Happy Birthday to my Mommy!

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday! Haaaaaapppppy Birthday!

We went to Wonder La, Bangalore’s own miniature Disney Land. I haven't been to an amusement park in a long time...I felt like a little kid in a big toy store. Well. My brothers and cousins went a little crazy.

Brothers and Cousins in a Mixer Gizmo.

I have not posted the picture upside down. This crazy thing goes upside down! My brothers and cousins are in the front row, yelling their lungs out.

Mom (left) with her sister, Benny

Dad (left) with my uncle, Joe

Don't we love catterpillars?
Left to Right: Aunt Molly, Dad, and Uncle Joe

Our lunch at WonderLa: a traditional south Indian thali (or plate). This is a very conservative portion size. At the average South Indian restaurant, the thali has way too much of food...


Are we done yet? I am exhausted.

Oh yes. How can the day end without some "cake" cutting? At home, my dad made my mom cut this grilled fish (!) and we sang "Happy Birthday". Mom was not very amused.

Finding Childhood Craft Treasures I: Home and a Crafty Past of Animal Embroidered Pillowcases

(Jetlag has hit me quite hard. Wonderful)

(I have been thinking about what to do with this blog during my time here in India. Ok. So this is what I have decided: all of you, who so kindly visit my blog, will get a dose (!) of my family and my dailiness here. I will also feature craft locations, my craft ventures, and other crafty life in Bangalore and other places I may visit...)

The past couple of days have been spent getting (re)adjusted to living with my crazy, nutty family. My family has once again taken over my life. Big surprise. Here is my pretty grandma who lives with us. She will be 86 this March, and being around her brings back warm, comforting childhood memories.

My Grandma

I have two younger brothers (save me!), Rayan and Alan. I have lived away from home since I finished my under-grad, so every time I see my little brother, Alan, all growing up is a pleasant but surprising realization.

Alan (extreme left) with his friends, goofing off in my Dad's office.

Now for craft stuff. My mother is so excited about my blog, she has kept all my old needlework and craft projects ready to be featured on the blog! I was amazed to see the pile of stuff she had gathered from around the house. I hope she does not go around asking my relatives and friends for gifts I had made for them centuries ago.

Today is animal embroidered pillowcase day. I think I embroidered these cases when I was 16 (?)

When I was taking pictures today, I realized I hadn't embroidered Mommy Hen's legs!

Monkeying around

Xmas Decorations and Festive Food

From NYC to Bangalore. A little less than 24 hours. Am I the only one who thinks that this is surreal?

It is wonderful to be home. The familiar sounds, the constant honking, and the organized chaos. Everything seems naturally normal.

I slept through the entire flight, and have been awake for most of the day (who am I kidding. Jetlag is going to hit in a big way). My mother cooked up a huge Xmas lunch...burp. She made my favorite dessert--lentil pudding. This pudding is from the region where my extended family originates from--Mangalore. It is mainly made of lentils, jaggery (Indian unrefined sugar) and dry fruit. My tummy is very happy.

Lentil pudding

Now for some Xmas decorations at home. I managed to take just a couple of pictures. We have had visitors all day long.

Xmas Tree

Tree Ornaments

Funky Outdoor Lights.
Usually my Dad goes a little crazy with the lighting, but looks like this year he held back.

Why am I so cute?

Amelia says: Because I am.

Here she is, sporting the hat (some reason, it reminds me of a pumpkin) I recently made for her. Her mom and my friend, Michelle, sent me some pictures; Amelia looks so adorable!




PS: I leave today. Yay. More news from India soon!

India, NYC, and Knitted Snowflakes

I leave for India in a couple of days for my PhD dissertation fieldwork. As always, it will be surreal--in 24 hours, I will be thousands of miles away, in a completely different environment...especially without the cold and snow :)

Though I am no fan of chilly weather (brrr), I do love crafty snowflakes. This is what my favourite yarn shop in NYC, Downtown Yarns, has done for its winter window display. Beautifully knitted snowflakes!

