Crochet Sushi & Biscuits Pattern!

Its been more than a month since my last posting. I could only say that i am still adjusting myself at my new working environment. Compared to my last job, i was actually working less hours and less days, which i assume that i could fully utilize the non-working hours for other things. This was not the case though, i realize that now i am actually doing less things compare to the past. Maybe i need to seriously evaluate what i really did in the 'extra' hours that i have, since i am having some difficulty keeping up with my stuff especially my blog. By the way, to those that are waiting for me to complete the DIY felt kit, might need to wait a bit longer, one fine day i will make it and put it here!

I do still designing crochet pattern in my free time, the only thing that i manage to do now. So this time i have come up with Sushi and Coffee & Biscuits crochet pattern. I have always wanted to crochet Sushi since i personally like eating sushi very very much. The pattern consist of my favorite sushi such as salmon, eel, egg and California roll. While for the coffee and biscuits pattern, i have come up with 3 different biscuits together with a cup of coffee, saucer and a cute mini spoon. As usual, all my patterns are up for sale in skymagenta.etsy.com. Please do check it out!

Happy Crafting!

DIY Felt Food Toy Kit

I was walking around in a shopping mall last Sunday where i stumbled across this cute little boxes of DIY Felt Food Kit. Well i could not really walk past this item without looking it, so i decided to have a closer look at it. Felt was a non woven material used to make decorative item and widely used as handicraft material. It is also preferred for it durability and thickness. I have seen lots of item can be made from felt. However, i never really tried my hands on it. Well maybe i really should!The boxes each contains different of food to be made. So unable to resist the temptation to lay my hands on it, i decided to buy 3 boxes. It cost RM 5.90 per boxes. Not knowing the content of the boxes makes me more interested to buy it. Although i could roughly guessed whats inside, it will never be the same to open it!

I have decided to buy the cookies set, cakes set and the Dim Sum set. Each boxes actually consists of one of the pattern shown on the boxes. I opened the boxes the moment i reach home.

Each boxes contain the felt material used for the pattern, all colors are according to the pattern, it also includes, needles for sewing the felt and also some polyester cotton for stuffing purpose. Each of the boxes comes with a detail instruction and also a sketch of the shape to be cut of from the felt. The instructions was quite detailed and well illustrated, i believe nothing will go wrong if you really follow the steps.

The main thing that attracts me is the cute design of the food items. See the picture of the boxes, you will understand what i mean. Some of the patterns available was donut, sushi, burger set, dim sum and cookies!

The whole thing was not made here, it was made in some neighboring countries and sold locally by some distributors. I do really wonder if there is more of this kind of things out there. It just too cute to be ignored!

However, even though i really do like the set, i couldn't really find much time to indulge myself into it. Having just moved into a new working environment, i do find myself sometimes to exhausted to move after work. Too many things to catch up and learn, never ending things to follow up and etc. But no matter what, i will continue crafting. Hope that i manage to find some time to try making it myself. Will post the end product on the blog soon.

Gan Ba Teh!

Yet Another of My Crochet Design!

Being unable to get online for the past week really makes my life miserable. I was actually in a transition period where i was to switch from one working environment to another. After spending two years in the same place, it kinda difficult to get used to another new environment. Since i am unable to online at home, i was desperate to get an internet connection subscription as soon as possible. Well, finally i am able to online again.

Spend my last two weeks making my new crochet design, i have come up with new item which is the FRUIT PIE and LOLLIPOPS. Took me quite some time to finish it up due to the 'holiday' syndrome, now it is available in skymagenta.etsy.com and ebay.com. The fruit pie consists of 5 different fruits, which is strawberry, mango, apple, kiwi and star fruit. While for lollipops, it consist of 4 different types of sweets. One of my personal favorite!

I am really glad that there are people out there that like my design. It really gives me satisfaction and motivates me to keep on designing and creating stuff. Even though i am having a busy time, i shall no matter what will continue to design and making things.

Happy Crafting!

Latest Obsession - Re-Ment Miniatures Toys!

