The Anti-Social Butterfly

Zentangles n Watercolours

2018-12-06T17:15:00.002+05:30

Here's something new that I've tried.

Created on A5 sized notecards, these make great presents. Can be customised with your favourite phrase or the name of the person. The base is watercolours with lettering in ink.

Slate Mate - crochet pattern for a tab/Kindle

2016-04-01T11:30:00.000+05:30

The Slate Kindle cover. While I don't usually take on custom projects, this seemed too much fun to pass up. It took me a day to complete it. The pics are by @amritha_a who also was the requestor of the cover. The pattern is out! Check the blog! #crochet #project #custommade #crafts

A photo posted by Rohini Joseph (@rohinijoseph) on Jul 31, 2015 at 11:15pm PDT

While I don't accept a lot of commissions (thanks to a bad experience with an uncouth woman), I do get asked to make something or the other pretty often. If the project won't take too long and is interesting too, I usually agree.

Recently, when I was out in South Mumbai with a couple of colleagues I was asked to make a cover for a Kindle, I agreed. The requester didn't want a fancy design, just something basic and utilitarian. Here is what was created.

Handmade Moravian Stars

2015-06-09T22:00:00.001+05:30

One of my long-standing principles about decorations has been to do everything handmade. I like the effort and love that goes into creating the items.

One of the items that I created recently were Moravian Stars.

These German-origin origami sculptures are popular during Christmas and require patience and precision to get them right.

This link is my favourite for the instructions. It explains the steps simply and tells you the the right proportions.

Materials

1. 4 long strips of paper - choose the dimensions basis the guide.

2. Scissors

3. Loads of patience to get it right the first time.

Time: 20-30 mins for first star. 10 mins thereafter.

Rohini's hack: Instead of cutting strips of paper, I use pre-cut quilling strips. They are available in a multitude of colours and sizes. Pick the right one basis the guide and you all set!

Check out my set of colourful stars.

I usually string them up and hang them on my Christmas tree or from the ceiling using thin fishing line. This gives an effect of them floating in the sky.

Try them out and let me know how you used them!

Lamingtons = Happiness

2014-09-23T23:46:00.001+05:30

My love affair with the Lamington began at first bite. I was returning from an office trip and this was the only thing I could buy with the last of my foreign exchange.

Anyway, every bite of my little treasure was savoured until there was no more. The memory stayed on and I was interested in learning all about the yummy delight.

Here's a little about the humble little Lamington, courtesy Wikipedia:
A lamington is a dessert of Australian origin. It consists of squares of sponge cake coated first in a layer of traditionally chocolate sauce, then in desiccated coconut.

It is that simple, really.

However, I do not get access to a proper oven for baking and I was eager to try it out. That's when I decided to give the dessert a spin of my own. My inspiration- the Bounty Bar.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
Sponge cake (regular or eggless, depending on the audience)
Cooking Chocolate
Desiccated coconut

Method
1. Cut the sponge cake into cubes. Freeze the cake pieces for a few minutes so that the cake does not crumb.
2. Melt the cooking chocolate either on a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl by microwaving on high for 45 seconds.
3. Dip the cubes of cake in the melted chocolate, ensuring the entire cube is covered.
4. Lay the chocolate covered pieces on butter paper and let it dry slightly.
5. Roll the pieces in desiccated coconut and let it set naturally for 30-40 minutes.
6. Serve!

This stays fresh for up to 3 days when kept in a cool area.

What I'd like to call Reimagined #Lamingtons. Ingredients: Cake, Chocolate & a whole lotta Happiness

A photo posted by Rohini Joseph (@rohinijoseph) on Mar 31, 2014 at 10:09am PDT

Here's a fun spin for the kids
Instead of using desiccated coconut, roll the pieces in sugar spinkles.
The crunchy texture will keep them coming back for more!

So that wraps up the post on Lamingtons. Do give a shout out in the comments letting me know how they turned out!

Till next time!

Nemo's Happy Pillow!

2013-06-10T23:20:00.000+05:30

Nemo's Happy Pillow (right side up)

Did someone say evil?

A definite mood-lifter on those drab monsoon day is with a little day-dreaming. On those days, I think of myself as a super villain, with an evil kitten resting on my lap.

