Achieving Something and Another Cheshire Heart - Wednesday Blanket Update

It is not easy to get everything you plan done. Not easy but possible, same as possible to get my crochet blanket growing and updates being posted :) I hope you can see the difference between the last update and this one. I didn't crochet much though and added only few more squares. I haven't sewed any of them into  the blocks yet. If my calculations were correct I'd be able to finish crocheting all the squares in 5 weeks' time, making 20 squares per day (no weekend crochet). What in its turn means that the blanket will be definitely ready by suppose August-September. I can't wait to see  it spread on our big bed!

 My side project of the last week was made for an American lady, our preschool's mentor I told you about in the last to last post. I wanted to give her something what would be cute and light in weight... I am grateful that I am able to make such thing myself. I couldn't help but crocheted this Cheshire heart which will fly across the ocean to the Key West in a couple of days! The lady liked it very much, especially the colors. I was more than pleased to get this feedback :) 

I have gifted few of these hearts already to the friends in India and abroad as a gift-symbol of love and care. My husband though seeing this (another such) heart, asked why did I make it so long, and suggested to make it broader and perhaps shorter... I tried to explain it was my style, design and so on... but he just looked at it and my slightly disappointed face ( I am very sensitive towards critics:)) and said that it was still beautiful and good for gifting. Thank you, D! :) I am also thinking of designing something new soon and sharing a pattern. The Cheshire Heart pattern is here if you wish.

Last weekend I was experimenting with new art forms and would be sharing what I had done soon.
Bye till then and have an enjoyable second half of the week, my dears! 

Blissful Moments on Rainy Days

I know I am very spontaneous this week. I do posts about this and that - things my life consists of. My soul was very happy today as well as my body, which truly got heated up in the last couple of weeks. Yes, it rained heavily today. I finished my office the exact time it started pouring water from the sky... I was more than grateful to the Nature for giving us this relief. I expect evening to be cool and soothing.

I reached home, did some house things quickly and made a cup of black coffee for myself. After that I went back to the house, but a timely and wonderful thought struck me to go out and have a pleasant time under the cloudy sky.. with the same cup of coffee - it tasted special. It looked special, reflecting the sky on its surface. I haven't felt such joy for a long time... I was looking around, on our plants trying to guess their feelings about this blissful weather today. They were grateful too, I could see it.

My eyes fell on this waving plant which grows in the pot under the citrus tree you can see at the background. Last year it was very small, continuously drying, loosing its leaves, I thought it wouldn't make it. But look at it now - so green, so lively and ready to meet sunshine every morning and kiss the stars every  night. 

Rainy weather always makes me dreamy... makes me happy... makes me feel good and content. It makes me feel I am home.

Wishing you all a blissful weekend!

Victory Day - 9th of May (9 мая - День Победы)

Last year I also marked this day in my blog, because this was the day which will always stay in my memory and in the memory of all people who were less or more linked to the fight against fascism in World War II. But to tell the truth there was no family who didn't feel the consequences of that war... You ask anyone about that period between 1941-1945 and they would recollect that their grandfathers and grandmothers fought for freedom. My late grandparents were also there, and they were there when Nazi Germany surrendered to Soviet Union army on the 9th of May. However all the countries suffered irreplaceable losses during the World War II. So why do we still fight and kill again and again? Don't we love our own people? Don't we want our children to live in a better world? Didn't we learn from those mistakes? 

Today I wish everyone of you, your families and my family to live in peace and harmony with the world and themselves. Let the sun shine bright and give us life and happiness!

Happy Victory Day - 9th of May!

Easter in India and -0.5

Hello, dears! Today just a post about main events of the last week. One of them was, as some of you might know, an Orthodox Easter. This year it happened very late, and here in India, I didn't feel at all like it was IT actually, with +40 C outside and sunshine from morning till evening. However, our small community of Russian wives here made it tradition to get together on this holiday, attracting our husbands to participate in celebration and enjoy Russian dishes :) At least my husband got used to heavy Russian meals, long talks at the table, and drinks. Okay, this is true :)

I too prepared Easter eggs. This year they were coloured pretty well. I decorated them with stickers I got from home last to last year - so good to see familiar pictures!

