How to Make Woven Rice Casing from Coconut Leafs (ketupat "bahasa Indonesia)

Hello, it is almost Eid El Fitr and everyone in Indonesia and Malaysia are busy making the feast. One of the famous meal is ketupat. Ketupat is made of woven rice sack from coconut leafs. Most of tropical countries has coconut trees, choose the young leafs to make the ketupat.

For the filling you can use any type of rice from Thai to Basmati. Wash the rice and fill up 1/2 of the pocket then boil in a large pot with plenty of water for about 2-3 hours.  You could also use a presto cooker for a faster result for 30 minutes. Once the pocket is hard and fully expanded, it is done. Tie all the pockets together and hang them in a well ventilated air. Cut the ketupat in half diagonally, remove from pocket, cut into small cubes, eat with vegetable or chicken curry and kerupuk (prawn crackers).

Most of the people I met know how to make this, but new generation probably don't. I have shoot this video for those who wanted to learn how to make it. Pardon my English, no time to edit as I was busy cooking hehe...

Here is the tutorial video on how to make it.

This is how the ketupat look like after 3 hours of boiling and drained. Add more water during cooking to make sure the cases submerge in the water.

Cut the ketupat in cubes and eat with shredded young papaya in coconut milk or chicken curry, rendang, and  or dendeng (salty beef jerky), garnish with friend shallots.  Add sambal (chili paste) spicier gravy.

If you like what you see and made something from my free pattern, all I ask is that you credit me by mentioning my name and my blog and provide the link to my blog. Please DO NOT re upload my files by any means to another blog or website. All my photographs are copyrighted. Thank you.

Message Video from Prabowo Subianto | 25 Juli 2014

If you see this video it's not a mistake. I posted it in my blog because what is happening in my country right now will dictate our life in the future for the next few years or till my grandchildren are born if all of us silence toward hypocrisy in our government for letting the one who cheats in the election won.

How would you do your business and how would you live your life if your leader cheats on you, what would be the outcome of it for the rest of the thing that leader would do to you if his character is based on lies? If someone lies on the first place, he will have to make more lies to cover the previous lies. As a citizen, I have the right to raise my voice and that is why I am posting the video of Mr. Subianto here, not because of who he is, but because of what he stands for: FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

By the time I posted this Mr. Subianto and his team have gathered all of the evidence and taking it to the Court.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL!

Nasty, illogical comments and claim without proof of evidence will be removed.

Crochet Strawberries

I promised some friends in FB group that I will post the instructions for this strawberry crochet fruit. This fruit pattern is part of the pattern I wrote for the strawberry crochet bag available in Ravelry. 

Below are the step by step pictures. Hope my instructions are clear enough and help those who is making this for the first time. I have used yarns of different thickness in making the fruits using the same pattern and the result are different sizes.

Pattern

The crocheted fruit begins in center down, and spirals outward and up. There is no increase in the

number of stitches after round 6 when the stitches reach 30 sc. Place marker on the last stitch of each round.

Materials: Yarn size 3 in red and green and small amount of size 2 cream or light yellow. Small amount of toy stuffing. Hook C/2.75 and a yarn needle.

Using red, ch 2

Round 1: 5 sc into 1st ch—5 sc

Round 2: 2 sc into each of 5 sc—10 sc

Round 3: (2 sc into next st, 1 sc into next st) repeat around —15 sc

Round 4: (2 sc into next st, 1 sc into each of next 2 st) repeat around —20 sc

Round 5: (2 sc into next st, 1 sc into each of next 3 st) repeat around —25 sc

Round 6: (2 sc into next st, 1 sc into each of next 4 st) repeat around—30 sc

Round 7: 1 sc into each of next 4 st—30 sc

Round 8: 1 sc into each of next 4 st—30 sc

Round 9: 1 sc into each of next 4 st—30 sc

Round 10: (sc2tog, sc in next st) repeat around—20 sc

Thread a yarn needle with cream, stitch around the fruit from the inside out starting from the bottom

skipping one round alternatively. 

Dump the remaining threads inside then insert the stuffing. Place any

left over yarn on top layer of the toy stuffing to prevent the needle pulling out any hair. Thanks Lola Pool  of Lagos Crochet Group for this idea of dumping the thread inside.

Round 11:Round 11: sc2tog front loop only all the way around—10 sc

Round 12: sc2tog front loop only all the way around—5 sc

Stitch around to tighten. Cut yarn.

The leafs

Ch 2, 6 sc into the first ch, join with sl st.

*Ch 4, slip stitch into 2nd ch from hook, sc into each of next 2 st, sc into next sc) repeat from * 6

times. Cut the yarn leaving 20 cm tails. Sew the leaf into the strawberry.  

Cut the yarn leaving 20 cm tails. Sew the leaf into the strawberry.

If you like what you see and made something from my free pattern, all I ask is that you credit me by mentioning my name and my blog and provide the link to my blog. Please DO NOT re upload my files by any means to another blog or website. All my photographs are copyrighted. Thank you.

I choose No. 1

Salam, hello, hope you like my No. 1 crochet number. This is how I show my support for Indonesian president candidate no. 1, Prabowo Subianto. Today I  fulfilled my right in the election in Lagos.

If you like what you see and made something from my free pattern, all I ask is that you credit me by mentioning my name and my blog and provide the link to my blog. Please DO NOT re upload my files by any means to another blog or website. All my photographs are copyrighted. Thank you.