Grim Reaper, front view:
Grim Reaper, side view:
Monkey, front view:
Monkey, side view:
Monkey, back view:
I'll get technical details up on Ravelry soon, and maybe replace these with better pics.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monkey with Fez & Grim Reaper
Pics aren't of the best quality since I'm at work without my spiffy light box, but here they are. The reaper still needs a scythe and the monkey's vest is a bit too big, but other than that I'm utterly delighted with these.
Grim Reaper, front view:
Grim Reaper, side view:
Monkey, front view:
Monkey, side view:
Monkey, back view:
I'll get technical details up on Ravelry soon, and maybe replace these with better pics.
Grim Reaper, front view:
Grim Reaper, side view:
Monkey, front view:
Monkey, side view:
Monkey, back view:
I'll get technical details up on Ravelry soon, and maybe replace these with better pics.
Friday, January 2, 2009
AmiCthulhu
Apparently, I can't stop making these things. Here's a baby Cthulhu I made for M. - cute, cute, cute!
By the way, these are the first pics I've tried taking with the cool light box A. gave me for Xmas. :-)
(More details on Ravelry, here).
By the way, these are the first pics I've tried taking with the cool light box A. gave me for Xmas. :-)
(More details on Ravelry, here).
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Miami Projects
This year I took crochet projects to Miami instead of knitting. I was a bit worried about getting knitting needles through since we took only carry-on luggage, but I figured I wouldn't be too upset if they made me toss a couple of plastic crochet hooks.
A. inspired me to try making amigurumi toys. The baby octopus ended up going to our seatmate on our last plane back from Miami. She was a teenager who was very, very patient during our 3.5 hour delay on the runway (arg!) and since she squealed when she saw the octopus and called it "hecka cute!" I couldn't resist giving it to her as an Xmas present.
The duckling ended up going to my mother-in-law because she asked M. to ask me if she could have it. What have I learned? Cute is irresistible. :)
Baby Octopus:
Baby Octopus on dresser (to give an idea of the size):
Duckling:
Duckling & Baby Octopus together:
And while I'm at it, here are some quick-and-dirty coasters I did. Our room in Miami didn't have coasters, so...
Technical details on Ravelry: Baby Octopus and Duckling.
A. inspired me to try making amigurumi toys. The baby octopus ended up going to our seatmate on our last plane back from Miami. She was a teenager who was very, very patient during our 3.5 hour delay on the runway (arg!) and since she squealed when she saw the octopus and called it "hecka cute!" I couldn't resist giving it to her as an Xmas present.
The duckling ended up going to my mother-in-law because she asked M. to ask me if she could have it. What have I learned? Cute is irresistible. :)
Baby Octopus:
Baby Octopus on dresser (to give an idea of the size):
Duckling:
Duckling & Baby Octopus together:
And while I'm at it, here are some quick-and-dirty coasters I did. Our room in Miami didn't have coasters, so...
Technical details on Ravelry: Baby Octopus and Duckling.
Xmas Slippers
Here are the slippers I did for the in-laws in Miami, and the ones for A. Good stuff.
Slippers for A.:
And for Father-in-law:
And for Sister-in-law (J.):
For technical details, go to Ravelry: A.'s slippers, Father-in-law's slippers, and Sister-in-law J.'s slippers. If you aren't on Ravelry yet, sign up for it here: Ravelry Invitations. It's a good site, honest.
Slippers for A.:
And for Father-in-law:
And for Sister-in-law (J.):
For technical details, go to Ravelry: A.'s slippers, Father-in-law's slippers, and Sister-in-law J.'s slippers. If you aren't on Ravelry yet, sign up for it here: Ravelry Invitations. It's a good site, honest.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Baby Blanket Is Done!
Ta da! Done, and before the shower even. I guess technically I'm done on the day of the shower since it's after midnight, but whatever.
I used a size H crochet hook for binding off, and yes, binding off is much faster with a hook than with knitting needles. I probably wouldn't bother for a small project, but this sucker was 888 stitches around so changing to the hook was worth it. I used size H because it's the equivalent of a US 8 knitting needle. The blanket is knitted on size US 7 needles and I figured going one size bigger for the bind off would keep it from being too tight.
And here it is with one whole side done:
Two sides done:
Three sides:
And all four sides:
Here's the front after I sewed in all the ends:
And here's the center of the back:
What size is it? Roughly 4' x 4'. I'm not going to block it because I did it in a yarn that's 50% acrylic microfiber, 50% nylon. The pattern suggested superwash wool, which would have blocked well, but this is Sacremento and I think wool would get too warm. Besides, do I really think P. is going to reblock this every time it gets some baby-related fluid (or solid, or semi-solid) on it? No way. And finally, I like the somewhat swirly shape more than a square. So there.
I used a size H crochet hook for binding off, and yes, binding off is much faster with a hook than with knitting needles. I probably wouldn't bother for a small project, but this sucker was 888 stitches around so changing to the hook was worth it. I used size H because it's the equivalent of a US 8 knitting needle. The blanket is knitted on size US 7 needles and I figured going one size bigger for the bind off would keep it from being too tight.
