Category Archives: Blog

Blog about crochet, other handmade items, travel and craft shops info.

DIY Craft Lable

February 28, 2018

Terkadang musibah itu ada hikmah dibaliknya. Yang penting tetap sabar dan sering curhat sama yang punya segalanya. Sudah dua minggu disain dikirim ke percetakan untuk membuat label, tapi qadarullah selalu ada masalah. Mulai dari petugas sakit, kemudian perjaan dialihkan ke orang lain, tapi yang diserahi tugas super sibuk dan akhirnya lable gak jadi2. Akhirnya terfikir, kenapa gak bikin stempel aja, lebih memberi kesan homemade juga, disamping juga lebih ekonomis.

Cetak label ukuran lebar 4 cm cm cukup mahal juga, per lembar percetakan memperkirakan Rp.1000. Cetak 500, Rp.500,000.

Harga stempel otomatis 38,000 plus ongkos kirim. Bisa digunakan +/- 5000 kali dan bisa diisi ulang tintanya. Kertas coklat ukuran A3 (harganya Rp. 4000 per lembar, bisa dipotong jadi 10 lembar untuk label ukuran lebar 4.2 cm. Coba kita berhitung ya.

Stempel 38,000 + ongkir = 56,000

Kertas Samson A3 (1 packet isi 10), 20 x Rp.4000 = Rp 80,000 + ongkir = Rp.111,000

Total stempel + kertas = Rp. 157,000

Jumlah label yang bisa dibuat = 10 x 200 = 2000 label

Harga Per label = Rp. 157,000 : 2000 = 78 Rupiah saja. Bandingkan dengan harga jika label dicetak.

Stempel otomatis ini juga bisa dibuat dengan warna lain.

Lable buatan sendiri dengan stempel otomatis. Amores Printing WA+62 816-337-074

Planned Pooling Dengan Benang Sembur

October 3, 2016

Bismillah…

Tiba2 semua orang membicarakannya termasuk saya. Jari-jemari masih terasa sakit tapi tidak tahan untuk tidak ikut mencoba aplikasi gratis ini.

PlannedPooling.com adalah aplikasi yang diciptakan oleh seorang ahli ilmu statistik bernama Karla Stuebing yang punya hobby merajut (pantas) hehe… Kisahnya bisa dibaca disini.

Setelah berhasil mencoba memahami aplikasi ini Anda tidak lagi akan memandang benang sembur dengan cara pandang yang sama dengan sebelum2nya. Setiap kali lihat benang jenis ini, maka yang terbayang adalah kotak2, wajik, zigzag, gelombang dan berbagai kemungkinan yang bisa dihasilkan yang diatur oleh warna2 sembur yang ada pada sehelai benang. Berikut test motif yang saya coba.Untuk melihat karya2 keren dari aplikasi ini, silahkan ke Pinterest, ketik PlannedPooling. Anda akan terkesima dan berkata “selama ini kok saya gak tahu ya?” Sayapun berkata hal yang sama…

Bagaimana cara menggunakan aplikasi ini. Saya coba rekam apa yang saya lakukan dilayar dan bisa dilihat di Youtube channel saya. Pertama2 tentunya Anda harus pergi dulu ke situs PlannedPooling.com kemudian ikuti petunjuk tertulis dibawah video.

Ingin gabung dengan teman2 di group Planned Pooling Indonesia? Apply disini https://www.facebook.com/groups/1617886511851197/

Mohon sabar untuk diapprove sebab admins di group ini hanyalah volunteer.

Selamat mencoba dan Happy Crocheting…

Berat 100 grams Panjang 360 m Hook 2.5 mm

Berat 100 grams Panjang 360 m Hook 2.5 mm Warna: gold, kelly green, red rose, pink

Deep Colors Version Berat 100 grams Panjang 360 m Hook 2.5 mm

Berat 200 grams Panjang 720 m Hook 2.5 mm

Benang yang baru selesai diwarnai dan telah dibilas hingga bersih.

