Posts

Keepsake Pouch

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The pouch when the drawstrings are tied. During the previous year's Christmas enthusiasm, I was planning on making small pouches to give away some of our gifts, but the inexperienced crocheter I was, I underestimated the time it would take to finish the pouches. To start with, I chose the wrong crochet thread for my pouch - it takes a lot of time to crochet a decent-sized pouch with cotton crochet thread! I also got caught up with stuff and couldn't even begin it in time! So, instead, I decided to make it for myself. No hurry at all, though when it was almost over I couldn't help trying to finish faster. The gestation period was just so long! In the end, it has come out rather nice, and has interesting texture. I am including a basic pattern that can be modified as you go along.

Beaded Crochet Necklaces

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Purple = mine! As mentioned earlier, I used to love playing with beads. I was looking for a way to marry my love for beads with my new-found love for crochet, when I came across this Easy Beaded Crochet Technique by Amy Solovay . I used that technique and created a few necklaces of my own. Materials used: Beads Nylon thread for the base Crochet thread for the accent Appropriate crochet hooks Clasps/hooks

Just strung - Beaded keychains

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The 'V' is only prominent in the light. Perfect for a guy. Before I took up crocheting, for a very long time I was an avid beader. I haven’t done much beading in the past few years, but still carry my bead box wherever I move. My projects were usually based on patterns and I’ve made a bunch of earrings, chains and bracelets and even a few purses. I’ve even made a few original chains which I shall put up pics later. Anyhow, to the topic at hand: We had people visiting in Jan this year and with only one week to go before they left for home, I realized that while I spent considerable time and effort for the kids’ gifts, I hadn’t really given the couple anything!

Puppies! (and a scarf)

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The finished scarf The final in my series of animal inspired scarves is this beautiful Weiner Puppy Neck Warmer by Randomheartx at Craftster . After seeing this scarf, I was actually inspired to start making scarves for my nieces. (I am including my modified pattern in the post.) I love puppies and thought this was just cute! However, I can rarely do something without adding my own twist to it. And that’s just what I did. Though, my final scarf looked a little like a mouse. The intended niece even asked me if it was a rat. I managed to convince her that it was a puppy because of the collar! I’ve largely followed Randomheartx’s pattern, but just added a few more rows and changed stitches a little bit for texture.

A scarf is requested

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Ready for the wearer! After making those scarves for my nieces, my husband requested that I make him one too. Considering all the running around he did with me while we bought materials and approved/rejected designs for the earlier scarves, I decided he ought to be rewarded. The fact that we were currently going through a cold wave also helped things in his favour. He ideally wanted a simple single crochet scarf (yes, he sort of knows the difference!), but I wanted to experiment. After a lot of searching I settled on the Paul's "Sweet Guy" Scarf at Wolfcrochet !

Presenting Ms Kitten

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I am finally putting down the pattern for the kitten scarf. It is very similar to the piggy scarf I’d posted earlier. I’m still waiting to get better pictures of the scarves as I have already gifted them. Before ends were tucked in Feel free to point out any mistakes that you find. The pattern is listed below: Craft:  Crochet Level:  Beginner/Easy Materials: 1 skein of yellow 8-ply wool (Main colour; MC) 1 skein of orange 8-ply wool (Contrasting colour; CC) button/safety eyes for the eyes A little bit of black wool/thread for the whiskers/mouth 5 mm crochet hook Fabric glue tapestry needle Note: You can use any weight of wool/yarn as you like. Local shops here do not really know the different types and stock them mostly as 4-ply/8-ply etc.

Piggy scarf

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As I'd mentioned earlier, I decided to do the piggy scarf after being unsatisfied with the final material of my earlier scarf. The piggy was so adorable that I just had to make it! When I was done I was almost tempted to keep him for myself. My completed scarf This is my first pattern. So, if something doesn't work out, please ask. Feel free to point out any mistakes that you find. The pattern is listed below: Craft: Crochet Level: Beginner/Easy Materials: 1 skein of light pink 8-ply wool A little bit of darker pink button/safety eyes for the eyes 5 mm crochet hook tapestry needle Note: You can use any weight of wool/yarn as you like. Local shops here do not really know the different types and stock them mostly as 4-ply/8-ply etc.

Animal scarves

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My version of the puppy scarf I recently met my nieces for the first time this month. They're 9 and 2 and amazingly share the same birthday! My husband and I had never met the younger one, while the elder one was a preschooler when her parents moved to the US. As a fledgling crocheter, I was looking for projects to hone my skills, while also coming up with personalised gifts for them. We decided to make scarves for the kids as they are easy and can be used even later. My pictures aren't very good as our cameras are horrible! Note to self: Buy a proper camera. For the elder one I came across this lovely  Wiener puppy scarf by randomheartsx on crafster ( Click here for her pattern). I modified the pattern a little bit as I wanted to try out different stitches and give it a little more texture.

Revival

I recently quit my corporate job after spending about 5 years working as an editor. Before I even think of taking up something else, I'm rewarding myself with a few months of 'me' time. I hope to finish a few projects that remain unfinished since my wedding, besides showcasing a few new ones. It feels so good to really put down your own words instead of just modifying someone else's!

Cake Walk

So... This is the first story i ever wrote for The Word. My love of cakes is my Achilles' heel. In Mumbai, a visit to the cake shop was a frequent affair. Once in Chennai, I have been hard pressed to find a place that supplied moderately good cakes—until a friend took me to ‘Sweet Chariot Café’ for my birthday. This quaint little café is tucked away in a corner of Ispahani Centre. It is my new haven. I liked their cheese cakes and mousse cakes, though the other things on offer were not bad. In beverages, I recommend the mocha though my companion hated it.

In the interim...

hey! I know i'm writing after very long. Anyways. Till I finish my time in this blasted city, I think just to save a copy of my work, I will put up my pieces that were written for The Word here.

A smokin Diwali indeed!

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Diwali Weekend!!! I know it is a little late to talk about it but it was good fun. The cribbing will still persist but even then...Stuck in Chennai for Diwali while the rest of my college mates went home or somewhere else, we decided to go to Pondichery or Puduchery as it is now christened. Situated just about 300 km away from Chennai, it takes roughly three hours by bus (regular public transport) and a lot faster by car.

Travel worries

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Tomorrow the Diwali weekend starts. Most of college has already left for vacation or is getting ready for it. Once again, I am not going anywhere. This time it is partly due to laziness and partly to the fact that I am out of cash. Another factor that was not factored in till the last moment was the holiday that college would declare on the only working day in-between.

A pessimist by choice

It is funny how little things can go a big way. My mother was scheduled for an operation today. All she told me was that it was a minor operation, "Not problem at all. Don't worry. Will tell you later." This left me seriously incapacitated to gauge the seriousness of the surgery.

International Issues

Today we saw a movie titled ‘ LANKA-the other side of war and peace’ . It was based on the Sri Lankan conflict and tried to look at the ‘collateral damage’ that so many years of violence had left on the people.

Revelation

Recently, I got chatting with a boy who lives in Mumbai. He was coming down to Chennai for a few months and needed someone to show him along. For some reason he thought I would be the right person what with me having lived here for about 3 months (on Saturday). I agreed. How difficult can a city be after you have lived here for so long (right?).

Notions

Being part of a college (if one can call it that) that has people from all over the country and a few from outside as well has been an interesting experience. It has been a few months in this new city and suddenly it feels like home. The language may not make any sense to me but have learnt to ignore that.

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