Knitting basket weave - Dishcloth

I know I seem to have a fetish for dishcloth's, if I may say so....Its weird each time I think some knitting pattern fitting my Kitchen and nothing else. In this context, I have been blogging a new one on my Culinary skills...U can check it out at www.ruchimantram.wordpress.com

I think I need to start making some bucks, for me to get my own domain name. So till then here is where I have all my tried and tested Indian vegetarian Dishes and it's recipes.

So coming to this knit-pick of dishcloth using basket weave knitting style, its so amazing! I love the pattern it generates...It alternates between a purl and a garter stitch and is taut when done. It got a little uneven in the middle but, nevertheless, it was nice to get this done. 

I just love the look of this pattern! I wish I had more of this yarn to make an Afghan out of this weave. Maybe I shall do one using this weave in the near future.

Knit a Dishcloth

This is a knit dishcloth. It has been done with purl stitches and seed stitches in the ends. Since I started with a stockinette stitch and later switched it to purl alone stitch, It kinda got a little cluttered. 

Hence I weaved it in the ends to make it uniform and turned it into a dishcloth. This yarn is 100% cotton worsted yarn and hence could be easily washed after use too.  

I also weaved a small hook for it to be hung on the door of my refrigerator! Its cool to use and feels great to be using stuff created by myself! :)

Knitting and Me!

Hey all,

Its been a long time wish to see myself knitting beautiful scarfs to dishcloths to throw-on's....But this never materialized due to winter's not really being a thing to worry about in the south! Moreover, knitting is socially denominated to those who are pregnant with lots of free time in hands or for aged who again have nothing to do. I used to think the same until I came to the northern part of US where Knitting is an "in-thing". Literally there are classes and Jo-Ann's run their own class with Martha Stewart show on TV and so on...I felt quite in in place for the very first time in the US due to the impetus I received internally for pursuing my LONG suppressed wish. Si here I am with my first neck scarf that I completed a week back and without which now my outdoor attire isn't complete! I mean it....Its sooo coooooolll to wear what u have made yourself from scratch!!!

Here are glimpses of the piece...

Its done using Merit Worsted Yarn (light blue) and with US metric number 8 straight needles. 

The stitches are the most simple garter stitches and it has been finished with slip stitch and added with fringes!

Inanimate objects

These are some of the articles that I was around that I tried to sketch. The shading was learnt through some of the e-training sessions on using the pencils for creating an effect of light and dark shades.
















I am sure the first three items are clear enough. But I am always asked what the last sketch is all about! Well, it is actually a grinding tool with a vessel in the bottom used to grind spices so that it is collected below.

A sad guy!

I was seeing "Friends" the other day (actually i see them everyday) and I started sketching this fellow...And this was how he turned out to be though I was having a blast seeing the sitcom's episodes! I am sorry if this isn't what u expected to see....

Pets and Sketches

Hey everybody!

Its been long since I posted. Here's my sketch on animals. I kind of learnt to do it by following the instructions on the sketch book I purchased at Micheal's. Though the steps really didn't help me, but I could somehow manage to get the look of an  "animal like thing" at the end of it all! 

My mom told me that this rabbit is kind of "plump and aggresive looking" !! I thought so too after it was told to me. I don't know, maybe I was in a bit aggressive mood about getting plump myself that day. It just got reflected in the sketch!

This one below is a little hazy sketch of a cat. Yes, that's right--a cat! I think I again drew a wild one!!! Wonder what's up with me...

Nature -- my favorite

Hi all!

This ones is after the request of my Dear Spouse who asked me to blog more of my leaves, flowers and nature related stuff. So here they are. Now please remember, these are casual and done by an amateur, but nevertheless serious in intention.

Talking of being serious, My Master always says that "Anything worth doing must be done  well". Hence I have enrolled for an art class here in my Arts Center. I shall have classes for about 2 weeks in canvas and acrylic painting! I am soooo excited about it! 

As of now, here are my latest sketches on nature...

 

The two above ones are the same. They are taken in different light settings to give a feeling of dark and light shades!

These are leaves fallen from my patio garden! I didnt want to waste them. So I collected them and they were all of different sizes and shapes. Hence I just used their natural shape to create the sketch. Please bear in mind that they were NOT TRACED. Very important for any student, is to be honest with whatever available material provided!!

This is a beautiful sun-flower sketch taught in a book for "Sketching for Beginners". I really liked this one. Though this is a very humble copy of the original sketch, I still take great pride in this one!

My Sketches

Here are some of my sketches done with 2B and 2HB pencils on a plain Sketch Pad. This one is actually a wide mouthed vessel with a grinder on the top. I would love to hear about your views on them!

Canvas, Acrylic and Laces

Hi all!

This one was an attempt to use a spare canvas. I did not have enough acrylic paints to do anything on. Hence I painted the canvas (Sized 11.5" by 8.5") with black acrylic (the only one I had enough). This was let to dry for about 2 days and then later I laced it with pretty green and yellow ribbons costing just about 50 cents each!

Once it was done, it was pretty enough to adorn any place it was placed on! I just love this one! With no technical skills required and only a little bit of creativity, this one is a cool piece! 

Canvas painting and fun

This is my painting that is made with canvas (11.5" by 8.5") and acrylic paints. I have drawn inspiration from the "Ying-Yang" concept and named it "Simple Couple". This painting indicates the integration of a couple in a simple yet concrete way. It is hung one slightly below the other showing patience and adjustment of either of the partners in a relationship. This picture is held with laces of contrasting colors of each other. 

Let me know your views....

Me & my paintings

Welcome to my collection of paintings and art!

I have attempted to post my paintings together with the intention of getting browsers notice my piece of art. I was always interested in arts and crafts right since school. My mother was excellent in some crafts such as beading, knitting and fabric painting. Maybe it was her interest which was dormant for quite a while and which attempted to break out after my advent into spirituality. I started fiddling with this idea of handling paints and colors. I initially (about 2 yrs back) started with glass surface paintings. They were very interesting and I dabbled with them merrily as an amateur!  They were also hung at various places at my home and workplace and relatives & friends did appreciate them. I later joined a professional in Bangalore, India, who taught me etching on glass. It was a little abrasive in nature and hence was soon terminated by me. 

Presently, I am in US and Michaels and Jo-Ann are fast becoming my second homes. I have posted three of the paintings here and hope to do more!