Emotional Stages of a Blanket by Three Beans in a Pod:

Three Beans in a Pod: Emotional Stages of a Blanket: I've been doing this crochet gig for a while now and I've come to recognise a pattern emerging when I crochet a blanket (or pretty ...

CREATEive crochet

Subtle difference between the two but feeling happy that i attempted to make this piece

Inspired by the stone stone latticework window of  Sidi Saiyyed Mosque

The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque built in 1573 is one of the most famous mosques of Ahmedabad INDIA. it was built by Sidi Saeed or Sidi Saiyyed, an Abyssinian in the retinue of Bilal Jhajar Khan, general in the army of the last Sultan Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah III of the Gujarat Sultanate. The mosque is entirely arcuated and is famous for beautifully carved ten stone latticework windows (jalis) on the side and rear arches. The rear wall is filled with square stone pierced panels in geometrical designs. The two bays flanking the central aisle have reticulated stone slabs carved in designs of intertwined trees and foliage and a palm motif. This intricately carved lattice stone window is the Sidi Saiyyed Jali, the unofficial symbol of city of Ahmedabad and the inspiration for the design of the logo of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. 

Patience is one of the most important qualities of creation, especially for anyone who wants to begin making art. The results cannot be pushed. Everything emerges in time. Even experienced creators find it difficult to accept that the gestation period of an artwork might be prolonged with few signs of progress. There may not even be indications of inch-by-inch progress. Days, weeks, and months may pass without any signs that the work is moving forward.
- Shaun McNiff, Trust the Process

Ankodi

Life has been a little (or a lot) rocky for a while now. For me and my entire family. The days stretch on, seem to last a little bit longer than they should, tough and draining. The kind that leave you asking for a little gentleness. I’ve been holding onto God’s promises, and trying to find beauty in the every day. And you know what? There's so much beauty out there.

I’ve always been someone who loves those small, quiet moments. Lately, though, I’ve come to appreciate them more than ever. I went for a long walk today.... and of course, that always brings me to a place of soulful thinking... And I was wondering about my life, and I was trying to figure out how I got to where I am today, and how is it that good things have happened to me in spite of all the hard times...

Ankodi

I love how the colours and thickness of the cotton yarn which i rarely fine in local market here
Just a quick post to let you know what I’ve been up to the past week. I haven’t been able to crochet for more bt managed to work on the DOILIE

Ankodi

Life is moving so quickly and technology appears to overwhelm us at times. To pick up a hook and yarn, to feel a bit of yarn between our fingers feels like an antidote.

am being brave and showing up to my life and to the part of me that has the compulsion to

create, the part that I have pushed down for so long.

Ankodi

My hands have served me well – Wonderful gifts of God! 

I seldom really looked at my hands. But now with more wrinkles, a little creakiness and thinner skin. I have come to understand my hands better. Years of hard work, rough, but still able to offer a gentle caress. 

The tribal festival of colours : Kawant Mela ( HOLI NO MELO ) Chota Udepur, Gujarat

The Rathvas loosely inhabit Chhota Udepur in Vadodara District with marginal groups extending into Dahod and Godhra Districts and Alirajpur in adjoining Madhya Pradesh District. The Rathvas are the largest tribal unit in the state of Gujarat. From a history of hunter gatherers they now have graduated to farming and other rural occupations exploring their pastoral destiny. In spite of changing living patterns, they religiously revere their old ways in the celebrations of their rituals and have a deep pride in their traditional culture. Music plays an extremely important part of their lives and no Rathva would feel complete without his lovingly embellished Flute {paavo / piho / pihoto } as a remembrance of his forested homeland. The Rathvas also practice a mural painting form based on ritual traditional beliefs on the inner walls of their homes and dedicated to Pithora, the Rathva universal God of well being.

Each year at harvest time the Rathwa people come in their finest clothes from far distant villages throughout the region, crammed into trucks, buses, wagons and tractors to fill the small town of Kawant with their colour, noise and enthusiasm. Every sense is heightened while moving amongst the friendly crowds who come to celebrate their harvest, culture, community, and maybe even do a deal or find a bride at the  Kawant Mela, the Gair fair of Gujurat, India.

At the Kawant Mela men from each village have their own style.

The Rathwa tribes are agricultural people and every year they hold a mela (festival) in this town near Chhota Udepur in eastern Gujurat, India’s far west state. It is an ancient festival timed to be soon after Holi, though its origins are long before Hinduism. These farmers and rural workers were once hunter gatherers and so the dances and songs in the processions remind them of their jungle heritage, such as the male dancers painted with a paste of rice-ash to look like the big cats they once hunted.

Each village is differentiated by their own style of mens’ turban or colour of the womens’ dupatta (short sari). Even the extraordinary jewelry of the women gives clues as to their village and many wear the heavy silver necklaces of old colonial rupees. The young men see participation in their village’s procession as a rite of passage into manhood and clearly take pride in their elaborate headdress of peacock feathers, pictures of deities and lots of glitter, often with the modern touch of sunglasses and mobile phones.

Around their waist is a string of large brass bells or stone-filled gourds that they shake in unison with a hip jerk as they stamp their feet in the long procession. It creates a mesmerizing atmosphere.

As the day progresses, each group of village dancers and singers winds through the town streets, often led by deities in chariots pulled by life-size paper or metal horses. The noise of drums and flutes accompanies the vibrant singing lines of women, the black-faced rat-tags and the peacock crowned young men. After the procession they can rejoin their families to socialize, buy sugar cane and trinkets, get yet more protective tattoos and of course flirt

Health concerns

http://www.petalstopicots.com/2014/02/5-knit-and-crochet-health-concerns-can/

ankodi

I am a homebody by nature and it gives me reason to stay inside. I also seem to pick up my crochet needles during the cold and dark evenings of winter.
Making something with our hands reflects something basic about ourselves. We want to work hard without losing touch with our creative selves; we want to earn money without losing our souls; and we want to be part of a larger picture of human progression while still maintaining our individuality.” – Vickie Howell

Journeys of 2014

Seems ages since i last blogged

just wanted everyone to know have not abandoned blogging, but too many things happening so has been hard to concentrate

Creating has been a driving force in my life whether I listened to it or not. realization that creating is not an option, rather a demand that I must listen to. My passion to create comes from a need to express myself, to relate to the world around me. My hands were made to create what I feel. My eyes see form where there is nothing. My goal as an artist is to listen to myself and speak what words cannot say trying to speak to both the physical and spiritual realities.

Home is where your story begins". Yes, indeed. New year, new journeys . .