Tas blacu tebal serbaguna bonus pembelian Yarn Dying Kit.

Pengiriman batch pertama Yarn Dyeing Kits.

Berat 100 grams Panjang 150 m Hook 4 mm Size DK

Color — Pilihan pewarna untuk Yarn Dying Kit.

Dyeing Kit and Some Works on Cotton

August 19, 2016

Berat 100 grams X 2 Panjang 360 m X 2 Demonstration only

Soft Cotton Lace 100 grams each
Length 360 m
Demonstration only to show the texture of the yarns

Hand Dyed Acrylic Yarns

March 13, 2016

I started dyeing my yarns as a hobby when we were living in Lagos. It may sounds impossible but actually it wasn’t that difficult getting the supplies into Africa from outside especially from the UK. It’s quite strange that when I now live in my own country getting items shipped into my place from the usual online shop I purchased my materials is no longer possible. We are a rich country, we have fast land and ocean and that ocean has lots and lots of fishes, the land has lots of plants which can be bartered with those dyes and the plants we have, that can turn to dyes… Don’t worry, I was just complaining to myself.

The difficulties in getting my dyed especially for the hardest material to dye like acrylic had forced me into an exciting exploration. have been using anything to get yarn samples dyed even if the manufacturer said it won’t work, I tried it anyway.

Among the brands sold in the market here, these are the names which are common at my place, Wantex and Dylon. There is only one type of Dylon available here which is the multi purpose powdered dye (is there any other type?). Anyway, so I tried both, it did paint the yarns but they both runs. Even with the fixer. The acrylic yarns just won’t marry to the dye…

I was frustrated although decided not to give up hope. I kept on working and mixing the paste… add more water, reduce water, apply heat, use microwave, use steamer, sun dyed… soften the hue, apply heat again and wash the skein in the sink only to see all the deep color being striped off revealing the naked color of the threads… (sighed and wiped sweat on my forehead).

I have some left over Jacquard iDye Poly from Dharma Trading (the only one which is working so far), I tried also an imported Japanese brand which was intentionally made for acrylic painting on canvas but the label did mention garments in it so I guess that is safe to use. It was funny when I told the guy who sold it what I was going to use it for, he laughed at me with a worry kind of laugh, you know, he was afraid that I was just going to waste my time and money. Well then, is that mean I can’t dye acrylic yarns forever since there is no way I can import Jacquard into here? I can’t take no for an answer to that (the grumpy child in me talking).

I think I will have to live with what I can get locally for now, not too much colors to play with but it will be good enough till I can get to buy Jacquard iDye Poly again… #feeling-hopeful

Dharma Trading Dyes

I small sample I dyed earlier. I like how this color turns out. I would call it Baby Cashmillon. See the knitting sample below.

Before drying and washing…

10325738_1061287600601461_3301303973215722719_n

Above yarns after washing with liquid soap and sun dried. You see how much color had faded in the washing? It’s still a nice blend however and I am happy with the result.

Knitting sample of the Baby Cashmillon above.

Dyed with iDye for natural fiber, it was very deep purple and dark green before. The above is the result after washing and dried and if I wash it again it may runs again. I know it was silly me not to trust the label.

Yes, no more color runs… The water is clear.

Dyed with iDyePoly and hank to dry. Rewarding myself with a cup of tea while waiting while reading the book titled “Hand Dyieng…” LOL

I have a patience friend who waited if he will be allowed to touch the ball…

I learned dying technique from book, Youtube and I did my own research and experiments. I have been reading a book by Gail Callahan “Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece” and subscribed to several hand dying channels on Youtube. My favorite channel is Nicole of Hue Loco. I also follow her Instagram. She has done so much wonderful works.

Note on iDye Poly, must wash garment dyed with this separately.

