Mostly Nerdy Crochet

Upgrade!

2012-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

So remember almost a year ago when I posted my Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? I don't know if any of you looked too closely, but I was really a bit disappointed in him! He needed to be bigger and, well... better!

I have this laundry list of about ten different crafts to work on, so what do I do? Ignore the list completely and decide to remake Mr. Stay Puft. Interestingly enough the original amigurumi had the most page views out of all my projects last year, reigning in at approximately 6,600 views! For those super professional bloggers who are laughing at such a small number just remember that this blog is supposed to be laid back (or so my excuse goes).

What am I rambling on for? We all know you just came here to see pictures.

Aww, it's like he has a little deformed brother or something.

And so the glory of my time wasting continues.

In other news my life has been turned a good 90 degrees so I'm trying to rebalance. This is why Mr. Stay Puft took me waaaaay longer than usual to complete. If you read MostlyNerdyNarrative as well then you know it has been a month since I posted chapter 8. Luckily chapter 9 is now up and ready so make sure and check it out.

My days have been littered with doctors appointments and my arm is still bruised from having my blood drawn a week ago. I've been working out at my new gym for 1-2 hours a day with the exception of Tuesdays which are my recovery and volunteer days. So see? I'm starting to find my new routine, it's just taking a little work. The hardest part is that I'm still not sleeping very well and my gym classes are exhausting. Naps have become a regular occurrence but they disrupt the flow of my afternoons so I'm less productive in the evenings. I'll figure that part out as well, but it will take a bit.

I'm going to concentrate on some of my writing for the next few weeks. Crochet will never by far from my reach but I really just want to FINISH my current work so I don't have to bounce back and forth in the plot between posting and writing. I'm up to chapter 13 which I estimate to be about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the story.

As of Thursday I will find out if I passed the first round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. My writing critique group is always impressed with my work, but then again they are all quite a bit older and may simply be impressed with my work for my age. It's hard to tell.

Enough rambling. I feel a nap coming on. Mmmm.

Organizing

2012-02-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

I'm back! After ten days of playing board games and hanging out with the in-laws I'm back in our sunny apartment... which is full of chores that I, for some reason, felt no need to do prior to our departure. So I wake up on Friday and surprise! Instead of cleaning I joined my super awesome friends for a four mile run with some climbing thrown in (we had to venture down a cliff face and play in the water...we just HAD to). Enter exhaustion.

Friday night, the blissful time for sleep finally came and of course my lovely medication decides to kick into insomnia mode. This has been going on for a while now and it doesn't make me a pleasant person to be around. Anyway Saturday I experimented with a capoeira class... I then spent the rest of the day sacked out on the couch...and then proceeded to sleep ten hours last night. This whole sleep issue has really been disrupting my life.

Luckily with a few extra hours I've had enough energy today to finally do the dishes, sweep, put stuff away, and enjoy a Hawaiian hula class. Naturally after all of that I'm back to being sleepy. Ugh.

Hopefully my wonderfully nerdy readers will understand that my focus has been a bit scattered lately. Between trying to up my fitness level, maintain the household, write, research, and constantly switching meds so I can sleep, I'm afraid crochet hasn't been quite as far up on my list as usual.

I do have a fun project going, it's just going to take me a while to finish it. To be honest I would really like to focus on my writing a bit more. The plan is to finish this crochet project, and then take the time to finish some other things as well, including the book that I'm writing for Mostly Nerdy Narrative.

In the mean time I played around with organizing my yarn this week! I had it in clear plastic totes under my desk (which is actually a kotatsu) which worked fine...until it started to overflow.

The fix? Make better use of the closet!

Just look at all that beautiful yarn waiting to be used. I don't have the color selection that I would like, but when you're buying it second hand you don't always get much of a choice. Still, this makes me happy.

On a super side note I finally got a hair cut. Of course my husband didn't take a very good pic, but whatever. We were waiting for iFly, which is an indoor skydiving place in Tukwila, WA. Most amazing experience ever!

Me=dork.

Time Keeps on Slippin'

2012-01-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

Holy crap! It has been THREE WEEKS since my last post, and worse, I don't even have anything that spectacular to post about! Maybe I should invite others to join me in my crocheting of nerdy wonder here on MNC. I'm warning you though! I usually like to crochet things that cannot be found in stores, or if they are in stores their quality and look is generally awful. Of course I break my own rules on occasion, but in general that's what I strive for.

People like NerdJerk would fit in, though she is incredible on her own. Check out her Etsy shop. It makes me so happy.

Anywho, the last few weeks have been absolutely nutty for me. I'm not even sure where the time went. I'm pretty sure I went to sleep on January 10th and woke up this morning.

Went back to work at the Thrift Shop after a lovely three week holiday for Christmas/New Years. The place was packed, like, overflowing-got-in-trouble-with-the-fire-chief packed. And by "got in trouble" I mean we had a four page write up that could potentially shut us down. I don't think we will be, but it was still one of those "eeek!" moments.

Luckily my manager is really dedicated and spent a lot of time cleaning it all up. Potential melt down averted. I'll admit that I've been feeling a little distant from the store lately. It's like I'm just not as invested in it as I was when I first volunteered. Of course that was over a year ago and I honestly thought I would have a paying job by now, but I know the others depend on me.

So within the next two weeks of opening I had a slew of doctors appointments and writing critiques and a few other extras that I'll discuss shortly. The biggest issue was this stupid new medication that my doctor had me try out for a month. I started just before Christmas and went until about a week and a half ago before I was able to switch to something else. The stupid stuff caused insomnia, but not even the good kind where you get up and are productive in the odd hours of the night. I was still exhausted but I just couldn't sleep! It was infuriating. I wasn't a very happy person to be around for those few weeks. Now I'm on something else and this last week I took off from the Thrift Store and I've been sleeping... a lot...and it's fantastic.

As with everyone's life there are a multitude of other things going on. I've started running a couple times a week in the morning with a friend of mine. Then I joined her gym so we could go to fitness classes together earlier this week. Since Monday I've gone to ten hour long classes, go me!

The writing contest that I've been working towards opened late Sunday night. I sat in a quivering ball of anxiety while the minutes ticked down. I had my husband come and double check everything while I entered. He's surprisingly good at dealing with my eccentricities. Now my entry is in and I get to wait until Feb 23rd to find out if I passed the first round. I've never worked so hard on my writing as I have for this contest, so I hope I at LEAST pass the first round. Four out of five entries will be cut first thing, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Alright, now that I've bored you with my life let's look at the one thing I've managed to crochet in the last three weeks.

My grandmother gave me a skein of pale yellow for Christmas...but I'm actually not too fond of pale colors so I made her a cowl with it.

I don't know why I've been on a cowl kick lately, but they're fun and require almost no thought.

I will give you some hints for the project I'm currently working on. If you can guess it I'll post a project you've recently completed for glory and prestige!

