I'm inspired ...I say!

The muse seems to have deserted me but I've showed up and put needle to cloth. Yet, the last pages of the fibre book are incomplete. A week of embroidering telephone numbers with a single strand of thread leaves the 4"x6" page looking incomplete. There's a million stitches on that page already.

The weather is all grey and dull and I have a dry cough.Priya speaks of the healing qualities of black pepper and ginger and I take to brewing and drinking copious quantities of ginger tea. Changes occur. The cough abates ,I'm hooked on black pepper and ginger tea and the last 4"x6" page stares back at me - blank. Ok I'm inspired to use some red ribbon on the page but there's something lacking.

I decide to take a break for a day and step away from my work to indulge the senses and come back refreshed. Click here to see what made me laugh until I had a stitch in my side and here , as well as here for what tantalised my taste buds.

I gave my credit card a bit of a work out and acquired some Putumayo music which I'm listening to as I type out this post and two books.Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi and a collection of short stories entitled Death Dines In.

So much promise.The skies darken and there is promise of a heavy downpour.I must brew some black pepper and ginger tea and settle down to work - I feel little wings of inspiration stirring.

Where did you find inspiration the last time you went looking?

TAST- Crested Chain

TAST - Scroll Stitch

Churches & Chapels

R and I have always been to Goa during the monsoons when the crowds are tame and actually avoidable. Its our favourite destination to recharge our batteries simply by staring at the sea. We're not given to careening across Goa on a bike, drinking and partying hard, so I have no typical pictures of Goa to share but I do have pictures typical of Goa. The little white chapels and

churches which are distinctly Portuguese.

Every lane and community boasts of a little chapel.

This chapel is in serious disrepair but people still seem to be worshipping here. That's candle wax on the doorstep.
The simple refined white forms amidst wild tropical vegetation. The contrast is startling and arresting.
The facade of this chapel appears to be top heavy and I feel it will topple over but then again its probably the angle at which I've photographed it.
The sculpted domes, pilasters and niches on the facades of the chapels and churches remind me of elaborate sugar confections. I don't know why I make that connection but I do.
The monsoon rains which lash Goa take their toll of pristine white facades. Maintenance must be a labour of love.
Beautiful classic proportions. Distinctly Portuguese architecture in a typical Goan landscape of coconut palms. Doesn't feel alien or wrong. How do you achieve eclecticism? ( Is that even a word?)

Textures. Smooth white plaster and grainy rough laterite. Makes an interesting marriage of textures which work. Didn't see it used anywhere else. Is it a new direction or simply new for me?

Goa is also seafood for us. Click here to see pictures of what we ordered.

TAST - Sheaf Stitch

My Sheaf Stitch sample. Elizabeth of Quieter Moments has created some amazing embroidery with the Sheaf stitch and has been an inspiration for my own sample.

Its the Labour Day weekend and hundreds of miles away from the United States here in India we're looking forward to four days by the sea. How bizarre, how bizarre but that's the way it is if you are part of the outsourcing industry. I'm not complaining. Anyways I hope your weekend is full of excitement, I'll see you mid week next week. Stay safe and Cheers!

Text and Biryani

Writing, text, various scripts all facinate me, more so if its embroidered and I'm not the only one. Read more in this post at the Ragged Cloth Cafe Serving Art and Textiles and take the time to read the comments. There are some wonderful insights on the use of text in different peoples work. I have to say I agree with most of the views and opinions expressed there.

The fibre book I've begun for the documentation of biryani is as much about our love for biryani as it is about the exploration and use of materials to express with text our ongoing quest and discovery of biryani lore, recipes, facts, and the best places to eat biryani.

Its our set of wheels which get us to the next plate of biryani so its an apt name for us - hungry hot rods. That's page one of the fibre tome.

I'm using found and recycled materials as far as possible in this project. The silvery shiny material is the foil packet that the museli comes in, the red fabric is a small piece of block printed cotton from my stash and the embroidery threads too come from my stash.
The embroidery on page two is inspired by this and Jude's work. Have you noticed? I'm putting my TAST embroidery stitches to good use.

