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Nov 11, 2013

Cosy Times

Today is officially the start of winter here in Hong Kong. It is very windy and there is a chill in the air. Not so cold but a very pleasant chill which makes you want a cuppa, a book and a blanket.

Few things keeping me cozy and comfortable these days...

A new project..a crochet shawl for me...



A cozy corner i planned for months and finally executed! Stuck lotsa stickers with my little miss on rice paper lanterns and hung it up. Also did up a stream of pictures of our family and precious and silly moments together :)



 
Forgive the crappy clicks as there was literally no light. All the light is thanks to Picasa !

Created a custom banner for my blog. Had a fun morning playing with all my crafty bits while the little ones were off to school :) Bad mommy...!! he he



Did you guys like my new banner?

Also did up a pinboard made of thermocol and fabric sometime back to display the arts and crafts of my little ones..




Whats keeping you cozy and comfy these chilly days?

Love to hear from you as always!

Cheers,
xxx

Nov 5, 2013

Flower Blanket Ta-daah!!

Hellooo my dear lovelies!

Do you remember me? Remotely at least?
I know i pulled off the disappearing act and this time i have no solid excuse of being off blogging. Actually i have many excuses :P Firstly i was off to my home town to attend a cousin's wedding. And then my helper's mom was not well and she had to take 2 weeks off to attend to her. Then i just got used to NOT blogging. Then i was suffering from bloggers block and then I was very close to finishing a special blanket. Then we had the festival of lights - Diwali. Then it was raining and i could not get good clicks. So finally we had a few spells of sunshine and here i am, with my latest Pink and Purple Flower Blanket.. Here it goes..Ready or  not...

Ta-daah!!!!


This blanket was such a fun project. Mainly because it was not repetitive. I used 11 square patterns in all, 3 shades each of pink and purple. Every square was a mini project of sorts. I did not get the color combinations right at the first go and there were lot of failed attempts. But still i was not sure how the end result would be. It was after i joined all the squares that i looked back and smiled at my little princess. She was thrilled to bits and has been using this pink and purple blankie ever since :)
 





The most difficult question after finishing such a blanket it what to do for the border. I thought a lot and tried a few with shells and picots. But finally settled on the border from the book Around the Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman. This is a wonderful must have book because it tells you how to get the perfect corners for your blanket and also because it has charts which i find it so easy to read and hook from :)






The weather is pretty gloomy so i had to go to the garden to get some decent shots of the blanket.


and i am so happy i did that as the outdoor light brings such a added dimension to this picture.





My unwilling model who refused to have any decent clicks with me.

What a bribe of candy did to her :P



So for all my dear blogger friends who encourage me and my little creative space so much with their kind and appreciative words, here are a few additional details :

Yarn used : The trusted Stylecraft Special DK in the following shades.

Pink shades -
1. Candy Floss - 1130
2. Fondant - 1241
3. Pomegranate - 1083

Purple shades -
1.Cream - 1005
2.Clematis - 1390
3.Magenta - 1084 

Pattern for the squares :

From the book 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton - Waterlily - 16, Wisteria - 113, Granny in the middle - 117, Criss Cross - 137, Solid Willow- 189 and from the blog Annie's Place with the link HERE.

From the Internet ( Free Patterns ) - Sunburst Granny from HERE, African Flower Square from HERE and a heavily modified Circle of Friends Square from HERE

Hook : 4.0 mm

Joining technique : SC with the RS held together using Pomegranate color yarn.

Border : # 121 from Around the Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman.

Me : Totally satisfied, feeling very very girlie with the new blanket and so happy that i could use my free time to do something for my little precious girl!!


Phew!!! That's one load off my chest. Today i sleep in peace. Everday i used to think that i did not blog/post today. Neither did i follow and comment on all the lovely projects that you guys have been doing. I am going to start back tracking and visiting my lovely fellow bloggers space. With a cup of warm tea :)




Here's wishing you all a happy evening/day depending on which part of the world you are.
Do write in as it makes me feel so happy to hear from you, seriously!! 


Love,
xxx