Hint One: I have already done one, but wasn't satisfied.

Hint Two: It was the project with the most page views in 2011.

Eventual Plans

2012-01-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

This month is not going to be a good crafting month for me. My efforts have been focused on editing and preparing my book so I can submit it to a contest. I doubt I'll win, but I really hope to make it past the first round. Regardless of my expectations I fully intend to give my all. The contest entry period starts at the end of this month and goes until the first week of February, so don't expect to hear much from me between now and then. Sorry!

While I'm working please take the time to imagine me making each of these items into amigurumi.

Things I would really like to make. Eventually.

Robot Devil from Futurama. Duh.

Snowball (the third?) from The Simpsons. This has been a request from my sister.

Hedonism Bot from Futurama. He's just too fantastic.

A crochet bottle of True Blood. I love the Sookie Stackhouse book and the HBO series True Blood and I fully intend to make SOMETHING to show my love, and since crocheting an Eric would be too hard I'll stick with this. (Hard isn't the right word, but I've found that when trying to accurately turn a person into crochet you lose something in the process)

I'm sure I'll dream up more things, but for now this is a good start. Feel free to help me brainstorm. I think my mind has turned to some sort of grey mush at the moment.

FYI mindless ranting ahead.

I've been doing some good work on my sister blog, Mostly Nerdy Narrative. I'm up to chapter seven on my untitled book there and I have up to chapter twelve written, but not posted. It's been a lot of fun to have a place to write and have the occasional person read, though I do wish I got a little more traffic. Then again I used to think that about this blog as well, now I'm quite satisfied.

As far as my book that I've been working on since early 2010 I'm moving forward. I was trying to work with an editor friend, but she flaked out on me and I'm back to my own devices. I've been editing the book (which took me 5 weeks to write) for over a year and a half now. My ultimate dream is to be an author who can live comfortably off her published books. I don't really want to be the next JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. Too much pressure and fame.

I guess I just want to have a comfortable life in general, and as I sit here after a nice warm shower and laden with blankets, I guess I'm not too far off the mark. I'm extremely lucky to have the opportunity to pursue these projects, but one day I would like my husband to relax a bit as well. I just gotta make a little money so he doesn't have to work so much!

Well everyone, take care, have a wonderful weekend, and I'll be back soon!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-12-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

It's true! Today is all about me. Well, OK, not exactly. But in my world most days are all about me anyway, so what's one more?

On the birthday list was a massive body exhausting workout. Oddly enough this was what I wanted. Seriously. Remember, you're talking to a girl who requested a stationary bike for Christmas and got it. (To see a picture of how thrilled I was to get it check MostlyNerdyNarrative.blogspot.com).

So after a breakfast of whole grain pancakes smothered with chopped apples and a nutella sauce I went straight to my living room and busted out some serious moves. An hour an a half later I can now barely lift my arms and my legs shake a bit as I walk. That was just my resistance training, later I'll do cardio.

Anywho, I'm sure no one wants to hear me ramble on about my various plans for the next year in regards to my personal fitness, instead I know you're all dying to know my crafting New Years resolutions!

First up is to expand on a small granny square (hexagon) "blanket" that I started when my husband and I were first married. I want to double its size. My second is to make a Robot Devil amigurumi. That's all I have for crafting resolutions so far.

This works wonderfully as a cover (usually I tuck under the front end) to my antique cedar chest that originally belonged to my great grandmother.

I think that it has a lot of potential to be a really great bedspread or something. With that in mind I've started making more hexagons.

Maybe I'll actually finish it by our 10th anniversary!

The week or so before Christmas I made my sister a really nice dark grey cowl. It turned out really really nice. Actually, so nice I didn't really want to give it away. As Christmas day rolled around I opened a lovely gift from my mother consisting of three balls of a very soft almost fluffy yarn. Whats a girl to do with such a gift? Make her own birthday present!

Nice and soft, extra warm, and as pretty as could be. A cowl to call my own.

Classic.

Also in the week before Christmas I won my first blog giveaway on It's Geek to Me. This is seriously the third thing I've ever won. First, was in the first grade I won a helmet at a bike safety drawing, second was a Mini Cooper towel from the Mini Takes the States 2010 rally, and now a whole bunch of yarn! I'm so happy!

I haven't decided what to make with it all yet, but I can't wait to use it!

Happy New Year to my fabulous readers!

Ah Free Time

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well, not that I'm taking a break from crafting nerdy amigurumi and making patterns I've been able to get some other work done.

Behold the mighty cowl and matching hat for my sister and her boyfriend.

Stand in awe as I model the mighty cowl with a dorky expression.

Bow before the cuteness of the fleece baby hat!

That's about it.

"Won't you join my slaying tonight?"

2011-12-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

I give you Robot Santa!

I've been wanting to make this guy since I first picked up the connection between crochet and Futurama. He, and the Robot Devil, are two of my absolute favorite characters! I'm still waiting for the right yarn to come along for the Robot Devil though.

So what's better than seeing Robot Santa in crochet glory? Being able to make him yourself! I have a lovely little pattern here that I've crafted just for my adoring followers.

With this, however, I think I'm going to take a little time off! Christmas is here and now that Robot Santa is safely tied up and placed on top of my tree it's time to start the celebration.

Pattern: Remember it's untested, but at least it's free!

Body: In red to start
Magic circle with 6 sc.
Increase to 12 sc
inc every other stitch for 1 row
inc every 3rd stitch for 1 row
inc every 4th stitch for 2 rows
inc every 5th stitch for 2 rows.
3 = rows
inc every 10th stitch for 1 row
2 = rows
inc every 10th stitch for 1 row
2 = rows
dec every 7th stitch for 2 rows
2 = rows
switch to white
2 = rows
dec every 5th stitch on inside half of previous row.

dec every 4th for 1 row
dec every 3rd stitch for 1 row
dec every other stitch, then every stitch, fill and finish closing.

Arms: In red to start
ch 17, attach ch 1 to ch 17
4 = rows
dec every 10th stitch for 3 rows
4 = rows
dec every 10th stitch for 2 rows
switch to white
2 = rows
dec every 3rd stitch twice (not two rows)
dec until closed
Attach to body.

Head: In grey
ch 22, attach ch 1 to ch 22
5 = rows
dec every 15th stitch for 4 rows
3 = rows.
dec until closed OR slip a strand of yarn along the opening and cinch closed. This will be under his hat
Stuff and attach to body.

Legs: In red to start
ch 10, attach ch1 to ch10
3 = rows
switch to black
4 = rows
ch 3, attach straight across the foot to divide heel and toe.
2 = rows on half for toes
sl st closed and sl st back to other open half
dec until closed
stuff and attach to body.