OMG! I am seriously obsessed with miniature toys for the past week. I have been searching all over the web for pictures and collection of miniature toys. It really fascinates me how they could produce such a fine details on such a small toy. Most of the toys are life-like, and it look almost the same as the real ones. Except of course the size is way way smaller then the real. Often produce in scale with the real one to create the balance of other items.
One of the well known manufacturer of these miniatures toys non other than Re-Ment. I have been through all their collection of miniatures toys and it is really amazing that they could come up with all sort of miniatures toys. How i wish i could collect it all and display it nicely in a glass cabinet!

Re-ment's collection offers a large variety of different food, pets, house furniture and lots more. They usually sold in pack of 10 with different theme. One could mix and match to create new look. It also can be used to as accessories for Barbie, Blythe and other doll houses. If you have any doll house, the miniatures toys are definitely need to decorate it nicely. You could recreate the living room, kitchen, bedroom and toilet with the toys. Or maybe you could recreate a shop selling flower, market place, grocery store, school and many more. Endless of things you could do with these tiny toys. Only imagination would bring out the creativity in you!.
My personal favorite will be definitely the food item from Re-Ment. It offers a varieties of Japanese, Western, Bread, Cakes, Desserts and many many more. Again the tiny toys offers intricate details of the food that i really admires.
Looking for any shop selling it locally here! Hope to find it!

Happy Crafting!

Bread & Ice Cream Crochet Pattern!

Okay, i have to admit that i design this is purely because i like ice cream & bread. Who could resist the temptation of an ice cream? I am definitely not the one. So to make the ice cream & bread to last longer than usual, what's better than to crochet one myself.

My new pattern consists of 4 different ice cream types - namely Ice Cream cone, Triple Flavor Ice cream, Fruity Ice and Cornetto.

While my bread pattern consists of French Loaf, Braided Bread, Sausage Bun and Bread Slices. All my patterns are available in skymagenta.etsy.com & ebay.

Still working on my other pattern, hope to post it here soon!

HOW TO make paper flower?

I learned how to make this flower a few years back when i am still in secondary school. I do love Origami at that time, simply amazing to see a plain paper transformed into delicately fold object. The art Origami could be divided into several level of difficulty. Well, i may only fit into the medium level i guess. I have seen those really really complicated ones!

Still remember that i used to make this flower with 2 of my best friend in college, we used to make hundred of them and put into a huge bouquet. Sadly i did not have any picture of that. I really did enjoyed and miss all those happy moment together!

Enough of stories, this is how you make the flower. Things needed are paper (A4), ruler, scissors and pencil.

Step 1: Fold the paper into triangle as shown in the picture. This is to get a square out of it.

Step 2: Fold the remaining of the end as per picture shown.
Step 3: Cut out the below unwanted part, leaving the square behind. Fold into half.
Step 4: Fold again into half to become a smaller square.

Step 5: Open the fold of step 4, find the middle point of the paper and using the point as centre to fold into 3 equal part as shown in the picture.
Step 6: Draw a line from one end of the paper to another end.
Step 7: Cut out the down part, leaving the triangle paper behind.
Step 8: Using the scissors, cut a slight curve at the line in Step 7. This will make the needed shape of paper for the flower.

Step 9: Open the paper, fold into half as shown in the picture.
Step 10: Open the flap inside to create 3 different flap as shown.
Step 11: Open each flap and fold into the position as shown in the picture.
Step 12: Fold the second flap as Step 11.
Step 13: Repeat Step 11. Picture shown all 3 flap has been folded. Now you have 6 smaller flap
Step 14: Open the small flap again, and fold as shown in picture.
Step 15: Repeat the same for the remaining 5 flap. Picture shown completed flap.
Step 16: Fold the upper corners of both side inwards as shown in the picture.

Step 17: Open the fold and pull down the middle part as shown in the picture.

Step 18: Then, fold the flap up.
Step 19: Fold both side of the flap inwards as shown in the picture.
Step 20: Repeat for all the remaining flap. Completed flap is shown in the picture.

Step 21: The flower is completed. Open up the flower by curling up the petal.
For more attractive flower, you may opt to add the filament in the center of flower by attach it to a stem (usually wires). You may also add leave by wrapping the stem with green floral tape.

Try it yourself!

My new Etsy store!

