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

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

Colorburst Collar

My dear friends!

Thank you so much for your words, they did make me feel better and breathe deeply and relax a bit more...Infact i felt that every mother will go through this and I should grin n smile and bear it and now things are becoming a bit better. I feel the more I compartmentalize and prioritize, the easier the going gets :)

While working on my Little Miss's Pink n Purple blanket, I was distracted by the colorful thoughts of making a collar. It refused to go away and I had to hook this for a simple t-shirt of hers.

 

 The pattern is from the head of yours truly. But its really very simple. I am sure all your smart ladies out there can figure it out!

Intended to make this as the sleeve of her sleeve-less shirt. But in the last couple of days my girl has just had a growth spurt and none of her clothes, i literally mean none, be it her jeans or right down to her bare essentials, all are TIGHT! So now i need another shirt for this collar. What color do you guys suggest?

The latest addition to the blanket are these squares. This is the very lovely pattern known as Circle of Friends pattern by Priscilla Hewitt. You can find the free pattern HERE.

It really is a very easy pattern and not at all as complicated as it looks. The color combination options are endless and each will produce awesome effects! Highly recommended pattern :)

 

So off my friends I go, to attend my motherly duties now. The feeding and the cleaning and the sleeping and the story telling! Get crafty and save your sanity, it is working wonders for me :) and blog about it also, it helps a lot to just vent out somewhere..

Love and more...

xxx

 

DIY Yarn Lights

Ok my friends!

I have officially lost it. Can you find it anywhere? Any store where it is  available at a discount or a buy 1 get 1 free offer?? Any advice on how to regain it back? Have you lovely people been in this position before? In case you are still with me.. and want to find out what I have lost.. here goes nothing..

and also I do not understand what my kids want anymore..
I always knew raising 2 small kids would be a challenge, but now a days my little man is in his terrible two's and my little princess hasn't yet grown up from her terrible two's! Its been so frustrating for me as a mother. I really don't know sometimes if I am doing the right thing. Is it more important that they follow rules or eat their food? I am trying to get my girl to eat on her own and that is requiring a lot of effort. My son just refuses to sit in one place even for 5 minutes!! Why are their batteries always fully charged?? Uff!!

 Anyways, I remember to take a deep breath and imagine that they will grow up and I will laugh about this post :) SO coming back to my crafty pursuits, I had done this with all the spare yarn. More specifically cotton threads with me.

I followed this link HERE and a bit of my own research and experiments to make this lantern lights. Added a string of lights inside to complete the picture.

This was done for my son's school - DIY Lantern from Recycled materials. It is a very VERY messy affair to do it. But the results are just amazing. Go ahead and have some fun, try to include your kiddo in this process, I am sure they will have a blast!

 

So I am off to set my house straight...It really looks like a hurricane crashed into it ..he he!

Hope you have a pleasant weekend ahead. We have a long weekend here for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Did I say long weekend, yes 3 days of 3 (2+ 1 hubby) kids all the time in the house...ahhhh.. wish me LUCK!!!

Love,
xxx

Tapestry Crochet Fascination - A pouch

Hello there..my lovely crafty hooky people!

Hope the weekend was a sunny side up one for all you folks..We had a long and tiring weekend.. Shopping is NOT easy with 2 little ones i must tell you :)  We spent less time in the shops and more time in feeding, cleaning, playing and entertaining them..But it was fun alright!

Now, coming to my crafty adventures..there are quite a few i am doing..But can only share this one with you as it is a FO.This project was such a joy to work...well that is a bit on the exaggeration side of things..To be true to myself and my dear friends..Tapestry crochet is NOT my cup of  tea/coffee..what ever you prefer! You need to be patient as it is mostly SC and we all know how slowly that progresses. Also the knots..the color threads keep getting entangled and it used to bug me :(

But the end result was worth it..

Want to have look??

Here it is..

Tapestry Pouch Ta-daaah!!!
(I am actually saying Ta-daah as it took long enough to deserve one)

Did you like my polka dotted zipper? he he...advantages of living in HK :)

A closer look at the hard work..

Anybody interested in doing this pouch can find the link to the free pattern HERE.

My little miss birthday is fast approaching and we are busy making a castle and decorations.. More of that soon..Hope you guys had a fantastic weekend and do let me know your hooky projects as i love to hear from you!

Love,
xxx

Pink and Purple and some Grey too

Firstly me lovely people, thank you so so so much for such kind words for me and my little man! He surely is feeling in the pink of health and i hope it remains so :)

My little princess is turning 4 next month. I had hooked a blanket for her when she was an infant and it lasted her this long. But now, its really short and she has been asking me for a new one. She is a BIG girl now and wanted only in pink and purple. How can I refuse her colors? Least she may not end up using it!!

 

You can find the pattern for the squares , the source that is in one of my previous posts HERE .

 Each block measures approx 6". Hoping it would be a 60 x 72 " blanket for her. I am sure it will not get done by Sept. But maybe by this winter for sure :)

On a more experimental note, have always wanted to try Tapestry Crochet. It looks so wonderfully mysterious to me...am trying this wonderful pattern from Crochet Today. Link HERE for the free PDF pattern..

In ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥!!!

What are you guys crafting??

Love,
xxx