Hat: Totally forgot to write out instructions for the hat, sorry!
ch enough to fit the circumference of his head in red
dec ever 10th or so stitch for a couple of rows, and then decrease more frequently to form a point.
switch to white, increase for a row and then decrease on the next row to form the ball.
close and tie off.

Details: In felt
Cut out a long strip of black felt for his belt and sew on. Add yellow for the buckle.
Add a strip of white felt around the brim of his hat and the edge of white on his hands as well as his shoulder joints.
Make two small tubes of grey for his "cheeks" and attach.
Add felt eyes, a layer of orange on top of grey. You can make him sad, angry, or happy!
Add the mouth, a large white beard with jagged "teeth" cut out and yellow behind.
Push small grey felt triangles into his hat for spikes. Repeat with white for his hands.
Sew little black buttons on his chest.

"Oh it might appear empty, but the message is clear: play Santa again, and I'll kill you next year!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

As a side note I'm participting in the Tip Junkie Tip Me Tuesday with this post.

The Sharp Crochet Hook Review

2011-12-07T20:22:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago I was asked to review a new product called the Sharp Crochet Hook

http://www.sharpcrochethook.com/ . Now that I'm back from vacation I've been able to experiment a bit!

"With the Sharp Crochet Hook, you can easily crochet a cute edging or border on any fabric you want. There is no need to get it hemstitched or poke holes through the fabric before crocheting." - SharpCrochetHook.com

In other words the hook is exactly what it sounds like, a sharpened crochet tool which provides you with the ability to put a base edge on fabrics without prior work. I was intrigued by the concept and was excited to work on something!

I picked up a thin handkerchief to experiment on. I didn't use any of the provided patterns, of course. If you've followed my blog at all you know I'm far too lazy to follow patterns! However, I can see where on delicate lace-like edging a pattern could come in handy. My brain doesn't think in negative space very well, so naturally amigurumi are my forte.

The Sharp Crochet Hook is indeed sharp. I constantly pressed too hard through the fabric (because it does still take a bit of effort) and caught my finger or ran its edge along my knuckle as I pulled a loop through. I did develop a rhythm after a bit, but I found a few hang ups along the way.

The hook isn't only sharp on the tip where you push it through fabric, but it was also sharp on the inner portion of the hook which you use to pull the yarn through. I kept accidentally separating the yarn I was pulling and took only half of it, or I would catch it on the fibers of the cotton handkerchief and accidentally make a bigger hole that I needed.

(Stitching that I removed during trial and error.)

The construction of the hook has a very homemade feel to it. The grip is rough and feels a bit like a nail file and my hook has scorch marks from processing the metal. All of which are purely cosmetic, as the hook still functioned as advertised.

I can see where if you spent a lot of time putting edging onto blankets or gloves/socks/cloths/etc. that a dedicated tool would come in handy. Later I want to mess around with an old tank top and see about adding little sleeves or other details, but for now I stuck with the basics.

Overall the hook is great for it's intended purpose, but that's about it. I feel like the construction is still in it's infancy and could use a little more adjusting, but it does work. The site not only offers the hooks at $6.99 with three free edging patterns, but you can also buy a small crochet edging handbook that offers 15 different simple to complex patterns. The sample images are quite stunning and it makes me wish I had the patience to work such detailed projects!

Below is an example of one of the simple edging designs.

As a side note the Sharp Crochet Hook is not intended to use for anything except creating the edging base. Trying to use it otherwise will result in a lot of frustration since, like I said, the hook has the tendency to split the fibers.
The size of the hook is not written, but "The Sharp Crochet Hook will work with size 10, 5, or 3. I like size 3 the best for baby blankets and burp cloths because it is the softest. Some people like to use size 10 because it has a more "lacy" effect." According to the site's FAQ.

So there you have it! Sharp, very sharp according to my fingers. Great for one specific use. May need a little refining. Wish I had patience for lacy work. Perfect for those that do!

Cardinal Ornaments

2011-12-03T12:51:00.001-08:00

Christmas has taken over my home and my crochet!

Cardinal ornaments for my grandma! It would be super easy to stick a ornament hook through their upper point, but I liked the look of them nestled in the tree. Of course my grandma can do whatever she wants with them! Finished them just in time though because I have to get these mailed off asap!

I like the short little fat one the best.

But see? They just look so cute!

My Gift to You (Sort Of)

2011-11-26T13:33:00.001-08:00

In the last couple of weeks I have been bombarded with requests to make my plush Toothless dragon, and as honored and flattered as I am to hear how well received my work had been, I also feel incredibly guilty.

Yes, I'm unemployed, yes I did sell them at one point, and yes, I should continue to do so, but I would need to charge about $130 for one of my small plush to make close to minimum wage. To be completely honest it takes up far too much of my time and doesn't even cover our food bill, not to mention the biggest issue: it's not very fun.

I've run into this problem making anything to sell from my blog. It drives me nuts, but that's how it is. So I finally decided that making $3.30 an hour doing something that's not super fun just doesn't work.

I love making things that are new and challenging! Since repeating a pattern and a single project over and over isn't my cup of tea I've decided to hand you my pattern.

This is just the bare bones pattern. I don't have any explanation or how-to set up, though I hope to make one last dragon (for myself since I never did get to keep one) and provide a tutorial. I will be working on this through December as well as another holiday themed amigurumi with pattern.

With that being said Merry Christmas. Um, also I'm not sure this will be any help without instructions. This pattern was originally adapted from another Toothless pattern on Deviant Art. Without that (rather terrible) starting point I wouldn't have been able to make this.

Head x1, jaw x2, jaw fin back x2, head fin back x2. I'm missing the underside which looks exactly like the head piece only without the four fin extensions - which you need one of.

Belly x1, back (the lower piece) x2.

Tail fin x2, side fin x4

Great big wing x4

Toes x4, foot pad x4, legs x8, rounded fin x5 (one for each leg and one for his forehead).

All in all the pieces come together something like this. Oh, just realized I didn't get a close up shot of his back fin-spike-things. It's a series of spiked waves that are in an 8 inch strip that you sew from about the middle of the wing attachment down his back.

Like I said my pet project this month is to sew my own Toothless and take pictures as I go. I'll be able to explain and hopefully walk you through the process.

Until then!

Gobble Gobble?

2011-11-20T14:08:00.001-08:00

Happy almost Thanksgiving!

I have to admit that it is nice to finally be home. My trip back up to chilly Washington State was a fantastic one, though I did spend most of it planted in front of fire places with mugs of hot chocolate.

I spent every minute possible with my family and wouldn't trade it for the world. Though next time I really hope they stop trying to fatten me up! In two weeks I helped eat four cakes and two pies, a batch of cookies, and a whole lot of chocolate. Let's just say that my scale is no where to be seen.

Before I left one of my friends sent me an amazing care package. She's funny, I won't hear from her in months and then BAM there's a box of goodies on my door step. I'm slowly collecting things to send to her for Christmas, but I doubt any of it will be as fantastic. First were three gorgeous skeins of yarn!

