Crochet Pineapple Neck warmer

Hello gorgeous people, how are you today? I hope the month of May has begun well for you. For me, this is a special month as today I complete 365 days of having a blog. Yes, my blog is one year old and Today is my Blog Anniversary!!

Seems like it was just yesterday that I gathered all my courage and decided to put my thoughts onto the blogosphere and share my crochet handiwork with the whole wide world. Of course there was a lot of apprehension and also doubts whether I would be able to keep it going. But now at the end of one year it all seems so easy and certainly lot of fun. Here is a link to my very first blog post, just for nostalgia. Sometimes when I go back and read some of my old posts I do laugh out aloud at some of the things I have written. But, you my friends have made it all worthwhile. What is a blog without its readers. So today I want to thank all my readers, followers, Facebook fans for your encouragement, comments and love. 

The best part about this one year of blogging has been the countless friends I made along the way, all over the globe, across continents, across language and age barriers. Bloggers are so generous, loving and warm hearted, inviting you right inside their homes, sharing their life, their lovely pics, their wonderful recipes and of course their gorgeous patterns.

Yes, a blog anniversary is definitely a milestone. But as we are busy planning and packing for our big vacation which was due for a long long time, all celebrations will have to be put on hold until the month end or maybe even the first week of June. Of course a giveaway is in order, and I hope to gather something lovely on my travels.

Even though we have been looking forward to this vacation for a long time, I am a bit apprehensive about how we will adjust to this place. You see, the present temperature in Ahmedabad is 43 deg C and this place has daytime temperatures in the range of zero to minus 4. Also as it is high up in the mountains (almost near the Himalayas) the air is thin and has low levels of atmospheric oxygen, so fingers crossed that everything goes well and we come back only with pleasant memories!! (Hehe....... yes I am still being mean, and not divulging the name of my holiday destination.)

What I am going to share, is this lovely pineapple scarf I made from a Portuguese crochet site. It is actually a scarflette or neck warmer. 

So, Ta-dah.....

Crochet Pineapple Scarf

I call it the Handsfree neck warmer because of its keyhole feature. 

Just insert one of the pineapples into the keyhole and your hands are free, to  ride your bike, hang on to your kids, hold your shopping bags, whatever....

This is not a new concept but I just loved this pattern. It is so feminine and delicate. The scarf pattern comes with a flower to hide the crossover, which I feel makes it look really elegant.

I used a regular safety pin at the back of the flower so that it could also be used as a brooch without the scarf. Next time I will hunt for one of those brooch pins which are actually used.

I love the shimmery cream rose. Looks cute...no?

The stitches between the shells are worked as Fpdc forming these two lovely 3D ridges.

My trusty Tupperware bowl has agreed to model the scarf for me, so drumroll.......

Hehe.... looks so funny....no?

That is all for now. I cannot really predict when my next post will follow as we will be leaving soon and I may not have access to internet. So until then buh-bye. I hope to have lots of lovely photos to share with you.

Take care and keep crafting.

A Tale of Two (Eggcentri)Cities

Hi friends. Oh! don't be confused with the title. It is just a egg centric tale. Or rather, a story centered around the two pigeon eggs in my balcony...hehe.

You already know the story that a pigeon had laid two eggs in my potted plant and much against my husband's wishes I decided to let them be. This gave me the chance to do a little "Avian Planet" photo shoot of my own.

So here goes. Feel free to give me your comments about my (attempted) photo documentary.

Look Ma, ....no downy fuzz...

Hmmm... so this is the Big Bad World

Should we venture out?

Maybe not just yet...a few practice flights inside the balcony.

Yay! we are ready to take the plunge today, under the watchful eyes of Mama and Pops.

The brown plank you see on the top left is the famous swing where all crochet projects are finally declared as "Completed"...lol. The two white dots you can see on Mom and Pops' beaks are not yet white but still grey on the twins. That is how I could tell them apart.

On Saturday, after being fully convinced that they can now fly, I finally shooed them away as the mess and stink was getting too much for me. This story spans around 45 days!

Also, can you see the green mat like curtain in the top right corner. It is made of out bamboo and you can see it in most houses in Ahmedabad. It keeps the harsh sunlight away, thus reducing the temperature in the house by atleast 4 - 5 degrees Celsius, I think. But the main reason we installed them last week is that construction activity has started in full swing on the vacant plot right next to our building. Which means tons of dust is now going to blow into the house through all nooks and crannies, so a small attempt to keep the dust away.

Till the pigeons were there I could not close it completely. But now finally I can close it and heave a sigh of relief. That's it, no more wildlife preservation attempts from me in the future. I think I have done my good deed....for now.

Hope you enjoyed my pigeon story. Write to me, make my day.

Question: How many of you have pets at home?

I love dogs, but I am not sure I can actually look after one. Maybe one day when my "little bird" has flown the nest. :)