Merry Christmas 2010

Granny Square Projects

Having a few days of holiday is doing me wonders :D
I've been chilling, walking, crafting and cooking...

Here's a quick peek at two new crocheted projects that I've made in the last 24 hours :D
Granny Square Bracelet:


Granny Square Coffee Cosy:

It's snowing in Mumbai... Fake snow that is!

I've really not done a good job at making time for craft, or updating this blog... I guess life got in the way as it does sometimes.
So last weekend I sat and made some snowflakes - 5, 6 and 7 pointed - and strung them up to add to my Christmas decorations.

Here's a few (rubbish quality) pictures:

Loverly Blooms

You may have seen the flowery head band that I made last week... well after writing my blog I made another one, this time a little smaller and I wore it as a brooch to work on Monday. I had a lot of nice comments from people, which prompted me to be brave (I've never worn any type of hair adornments in my life!) and wear my headband to work too - it was a hit! :D

I've also had a query from Karisse about how I made the headband, so now I've a little time to myself, I thought I'd let you all in on the secret. I've found the wonderful Art of Crochet by Theresa on You Tube.


The flower I user to make the headband is the Loopy Flower.

I just changed colour for the last round to make two tome flowers, and for the brooch, I made 8 SC in the chain loop in Round 1 and reduced the number of repeats in the rest of the rounds from 4 repeats to 3 to make 6 petals rather than 8!

Now I'm wondering if I can modify the pattern in some way to make a third layer of petals...That's a problem to think about later today!

Have a great weekend all... and please do check out Karisse's fantastic blog :D

Everything's coming up Flowery...

So I finished another three SunRise Granny Squares yesterday, then I made this beauty :D

It's my new flowery headband, as modelled by the delightful Coco! (No other willing models around)

It's not fixed, which means that I can always detach it and use it as a brooch too - just need to get a pin.


I'm really taken with this. I think I'll have to make a few more in different colours!
Off to start my hooking for the day...and rescue my headband!

Granny Square-tastic!

Last time I mentioned Granny Squares... Well I've been doing a little bit each day and so I thought I'd share a few pics of what I've made so far.


I found a video on You Tube about how to make SunRise Granny Squares and so I got started. I'm planning to make a blanket of some kind with these and as I've only completed six, I've got a long way to go. Also there might be quite a variation in colour throughout, as I'm not sure I'll be able to match the colours I've been using so far.


Besides the crocheting, life has been continuing along. The weather in Mumbai seems a bit screwed up - It's meant to be moving towards winter, but it's really hot still. And to add to that, there was the biggest downpour on Monday evening; a proper storm with thunder and lightening resulting in my car becoming a paddling pool again!

Last night I had a bit of a scare as my dog was really unwell and had to be rushed to the vets. She ended up having two injections and has medicine to take three times a day for the next few days. After a good night's sleep she seems much better; she woke me up by sitting on me (all 27 kilograms of her) and licking my face (yeeeuucccchhhh - not a nice way to start the day!).

I have a busy crocheting weekend ahead, as next week is going to be crazy busy at work. I'm attending a workshop from Monday to Wednesday about accelerated learning techniques and at the same time have to complete material for a 4 hour training module that will start from the following week. I don't think I'll have any time for anything besides eat - work - sleep (and walk Coco) next week.


So I'd better make a move as I need some more green yarn so I can make a yellow and green SunRise Granny Squares...

Busy, busy, busy

I've been really quite busy lately. Not too busy for craft, journaling, zentangling or cooking, but I've been a bit behind in blogging about it all.

So back last month when I started hooking, I found these cute, Roly Poly Bunnies... only when I started I could tell this wasn't coming out quite right. So I keep putting off making the rest of it. I currently have a bit of a misshapen lump rather than a cute bunny head and body. And I'm a little confused about how to make the ears, so I'm waiting for a while until I get better at this sort of thing!


My next adventure was into Granny Hearts as I found a fab tutorial on The Royal Sister's blog. The one I made came out really well and added to my coaster collection. I really like the idea of creating a banner out of these, but I'm a bit impatient you see, and tend to hop, skip and jump through projects.


