ROST PEACHY RING BEARER PILLOW



This is just off my hooks! The latest project. It's for a friend and this time I got the picture before giving it away !! Learning from experience. It's one of those urgent requests and I hope it get to her in time and that she likes it.
For those of you interested to know the details : I've used Aunt Lydia's thread -white- size 10. And the inner lining is done in white silk. Yes , stitched by my own self!!! This time the pattern too is an original -right to the stitch pattern!! Oh yes, how much original can you get in making a cushion??? ;) !
And now for the Ranting part of the story.....I'm really mad at Aramex courier service. Since this was a top urgently required item I had been after these guys to collect it from me and deliver it to Dubai ( which happens to be merely 1 and half hour drive from here !!!! ) and after stalling me for a whole day , now they tell me it cannot be delivered by tonight !! And what's worse they cannot be sure whether they can deliver it by tomorrow evening. Ofcourse I get all mad and worked up and ask them what I can do? And would you believe it ...they ask to lodge a complaint!!!Ah well...how intelligent , like that would get my package there. I'm so MAD right now and sorry too for ranting on and on out here but those of you thinking of using Aramex -think again. I'd say stay away.

April Showers !
Where are they? There aren't any rains out here and looks like summer has made an early start this year.My poor plants are already suffering the heat and it is showing too ( this could also be the results of poor gardening skills!)
I came across a nice Give Away at Ana's blog of Lullabies and lace. It's her 400 th post - Do drop in and check out her blog . She is a very creative woman and I so enjoy her blog and love to see her various projects in crochet and sewing and other crafts too. She has some really gorgeous patterns on her site.

NO EXCUSES !

Absolutely no excuses for it - I've been neglecting my poor poor blog lately to the point that it has begun to shrivel up and dry just like my balcony garden! I've not been neglecting my garden but the dry summer wind is to be blamed. I haven't given up - atleast not yet!
Things have been moving very fast and life is very happening at the moment , thankfully all good stuff. Looks like a week from now I'll be having some free time to be online more often.
I've been crocheting away like a nut but I cannot put up the pictures out here yet. These are surprise gifts , don't want to ruin it ! I've been reading a lot too lately.A whole of Erma Bombeck . I think she was one of the greatest writers ever!I've been reading her books since my teens and everytime I get a wonderful feeling reading it.

Pay it Forward
I came across this on Mimi's blog and signed up for it.I love sending out gifts and haven't been able to participate in exchanges due to time restraints. But this special concept gives me a one year (Wow! 12 whole months ) time period to send out my gifts. I have received some really wonderful gifts from some very generous online friends. Well, I figure it time to pay it forward :).

Now for my Pay-it-Forward rules:
* I will send a gift to 3 people who leave a comment here requesting to join this PIF exchange.

I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within this year, that is my promise!

* The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Want to participate?

* Leave a comment on this post.

* Make the same promise on your own blog.

A new contest!
Not on my blog, atleast not yet! I'm still caught up with some projects and the deadline is zooming .So unfortunately blogging has been slow...really slow lately.
But life is on the fast track ,thankfully! And lots of good things happening and it's been fun. I'm going to an aunt for the first time.....so all excited as you can imagine,Like I needed anu reason to make more baby stuff!!!!!
Before I forget , I came across this really cool contest at Ravelry. Check it out and maybe enter too. The deadline is 9th of February. Anyways the blog is cool and lots of lovely work done there. Here is the link CONTEST - Enjoy!

Finally Blogger is back in English!!! My blog had switched to Arabic and ofcourse I have no idea how that happened! Anyways , it has now decided to to get back to it's original language.
2008 began with a great deal of fun, new years eve and a surprise B'day bash for me and lots of gifts for my son. Yes, for some reason even now he thinks that anybody can have a birthday as long as he gets a present...kids! It was such fun.Dh had told me to get ready for a candle light dinner and instead drove over all the way to Dubai where we had all of our family waiting! Needless to say we had such a wonderful time.
The year also started with a lot of crocheting getting done as well. Just a pic to show you one of the current Finish offs. It looks cuter in person. I manage to ruin the look when I take the pictures.