Jungle Tracks

All this month we've been on the road and this past weekend we were on jungle roads in the B.R. Hills ( Biligiri Ranganna Hills). Roads must be on my mind because I've taken more pictures of the jungle track when on safari than anything else.

The macademised road which winds up into the hills through lush tropical jungle. We were visiting the Biligiri Ranganna Hills for the first time. Its really very beautiful.

Its sunny one moment and pouring cats and dogs the next. It was noon when the picture above was taken. The mist was so dense we couldn't see a thing beyond fifty metres.

Dirt tracks criss cross the jungle. Everybody silent, scanning the undergrowth, branches and canopy for birds and animals. Will we spot a tiger, sloth bear or leopard? That's the question on everybody's mind.

Spotting animals in the dense undergrowth is difficult and takes experienced eyes and some luck. Most creatures are spotted close to the jungle tracks. When the jeep's engine is killed the jungle sounds can be deafening and like in the picture above you sit and observe the herd of Gaur grazing . The only other sounds are whispers and the rapid clicking of cameras.

Safaris into the jungle will take you past water holes. I always expect to spot a magnificent tiger or a herd of elephants cavorting in the water but haven't had that sort of luck to date, maybe the next time.

Alarm calls alert us to the presence of a predator close at hand.Everybody on the look out, until a leopard is spotted draped gracefully on the branch of a tree. The first leopard R and I have seen in the wild.It was a great weekend.Hope you're having a good week.

To see some magnificent pictures of the above mentioned leopard click here

TAST - Cast on Stitch

The Cast on Stitch was a new stitch for me. Its time consuming. With this stitch you need to remember less is more. Great stitch to add texture and dimension to ones work. Reminds me of a type of mushroom that grows on tree trunks.

I did a fair portion of this sample last night, while watching the stellar performance of Robert De Niro in What Just Happened.

TAST - Buttonhole Wheels

This stitch got the inspiration wheels turning. Thoroughly enjoyed making this sample.

TAST - Arrowhead Stitch

Not terribly inspired by the Arrowhead stitch and I've left off embroidering the head bit in Arrowhead!(it shall be rectified). I can see myself using this stitch in a border.

The Wild Wild West

The Bombay I've experienced in the past has been the people choked suburban trains,shabby skyscrapers,masses of people who seem to function like clock work and the oppressive heat and humidity but Goregaon(East) is different.
The Aarey Milk Colony of Goregaon doesn't get its name from a dairy that existed a couple of decades ago and got swallowed up by the ever expanding city but R and I discovered its because of the many non descript dairy farms which function there at present.

Lush green hills dotted with dairy farms and skyscrapers how wild is that?

Buffalos are like enourmous sculptures. Hollows and bulges and the skin has a wonderful patina.

There's a hierarcy on these dairy farms.Gopi takes care of ten buffalos and nine others like Gopi report into a supervisor. Supervisors report into a manager.

I learnt that there are a number varieties of buffaloes, identified by their horns. This one with the magnificent curly horns is a Katiawadi. A native of the Gir Forest in Gujarat and is capable of producing 30 litres of milk a day.This one has shorter horns and is a Dilli.

Small little pick-up autos like in the picture above transport milk to collection centres and dairy processing centres. The driver was thrilled I asked him to pose.

A dairy farm can have 500 buffaloes and every little lane seems to end at a buffalo farm. That's a lot of buffaloes and so much milk.I hope there's someone making Mozzarella with some of that milk.

Three days in Bombay ( Mumbai) was quite an education.

I'm back

It's good to be back home, sleeping in your own bed and settling back into a familiar routine.

The Great Driving Challenge which took over our lives for the past month has drawn to a close for R and me. I'd like to thank all of you who supported us, can't tell you how much it meant to us to make it to the semi finals. We got to meet and interact with a number of interesting people and came away with an all expenses paid holiday at Fort Aguada, Goa even though we didn't make it to the top three. The travel bug has bitten us. We got off the plane from Mumbai and got home long enough to repack our bags and set off by car for a long weekend in theNilgiris with family and there's Goa to look forward to in September. When it rains it pours.

