Why I Craft

Why I Craft, Part I: Making Wonderful Friendships

Around the time I started blogging, I "met" Leslie via a Granny Square swap. Over the years, we have become great friends. She is funny, wise, and wonderful. I hope that one day, we will get to meet. Leslie knit up this beautiful sweater for Anya. Thank you, my friend. You are awesome.

Why I Craft, Part II: Learning New Things (and winning Prizes!)

At their 200th blog post celebration, I won a granny pincushion at Erin and Sarah's (a crafty sister team) blog. I never ever thought of the idea of making a pincushion with granny inspiration. Well. At our home, the pincushion is Anya's latest toy. I am sure Erin and Sarah will not mind.

Why I Craft, Part III: Making Gifts for yet to exist Persons

I don't knit socks. I don't plan to knit socks. I possess sock yarn. So with the intent of using my sock yarn stash (!), I began this little baby shirt. I started it in early 2009, and finished it last weekend. It took a little more than a year. Ah.

I made it up as I went along, so unfortunately don't even remember how many stitches I started with. I did at one time (sometime last year, I think), but memory is a strange phenomenon. It is a top down beauty--with a pretty button courtesy my friend, Penelope. I just realized that this lone hat goes with this shirt. There you go--anyone having a baby girl anytime soon?

Yarn: Knitpicks Dancing (discontinued); 1.46 skeins
Pattern: My own concoction
Size: 3-6 months
Hook: 2.5mm

Why I Craft, Part IV: For that warm, fuzzy feeling when you see your baby in your handknits

More and More for Anya. And then some for ME.

More gifts for Anya. I wish I could take all the pictures at once, but that would take a whole day. And a whole day for myself does not exist in my life anymore. So here you go.

This what my PhD colleagues and crafty friends, Rachel and Diane, made for Anya. Rachel made the super, very quirky (which we love!), circular granny blanket. We leave it on our recliner and Anya gets all mesmerized every time she looks at it. The little booties and elephant (elephant!) bib are from Diane. I so wanted to make the same bib when I was pregnant, but well, I have a zillion projects going on then. Thank you, my friends! It is so sad that one have to waste precious knitting time on writing a dissertation. Oh darn it.

Getting back to me. You know, me? After all that crazy amount of baby knitting in 2009, I am so done for a while. This year is going to be about ME. The "All about Me" 2010. To get me started, I needed something that was quick and super fast. I had two skeins of this yarn, sitting in my stash forever, so Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet came to the rescue.

Held double, the two skeins ran out very quickly. I managed to trade in some yarn for a skein on Ravelry (Ah, have I told you that some friends and I are on "yarn diet/destash/knit from stash" health plan? Basically that translates to no buying yarn until June 2010. Stay tuned). So this little shrug is product of 2.75 skeins of worsted weight. I love it.

I thought reverse stockinette stitch was not for me. It just seems wrong. Does that make sense? But I do like it--as the designer of this pattern says, it looks quite vintage. Vintage works for me. I did think of putting a button at the neckline, but I prefer the shrug without one.

Pattern: Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet (free)
Yarn: Berreco Peruvia (2.75 skeins; held double)
Needle: US 11 for body; US 10 for rib
Size: 33-34
Modifications:
- For the front garter bands, I had 5 stitches for each front. I cant stand it when the neckline rolls.
- After I separated the sleeves, started ribbing for the body bottom edge immediately.

Childhood

We had a small kiddie party for Anya a couple of weekends ago at her grandparents' home. It seemed like it had flooded kids. I am grateful for the opportunity--for me, having a child is a second chance at childhood.

I wanted the children to do something crafty (of course) at the party, so we picked painting. It was so much of fun--some of the adults joined in too. Ha. Some of the kids left their canvases behind...to be later put up in Anya's room.

I was determined to knit Anya a dress for the party. Actually, I wanted to make her something for Xmas. I casted on mid December--and panicked. Too little time, too much pressure. I dont work well under pressure. She wore a store bought dress for Xmas.

