Silk Sari Afghans

Lovely, luscious afghans 

fancy up your sofa

I might even use mine as a wrap in winter....

15mm worked very well- golden afghan was 100 stitches cast on....

then I found 20mm needles and tried the peacock colours out, result a little looser but still a nice feel to the result and bigger needles means less yarn needed to get the same size result

Golden afghan is about 640gm

peacock about 580gm

 

Silk Sari Bags

 Hello all, 

here is a simple recipe for Silk Sari Bags.

I made my first one years ago and used it as a handbag for a while, so I wanted it to be firm and not let stuff drop through.

Being back in Australia at the moment, where SAY NO TO PLASTIC is really a thing now, I realise we need a lot of bags for shopping on hand, so I have reworked the Silk Sari Bag to be lighter and looser, it uses less yarn.

First though the long tale of making Sari Yarn

1. find your saris

2. check for silk by burning a corner

3. rip into strips

4. hand out to our home based Machine Ladies to machine stitch the ripped lengths together

Saroj Madam, has one of our machines- it does take up a significant part of her house's space but she is happy to have it. She machines for us and makes clothes for the neighbours as well.

Yarn is joined by a continuous thread, makes it strong and no lumps when using it.

5. wash and dry

6. roll up into 100 gm skeins- ready to go to you.

Silk Sari Bag 1

weight of this one is 280 gm so I would estimate 3 balls of yarn enough.

Silk Sari String Bag- version 2

Weight 200 gm so 2 balls should just about do it. Sorry these are guestimates because each ball whilst being 100 gm might a have a metre or so more or less depending on the saris. Last row around top of bag could be in a different yarn to finish it off if you run short.

Gamcha

 Gamcha obsessions

Bengal is famous for its handweaving and every home has a few Gamchas around- they are a Bengal bath towel and favoured dress of workers everywhere in the tropical heat.

Bright and bold colours- they are a favourite with our guests when we are on tour [Creative Arts Safaris- our reason to slip out of the workshop on occasion].

Since the first one I spotted I have wanted to make quilts, here is our first batch. I don’t know when we will have more, we have to wait for the Great Pause to finish and let us travel again. Cosy throws for the sofa or a picnic blanket these lightweight quilts will be loved for years to come.

Our first pile of quilts

Rickshaw puller dressed in gamcha

Gamcha seller in the Sundarbans- after a day out looking for tigers a little gamcha therapy is fun

This guy with his shop on a pushbike did not know what to think.... he was totally in shock at first to see all these foreigners and then we were accosting him and wanting to see his gamcha... and there was a little gentle scrambling over some of them too.

He was so chuffed by the time we reduced his pile by half, I bet he is still thinking of us.

Day wear Gamvha

The amazing flower markets of Kolkata all the vendors wear gamcha, I have a few dresses I made out of gamchas and I always wear one on the day we visit the markets- it is noticed and get the thumbs up 👍