This pattern is called Pink Posies but ofcourse I have used lavender. The design is by Sandra Abbate from the book LA Tender Touch Layettes. I've used ordinary local yarn called Venus. It's one that is widely available and is pretty sturdy but not as soft as I'd like . But I like the look of the finished product. This pattern was very quick and easy to work and I'm sure I'll be making more of this.
I'm currently working on bottle covers , a couple of doilies and an afghan. Will upload the pictures when I finish and hand them over to my friend for whom these are being made.

Welcome 2008 !

Icey Dicey Baby Vest and matching Hat



This is my latest designing experiment and I'm happy with the way it turned out. A few more projectson the go but not yet done to be shown yet.
The yarn used is Hariri in white and the pattern stitch is plain old V-Stitch. I just added in the scallpoed edge to the vest and the cap. So how do you like it? This is an attempt to create designs from simple stitches.....again nothing original! Just inspiration from amny existing patterns. Now that makes me wonder ....when you design clothing the basic idea is already around ....you just end up making slight differences.Like for instance when you make a baby sweater or a vest, how many variations can you seriously have and still keep it practical? Just random thoughts....okay ,you can change the stitch patterns , colour combos, textures, yarn types, maybe even alter the style a bit but then what more can you change?





More pictures to show but I guess it'll have to wait . The next few days are going to busy with Eid just round the corner , the winter vacations and finally my Birthday! Yes come the new year and I grow another year !

And More .....
And as I promised a few more pictures. I really enjoyed making this tisuue holder the last time so much that I made another one just the same ,yes even the holly is identical !




Another little trivet. It's candy cup but looks very cute as a votive candle holder. It's one of those just one more stitch projects- real quickie and great for using up scraps. Thats my another new thing with me ...using up scraps. I'll put up more pictures of my scrap yarn projects ....I'm just loving it !




And finally , finished designing another baby pattern. I'll post about that with pictures soon .

Many Fos
Looks like the the year end is seeing many Finish off this year and it's a good feeling. Finally most of the ' to do ' for 2007 seem to have been done with except the few standard exceptions !!!

So here are a few of the projects to show. Most of these are baby stuff as there are many babies on their way pretty soon. and before you begin to wonder ....no, I'm not expecting one ! But it looks like everyone around me is ...so I'm bcak to crochting my favourite things ...Baby stuff!

This is very cute and super easy and quick to make Romper & cap Set.I've used Hariri acrylic yarn and I'm please with how soft and snuggly it has turned out to be.







I've been wanting to make the very popular 'Baby it's cold outside' sweater. And now I understand why everyone just loves these. It's a very easy, fast and absolutely cute pattern. The picture just doesn't show the colours well(.....maybe I should try it with another camera) but it looks adorably pretty in person.


I'll put up more pictures tomorrow as blogger decides not to upload any more today.

New Blogs
Well new to me anyways ! I just came across a couple of new Indian bloggers who also crochet besides doing other crafts. These blogs were very interesting and have some really lovely projects done. This is Ummeyusuf - lovely projects done and she is generous with the patterns too..... very talented and beautiful work done .
Another blog I came across is Nimatitus. It's very interesting and has a feel about life in UAE as well as some very pretty projects. Check these out.
And when I'm not busy blog reading and browsing I actually am doing some crocheting and catching up with more knitting stitches. I've tried many different stitches and now have officially started on cable stitches!!!

It's mid-November already ???? Where did all the time go? Another year coming to a close. And so much more to do before that happens. Is it just me who is in a rush or are there others who feel the same ? I think I"m begining to panic!!!!!
Here are some kitchen Pretties to make the cooking area charming. Simple and quick projects really. These were for kitchen themed exchange. And glad to know that my partner loved it.






It's mid-November already ???? Where did all the time go? Another year coming to a close. And so much more to do before that happens. Is it just me who is in a rush or are there others who feel the same ? I think I"m begining to panic!!!!!
Here are some kitchen Pretties to make the cooking area charming. Simple and quick projects really. These were for kitchen themed exchange. And glad to know that my partner loved it.

Another bag

I'm in the Bag mode , big time and looks like it will go on for sometime. This bag is for Lisa for the Crochet Mania bag exchange..I hope she liked it.



I also added in the necklace I showed in the previous post and a tissue cover . I had seen it in the Pinkrose crochet blog sometime back and was totally smitten by it. There was no pattern but the picture was clear enough.