I almost got to further that fantasy with 1 of my crochet projects - a cat pillow. It was actually made in 2012, but was only used in 2013 that too not by the intended recipient.

Don't I look pretty?

It all started with a CAL/KAL proposed by my Ravelry Group. One of the things that could be made were pillows. I didn't require any for my home, so was wondering what use to put it to, when suddenly I remembered Nemo, my cat!

Still excited by the arrival of my kitten, I thought of making one for him. Cos, obviously every super-villain needs a pampered, evil kitty! :)

The pattern chosen was the Pinwheel Pillow by Morgan Forrester.

First 2 colours

It took me a little over a month to complete the project. It was created as a stash buster with a border of black between colours. The material used was good, old acrylic, and crocheted with a 5mm hook.

Since, it was meant for my naughty, naughty cat, the colours chosen were on the darker side. As usual, there was no fixed size for the pillow, with me crocheting till I thought I had reached the optimum width. It was initially supposed to have an opening on the side so that the cushion could be stuffed in. Since I couldn't figure out the way to do it, I decided to follow the pattern and create the cover as 1 piece with a cushion stuffed in from the middle.

The completed pillow (side with the opening)

The project took longer to finish as I needed to make the round stuffing pillow too. The obstacle came up when after spending almost 2 days looking for just a filler cushion, I could not find one of any size. All the shops had ready-made pillows with a fixed covers. So, armed with my amateur sewing skills and my grandmom's cool sewing machine, I made one with recycled cloth and fiberfill. It was amazing!

To make it just purrfect for Nemo, the cushion was generously doused with catnip. But, alas, even with all my efforts, Nemo did not take to it and the poor cushion just had his name but no love!

Wait! There is a happy ending to this story. My new kitten (Pookie - more about her later) loves the cushion, and can usually be seen happily gnawing away at it on most days.

Do share your similar experiences!

The amusements of a highly bored individual

2013-06-10T19:18:00.000+05:30

After I quit my job as a corporate drone in 2012, I started looking at options to keep me occupied as I served out my sentence. I had planned to devote a few months to full-time arts and crafts activities as I kept me and my evil kitty entertained. However, as most vacations go, I never really did get as much accomplished, instead using the time to just recuperate and spend as much time bugging my husband as possible.

The list of things to be done were endless and as a start I planned to finish some unfinished projects.

Here's what I finally got done with:

My puzzling encounters

2013-01-03T20:03:00.000+05:30

Not many of my friends know this, but I love jigsaw puzzles. I love how a seemingly jumbled series of bits and pieces can somehow come together to become a beautiful picture that has a story to tell.

Mind you, completing a jigsaw is no mean feat. Like every act of love, it requires, attention, concentration and loads of time. I learned this the hard way after it took me just over a year to complete my first puzzle.

Previously, I had played with puzzles as a child and then later on numerous Websites.

With the very first jigsaw puzzle picked up 6 years ago, I was hooked!

Professor Koalakulus

2012-10-31T21:00:00.000+05:30

Striped Koala anyone?

When I first started crocheting, I didn't do the regular small, easy projects. Instead, it was a headlong jump into amigurumis!

The amigurumi pattern was a Koala pattern that I happened to come across when I was first researching crochet and the things you could do with it. The pattern was featured on Woman's Day. Something about that gorgeous grey, cuddly bear got me excited to start the project.

There were so many things that were wrong about my first project - bad yarn, tough hook for a beginner, rudimentary stitching skills and so much more. However, it got me 'hooked'!

Brown boy Koala hanging with his animal pals

I made 2 versions of the Koala. By looking at the pictures, you can definitely figure out which was which. (Hint: The misshapen one with a crochet ring was the first).

My first attempt at the Koala Amigurumi

Here are my learnings from the experience
1. Amigurumis are fun! Find your perfect project on the web. I like searching on Ravelry.
2. Don't be afraid of using a thin hook. It helps you learn faster.
3. Gift the amigurumis. They are small and make such awesome gifts! Emboldened by my efforts I went on to make more of these and have received requests from friends for quite a lot more!

Below is my Ravelry listing for the project.

Professor Koalakulus

Pattern

Koala by Tamie Oldridge

Craft

Crochet

Made for

Me, friends

Size

2.5 inches

The Lazy Shawlette

2012-10-07T11:00:00.000+05:30

Name

The Lazy Shawlette

Pattern

South Bay Shawlette by Lion Brand Yarn

Craft

Crochet

Made for

Me?

