Crochet Viola Mandala

Namaste friends,

Hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. 😀

In this post, I have a wonderful mandala to share with you.

I found the free pattern for the Viola mandala a few months back but I did not make one, as my folks are not exactly the "Doily-kind" if you know what I mean. 😉😉

And then guess what! One of my regular customers wanted me to make one for her in the colours of her choice. I was overjoyed.

So here is the Viola Mandala Ta-dah!

The Viola mandala pattern is Free on the maritparit blog.

She has made the mandala in a beautiful pastel blue and violet combination.

For my mandala, I have used Laura knitting cotton which is widely available in India, with a 3.5 mm crochet hook.

Anchor knitting cotton would be a great choice too for this mandala.

The colours were specially requested by my customer. 

I modified the last round to add some scallops. 

Isn't it a gorgeous mandala pattern? I just love the final look.

This mandala has flown across continents to its new home.

I think I'll make one more in a different colour scheme for myself. :)

I am sure you will want to make one for yourself. Do give it a try.

* This post contains affiliate links which if you use for any purchase, may yield me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you. *

Thank you for your time.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop and also to contact me for private crochet coaching sessions from anywhere in the world! 😀

See you soon with a new free cowl pattern.

Mandala mania 4 - Pretty Pastels + Giveaway winner

Namaste friends. It is crochet month so a mandala post is a must, right?

But before that let me announce the winner of the pattern giveaway for the Cupid's Dilemma cowl. 

And the winner is:

Susan Guard

Happy crocheting Susan. Your pattern is on the way to your Inbox. :)

This pattern is available in my Etsy and Craftsy shops.

And now on to my Spring inspired Pretty Pastel Mandala.

This is the fourth mandala I made using the same pattern. This mandala is a wee bit larger than the previous three mandalas as I modified Round no. 11 (in yellow), and made 3dc clusters instead of puff stitches.

Here are the details of the mandala;

Pattern source:   Crochet Millan.com

Yarn:                   Laura Knitting cotton

Hook:                  3.50 mm

Size:                   16 inches diameter

Here is a look at all four mandalas:

Check out mandala 1, mandala 2 and mandala 3.

Crocheting mandalas is very satisfying and almost meditative. Do give it a try.

Keep Calm and Crochet On.

Mandala mania 3 - Variegated violets

(This post contains affiliate links)*

Namaste friends, are you a television buff? I am a big fan of TV but I wouldn't call myself an addict as I can switch it off at will and also survive for days without it if required. But I am partial to English programs whether it is serials, documentaries, cookery or science shows. TLC and Nat Geo are my favourite channels. As far as Indian television is concerned I prefer Marathi channels for their superior content, and wide variety of topics. Hindi programs with their melodrama, unrealistic stories and slapstick comedy are too jarring for the senses.

Wondering where I am going with all this. I have no idea... LOL

Okay, as a teen I was a huge fan of Three's Company, an American sitcom about three roommates. I liked everything about it, the cast, the theme song, the stories. And that is exactly the phrase that came to my mind when I thought my two mandalas needed one more companion. After all "Three's Company, too"...right? Haha

Yeah, I know I can be bonkers sometimes :) :)

Next question - Have you ever purchased variegated yarn because it looked gorgeous and then wondered what to do with it? It happens to me all the time! But the allure of variegated yarn cannot be avoided.

For my latest mandala, I decided to use a variegated violet cotton yarn languishing in my stash. Here is the result:

Those petals look so cute. Using variegated yarn for the whole mandala or doily would be pointless as the intricacies of the design would be lost.

This pattern is simply gorgeous and I urge you to try it. Check out the details in this POST.

Some more pics (with no jibber jabber from me)!  😊

All pics were taken with my Lenovo A7000* phone camera. One of these days I must get down from my ivory tower and get my camera repaired!!! Pity the repair centre is miles away 😩

Which camera do you use for your blog photography?

See you soon. Happy Crafting

Mandala mania 2 - Aqua n orange

Namaste friends, did you like the mandala in the last post? I loved it so much, I thought One good mandala deserves another, isn't that right?

So I went on to make another one. I decided to use totally different colours, absolutely different from the previous colour choice.