Inspired by Jewellery



When it comes to jewellery the options are unlimited .....and there is plenty of inspiration all around . Actually plenty of inspiration. One look at Irish flowers and my mind automatically pictures beads and jewellery more than anything else. This is a crocheted necklace for a very dear online friend./ I hope she likes it.
And here , a closer look at the rose. It's done in silky nylon thread about size 20. And the pattern is inspired by the crocheted jewellery all over the web. Nothing oroginal here but I love it since it's my first peice of thread crocheted jewellery.

Candice Bag

Hey everyone ! Remember me? I'm still around ......I wonder how things get so busy ? I've been having so much going around all this time. Funny thing , the busier it, gets , the tougher it gets , the more I crochet and have FO to show off!!
This bag is made and sent off to a special friend and I sure hope she likes it. It's a pattern stitch I saw and liked , and just incorporated it into a basic bag pattern. The yarn used is Cactus(...why would a yarn be named 'cactus' - that is totally beyond me !!) and I used hook size 5.5 mm. Somehow the pictures are not really doing justice to the bag, it's much prettier in person, lol! Speaks fopr my photography talent.





The next FO is a scarf , simple and easy. This one is totally my own pattern ... I had some yarn , hooks and long drive ahead . This is what the end result is. I like the way it turned out. Pictures for you ...

It's been a long time since I've posted. Okay, I know this is becoming quite regular. I was thinking of making a really interesting and creative blog post this time. But haven't had the words flowing yet. But creativity is going on , not really original but I've my next bag designed.
This one is for my Mom, a late birthday gift :). Actually she claimed it even before I had it finished. It's her favourite colours.

Knit MaryJane booties
This is my second pair of knit booties. I must say, this pattern though classified as easy and beginners, gave me a little bit of a tough time. I couldn't figure out the instructions and had to leave it for while and picked it up again after a week and it made sense! I'm proud of this one because I managed to get this done with no help at all and didn't give up even after frogging it out 2 times. I'm glad I stuck on until I understood the instructions properly. Although I must admit that it can turn out much better ...my knitting isn't all that smooth yet. The pattern is HERE But this was a good project and I learn't a few things :
1.to 'make one ' - left slant as well as the right slant

2.to slip, slip , knit decrease

3.to join yarn yarn at a particular point and knit from there onwards - this is the first time I've done this

4.to make a botton hole.

5.to accept that frogging out ( I hate it ) is a learning process and I cannot avoid it atleast not while I'm still learning! Maybe later on when I know knitting well enough I can get adventurous and avoid frogging out my work.

6.to use a stitch holder

7. Knitting needs constant counting !

A little treasure box
What happens when you have just some yarn and hook at hand and want to make a small token for a friend and have no idea what it is that you want to make- and your are sitting in car for a very long drive (so no acess to any patterns)? You want it to be something she'll use, in a colour she likes and nothing too fussy! So, you just decide to get innovative and make a little something!This is what I whipped up. A trinket box is always needed no matter how many you have. Once I made it I realised it's perfect for keeping bangles and bracelets.Just the right size!

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY!!
It's teachers day today , celebrated in all Indian schools all over the world. A day to give thanks and tribute to those wonderful and important people in our lives and in the lives of our children who play such an important role in our upbringing.--- Wow! that's long sentence! Jibbs wanted me to make a gift for his teacher. So he's taking with him a lovely rose , a bookmark and a Hobo bag. Yes, I can't stop making those bags!!! It's my fourth one so far. And the best of all , a card made and written out by Jibs himself.
There always semm to be many days dedicated to different events. And I've always enjoyed these themes. But one of best is cominmg soon. Our favourite hookmaker gentleman , JIMBO ,has introduced a day specially to the crochetrs all over the world. He has announced the 12th of September to be INTERNATIONAL CROCHET DAY. Check it out at his Blog. He is even giving away a gorgeous crochet hook to mark the occasion.
Now , I find this concept very interesting. What could we do on a special day like this , especially since the only crocheter I know out here is me!!! First, I'm going to send out my lot of crocheted and knitted baby things for charity ( remember , the Knitting for charity ? ) and then I'm going to try my best to find some poor unsuspecting soul and bless her life with crochet...yes, I'm going to teach someone. What better way to honour this wonderful craft than passing it on to another.
Since its back to school time for my little fella , I do have some free crochet time in the mornings. I intend to write up the patterns of some of my new designs and complete some UFOs. Maybe , I'll ask for testers!!
So what do you think you will be doing for this new day? Any ideas? I'd have loved a get together of crocheters but I have to first find some crocheters out here!!

