meticulously especially during festive occasions.

Recently, while rummaging in my stash for yarn, thread and other knick knacks I came upon a project which I had totally forgotten all these years. Couple of years ago when the designing bug had bit me, I had the bright idea of transforming rangolis or kolams into crocheted items, ie., doilies. So keeping that in mind I tried designing in filet and then several other methods but nothing gave me the satisfaction of making the perfect piece.

Some time ago when I had guests at home, one of them after seeing my doilies said that many years ago, the grandmas of the household had the pastime of making curtains which had Ganesha, Radha and Krishna and other Gods and Goddesses. She also told me that pattern books for these were available in Chennai. But I have searched high and low for these patterns and have come up with nothing. I have begun hounding my guest to get me the patterns now. Well, this incident gave me the idea to translate kolams into crochet. The effort of which you can see in this pattern.

I didn’t want to showcase this particular pattern of mine, since it is not perfect, but finally I decided to put it up in the fond hope somebody else might also come up with some innovative pattern using kolams as an inspiration. Well, after taking this out, I have one more work in progress….. another Kolam.

From Matty to Aida …..

The one thing I don’t enjoy doing is sending out handmade greeting cards. There are two reasons for this. One, even though I send cards only to those who appreciate hand-made stuff, my mind gets gnawed with doubts such as what if by chance they (recipient) throw it away.

Two, I hate parting with my stuff. (Should this have been number one) The number of people I send handmade stuff is thankfully few in number. So I thank God for small mercies.

There was so much to cross stitch that I didn’t know about when I was in school. There was something called “Matty” cloth available in the market. They were available only in white, pink, yellow, light green and light blue. With this limited color choice, we used to buy a couple of meters of one of the colors depending on the project we are working on. Mostly it would be a table cloth and occasionally a Television cover, (for the uninitiated, the TV cover helped prevent dust settling on the screen) and one would stitch the border and a flower bouquet in the center. This was a very common pattern made in most homes.

If the design came out really well, these tablecloths used to adorn the dining tables during a party at home or when people visited. The cross stitched piece would be laid out neatly on the table and duly covered with clear plastic, lest eatables or drinks get spilt. There were also horror stories like the one my friend retold.

My friend who is a cross stitch enthusiast once had laid out her table cloth and had gone to bring the plastic to cover it. Before she could bring it down, a guest kept her glass of juice and it got spilt. My friend was devastated. This spoilt table cloth had to go for a wash. What came out of the washer was a disaster she had never imagined. This “Matty” cloth has a tendency to shrink. Now, not only did the piece shrink to a much smaller size than the table it was made for, but the color of all the threads ran so much that the color of the table cloth changed drastically. From that day she never laid out her table cloths and it was the last time my friend worked on a table cloth.

Recently, after discovering the different kinds of Aida and other cross stitch materials in the U.S. market, she began working on small projects like photo frames etc.,

I don’t remember where my matty cloth T.V cover went, but thankfully I don’t remember having a disaster like that. Here are a few of my Aida projects. I am seriously looking for my lost TV cover which I hope to present in my blog along with another Aida work. 

The above are small items I made, a few for making greeting cards, but I never got around to making them and sending them to people. The other two are bookmarks which I rarely use, but take them out from time to time and admire my own handiwork. 

 

Cell-phone cozy

Though with the advent of the bluetooth people keep their cell phones in their pocket and walk speaking to the air, there are several women who I have seen during their morning walks with their cell phone dangling around their necks keeping a steady beat to their steps. Some of these cell phone cozies are done in bright colors in plastic wire. Seeing these cozies one morning I had the bright idea of making one using size 10 thread, which would be more elegant than their plastic wire counterparts.

 Once the fan stitch strip is finished, a border is made using dc on all four sides. On the short side where the cozy is to be closed make a loop while making the border.

 The border is made with loop on one side in the above picture.

After the border is done, fold in half leaving one fan-stitch with the loop on top unattached. Slip stich the sides. Sew button. Insert cell phone and close. 

I made a button with thread and wasn’t  satisfied with the result. One could use a cute button instead.

Here is the pattern.

Fan Stitch Cell phone cozy   

Material used: Aunt Lydia’s crochet cotton size 10 color blue.

Crochet hook size .85

Chain 20.

Row 1: Miss 1 ch, 1 sc, *miss 6 ch, 1 long dc (yarn over insert hook, draw up a loop 1.5 cm long, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, yarn over, draw through 2 loops), 12 more long dcs in the same ch, miss 6 ch, 1 dc*, 3 ch turn. 

Row 2: 1 long dc in 1^st sc, *5 ch, 1 sc in 7^th of 13 long dc, 5 ch, 2 long dcs in last sc, 1 ch, turn.

Row 3: 1 sc between the 1^st 2 long dcs, *13 long dcs in the sc worked at the center of fan in previous row * 3ch, turn.

Rep from Row 2. 

Work about 17 fans or as required measuring the  length of your cell phone. Fasten off.

Join thread at one end of strip and work dcs around making sure it doesn’t curl in the corners.

Make a small loop while making dcs above the fans on one side and fasten off. 