 

Some stickers I made myself from a glittery Indian tape :)

Another (remarkable for my life) thing happened - I was prescribed to wear spectacles! Yuppie! Well, not all the time, as I have got only -0.5. I shall use specs when I read, watch TV, crochet, etc. And as the doctor said: " Parties and all - you can go without specs." Thank you, this was some relief to know! So now I will have cozy times wearing my new beautiful accessory and reading one of my favorite novels (which I by the way, ordered on line).

I had had a busy week start. Our preschool mentor came from USA to give parenting and teachers' workshops. It was a thrilling experience! She, always smiling American lady, a great educator, professor and a wonderful personality, has been practising Buddhism for over 25 years now! Her passion for whatever she does in life made me see a clear path of my further career development as well and all prospects it may have. I wish I had more time for everything and for everyone. Though I am grateful to the powers of Universe for giving me such friends, who care for me so much, because it was them who insisted on me having eye check up done. I have got really nice people recently into my life, who encourage me to be a better person and a better friend. 

Have an inspiring week, my dears!

Turning Into Second Half - Wednesday Blanket Update on Thursday

I would not like to sound ungrateful or something but happened so that all my in-laws went to the wedding and we stayed home ALONE for few days!We had a pleasurable weekend with my D spent with friends and with each other. We had family like deals to do: shopping, food preparation, watching TV... I enjoyed all that so much! Day before yesterday my D made (with my help. hehe) a yummy kadai paneer - a kind of cheese common in South Asian cuisine. I'd like to repeat this tasty experience soon.

However the circumstances played with me again and I was not able to give a blanket progress update this week on time. It disappoints me, because I thought it would be a consistent weekly post.

 I achieved something with the blanket - started to making a second half of the squares. It seemed like after this the progress went far faster and I can  feel that it will not take me long to finish the project. It was noticed by my D as well when I put all the blocks and squares on the bed.  This is going to be a thrilling blanket, the room would definitely look brighter and more cheerful :) We went to buy more yarn for the blanket last weekend, because I was worried it wouldn't be sufficient when I start making the border. These are the squares waiting to be made into blocks of 4.

I purchased some yarn  for a dream clothing project I am planning  to engage with pretty soon. Yes, I want to continue my ventures in cloth crocheting, as I had already made that Bolero last year. Crocheting of the clothing items is not scary once you get the gauge right. When  I tried to crochet first rows with this yarn I got scared that I wouldn't be able to SEE the stitches as it has all those lashes which fill up the spaces, but I found the way out by simply feeling the next stitches with my finger tips and counting every stitch as I crochet the rows.

 Some closer look of the thread - all way fluffy and soft! Can't wait to wrap myself into a coat made from it!

Nothing more to tell about, just same routine of office, coming home and lazying around...I feel very hot here this Summer, like I can't avoid feeling hot as soon as I go out of the AC room. They promise even higher temperatures this year, like around +50 C!!! In this case I will go to my native place and stay there as long as possible :)
Stay safe and happy wherever you are! Hope you all had a n enjoyable weekend and have some good plans for the coming up :)

Do What Makes You Happy - Friday Garden

Hello, dears! Yes, I know, I didn't make my weekly blanket post. There were few reasons, one of them was (is) the absence of the internet connection at home which issue will be fixed soon hopefully. Today I invented to upload pictures from camera on USB and then copy to my office computer. I decided though to show blanket progress next week and today carry on with Friday Garden. There hasn't been happening much in here, but still I have found few interesting things.

Few months ago we noticed some plant growing in our garden - it was a self-sowed spinach. These days it has become a big bush with numerous seeds, which I'd like to collect and plant again - isn't this nature's miracle?

The same way this lonely marigold has grown under the citrus tree, you can see the dry leaves underneath. I remember planting orange marigolds, but definitely not in this place, so another independently sowed member of our garden. 

The lettuce of which I was so proud back in March has produced little yellow flowers, and it means I'll be able to seed more of my Russian leafy veggies later on. 

Oh well, here is again that same story as with a crochet heart - have no idea how the hanging pockets actually hang on the trees! Though I don't think this was the best place for them to be so I took them to my room. Okay, enough of flirting with my crochet projects - yes this is the one I was asking you to guess what it was. Aishwarya was right. The idea of hanging organizers was not mine, I got inspired by a glimpse of it on Pinterest and HAD to try it out! The pattern Crochet Wall Pockets  is sold on Ravelry ... but I was able to figure out how to make them myself (come on, I've been into this hobby for more than a year now! hehe). The only thing I'd like to change is a stick on which the pockets are buttoned. I have to search for a suitable tree branch today.

