Crochet Banana Leaf:

Fig 1

Hello friends,
In all over the world every one knows BANANA and I think every one likes to eat it and bananas are beneficial to all. In India banana is not only to eat but it has very much importance as a tree (though it is not a tree).
It is supposed to be sacred and holy according to Hindus. In various rituals temples, Poojas (worships) banana leaves are used. See fig 2 and 3

 In Indian weddings (particularly in South Indian and in Maharastra) entrance of houses of bride and groom both and entrance of wedding halls are decorated by Banana trees or Banana leaves (Fig 4). It symbolises that the life of married couple should be prosperous from generations to generation as green banana tree and should have their endless relationship.

Fig 2

Fig 3

Banana leaves are also used as a plate for eating. It is most Eco-friendly, disposable and healthy too. The antioxidants (polyphenols) in banana leaf is reported to help fight cancer and many other diseases.

Fig 4

Fig 5

Banana leaves are 3-4 ft tall (Fig 5) and generally they are cut in 3 pieces to serve as a plate (Fig 6). Single one looks like fig 7.

Fig 6

Fig 7

In marriages or in old days food is served on these banana leavesas in fig 8.

Looking the importance of these banana leaves in Indian or Maharashtrian wedding Rukhawat, (to see what is Rukhawat, please read my previous post,
https://alkaandart.blogspot.com/search?q=rukhawat) Banan leaves are made by knitting or by crochet.

Some of my channel subscribers request me to publish the video of crochet banana leaf then I made it as in fig 1. Of course not all food items as in fig 8😋

Fig 8

In this post, I explain only the Banana leaf and not food items. Food items may be in some other post.

Start with 18 chains.

R1: dc1 in each of 6 chs, starting from third ch, ch 2, skip 1 chain and dc 1 in each of next 7 chs. ch 3 turn,

R2: dc 1 in each of next 6 sts, (dc 1, ch 2, dc 1) in 2 chain gap of previous row, dc 1 in each of 7 sts, ch 3 turn,

R3: dc 1 in each of next 7 sts, (dc1, ch 2, dc 1) in chain 2 gap of previous row, dc 1 in each of next 8 sts, ch 3 turn,

Row 4, 5, 6 etc are same as row 4 only every time number of dcs before ch 2 gap and after gap increases by one.

Repeat this till 24 rows. If we continue this further to reach height 13" then the shape will be much wide, for that after 7-8 inches we may work out the following rows.
Next row: ch2, incomplete dc, YO pass through the 2 sts on the hook (just like 2dctog), dc 1 in each st from next till the ch-2 gap comes, (dc1, ch 2, dc1) in ch2 gap, dc 1 in each st from next till 2 sts remain, 2dctog in last two sts.,
Repeat this row till the height is 13".

Now maximum banana leaves have little cut on sides (as they are this and due to wind it cuts), Making cut portion of the leaf is not necessary, you may or may not do it.
If you want to make cut portion then for that .....

At the time of beginning the row, make slip stitches 3, (see fig 9) ch 5, dc 1 from third ch on this extended part (Fig 10), then dc 1 on remaining 2 chs, dc 1 in next st gap (not in st, so that cut part of leaf get good support) See fig 11. Then dc 1 in each st as usual till ch 2 gap then (dc1, ch 2, dc 1) in gap, dc 1 in each st till end.

Fig 9

Fig 10

Fig 11

After 4-5 rows again make one cut part of the leaf.

Once the leaf is completed thread double strands in tapestry needle and pass it through the central ch 2 spaces as in fig 12.


In some other post I will right about the food items placed on the banana leaf.

Fig 12

etc: Enjoy the Creativity.
The following video with English subtitles may help you.