Then, because of our unfortunate, and shared, stomach issues she also sent me fiber gummy chews and Imodium! Hah! Cracked me up. Oddly enough I love useful gifts and now when I eat my little fiber candy I think of her. So if M.M.M. is reading this, I love you!

Back to my vacation. I did get some crocheting in, though nothing too extraordinary. A scarf and door draft protector for my grandmother, but she is so sweet (at times) and raved about how wonderful my work was. So when we invited her over for a last family dinner before I left she brought me chocolates, tea, and yarn! This may sound like something a typical doting grandmother would do, but trust me, this was an unprecedented act of extreme kindness for her.

So now my yarn bins are overflowing! I have no idea what to make with the six skeins I've recently received, so feel free to leave me some suggestions. For now I do have one tantalizing project that I've been itching to start. Now that Christmas music is freely playing it's time to break out the red and green.

Have a wonderful turkey day everyone!

Gingerbread Tree

2011-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

It's finished! I really really hope that it is a hit at the charity auction. Is it weird that I would make something to give away and make money for someone else and yet not sell things to make money for myself? For some twisted reason it just feels right to give my creations away to people I care about. So Megan L, this one's for you!

Hopefully now everyone will understand why I called it the "Gingerbread Tree."

Oh, and I didn't really mean to correlate cardinals with the world series, but life is funny like that. Honestly cardinals in a snow dusted tree just makes me feel a bit of Christmas magic.

My intention was to avoid making the tree TOO Christmas-y since Thanksgiving will be the big holiday everyone is thinking about. Did I do OK? The green base was actually chosen because it echoed back to when my mom would receive trees with their root ball all tied up in a canvas material. I had some tan yarn, but the green just worked better. It also added more color interest.

The base is filled with dried black beans. I knew I would be stretching the stitches, so I went with black to disguise the inevitable gaps. The tree is supported mainly by a coat hanger split among the main two branches. The smaller branches have pipe cleaners pulled through to help keep their shape.

Maybe next year I'll actually make things appropriate to the season. For the 4th of July I did a pumpkin... for October I've done an abominable snowman and a winter tree. Maybe my internal clock needs to be reset.

In any case have a wonderful Halloween weekend!

WIP Gingerbread Tree

2011-10-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

I call it the Gingerbread Tree, though you can't see why in the pictures. My concept art for it makes much more sense.... but I kind of soaked that paper when my tea mysteriously spilled itself...

Anyway this project has absolutely absorbed all of my free time.

OK, so you have this tree... then a couple of cardinals...a "root ball" and ribbon...

Behold! the tree stands! Sort of.

This is the general idea, though not laying down on a table. The tree will be nestled into a weighted bottom and with birds hanging out. Add in some details and hopefully it will equal something grand. Honestly I hate posting WIP, I mean if someone showed me THIS and said "isn't it great!" I would be liable to hit them. You gotta trust me though, it will look better when it's done.

Help!

2011-10-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Wait, it's past noon, well, whatever.

Yesterday I agreed to help a friend out by making a amigurumi to auction off at her work's charity event. Normally I wouldn't be so accommodating, but this "friend" is really more like my second sister. For some reason my parents keep "adopting" my sister's friends into the family. None of my friends have made the list.

Political family squabbling aside I really love my sisters, both related and not, so I want to make something wonderful that will really help her non-profit raise money for...um...well I forgot to ask, but I'm sure it's something worthy. She used to work at United Way in Seattle, but was recently hired at a different non-profit... guess I should show some interest in her work... but then again I don't really even know what my husband does. I'm a terrible person.

So help me be a better person by figuring out what I should make to donate to my non-sister sister!

I have a pretty good yarn stash going (thanks to my thrift store and my mom who picks it up at garage sales for me) but I do lack a few key colors...like black and grey....and the shades/quality of yarn range all over the place. She said I could make whatever I wanted, nerdy Futurama items would be great for the younger workers, but nature based items would probably be the best bet.

So my thoughts have ranged from Hedonism Bot to a three foot amigurumi autumn tree (though I don't have enough brown). I have just over two weeks to whip up something grand.

What do you think I should make?

Jawa!

2011-10-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

I would love to have some witty story to tell this time, then again I would love to win the lotto and publish my books. However I am going to announce that I'm going to be focusing more on quality, which means more patterns and more interesting projects. I think my days of selecting a two hour project on the fly are over. I've had some requests for a few more complex amigurumi and I'm interested in challenging myself. Or showing off, which ever way you want to look at it. The only draw back is that I'll be posting less often, but with better stuff. That balances out right?

So I bring you Blizz from Star Wars The Old Republic requested by my husband. Please remember that my patterns are untested!

(The above picture is the best representation of the true colors. Sorry, I work mostly at night so taking in progress pictures really isn't ideal)

Body
Ch 45
sc 5 = rows
dec every 8th stitch for 2 rows
4 = rows
dec every 10th stitch for 1 row
2 = rows
dec every 5th stitch for 1 row
make approximately 1 inch of = rows (I lost the exact count, sorry hahah)
Tie off

Arms
ch 9
sc 5 = rows
inc every 4th stitch for 3 rows
2 = rows
tie off
attach to body
repeat, attach to other side of body.

Hood
ch 20 and attach to body (see pictures) leave several stitches between the attachment points.
sc all the way around the hood, body, shoulders, etc.
3 = rows EXCEPT dec twice at the shoulder and hood connection for the 3 rows
dec every 6th stitch until approximately a quarter size hole is left
dec every 3rd stitch until the point comes together.
Tie off
Sc almost a full row around his hood in grey for the frosted detail.

Details
Face: Cut out a rounded piece of black felt and just sort of stuff it in his hood (I didn't bother to even sew it in!) Glue or sew on little yellow eyes.
Patches: grey felt sewn on with embroidery floss to make the stitches stand out.
Sash: one long strip of brown felt with embroidered details on the edges.
Hands: felt folded in half with rounded edges (there's a little foil gun inserted into his grip).
Shoulder pads: cut out pointed bits of felt and line with the same grey as the hood. Sew around so the yarn is incorporated around the felt.

Hope you like him!

As with any of my patterns if you have a problem or a question feel free to email me at MostlyNerdyCrochet@gmail.com Thanks!

Self Promotion

2011-10-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've seen when people spell stuff with the periodic table. Even though I'm not a super science nerd I still think it's great! So to promote the first chapter I've posted on Mostly Nerdy Narrative I embroidered my own version of some periodic fun!

I hope to do another one for Mostly Nerdy Crochet and have that be the new logo, but we'll start with this.

On my new blog you can check out the first chapter to an ongoing urban fantasy story written by none other than me! I'm sure some of you will hate it, but if even a couple of you out there enjoy it then I will be a very happy camper. I aim to post new chapters every other week, with a minimum of once a month. The "book" is not yet completed so I hope you will join me in the process!