I then came back to Hawaiian Flowers and made another really bright flower... just got to work out what to do with them now!


When I journal, I often follow prompts and a couple of weeks back I'd journalled about what I wanted to learn in the near future. One of the things I'd listed was Knitting, but I thought it'd be some time before I got round to it. Obviously the fates thought otherwise, and as part of the pre-work for a workshop I'm due to attend soon, I was asked to spend about an hour trying to learn something new and share a few words about the experience on the workshop's community website. (My words were: Confused, Trial-and-Error with lot's of error!, Beaming :D)
This is what I've knitted so far and it's on the way to becoming a new pink collar for Coco!


Finally, this time last week (Sunday evening) I sat and made two more cute notebooks / mini-journals, as two of my fab ladies had birthdays this week. I'm really pleased with them, and they were well received :D


This week has mostly been spent working too hard and spending much of my very limited free-time cooking, reading, journaling and playing with Coco-doggie. Yesterday I got the hook and yarn back out and I've gone back to the Granny Square, but a different version. More news about that another time, coz I'm itching to get back to the hook!

Catch you next time...

My Third Zentangle

Not a great pic...

Cadent, Keeko, Crescent Moon, Floorz

So I went to Goa and when I came back this had happened...

...Yes, I'd been given an award for my blog from a lovely little world. A big thank you goes to 'A Lovely Little World'- you made me feel special and brought a huge, beaming smile to my face :D

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:
1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

Ok then... I guess it's time to pass it forward.
I'd like to pass this award on to these 7 bloggers - they all inspire me in so many different ways...

Run With Scissors
A Quirky Girl's Thoughts
The Loulogue
I am the diva
The girl and boy
My Hobbie Lobbie
secretly loves pink


7 Things...
1. I'm English but I'm living in Mumbai
2. I've recently been inspired by sooooo many good blogs and have taken up journalling, crochet, knitting, zentanglling, and blogging of course!
3. I can cook a great pav bhaji
4. I'm learning Hindi
5. I'm a bookaholic - friends were astounded on the train journey home recently when I finished 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter' in one go!
6. By day (and night too sometimes) I'm a trainer in a big company
7. I have a crazy, chocolate brown labrador, Coco, who is pawing at me to play as I type...


So back to Saturday and more crafty stuff...

Flowers are Blooming and Birds are Pooping

Yesterday I finished this beauty... haven't had a lot of time to crochet this week... must get back to it!


Finished this as was unable to watch Ice Age 3, as some random people held a big (and late) Navratri bash just outside my window and made so much noise I couldn't hear the TV!

Also a bird pooped on me yesterday - I'm hoping for some good luck now :D

My Second Zentangle

With a little bit of Striping, Shattuck and Hollibaugh

My First Zentangle

Using three different variations of the 'Bales' tangle

Nice New Notebook

So I've been in quite a crafty mood this week. I've been crocheting, cooking, doodling, journalling and I've also discovered Zentangles.

Source

Zentangles are like organised doodling, except it only uses patterns so anyone can do it - no excuse of "I can't draw". And because you focus so much on what you're doing, it's actually good for relieving stress and lowering blood pressure. Kind of like doodling meditation!

If you want to learn more about Zentangles then check out the Zentangle website and blog.


So I'm really keen to get tangling, the only problem is - I don't have any notebooks with plain paper! So I decided to make one for myself... and that's the subject of today's blog :D

Easy-Peasy Lemon-Squeezy Notebook

Stuff you'll need:
I used some sheets of different coloured paper I had lying around, an empty cardboard box, scissors, glue-stick, measuring tape (I've lost my ruler!), a pencil, a needle, some yarn and some shiny stickers.


How to make the cute Notebook:
1. I cut the paper first into long strips the size I wanted.
2. I then folded them in half to make my notebook pages.
3. Then I cut the cardboard for the cover. It's a little bit bigger than the paper all the way round.
4. Next I used some more of the coloured paper to cover the cardboard using the gluestick to stick it down.
5. Using the needle and yarn I attached the pages to the cover, making sure the yarn is tied firmly.