I took many pictures not because I so adored what I've made, but because light didn't allow me to reveal true colors. But I think that this picture is the closest to the original. I used one of my favorite yarn - Millenuim acrylic yarn by Vardhman. I'm planning to do yarn shopping next week, as I have no patience to be busy with the same project all the time and plan to make some winter clothing item for myself.

I've linked the Crochet Wall Pockets to Creative Everyday Challenge Color theme of the month . 

We might go for a wedding this weekend, but I don't really feel like and will be more than happy to stay home (if possible) and do my favorite things. Yea, I know it is selfish and all ... but when your heart doesn't want something, how can you force yourself?

Have a nice day and a great weekend ahead! "Do what makes you happy" (if possible).

Calendula and a Cheshire Heart - Friday Garden

Good evening, my dears! It is late evening here now, I am almost sleeping, as the day has been a little hectic and I'm going to office tomorrow. I was making my D ready for a trip to Rishikesh - a must destination for many tourists who come to India. This is a holy place as well as a place famous for adventurous sports like river rafting, biking and camping. So I wish he would enjoy all these and will have some interesting photos to share. And speaking of me, he promised to take me there too, but this time it was strictly only employees' entertainment. 

So I am being a nice wife, continued my gardening and crocheting, and D, being a caring and attentive husband, brought these flowers from his office yesterday. Calendula was always a necessary  flower at my parents' dacha, I hope to continue this tradition.

 

This type of Calendula has cute fluffy blossoms. They were looking fine today after being planted into a pot...

What I can't say about this one, perhaps it shouldn't have been taken out of the soil while still having flowers. Though I hope it will get accustomed to new environment.

I have no idea how a stripy heart got into a post about garden :) Today was my friend's birthday, so I gifted her a new version of my Cheshire heart - with little bit of beads and sequins. I've gifted already many of these hearts and I enjoy making them a lot, and now to embellish, why haven't I thought of doing it before? "Good thought comes afterwards" according to a Russian saying.

Aha! Now I know why the heart decided to pop up here - it pretended to be a fruit on our citrus tree. How clever of you! The pattern for this heart can be found here.

Now I have to think of what I am going to do this weekend, as my D will not be with me. This is not an issue as soon as you have hobbies and projects in progress. Or friends who might take you out. Let's see how it all goes.

Have a great relaxing weekend wherever you are!

Summer Blanket and Something New - Wednesday Update

There is not even a single day without us hearing that some tragedy has happened.Yes, I am talking about the attack in Boston, the earthquake in Iran... the waves of the latter we felt even here, in Chandigarh. All the news channels concentrate on these two "events", creating more anxiety and hopelessness. I am really grateful that me and my family are able to start this day and enjoy its beauty. But I wish we all could...I wish we could live without fear being attacked or killed or hurt...

But as we are here now, we keep on living and dreaming... and blogging. We have to bring more happiness in the world. And many of us do. With the idea of 52 weeks of Happy for example, or by posting nice pictures and saying kind words to each other. I really feel that the blogger community can make the world better, let's think how.

Day before yesterday I was sitting in my room in the evening and heard a strong deep meow at our backyard... I smiled. It meant that some cat came to us. I rushed there and saw a grey furry creature standing on the wall and looking right back at me. I hurried back to pick my camera and took few snaps. Here in India people usually don't keep cats as pets, so you would generally see pet dogs, but cats.. they just come and go. Last year there was another cat who used to come to us and we used to feed it, but then she disappeared... For me, a cat lover, meeting a half wild cat, and moreover, almost in our house, is such a treat!

Oh yea, you must have recognized this already. It has started having a more blanket-y look. I feel it is going to be a great result  thanks to all of you who made me believe in this. If I continue working in this tempo, I'll 

Here is how many more squares have come up and need to be stitched together soon. This way I'd have 23 blocks. I got a little bored with blanket crocheting and decided to make some little side project.

Here are three squares I crocheted yesterday evening. There will be only three of them. So could you guess what is it going to be?:) I will give a link to the square pattern later, when I find it in my laptop.

