Monet Garden shawl

Hello gorgeous gals! How are you today? So glad you joined me here. I cannot thank you lovely ladies enough for your sweet comments about my interview. You, my friends, really keep me going. 

Some time back I shared my corner to corner blanket with you along with the video tutorial by one of my crochet gurus, Mikey from The Crochet Crowd. Today I have a beautiful shawl to show you. The pattern is by another favourite crochet teacher I follow, Clare of Bobwilson123. Clare has tons of wonderful crochet videos and psst...let me share a secret...I love her accent.

This pattern is the I Love Rainbows Shawl and is a beautiful granny shawl. It also has a delicate border. You can get the video here and the written pattern here.

It is a lovely pattern and the video is very good too. I think the shawl has just turned out gorgeous, what do you say? The original shawl has been made in lovely rainbow colours but I used a variegated yarn I had in my stash. 

The yarn is acrylic but has a lovely mohair-like fuzzy feel to it. My shawl is a bit bigger than the pattern and while the granny design can be a bit monotonous, what kept me going was the delicate, beautiful border. I wanted to start working on the border so I speed-crocheted through the shawl.

For some visual interest I used a peach variegated yarn for the border and the panel in the center. I have not blocked the shawl yet, therefore the edges are curly.

The shawl is quite sumptuous and cozy.

The shawl reminds me of a Monet garden painting. You know, you see little flecks of yellow, a dab of lavender and dashes of various shades of green. Then you stand back , and lo and behold, it is a gorgeous garden with a water body and hanging foliage, vivid flowers, and the more you stare at it the more elements you discover in the garden. I was not very impressed with this yarn but upon completion the shawl looked so pretty and delicate, just like a Monet garden! 

The shawl measures 68" by 34" and weighs about 375 grams. I used a 4.50 mm crochet hook.

You can get this shawl in my Etsy shop.

Of course the "official" photo on the swing where all WIPs are christened as Finished is a must...LOL!!  :D

Hope to see you soon. Do let me know if you have started making your handmade gifts yet. I am looking forward to Diwali but only because hubby will be getting a few days leave. But not enough to visit Mumbai...sadly, and Diwali is no fun when you are so far away from family and friends!!  :(

Craftsy's 5 Million Member Flash Sale 50% off for limited time

Craftsy's 5 Million Member Flash Sale!

(sponsored post)

Don't miss Craftsy's 5 Million Member Flash Sale happening now! Get up to 50% off select online classes for a limited time only! Hurry, this offer expires on October 13th, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. Shop Craftsy's 5 Million Member Flash Sale now and save. 

Click HERE or the Craftsy banner above to avail this limited time offer!

{This post contains Affiliate links}

Smart Indian Women

Hello friends, You will never guess what happened. I was interviewed for the very first time, for Smart Indian Women.com. I am so tickled pink!!!  :-)

So there I am occupying my small little space under the blogosphere sun, when I get a message whether I would be interested in doing an interview. It took me minutes to say yes and then daysss to fill the interview form! Never realised talking about myself could be so difficult.

If you are interested in reading my interview...and I hope you are...(blush, blush) here is the LINK

I discovered a whole new world of Indian women bloggers and entrepreneurs out there. So I urge you, especially my Indian blogger friends, to visit the site without fail. While most Indian women are blogging about food and recipes there are a few who have gone off the beaten path to write about fashion, jewellery, make up, parenting and even theatre.

While I was always sure about the "Indian woman" title now I can safely say that I am a "Smart Indian Woman" ....hehehe!!!  ;)

On the crafty front this is what I have up to:

More about it in my next post. 

See you soon. Happy crafting.

Glorious Glimpses of Ganesha

Hello friends! Earlier in September I visited my hometown Mumbai to celebrate the Ganesha festival or Ganeshotsav (utsav means festival). So here are some wonderful photos of the idols we visited. I clicked the snaps with my latest toy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 - a birthday gift from hubby :)

 

This first pic is from the Flower market at Matunga. As you can see all the decorations have been made with flowers.

A few more photos of idols in and around Matunga;

 The last one was bathed in coloured lights and the idol seemed to change its colour every time the lights changed. 

Sometimes the decor can overwhelm the idol!  :)

And now saving the best for last. My most favourite idol;

All the ornaments you see on the idol are offerings from devotees. And they are all real gold or silver. Sometimes they also have real gems and pearls etc. These offerings are pledged to the Lord for favours/boons such as success in business, admission to a coveted university, getting married, getting a child/ male child, surviving a major illness and I am sure many more things. The offering can actually be as small as a coconut or as massive as the actual crown, all depending on what the devotee can afford. The floral decorations and the clothes are changed everyday during the ten days of the festival. A glimpse of this beautiful vista of Lord Ganesha is calming and uplifting at the same time. The eyes seem to be watching you wherever you go. And suddenly you feel there is hope for the world yet. Another reason we come here every year could be the delicious fried goodies served at the stalls in the compound. Mmmmm..... batata wada, dal wada, cutlets, samosas, patoli, bhajiyas.........mouthwatering!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I think I have a few more pics in my camera....maybe some other time.

{This post contains affiliate links}

Halloween Decor with Craftsy

Jillibean Soup Halloween Kit

(sponsored post)

Halloween is just around the corner. Get ready for spooky fun with one of Craftsy’s NEW paper crafting kits!

Work with your frightfully fun kit and learn how to create stylish Halloween decor projects with exclusive video lessons. Paper crafts expert Ronda Palazzari will show you how to use Jillibean Soup's paper pads, black glitter beanboard alphas and festive embellishments to create a witch’s hat, pumpkin centerpieces and even a spooky banner!

Create seasonal decor with curated items from Jillibean Soup's Halloween Collection. Available for a limited time, this kit includes mini paper pads, die cuts, beanboard alphas, enamel stars and more. Mix and match with your stash for affordable decor that’s uniquely you. 

Disclaimer: All links in this post are affiliate links.  Thank you very much for supporting my blog by shopping at Craftsy through my affiliate links. Happy Crafting.