Pink flowers Doily

2012-06-01T02:17:00.000+05:30

Name

Pink flowers Doily

Pattern

Cosmos Doily by American Thread Company

Craft

Crochet

Made for

Yellow Lemon Tree Pouch

2012-04-01T14:13:00.000+05:30

Yellow Lemon Tree Pouch

Craft

Crochet

Made for

Friends

Size

CanCan Mobile pouch

2012-03-13T12:21:00.001+05:30

The CanCan pouch

This year I've vowed to make as many gifts as I can. Not only is it more personal, it is also a gift of time and energy (at least that's what I think).

Last weekend when I'd gone shopping with her for my grandmom, I showed her my version of the Swag Bag that I'd made for my grandmom’s birthday. She loved it and tried very hard to get me to give to her, but finally she relented after I promised to make her one too. She loves the colour red and the red & black combination is her favorite for clothing items/accessories. Her choice of colours? Red and Black! No surprise there!

Chocolate in a bag!

2012-03-13T12:18:00.000+05:30

Complete!

This year is my grandmom's 70th birthday and I decided to make her a present rather than buying her something as firstly she is very finicky and usually wants to exchange presents and secondly I was out of ideas for new presents.

I chose the Swag bag by Marcelle's Creative Crochet as my bag, as it looked small and I thought I could modify it to suit my grandmom's tastes. The bag has been purposely kept free of other embellishments as my grandmother is very particular about colours and may not appreciate too many doodads on it.

Keepsake Pouch

2012-02-28T17:49:00.000+05:30

The pouch when the drawstrings are tied.

During the previous year's Christmas enthusiasm, I was planning on making small pouches to give away some of our gifts, but the inexperienced crocheter I was, I underestimated the time it would take to finish the pouches.

To start with, I chose the wrong crochet thread for my pouch - it takes a lot of time to crochet a decent-sized pouch with cotton crochet thread! I also got caught up with stuff and couldn't even begin it in time!

So, instead, I decided to make it for myself. No hurry at all, though when it was almost over I couldn't help trying to finish faster. The gestation period was just so long!

In the end, it has come out rather nice, and has interesting texture. I am including a basic pattern that can be modified as you go along.

Beaded Crochet Necklaces

2012-02-28T13:09:00.001+05:30

Purple = mine!

As mentioned earlier, I used to love playing with beads. I was looking for a way to marry my love for beads with my new-found love for crochet, when I came across this Easy Beaded Crochet Technique by Amy Solovay. I used that technique and created a few necklaces of my own.

Materials used:
Beads
Nylon thread for the base
Crochet thread for the accent
Appropriate crochet hooks
Clasps/hooks

Just strung - Beaded keychains

2012-02-17T19:10:00.004+05:30

The 'V' is only prominent in the light. Perfect for a guy.

Before I took up crocheting, for a very long time I was an avid beader. I haven’t done much beading in the past few years, but still carry my bead box wherever I move. My projects were usually based on patterns and I’ve made a bunch of earrings, chains and bracelets and even a few purses. I’ve even made a few original chains which I shall put up pics later.

Anyhow, to the topic at hand: We had people visiting in Jan this year and with only one week to go before they left for home, I realized that while I spent considerable time and effort for the kids’ gifts, I hadn’t really given the couple anything!

Puppies! (and a scarf)

2012-02-15T19:33:00.001+05:30

The finished scarf

The final in my series of animal inspired scarves is this beautiful Weiner Puppy Neck Warmer by Randomheartx at Craftster. After seeing this scarf, I was actually inspired to start making scarves for my nieces. (I am including my modified pattern in the post.)

I love puppies and thought this was just cute!

However, I can rarely do something without adding my own twist to it. And that’s just what I did. Though, my final scarf looked a little like a mouse. The intended niece even asked me if it was a rat. I managed to convince her that it was a puppy because of the collar!

I’ve largely followed Randomheartx’s pattern, but just added a few more rows and changed stitches a little bit for texture.

A scarf is requested

2012-02-15T15:43:00.002+05:30

Ready for the wearer!