Here goes Aqua n Orange:

Isn't it gorgeous!! Even if I say so myself ;)

While I'm loving the mandala as a whole after completion I had doubts about the "sunflower" in the center. What do you think, does it go with the colour scheme?

I like the way the white stands out and makes the other colours pop.

Just changing the colours produced such a dramatic effect. It looks like a totally different pattern! Only on close inspection do you realise that it is the same pattern.

All materials are same as the last mandala and you can check out the details HERE.

Okay, only two more pics :)

Can you tell I am in love with it!! 

I can't wait to see what you'll have been up to. So I will be blog surfing for the next few hours.

See you later, crocheter :)

Mandala mania 1 - Peachy brown

(This post contains affiliate links)*

Namaste friends, How has the new year been unfolding so far? I hope you are enjoying it.

Time to start talking crochet in the new year. I came across a lovely mandala pattern and felt I just had to make one. Crochet mandalas are beautiful, useful, provide instant gratification as well as room to play with colours.

The mandala in the original pattern uses pink, mauve, violet and lavender. I decided to go for a peach and brown combination and I love the way it has turned out. The red adds a pop of colour, while the beige highlights the darker colours.

Isn't it gorgeous!! I am loving it. :) 

I adore mandalas for their beautility... no don't hunt your dictionary, I just invented that word. :) It is a combination of beauty and utility!! 

And now before you get ready to grab my neck and shake me :) here is the link to the Pattern at crochetmillan.com.

The website has many beautiful patterns and I will be going back for more.

Materials

Yarn:   Laura knitting cotton

Hook: 3.50 mm*

Dia:    15 inches

This yarn* will give you similar results plus it comes in a range of vibrant colours.

And yes, I have omitted the last two rounds which form the edging of the mandala as I found it a bit lacy for the "solid" body of the mandala. So I just went for a round of scs with picots.

What would be your colour choices for this mandala? 

Happy crafting!

Mustard Doily

Hello beautiful people. A tour through Blogdom shows that everyone is busy with their "first project for 2013". And that is really good news, because it means we are going to have a wonderful crafty year ahead.

I finished weaving in the ends on my Mustard Doily and here it is: Ta - Da

I have used Bliss Knitting cotton and a 2.00 mm crochet hook. I chose this pattern as I wanted a fast and small project. Well, it has turned out to be 17 inches in diameter....hardly small!!

This year I plan to try my hand at Tunisian crochet and hopefully I should ...before the year ends.

See you soon. Looking forward to some lovely projects from all of you.
Here is some inspiration for you... LOL.

via Facebook

Haha... I hope Hubby is not reading this.
Take care and happy crafting.

Love xxx

A Long Spell

Hello there, beautiful people. Remember me? Are you still with me or have you moved on to a more crafty, witty and regular blog? I wouldn't be surprised if you have. But I am hoping against hope that you are out there and that you have been checking my blog once in awhile. 

I know there has been a long spell of silence from my side. There is no particular reason for that. And thankfully, no "sick" stories this time, God knows I had quite a few of those in the past couple of months. Actually I was just a little bit distracted. I also think I had Blogger's block. (Is there such a thing?)  I did have a lot of things/stories to share but just could not sit down and put them in words! 

Another reason being that my dear mother-in-law accompanied us on the trip back from Mumbai and most afternoons are spent chatting with her. Or rather she reminiscing about the good old days and me making the right noises at the right time. No, I am not being rude. I do agree with her that the good old days were really good and uncomplicated and happy and of course so much cheaper. Not much I can add to that conversation! Also it seemed impolite to go clackity-clack at the keyboard while she was  so eagerly taking me on a "Golden Days" journey.

Okay, okay I know excuses, excuses! Maybe I should just admit that I was lazy. But of course I was very much online and in these past few days I visited most of you out there and even gave my "valuable" comments on some of your posts.

In the meantime, a lot of new friends have joined us, so let me begin by welcoming them;
           Onilda e Maria Isabel at Cantinho do artesanto Nina e Bel
           Cat at Through the Eyes of a Domestic Goddess
           Bobi Jensen at Western Warmth
           Maven at Fiber P*rn
and    Mitzi Christian

Now for the real McCoy, the pansy doily was not working out as I would have liked so I frogged it. Now I am searching for another Pansy doily pattern. To cover up my disappointment I made a lovely yellow/mustard doily. Only two more rounds to go so I shall be sharing that with you soon.

