Popping in to say Hello

It's said that if you are travelling on the first of January you'll be on the road for the rest of the year.The travel bug has kicked in I think because I got home from God's own country on Sunday and I'm off again this Sunday for fifteen days to another part of God's own country.

The heat must have fried my brain because I didn't take a single picture and my camera was with me at all times. I think ten days has got me acclimatised so this trip should find me trigger happy and functioning normally.

One thing I did do was add to my collection of cast iron cooking vessels - yes I'm particularly partial to cast iron like some people are about designer handbags. I got myself an appachatti bought at a hardware store by the way.

I've seasoned the appachatti and had plans of making lace appam and chicken stew typical Easter Sunday fare in Syrian Christian homes but I'll be on the road and my appam making skills

will have to be put to the test at a later date.

Another one of my finds in the hardware shop. This one makes all manner of savouries which are either fried or steamed.

I hope I can squeeze in a post before Sunday or else I'll see you in April with a post high in fibre.

TAST completed

Yipee I've completed TAST ( Take a Stitch Tuesday). Here are the last three stitches - Chained Bar, Spanish feather stitch and Berry Stitch.

This means volume 2 of TAST can be finished now.

I'm going away for about two weeks on a project involving natural fibres. I'll be back with pictures and results of experiments involving tie and dye, marbeling and bleach. Until then take care and stay safe.

The Traveling pages for February

Pages for February have been sent and recieved.

Carmen chose Castle as her theme and this is my interpretation. It's turned out to be a mixed media collage of sorts. Taking a picture out of a magazine and mounting it on a piece of card and then stitching it on was a first for me but I think it works.The arched window has been appliqued and embroidered with metallic thread and sequins, the mango tree is embroidery and oil pastels and so also the sky.
This is the reverse of the page for Carmen. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry. Discovered that after the page was mailed to Carmen so another picture could not be taken. I'm in love with the plastic coated silver foil and I'm going to find ways to incorporate it in all the pages I create for this swap. It's going to be my singature of sorts on all the pages I create. Last month it was used to make the pocket on the back of the page. The oil pastels is becoming another favourite.
Here's the page Mandy made for me. She chose to interpret the vibrant colours of Autumn leaves. She's used opaque seta colours for painting the background, applique and reverse applique to create the leaves and machine embroidery.
The reverse of the page has a pocket into which I've tucked the note in which Mandy wrote about the techniques she's used and for a" bit of fun" she sent me a little packet of buttons shaped like leaves and acorns. That is so thoughtful of you Mandy, I do appreciate it. I'll be using them when I make up the book of leaves at the end of this swap. Thank you.

For March I'll be creating a page for Chris whose theme is Coastline. Need to get started this weekend.

Have a good weekend everyone.

TAST - Pistil stitch and Knotted Cable Chain

Something I've been juggling

Here's one of the many project's I've been juggling and it got done last night.

This is in the midst of cooking up a storm and getting the house back to some semblance of what it was a month back so R will recognise it when he gets back tomorrow after a month of snow storms and freezing weather in NJ.

This is for my mother.
She has had the words of this little prayer for over twenty years now and wanted it to grace the entryway to the house.

I think the quilt motifs cross stitched on muslin adds to the whole homespun feel. The motifs are also so appropriate. There are a number of feral cats who live on the veranda of the house and my parents feed them. I hear there's a new litter somewhere in the neighbourhood. The basket motif is symbolic of my mum's green thumb and all the fruit which the garden produces.
Now I have to get it framed in time for my mum's birthday next month.

OK the kitchen beckons,extreme juggling on the culinary front will take another day to abate.

Happy juggling all that needs doing in the week ahead.

TAST Thorn Stitch

At some point every second post was a stitch from Take a Stitch Tuesday. Now with the end in sight I find I'm juggling at least five different projects but I'm hanging in there, coasting along.

Some projects which will be completed thanks to my juggling skills shall be revealed next week maybe earlier if I can take juggling to the next level.

How has your week been? Any extreme juggling involved? Tell me about it.

Footloose and Fancy Free

A small hand stitch mixed media book.4 inches x 9 inches.(10cms x 22 1/2 cms)

Inspired by the footloose pigeons who roost on ledges and air conditioning units.
Pigeon feathers. Gathered on morning walks.
Small hand stitched books are on my mind. Ideas simmering.

Have a good weekend.