I have always wanted to have my own shop selling whatever i like. Unfortunately, i do not have enough capital nor time to make it happen. Opening a business is not as easy as it looks. Apart from a huge capital investment, one needs to devote time and effort to ensure that the business is running smoothly. I have seen those making lots of money from their business and also seen those that are not as successful. A lot of factors need to be taken into consideration, which also determine the success of the business.

Being in the age of technology, i do like the idea of opening a virtual shop online where one can sell almost anything that they like with minimum cost. Having a full time job means that i have limited time to spend. So the idea of online store seems to really suit my needs.

I stumbled across Etsy's website in a true coincidence. Being an ardent fan of DIY and handmade stuff, Etsy provide the perfect place for me to sell my own creation. Unlike other similar sites, that chargeable for opening an online store, Etsy's store is totally free of charge. Even for listing an item will cost minimal. It is a perfect place for people who wants to make some money from their handmade things.

I have just started my store a few days ago, the response seems good. Listed a few items mainly crochet pattern for sale in my store. I will design more patterns and will be adding more and more in future.

Those who wanted to visit my store, can do so at www.skymagenta.etsy.com.

Happy Selling!

Intersection of Maths & Crafts!

Finally, finally and finally........

Someone did finally acknowledged that craft is more than an unintelligent and a boring pastime! Just finish reading an article from the 'Scienceline' (NYU) titled 'New Math Tricks: Knitting & Crochet'. Based on the research done, they found out an intersection between crafts and maths. The craft mention particularly is knitting & crocheting. It is concluded that knitting & crocheting could provide a better insight into Geometry.

"Crochet, knitting and other crafts allow people to visualize, recontextualize and develop new problems and answers," said Carolyn Yackel, a mathematician at Mercer University in Georgia. Quoted from the article at http://www.livescience.com/technology/080606-math-knit.html

According to the article, researcher now are using crochet & knitting pattern to solve mathematical problems. Sounds absurd? Not really. I did mention in my first posting that designing and making crochet item is actually more to a game of maths. Increasing and decreasing of stitches to achieve the wanted results and to control the shape that you would like to make. It is a calculation that needed to be done before making any design. Even at the very beginning, calculation done will determine the last row of your pattern.

To better demonstrate the link between maths & craft, researcher had used crochet to reproduce the hyperbolic design that are not easily demonstrated using paper or plastic. By using crochet formula, the hyperbolic design are easily replicated and followed. They could easily determine the moving point at the item bend and stretch. Not bad of crochet modelling huh?

Kudos to all researcher and people that are really studying into the possibility of learning maths through craft and using craft to solve maths problem. Hopefully one day that people would really acknowledge that craft is helpful into the development of maths!

So the next time when you see someone knitting or crocheting near you, bear in mind that this person is actually doing nothing but maths!

Happy Crafting!

HOW TO make a recycle flower pot?

I did mention that i am a great fan of recycling. Not only that we could reduce the waste and protect the environment, we could also make pretty things from recyclable items. Most of the items lying around in the house especially in the kitchen is the perfect place to source for unused item for craft.

Due to my recent love for gardening, i was planning to put some plant in my office. Since i am not keen into buying one, so i was looking for a better way to reuse and reduce items. There are quite a lot of empty soft drinks container lying around, so i decided to do something out of it. Inspired by the idea of planting inside a drinking glass, so i have made these!!

As per photo shown, i do not use soil for planting as it require more care. So i have chosen to use 'Crystal Soil' to replace the conventional soil. It is popularly used as a substitution of soil for growing all indoor plants. (Mind you though, not all plants are suitable to be planted in the crystal soil - general rule: Plants that need lots of water may suitable for this). This soil can last up to two months without regular watering and also can be used for decoration and flower arrangement. It is made from polymer namely Polyacrylamide. Comes in tiny round or tiny square form. Soaking the crystal soil may takes up to 8 - 10 hours at the water ratio of 1: 180 - 1:200. However, water must not be too much as the color of the crystal soil may not turn out in the desired colors.
This is my own version of wine glass look-alike. Its really easy to make. Need only basic items and a few minutes to make this!

Okay, lets get started. To make the thing, you will need an empty soft drink bottle (any size will do). Tips: Get those with unique bottle shape. Besides that, you will also need super glue (those that grab in 3 sec), sharp blade and a pair of scissors.

