yarn lust

I'm not big on using special yarn but every now and then I splurge on something really nice. And, let's face it, good yarn = a good finished product... and especially if it's going against your skin, it can be worth it.

I'm liking Manos del Uraguay right now. It's a company that tries to help people and their product is really beautiful. If you ever shop for it, the best deal I've found is here. Hopefully, I'll be starting my first Manos project in the next week or two. I've been wanting to do this particular project for maybe 6 months so the added investment doesn't bother me.

I can't wait.

Project #6: Cthulhu

I wanted to do Cthulhu after the little H.P. Lovecraft stint I had last year. In fact (only 16% off the subject) since reading Lovecraft, I'm surprised by how many Cthulhu references I stumble across... mainly the "Cthulhu for President" stuff that was around during the election. Now this.

Anyway, now the tentacle-faced ultimate evil is embodied in yarn. Awww!

Cthulhu was pretty basic until you get to his face. He has little stubby arms and wings (which you can't see in the photo) and all of this was easy. As you work his head though, the pattern creates three gaps in the stitching where you are to go back and create his characteristic tentacles. The crazy thing was, the instructions for the tentacles were something like, "Join in the gaps. Row 1: sc 5 stitches. Row 2: sc 5 stitches, tie off." What the heck does that even mean??? Sc WHERE?!? There's a flippin' gap and I join it... somewhere...?? What the...

Thus, my internet search began.

Incidentally, when I was reading reviews about Creepy Cute a few months ago, this was the #1 complaint... that the Cthulhu instructions were a tad vague. I felt confident I could figure it out but really, there's not enough info to even guess with.

Finally, I stumbled across this and the day was saved. I can't help but wonder, why wasn't this very basic information in the book??

dry spell

I've been going through a terrible dry spell with my photography. I've just lost my desire for it. Tonight I finally forced myself to sit down and look at the handful of photos I took nearly 2 months ago and gasp! actually found one I was okay with. It's not spectacular or anything but maybe maybe maybe there is a shred of hope that I can start doing it again and enjoying it and then doing it some more and enjoying it some more. I sure hope so anyway.

Project #5: Nosferatu (bwah!!)

My official fave so far.
And he was easy. I think I whipped him out in a couple of hours.
What more can you ask for???

This picture will totally be my desktop on my computer next October.

aniboom

Last year Aniboom.com had an animation contest in conjunction with Radiohead. You can see the winners' (there were 4) finished videos here. Not that I do animation or anything, but I love Radiohead and I think this kind of stuff is great.

I personally loved the video for "Reckoner." So beautiful!

Project #4: Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood was the doll I went through the eyeball fiasco for. I really wanted her to have green eyes and, after about 2 or 3 hours of creative trauma, finally had them.

She is not an official Creepy Cute doll but she is based on a combination of 2 or 3 patterns. I used the body pattern of the skeleton bride and the head of the grim reaper (ha ha, yeeeeeah!) then made the cape impromptu. I intended to make a basket for her to carry (also sans pattern) but was never quite satisfied with what I did.

She's okay, I guess. I think the altered creepy patterns was a good idea but she just isn't as Cute because, I think, she's completely lacking the Creepy. For whatever reason, when other people see her, they tend to favor her the most... But I guess she's just not my thing. I like wierd. I like adorably sinister. She's not any of that.

Project #3: Medussa

My third Amigurumi attempt was Medussa.

Can I say I love this doll? I totally do.
Maybe because of my childhood fascination with Medussa after having the crap scared out of me when I saw "Clash of the Titans." Maybe it's the out-of-control 'do.

The pattern for her snake-head was fairly intimidating but I found (as I generally have with all of the Creepy Cutes) that if I just do the steps exactly as stated, it comes out right. However, there is still some amount of improvisation necessary... which to make a long story short led to a mild case of cone-head. I tend to poke the top of her head down to correct it.

eyeballs (there, I said it.)

Amigurumi typically has button or embroidery eyes. Creepy cute recommends polymer clay, so polymer clay it is.

I bought my clay at Michael's, in black and translucent white as suggested. I've never bought this stuff before so I didn't really know the difference between the brands. I randomly chose one and, after completing Ninja, made a set of black eyeballs for him. It took me about 40 minutes or so to go through the whole process.

After Ninja, I figured it would be more efficient to make multiple eyeballs at once then just keep a Ziploc bag of eyes in my Amigurumi supplies. I had also decided I wanted more than black and black/white eyes-- especially for Project #4 which I was already planning at that point. I returned to Michael's only to realize that the brand I'd initially chosen really didn't carry colors that were appropriate for eyes. The alternate brand did but this clay had completely different baking instructions. I bought three colors (mossy green, gray-blue, light brown) and some more translucent white, thinking I didn't want to mix two clays with different instructions.

