Crocheted Christmas Tree

While searching for Christmas trees, I landed here- a Crocheted Christmas Tree by Helen Free. It is so beautiful. The instructions for the tree are here:

http://www.enfys.me.uk/free-christmas-tree.htm

Visit the site. There are many more free patterns and basics of Crochet, techniques and many more. The designs are beautiful and very creative. 

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Crochet Lace

Crochet is one art which I love but don't have much practise. I used to create at one time-though not much complicated designs. I preferred working with wool as it was less strenuous and easy to complete. But working with cotton yarn is not my forte. 

I have bought some yarn now with the intention of taking up it once again and mastering it at least to some extent.  I should show my stash-for a person who doesn't have time to pursue all these, I have so much enthusiasm :).

Just recovering from my illness and still not very strong but one thing that motivates me is shopping for craft supplies. Yesterday my sis wanted something and I pitched in with her to go shopping. Though I was not able to walk around much, I picked up some very beautiful things.

Anyway one of them was this lace. Though I can make my own I somehow can't resist buying. After all the ladies who create this come from very poor back grounds. With the advent of machine made laces hand made ones have been badly hit in India. So I just buy as much my budget allows.

                 Crochet Lace

I also bought a smaller one. But by the time I was choosing this I was so rest less and in pain that I ended up buying the same design. Well its OK- it would be matching ones.

Here is the smaller one.

                   Crochet Lace

My sis bought many laces and some zardosi work. I could not photograph them as she was in a hurry. Let me see I will try to post those too.

Crocheted Baby Dress

I have been cleaning some of my old trunks and look what I have found. One of the baby dresses crocheted by my maternal grand mother. She was good at these things and I got my inspiration from her. She was especially good in Crocheting. The dress might have been made in a day or so sitting in the hospital watching over the expectant mother. 

The dress is very old one and has turned yellow. I need to wash it and see whether it can be turned to white. There are a few stains too. I may not be lucky with them. Any way I could not wait till I washed it. So I am posting this for you.

Its  a very simple one. No pattern just crocheted. But to me its value is "Priceless" as it has been made by my Gran who is no more. 


Oh by the way we call it sleeveless Jubbah. It can be worn by a girl or a boy. This was meant for a new born baby.

See the pattern is quite simple-slightly wide at the bottom. It has opening at both the shoulders with press buttons.

You can see the opening at the shoulders.

The pattern is plain simple and the edge at the bottom and the neck are same.

What you see above is the sleeve. It has got slightly scalloped edging. I have spread it in such a way that you can have a look at it. though it is simple what shines through it is my Gran's love and care for her children and grand children. I don't know for whom it was made. But I am sure we have all worn it.


She made many such things as she was innovative. But I have only  those which my mother brought along with her. The rest we could not find. May be they are some where in some old box waiting to be discovered. But these days many people don't care for such things. So even if discovered chances of preserving them may be remote. They neither preserve them for themselves nor give it to those who cherish such things. I feel sad but then it is not in my hands.


Well ...so keep a watch on my blog...so much to share with you all.........

Blouses In Fashion-Crocheted Blouse

Friends I have been out of touch with the happenings in fashion arena for some time now with me so busy with my work. But when I went around for shopping, I was amazed to see so many new designs and patterns especially in saris and  blouses. Here is one of them - a sari blouse-crocheted. The colour is showing as gray instead of light lavender shade. I just could not get it right. The thread used for this seems to be having a silvery sheen. Even the buttons have been covered with thread. There were only few colours, like the shocking pink, black, apple green, light blue and lavender all shot with silver metallic sheen. All of them looked like pearl shades with the silvery sheen.

Here is how it looks-so simple.

This is the scalloped neck on the front side.

This is front opening with the buttons too covered with the yarn used for crocheting.

This is the view of the neck on the back side.

This is the sleeve. Note the edges.

This is the bottom of the blouse. Those who can crochet can make this. It has been made in parts-two for the front one for the back and the sleeves and then attached with stitching. Hope you have liked this.

From Andhra...Crochet lace

Crochet is a French word meaning a hook. Its an art of creating lace from yarn using a needle with a hook. A loop or loops are created and pulled from other loops to create the lace. This is considered as one of the oldest crafts and its origin is not clear. Here is the link if any one wants to know more about the craft:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet

Crochet lace is much cheaper and easy to make at home when compared to other forms of laces. This was quite popular in India and still is popular since ancient times. Most of the women in India knew this art and we have our own designs and motifs. I remember my granny and mother creating, lotuses, gods and goddesses, butterflies and what not. Table cloths, bedspreads, bags, valances for doors and windows, door curtains, covers for trays, lace edging for petticoats, saris, even handkerchiefs were so popular. Skirts, for young children, even feeding bottle covers and flask covers were also in vogue.