Inspiration for learning to Crochet
Today I made a new friend. And it lokks like the begining of a nice friendship. In the manner of getting to know each other she asked me a few questions. One of the questions really going down the memory lane. She asked me :

What was your inspiration for learning to crochet?
I had not thought about this for such a long time . But it's always there dep down in my heart. I still remember that wonderful lady who indulged a little girl. So this is what I told my friend.
Thats a long story. Are you in amood for a story ?? :smt017 Anyways , since this is a 'getting to know you ' thing , I'll say get yourself a nice warm drink and be prepared to be bored/ amused!!!
I once ( when I was 8 yrs old) found some crocheted roses and tiny motifs outside somebody's window sill when I was playing with my friends in the neighbourhood. I fell in love with those. I asked the lady staying there whether those were hers and she said yes , she had lost them. I told her how I loved it and she said she'd have loved to teach me but she was leaving for good in the next three days.
But the sweet lady asked me to come over each day and learn a little from her. I learnt the chain, sl st and dc. My first project was a scruchy. And then she gave me her hook and ball of thread before she left . I was so sad but she told me if I tried hard enough I would learn it on my own and do great. She said she knew I'd crochet beautifully one day.
And that's where I started. I had some of her motifs, and roses. I used to look at them for hours trying to figure out a way to make them. Until finally I could make similar ones. For years I didn't know what the stitches were called.
I had an amazing crochet vocabulary. A sl st was join st, sc was a step up stitch, a dc was a crochet stitch , tr was a long crochet stitch, dtr was even longer crochet stitch , and if I had to yo more than 3, like 5 times it was crochet stitch 5 times long [smilie=to funny.gif] !!!
Nobody, I knew crocheted, there were no books and yarns and hooks out here ( it's still difficult to find supplies here) . So my learning process was slow but I could not let down the nice lady who taught me the basic of crochet so I was very persistent . Finally , I found a Chinese doily book with charts and then actually learn't a lot from that one book.
I came across internet much much later. About 5-6 years back.That is when I learn't the actual names of stitches. And I learn't so much more . It has been a great resource for me and there is so much inspiration all around. But I'll still say the ultimate inspiration was those Roses and motifs I had seen for the first time. They were so beautiful and impressive enough to get an 8 year old hooked for life!
I never met the lady agin but I hope someday I do. I want to thank her for the greatest gift I've ever got! She brough Crochet into my life and changed me forever .

It's Jimbo Birthday today. He's the nice guy who makes all those gorgeous wooden crochet hooks thats the dream stuff. For me anyway, because I have not been lucky enough to have one yet. Do pay him vist and wish him and enjoy hours of drooling over his wonderful craftmanship.

Another Nordstorm Hobo Bag !

I know , I know, I'm not one to repeat patterns but this one has me addicted!! It's such an easy and simple pattern and so quick to make too and hardly demands much attention ! Now that is what you call a classic pattern .....lol! And besides, it works up fast enough for emergency gifts.This one I made up on the drive to Dubai to meet my aunt who was leaving and wanted me to crochet something for her. Ofcourse , she didn't mind doing the lining herself...what more can I ask for? And here you go ....the Bag ! She loved it :)





I'm working on a couple of more bags and will put up pictures when done . They are both my own designs. It's not done yet but getting there. Looks like the Bag mode has set in because after these I'm thinking of yet another bag !!! If only I could get some yarn to felt - which is ofcourse so totally impossible to find here. I'm just dying to make a felted bag. So many ideas so little yarn ..lol!

New doily tested for Kathy

This doily is called Affinity and I'm grateful to Kathy for letting me test this doily for her. It's a beautiful pattern like all her other patterns. It's done in Size 20 Red heart thread in Ecru. The doily worked up faster than I thought it would and it was fun too. A little twist here and there so that the pattern doesn't get monotonous.