One week away and I've discovered significant changes around me. Some like my google reader which was close to exploding with 250 unread posts was quite over whelming. My blog now has 56 followers, which is a pleasant surprise and my plants are multiplying and growing so I must be doing something right. All very gratifying.

I've begun a fibre book inspired by our love for biryani. Come back and visit, I don't foresee disappearing and leaving my blogs unattended for a while to come.

TAST-Bullion Stitch

Looks like I'm already sliding just when I caught up with TAST.
It feels like my whole life has turned into a whirlwind.
The good news is that R & I made it to the list of twelve shortlisted couples on The Great Driving Challenge.(Drum roll please) We are thrilled to bits.
The next round of the competition is going to be held in Mumbai, which is where we are headed at the end of the week. We have our own blog which we'd like you to bookmark and visit.
Our blog on The Great Driving Challenge site is going to be updated more frequently than this blog for the next week and a half.
Leave us a comment, tip on making home videos, must have list of things for a roadtrip or what you'd like to see on that blog as far as preparations for a roadtrip and mobile blogging go.

Family Time

Just back after two weeks of family time. It was a time for re-discovering a number of things through the eyes of an eleven year old and a seven year old.

Enormous granite boulders on the way to Chennai. Snapped this with my cellphone.

This alfresco lunch will be remembered for the charming setting ,the vanilla milkshake and the quirky plumbing in the restroom. We sat under a big old mango tree in the courtyard of a house which has been converted into a hotel in Pondicherry.
Late evening swim before dinner.Paintball which left a painful mark on one, Lemon grass, Forget-me-not and a camera shy chameleon.

Shell decor for the entryway of a crab's home. Yoga on the beach and cavorting in the surf.Salt pans, the crocodile farm, and drinking tender coconut water on the ECR (East coast road).

There was a birthday in the family and celebrations for the landmark year included a catamaran ride into the sea, beach cricket and dinner with friends and family. Jalapeno the pet dog got its first taste of chocolate cake which there was plenty of and the phone wouldn't stop ringing.

The Great Driving Challenge took up a fair portion of my time like it did R's. It seems to have paid off because we made it to the first shortlist of 100 couples. Thank-you everyone who took the time to vote for us, write testimonials and got your friends and family to vote. R & I are truly grateful. Waiting for the next phase to unfold.

What's your Interior Style

Take the Interior Style quiz by the International School of Colour and Design to discover your personal interior style. My interior style is decribed as Eastern Boho and I'd say its pretty accurate. This is my way of relaxing after a hectic two weeks of vote & testimonial gathering for The Great Driving Challenge.

The first leg of the challenge drew to an end at midnight last night and R & I are delighted with the 646 votes and 33 testimonials we recieved. Thank you everyone who made this possible. The jury is working hard this weekend to shortlist 100 applicants who go into the next round. Come back on monday to know if we've made it to the next round. Keeping our fingers.
crossed.
Thanks again and have a great weekend.

Rerouting for Biryani & The Great Driving Challenge

View Biryani quest in a larger map

We are rerouting our 3,000km trip for The great Driving Challenge so that it begins and ends in Bombay, a requirement by the organisers.

This route has been carefully chosen to include visits to a number of heritage sites which have been on my wish list for a long time as well as providing us with opportunities to sample different types of biryani.

Our Quest for Biryani and The Great driving Challenge has been noticed and we have been featured here and here.

You have until the 17th of July to vote for us if you haven't done so. ( There's a button on the side bar, you can click to vote) and we'd like to thank 412 of you who took the time to vote and passed on the request to family and friends. Some of you have had problems with the voting process and confirming your votes. All these issues are being resolved by the organisers of the challenge who have been overwhelmed by votes
which are pouring in for the participants.
I'd request you to try again after a couple of hours if you haven't been able to vote and for those who don't get a confirmation mail to complete the voting process please check your mail box in a day or two.
Thanks again, hope you have a great week ahead. Cheers!!

Journeys

3,000 km road trip
Getting up early gives me time to sip a hot cup of chai and indulge in some reflection.I've had a couple of such mornings this week and its all no doubt been prompted by The Great Driving Challenge.(TGDC)

The 3000 km road trip of a lifetime in quest of biryani got me thinking about all the other little journeys I'm making at this point.