This art though lost its popularity in between has now picked up again. We can now see skirts, doilies, table covers, cushion covers and bed spreads, used as lace edgings for various clothes, including saris, blouses and also used as patches on tunics or kurthas and odhnis (stoles) are now again popular.

Narsapur is a remote place in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for the crochet lace products. Women have formed co-operatives and create beautiful lace products. Much of it is exported earning huge foreign exchange. The designs and products have undergone change and are constantly modified to suit the demand and tastes of all those from different countries.

Here I share some of the products which were on display at a recent show...

The stall from Narsapur at one of the exhibitions,  selling all types of crochet items. You can see an array of colourful, skirts and tops for all ages...

 

Here is one of the designs. The thread used may be coarse cotton, or very fine cotton like that used in sewing machines....

See this colourful one how beautifully these colours were used in a beautifully made circular table cover with scalloped edges...

 

 Here you can see another one...

 See the circular patterns...

 

A closer look...

Friends I could not manage get any more pictures as it was getting late and I had to head back home...Ma y be next time I can click some more patterns for you

Crochet

I have lost my maternal Grannie recently. She was quite a lady. She married my Grandpa when she was just seven years old. She had to care for a huge joint family of In-laws, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives of my Grandpa. Apart from this friends and other distant relatives used to drop by regularly

My Grandpa's family were and are still highly regarded in the literary and musical circles in this part. He had a good knowledge of Carnatic and Hindustani Music. So when ever there were any concert in the town, the music stalwarts,used to stay in their home. It was a huge palatial home with a big garden. My mother, my aunts and uncles are all well trained in Carnatic or Hindustani music, either vocal or instrumental.

Any way my Grannie had a lot to do day and night. But in spite of that she learnt music, both singing and playing Veena all through raising the family of seven children. She wrote many songs on her own and composed them. She also collected and learned many traditional and folk songs from Sadhus, beggars and Musicians. She also passed BA in those days and was very good in English. Till she died she used to very proudly recall her student days in Girls school run by Christian missionaries. There she learned sewing, embroidery, crochet and many other such handicrafts. She was a very great cook and made the finest of delicacies, snacks, pickles, be it for one or hundred. She was also very well versed in Ayurveda and knew how to make many of the medicines.

Her enthusiasm for learning something new all the time, interacting with people from various regions, cultures and back grounds, learning about their culture, their cuisines, customs, traditions, art and crafts was boundless. This was what she taught me as a child.

Even when she was in bed, whenever someone used to visit her irrespective of the age of the visitor, she used to interact with them, knowing about latest fashions in clothes, jewelery, politics, movie stars, recipes...she was very lively and enthusiastic.
Any way coming to the point, when I was spring cleaning some old trunks, I landed upon some Crochet items she made. They are nearly 50 years old. Can they be called antique?Alas they have that yellowish tinge now and also have some rust marks. I could not remove them despite the best of my efforts or whiten them.

She had made lots of table covers, tray covers, bags, torans (used for decorating door ways), door curtains and many more. Her door curtains I remember were very beautiful. My mom also used to make many items. But again the door curtains were the in thing in those days. They used to depict mythological figures of Rama, Hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani mountain, Radha Krishna, Goddess Lakshmi standing/sitting in lotus, Goddess Saraswathi, floral motives like roses, lotuses, etc, birds like peacocks, swans, parrots and many other motives like deers, elephants etc. Alas I have only very few of my Gran's articles with me now.

I want to share some of the crochet my Grannie, my mom and my sis have made. I am trying to unearth more of my Gran's and mom's creations. Let me try my luck.

This is a circular tray cover. Such covers are used to cover trays when sweets, snacks or condiments are sent to our neighbors, relatives or friends kept in circular silver trays.

The center part of the cover.

This is the design on the edge.

Another circular tray cover

My Grannie used to put her initials in all her creations.

These are collar for blouses-unfinished

This is a square shaped table/tray cover made by Grannie.

See my Grannie's initials. BSM.

Meant to be bag for carrying lunch to school by kids; made by my Grannie.

Another one, note the design. But such an ugly spot. I could not remove it. Any suggestions for removing the ugly spot? Please let me know. I would be very grateful.

Other side of the bag.

Another piece of circular cover.

This is the cover for feeding bottle made by my Grannie or my mom. Later on it was used to carry flask. This looks a bit freash since I washed it with some stain remover hot water.

The Toran or curtain for door ways.
This is yet again a circular tray cover. but made by my sister.

Center of the cover.

This one is made by my sister, with scraps of wool. She is much more proficient in crochet than me. I somehow don't have much interest in this art, though I can create some pieces myself.

This one is again made by my sis. But this is the one which made by using the nails on a frame and knotting the yarn. I don't know what this art is called. Can any one please tell me?

Hope you have enjoyed this. Please do let me know. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and I would be very much interested in knowing please.