Since last week, I have a young girl coming to learn crochet in the afternoons. At age 25 she is an associate professor at CEPT Ahmedabad..... Wow!! She teaches History of Architecture and comes over to my place in the afternoons during her lunch break.  She is not regular but I like her dedication. I love teaching crochet and I am hoping that more and more women in India will take it up as a hobby and also as a stress buster. 

And now for the news that I am dying to share. On Sunday the 28th, I shall be meeting one of my blogger friends, for the very first time. Isn't that just super!! After commenting on each others blogs for a few weeks we realised that we stay in the same state. We kept planning to meet each other some day and now after months of waiting I finally get to meet her on Sunday as we will be in her city to visit my aunt. I am sure that bloggers do this all the time. But this is a first for me, and I am soooo excited. I hope the meeting goes off better than expected and we have lots of stories to share. I will certainly tell you about our get together, wish me luck.

A picture-less post. Nah...that would be boring. So I am going to share this doily I made a long time ago. I am sorry I do not have the link to the pattern.  :(

I love the way the petals overlap each other.

My MIL says it is too pretty to be used as a hot pad.

So, finally THE SPELL has been broken. ;) Maybe for a change I should try a Wordless post. Hmmm..... a post without my jabber jabber. Very difficult but I will try it someday in the future.... distant future you see.

But until then, I will be back with some more exciting news, a "First" of another kind, soon.
So take care, happy hooking or knitting or scrap booking or cooking or whatever makes you tick. Enjoy life, you only live once and Thank you for visiting me.

Love xxx

Sand or Tan?

Hi Girls! I hope the week has been treating you well so far.

Lets begin by welcoming our new friends:
          Weaver Birdie at I Love Handmade!
          Susan Carlson at Felted Button
          Archana at Things I do ... in my World
          Maree at Mareelovescolour

Okay now tell me, did you read the title and think this post was about a weekend at the beach. Sadly there is no beach in Ahmedabad. Well, it is so true that you realise the value of something only after you have lost it. My parents' home was just two minutes away, yes that's right only two minutes away from the beach. As kids my brother and I spent most evenings walking to the beach with Mom and making sand castles, filling our pails at the water's edge and eating roasted peanuts. After marriage I moved to an area that was kilometers away from the nearest beach. And now Ahmedabad! But not to worry, as recently, the banks of the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad have been endowed with the Sabarmati Riverfront - a unique project that will handle water management while creating a public promenade, that has soon become a tourist attraction. Definitely on my must see list.

So, what's with the beachy title? Well, the title refers to my latest project which is this square doily.

Upon completing the doily I was stuck for words when it came to describing the colour of the doily. I mean, gone were the innocent school days when colours were red, blue, green and yellow. And any variations were just light blue and dark blue, light green and dark green and so on. 

But today these definitions are not enough. No siree! Today we have True blue, Baby blue, Bahama blue and Avocado, Pistachio, Celery and Cornsilk, Goldenrod, Tangerine and what not. So what the heck do I call my doily. Sand? Tan? Beige?  After some Google research I chanced upon "Fawn" and felt that, that is the right word to describe the colour.

So here are my Fawn coloured square doilies. I had enough Bliss knitting cotton to make a set of three with a 2.00 mm crochet hook.

Now if you have been wondering why my projects are always photographed on this two colour background, here is the secret. Well, no big secret actually but just the swing in my balcony. You would think that with this unbearable heat and scorching sunlight, I would get good pictures indoors. But no, the swing is the only place where I get good photos. Or maybe that speaks a lot for my "skills" as a photographer! Anyway here is my multipurpose swing adorned with a few of my projects.

What prompted me to reveal this today is the question "Where is your favourite place to take pictures?" by Susan at Felted Button. Do tell me your answer.

Now here is the real secret. The swing is a part of the furniture we got along with the house we have rented. I don't use the swing as a swing as I am sure my "delicate" frame will crack the poor thing! Ha ha. 