P.S. If I screwed up something with the periodic stuff oh well, I'm not all that science savvy anyway.

It's Just Abominable!

2011-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday night!

I've been spreading myself very thin this week so I'm surprised I finished this guy on time. He's a little out of proportion, too long of a torso, head is a little off, and he's not nearly furry enough, but I still kind of like him. I don't know, there's just something about him that gives off charm.

Behold the mighty tin foil star.

So be careful when you're out there walking around in the chilly fall weather, you never know what you'll come across!

Aaaah!

My Memories Winner

2011-09-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Before I announce the winner I want to preface this by saying that there was some confusion on the entries. Each person was to submit a total of three comments, one comment per approved entry (such as following my blog, liking me on facebook, or telling me which scrap book kit they liked the best). So I compiled an excel sheet with every one's name and the entries they were valid for, even if they didn't leave individual comments. All in all there were 14, some people were in there three times and some just once! (I put them in the excel sheet in the order they were added on the post).

So, thanks to the random number generator of random.org we have a winner!

Congratulations Nicole! I will be emailing you shortly!

I will have a new project to post next weekend. Until then make sure and check out MostlyNerdyNarrative.blogspot.com!

Reminder!

2011-09-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone there's only a few days left to enter in the My Memories Suite giveaway! Check out the original blog post here:

http://mostlynerdycrochet.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-memories-suite-giveaway.html

All you have to do is leave a comment saying you follow me or like me on facebook or which kit you like the best!

There's only half a dozen entries so far so make sure and get in there before the drawing this Saturday! I've postponed the draw time until Saturday night because I'm heading to Disneyland that morning!

...

On another note I've been making regular updates to my new blog: Mostly Nerdy Narrative. There you will find quick reviews on things like the most recent Futurama, True Blood, and even a few books/movies! I'm aiming to post the first chapter of my new "book" in the first week of October so keep an eye out!

Woolly Walk Along Participation!

2011-09-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

"The time has come", the Walrus said...

So remember a few months ago when I kept posting stuff about Mr. Squid? Well big news! Squidy had finally been put in place as my small addition to the huge Woolly Walk Along project run by Knitty Graffity!

*UPDATE* Here's the link for the news article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10750575
A short article and video here: http://www.localist.co.nz/milfordtakapunadevonport/articles/devonport-wharf-gets-woolly

Everyone in these pictures volunteered to help put approximately 250+ feet of donated knitting and crochet along a piece of railing near the Rugby World Cup. I've never been to Auckland, New Zealand, but I would have loved to go there for this!

There was also a news article written about the time and effort that it took to create such a collaborative work. Once the link has been sent to me I'll get it up on here.

Look at the glory that is Mr. Squid. Thank you Knitty Graffity, volunteers, and crafters for all your hard work! It's just so amazing!

I'll be updating this post with more information when I have it. Until then you can check out Knitty Graffity on facebook for more pictures! She'll be posting more on her blog soon, but she needed to get some sleep after all the excitement yesterday!

(Pictures provided by Knitty Graffity. Please email me if you are in one of these pictures and would rather not be seen on this site. Thank you!)

Mostly Nerdy Narrative

2011-09-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mostly Nerdy Crochet's sister site: Mostly Nerdy Narrative!

Mostly Nerdy Narrative will focus on reviewing various nerdy undertakings (books, TV shows, movies, etc) and as a method of sharing a new in process book. I've been writing for a couple years now (nothing too serious and only two previously completed books--both unpublished naturally) and I've enjoyed sharing my stories with friends and family. Now I'm taking a new step and want to experiment with posting a book, chapter by chapter, for the online world. There is no guarantee I'll be published, so this may be my only chance to tell a tale!

In addition to my new blog I have a new email address that will serve as the means of communication for both MNCrochet and MNNarrative.

MostlyNerdyCreations@gmail.com

Don't worry if you send something to mostlynerdycrochet@gmail.com, I have it set to forward all emails to the new address.

MNNarrative is a little bare at the moment, but will soon fill with my rants. I hope you will take a peak and give it a chance. If you like Urban Fantasy you might just like Mostly Nerdy Narrative!

...

Now before you check out make sure you enter the My Memories Suite giveaway!

Follow the link and read the directions at the bottom of the post!
All you have to do is leave a comment or two and you'll be entered to win!

http://mostlynerdycrochet.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-memories-suite-giveaway.html

My Memories Suite Giveaway!

2011-09-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today I am super excited to host my first giveaway!

One lucky reader will have the chance to win a copy of My Memories Suite 2 (a $40 value) for free!

"My Memories Suite Version 2.0 digital scrapbooking software is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The software's design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch." -MyMemories.com

My Memories Suite also comes with a code for $10 towards their kits and extras online! Information on how to enter below... way below. Muwahahaa.

However, since only one person can win I also have a little gift for everyone! Use the code STMMMS96755

at http://www.mymemories.com/ to receive $10 off when you purchase My Memories Suite!

...

I was asked the test and review the program and since I've never done any scrap booking before I was the perfect beginner candidate for a digital scrap booking program! (I could never convince myself to pay for the start up costs for traditional and honestly, I dreaded the mess I knew I would make--you should see me near the end of an amigurumi.)

Below I have posted the first five digital scrap booking experiments I have ever done using My Memories Suite.

Alright, easing into it. I started with one of the basic templates and just added a few touches.

That's a little better! I went with another template, but played around with more options.

Whoa, there that's enough. I went all out and built this one from the ground up, and up...and up. Guess I like them busy.

Alright so after pillaging through pictures of us I needed a change, and what is my go-to source?

Um, may I say "duh?"

I'm actually really glad I stopped using our vacation pictures, because these really helped me determine the ups and downs of the program, especially it's limited selection for male oriented embelishments and themes.

My Memories Suite Review:

The basic program is rather limited in options, most of which are very girly. However, on the plus side there is always room for expansion by purchasing the designer packs and kits that contain several different pages/embellishments online. The perfect solution when you’re bored with just the base software. The web site also has a great selection of free downloads as well as a dollar section for more extras. Their kits are well varied and contain lots of new items for an average of $5 each (as low as $1, as high as $10). When you buy the program you receive a $10 coupon code to use on the site. I bought an Alice in Wonderland themed kit, and an autumn kit.

In the end the program itself is very user friendly (reminded me a little bit of using old photoshop 7) and has a fun assortment of basic options to wet your appetite. The real fun comes from buying the various options online. I think if you are interested in digital scrap booking that this is an excellent program to use, it is simple, but can be used for more complex results. However, this program is also an investment: $40 initial cost (Only $30 with the code STMMMS96755) plus the additional online kits. That being said, you also don’t have to constantly replenish your supplies, once you buy their online options they are yours to use as long as you have the program (no running out of the right color or having to run out to get that perfect button).

