Summer Bag!!!

Iam done with the crochet part in my summer bag. Now just the lining part is left. First I need to find suitable fabric. But for now just looking at it is making me happy.

Lacy Baktus

Iam done with my Lacy Baktus and quite pleased with it.

My little supermodel also wanted to pose.

Recycling

Iam feeling extremely extremely extremely low these days. Thats why the long absence from here. Not that things were smooth earlier, but we were facing them. But my mother, one of the most important persons in my life, is not doing very well healthwise. Iam very upset because of that. We had a long episode in the hospital, while I was in India, which includes a surgery. Now she is at home and I might go back to be with her for some more time. The recovery is expected to progress very slowly. Might take a year or so. So we are praying and trying to be strong and supportive.

I had lost my will to do anything, let alone crafty. But now I have decided I need to do these things to keep myself from going insane. Had kept a pair of shoeboxes earlier and had thought I will do something with them. So this is what I made from one of them today.

And I really felt better after finishing it. The fabric is from an old kaftan of mine.

Modern Vintage Potholders

A group in Ravelry, SAARC, which I am a member of, decided to do a CAL/KAL to celebrate the Indian Independence Day on the 15th of August. We were supposed to start on that day and make something with cotton. I started 2 days later and decided to make potholders. These are what I made.

I have not attached 2 together since I felt it will become too thick. Planning to make more potholders since I found so many lovely patterns. Can’t stop now. Addictions...

My Lucy Bag

My cousin in Canada bought me some acrylic yarn  (She thought thats the only type available) from a dollar store there when she heard about my new hobby. When I showed her my work and told her about the variety of yarn available, she promised me that she would go to some real yarn shop and send me some good yarn when she reaches back. Isn't she sweet?? There were 10 to 12 balls in total. I removed just 3 or 4 from them and the rest looked like a very bright and colourful lot. So I decided I will try to make the Lucy bag(wanted to make one since a long long time). Iam almost done with it. And it looks really pretty if I may say so. Can't help it. I lovvve it!!

Now I need to find a pair of nice handles. Don't have yarn left to make them, so will buy readymade handles. The lining job is also left. I need to reach back in Abu Dhabi to do that since my sewing machine is there.

My Creative Space

My creative space this week has
some knitting

and some crochet

More creative spaces here

Closer to Nature

When we are here at home I feel we are closer to nature. The little one has so much more here to learn and explore.

Some friends who were willing to pose for us

Will be back with more pics later.

Reporting from India

Me enjoying our holidays!!Its raining day and night here and I lovve it!!But don't have an internet connection. Now at a cousin's place. Iam trying to set up a connection at home next week. So will be active here after that. Have so many blogs to catch up.

Not done much on the craft front. Just made one more summer garden square mat for my in laws.

Purse and Beads

Tried my hand on adding beads to crochet!! And turns out its quite easy!! And the result looks pretty!! I made this purse for my MIL. Hope she likes it.


There is a felt patch with her initials on. Did that to hide a mistake but it actually turned out well!! Wanted to line it with satin, but it was so difficult and I did not have much time to spend on it (lots of packing to do). This fabric works just fine I think. The two lines of bead on either side is to hide some blue mark on the fabric(uneven dyeing job).

Knitted Pouch

I made this a few weeks back. But the lining job was pending. Finally done with it. Again have added a zipper!!Yeah, the confidence is growing. I used a dishcloth pattern to make this. Knitted two and joined them. It took me so long to line it because I was confused how to do it. Saw Nima's clutch and decided that is how Iam going to do it.  First attached the zipper to the lining and then the whole thing to the pouch.

Have a secret to share. The ruffled part in the bottom was by accident. Maybe because of casting on loosely. I could have stretched it while seaming the edges. But I felt it looks better this way. So left it like that.

Saroyan

Warning!!!Picture heavy post.

My first knitted lace shawl!!!And I lovvvveee it!!!Made this as a part of a KAL in Ravelry. So glad I did. I got this yarn as an RAK in Ravelry. Its Rowan Felted Tweed. I never thought it would look so good. It has a very nice drape to it and is very light.



I started making this on June 13th. Had to frog the initial 2 to 3 leaves so many times. But after that it was smooth sailing till I started the straight section. There was a bit of confusion as to how many leaves I needed to make to acquire the width I wanted for the shawl. At this time had to frog 2 to 3 leaves again to go back and do a few more increases. But then all went well after that. Got a bit bored with the straight section though. Was going really slow at that time. Once decreasing started it took me hardly two days. Have made 11 leaves in the increasing, 11 in the straight and 11 in the decreasing section

I have never blocked wool. But a friend in Ravelry helped me and told its the easiest to block. And since I did not know it would stay exactly as we block it, I ended up with a few points on the top part. hehehe. Spraying some water and reblocking solved the problem. Me happpppy and can't wait for winter to come.

I Won Yarn!!!

