New year, new beginnings and some old memories

Pin It

Hi to all of you who still visit my blog and read my posts. I know I disappeared from blogland all of a sudden. There have been some major events that happened since my last post in early August. We moved to a different house in October. Preparing to move, moving, settling into the new home and new routine all took my mind away from blogging and also crocheting. I like this new house better than the older one (both not our own).

There are plenty of pigeons in our building. The house has a courtyard and it makes it easier for the pigeons to even come into the house. 

One even built a nest inside a box that I had temporarily stored on a cupboard. At the same time another one made a nest outside the house on a windowsill. There were two eggs in the one outside on the windowsill and 1 egg on the cupboard. All 3 hatched on the same day, that was 2 days before the new year. For the first time I saw baby birds this close and that too within a few minutes of hatching.

There are a few squirrels living in a tree close to a window. They are not very scared of humans and always coming in through the open window demanding to be fed. I always leave some nuts for them. They remind me of our pet squirrel named Bujju from many years ago.

My husband brought home this baby found abandoned on the road. Our Bujju loved coffee! Every time I finish my morning coffee and leave the cup on the table he will dive into the cup and finish off the remaining few drops. 

He was more attached to me than my husband or kid. Whenever I sit on the table to work he used to climb to my shoulders and lick my neck. His tongue was scratchy like a cat's tongue.

He was with us only for a few months. We lost him to a stray cat that sneaked into the house and carried him away. Poor baby, we still miss him. I never knew squirrels could be this friendly until we had Bujju in our life. 

Moving on to other things, something else is keeping me distracted from crochet. I suddenly find myself attracted to miniatures and dollhouse making. I had always liked miniatures and dollhouses but this sudden obsession is something which is new. I don't know what started it but the next thing I knew I was pinning dollhouses, miniature stuff and tutorials, watching youtube videos and following miniature blogs. I even started making a dollhouse out of cardboard, the progress is slow and I'm making plenty of mistakes but learning from them. I might even make a tutorial here on how to build a dollhouse from scratch. I'm not entirely giving up on crochet but I have already started exploring ways to combine both.

This is the unfinished shell of my dollhouse. It will have 3 floors, lower floor, upper floor and an attic. Not so attractive to look, right? Wait and watch! 

As I said I haven't stayed away from crochet. I did make a cardigan for myself. I was even planning to write a free pattern for it. It looked alright after finishing, it looked alright on my dress form but it doesn't look alright on me. I'm not pleased with the neck. It looks way too broad on me but I'm not going to alter it now. 

I also started a pullover for my son. It's almost done but I'm not pleased with that one too. Something is not looking right. I think I didn't get the armholes right but I'm not going to do anything about it now, maybe later. I'm too distracted by dollhouses.

The scrap yarn hexagon blanket is taking a lot of time to complete. I wanted to finish it by the end of the year but obviously now it's going to need probably another year. 

I'll leave you with this. I have rambled enough for now. Most probably my next post would be a tutorial on dollhouse. Enjoy your weekend!

New patterns - launch offer 30% off

Pin It

I have listed 2 new patterns in my shops. The blue one is the Madelyn top pattern which is easy consisting of only few basic crochet stitches and therefore is suitable for a beginner. I have written the pattern for 2 sizes - adult small/medium which would fit a bust size of 34-36 inches and medium/large for a bust size of 38 to 40 inches

The grey one is the twisted cables cardigan which consists of advanced crochet stitches and would be suitable only for someone who knows advanced crochet stitches and has a knowledge of how cables are worked. This is my most difficult pattern to design ever. It gave me plenty of headaches but I was determined not to give up at any point and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I have written this pattern for 5 adult sizes ranging from a bust size of 34 to 42 inches.  

I made it with and without sleeves. 

As a launch offer I'm giving 30% off of these two patterns when you buy them from my webstore and also from Ravelry. You don't need any coupon code. The price will be automatically reduced during check out. I hope you enjoy these patterns.

Other than crochet

Pin It

I used to be a hobby-hopper, always hopping from one craft to another, but after taking up crochet seriously I haven't done much of hopping around. Once in a while I do try other things like sewing, knitting or sketching and I thought I would show you some of the things other than crochet that I made recently or still making. I should mention though that I am only at the beginner level and not an expert.

I am very pleased with the way my kindle sleeve turned out. I never used my sewing machine to sew anything other than repairing or altering clothes. Except for the basic ones I'm not even familiar with most of the functions of my sewing machine. So making a Kindle sleeve is a big achievement for me though the finishing is not that good. I used my son's old shirt. I even embroidered a flower with the aid of Youtube videos. 

I love to draw but I don't consider my drawings show-off worthy so they don't get featured here often. Anyway I thought I'll show you a couple of interesting pages from my sketch book - the A and B pages. I'm trying to fill each page with images starting with each letter but so far I have managed to fill in only the A and B pages though I started this roughly 2 years ago. 2 years for 2 letters, so will it take me 24 more years to finish this? 