Let's start with the Great Driving Challenge itself. Its interesting to see that the learning and experience gained from blogging over a year and a half is now connecting in a very significant manner with TGDC. Its also got me signed onto Facebook and Twitter. That's two different journeys there of reconnecting with people and discovering the journeys their lives are on.

Stitch Journeys
There are a couple of stitch journeys too.
Take a Stitch Tuesday on Stitchinfingers is starting up again after a couple of months of R&R which was also meant to be a time for tardy ones like me to catch-up and I'm happy to report I have. So TAST is a journey of creative exploration of embroidery stitches that's starting up again where it left off.If you are interested in joining in, read more about it here.

I have to complete the page for December for The Take It Further Challenge fibre book. Must complete that journey in the next two weeks.

Literary journey
I've been on a "high fibre" literary journey ever since R got back from the States with a little stack of books I had requested him to buy.I've read Knit Lit(too) and have begun on Knit Lit the Third.
My literary journey is taking a new turn with a book club that I'm trying to kick start with Priya's help.For women who are comfortable in their skin,aren't obsessive about counting calories and love the journey a good book provides. We're starting with Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert. Have you taken the Eat, Pray, Love trip? Would love to know what you have to say about it.

MiSh maSh

My journey with collages and cellphone images has been a sort of on and off thing but I've given them a more formal platform by creating Mish maSh and taking one of Shelley Klammer's online workshop's on Deepening Creativity. Thank-you Robyn.

The interlacements of the stitch journeys with blogging or Mish mash with The Great Driving Challenge or the interactions with friends and followers on Flickr, Twitter and Facebook are creating an interesting fabric of experiences and I'm loving every moment of it.You can follow me on Twitter, check it on my sidebar.
If you've read thus far you'll know that armchair travel is something I do plenty of but I am going to be taking a little trip to be with family. I'm not certain how much blogging I'll do but I'll be back in about two weeks with plenty to show and tell. Stay safe and happy journeys to you.

Take a little journey of three clicks of the mouse and vote for us on The Great Driving Challenge.Appreciate it, thanks.

The Great Driving Challenge

As of Wednesday I've gotten myself involved in The Great Driving Challenge and in the process got R involved as well because its for couples.

Organised by Mitsubishi, three lucky couples will enjoy an all expenses paid 12 day driving challenge in the new Mitsubishi Cedia Sports, and one couple wins 10lakh rupees (even half that would be a tidy sum to indulge ones fibre & bead cravings). Anyway the exciting bit for us is the 12 day drive which if we get to do will be fantastic.

We plan to drive from Bangalore to Leh and sample Biryani along the way and you'll get to witness it all right here. Our personal motto for the trip is "We Sverve, Reroute & Detour for Biryani". What's exciting, is the variety of biryani we're likely to encounter. The cultural landscape is going to change pretty dramatically which will have a direct impact on the biryani - the ingredients, method of cooking and flavours all waiting to tantalise the taste buds.

Which brings me to the part where your participation is going to make all the difference. We need your votes and we need names and addresses of places to sample all those fabulous biryanis between Bangalore and Leh.

To vote please follow this 3-step process. 1. Click on the link below 2. Once on the page, click 'Vote' and provide your email id 3.The actual vote is effective only once you've acknowledged it from a confirmation email which you will receive,Check your inbox and click on the confirmation link. Click here to vote.

Let me thank you in advance for taking the trouble to vote for us, can't tell you how much R & I appreciate it.

And the Winner is.......

The winner of the heart sampler I'm happy to announce is Chris Daly. R did the honours and picked the winner.

I'd like to thank all who left a comment and made this little giveaway a memorable one, its motivated me to have more givewaways. So there will be more opportunities to win and hopefully it will also be something you'll want to win!

Chris I'll be emailing you to get your mailing adress right after posting this on my blog so I can send the sampler across to you in Wisconsin.


Have a great week everyone.

MiSh-maSh

Documenting my day - drawing, collaging and snapping pictures with my cellphone.