The Traveling pages for January

I can now show you the pages sent and recieved for the Story of the Traveling Pages.

The first leaf in my Book of Leaves has been created by Kath in Greece. Lots of texture and embroidery. Don't miss the couched treatment along the edge of the page.Juliette, I'm relieved to say has recieved the page I made for her.I was keeping my fingers crossed it wouldn't go astray. The theme was The Seashore and I decided to depict The Shore temple at Mamallapuram. Must say I've started using unconventional material and really enjoyed it. Its got me thinking out of the box and the results are encouraging - crushed brown paper for the rocks, the cardboard for the catamarans and oil pastels to add colour to sea and sky.

To get a better look at the details click on the images to get an enlarged view.
Made a pocket on the back of the page with the plastic coated foil the muesli comes in. I found an article in a back issue of Jetwings on the rock sculptures of Mamallapuram and put that into the pocket along with a little note for Juliette.

For February I'm working on a page for Carmen and the theme is Castles.

Visit The Story of the Traveling Pages to see more pages participants in this swap have created.

The First Volume of Take a Stitch Tuesday

There you are the first volume of four. The second volume is being put together as I type.

TAST 2 begins March 3 so volumes three and four are still a year away.

Have a good weekend.

Did you see the moon on Saturday night?

It was big ,bright and full . Some others noticed it too and mentioned it on their blogs here and here and this has me inspired.

TAST - Chain Braid Stitch, Drizzle Stitch, Pekinese Stitch

Forty six down and six to go for Take a Stitch Tuesday. Its the home stretch going forward.

Chain braid Stitch
Drizzle Stitch
Pekinese Stitch

One would think I'm only intent on completing TAST but I have been doing other things,The Story of the Traveling Pages for instance. I've completed the page for January and its been posted to Juliette. Pictures of the page will be revealed once Juliet is in reciept of the page, don't want to spoil the surprise for her. I've begun work on the page for Carmen and the theme is Castles.

What has a curled up tail, wet nose and is a survivor?

Street Dogs. I don't know if you have this breed of dog where you live but they are an integral part of the Indian landscape. There's one in every neighbourhood, there are two in our apartment complex - Raja and Angel. Never mind that Angel is male. They have been informally adopted by everyone who lives here and their size will bear testament to the over indulged life they lead.

There are many who choose to adopt strays or simply end up feeding and looking out for the well being of a stray in the neighbourhood and in turn these dogs adopt a locality and act as watch dogs. Each dog has his territory.

There are organisations staffed with vets and a number of volunteers who go out to sterilise, vaccinate and organise adoption drives of pariah dogs. One such is W. S. D in Mumbai who have come out with a calendar. A great idea.

That's Chipku who's featured in March along with his buddy Whitey from Borivali and they are inseparable. Each and every one of the dogs featured on the twelve pages have personalities all their own which Rohan Mukerjee the photographer has captured perfectly.

Thank you Charu for getting your paws on this one for me. The calendar is available in book stores in Mumbai.

The feature in Mint Lounge here.

Have a great weekend.

TAST - Lace Border Stitch, Twisted Satin Stitch and Zig Zag Spanish Knotted Stitch Stitch

Zig Zag Spanish Knotted Stitch
Twisted Satin Stitch
Lace Border Stitch

Sorry about this long silence. I have been catching up and completing things and there are a number of things to tell you about which will get told now that I'm going to be posting once a week at a minimum on a regular basis.

TAST is drawing to a close, it is the home stretch now. It will be a great achievement once the samples are compiled into a two volume set of fibre books.

It might eventually become a four volume set because Sharon has announced a TAST 2 starting in March. So if you're up for a challenge go check out the details here.

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in 2010

We ushered in the new year quietly with a drink and on first morning we drove to Chikmangalur to spend two days at Kadur Club which was instituted in 1887.

Chikmaglur is coffee country and namma Cafe Coffee Day has its roots here too. For readers of this blog who aren't from India - Cafe Coffee Day is a chain of coffee shops much like Starbucks.

If you ever wondered where coffee came from - well, from the berries which you see in the picture above.

We had the club pretty much to ourselves for two days. Time pretty much stands still here.

The club was beautifully decorated for the Christmas and new year eve party which went on till 6.30 in the morning.People in these parts certainly know to party.

