Few things to share this New Year ! :)

Hello my dear friends!!

After seeing everyone posting about their recaps I was craving to write my post. Well, not about recap but in general.

I am very happy to share that I was featured by Jocie on The humble brag at OPC's The better Half! :) Thank you Jocie! Just hop in here to see the #1 brag this week.

Another successful event is crossing the 100 mark on my follower's list! :) Thank you all for your support! I may be hosting a giveaway soon.

Also, I am happy to share the winner of the giveaway on my last post, as Sangeetha from Crochetkari. She might soon be receiving the gift!:) Congrats Sangeetha!

And I am glad to welcome my new and talented friends. Do visit them, you are sure to find lot of treasure :)

Leila Puga from http://artesdaley.blogspot.in
Kara from http://www.petalstopicots.com
Klaartje Nel from http://klaartjenel.blogspot.in
Tammy from http://tsdailytreasures.blogspot.in/
Marijke from http://www.marijkevanooijen.blogspot.in/
Chris Carter from http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/
Diana Rambles from http://www.dianarambles.com/
Sharanya and Lakshmi Kumar

I am done with few crochet items but not yet ready with pictures. I just took image of this crochet square motif which I made with local silk thread. The pattern is from a table runner and can be found here. I haven't yet decided how many squares I am going to make.

My mom is visiting me today for the month of January :) so not sure how frequently I will post on my blog. There are lots of things to talk about with her :)

Wish you all a very happy new year 2013!
Preeti:)

Christmas in a new light!! And a giveaway too! :)

Ok , I will throw a light on this :) Raj bought me a new table lamp to take photos for my blog . I am still experimenting with the correct angles because even though the light is good , I have only basic photography skills . The count of images you see is 10% of what I clicked ;)

I crocheted this flower with a metallic thread .  I ordered it online when I was a novice in yarn selection . I just liked the festive red colour . I have written the pattern for this flower at the end of this post aaaannnndd there is a giveaway too !! :))

 

Give away !!
I thought that the thread was of size 20 but while crocheting I felt it is slightly thinner .  This thread can also be used for embroidery and tatting . I can give away 5 balls out of 9 balls of these threads that I am left with . If anyone is interested , just leave a comment or mail me (preetipalnew@gmail.com) about the same . If there are more than one interested , I will draw the name and accordingly inform the recipient to send her mailing address . Do spread the word .
Details of the thread : Camellia Yarn Art, metallic red, 20g/.70 oz 190m/207yds.

Pattern (in U.S. terms)
With crochet thread size 30/20 and 1/1.2mm hook, the flower would measure around 2.5 to 3 inches . You can select gauge based on your yarn .
Colours: cream and red

Round 1: With cream colour :  Ch 7, join with sl st to form a ring . Ch 4 (count as dc , ch 1) , [dc , ch1] 11 times in the ring . Join in 3rd ch of beg ch-4 (12 ch-1 sps) .
Round 2 : Ch 3 (count as first dc) , 2 dc in next sp , [dc in next dc , 2dc in next sp] rep around , join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3 . Fasten off . (36 dc)
Round 3: Attach red with sl st in same st as joining . Ch1 , sc in same st , sc in each of next 2 sts , *[sc , ch 9 , sc] in next st ** , sc in each of next 5 sts , rep from * around , ending last rep at ** , sc in each of last 2 sts , join in beg sc . (6 ch-9 sps)
Round 4 : Ch1 , sc  in same st as joining , *[3 dc , 4 tr , 2dtr ,  ch-4 Picot , 2dtr , 4tr , 3dc] in ch-9 sp . Skip 2 sts sc in next st ** repeat from * ; at the end ,  join into the first sc .
Stitch reference:
Ch-4 Picot: Ch 4 , sl st into the top of last dtr .
Sl st –slip stitch ; dc- double crochet ; tr- treble ; dtr- double treble

If there is a mistake , please correct it for yourself ;) however , if you find any , you can leave a comment .