When the New Year began, I picked up the dress again. (Yes, I made it up the pattern, and no, unfortunately, I did not write it up as I went along). It was the first baby garment post-Anya. And it was exciting and unnerving at the same time. Exciting because I could keep trying it on her as I went along (she has no choice but get used to this kind of dress up). Unnerving because this had to be perfect. I mean, I could not make a garment that did not fit her--especially now that she was here (!) At one point, I just wished I could knit the dress ON her. (Again, it is time she gets used to these crazy ideas).

I am pleased with the outcome. It is a simple top down dress, with skirt increases at regular intervals on either side. I picked up stitches for the collar and button band. Hello Kitty buttons for pleasure. The yarn is a perfect fit--it has great stitch definition and feels real good in the hands. The dress fit Anya well--hopefully one day, she will look at her baby pictures, and notice that she is wearing a dress made by her mom. And hopefully that will get her curious about one, the obvious--about art, craft, and inspiration--and two, move beyond the obvious--what it means to create, evolve, challenge, and differ. That, in my mind, will complete the circle of my crafting.

Pattern: my own recipe
Yarn: Lion Brand's LB Collection Superwash Merino in Antique (0.75 skein)
Needle: US 5
Size: 3 months

Modelling Job

Hi, this is Anya. I am writing this blog post because well, that lady who usually writes it (aka Mom) says she wants a break from mothering, and has gone to get her nails done. She has become a little weird(er) lately. I woke up this morning...nice sunny morning, great weather. There she was---a little grumpy. Fine, I kept her up and about the whole of yesterday, but hey, cant she take some heat. Well. I guess not. Wimp.

Anyway, she was kind enough to feed me some breakfast and then boom. She says--"Lets get this day started, Missy." Day started! Already? She lays me on the bed, pulls out this camera, and here we go. The craziness. She (and that guy who lives in this house) says that I need to work for a living. So here I am, posing away for these zillion camera clicks.

Wow. The first picture is of a gift for ME! Cupcake hat. Thank you, Mazhalai! I am loving it. I was told that mom called me Cupcake before I showed up. I love the bright red pompom. Thanks again and kisses to little Neyan.

Orange hat. Mom made it--not for me, but for someone else who is going to have a baby soon. Who? She does not know yet. I told you--she is kinda messed up in her head. She put some cute buttons on the hat--it has some great attitude...just like me.

Pattern: Single Crochet Beanie
Yarn: Lion Brand's Cotton Ease
Size: 3-6 months

Finally. Mom made this hat for ME. About time. It goes with this sweater of mine. The yarn is from the leftover stuff from several projects. It is still kinda too big for me--I am told it will fit me in the coming Fall.

Pattern: Single Crochet Beanie
Yarn: Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton DK
Hook: 3.5mm
Size: 12 months

I dont know what I am doing in the following project pictures, but whatever. This is the Beanie and Scarf mom made for herself a few weeks before I was born. She said that she was sick of making baby projects (cheeky or what). She whipped it out in a couple of days and has been wearing it ever since. She boasts to Dad that people she meets love her scarf. Dad told me--they better...it cost $$$ to make it. Some investment. Mom calls it her "Pre-Baby, Indulgence Scarf".

Pattern for Beanie: Single Crochet Beanie
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Wool (0.5 skeins in 7803); Noro Silk Garden (301) for edging
Hook: 5mm
Size: Woman's

Patten for Scarf: Shell Stitch pattern from Stitch N' Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (4 skeins in 301)
Hook: 5mm

Two Months

Yesterday, Anya turned two months. Two months. Was it just a few days ago that she decided to show up? Or has she been here forever?

This is how she looked when we brought her home. Yes, all decked out in a ducky outfit. The hat and mittens are made by knitting friend, Tomo. Aren't they super cute! My entire family loves the oh so silly, oh so cute hat. Tomo also makes wonderful things for sale--hats, hairbands, mitts, gloves. Let me know if you are interested to see her wares.

And this is Anya now. Yesterday, to be precise. Yap. It is the same blanket in the pictures above. Made by me. The granny square obsessed me. I made the blanket a month before she made her appearance. I had all this mercerized cotton that I just wanted to get off my hands. Who knew that this would the most used blanket during Anya's first few months? Maybe it is because Suketu loves it--for its car seat-friendly size and colors (he is going through a green phase).