Rectly dyed (uploaded on May 1st, 2016

Tangle Free Yarn

March 1, 2016

How many times have you wound the yarns and ended up spending countless hours untangling it? Well if you are like me who wind your yarns a lot before crocheting or knitting, here are some tips for you. This technique is especially useful when you work with a slippery yarns such as nylon or a certain type of silk. I would call this method making yarn donut casing. With this method you are encasing each ball and pull one end while the ball stay inside the case. It will make your yarn ball hair and dust free too.

You need a plastic pocket in the size to fit the volume of your yarn ball, not too loose and not to tight. Umbrella yarn winder and a ball winder is needed but it is not a must. If you are manually winding your yarns, just make sure to put something hollow to temporarily hold your yarns such as a bathroom tissue paper holder.

First method: Cut the base of the plastic pocket, slide it into the ball winder then tighten it with a rubber band. Wind yarns as usual. When finish, remove yarns from the winder then pull out one end of the plastic pocket gently and fold it around the yarn enveloping it inside safely.

Second method: Wind yarns as usual. When finish, remove yarns from the winder, slide in the precut plastic pocket through the hole then pull out one end gently. Fold the plastic around the yarn enveloping it inside safely.

Green Method: I have not tried this but maybe a a crumpled old magazine paper might work as well as a wrapper.

Don’t forget to reuse and recycle the plastic containers.

Custom Made Crochet Frame Purse

February 29, 2016

As soon as this yarns came I thought I must immediately make something with it or otherwise I will be buried in other WIPs which never seems to finish again for a long time and the idea soon will evaporate and I will forget about it. I know, I am making excuse again for not finishing my works on time (sigh)… But I promise myself making this purse doesn’t take much of my time .

To do this you need:

1 ball of yarn, 100 gr/DK size, a crochet hook (I used smaller hook because I crochet very loose). 4 mm hook is the usual one for this type of yarns.
A metal frame, mine is an oval 10 cm in diameter.
A sewing needle.
A thin nylon thread to sew the purse to the frame which can be purchased from a bead store. Something like a nymo will work.
A piece of fabric for the lining (optional) depends on the type of stitching you will choose. If you are going to do single crochet motif only all the way you may not need to line your purse.
A sharp scissor.

The Math Thingy

Measure the circle of your frame. With the frame wide open and using a measuring tape, measure the inside circle. Let say the inner circle is 30 cm. Let’s divide this number with 2 so 30:2 = 15 cm. this is the width of the bottom of your purse.

Using the stitch pattern of your choice (mine is inspired by Wheat Stitch Baby Blanket on Ravelry) and it is a free pattern (thanks to DankFiber), make a purse taking into account the width of the base as measured above. You can make it as tall as you like but at least the height must be the same length as the base to give enough room for the pocket when the frame is sewn later.

The finish pocket and the frame.

Cut and hand sew the lining. Pinch the two corners and sew.

Flip the purse inside out and slide into the lining.

Pin and baste the lining to the purse.

Arrange the opening around the frame, tuck in the fabric and lining and spread evenly.

Sew the purse into the frame starting from the corner, from outside into the inside, insert needle just about 1 mm below the edge into both fabric and lining and sew back into the same hole in the frame. Pull tight each time so the stitches are hidden inside the slot in the frame.

Sew several times into the fabric, cut off thread and burn the nylon careful not to burn your hand or the purse. Just be save with all you do.

You are done!

NOTE: You can make the bottom of your purse as wide as you like but the opening has to match the size of the frame unless your fabric is thin enough to fold inside the opening when the frame is shut, then it doesn’t matter.

Coasters Holder

February 22, 2016

Posting these pictures first before I forgot. Will write a complete pattern if anyone interested. I love how crochet transformed an ordinary thing into something fabulous and functional… Don’t you?

Cara Buka akun PayPal dan Berjualan di Etsy

February 3, 2016

Assalamu ‘alaikum,

Note: This article is an answer to questions asked in the local crochet group in Indonesia and is written in Bahasa Indonesia. To read in English please use Google translator. Thanks

Banyak yang bertanya bagaimana cara berjualan di Etsy. Tulisan ini hanya membahas persyaratan agar bisa berjualan di Etsy, cara buka toko di Etsy dan tidak membahas dari segi strategi marketing agar sukses berjualan di Etsy.