I don’t celebrate Christmas religiously but we enjoy the fun and exchange gifts .  India is a country where we have many religions and we celebrate all festivals in our own way :)

While my daughter is practising ‘Christmas carols’ at school and Raj playing ‘secret Santa’ at office , I am crocheting with a glitter to be a part of this festivity :)

Do write in and enjoy the festive season !

Preeti :)


 

Weekend indulgence and call for a suggetion !

Hello , hope you all had a good time crocheting your Christmas things :)

I was awarded the 'Liebster blog award' last week by Elisabeth from Elizyart . She is a new blogger and a crochet enthusiast :) Thank you Elisabeth! I am too lazy to do the homework but I will try my best to answer the questions very soon :)

My weekend indulgence was shopping for bag(s) .
I keep my ongoing projects in a  cane , vintage-like big basket which has started gathering dust and is now overflowing .

I also have a small pink cane basket which goes inside the big basket . Since my projects have grown into many , I hate to keep in plastic covers .

I thought I would buy a bag because crocheting a one would take time .  Incidently , I saw the post of finding a perfect project bag by Kara from petalstopicots which further prompted me to go for one . Although , I did not get a specific project bag but I went to a handicraft exhibition and bought these eco-friendly handcrafted jute bags . All of them have couple of sleeves inside to keep separate things and have enough space to keep my iPad .

 

 

Tribal art

 

This prompted me to take out one more bag which I got free on a shopping almost an year back. It doesn't have any partition and cannot be closed . I am going to use it for keeping library books . Since it was plain, I decided to make use of my mini doilies to attach on it . Here are few with pics .

Bag with doily 1

Bag with doily 2

Bag with doily 3

It would be of great help if you suggest me which doily and where to place on this bag :)

Best wishes for the week !

Preeti :)
 

A beaded crochet attempt and Christmas yarnfall !! :))

Christmas yarnfall ? Yes , of course ! Where there is no snowfall , there is a yarnfall !! :)

I am in my piling-up frenzy mode , adding yarns and more yarns to my stock . I received my latest stock of crochet threads through an online order from Pradhan stores . Thanks to Rajeswari from diapermum who introduced me to this store and made me a yarn addict ! :)

I am working (telling lies? Yes , to myself) on my WIPs :) Crochet table cloth seems to be taking ages to complete . I have also attempted my first beaded crochet project too . But first , let me welcome my new friends .

Fliency Ecy at http://adorablefliency.blogspot.in/
Katia Missau at http://amagiadocroche.blogspot.in/
Ljubinka at http://madebyljubinka.blogspot.in/
Shirley Katia at http://shirleykatia.blogspot.in/
Roos at http://freubeldingetjes.blogspot.in/
Sandra Duarte at http://dicasdeofertas.blogspot.in/
Nima at http://madetotreasure.blogspot.in/

I enjoyed all the blogs very much and they have lot of ideas to try for . I would like to make a special mention about Katia Missau - I was bowled over by her crochet jewellery; and Nima who is doing needlework since her childhood days .

I always wanted to use tiny beads in crochet . Here I am trying to use seed beads with size 20 Anchor red heart crochet cotton.





Anchor Size 20 Crochet Cotton

Anchor Red Heart size 20

 

Red rose Glitter size 20

 

Red rose Glitter size 20 and Red rose knitting cotton

 

Laura Knitting Cotton

I found Laura knitting yarn too thick. My favourite so far are Anchor threads :)

There is no size mentioned for these knitting cottons neither does the store owner is sure about .
This is what I deduced after trying each of these . Correct me, if I am wrong .

Red Rose knitting cotton : size 10
Anchor knitting cotton : size 5
Laura knitting cotton : size 3

Enjoy your weekend !
Preeti :)

A ‘Splendid’ Doily!

Hi !!

I made this Patricia Kristoffersen doily couple of weeks back . I did not do any washing or blocking as the thread was firm with this design . This is made with Anchor red heart size 20 thread . I have used this thread for the first time and I would say it is cost effective and good quality thread . It is cheaper than the regular Anchor size 20 thread and comes in 100 grams ball.