6. Finally I decorated it with stickers!


Now I have to bring myself to use it... easier said than done. I find it really difficult to use nice stationery; I tend to hoard it for something special (I know - I'm crazy!).


I guess there's gonna be some Zentangle based posts coming soon... Happy crafting :D

Source

What a week! LML :D

Sunny Sunday walks with my Coco doggie

Monday showers

Mid-week bling!

Work in progress - more Hawaiian Flowers

Saturday Morning shock - Gigantor the Kitchen Lizard visits for breakfast!

It rained this morning...

Hawaiian-ish Flowers

I've found a fab four-step tutorial to making gorgeous Hawaiian Flowers. Sarah London's work is so colourful and that's what has really attracted me.

My version is made using just red, white and black yarn, as that's all I have right now! But the effect is still great. I need to get my hands on some decent yarn, as the stuff I'm using is not so good. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of where I can get it easily in Mumbai!

So anyway, here are the links to Sarah's tutorial:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Now, this pattern is written in UK/AUS terminology - and that's quite important to know, or like me you'll end up with a Frankenstein flower rather than a Hawaiian one. It was only as I reached Step 3 that I realised that Sarah was speaking non-American!. It turns out she's an Aussie making an American flower, and although I'm English and should embrace all things UK, I learnt my hooking on-line with American terminology! No wonder I got confused :P

So what you can see here is what I made AFTER I'd undone all my hard work and started again... Well nearly, you'll notice the black ring's still a bit too chunky!


The other thing I really need is a decent camera, rather than the one on my phone! Stuff to work on I know :D

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with my flowers. There not good enough for a big flowery blanket or anything like that, so I'm thinking about sewing them onto a beige bag I have and use for work. One side's got a cute doggie on it, but the other side could do with brightening up.


If anyone would like to send me any top quality yarn of all shades of the rainbow, then please let me know and I'll give you my address ;D

Off now to hook some more...

The world of Granny Squares and Cherries

So after my foray into the art of doggie collar making, I decided to expand my crochet skills slightly. After a quick search around the internet, I found myself watching quite a few cool videos at Instructables. And so began my journey into the world of Granny Squares.

Here's the video I watched, and yes, it's really a man doing the crocheting. My version took a little while to do, coz I kept making silly mistakes (but that's what learning's all about!) and having to undo and redo sections.

After I finished with one Granny Square, I decided that Granny Squares can wait until... well, whenever.


I don't have enough patience to do these - I want stuff that I can finish quite quickly. So I turned my Granny Square into a coaster, and found some other cute stuff to do...

Which brought me to Cherries... They're so cute!


And so I've been inducted into the world of Amigurumi... more cute stuff soon :D

Welcome to Claire's Crochet Quest...

I've been absolutely fascinated with many blogs from crafty people all over the world, so much so that I've been inspired to take up crochet! My Grandma (may she rest in peace) would have been proud of me :)

So anyway, I've been busy these last few days, getting the necessary materials and watching videos on line and downloading pdf files about 'How to Crochet' - and I'm hooked (pun intended).

So I've made a few things now, but this collar, for my dog Coco, was the first thing I made.


Collar:
Row 1: Ch 6, sc into 2nd ch from hook, continue to sc along rest of row. Turn.
Row 2 - last row: Ch 1, sc into 2nd sc from hook, continue to sc along rest of row. Turn.
Make it long enough for your doggies neck!
Button Hole: Ch 1, sc into 2nd sc from hook, sc into next st, ch enough to just fit over the button you're using, sc into 4th sc in row, sc into last st, sl st, end.
Sew button onto non-loop end of collar - fasten to doggie.


My stitches were too loose, which means that the whole thing has stretched out significantly, so I've ended up shortening it twice! Coco doesn't mind, coz she looks pretty.

The button I used had fallen off an old cardigan of mine. I'm glad I kept it!


More stuff coming soon!