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.

It has been a productive month :)
I have many Fo to show. On theknitting front too I've couple of projects done and I 'm trying to learn new stitches. Quite a few knitted squares are already complete.
As always, making baby clothes makes me very happy ....I wonder why? It just feels so wonderful to make cute little things for tiny little ones. Anyways, here is the latest set:

I was in love with this layette at first sight. It's just too cute and has turned out pretty niceas well. The pattern is called 'Say it Flowers' designed by Sandra Abbate. There was a little jacket to go with it but it's too hot out here for that so I skipped it. And here you are , the pictures individually. The dress:

The Bonnet: I love the open circular part at the back of the bonnet. And the Huge Bow.

And my personal favourite - the booties!!!

I could not resist adding on a Bottle cover :) !!

Russian Doily
Looks like the doily mode still persists ....another two on the hooks right now!! This is a Russian pattern from a chart. It was a lovely pattern to work. Turned out big ....quite big since I used thread size 10. But I'm happy with the way it turned out. I love working with charts ....simple and clear.








And a close up of the doily:

Little bit of Crochet
A little beanie to go with the knit booties I made earlier. A little blankie would have been a perfect thing to go with it but I'm short of yarn. This little set is going be added to the stack of : Things for charity. I intend on making another one - if there is enough yarn , for a gift too.

I'm on a roll

Did I tell you I'm back in the doily mode? Well, it helps me in between the knitting..lol! I'm still working hard at learning to knit. Ofcourse this is a simple doily and keeps me sane when I lose patience with myself ! I had wanted to add on beads to it but remembered too late. Maybe the next one I try will be beaded. This one is called Ruffled Pineapple doily, a free online pattern that I had printed off long back.It's done with Red heart thread - the size was not mentioned on the package and it looks bigger than size 20 but smaller than size 10. Hmmmmm.......what would that be ? Anyone with any ideas about this? Out here we don't have any sizes mentioned on the threads and their labels. Very frustrating thing because I once used size 10 for a doily that actually needed size 20 and the resulting doily turned out to a tabble topper!!!! Really BIG !

A new Contest
Sara is having a cool contest . Check it out - Summer of givin' . Don't forget to mention that I sent you over :).

Antique Looking Glass Doily
I promised the pictures of my crochet projects that kept me sane and busy during the moving.





And here in a different angle...just experimenting on the picture a little lol!!



This was a doily done as a CAL in one of the groups. It was fun to do project. The doily measures about 12.5 inches across. I've used Omega mercerised cotton thread in size 10. The thred is real nice for coasters but it feels heavy for doilies. The colouway is a rusty orange/ peach. And it turned out to be a proper square too.
The pattern was easy enough but when it's ADD in full bloom you can still make mistakes:). Yes there is a mistake in this one ....only one ,I think and I tried to repair it while working on it.Think you can spot it? And here's a close up to make it easier.

My First Pair of KNIT Booties !!!

You read that right , they are 'knit' booties !!! And I Knit them myself - no matter that the pattern was in super easy, beginner category , but that's not important. It's the first knit project that I actually enjoyed.

I came across this pattern at Kathy's Blog. And it's free too - from the Bernat site. I've been trying to knit on and off for sometime now and don't find myself so attached to the knitting project and get bored easily. I tried making a shawl in garter stitch and gave up in frustration and turned it into a bag instead! It was just too boring for me to knit a long scarf in garter stitch with fingering yarn.

Then this pattern gave me my favourite motivation...a baby pattern. I love doing baby stuff and making these booties was so easy and quick! I think I'll try learning knitting with baby patterns. That'll keep me happy and learning. And also give some quick results.Instant gratification...mmm...I love it!

I'm thinking of making one more pair for the charity project that I'm working on. And some beanies to go with it. More to come on the knitting scene.