This doily, named as 'Splendid', measures 10 inches across and is done with 1.25 mm hook. The pattern is free and available at http://www.pkcrochet.com/pkcrochet-download.html . The design of a doily is more clearly visible when it is done in white or single colour but my daughter likes in various colors so I try to make accordingly :)

My next project with local thread is a bit thread-messy . It doesn't lay flat :( I love the lustrous colors of these threads :) They are used for embroidery . I guess I might have to attach it onto something .

Have a happy week ahead !

Preeti :)
  

New friends and Crochet WIP!

Thank you all for visiting me and for the sweet comments ! :)

I am glad to share about my new blog friends and not so glad to share about my crochet table cloth progress .

Rosana at http://roxcroche1.blogspot.in/
Andreia at http://refugiosdospontinhos.blogspot.in/
Arezoo at http://sewzan.blogspot.in/
Iniyaa at http://iniyaascrochet.blogspot.in/
Hanni at http://hannicraft.blogspot.in/
Sandra at http://sandrapontos.blogspot.in/
Avellar at http://abavellar.blogspot.in/
Salete at http://sacroche.blogspot.com.br/
Tammy at http://tsdailytreasures.blogspot.in/
Mercedes at http://cocoon-mer.blogspot.in/
Gale Cooney at http://boocoos.blogspot.in/
Fatima at http://lavoresfl.blogspot.com/

Do visit them . I enjoyed their lovely work and added some to my wish list :) Hope you will like too :)

Well , I have gone a bit awry in assessing the dimensions of my table cloth - the fall is not of same width on all four sides !! Solution ? I am trying something unconventional. I did plan earlier to make border for the table cloth but now I am going to make border only on two sides !! This is a snap shot of the border , no weaving-in done . Please bear with the clutter of threads :) I have used golden color for border as I will use the same for joining the middle gaps left after motifs joining .

 

I hope it doesn't turn out that unconventional else I will have to buy a table onto which my table cloth fits perfectly :))

 

Have a nice day !

Preeti :)

 

 

 

On his 40th Birthday !!!! :))))

Hi ! Hope you all had a nice weekend !!

I was quite busy last week making something special for my two admirers at home - my hubby Raj and my daughter Anshita . Raj's Birthday was on 29th Nov. and Anshita's on 1st Dec.

Raj has turned 40 so I decided to make something cute and quirky for him ;) I usually make something crafty for him in addition to the regular gift(s) . This year, I made 'Forty Gifts' for him !! Since I am crochet-centric these days so the gifts would definitely have a touch of crochet ! :) After a bit of creative scratching , I poured in my ideas into these little gifts .

I served him morning tea in 'Forty Cups (Four Teacups)' made of crochet ! ;)

With crocheted 'Forty Spoons (Four Teaspoons)' ;))

While getting ready for office , I asked him to choose a new shirt out of  Forty Shirts (Four T-Shirts) that I crocheted for him !! :))

Raj doesn't know swimming, neither do I ; so I planned to give him something like 'fancy fins' which might help him to swim . I made a whole set of  'Forty Fins (Four Tiffins)' for him :))))

He was very happy to receive those ! :)) I have to go with him to buy him a B’day gift , may be , some electronics item or latest style specs ; I do not have any expertise in shopping those .

On Anshita's B’day, we took her friends out for lunch and then back home we had cut the cake and played some games . We were running a bit late ferrying kids back home from the restaurant so could manage only few pictures . Anshita lost one more tooth a day before her B’day ; has become a camera shy person and tries to hide her ear-to-ear toothless smiles ! :) Her B'day gift was ordered online and is still pending for delivery . She got many gifts from her friends and a nice dress from her neighbour sister ! :)

 

Who blinks first challenge !!

 

Every year all the kids hover around me while I make pieces of cake, claiming for the piece with a rose. So this time we ordered a cake full of roses!!:)

All turned well and happy . Hope you liked my idea of 'forty gifts’, I mean 'four T- gifts'!! :))

These all are my own hit-and-trial patterns and can be used as embellishments . All the items measure in the range of 3 to 5 inches and are crocheted in Anchor knitting cotton with 3.00 mm hook . I have written a rough pattern and will soon share with you all once I finalize .

