Rainbow Mandala

Hi friends, I finished the Rainbow mandala yesterday, but as it was a public holiday here I decided to spend the day with the Boys.

Yesterday was Raksha Bandhan which is essentially a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters. This is one festival which transcends religious barriers and people of all faiths celebrate it. The sister ties a rakhi (sacred thread) on her brother's wrist to show her love for her brother, while praying for his well being. The brother promises to always protect and take care of his sister/s. Raksha in Hindi means to Protect. The brother also gives gifts to the sister which can be anything from chocolates, clothes, books or even jewellery depending on the sister's taste.

Raksha Bandhan does not require a biological connection between brothers and sisters, so while it can be celebrated between cousins, step siblings and even distant relatives, we also have Hindu sisters tying rakhis to Muslim brothers and Christian sisters tying rakhis to Hindu brothers and so on. I think we need more such festivals in India where people are not segregated depending on their religion, caste, creed or race.

This is what a Rakhi looks like:

And now let me welcome two sisters in arms hooks, Sophie from Sophie's Paradise and Barbara from Made in K-town.

Now on to the topic of mandala. I got a few queries about the mandala which I will try to answer in brief.

Mandal is a Sanskrit word meaning Circle. The mandala has spiritual and ritual significance and can often be seen in Hindu, Buddhist and Tibetan religious art. The word mandala has become a generic term for any circular pattern and for us crocheters it means a circular pattern with beautiful concentric designs.

And while on the topic of mandalas do visit Barbara who has a fantastic pattern for a gorgeous Spring Mandala. I am definitely going to make this one.

The inspiration for my present mandala can be found HERE at Crochet with Raymond. I wanted a Rainbow Mandala and these are the shades of Laura Knitting cotton I chose.

Here is my "cool" mandala before I added the warm colours,

This is the completed mandala without the edging, does look like a rainbow, doesn't it?

 

I tried 2-3 edging patterns before deciding on a simple sc and picot edging which would not distract from the beauty of the mandala. 

And ta-da, my beautiful, lovely Rainbow Mandala,

 

Serene Buddha on a beautiful mandala.

 

I used a 3.50 mm crochet hook this time to get a flexible fabric. The mandala is 13 inches in diameter.

 Slice of Rainbow pizza, anyone?

 

So, how do you like  my handmade rainbow?

This is my second post today so do scroll down to meet my cute little friends who came to party.

As per dear Charlotte's suggestion I have added my email address to my profile page so now you have one more way to contact me.

See you soon and Happy hooking.

Love xxx

Sneak, peek and click

I am sure you are curious to know what I was expecting, atleast I hope you are. Well, I was looking forward to getting some customers for my restaurant. Ha ha..... no, I don't have a real restaurant.

This is what I am talking about:

 

a  practical and handy bird feeder. 

A year back my brother hung up a couple of these feeders hoping to attract sparrows. And with very good results as you can see below:

This prompted me to try the same at my house. So I asked him to get me a similar feeder, filled it up with rice and hung it up.

And then I waited and waited and waited. I was ready to give up but Bro said these things take time. Birds are not very trusting by nature.

After almost five weeks, one afternoon when Hubby and I were having tea, I saw my guests arrive for the feast. I dare not go closer to the balcony so I snapped my pics right from where I was sitting which is why the pics are not very clear. And yes... a good blogger keeps the camera handy, even while having tea with hubby ....LOL.

I clicked a lot of pics hoping to get a good shot so please bear with me.

I think they are Red Vented Bulbuls, but I am no expert on birds.

Here you get a glimpse of the red feathers that give this bird its name.

Okay, now what's with the post title. Well, that is how I got these photos. I sneak towards the balcony on tiptoe (as much tiptoe as my XL frame allows....LOL), I peek from behind the curtains and click when they start pecking.

I had put up the feeders for sparrows, as their numbers are dwindling, but as long as some bird is enjoying it I am happy. One way of inviting nature into your home ...what say?

A post without crochet? Seems incomplete, so I will just put in a pic. This is for my new readers who may not have scrolled to the very end or should I say the very beginning of my blog.

Isn't that a sexy looking doily?! I enjoyed making it and I hope you like it too.
I will be posting about my rainbow mandala in the evening, so do come back soon.

Love xxx