My next project is a beautiful thread doily with pansies. Hope I can share it with you soon (as I have still not bothered to get new glasses!).

Thanks for visiting me. Take care and happy hooking.

(A small note to all my fellow bloggers and followers: Please write a small comment when you join my blog and also don't forget to state the name of your blog, so that I can follow you too. Thank you.)

PS: If you are a die hard Sridevi fan like me, you must watch "English Vinglish". Great movie, fantastic performance and superb direction.

Love xxx

 

Hi, I am back

Hello there, my lovely friends. How are you? Did you miss me? Well. I sure hope so, because I really missed all of you.

I am back from a two week trip to Mumbai for Ganeshotsav. We had a very nice time down there and caught up with a lot of our friends and relatives. But on a personal note, the trip was not very successful for me. More about that later.

First let me welcome our new friends;
           Angelique (please let me have the link, if you have a blog, dear)
           Sherin Deepu from Kuk's Kitchen
           Anna from Hindustanka's Sunny Indian Days
   and  Linda  from Linda Crochets (if you love thread crochet you must visit Linda to admire her perfect doilies).
 (A small note to all my fellow bloggers and followers: Please write a small comment when you join my blog and also don't forget to state the name of your blog, so that I can follow you too. Thank you.) 
 
Okay, now I have a little confession, I was back last Friday ie: 28th September. Then, how come I had not posted anything so far? Well. you know how it is sometimes, you have so much to say that you don't know where to start. 

So firstly, let me start by telling you why my trip was not so "successful". I had planned to use the second week of our trip to visit an ongoing book fair and the wholesale yarn and bag making supplies market with my brother. But, come Monday I was down with viral fever with high temperature and terrible bodyache. And even if I was ready to drag myself to the market in this condition, my brother got a huge swollen toe after stubbing it against some furniture. It was the same toe he had fractured some time back, so he was in real agony. So there went my yarn and book buying trips down the drain. (To the secret delight of my husband !!).

I was also supposed to meet a couple of my school friends for lunch, but that program too flopped because of the viral fever. I was really looking forward to that as it has been ages since we met each other. So, maybe next time :(

We had decided to start back on Friday, of course my hubby very sweetly suggested staying back for one more day so that I could visit the yarn market. But that would have been very selfish of me as it would have meant that he would miss the two days of rest at home before resuming duties on Monday. 

So, you see I was in a bit of a blue funk and sort of sulking in a corner. Sadly I could not blame anybody for this situation, which made it even worse!! He he... ;)

Secondly I wanted to start posting with a finished project. Yes my Rose doily is finally complete. But being the Queen of Procrastination that I am it took me two days to weave in the ends. 

But finally Ta-Da:

Rose doily

Don't you just love the colors on that rose! I think I will make a couple more doilies, maybe with orange roses or yellow? What do you say?

If you would like to try this doily, HERE is the link to the pattern I used. Have fun.

It feels so good to be back with all of you. My husband calls me an internet addict and I confess I am guilty as charged! I spent the last few days visiting all of you and I see that some of you have posted about some lovely things, crochet and otherwise.

That's all for today. Do write to me, I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Take care and Happy Hooking.
Love xxx

Rose Doily

Hello beautiful people,

I hope you had a great week. I did not have access to the internet therefore I am a wee bit late in welcoming Cristina from My world of wool  and Giodina from Con le Lenti Rosa.
Both of them have very colorful, lovely crochet items, so do visit them.

I finally decided on a pattern to start my tryst with thread crochet. I was a bit apprehensive as it has been a long time since I worked with such a fine thread. Since I had made a lot of flat doilies in the past, I wanted to try something 3D as in Irish crochet.

And this is the pattern I chose;

Progress has been slow, as I have still not visited my optician for my new glasses.

As of now, I can work with thread only if I take off my glasses. Well. glasses or no glasses, do you think the doily is turning out fine? Do let me know. I am anxious to see the final product and I am too impatient to weave in the ends.

I hope you are having some great hooky time too. I will be visiting all of you very soon. So until then take care, have a fabulous weekend and share your lovely times with us. And do keep writing to me, I will get back shortly.

Love xxx