Christmas tree ornaments

It is that time of the year again. Blogging from my phone makes it easier. Here are a few stars in assorted colors I chose at random. Light weight and colorful it sure adds a touch of handmade elegance to a tree. Wishing you happy moments as you  reflect on the ornaments that you hand on your tree and their significance. 

Until next time...

Lots of love from

Shanti 

Jasmine...an awesome flower

I love the Jasmine flower. Our home has these sweet smelling flowers.  Jasmine has an awesome perfume and most of the perfumes  are made from the jasmine extract. There are different kinds of jasmine and the ones that are most pungent are those that are thin and long with dark pink stripes on them. They are harvested as buds in the wee hours in the morning while it is still dark and left to bloom in special factories, to capture the perfume that the buds give out as they open. Every auspicious function such as weddings and so on use Jasmine as part of the celebrations.

 

One can never get tired of this pretty pure white flower. I did try to make a crochet replica of the jasmine and it was not successful!!

 

Wishing you sweet moments and keep smiling.

Bunny silk multipurpose case

Hello again!!

Here is my bunny case.....that can be used as a pyjama case or as any other kind of organizer. I have crocheted the edges of the silk together with cotton variegated yarn and hand sewed the entire bunny. My curved sewing needles came in handy. Eyes were fixed after I had made the head of the bunny.
Pretty crisp cotton lace gives this a vintage look. This is the first of my bunny designs and I loved making it.
I have left a flap on the reverse through which the bunny bag can be filled. Left on a bed it makes a neat organizer..

Sari silk scarf

Here is a creation made from my silk sari. The metallic yarn was bought in Singapore and it remains my favorite yarn. It does coordinate well with the gold threads that run through the silk fabric.
Sari silk scarves are very popular and are often made with the kantha embroidery work on them. They make great neck accents.

I used a blanket stitch first to hold the hem together, over which I crocheted scallops in metallic yarn.

 

Great way to work with saris.

 

 

Baby cuddly blanket ..baby bunny in pink

 

..Here is a little cuddly lovie blanket that I had made for a baby.  what I made for baby scarlet. The cuddly blanket is square in shape, which is nothing but a traditional granny square.

 I have sewn the bunny in the middle of the blanket and with a pinafore, and a bow to add to its personality.

 

 

 

 

 

I have used Baby Bernat yarn in  white and pink, with  green floss for the embroidery for  this creation. All parts of this are soft and handmade.

 

 

 

 

 

French Knitting

Hello everyone..blog time!

This is a spool also known as French Knitting. It makes great knitted tubular pieces, that can simply pass through a long tubular space, that starts with four nails where the yarn is cast on.

 

It just requires a repetitive activity of looping the yarn over with the use of a needle and a little tugging from the other end. The width depends on the size of the spool, and I have seen handmade do it yourself spools using toilet tissue roll cardboard and so on. I would love to see how this works with beads and metal and indeed it will make great bracelets and neckwear ..I would think.

It is as simple and child's play as seen!!
Here is a little reptile that was made.

 

If you have not tried French Knitting as yet..well please do...simple and neat indeed.

 

Until next time

enjoy Happy art moments!!.

Peacock eye lace baby blanket

Yes...another one..
I seem to be making more of these..

Here is one fresh off my hook yesterday. This is for a baby girl expected in another 5 days!!

Loved every bit of crocheting this one..I have explained how I made this in one of my earlier posts. This has been designed by me.

 

 

Thanks for visiting my blog and until next time..wishing you plenty of happy crocheting moments.

Do visit my facebook page too...here it is https://facebook.com/MinuetinS and do like the page for updates of more of my work.

 

 

 

 

Few non crocheting moments

So what's going on within the non crocheting moments.... I tossed a few mustard seeds and watched the new life burst forth from within. What a pure delight this was!!!

And...... Took out a well used iron griddle of over 25 years. This was gift by a dear friend. This is used for the traditional rose cookies as they are called in India. I get a batter of sugar rice flour and all purpose flour ready with a beaten egg and pinch of salt, and let it stand. In the meantime I heat  the iron griddle and dip the heated griddle in the batter and dip it again in hot oil. I love to see the batter slowly turning color and leave the griddle blooming into a pretty flower. I use a drop of vanilla and these flowers come out crisp and with an awesome smell. 

So here they are... To brighten up any day when I am not crocheting yarn flowers!!! 

Plarn = Yarn + Plastic!!

A quick post on some of my recent work..

I made this from throw away plastic bags, also known in the crochet world as plarn.. to denote yarn made from plastic.

I must say that it does make a pretty mat that is fairly soft and pliable and washable too.
The possibilities are endless with plarn, and the greatest benefit is the recycling part.. that appeals to me the most.
I simple cut out the strips and rolled them into a ball akin a yarn ball and started crocheting this.
I seem to have collected quite a few bags now.... Hoping to make more ...

 

Ebony and ivory

This is my dear old piano that I learnt piano on since age 7. The harmony and chirpy feeling that it offers me are captured into the chirpy blanket that I made. Yes it is for a baby but something different and bright with uncommon colors. Akin my piano that has got a facelift with new felts and tuning the blanket sings its own new melody. Hope you like the newness in this rather old patterned granny square.
Until next time stay chirpy!!
Love
Shanti

Cherry blossoms and love knots

Cherry blossoms .... Remain my favorite ones that I love.... When I weave love and cherry blossoms together this is what I get!! Love knots in crochet are called the Solomon knot, after the book of Solomon.
Pretty pink woven into an expandable bag that can be carried in one's pocket gets to be very versatile and utilitarian. Hope you like this love knot drawstring shopping bag I designed and made.

Hope you have all been keeping well.
Until my next post stay happy.
Love
Shanti