Step 1: Using the super glue, stick the cap back to the opening. This is to prevent the water from leaking out.
Step 2: Decide where you prefer to cut as the body of your pot. Any length will do, up to individual preferences. Using the blade cut higher a bit from the preferred length. This is due to the difficulty to control the blade and the thickness of the bottle. Then, trimmed the excess length using the scissors as the scissors provide better control and accuracy. Do not throw away the remaining of the bottle.

Step 3: Using the remaining of the bottle, cut out the base of the bottle. This will be used as the 'stand' for our pot. Using the same method of cutting in Step 2, carefully cut out the base and make sure that the cutting is even on all sides. If not the pot will not be stable enough.

Last step: Paste the base and the cup together as shown above using the super glue. Wait a few minutes before you can move it. VOILA! Your recycle flower pot is done!

Now you can put any plants you like and display it around!

More craft & tips to come!

Happy Crafting!

Cute Muffin Crochet!

I really do like muffin, especially those freshly baked. Well, i am not talented at all in making real edible muffin. So i just compensated that by crocheting those that look alike but not for consumption. My friend always say that its better to make those that can be eaten, compare to those only for viewing! ;)

I did some research before i started designing the muffin, only to realise that there millions of delicious looking muffins out there! There are some nicely decorated and using most unique ingredients in making it. How i wish i could taste all the muffins!


So i have decided to make 4 different tasty muffins, which is Banana Muffin, Apple Muffin, Fruity Muffin and Oreo Muffin. All looks good enough to be eaten!


Each muffin is unique in terms of the pattern of the muffin itself, not including the toppings. For Banana Muffin, there are slices of round and long cut banana as the toppings. While for fruity muffin, i have specially chosen a half strawberry, a cherry and slices of mango and peach as the toppings. Not forgetting some hazelnuts as decorations. For Apple Muffin, three slices of cut red apples is just perfect for the cute muffin. Lastly is my favorite muffin of all, the Oreo Chocolate Muffin. The toppings off course including quarter slices of Oreo biscuits and sided with some slices of chocolates. Great combination for a muffin!


So the tips of the day:

When designing an item, the exact size must be determined in relation to other items. The size of the item must match the ratio of other items. For example: the size for the muffin must be set before making the toppings as it cannot be bigger than the muffin. Everything must be in the right ratio. Surely you would not like it if the toppings are bigger than your muffin!


The keyword to designing is to EXPERIMENT! Always let your imagination run wild and always have the courage to try!

Hope that you will like my cute muffin!
All patterns available in Ebay.com and soon in skymagenta.etsy.com.

Happy Crocheting!

My First Crochet Design! –Fruit Cake Recipe

I always wanted to design my own crochet pattern, so I could have full control of the size, color and how it will look exactly what I wanted. People may say I am too fussy, but that is what designing is all about. It about create something that is perfect in my context of view.

For the first time, I wanted something different and in the same time not that complicated. Trying my skills for designing for the first time really did give me some challenging moments. Jotting down the instructions during the crocheting process is not what I usually will do. So it takes a moment or two to get used to it.

Inspired by the bakery shop next to my workplace, I have decided to design a fruit cake. Cakes always give me the impression of memorable occasion and could really cheer up anyone. My personal favorite would definitely be Fruit Cake. The combination of freshly cut and colorful fruits really captivates me.

So Tips NO.1: Know your basic stitch very very well.

To those interested in designing your own pattern, understanding of the basic crochet stitch is an essential. Different stitch will produce different effect and height. So before designing anything, must decide the correct stitch to be used to achieve the desired results. Not forgetting to ensure the right gauge & tension used!

Designing for 3D or Sculptural crochet is different from others as it needs the designer to think in 3D form rather than just in flat surface. Imagination is important!

For my fruit cake, I have chosen to make in half moon rather than the conventional round. This shape and the light yellow base could make the toppings of the fruit to stand out. For the toppings, I have selected some of my favorite which consists of mango, peach, cherry, apple and strawberry!

Tips NO. 2: Ensure balance of color.

General rule of color is to balance between dark and light colors. And to decide which features that you would like it to stand out. Always remember that to pair dark background with light colored details and vice versa. However, there is always an exception. Just experiment!

Hope that others will like my pattern!

The pattern is available in Ebay.com and soon in Etsy.com.