A for ...

B for ...

I am also doing a cross stitch. It's called Victorian elegance. 

    Ok, so that's it. 

Triangle shawl - free pattern

Pin It

Hi, here I am back after a long break with a free pattern for you. I got back from my vacation three weeks ago but was busy finishing the cardigan pattern that was incomplete and needed some finishing touches. Once I completed the cardigan I started this shawl. 

Before going to the pattern I'll let you have a sneak peek of my latest pattern, the twisted cable cardigan that will be available soon.

Coming back to the shawl, it took me about 2 days to design and make this shawl. I picked up bright colors for the shawl because I needed some color therapy after working with grey predominantly. 

You can purchase the PDF version of the pattern from here for a small amount. The PDF contains a chart as well as instruction to customize the shawl size. 

Click here to add it to your Ravelry queue or favorite it

Click here to like my facebook page

Instruction

This is an easy pattern consisting of only a few basic stitches. The pattern is written in standard American crochet terms 

Materials

Sport weight yarn approximately 335 yards

Crochet hook size D/3.25 mm

Tapestry needle

Size

The shawl has a width of approximately 50 inches and height of 29 inches without blocking

Stitches/abbreviations used

ch - chain

sl st - slip stitch

sc - single crochet (UK - double crochet)

dc - double crochet (UK - treble crochet)

dc2tog/dc3tog - double crochet stitches working together in 2/3 consecutive stitches

tr - treble (UK - double treble)

Pattern

Row 1: Ch 284, dc in 5th ch from hook, ch 3, skip 3 ch, 3 dc in next ch, ch 3, **skip 3 ch, dc3tog, ch 3, skip next 3 ch, 3 dc in next ch, ch 3**. Repeat from ** to ** across, you will have 5 ch in the end, skip 3 ch, dc2tog. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 4, dc in next 3 dc, **ch 7, dc in next 3 dc** Repeat from ** to ** across, tr in ch after last dc. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 3, dc3tog, **ch 3, 3 dc in ch-7 space, ch 3, dc3tog** Repeat from ** to ** across until last dc3tog, dc in next ch. Turn.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the triangle is complete. Fasten off and weave in the loose ends.

Easter egg Minions - free pattern

Pin It

If you are looking for a fun, last-minute Easter egg crochet idea, this is it. It's very quick and you can create many variations in expression using the same pattern. Make them without the overalls or if you want a little more detailing add the overalls. I made 3, one with overalls and two without. Both are equally adorable. If you are a fan of minions you'll certainly love this pattern!

I used sport weight yarn and size D/3.25 mm crochet hook. This gave me a minion which is about 3.75 inches high and 2.75 inches wide. The pattern is easy and uses only simple stitches, so it is suitable for a beginner. 

Instruction

Materials:

Sport weight yarn in yellow, blue, black, white and grey

Crochet hook size D/3.25 mm

Fiberfill or yarn scraps for filling

Black beads for eyes

Stitch marker

Thread and needle to sew

Abbreviations/stitch terms used:

As always I have used standard American terms

ch - chain

sl st- slip stitch

sc - single crochet (UK - double crochet)

sc2tog - sc decrease 

Note: 

I have given below the instruction for making the minion without overalls.

Work in continuous rounds without joining at the end of each round. Use a stitch marker to mark the 1st st at the beginner of every round.

Round 1: Using blue, ch 2, 6 sc in the 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12)

Round 3: [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (18)

Round 4: [sc in 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (24)

Round 5: [sc in 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (30)

Round 6: [sc in 4 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (36)

Round 7 to 12: sc in each st around (36)

Round 13: Pull yellow through the loop and working into the back loops only, sc in each st around (36). You can cut off the blue yarn.

Round 14 to 20: sc in each st around (36)

Round 21: [sc in 4 sts, sc2tog] 6 times (30)
Round 22: sc in each st around (30)

Round 23: [sc in 3 sts, sc2tog] 6 times (24)

Round 24: sc in each st around (24)

You can start stuffing at this point. 

Round 25: [sc in 2 sts, sc2tog] 6 times (18)

Round 26: sc in each st around (18)

Round 27: [sc in next st, sc2tog] 6 times (12)

Push in as much filling as possible.

Round 28: sc2tog 6 times (6). Cut off yarn leaving a long tail. Thread the yarn through a needle and weave in through every st until the opening the closed.

Goggles

Round 1: Using white ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around 

Round 3: Pull grey through the loop and working into the back loops only, [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] around. Cut off yarn and weave in the ends.

Strap

Using black, ch 35, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Cut off yarn and weave in the ends.

Finishing

Sew the black strap around the head about 1 inch from the top. Sew the goggle round at the place where both the ends of the strap meet. Sew a black bead at the center of the white part. Embroider mouth.