Tambya Bhand: Water Vessela for Lunch / Dinner

Fig 1

Hi friends,
This time I have made a very different item, Tambya - Bhand. Many of my friends out side India may not know, what is this. So it is just a pot for water water or water container at the time of meal (either lunch or dinner). For digestion it is very important to drink water during meal or after meal. Due to water only we can absorb nutrients in our meal. In Maharashtra, to make the whole arrangement for lunch or dinner is called "Pat-pani", means other than food items we have to take Pat (for sittingon ground (in old days there were not dinning tables, so people used to sit on ground on Paat, see fig2, that wooden red thing on which they sat is called Pat) and the white square marked is the water container, called Loti or Tambya and Bhand means metal glass to drink water.

Fig 2

we have already seen, how to make crochet banana leaf and the food items on that. Please read my previous post,
1. Bananan leaf:   https://alkaandart.blogspot.com/search?q=banana+leaf
2. Food items on banana leaf part 1:
https://alkaandart.blogspot.com/search?q=some+food+items+banana+leaf
3. part 2,
post on 20th Sep 2019.

Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 5

Fig 6

Fig 7

Fig 8

So in this post I told you, how I made this water container and glass, fig 3.For this we use 6 ply thick yarn, 3.5 mm crochet hook.
Pattern:
R1: In a magic loop make ch 1, sc6, cl by sl st in first sc, (6 sts).

Fig 9

R2: ch 1, sc 2 in each st, cl (12 sts).
R3: ch 1, (sc2, sc1) repeat, cl, (18 sts)
R4: ch 1, (sc2, sc1 in 2 sts) repeat, cl, (24 sts). Fig 4.
R5: ch 2, (hdc2, hdc1 in two sts) repeat, cl, (32 sts). Fig 5.
R6: ch 3, work in back loop, (dc1 in 3 sts, dc2 in next), repeat, cl, (40 sts). Fig 6.
R7: as R6 (50 sts)
R8: ch2, hdc 1 in each st, cl, (50 sts). Fig 7.

Fig 10

Fig 11

R9: work in back loop, ch 3, dc1 in each st, cl (50 sts).
R10: ch 3, dc1 in each st, cl (50 sts)
R11 and R12 same as R10.
See fig 8.
R13: ch2, hdc1 in each st, cl, (50 sts)
R14: work in back loop, ch 3, dc 1 in next 5 sts, (2dctog, dc 1 in next 6 sts) repeat till 2 sts remain, dc 1 in each of them., cl, (44sts).
R15: ch2, (2dctog) repeat till end, cl, (22 sts). Fig 9.
R16: ch 2, hdc 1 in each st, cl (22 sts).
R17: work in back loop, hdc 1 in each st, cl (22 sts).
R18: ch1, (sc 2 in next st, sc 1 in next) repeat, cl, (33 sts). Fig 10.
R19: ch 1, sc 2 in next, sc 1 in next 2 sts) repeat, cl, (44 sts)
Bind off. Hide the yarn ends. See fig 11.

Fig 12

Fig 13

Fig 14

Fig 15

Bhand / Glass:
R1: In a magic loop make ch 1, sc6, cl by sl st in first sc, (6 sts).
R2: ch 1, sc 2 in each st, cl (12 sts).
R3: ch 1, (sc2, sc1) repeat, cl, (18 sts)
R4: ch 2, (hdc 2 in next st, hdc 1 in each of the next 2 sts,) repeat, cl, (24 sts)
R5: ch 3, dc 1 in back loop of each st. (24 sts). Fig 12.
R6: ch 3, dc 1 in each st, cl, (24 sts).
R7: same as R6. Fig 13.
R8: ch2, hdc 1 in each st, cl, (24 sts)
R9: ch3, dc 1 in back loop of each st, cl, (24 sts). Fig 14.
R10: ch 1, (sc2, sc 1) repeat till end, cl (30 sts). Fig 15.
ETC: Enjoy the Creativity.
The following video may help you.