At home, I invested more than two hours making eyeballs. I made multiple sets in each color in the new clay, then plain black and black/white.

It sounds so simple. Well, the plain black is simple.

• Roll
• Smoosh
• Bake

Any color + white = notsomuch.

The process for mixed colors is more like:

• Roll white
• Smoosh
• Roll color in a ball that will smoosh to just the right size so that it mostly fills the white but still leaves a border.
• Smoosh.
• Cut a pie-wedge out of the color with an exacto-knife.
• Lift colored, wedged clay from kitchen table without 1) gauging a pit in the table 2) altering the shape of the clay 3) smearing clay all over the place.
• Carefully lay colored clay evenly on white clay and gently press in but not too much!!!
• Make two minuscule white clay dots and place strategically on colored portion of eyeball to give the illusion of glistening.
• Bake
• Scream because translucent white in the new brand apparently turns more translucent yellow than actual white and the eyeballs look disgusting.
• Throw away eyeballs.

So after wasting all that time, I decided to go out on a limb and mix my clays. I made a single set of green eyes with new green clay and old white. I followed the directions for the white, figuring there was more of it and the white was the problem with the last batch and they turned out perfectly. Lesson learned.

Anyway, the point of the post is this: Save the experimental stuff for days when you just don't have anything better to do. Or you've remembered your meds. That helps too.

Project #2: Corporate Zombie

Crocheting the head and body were a snap on #2. I found my second go around to be much much much easier as I found I was developing a knack for increasing and decreasing after attempt #1, Ninja. I whipped up the head, body and collar in about 2 or 3 hours. It was the hair that just about did me in... and I think it's the hair that makes Corporate Zombie an intermediate level project.

You are literally chaining yarn into rows of fringe which you later hand-sew onto his noggin. Sounds easy. Not so much. It amounted to about 5 hours of me constantly refering back to the book and saying aloud, "Hook behind the yarn, string in front of the yarn." or whatever order it was. Once I had all that hair in place and strategically tacked down, I did get to give him a hair cut. Reminded me of the good ole days with my Barbie.

Also, this was the project that cemented for me the fact that I absolutely cannot (imperative) do detailed crochet involving increasing/decreasing and any sort of counting while watching tv (or within 100 yards of a tv, really) or any music. Or general conversation. So, if you ever see me hovering over the lifeless, unstuffed body of a potentially creepy &/or cute doll, do me a favor and keep your cakehole zipped.

If I did Corporate Zombie again, I think there are details I have since mastered from which he could benefit. All the same, he's cute, he gets a giggle whenever people see him and I learned a little more.

Side Note: Corporate Zombie now has permanent residence on my sister's desk at work where he reminds her that the bloodthirsty undead are meant to be laughed at.

Project #1: Ninja

My ninja turned out just okay. He was a little lopsided. His ninja star was a little jacked up. His eyes are too big. But he was pretty cute all the same.

He is considered a beginner-level project in the book since you basically just make a head and body and glue a bunch of crap on it. It doesn't get much more basic than that, my friends. Thankfully, my skills have improved.

Also, this was my first time playing with polymer clay, which is used to make the eyes for all the Creepy Cute dolls. It was pretty easy to do at this point, when all it involved was rolling out little black balls, smooshing and baking them. I just had no concept at this point as to what size they needed to be. More on eyeballs later. Onward.

my personal hookin' history

I learned to crochet when I was 10 when my sister taught me how to double-crochet. I think I made a 5 x 10" patch and gave up. It took weeks for me to learn the steps but I just couldn't grasp the general concept. Not rocket surgery, I know.

I tried again in my mid-twenties and made a scarf. An actual completed project!!

I'm not sure when it bloomed into a full-on obsession, but here I am. And, thankfully, I've graduated from chains and double-crochet to actual patterns, some by others, some my own which I record as I create original objects. I've come a long way.

In the last six weeks, I have made the leap from scarves (of which I made 8 in three weeks for Christmas presents) to dolls and handbags. This recent growth has been the direct result of the purchase of two books:

Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden and The Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden. The Crochet Bible was basically just to help me figure out how to actually execute some of the ideas that I have. Creepy Cute was just because... you know, they're cute.

Creepy Cute is a book of Amigurumi which is basically the Japanese art of little crocheted dolls, usually sickeningly cute. The book starts with a basic pattern and provides various alternate versions to create about 15 or 20 dolls.

all you need to know about me.

I am addicted to projects.

I must do them.

I've recently gotten better about finishing them.

As a result of my project obsession, I have way too much crap.

I'm smart enough to do this stuff. But not smart enough to make money at it. Shame.