Cost: It’s there, but you’ll probably spend less in the long run going digital than constantly buying scrapbook supplies at overpriced craft stores.

Ease of Use: Pretty darn good. Not only is the program very direct, but if you want something new you can buy it right from the computer. It’s easy enough to change items around after they’ve been placed, and clean up is as simple as shutting everything down.

Time: Oh boy, be careful here! This program will suck you in. The different options are numbing online, and the ability to quickly place photos and create albums is addicting. I sat down to just “test” a few things and ended up still playing three hours later.

Main Complaint: Basic program is a little too basic! The templates and embellishments become very tiresome after only a few experiments. Download times for the software and the extras are slower than expected (we have FiOS with excellent download speeds). I’m also concerned that if someone were going to use this program without a background in another art program that they may experience some frustration learning all the different bells and whistles. Having previously used Photoshop I found it quite comfortable.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely would recommend to a friend with the small stipulation to be prepared to spend more than the initial cost. However, with the $10 off code (STMMMS96755) , and the $10 towards expanding that comes with the purchase, start up costs are not too bad!

...

OK now what you've all been waiting for!

HOW TO ENTER:

Everyone may enter up to three times, please comment separately for each entry. Please leave your email address with each entry.

1. Follow my blog and say so in the comments below!

2. Go to http://www.mymemories.com/ and tell me which kit you like the best in the comments below!

3. Either like Mostly Nerdy Crochet or My Memories Suite on Facebook and say so in the comments below! (You may of course like us both, but you only get one entry for it!)

Winner will be chosen (by random number generator) September 18th.

The winner will have until 3pm September 20th to respond. If they do not respond I will draw a new winner.

Remember if you don't win you can still use the code STMMMS96755 for $10 off on My Memories Suite when purchased from mymemories.com!

Good luck!

Fizzgig

2011-09-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Fizzgig with pattern!

Well after taking a trip down memory lane with The Labyrinth I, of course, had to watch The Dark Crystal too.

So naturally with my movie all set up my fingers were itching for another crochet project. Turned out that the project was a little more involved, but still quite fun. (By fun I mean I was about to pull my hair out getting all of his to look right).

Fizzgig is by far one of the most adorable creatures that Jim Henson created. I mean, part dog, giant mouth, cute temperament, and what amounts to a large ball of fuzz? If I could adopt one I would... but since I can't I made one instead.

Anyway who cares about me blabbing on (I mean really, do you seriously follow this blog because of my creative writing skills?) I demand PICTURES!

Fizzgig Untested Pattern

Body:

(Make these stitches looser than you would normally)

Magic circle with 6 sc in the center

Increase to 12

Inc ever other stitch for three rows

Increase every 3^rd stitch for 1 row

Sc 10, inc, sc 10, inc, for 2 rows

4=rows

Ch 25, attach back to the base about half way across with a sc (follow the slack around the circle, this will be the opening for his mouth)

5 = rows

Sc 10, decrease, sc 10, dec for 3 rows

Sc 5, dec, sc 5, dec for 2 rows

Dec every 3^rd stitch for 2 rows

Dec until closed.

Mouth:

In red; crochet a basic flat oval with an 8 ch base (more accurate patterns easily found online than what I would be able to describe). Increase in size until it more or less matches the size of the mouth opening. Attach to the mouth opening, but don’t forget to stuff before you close! Only put polyfill in the top and bottom sections, do not fill completely as this will prevent his mouth from closing.

Little feet – Optional (usually you just see him as a giant fluff ball)

Ch 40, link ch 40 to ch 1

2=rows

Ch 4 and link directly across (create a narrow oval with line through it)

Working on half the oval at a time: 1=row*

Using same “ch 4 and attach” separate the half into three sections

Sc around the new thirds and decrease each row until you have a point. Fasten off or slip stitch back to the next opening. Repeat for all three toes.

Repeat from * for the second foot. (they will be very close together, feel free to make each foot individually by skipping the initial large oval).

Attach to the bottom of his body so his toes peak out.

Detail time!

Sc 1 row of dark brown around his mouth. Cut out off white felt in a tooth pattern and sew to the top and bottom of his mouth. Also cut a tiny tooth set for the back of his mouth and sew on. Using black felt cut out his “throat” but remember the little red dangly guy!

Follow the same general procedure for his eyes and nose. As for his fluffiness you will be looping dozens of 2”-3” chunks of yarn through the loose stitches all over his body. Make sure you’ve attached his eyes and nose before you fluff up his face. I had a 4ply yarn that I separated each strand apart to give him extra oomph. Kind of looks like he got a perm, but at least he’s properly fluffed!

(Pictures to help you understand what the heck I'm talking about)

(For the feet)

(For the fuzz)

Planet Express

2011-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Alright guys! We are entering a lovely long weekend here and I couldn't be happier! To celebrate I have a little thing to post today, and two fantastic posts ready for tomorrow and Sunday!

As for today just something to make you smile. I know, I know, more embroidery? Isn't this blog all about crochet? Well, no, to be super egotistical, this blog is all about me! Nerdy ol' me.

Actually I feel that this embroidery reflects me very well. I'm a little lumpy around the edges, I'm not always aimed in the right direction, and I tend to miss a few things along the way, but dammit, I'll get where I'm going--whether it be rain or shine. Not snow though... and I'd like to avoid the brimstone and fire kind of days... so you know, whether it be mild and agreeable, I'll be there.

Anyway, stay tuned for a more impressive feat of creativity tomorrow.

Enjoy the weekend!

Practice

2011-08-26T21:38:00.001-07:00

I've decided that I want to learn how to embroider (my mom taught me when I was about eight but I only ever did half a flower, so I don't really count it) so I started messing around with some embroidery floss and scrap fabric. Unfortunately this piece of scrap was from a t-shirt...so the fabric was stretchy and frustrating. Oh well! Lesson learned!

For those of you who don't know this is a quote from Pam on True Blood, the pink on black is very appropriate for her character. The framed quote now sits on my desk.

Don't worry I have another amigurumi to post soon!

"Ello." "Did you just say 'hello'?"

2011-08-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Labyrinth anyone?

Originally I was going to try and go all out and embroider on his facial features, but he just looked weird, so I went with a little more "kawaii" style instead.

I really like two night projects like him. First night, crochet general body. Second, add on all extras and details.

Mini disclaimer: I have not tested this pattern. I just wrote down what I did as I did it. I also write my patterns for those who know a bit about crochet in the first place. If you are a beginner feel free to email me at MostlyNerdyCrochet @ gmail.com with any questions. Honestly my brain isn't always on the same wavelength as everyone else, so if you are not a beginner and the pattern still sounds wonky feel free to pester me to make it better.