Pastikan Anda memiliki akun PayPal atau Credit Card karena kedua jenis pembayaran ini digunakan dalam bertransaksi di Etsy (boleh pilih salah satu metode pembayaran).

Cara buka akun PayPal di Indonesia cukup mudah. Terlebih dahulu miliki akun bank yang diakui oleh PayPal. Salah satunya Bank Syariah Mandiri (kode bank 451).

Log on ke situs PayPal Indonesia dan klik Daftar dan isi formulir seperti dibawah.

Pilih metode pembayaran yang diinginkan.

Pilih Konfigurasi Rekening, klik link sesuai urutan yakni konfirmasi email, hubungkan rekening bank, pastikan nama PayPal Anda sama dengan nama Anda pada akun bank. Buat nama bisnis atau tuliskan nama bisnis Anda pada formulir. Misalnya: Rajutan Umi. Nama bisnis tidak harus sesuai dengan nama akun PayPal, namun nama Akun Paypal harus sama dengan nama akun bank Anda.

Cek email dan lakukan konfirmasi email sesuai petunjuk pada email.

Jika formulir telah terisi sesuai ketentuan, pendaftaran telah selesai dan Anda akan menerima konfirmasi via email.

Dibawah ini adalah contoh penerimaan dana pada Akun Paypal. Dana pada akun PayPal dapat digunakan untuk bertransaksi sesuai batasan yang ditentukan oleh PayPal namun agar dana tersebut dapat dipindahkan ke rekening bank Anda sebelumnya Anda harus harus memiliki status Terverifikasi terlebih dahulu oleh PayPal yang jangka waktunya bisa cepat atau lambat sesuai kelengkapan data yang diserahkan dan validasinya. Jika PayPal hanya digunakan untuk menerima pembayaran saja nomor kartu kredit tidak diperlukan. Akan tetapi untuk melakukan transaksi nomor kartu kredit akan diperlukan dan PayPal akan meminta untuk mengisi nomor kartu kredit. Kabar gembira bagi muslims beberapa bank syariah saat ini sudah menerbitkan kartu kredit tanpa bunga seperti kartu kredit dari CIMB Niaga Syariah. Syarat kepemilikan bisa dibaca di situsnya atau mendatangi kantor cabang terdekat.

CIMB Niaga Syariah https://www.cimbniaga.com/syariah/en/personal/index.html

BNI Syariah http://www.bnisyariah.co.id/produk/definisi

ETSY

Nah, sekarang setelah Anda memiliki akun PayPal, Anda kini dapat melakukan pendaftaran sebagai anggota komunitas Etsy. Formulir ada disini. https://www.etsy.com/

Setelah menjadi anggota, untuk dapat menjual karya kerajinan dan lainnya sebelumnya kita harus membuka Toko Etsy atau Etsy Shop. Caranya mudah, namun ada baiknya sebelum memosting barang-barang yang hendak dijual ketentuan pada link dibawah ini dibaca terlebih dahulu dan pelajari jenis-jenis barang yang tidak boleh diperjual belikan di Etsy, ketentuan mengenai hak cipta dan lain-lain. Jika produk yang Anda jual adalah hasil copian dari karya orang lain tanpa izin maka ada kemungkinan akun Anda akan diblokir dan jika sudah diperingatkan beberapakali hal ini tetap terjadi Anda bisa di “blacklist” atau berhadapan dengan hukum sesuai “Legal Notice” yang harus tik “Agree” ketika membuka akun untuk toko Etsy Anda. https://www.etsy.com/legal/sellers/#allowed

Setiap item yang kita daftarkan untuk dijual di Etsy dikenakan biaya sebesar 0.20 USD untuk durasi tayang selama 4 bulan. Ketika suatu item terjual, Etsy mengenakan 3.5% transaction fee dari harga item diluar biaya pengiriman barang.

