Introducing my new website :)

Thank you for your encouragement and appreciation over my doily misadventure in the last post !!:)

I will soon share the second doily but before that I wanted to introduce my new crochet website.....

Loops & Binds

If you remember, few months back, I mentioned that I wanted to create my own crochet designs. I have started it small with crochet motifs as those are my most favorite things to make.

Anshita wrote a detailed introduction about me for the website :) She is good at creative writing. I have tried my best to provide all the details a pattern requires - Image, pattern diagram, stitch details, written instruction, material requirements and PDF to download. It took me lot of hardwork and time to create the pattern diagrams.

I am still making few changes as and when needed. I would be glad if you pay a visit and take a look around my new website even if you are not interested in crochet. All who crochet, I request them to try downloading a pattern and let me know if you face any issue for the same. All you need to pay for a pattern is ----just a visit to the website :))

Your feedback and suggestions are welcome . I have not updated the patterns on any other social networking site but I will be doing so for a new Ravelry account and my personal Pinterest account. This blog will continue to be my personal blog and though I will inform about new patterns posted, you can reach my new website anytime through the link 'Loops & Binds Patterns' that I have added under the 'Categories' list on the left side bar.

For those under the fury of snow storm, keep warm and safe. I hope things will turn better this week.

Thanks again for your support!!:)
Have a crafty week!
Preeti

I make a crochet doily.......

when I cannot decide which project to work on. Few weeks back , before I started stitching on my WIPs, I wanted to break a crafting block with some easy-peasy project . I like making doilies :)

After going through few of the saved patterns, I chose two to make . Here is the one which looked good while blocking but then it did not lay flat once dried. I also planned to give this as a gift which is now pending for over a month but I wasn't satisfied with it so I need to make another. The second doily looks good but that also cannot be given as gift for reasons I will tell on my next post when I am ready with its pictures .

This is a free pattern named, 'Fan Doilies' and can be found here .  It measures 16 inches wide and is made with Anchor mercerized crochet cotton size #20 and hook size 1.5 mm.

I got stuck at the starting itself and tried many times. How can one make 16  3-dtr clusters  in a ch-8 ring? Even though those are clusters, you need to insert into the ring 48 times . Anyways, I did it my way and ended up with a slight frilly border. If any one of you try this ( refer large doliy instruction), I would be interested to know how you did it .

Thank you for always visiting me and taking time to comment :)

Have a great week ahead!
Preeti:)

My Snailathon :)

Thank you for your encouraging words on my last post !! I have been busy( read lazy) to reply to you :D

I ran a marathon at snail's pace and made some progress on one of my cross stitch pieces . But before that, I did some coloring after a long time .

I found a cheap plastic frame at home, the one which have a transparency instead of glass in the front. It had some boring management quote written on it and got long time back in office .

And this is my Cross Stitch Snailathon result on Jungle Japes, height chart by Durene Jones.

Completed a toucan and turtle (no white and back stitching)

This is how it looks now.

Now, I am onto boring tree trunk stitching on the left . Hope it grows faster, I will try to water it daily with my threadspray :)

Thank you for seeing !!

Have a nice day!

Preeti

Ravelry Crochet Exchange !! :)

Happy new year !! :)

No, this is not my first finish of 2016. We had a Secret Santa exchange on the Ravelry group 'Crafty Dozen' from India . I am not so active on Ravelry and all the more scared when it comes to exchange deadlines but I wanted to participate in a crochet exchange so I decided to dive in .

The moderators defined the rules including the approx cost of gifts (excluding handmade and postal charges). It is good to have that way so that there are no worries that we have fallen short of satisfying partners . But if exchanges are across the countries then it is difficult to do so . There were total 26 participants .

This is what I sent to Bhavani, she used to blog earlier but is not active now.

This is the back side. I used Laura knitting cotton and 4 mm hook. 

 I also made this fabric pincushion, my very first, as another handmade. I made my first needle book and gave it in cross stitch exchange and now my first pincushion too. Both the times, I was tempted to keep those for myself but I was equally glad to give to a fellow crafter:) I don't have a needlebook or pincushion. This also reminds me that I mentioned about showing how-to steps for my needlebook.  Below are the goodies I sent to her .

1.paper yarn, A4 card sheets with jumbo prints, bling sticker, handmade diary

2. Assorted buttons, pegs, cute jumbo printed buttons and rose shaped beads.

Anchor knitting cotton balls and Turkish Nako Saten yarn. 

I tried to cover all she liked and the colors she loved . I was glad she liked everything very much :)

And this is what I got from Shruti . She is active on Ravelry . I was so elated to receive the mega package and especially the handmade:)

Zipper pouch for Anshita

1. Pony crochet hooks set, individual hooks, Circular needles, T-pins and ladybug buttons

2. Quilling strips, floral printed binder clips, sticker lace- for me and Anshita both

1. A long heart printed fabric table runner.

2. Pure wool, Pure silk thread (dark blue), Rayon and cotton thread for crochet.

And.....This is the huge handmade gift that I got....Mini rings of change :))

Love the color spread at the center, stunning!!!:))

I have picked one of my cross stitch projects after many days . I hope to show some progress in few days/weeks time :)

Have a crafty week and year ahead!!
Preeti