Have a happy week ahead !!

Preeti :)
 

Kids Crafty Time !!

Hi ya!!
I just wanted to share a couple of craft items which my daughter created few days back :)

This wall clock is made from paper plate as part of  'best out of waste' project in her Hindi language subject. For those who do not know Hindi, here are the captions in the clock :

12 pm- lunch
3 pm- TV
6 pm- playtime
9 pm - sleep time
And the cute smiley in the center asks - Study time?? :) Isn’t it cute?

Another one below was for the gift wrapping competition in her school. She did not win any prize but she has done a wonderful job!  I made the lock and key embellishment for her. The lock caption reads 'Unlock my wishes ! '

Hope you enjoyed these simple craft items . :)
Happy blogging!!

Preeti :)

 

Weekend stash and some crochet !

Finally , I managed to squeeze out some time to prepare a post . I was a bit tired after Diwali and was just taking rest , surfing through your blogs and exploring new blogs too . Some new ones returned back to explore mine . Few bloggers visited by chance and joined me and I reciprocated whole heartedly :) In all , I am satisfied with the current status of my blog , that my blogging is surely not going to be shut down soon !:) Earlier, I had thought if I do not reach a milestone of 25 followers within six months , then I might shut down my blog or make it private . I have surpassed my expectations ! Thanks to all of you for your kind support !! :) I have promised my daughter a toy when I reach a follower count of 100 ! She anyways gets a toy twice a month ; for kids , thirst for toys never ends ! I haven't decided for you all but will figure out something that I can share with as many of you ! :)

Let 's meet my new friends .

Vickie Dimitra at http://vi-and-di.blogspot.in/
Matilda at http://elcosturerodematilda2.blogspot.in/
Rosa la Maida at http://vairelatejedora.blogspot.in/
Simone at http://agulhasencantadas.blogspot.in/
Marcia at http://mamisarte.blogspot.in/
Tracy at http://www.crochethappy.com/ and http://asktracyann.crochethappy.com/
Nunzia at http://nunziacrochet.blogspot.in/
Elvira at http://entretelaselvira.blogspot.in/
Maria at http://redecoratelg.blogspot.com.es/
Evita at http://amateurcrafts.blogspot.in/
Vimala a.k.a. Yarn_lady at http://crochetlounge.blogspot.in/
Keito at http://keitodamaworld.blogspot.in/
Elisabeth at http://elizyart.blogspot.in/
Josie at  http://handmadebyknottygal.blogspot.in/
Nalini at http://nalinihandwork.blogspot.in/
Katepinaki at http://diamadaki.blogspot.in/
Gracie at http://grayseasailor-onesaylorslog.blogspot.in/
Vanessa at http://marromrose.blogspot.in/

They all have wonderful blogs and some of them have outstanding projects to look and learn ! Do visit them ; I am sure you will like them :)

I am diligently working on the crochet tablecloth which I mentioned in my post here  but not sure how long I can control my itch to start a new project :)

This is a flared rose which I made for my daughter as an embellishment ! I haven't weaved-in the ends as she is yet to decide about where to attach it .

I made this little doily from the book '99 little doilies' with size 20 anchor thread . I liked the overlapping design in yellow near the border .

This is the Rangoli I drew for my daughter on Diwali outside our doorstep and she colored it . It is generally made with fine , sand like white powder which is eco-friendly . I got eco-friendly colors and mixed with this white powder to get other colors ! It is not easy to fill; you cannot touch the base for supporting the fingers . She has done a good job ! :) Many Rangolis look like mandalas or doilies .

Couple of weeks back , I enjoyed some beads , buttons and local yarn shopping . I have a collection of sequins and seed beads but for regular beads I felt I was eating into my daughter's treasure of jewellery making kits picking the nicer ones . So I decided to buy some :)

 

Hope you all liked the pictures !:)

Enjoy!

Preeti :)