And here it is with one whole side done:
Two sides done:
Three sides:
And all four sides:
Here's the front after I sewed in all the ends:
And here's the center of the back:
What size is it? Roughly 4' x 4'. I'm not going to block it because I did it in a yarn that's 50% acrylic microfiber, 50% nylon. The pattern suggested superwash wool, which would have blocked well, but this is Sacremento and I think wool would get too warm. Besides, do I really think P. is going to reblock this every time it gets some baby-related fluid (or solid, or semi-solid) on it? No way. And finally, I like the somewhat swirly shape more than a square. So there.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sometimes You Get a Do-Over
Thanksgiving was on the 27th. M. and I were in Davis in the morning, hanging out at the Starbucks on F Street drinking coffee and watching the people go by until it was time to head to J. & P.'s for the festivities. As usual, I picked a seat where I could get the best view out the windows for people watching. This means M. gets stuck with a view of the wall most of the time, but he's very patient about it.
I saw lots of people who clearly had the same idea of passing time before they had to be somewhere, many with kids in holiday outfits in tow. They all seemed pretty happy to me, and it struck me that people seem more cheerful at Thanksgiving than they do at Xmas. Maybe it's a less stressful holiday because it isn't as commercialized, or maybe it was just too early in the day for people to be cranky yet. (M. has often observed that most unstable people aren't early risers - this may be a comment on me but I can't deny it.) So the one rather sad looking person I saw stood out to me.
She had a grubby yellow skirt and unwashed hair, and a generally unkempt appearance that made me think, "I wonder what she's up to. Will she ask me for change?" There wasn't anything outrageously wrong about her - just an overall sense of unhappiness and isolation. She came into the Starbucks and did whatever she did then headed out. As I watched her through the window, shuffling down the sidewalk, I thought, "This is her Thanksgiving. Maybe I should... Maybe someone should... But I need to be at J. & P.'s soon... and blah blah blah blah blah."
I'm not talking about changing the world here. I didn't want to buy her a car, find her a job, or get her to take her meds. I just wished I had said hello, or good morning, or even just made eye contact and smiled at her. So really, yes, I do mean changing the world, but in a realistic, grass roots kind of way. But I didn't, and the moment slipped past before I focused enough to remember the person I prefer to be.
Fast forward to yesterday. M. and I were in Davis again for M.'s birthday sushi. After that we went to hang out at the Border's, reading books without paying for them and like that. I followed my usual course, reading a bit, then taking out my knitting while M. continued with his reading. I was engrossed in knitting the black & white baby blanket when a woman to my right spoke to me. She apologized for interrupting me, but told me that she just had to speak up because she had never seen anyone knitting in public before. You guessed it - same chick.
It actually took me a little bit to recognize her. I was chatting with her about knitting before it clicked - same shy demeanor, same yellow skirt, same hair. She repeated herself a lot at first, apologizing for speaking to me, but after a bit we got to talking (with pauses for concentrating on my knitting) about knitting stores in Davis, whether or not knitting was popular among Davis students, and the whole phenomenon of internet communities devoted to knitting. Then after a long pause she got up and scuttled away, barely leaving me time to call after her, "Take care."
I saw lots of people who clearly had the same idea of passing time before they had to be somewhere, many with kids in holiday outfits in tow. They all seemed pretty happy to me, and it struck me that people seem more cheerful at Thanksgiving than they do at Xmas. Maybe it's a less stressful holiday because it isn't as commercialized, or maybe it was just too early in the day for people to be cranky yet. (M. has often observed that most unstable people aren't early risers - this may be a comment on me but I can't deny it.) So the one rather sad looking person I saw stood out to me.
She had a grubby yellow skirt and unwashed hair, and a generally unkempt appearance that made me think, "I wonder what she's up to. Will she ask me for change?" There wasn't anything outrageously wrong about her - just an overall sense of unhappiness and isolation. She came into the Starbucks and did whatever she did then headed out. As I watched her through the window, shuffling down the sidewalk, I thought, "This is her Thanksgiving. Maybe I should... Maybe someone should... But I need to be at J. & P.'s soon... and blah blah blah blah blah."
I'm not talking about changing the world here. I didn't want to buy her a car, find her a job, or get her to take her meds. I just wished I had said hello, or good morning, or even just made eye contact and smiled at her. So really, yes, I do mean changing the world, but in a realistic, grass roots kind of way. But I didn't, and the moment slipped past before I focused enough to remember the person I prefer to be.
Fast forward to yesterday. M. and I were in Davis again for M.'s birthday sushi. After that we went to hang out at the Border's, reading books without paying for them and like that. I followed my usual course, reading a bit, then taking out my knitting while M. continued with his reading. I was engrossed in knitting the black & white baby blanket when a woman to my right spoke to me. She apologized for interrupting me, but told me that she just had to speak up because she had never seen anyone knitting in public before. You guessed it - same chick.
It actually took me a little bit to recognize her. I was chatting with her about knitting before it clicked - same shy demeanor, same yellow skirt, same hair. She repeated herself a lot at first, apologizing for speaking to me, but after a bit we got to talking (with pauses for concentrating on my knitting) about knitting stores in Davis, whether or not knitting was popular among Davis students, and the whole phenomenon of internet communities devoted to knitting. Then after a long pause she got up and scuttled away, barely leaving me time to call after her, "Take care."
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