The Peony

For our first class after deepavali, Mr Lee had a wonderful surprise for us - opulent peonies!
It is amazing to watch such sumptuousness emerge from brush and black ink on a simple sheet of rice paper.

I was very touched when Mr Lee inscribed my sample with a message wishing Fortune and Riches to my family - for the first time, he also used his wood blocks to stamp on his name and message.

And here's mine...

Showing Off Baudelaire Bleu

One more project I was happy to finish - although i have knit several pairs over the last six months [most of them being frogged], this is the first pair i was REALLY satisfied with.

Shashi has modelled them for me, and I hope they keep her feet toasty warm on cold winter evenings out in London.

Pattern: Baudelaire
Designer: Cookie A.
Available at: Knitty
Ravelry project page: Baudelaire Bleu

I have only ever done magic loop, toe up, two at a time, and had a tricky moment there when I had to start on the cables. This was when I really missed having a second set of needles.

purple 'n pins

I have been testing a bunch of projects for fellow Ravelers, and this seems to have cured me of my frogging syndrome and left me witha bunch of great FOs. The prettiest has got to be this cute little crochet pincushion I tested for Leanda.

Pattern: Hexagon Pincushion
Designer: Leanda Xavian
Available at: One Loop Short
Ravelry project page: purple 'n pins

I had the chance to show off some of my stash of pearl cotton on this one. It worked up fast and easily, and it was interesting to watch the hexagons fall into place. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that i had a nice sized pincushion - not too small, as i had feared.

Ppppurrrrrple!!!

I suppose deepavali would have been less hectic if i hadnt taken it upon myself to do this!-

Following my tuesday fetish, i cast on for a new pattern i am testing for LilyGo - i have been eyeing her Dahlia [ravlink] ever since I saw it featured on Ravelry, and i jumped at this wonderful chance. Several rows in, i decided that the yarn i had chosen wouldnt do, and i HAD to dye up some of the cotton tape i had found in George Town. This is my first attempt at dyeing from scratch.

The one kilo i needed was a tight fit for my largest pot, but i went the soda ash, direct dye and salt way, with 3 parts of rose and one part of sky blue. The recipe and process i found here worked perfectly, and the residual waste had almost no color in it. And since i had enough yarn to justify using the washing machine, rinsing and drying were a breeze. I should probably have tied down the skeins more (they came tied up at one spot), but was too impatient. When I saw the tangles, i was : ( , but the tape untangles easily. I also seem to have mastered the knack of rolling neat center-pull balls.

I am very happy with the way this is knitting up, although i think nickel-plated needles would be better suited to this yarn than the bamboo i am using.

Yes, it's Autumn!

Preparing for Deepavali was a doozy, as ever. I wonder how they ever managed in the old days, with a zillion people in each household and a gazillion things to do...

And that means i am backlogged on my blogs. to catch up - here's a pattern I tested for the talented Linda Perlman.

Pattern: Autumn Leaves Tote Bag
Designer: Linda Permann 
Available at: Lindamade's Shop
Ravelry project page: Yes, it's Autumn!

 I had all the materials in my stash :) - the brown Caron from my earliest days in college, the Vardhman chunky from a long ago trip to Pune, and the lovely lining fabric from my quilting stash. The beaded flower was my first ever wire beading project.

When I first saw all the scs and hdcs in the instructions, i balked - oh no, this is going to be so slow, was where my brain stuck at. but i decided to plow away, and soon discovered that this was a FAST make - the crochet didnt take more than a couple of evenings, as Linda promised.

I couldnt find the D-rings for the handles in my stash - a visit to the store yielded these-

The matching zipper pulls were a pleasant bonus!

I added a small pocket and a divider to the lining. Now I have a great bag to go!

Age Brings Wisdom

This week we explored the pine tree in greater detail, playing with slight shadows to create an illusion of depth and fullness, and spent some time studying the crane.

Here are some of Mr Lee's samples -

and my attempts -

 For the last few weeks, we have been joined in class by Mr Seung Doh Lee and his lovely wife Baek Myung. This charming couple have lived in India for over 13 years now, and offer a wealth of observations and anecdotes on their experiences. Mr SD Lee informed me that the pine tree and the crane, both of which have long lifespans, symbolize hardy old age and wisdom.

And indeed you can feel all the gnarls and knots of knowledge in these  samples from Mr Lee -

and i was rather pleased with mine!

Back From the South

Was late for class this week.. so no sample from Mr. Lee... instead we both took turns to work on this pinetree.

Looks like it's spring - a  fresh sprig shoots out from a weathered old trunk.

And the birds are back!

Here it is, all done!