To make the minion with the overall, the pattern for the body is the same as given above except for a few changes. Instead of working with the blue yarn until round 12, stop at round 10. Join yellow at round 11 and continue the pattern but do not sew the goggles and strap.

Row 1: To make the overall, join the blue yarn to the front loop of any stitch and sc in 10 sts. Turn

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Ch 8. Cut off yarn. This will form one strap of the overall.

Leave 8 sts on either side and repeat the instruction for the back. Then join both the straps to the overall.

Now you can sew the strap and goggles. Make different facial expression for each minion by altering the position of the beads and the way you embroider the mouth. You'll love them!

   

Crochet basket - free pattern

Pin It

I made these baskets few days ago. I wanted one to hold my embroidery skeins while I work on the cross stitch that I started a month ago. So I made the broad tray sort of basket with handles. 

It's a simple one but I used one round in the middle of an interesting stitch pattern that I found in the 99 Crochet Post Stitches book. And I made one more tiny one just to see how this stitch would look when used as an edging. 

Instruction

Materials

Heavy worsted weight yarn in a main color and a contrasting color

Crochet hook size H/5.00 mm

Yarn needle

Stitch markers

Stitches Used/Abbreviations

ch - chain

sl st - slip stitch

sc - single crochet (UK- double crochet)

hdc - half double crochet (UK - half treble)

fpdc - front post double crochet

Note

The instruction is for the broad tray type basket with handles.

Unless specified work in continuous rounds placing a stitch marker at the 1st stitch of each round to identify the beginning of a round.

Round 1: Using the main color, make a magic ring and work 6 sc into the ring (or) ch 2 and 6 sc in the 2nd ch from hook.

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sts)

Round 3: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18 sts)

Round 4: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (24 sts)

Round 5: sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (30 sts)

Round 6: [sc in 4 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (36 sts)

Round 7: sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 5 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (42 sts)

Round 8: [sc in 6 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (48 sts)

Round 9: sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 7 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (54 sts)

Round 10: [sc in 8 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (60 sts)

Round 11: sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 9 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (66 sts)

Round 12: [sc in 10 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (72 sts)

Round 13: sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 11 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (78 sts)

Round 14: [sc in 12 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times (84 sts)

Round 15: sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st, [sc in 13 sts, 2 sc in next st] 5 times (90 sts)

Round 16: sc in each st around. Join the last sc with a sl st to the 1st sc (90 sts)

Round 17 (work into back loops only): Ch 2 (counts as 1st hdc), hdc in the back loop of each st around. Join with a sl st to the 2nd ch at the beginning of round.

Round 18: Ch 2 (counts as 1st hdc), working into both the loops, hdc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the 2nd ch at the beginning of round.

Round 19: Join a contrasting color, ch 2 (counts as hdc), fpdc around the post of previous st, **skip next st, hdc in next st, fpdc around the post of the skipped st** Repeat from ** to ** around. Join with a sl st to the 2nd ch.

Round 20: Join main color, ch 1 (does not count as a st), sc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the 1st sc.

Round 21: Ch 1 (does not count as a st), sc in 1st sc, ch 12, skip 10 sc, sc in next 35 sc, ch 12, skip next 10 sc, sc in 34 sc. Join with a sl st to the 1st sc.

Round 22: Ch 1, sc in each sc and sc in each ch around. Join and cut off yarn. Weave in all the loose ends.  

The cross stitch that you see in the background is the "Victorian Elegance." I wonder how many years it's going to take me to finish it. 

Tiffany shawl

Pin It

Hey everybody, how are things with you this week? After a whole week of feeling so awful after giving away Misty I've eventually started feeling better now. I completed this shawl on the day we gave off Misty. I had scheduled to publish the pattern last week but I couldn't do it because I was feeling terrible, moreover my son was having his exam and I had to pay a little more attention to him. 

Anyhow the pattern is here now and I'm loving it. The shawl is so delicate and elegant as I had imagined and I'm 100% satisfied with the outcome. Normally, I don't design anything with a definite plan. I am a very bad planner and organizer. I start with an idea, sometimes I even make a rough sketch of it and then I go wherever the pattern takes me. Sometimes it takes me in the right direction and sometimes I take so many detours that the end result is far from what I had imagined. Luckily this pattern took me in the right direction and I'm totally pleased with how the shawl looks and feels.

I used fingering weight yarn and D/3.25 mm crochet hook. The finished shawl after blocking has a wingspan of about 62 inches and a height of 25 inches. The pattern includes charts. 

As a launch offer I am giving 30% discount when you buy it from my webstore. You don't need any coupon code, it's already discounted. 

If you are purchasing from my Ravelry store, use coupon code tiff30 to avail the discount. Offer valid till 18th March. 

Have a great day!