Wishing all my friends a A very Happy Independence Day ! Today is the greatest celebration in India.....SWATANTRATA DIVAS !

Is everyone having problems with photobucket or is it just me? I have no clue why the pictures are not uploading to blogger or when they are why are they so huge ? The previous post showed my entry for the contest I was talikng about. And here is the original entry for the same contest , but I decided to change it. I called this doily Waffles Doily. It reminded me of waffles and I love those ...yummy !It's done using the same square. I was quite happy with it until the idea for the halter top took proirity.
It's been a while since I blogged ......now thats becoming frequent..lol! I should apologise for my absence, but honestly I just don't know where the time flies. Anyways , I do promise to be more frequent.
Meanwhile , life is going good. My BIL is here for a short vacation and we are having fun together. I had really missed the crazy stuff we used to do ! Well, these days I'm trying new recipes and all his favourite dishes. So it's like a food festival out here. Ofcourse, he is also the one to bear up with the not so tasty dishes I've tried ...lol! But the sweetheart that he is , is just happy that I'm making things for him.

My New Design- Halter top

Another attempt at designing. Actually, it won't be right to call it my own design as I've used Thata's Square pattern - of Dinamic Crochet , for designing this top. It was for Block contest at Jd's Craft blog. The contest was fun and all the entries were so pretty. Although I didn't win a prize , it was fun to create.

I've been working on some contests presently and haven't had the time to be online much. Not just crocheting but having guests and entertaining and having a great time in general. I have a few more FOs to show off...stay tuned. Another contest entry almost done.....will post it in a couple of days.

Has it already been a week since I posted? How does time fly?? Especially when you are having fun! The heat ofcourse is the non - fun part but otherwise it has been a productive time with a lot of projects getting done , mainly because they are all small projects:) . There has also been some creativity put into play after quite sometime. I've signed up for design contests in two different groups and one crochet blog. The first one is at Jd's blog . I've just submitted my entry . It's a fun contest. It was fun creating a pattern out of a given square. I had made two projects for this one . I'll be posting both of these once the contest result is out tomorrow.

With the deadline so close at my heels I'm still deciding what to make for the next two contests. It's going to be group vote thing. So that'll be fun too. Have I told you before ( several times ) that I love contests?

And now for the promised pictures:

This doily is from the CDS series. It's called Doily coaster. It's worked in size 10 Omaga thread. The colour is more mauve than grey as it seems in the picture.

I'm also still knitting along. My next finished project is a baby cap done with the ribbing stitch. I like the way it turned out. Since I cannot get worsted weight yarn out here , and the pattern calls for it, I worked with three strands of fine yarn held together. First time that I've knitted something with multiple strand held together. I'm still learning the different pattern stitches by making little squares.

And what little cap is complete without a pair of little booties? So I whipped up these Slip on style booties. I didn't follow any patterns just made it up as I went along. But this time I even wrote down the pattern as I working so maybe I'll have to get someone to test this pattern for me.

I've made two of these sets . One set is for the charity project - Knitting for the Homeless. I'm also planning on making a matching baby afghan to go with it. Thats one thing good aboput making these tiny baby stuff. You can two of the same , in such a short time and give one to charity.

It's like a heat wave out here. The Temperature is at 48 - 50 C usually ! And that makes it a perfect weather to stay at home and crochet :). So I'm not complaining. But my poor plants are having tough time . I'm giving then extra tender loving care but I do hope they can live through this rough summer.
As for the crochet front, I'm working on several things. Just finished designing a little something ( can't tell you what it is yet ) for a contest. Not really designing but creating something out of a given motif. I enjoy these little challenges.
Another similar challenge has come up too in another group too. So looks like the next few days will be spent tapping at my little bit of creativity. I have certain amazing ideas but I wonder if I have the ability to translate it into a project or will it just remain a frustrating frogging exercise. It's one thing to think up designs but to actually make it work is totally different thing !! So hats off to all the designers out there who save us the pain of creation and give us the joy of following patterns .
I've been learning different stitches in knitting. I have a little FO to show too. Hopefully I'll get around to posting the pictures tomorrow.
In the meanwhile , I'm open to all ideas for designing . So please if you think you could share your thoughts with me , I'd be happy to hear from you.