We have a wonderful knitting group in the UAE. Its called U-Knitted Amiras. ('Amira' means Princess in Arabic). So I have been trying to attend the Dubai and Abu Dhabi meetings whenever I can. But never took a camera with me. Yeah!!lazy me. But will try to borrow pictures from other members and post later. So there was this World Wide Knit in Public Day event in Dubai (last month) that I attended and I won yarn in a lucky draw. Yippeeee!!!The yarn is Dubai Knits(hand dyed yarn by a member of Amiras, Jocelyn). She has an amazing collection of yarn in gorgeous colours!!! I wanted to blog about this when I had the yarn with me, so that I could post pictures. Here it is!!

Its 50% silk, 50% merino.
More news on the knitting front!!I have finished knitting my first lace shawl. Pictures after blocking.

Zippered Pouch

Have I become addicted to sewing? Think so. Okay presenting my first ever sewing project that has a zipper. I was scared of it. But now I know its not that scary.



It started like this. I have made a knitted pouch and tried to add a lining with a zipper to it yesterday. But half way through I realise that the zipper is smaller in size. So I decided to make this pouch. I have used the same fabric for the lining.



I love it and will be making more of these.

Luggage Tags

Since we will be travelling this month and since I always get confused while trying to spot my luggage on the conveyor belt, I made these luggage tags. I went through some tutorials to get an idea. And then made it my own way. So here they are, Ta da...
One has a strawberry applique I made using felt.
The next one has a flower applique.
I think they are extremely cute and handy. What do you think?

Summer Garden Squares

I had shown you these summer garden squares in one of my previous posts. Pattern here
Have turned them into this.

Iam planning to make more of these and take them with me to India to give as gifts.
But today Iam doing some sewing. Will post about it later. Byeeeee..

Nordstrom Bag

I made this bag as a gift for an Aunt. I wanted to try this pattern since a looong time. So when I decided to make a gift for my Aunt who loves bags, I thought why not. I have made this as an evening bag. The yarn I used has a lovely sheen to it.

Since there are no readymade bag handles available here, I decided to make a handle out of beads. I love how it has turned out. Made a long chain first and then twisted it by holding 5 or 6 layers together. Voila!!

Finished the crocheting part almost a month back. Was too lazy or maybe scared to do the lining job. Finally done with it. Have lined it with black satin because it goes with the evening bag look.

Me happy. Hope she will love it too.

My Creative Space

My creative space has these pretty granny squares

And these

What will I turn them into??I really haven't decided. Right now just enjoying making them and looking at them.

Visit Kootoyoo for more ideas and inspiration.

Gift Bookmarks

Little one's school closes in July for summer holidays. We are going to India to spend the holidays with his maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents and great grand parents. Only me and Pranav are going now. DH might join us later. I have started making small gifts to take with us. These bookmarks were made for the purpose.


And a small one for Pranav made upon special request. He wanted one to keep in his story books. Iam sure he doesn't know why they are kept. But thats fine.

My Creative Space

Trying to knit a lace shawl for the first time..Lets see how it turns out..Wish me luck..
Visit here for more creative spaces

Fabric Tray

Did some sewing..Yessssss...This is a very easy thing to make..But still I struggled ( I still struggle to sew straight lines )..And to make matters worse my sewing machine stopped co- operating in between...So off we went to a mechanic(is that the right word ??)I dont know..But you know what I mean..Got it back fast..Its working pretty well now..I finished making the tray..The tutorial I followed is very easy and clear..


Its a big hit at home as usual..These people encourage me so much..My boys!! Here it is..Put to use as soon as I made it..Its half empty while I took pics..But DH is using it now to keep his phone and car keys too..

Needle Book

As I have said, I started to knit and crochet just last year, end of last year to be more precise. But the last couple of months or maybe more than that, I have totally ignored knitting and was only into crochet and sewing. The other day I felt I also need to keep improving on the knitting front. I loveee strawberries and since I couldn't find any pattern to knit a strawberry, I thought I will design something. Yes I did that and it came out kind of cute too. I made a pattern in Microsoft Excel. Made a few changes while knitting, frogged a few rows about 3 or 4 times and finally made this. I had not decided what to do with it while knitting. I had seen a needle book a long time back and really thought the idea was cute. So I converted my knit strawberry to a needle book. Now I hope I will not keep loosing needles as I always do.

Had bought a few pages of felt in various bright colours a few days back. They were also used.

There is a garter stitch page for my large needles and tapestry needles(which I can't find now)
Another interesting thing is when I was knitting the strawberry I was trying to carry the various colours of thread through the back of the pattern. Later a knitting friend, whom I met recently, told me I can find online video tutorials to do it in an easier way. Now I know what I did is called the Stranding method and that there is an even better way to do it. Found tips to hold the colours more efficiently and to avoid doing the stranding too tightly, which I did. Okay, so next time I won't have so much trouble and confusion while knitting with so many different colours at the same time. Please go here to learn more.