The dining room is so quaint and beautiful with animal trophies on the walls and the old black and white photographs from another century.
I simply love the old world charm of crepe paper and silver foil streamers. Some tailor sat and stitched that foil onto the crepe paper. It brings back memories of my birthday on a tea estate bungalow in Assam where the decorations consisted of pink and silver streamers exactly like these and it was my mother who must have slaved over metres and metres of streamers.
The landscape you see when you drive up Baba Budangiri .

A wonderful start to a new decade. Wishing all my readers health, wealth and happiness in the year ahead. I hope the year is all you want it to be.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas

I ushered in Christmas with family and friends at a candle light church service where the Christingle has become something of a tradition introduced by my mother who saw the same at a Christmas eve service in Hong Kong. It was a beautiful service.

Let me share the significance of the Christingle with you

A Christingle consists of four things. The Orange represents the world. The lighted candle represents Jesus, the Light of the World. The four sticks of raisins and sweets represent the four seasons and the bounty of the earth. The red ribbon is circular and represents God's unending love.

I hope Christmas was a warm and blessed affair for all of you and I hope 2010 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for all.

I've been called away

I'm going to be away for a short while because my family needs me.

Elephas maximus - up close and personal

Our safaris into the jungle have always been rewarding with some spectacular sightings. So, it was with great anticipation that we drove down the Sigur Ghats in the Nilgiris to meet friends staying at Tusker Trails in Bandipur National Park.

Close to two hours and we had left the winding ghat roads and hairpin bends behind and R decided to stop and answer nature's call before we got to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. R got back rather quickly and told me there was a tusker standing behind a spindly tree. I turned and just then the large tusker stepped out onto the road and turned to face the back of the car.

I had the camera in my hand but it was forgotten as we watched to see whether the tusker would charge. Lone tuskers are unpredictable and therefore dangerous. We obviously weren't perceived as a threat because in thirty seconds it turned and crossed the road to the scrub land on the other side. That was a little too close for comfort but suprisingly both of us were calm and I remember there being some discussion about taking photographs.

It was a massive specimen with long tusks pretty much like the one in this picture and R didn't have even the slightest inkling of its presence just ten feet away from him, until, he happened to glance to his left to see if he could discover the source of a strong animal odour.

The evening safari brought more elephants. Cows with their young calves, not sure what to expect of the large contraption which heaves and jolts down the jungle tracks.

This little fellow came out of the thick jungle and was feeding quite happily, unperturbed by the rumblings of the open truck we were in.

Another pair of young mothers and calves at a salt lick. The calves are behind a thicket of bamboo.

This encounter with the elephant is another first for us and we hope it will stay that way. Any guesses what we were thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend?

Next post will be a tame one related to fiber and book making I promise.

TAST Linked Double Chain

Just checking in to let you know R & I had a great Thanksgiving weekend which involved the hills , golf and wildlife.

More about the weekend and the work I've done on the Story of the Traveling Pages a little later in the week when I've settled back into a comfortable routine.

Allotment Garden Blogging Bee

My allotment garden is imagined because such a concept does not exist in urban India but its a concept worth implementing. read on to find out what I would grow in this allotment garden, what I'll be wearing and what I would snack on when I take a break from weeding and watering.

What would I grow in this little garden? Coriander/Cilantro, mint and fiery hot chillies. The requirements for my cooking on a daily basis. A couple of types of spinach, cucumber and tomatoes. Maybe I could squeeze in a banana tree or a drumstick tree. How about a papaya tree, one which produces those small sweet papayas which they call disco papayas.Haven't figured out how that name came about. A vine of betel leaf. I don't chew it but it has medicinal properties.
I'd like to have a bee hive too. Bee hives are probably not typical allotment garden fare but I've always wanted to give bee keeping a hand so a bee hive most certainly.

You'll find me tending my plot in rubber slippers/flip flops, sunglasses, and an old t-shirt combined with cut offs or a salwar. For a snack I'd probably take a sandwich or chapatis with jam or cheese and water.

India Flint over at Not all those who wander are lost is hosting a blogging bee. Its the first one I'm participating in. If you'd like to join in, you can read more about the event which has a giveaway worked into it by clicking here.

The images in this post are from a piece I created about seven years back of a little wild garden bursting with colour and texture. A teeny tiny tropical jungle in a forgotten hidden portion of this apartment complex where I've made my home.There's one such space right outside my bedrooom window where the wandering jew grows uncontrolled and a tropical jungle is in the making.

I hope your weekend is wild or tropical or both.