Spring Fun Sling Bag

I think spring is the best time to have flowery stuff around you. My plants are just sprouting and it’s going to be awhile before they grow big enough to bloom flowers. So until then I thought of adding more colors to my life through these appliques - crocheted flowers on my bag. I like the feel of the moss stitch the bag is made up of. It is very easy to crochet this bag – you just need to make the front and back portions separately and seam it with the straps. It works up very fast too! I used rows of single crochet stitches for the straps and the entire body is made of moss stitch. I changed the set up rows for the stitch based on my requirements. I've added the pattern notes for the stitch at the end of this post if you're curious to try. I'd suggest trying a small square piece to see if you like a pattern before trying it on your actual work. 

Crochet Hook used: US I/9

Yarn: Any medium worsted weight 

Moss stitch pattern:

* Chain an even number of stitches

* SC in the 2nd stitch, *CH1, SC in the next Ch-space* Repeat the pattern till you reach the desired length.

Cozy Cardinals

I guess this is how the cardinals will look outside my house right now, comfy in their scarves chit chatting on a pine tree on a cloudy winter day. They brighten the cold and gloomy days with their color and whistles. I got this small Cardinal sculpture from a run-down shop in the middle of nowhere on a trip to Virginia and I thought it looked pretty with the painting. I kept looking at it for a while and realized the doll did not have a scarf. So I immediately looked through my scrap yarns and found a perfect green one to match. I knit a small scarf for the birdie and as it was a bright day I went outside to click a picture of the bird in its natural habitat. And that’s the story of the how the cardinal got its scarf! 

Crocheted Fruits

I wanted a fruits set for my Navaratri Golu. Last year I made clay models of fruits and dolls that you can view here
Everyone in my family has a sweet tooth. I still remember my grandad’s sweet hunt sessions. He used to leave no vessel unturned to find his favourite sweet hidden by my grandma. But fresh fruits or anything healthy generally needs a reminder. So I planned to use these crocheted fruits as a centrepiece on our dining table. That way, whenever I look at them I am reminded of the daily fruits quota of the diet. That still doesn’t stop us from chocolate hunting though! Above all, fruits are a yummy thing to crochet and can be used as a yarn decor throughout the year at home.

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The Loopy Scarf

This scarf has been pending for quite some time now as I wanted to watch the blue skies while knitting this. And that is not a very easy occurrence here in this season. As the winter is nearing the end, I did not want to make a heavy scarf and I think it has turned out to be a light fancy one suitable for the spring. This pattern requires intermediate skill level as there is a shape variation to the scarf that makes use of more stitches other than the basic knits and purls. The loops attracted me to this pattern and now I am eagerly waiting for a slightly less cold weather to try it on. I’ve also got the fragrant Hyacinth blooms to get into spring mode. In the meantime, I let the Teddy enjoy it ;)

This is how the scarf looks when stretched out. Easy to wrap around, isn't it?

Yarn used: Premier Yarns Sweet Roll

Needles: US 10 (Although the pattern recommended US 9, my knitting tension required a size more)

Link to free pattern: https://www.premieryarns.com/products/premier-loopy-fringed-scarf

Crocheted Oranges

I saw Orange trees recently and since then I’ve had a sudden liking for the citrus. Amidst all the painting challenges, I wanted to have a quick win crochet project to get back in form for a bigger crochet work. This pattern is also exciting for me because it is my own and very first 3D pattern. This has certainly expanded my scope to create more crocheted objects. When I showed the crocheted oranges to the kid next door, he started reciting a list of fun facts about Oranges. Apparently, the name of the fruit came into existence before the color orange. He also said orange is a type of berry. I didn't know that! So now you can guess what I am going to be crocheting next. That’s right – strawberries and blueberries coming your way soon!