Flora & Fauna - The Traditional Way

And that’s a wrap for my line of knitted purses. I’ve used the motif of a traditional Indian bird – Annam, which is known for separating good from bad as I wanted to connect this skill back to my traditional designs. The back side of the purse has a simple flower pattern. I wondered a month ago, if I could create a whole new design graph on my own and transfer them to knitting and now here I stand with the finished product that I am so proud of!

Time for a little background about my knitted Purse series. The fascination for knitted purses came from a novel  I read last year – The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I tried my first knitted purse as soon as I finished the book. Now as an addition to that, I designed a full range of knitted purses and learnt a new technique for each one that I made. It was not an easy process, I admit. I spent hours experimenting to get the right pattern and size. Sometimes the stitches wouldn’t come out as I’d anticipated or the size would be different. At the end of this exercise, I’ve learnt to knit slip stitch patterns, read charts, knit stranding patterns and design my own charts for future projects. It’s been such an incredible journey of learning and experimenting for me. And thank you all for cheering me on all the way!

Floral Delight

Flowers are always a happiness booster. I’ve improved from textures and patterns to floral designs on my purse - courtesy to a knitting technique known as stranding. It produces a thick double layered fabric and can create any motif desired. This purse has a different design on both sides. I went to the age old way of learning to understand stranding – reading books! Surprisingly, it was way easier than any video I found online. The books had a wealth of information and clear illustrations to explain the process. I chanced upon this floral chart in one such book and modified it based on my needs. This new technique that I’ve learnt has opened up a lot of opportunities to try various motifs!

Golden Glow

Another cute knitted purse - these vibrant colors are a perfect joy for someone missing the bright sunshine in the cold winter days. I’ve used three colors in this lovely slip stitch pattern which has the green and maroon nesting in the golden yellow. It is a 5 stitches and 24 rows repeat pattern. It has the perfect repeat ratio for me not too boring to do the same over and over, yet has some to help me stay in track. I am amazed at the possibilities of tweaking the stitches a little bit to get endless outcomes. It is indeed a fun hobby to have. Enjoy the golden glow! 

Sapphire Hues

Colour play is fun. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this purse. It has a stockinette stitch look in the background in a bright blue and has a second layer on top of it with the maroon curves. I learnt a new technique of knitting with the strands of yarn few rows below and I absolutely loved the result. I chose these colours as I have a saree with the same combination that I wore during my wedding. With each purse that I knit a new feather is added to the cap and I am glad it worked out this way. I really can’t wait for the summer to wear all my sarees with their perfect accessories!

Blue Waves

My latest fad is colour knitting – bound to happen for a person who loves colours. I’ve changed colours in earlier projects but this new technique is totally awesome. It lets me create a variety of designs and textures, play with the colour palettes to create vibrant products according to my taste and needs.  The pattern for this purse was done using a slip stitch technique. It is very easy to knit and the finished look is fantastic. It is infact deceiving to the eyes since when worked in stripes, the row knit with a single colour of yarn has the presence of a second colour due to the slip stitch making it a classy pattern. This purse though worked in the horizontal rows has vertical stripes giving it a stranding effect. The illusions that can be created by this technique are many. I am planning to share my full set of knitted purses with you all in the coming weeks. So stay tuned!

Wonders of Nature

I recently went to an art fair and the simple but wonderful themed paintings spiked my interest in painting again. I’ve been wanting to paint on these adorable little canvas panels since then.  Each season is very unique in the place I live now and that is the inspiration for my painting here. Winter is the longest period here for around 5-6 months and the other seasons share the remaining time making them extra desirable. And for a person who has grown up in a place that is warm throughout the year, after the first dreamy snow shower the heart yearns for the warmth of the sun again. The complete cycle of creation to destruction in nature is practically before our eyes which gives us the chance to appreciate the wonders of nature more than ever.

An Autumn Scene

It’s that orange time of the year! Shorter days and longer nights, leaves changing colors and dropping down - Things that were just textbook facts are now a reality before my eyes. All the seasons here have distinct features that changes your lifestyle every few months -  from the dress you wear to the food you eat. Though you want the hot summer to last longer, the pleasant autumn has its own charm that makes you want to enjoy this season. So here is my acrylic painting to mark the beginning of fall.

Victory Violets!

Color knitting has been on my to-do list for a while now. I’ve worked on simple color changes earlier  like the one in beanie. But I did not know the techniques for complex patterns or for reading knitting charts. After a lot of research I stumbled upon a book from my local library with beautiful patterns. It took me a lot of time and effort to understand the charts and figure out how to actually bring about those designs in knitting. It wasn’t my first time just with color knitting; I also had to figure out the stitching part for the lining and zipper. I managed to do that with the basic hand stitching knowledge that I had. After a lot of trials and errors, here I am finally with a wonderful violet purse completed with a soft and sparkly yarn from Caron which I think would go well with my silk saree also. I just realised that my first ever knitting project was also in a similar shade. Violets bring me victory, probably! Now that I have a scarf, a beanie and a purse in this shade I am planning to make something new with the fluffy balls of yarn that you can see in the picture. Aren’t they cute?

Yarn Used: Caron Simply Soft Party Yarn – Purple

Knitting needle size – US 6

Dainty Little Hummingbird

On a pleasant evening, I was enjoying the evening air in the company of my flowers when I suddenly noticed a very small bird buzzing over. It was fluttering it’s wings fast and moving deftly between the flowers. I went to take a closer look and immediately noticed the unique, long beak. It was a HUMMINGBIRD! I’ve read about this bird as a child but I’ve never seen one live in such close quarters. It was magical, watching such a small bird flying around trying to find nectar from the flowers. Since then, I wait for the Hummingbird everday and I should say I got pretty lucky this week when it visited my patio more than once. But as it is getting colder the irds will start migrating soon. I’ll wait with this painting until next spring to catch a glimpse of the hummingbird again. Nature is the best inspiration for us to create!

Garden Shawl

The end of summer is almost here – that time of the year when it is not too cold for a coat but not warm enough for just a shirt. So I made this light shawl as a wrap to enjoy an evening stroll. It was fun to work with this yarn as they had a lovely mix of rose, lavender, mint and grey. The shades matched the petunias growing in my patio and I spent many a summer evening there with yarn in hand surrounded by flowers. I should admit, my mind wanders at such times and I get thoughtful. I realized when I was halfway through the shawl that I favoured the rose and lavender over the mint and grey and would always think if I crocheted fast enough I would be done with the less adorable shades and reach my favourite ones. I’d like to do that in real life as well - Just lie low through the tough times and ensure you make the most out of your best times. And towards the end I even started liking the Mint that I chose it to make the standout color by using it for the border of my shawl completely. So to anyone who is going through tough times – Just hang in there, rosier times are awaiting you!

Yarn Used: Joy DK Loops & Threads

Needle Size: G/6

Pattern Link: http://www.michaels.com/loops-and-threads-joy-dk-crochet-trellis-shawl-project/B_85807.html