After making those scarves for my nieces, my husband requested that I make him one too. Considering all the running around he did with me while we bought materials and approved/rejected designs for the earlier scarves, I decided he ought to be rewarded. The fact that we were currently going through a cold wave also helped things in his favour.

He ideally wanted a simple single crochet scarf (yes, he sort of knows the difference!), but I wanted to experiment.

After a lot of searching I settled on the Paul's "Sweet Guy" Scarf at Wolfcrochet!

Presenting Ms Kitten

2012-02-15T13:04:00.000+05:30

I am finally putting down the pattern for the kitten scarf. It is very similar to the piggy scarf I’d posted earlier. I’m still waiting to get better pictures of the scarves as I have already gifted them.

Before ends were tucked in

Feel free to point out any mistakes that you find.

The pattern is listed below:

Craft: Crochet
Level: Beginner/Easy

Materials:
1 skein of yellow 8-ply wool (Main colour; MC)
1 skein of orange 8-ply wool (Contrasting colour; CC)
button/safety eyes for the eyes
A little bit of black wool/thread for the whiskers/mouth

5 mm crochet hook
Fabric glue

tapestry needle

Note: You can use any weight of wool/yarn as you like. Local shops here do not really know the different types and stock them mostly as 4-ply/8-ply etc.

Piggy scarf

2012-01-30T15:38:00.003+05:30

As I'd mentioned earlier, I decided to do the piggy scarf after being unsatisfied with the final material of my earlier scarf. The piggy was so adorable that I just had to make it! When I was done I was almost tempted to keep him for myself.

My completed scarf

This is my first pattern. So, if something doesn't work out, please ask. Feel free to point out any mistakes that you find.
The pattern is listed below:

Craft: Crochet
Level: Beginner/Easy

Materials:
1 skein of light pink 8-ply wool
A little bit of darker pink
button/safety eyes for the eyes
5 mm crochet hook
tapestry needle

Note: You can use any weight of wool/yarn as you like. Local shops here do not really know the different types and stock them mostly as 4-ply/8-ply etc.

Animal scarves

2012-01-30T13:31:00.000+05:30

My version of the puppy scarf

I recently met my nieces for the first time this month. They're 9 and 2 and amazingly share the same birthday!

My husband and I had never met the younger one, while the elder one was a preschooler when her parents moved to the US. As a fledgling crocheter, I was looking for projects to hone my skills, while also coming up with personalised gifts for them. We decided to make scarves for the kids as they are easy and can be used even later. My pictures aren't very good as our cameras are horrible! Note to self: Buy a proper camera.

For the elder one I came across this lovely Wiener puppy scarf by randomheartsx on crafster (Click here for her pattern). I modified the pattern a little bit as I wanted to try out different stitches and give it a little more texture.

Revival

2012-01-06T16:27:00.000+05:30

I recently quit my corporate job after spending about 5 years working as an editor. Before I even think of taking up something else, I'm rewarding myself with a few months of 'me' time. I hope to finish a few projects that remain unfinished since my wedding, besides showcasing a few new ones.
It feels so good to really put down your own words instead of just modifying someone else's!

Cake Walk

2007-03-09T19:07:00.000+05:30

So...
This is the first story i ever wrote for The Word.

My love of cakes is my Achilles' heel. In Mumbai, a visit to the cake shop was a frequent affair. Once in Chennai, I have been hard pressed to find a place that supplied moderately good cakes—until a friend took me to ‘Sweet Chariot Café’ for my birthday.

This quaint little café is tucked away in a corner of Ispahani Centre. It is my new haven. I liked their cheese cakes and mousse cakes, though the other things on offer were not bad. In beverages, I recommend the mocha though my companion hated it.

In the interim...

2006-11-02T19:39:00.001+05:30

hey!
I know i'm writing after very long. Anyways. Till I finish my time in this blasted city, I think just to save a copy of my work, I will put up my pieces that were written for The Word here.

A smokin Diwali indeed!

2006-10-25T18:09:00.000+05:30

Diwali Weekend!!!

I know it is a little late to talk about it but it was good fun. The cribbing will still persist but even then...Stuck in Chennai for Diwali while the rest of my college mates went home or somewhere else, we decided to go to Pondichery or Puduchery as it is now christened. Situated just about 300 km away from Chennai, it takes roughly three hours by bus (regular public transport) and a lot faster by car.