I am using DK acrylic yarn of Indian brand Vardhman. I like its colors and texture reminds wool a lot. I think of making a throw out of this yarn later on. There are lovely patterns on the Red Heart website which I pinned in my Crochet patterns. I like this one and this one the most, but others are also so pretty, aren't they?

Well, let's first rest our fingers and finish this small something. I am sure it'll be a useful thing in my room. Okay, enough hints for you now. I am off to do my job and look forward being back home and crocheting. Also I didn't forget about a promised giveaway on achieving 100 followers, so it'll happen soon.

Wish you to have a peaceful day, be safe and happy! 

Weekend - Day and Night

As I had informed in my previous post, I had to work last weekend. But today I got a compensatory day off, (though we had to actually ask for it). Nevertheless, I recharged myself today and hurrying to share with you what I was up to.

 I work for the academics department of a preschool project, which has just started operations this year. Our preschool has an American concept of the curriculum and it's quiet innovative for India. Hence our teachers had to be trained on the same and that is why I was busy on weekend. 

Here is the part of the school building and a long path towards the main entry.

I love malva flower. They make a perfect live fence and have so many color possibilities.

The school has many plants in the pots as well, which stand all over the place.

 A huge territory with many trees and lawns. Even a swimming pool is there, you can see it afar.

We were given tasty South Indian lunch every day of the training. South Indian food is my favorite, so you can imagine that I was really happy to have dosa, sambar, idlis and different chutneys three days in a raw.

That was what happened in day time..and Saturday night I (to my pleasure) attended a farewell party organized by the company my D works for, for one of their employees who is going back to Europe after living in India for 4 years!

The venue was simply awesome! It was a resort called "Aura Vaseela" situated among the crops and fields of Punjab,  and you need patience to finally reach it. It was worth going so far as the place had that relaxing, quite atmosphere of a country house.

No, we didn't jump into swimming pool after the party was over :)

Walking around the resort I found mysterious, enigmatic places there, like this one - a passage leading to a hidden world.

The bench standing in front of the cottage fascinated me.

I called it a "haunted bench"...

I liked this secret place to sit in. It looks so cozy and intimate. 

An old man sleeping in a typical Punjabi farm house... 

Quite a diverse weekend, isn't it? I really enjoyed the party and all the surprises the company made for a guy who is leaving. A big part in organization of the party was played by my D, so obviously, I am proud too. 

I received another award a week ago from a creative lady Lujubinka of Made by Ljubinka blog. she recently has been making lovely crochet doily bowls, so have a look :) Thank you so much, Ljubinka! I am supposed to nominate 10 more blogs which have less than 300 followers, but I would nominate all of you, my dears!

Have a wonderful week ahead and don't get frustrated because of small things (even if someone didn't speak to you properly over the phone):)

Yellow Marigolds, Bean Pods and Other Veggies - Friday Garden

Hello, my dears! Hope your week has been good and there is such a reason for more happiness - a weekend! My week has been slightly hectic and I have to work on weekend too...Yea...sad :(

Whatever, I am here again with my Friday Garden! Come along, sit on the bamboo chairs and look around.

First you will notice marigolds. They are supposed to be at least three times taller, and flowers - three times bigger, but not very rich soil and hot weather must have prevented them from growing more. There are these yellow blossoms thought which bring joy to the eye in the mornings.

Then you will see the bean pods hanging from the bushes. They seem doing fine, aren't they?

 Now - not exactly MY garden, but some veggies which were planted by my FIL. Happened so that we both have different gardens and each waters his/her own :) The eggplant looks fine, but probably it'll take time till it starts giving flowers.

 Tomato plants are pleasantly green and strong, so I look forward harvesting our own tomatoes in a few weeks. Dreams come true! :)

 The Russian lettuce is finishing the cycle of its development, and we will be able to have our own seeds soon. It grew quiet well this year because I sowed it very early. Otherwise lettuce doesn't appreciate high temperature at all, and the leaves droop straight away under the hot Indian sun.

That's all for today, dears. Tomorrow I am going to take my camera to the place where I have to work this weekend. It has lovely gardens, and that's why I can still bear being there:) Wishing you to have a great, sunny and happy weekend!