Photograph taken inside the store

Photograph taken from street

Babies and their hats IV

My cousin, Genevieve, in Philadelphia, is expecting her first baby in March. Yay! Here is a little hat I made for the baby. Babies, oh babies.

--
Yarn: Malabrigo in Chunky
Needle: US 13

Sit 'n' Knit Holiday Party

One wild party. I thought I would be back home early enough and sober enough (!) to make this a Sunday blog post but that did not go as planned.

Last night, one of the knitting groups I frequent, Sit 'n' Knit, had its holiday party. Knitters and crocheters modeling their creations and chatting away about their yarny life. Yap. We did this for hours....and dont we love it. :)

At the 'pick a name out of a bag' gift exchange, my hat went to Kitsa. It is made of Rowan Scottish Tweed Chunky (the brown yarn) and Lamb's Pride Bulky (green). I really enjoyed knitting this hat, and I might make another one with the Rowan yarn. Of course, my courtship with Lamb's Pride continues.

Kitsa and her new hat!

I received these wonderful red (my favourite color!) mittens from Jenn. They were a couple of sizes big for me, and this worked out quite well for Suketu. They fit him perfectly and he loves them. Grr. Well. I guess for all the craft madness he puts up with, he can have the mittens. I will get more yarn.

Mittens, Jenn, and Me

Ok. The mittens do look larger than life in this picture. They are not THAT big.

More party pictures:

Cheers! -- Judy and Tina

Woops. A little blury. Rose, Lori, and Janet

Lori, Allison, Denise, and Me

Babies and their hats III

I have been on a roll--knitting baby hats. Perfect of newborns and babies... And surprisingly, I dont seem to be getting bored with them, and therefore no UFOs (yet)!

My friend and colleague, Darren and his wife, Jess, are expecting their third child. This hat is for their third daughter, due next year. Congratulations Darren and Jess!

I have started making good use of my yarndays cards. This is what I have been doing. Suggestions/ comments are very welcome.

--

Yarn: Chubby from Gotta Knit

Needle: US 13

Socks from Mongolia

My colleague and friend, Rachel, was in Mongolia this Fall for her Ph.D. dissertation data collection. I received these woolen, locally knit socks from Mongolia--very warm and comfortable. Thanks Rachel!

Granny Square Scarf

I must have began this scarf in 2004. I put it away and forgot about it (oh, the UFOs...looks like I have crocheting ones too). Anyway, I found the scarf this morning while sorting out my yarn stash. The 14 granny squares were already attached. Added four tassels (two at each end) and one more UFO conquered!

--
Yarn: Lion Brand's Homespun
Crochet needle: 5 or 6mm?

Ongoing Madness: Dissertation Proposals and Crafting Organization

Yesterday was a wonderful day :) I defended my Ph.D dissertation proposal. One more thing done. My colleagues at school gave me these beautiful flowers. For some reason, the pictures are not uploading. Thank you for the flowers!

One thing leads to another. For me, most roads lead to something crafty. I desperately need to organize these embroidery threads. My mother will see them soon, and if they are in this state, she will have a fright.

Babies and their hats II

Our friends, Michelle and Aric, have the cutest daughter. This hat is for Amelia--I cant wait to see a picture of her little head covered with this chunky hat.

Amelia: Welcome to your second winter filled with snowflakes and snowmen :)

--
Yarn: Bulky Hand Dyes from Blue Sky Alpaca
Needles: US 13

Another Crafty Birthday Gift: Blog Visiting Cards

The coolest present I received on my birthday :) With the help of a graphic designer/ artist friend, Suketu had yarndays cards designed and printed! Do not miss the small piece of yarn hanging off the "y" alphabet.

I am planning to attach them to my gifts and write care instructions on the back.

Happy Birthday to Kalpana!

Paul, Kalpana and Mesh Bag

We celebrated Kalpana's birthday at Good World last night. I made another Blue-Brown mesh bag...and this was Kalpana's gift.

Happy Birthday! I love birthdays.