Its all there in big pictures over on my new blog MISH MASH.



One day left to leave a comment and have a chance to win the heart sampler I'm giving away for my 125th post. Read about it and leave a comment here to win.

Giveaway for my 125th post

This is my 125th post and I decided to have a little giveaway to celebrate.
The hundredth post or a blog anniversary is more traditional occasions for giveaways but I couldn't think of anything for a giveaway at those points.
My current obsession with hearts helped to create this little cross-stitched sampler of hearts
and what a happy coincidence that its also my 125th post.
So if you'd like to win the heart sampler which measures 13.5"x 8.5" and is embroidered with cross-stitch on unbleached cotton, please leave a comment and make sure there's some way I can contact you. You have until Friday 19th June 5pm IST which translates to7.30am EST,12.30pm GMT, 7.30 pm in Hong Kong ,to leave a comment.

Let me take the opportunity to thank all those who subscribe to and follow this blog, as well as all those who visit and leave positive comments which I appreciate and thrive on.

Have a fantastic weekend.

TAST - French Knots

Not a terribly inspired sample of French Knots I'm afraid.
The weekend was great. Watched the movie Changeling. If you haven't seen it then please do. John Malkovich's effortless style rocks and over shadows Angelina Jolie if you ask me.
Met friends from college for lunch, this happens about once a year when one or more of the gang visits Bangalore also serves as an opportunity to check out a new restaurant. It was Caperberry this time and it didn't disappoint. The world of Facebook and plans for a decadent boat ride from Cochin to Kumarakom drinking arrack and stopping for prawns and other local fare were discussed over tenderloin with buttery mashed potatoes and pears stewed in red wine.

Have been working on a little something which is nearing completion and shall be revealed in my next post.So, you will come back won't you, round about this time next week ?

Mapping Moments & Memories

I haven't abandoned this blog. Just been up till late in the night all this month watching the IPL , actually R does the watching while I labour at my second heart sampler.Its almost complete but I decided there's been just too much about hearts on this blog of late and to show you a progress shot would simply bore you to tears. So I've decided to show you a little amulet bag I made up of seed beads and bugle beads.

You didn't know about the beady side of me now did you? This little amulet bag holds passport sized photographs of my nephews so in a way I'm mapping their progress as each year passes. From time to time I remove the contents of the amulet bag and see how the two chubby cheeked babies have grown -one reads Geronimo Stilton, plays soccer and is learning the piano and the other has discovered fashion and the need to be cool ,plays the guitar and both , true to their generation shall not be parted for too long from a device which has a screen and a keyboard be it the television, mac book, ipod, mobile or various gaming devices.

Cross - stitching hearts late into the night got me thinking about ways of mapping my days and the neighbourhood. I have a diary into which movie tickets are stuck,due dates for payment of utilities are noted and little recipes are written down. The diaries are treasured possessions but to have to go through diaries 1997 to 2005 to find the recipe for wine or Syrian beef fry each time I decide to make them was getting a tad tiresome so I decided to start my food journal. For all of you who are saying "recipe book" it's not just a recipe book. Its more, its interesting articles about food, its SMSes exchanged between friends about food and like Ven pongal and Chakra pongal which has become a tradition every year on February 14Th, I make a note of who came to share brunch with us that year.

In the wee hours of today while watching the Champions League match between Barcelona and Manchester United and multi tasking as usual I decided there had to be a better, more elaborate way of mapping moments in my day. It deserves more attention, the diary tradition will continue but a journal to express my thoughts about matters and moments in my day is going to be a new project. Does it deserve a blog all its own? Maybe. In the meantime I'm looking forward to interacting with the Next Gen Nephews in July to understand the "cool" quotient of things. They see things so differently I wonder how they will map their memories?

Extreme Sheep

Heart sampler is now complete.

Ta-dah! the heart sampler I've been working on is complete.

Wondering whether it needs a border to tie it all up neatly. What do you think?

The net has thrown up so many heart motifs which I couldn't just leave as graphs so I've decided to make a second one. I'm sure there will motifs enough to make a hundred but I'll stop at two, besides I have limited wall space to display them on.