Setelah semua hal dan gambar-gambar digital yang diperlukan untuk membuka sebuah toko online dan isi toko disiapkan, klik Open Your Etsy Shop, isi pertanyaan yang ada pada formulir seperti Lokasi, mata uang, nama toko, items yang akan ditawarkan, metode penerimaan pembayaran dari pelanggan (PayPal Business Account atau Credit Card) dan metode pembayaran biaya terhadap fasilitas dari Etsy.

Selamat mencoba dan semoga sukses.

NB: InsyaAllah postingan ini akan saya update sesuai berjalannya waktu sesuai kebutuhan.

Wassalam…

Crochet Creations With Mineral Bottle Rings

January 29, 2016

In November last year our local crochet group decided to run a competition to boost our creativities using mineral bottle rings. The feedback were amazing with 15 people joining and submitting the best of their creations. We then asked a group of crochet designers on Facebook who has no connections whatsoever to our group to be the judges. Below are the pictures of the items made by the participants for the contest.

This page is created for our local “KeciK”: group. Thanks to all and a special thanks to all friends who submitted their works in such a short notice: Dewi Mintoro , Grazia , Halida Rahmie, Yo Ika Kartika, Ilma Erisa, Luthfi, Presillia, Rina, Sinthia, Sistri, Tety, Ukke Wartanti, Yanti Griyaloha, Yus Hafni, and Vetta.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out who the winners are.

Keychain Holder and Coin Purse by Sinthia

Dolie by Yus Hafni

Dolie by Dewi Mintoro
Necklace by Grazia

Red Shoes by Grazia

Flower Shoes by Grazia
Baby Toys by Halida Rahmie

Baby Toys by Halida Rahmie

Brooch by Ilma Erisa

Keychain holder by Ilma Erisa

Keychain holder by Presillia

Name Tags by Presillia

Cookie Jar Cover by Rina

Coasters by Sistri

Kitchen Towel by Sistri
Ring by Presillia
Table Runner by Tety

Necklace by Ukke Wahyu Wartanti

Dolie by Vetta

Necklace by Vetta

Brown Bag by Yanti Griyaloha
Earings by Yo Ika Kartika

Earings by Yo Ika Kartika
Chrysanthemum Shawl by Yo Ika Kartika

Chrysanthemum Shawl by Yo Ika Kartika

Earings by Yo Ika Kartika

Dolie by Yus Hafni

Same dolie by Yus Hafni

Green Vest by Luthfi

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

1st Prize Winner went to Yanti Griyaloha, the brown bag, total points 10

2nd Prize, Sistri, Coasters, total points 8

3rd Prize, Yo Ika Kartika, Chrysanthemum Shawl, total points 6

Runner up 1 Grazia, Red Shoes, total points 5

Runner up 2 Rina, Cookie Jar, total points 4

Runner up 3 Halida, Baby Toy Ring, total points 3

Grand Prize Winner is Sistri, totap points 11 from both of her designs entered.

The prizes were: Mulberry Silk , Australian Merino Wool +/- 800 m, Supersmooth Tunisian hooks (2 pcs), crochet motivational mugs, Cashmillon yarns and a set of Tulip Classic Hooks.

Admins of the group and competition organizer were: Novi Ummu Zufra and myself, Iin.

Big congrats to all participants and winners. InsyaAllah we will do it again…

A White Hat

January 25, 2016

I made this hat based on the Minimalist Cabled Mandala by Lilla Björn Crochet Designs. I follow the pattern till I reach the diameter of the hat I am making then stop increasing. I let the motif flowing to the side and only close it when it reach near the edge then finish it with a round of double crochet and a round of single crochet stitches.

The step by step photos made the pattern easy to follow.

Here I am using bamboo yarns, I guess this will be fav not only by adult but baby too… what do you think?