Crochet Decoration for Thread Ceremony, Astavarg in Matrubhojan Ritual Part 1, Banana Leaf & Food Items

 

Hello friends, 

Thread Ceremony is the important Ritual in Hindus. I have already explained about thread ceremony in my post on 7th Jan 2026. One of the important part in that is Matrubhojan, in which 8 small boys are invited whose Thread Ceremony is already done . These boys are called "Ashtavarg" (Ashta means eight) Group of eight. So in this decoration these newly underwent these Sanskar of thread ceremony are shown. Actually this is very emotional event. The boy whose thread ceremony is ongoing called BATU, last times eats in his Mother's plate because now he is going with his Guru for education. Also now he is becoming independent, learning to do every thing without the help of mommy.

These Ashtavarg are usually made by Nuts and Cashew. So I made these Crochet Ashtvarg which is a very unnique idea. The lunch for these Ashtvarg is served on Banana leaves, decorated by beautiful Rangoli around it. All these things are made here by crochet. 

Banan Leaf and Food Items on it: First we shall made Banana leaf. Use thin yarn as we want small size and 1.75 mm hook.

Banana Leaf: With Green make chs 14

R1: from second ch make sc 1 in 6 sts, ch1, skip 1 st, (place marker in this ch1) sc1 in next 6 sts, ch1 turn.

R2: 2sctog, sc4, (sc1, ch1, sc1) in ch1-sp at marker, (place marker st new ch1-sp), sc4, 2sctog in last 2 sts, ch1 turn,

R3: sc6, ch1, skip ch1 of previous row, sc6, ch1 turn

R4: same as R2, R5: same as R3

After R6,

Repeat these two rows till R11. BO.

Then make slip stitch border on both sides. Also make sl st line in the middle may be by little darker shade yarn.

Sakharbhat: (Sweet Rice): R1: By orange yarn in a magic loop ch1, sc6, cl.

R2: ch1, [sc1, (sc2) in next] 3 times, cl (9)

R3: ch1, sc1 in back loop of each st, cl. (9) BO.

Puri: R1: In a magic loop with off white yarn make ch1, sc6, cl.

R2: ch1, (sc2) in each st, cl (12) BO.

Potato Sabji: With yellow yarn, ch2

R1: sc1 in second ch from hook.

R2: ch1 turn, sc3 in sc-st of R1. BO. Make 3-4 pieces similarly.

It seems that one more item should be there, so I made Karanji as it is simple that Modak because of very small shape.

Karanji: Make R1 and R2 same as that ot Puri with white yarn, fold and sew to get Karanji shape.

Then cut the green yarn in very small pieces keep it on Sabji as Corriander. Then cut the piece of white  and wooden color yarn keep it on sweet rice as Cashew and Manuka.

Water Vessel: With off white yarn R1: in magic loop ch1, sc6, cl

R2: ch1,  [sc1, (sc2) in next] 3 times, cl (9)

R3: in back loop of each st make sc1, cl (9)

R4 and R5: ch1, sc1 in each st, cl (9) BO.

Rangoli: We made very very simple rangoli of chains only around that leaf with thick yarn.

You may make very 3 or 5 small flowers like,

Flower: in magic loop (ch4, sc in magic loop) 5 times, cl, BO. Then keep them around those chs.

But I have only pleced some yellow beads of drop shape which look very sute.

Paat or Aasan: (for sitting Ashtvarg) Use Wooden and red color yarn.

R1: with wooden yarn make chs 15, from second ch make sc1 in each ch (14)

R2: ch1 turn, sc1 in each st

R3 to R10: ch1, turn, sc 1 in each st (14)

Border: Join red yarn at first st, ch1, sc1 in each sc-row, 

                                                     

at corner make sc1, ch1, sc1 in the same st on other side,

                                                    

 sc 1 in each st, repeat corner.

                                                     

Thus complet decorated plate for lunch with water and paat are ready.

 In part 2 we shall see how to make BATU (Boy whose thread ceremony recently occured).

The following video with English subtitles may help you.

ETC: Enjoy the Creativity.