“Ello” Labyrinth Worm

Magic circle with 6 sc (in blue)

Increase to 12

Inc every 3^rd stitch for 2 rows

Sc 7=rows

1 hdc, 5 dc, 1 hdc, sl st around the rest of the row, repeat one more time

Switch color to a pale yellow

1 hdc, 5 dc, 1 hdc, sl st around the rest of the row, repeat 3 times

Sc 12=rows

1 Inc on either side of the face (for cheeks) sc in between- Repeat for one more row

dec every 3^rd stitch for 1 row

Fill with polyfill before the opening gets too small!

Dec every other stitch for about 2 rows, then dec every stitch until closed

Hair – darker blue than the body for contrast

Slip stitch several strands of yarn at the top of the head and down the body. Separate the strands for a good fluff. (There will be 17 bits of fluff all together. Top of head and cheek fluff is longer than the rest).

I added some of the darker blue up his back and on the top of his head almost like embroidery (only with yarn).

Scarf - Use an orangey red thin yarn (or thick thread)

Ch approximately 15 inches, turn and DC down the length. Weave in the ends. Loosely tie around the neck (I wrapped mine twice).

Face: I used a dark orange (almost a light brown) embroidery thread for the eyes. Bits of black of course for the pupils/nose/mouth, nothing too fancy!

"Nah, I said 'ello' but that's close enough."

I Think it's a Shawl

2011-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

I have completed my shawl...stole...wrap...scarf...thing. It's pretty whatever it is, though I do wish someone had called me out on spelling it "shall" last time...and on facebook. Oh well.

The wrap was made with six skeins of that recycled cotton blend yarn in "moss" which I guess is close enough. Not sure how many hours it took, I just popped on a movie and went to work every night. Plus a couple of glasses of wine really helps the time fly by. Hey, I'm on vacation remember? (Actually my stay home vacation has slowly been morphing back into work. I stopped in to the thrift store three times to take care of a few things, even though it's closed this month, and started going to the gym on Friday. I'm still sore.)

I still haven't decided why I really made it: gift? Keep? I just wanted to make something out of all that yarn. It's rare that I have so much of one color and type.

Little disclaimer on the pictures: no judging based on my pajamas! I couldn't manage to convince my husband to model the wrap for me, so you're stuck looking at my weekend attire. It's Sunday darn it and I'm not about to get all dressed just to show off one of my projects!

Alrighty, here the shawl is spread out on the couch so you can see the pattern. Oooh, Aaaah. I didn't measure it but I would put it close to being 5' long. It drapes nicely and is comfortable. The yarn isn't too scratchy so I have no problem wearing it as I write this. Overall I would call it a success, no major blunders (though I'm sure there's a missed/added stitch here and there) and no massive frustrations attached. The first few rows were slow as I learned the pattern so I wouldn't have to keep looking it up, but after that I just took off.

Here's the pattern diagram that I used. I just found it on a google image search so I'm not sure who to credit it to, but it sure worked!

So here I am looking thoroughly relaxed in my bright pink pajama bottoms and white tank. Notice how my arm subtly leaves the frame as I managed to avoid capturing the camera in the mirror with the rest of me. (I should really concentrate on getting better pictures). A big ol' thanks to my husband who of course was too busy on his computer to assist me. Actually I can't really blame him. Last time I got him to help (think back to the bikini) we were both laughing so hard that it took nearly 20 minutes to get a decent shot. It's just way too fun to make funny faces at him.

Anyway, taadaa!

A New Project

2011-08-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm making a shall. I have a bunch of this recycled green yarn that is frustrating to make amigurumi with so I'm going a different route. The problem is I don't know how to make clothing, I already have a million scarves, and it's not enough for a blanket. Typically I don't have the patience for following a pattern, but then I stumbled across something wondrous.

Crochet pattern diagrams.
A visual interpretation? Yes please! OK, I'm not a complete idiot, I'd seen them before, but they didn't apply to my amigurumi so I ignored them. I make all my amigurumi free form so usually I just ignore patterns in general. However, for this project I wanted something pretty with a design. It's still painfully simple, but then again when you break down most projects they aren't as complicated as they seem.

I haven't decided if this is something I'll keep or give as a Christmas present. Either way I've been slacking for so long that I'm just happy to be hooking again.

WIP shots.

See it's 75% recycled cotton and I bought it at a thrift store. I'm that good. Well, OK I work there and grab any yarn that's available because I don't want to pay full price, but that's good too!

More pictures to come as I work.

Home Sweet Home

2011-08-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have finally returned from three weeks in Seattle for a family reunion. I would love to say that it was a great trip full of fun and interesting activities, but unless you count three trips to the ER as a "fun activity" then I'm going to go with my vacation kind of sucked.

Somehow I managed to develop a rather severe kidney infection without the most common symptoms. The first trip was to an urgent care clinic (which I count as one of the three visits) because I had terrible back pain and felt like I had a flu. The doctor attributed the back pain to the car accident we had been in the day before. Yes, some guy in Seattle decided to back into us and munch the passenger side of my brand new Audi, yet another reason my vacation was not all that brilliant. (And I do mean new, we bought it just a couple of months ago from the dealer to replace the Mazda 3 I used to drive that had been totaled by a trucker on the freeway. Figures.)

Long story short, I got worse and we ran to a full blown ER. This time they rushed me straight into a room and started hooking me up to all kinds of stuff. It's all a little blurry, but they sent me home and asked us to come back the next day.

So between slowly becoming more and more sick and then the slow process of recovery I spent the majority of my vacation in bed or on the couch not doing much of anything. My husband and I missed almost all the family reunion events (which I had planned and really wanted to do!) and ended up stressing about the car, how the medical insurance would work with the ER visits, and trying to get home. It was just one big mess!

Of course our trip was not entirely terrible! I was able to see my family and his, and I came home with all kinds of goodies from my mom and mother-in-law. I spent the night with my sister at Emandal - a Farm on a River where she works. We went swimming in the river and played with kittens. It was wonderful! I absolutely love my family, and I'm growing to love my in-laws more and more every time I see them. I wish we didn't live so far away!

OK, enough of my vacation rambles. Since I'm recovering (which will take about three weeks to get back to normal) I'm going to have a staycation and get some crochet done!

My mom gave me these beautiful skeins of yarn that she bought at a garage sale.

I used the pink and white to make a hat for my grandmother for Christmas. You can't really tell but the pink is a pretty clam shell stitch. The yarn was too fuzzy for that, but oh well.

OK I can't help it. Attack of the kittens!

(Emandal takes in litters of kittens each season and adopts them out to the guests that stay on the farm. They have an extremely high adoption rate, and those who aren't taken become well cared for farm cats. I have a severe weakness for kitties and as you can see above I'm completely at their mercy. my sister suffers from a similar problem and below you can see she is mesmerized by their cuteness.)