Pattern: Good Old Granny Square
Yarn: Rowan RYC Siena in brown (2.9 skeins) and sage green (3 skeins)
Hook: 3.25mm
Size: 24 inches * 24 inches

Useful Things

What were you this Turkey Day? Anya was a pumpkin--well, for some of the time. She was not very happy about her over-sized pumpkin hat...but I must say she did super well during our little photo session.

In the Thanksgiving spirit, thanks is due to knit blogger and now Bangalore knitting friend, Anjali. She made the cutest little version of Pebble. The crazy part of this whole story is that she first made Baby Sophisticate, but by the time she finished it, she realized I made one too. Then when she was just about putting on the buttons on Pebble, she saw that I made that too. But I told her enough was enough. Send me my gift already (!) And Anjali's Pebble is in a smaller size, so Anya will be able to wear it real soon.

When I started making stuff for Anya, I was on the hunt for practical, useful baby patterns. And I tried to stick to that agenda. And now that the baby is finally here, it is verdict time.

After all the blankets I made, this little kicking sack has been the most useful thing around. (I cant say much about the baby garments, as are 6 months and up size). Made in sock yarn from stash, it is light enough to be worn on a cool night, and yet the wool is good enough for a winter day. And the best part of it is all is when Anya is just hanging out in a t-shirt and diaper and wants a little something. I just pull up the sack all the way to her waist (should I say chest!) and she is good to go. And she cannot kick it off...the way she always does so with a blanket. To make the sack more kicker friendly, I made some increases half way down the project...every 10 rows, about 4 times. Anya is a little kicking machine--if I were to make this again, I would make the increases some more times.

When I started this sack pattern, I thought I would hate it. But the cables were a little joy to knit and the stockinette was mindless bliss. Some people on Ravelry found the pattern too time-consuming because of the sock weight yarn, but I loved it. Its another story that I dont knit socks.

Pattern: Kicking Bag for Babies (free download at Ravelry)
Yarn: Zitron Trekking (XXL); colorway 108; 0.75 skeins
Needle: US 2.5
Size: Newborn - 6 months
Modifications: Half way, I made a set of increases at beginning of the round, and halfway during the round. This was done every 10 rounds, four times. If your kid is a kicker, I would recommend making these increases around 3-4 times. Makes the bag much more roomy.

Birth Announcement

I am grateful to have several crafty friends around the world. I think their presence became/has become more prominent in my life after Cupcake. They have made some of the most stunning things for the baby--over the next several weeks (months?), you will see exactly what I am talking about.

One exception. Fellow-blogger and now real-life friend, Angela, made something for me during my pregnancy. How cool is that. It is a beautiful shawl, in the most beautiful RED--my most favorite color. Here is a picture from her blog, and click here for project details. Every time I wear it, almost everyone wants to know all about it. Angela--thank you.

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It has been a while since Suketu and I sent out mass postal mail. A month before my due date, I started working on the birth announcement. Suketu's friend, Mariann, put it all together and once Anya was born, we inserted photographs. A big thank you to Mariann--for patiently working through several (several) drafts with me.

The outcome expresses some key ideas:
1. A fun, yet mature aesthetic: Hey, I love all things baby, but not totally into the "babyish" thing. I quickly realized that colors usually do the trick.
1. Bright, cheerful colors: Pastels were not an option. A yellow-orange and brown worked. (I dont know how those creative guys do it. So many hues of the same darn color.)
2. Homemade photography: Holy Molly. Babies love fast-moving poses. No baby styling involved--it was a good weather day, and Anya was wide awake. The green onesie that Suketu loves was a mere coincidence. I would have loved for her to wear an Indian outfit, but everything I have is way too big right now.
3. A tree: Since Gravity plays such a central role, there had to be a tree somewhere. Mariann dug up the perfect one.
4. Font: I have always been intrigued with this particular font. It looks like Hindi, but it is really English. Dont ask me where you can find the font file--I am sure if you are tech -savy, you will find it in no time. I had my brother do the searching.

And here it is the finished product.