Fold in half and slip stitch on both sides to join.

Fold the top fan with the loop and sew a button to the close the cozy.

Fasten off.

Join thread in the top end of cozy and work chains till desired length and join on the other side. Work sc throughout the ch and fasten off.

The string is optional. I attached the thread to one top corner, made 250 chains and at attached them to the other end and single crocheted them. 

Please leave a comment if you have a question about this pattern.

 

 

 

Krishna – Glass painting

 

Glass painting

When friends raved about the glass painting classes they attended and the effect it had on them swayed me into trying a glass painting myself. I had a neighbor who did several of these paintings and was selling commercially. She offered to teach me this form of painting. I went to her house one day to choose the pre printed glass. Suddenly my mother had this idea that I should make one for my sister also. So I chose a Krishna and a Lakshmi.

This is a glass painting which is done on pre printed glass. The ones I have done have been screen printed. So once you get the glass you have to fill the colors in the reverse side in between the black outlines. Though I did enjoy making the paintings, I should confess that it was a tad tedious and less challenging. Tedious because I was pregnant with my second child, less challenging because, one is just filling up colors of ones choice and doesn’t have the pleasure of drawing the Krishna. I finished the painting in about ten days, giving way to the speculation that after I finish the Krishna I would be blessed with a son. But Lakshmi rose to the occasion and blessed me with a daughter. So I will always cherish the memories of making this painting.

Painting Landscapes

 

I love Autumn

The joy of painting has to be experienced. I have watched artists deeply engrossed with their paints. Once during a trip to Kodaikanal, I had the opportunity to visit an american couple who had a lovely cottage there. They were artists and I watched Mike when he was painting an abstract landscape. Though I am not very fond of abstracts, the way he painted was fascinating.

I watched the way he held the brush and the flourish with which each stroke landed on the canvas, the irreverent splash of colors, et.al, I just watched spellbound.

Then there was this visiting artist who just threw in paint hap hazardly on to the canvas, which he had earlier prepared in front of me, stretching it on a frame and securing the corners. Then in front of my eyes, he went on pouring color after color and voila there was a beautiful landscape: a banana plantation, which he had recreated from memory. I was floored.

Sadly, though I evinced keen interest in the way they created a masterpiece, I have to this day not mastered the art of finishing a similar landscape in a matter of two hours. Or to boldly pour color on my canvas like they did. My form of painting is to take tiny blobs of paint and dab it tentatively on to the canvas, make a few strokes, prop it on the wall and view it from a distance, and make color or stroke changes, till I am completely satisfied. (which will take ages)  My final product will be ready for public viewing in say 4 to 6 months. Even then I am never fully satisfied. I will tell myself that it could have been better if I had used this color or that…. I don’t know if all artists have this feeling long after their work is done.

The painting above is my first work in oil on canvas. Long before I could witness and experience the autumn season with my own eyes I made this painting ( or should I say copied from a brochure). The original work is by Easwaran, a landscape painter of whom I am a great fan. My painting cannot be compared to this artist’s work. But it did give me great pleasure after I finished it and put it up on my wall.

On being tagged….

When I got a mail saying I was being tagged, I was reminded of my college days.  It was the first year of college and ragging was rampant. I had joined Post-graduation and was walking to my block in the campus. There was this guy who was tagging me. I suddenly turned around and stopped in my tracks. The guy looked embarrassed as I looked him in the eye and stammered “What’s your name?”

I : “Why do you want to know?”

He:  Just for introduction…

I : “Is this the way you introduce yourself?” Pathetic.

He: (Seeing some cronies behind me, and boldness creeping a little) Freshers should not talk like this. Haven’t you heard of ragging.

I : Sure, I have. Which year are you in?

He: I am in III B.B.M. And you?

I: I am a post-graduate student.

Wimp scoots. Cronies behind me move to give me way.

I: Do you guys have any other questions?

Guys grin sheepishly and walk away. 

A couple of days later a classmate of mine came and asked me “Did a guy come to rag you two days ago?

I: Rag me? you must be joking.

CM:I thought so too, but the guy looked shattered,… I wondered what happened.

I told him what happened and had a good laugh. That was the first time I was tagged to be ragged.

This is the first time I am being tagged in cyber space by Sra of whenmysoupcamealive. I hope I won’t be ragged for this.

I have this book “The world is what it is” by Patrick French. It is a biography of writer V.S.Naipaul of whom B is an ardent fan. He hasn’t finished reading and I haven’t started on it yet.

Anyway when I opened Page 123 and set my eyes on the fifth line I did find a very interesting line.

“Notice I say one-sided submission.” I think the submission and revelation of love is the most glorious thing. But to be really complete, love must enter everyday life. It must entail the acceptance of each other’s ambitions and respect for each other’s beliefs.”

The book: The world is what it is

The Author: Patrick French (The famous biographer of Sir Vidia who hogged the limelight for getting a fat  check for the book and otherwise)

Lines taken from: Chapter 7, To the empty house.

The sentence above was written by Patricia to Sir Vidia in response to a letter he had sent her.

I am not tagging anyone now, will save that for later.