Farewell to Harry Potter

2011-07-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just FYI, if you've at least seen the trailers there's no spoiler here.

Today my husband and I went to see the new Harry Potter. Oh the glory of a film done well. I cried, which is just how I am. I cried at the book... each time I read it. Seriously.

So there we are just minutes from the climax of the film, the moment we've been waiting to see for 10 years... and the film pauses and the fire alarm goes off.

I always imagined that pandemonium would break out when a fire alarm sounded in a crowded theater, instead we all just sat there hoping it would go away so we could finish watching. Every one looked at each other, gauged the reactions of those around us, and started laughing. I was probably laughing the hardest. The mere idea that the movie would stop at that VERY moment was just ridiculous! The suspense was too great, the moment so dark, and then the lights are suddenly on and we're expected to vacate the premises!

Of course we did get up and file out smoothly, no one was running or pushing, I think we were all going slow incase they just popped up and said "gotcha!"

About 15 minutes later they let us rush back in to take our seats. The only problem was that the still from the movie was left up on the screen. And here is what we stared at for about five minutes while everyone returned.

I'm sure you can imagine there were a few jokes...

"Harry, I never knew how you felt.."

"I've always secretly loved you Tom."

"Let's end this the way we began." followed by some smooching acted out by the girls in front of us.

The whole situation was terribly funny.

Of course after that they started the movie and we all forgot that we were making jokes. Every one watched in awe as the end finally came. I wish the film hadn't been interrupted, as it dulled the tone for the finale, but it was still incredible to see.

Now that it's all over I feel like my best friend moved away and I'll never see them again. For about 13 (might be closer to 14 now) years I've been following the Harry Potter universe, and when the books ended I told myself that it was OK because I still had the movies to look forward to, but now it's all over. It ended with flair and finesse and brilliance, but it ended none the less.

Crochet Toothless II

2011-07-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Alright so my goal before I leave for a family reunion was to finish all my commissioned projects. This crochet Toothless was the last on my list so tadaa!

I don't have too much else to say so let's look at more pictures!

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your weekend! As for me I'm off to count down the hours until the next TrueBlood. The moment I can figure out how to crochet a life like Eric the rest of the world is going to be put on hold.

Happy 4th of July! So, is it October yet?

2011-07-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th everyone! The crowds are a little too much for my husband and I so we decided to stay home today and do well...nothing! But tonight we're going to have a mini camp out in our living room. No electricity, just some candles, mini marshmallows, and toothpicks.

Anyway I have been in such a funny mood lately! I have been obsessed with everything pumpkin and Halloween. I've been eating pumpkin pancakes, ice cream, soup as well as day dreaming about a Halloween party. I am SO weird, but whatever.

To honor my pumpkin love I made a cute little amigurumi. Now if only my pumpkin plants would actually grow. I think I missed the green thumb in the family.

And so I will be eagerly awaiting the fall. Until then let's play in the summer sun!

Mr. Squid is done!

2011-06-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here he is! Reigning in at approximately 4.5 feet long (or 140 cm) and 16.5 inches tall (42 cm) Mr. Squid (or Squidy as his friends call him) is complete! He did mention that he would rather no one ask him about his missing tentacle. Apparently there was an accident when he was a child...he doesn't like to talk about it.

Regardless of his past tragedies Squidy is happy to be participating in Knitty Graffity's woolly walk along! (http://knittygraffity.blogspot.com/) See, here he is smiling in anticipation.

Alas the day is late and he must prepare for his upcoming journey.

As for me, I need to make him a name tag.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Summer? Bikini time!

2011-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Mostly crochet without the nerdy. Well, OK that's a lie. It's nerdy simply because I'm in the picture.

Yeah, so I had no idea what I was doing, but besides everything turning out a little big I think it mostly worked...kind of..

I tried to put cute little pleats in the top, but well...riiight. Also, I now know why swimsuits are typically made from stretchy stuff because my butt totally doesn't stay put when I'm walking around, let alone swimming.

Well, regardless of my non-existent clothing skills I still rather like it. Want to know why? It was free, 100% no cost to me. The yarn was a gift from the thrift shop for my hours of "hard" work, and that was really all I needed. It took about two and a half skeins and a few hours of free time.

All in all a good adventure. Oh and one last thing. I don't need to remind you that it's Sunday, I went from my pajamas to the bikini and back again, so don't make fun of my hair.

Oops, and happy father's day!

Mario Frames

2011-06-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mostly nerdy minus the crochet.

These are the same sizes as the Pacman frames, though you can't tell from the close up pictures. Don't worry though, I'm still working on a few crochet projects, but these were fun, nerdy, and fast so what the hell.

My husband wants the Dungeon frame and I haven't decided if I'm going to sell or give a way the others. Oh well, for now let's just enjoy the pretty pictures.

See, wasn't that fun?

Feeling Inspired

2011-06-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Manic Monday. Thank you for giving me the chance to, yet again, push aside all the other projects I SHOULD be working on and instead create these.

At least they are freaking awesome.

Bits and Pieces

2011-06-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those weekends where you work on everything and yet finish nothing? That's been my weekend so far. Still, I can't complain. Especially after seeing X-Men: First Class. Totally made my weekend, I highly recommend seeing it if you've ever enjoyed a super hero movie at all.

Anyway back to business. Here's some of my projects:

Above we have some wonderfully fresh rosemary that I harvested while my in-laws were visiting last weekend. So far I've used it to make some rosemary lemon chicken and roasted red potatoes.

Below are some of the lemons that I acquired on the same trip. This is only about a third of what we came back with. Some are oranges, and some are just orange lemons. I don't know what that's all about, but it was very exciting to bite into one and then realize which was which. Anyway we've enjoyed some very fresh lemonade, lemon bars, and anything else that we can put lemon into. These have all been zested and the rest have been juiced. All of that is packed up in the freezer and now waiting to be transported back home for my mother to use (she really loves those lemon bars!)

Ah another toothless. Actually, I worked on two toothless plushies this weekend. One crochet and one Sewn. But seriously, you've all seen enough of those.

Here we have my big project of the weekend. I've decided that I'm probably going to be too cheap to buy a real bikini (something that I've never worn in my life) so why not make one? It's not exactly perfect, but it keeps me in place (which is super important) and it was a lot more fun that spending $100+ on a stupid water friendly bra. I may not turn heads at the beach, but how many people out there can say they MADE their swimsuit? Oh and did I mention that I got all the yarn for free?

My favorite part is the little ruffles around the bottom. Anyway, yes, it's not amazing (though I think it is since I didn't follow a pattern.) it's a little chunky, the cups size is a tad off, and my husband of course complained that it doesn't show enough skin (ahem I DO have a one piece I can always break out, cheeky bastard). However, in accordance to the weekend I didn't really finish the whole ensemble. Notice there's only a top here? That would be because the bottom is pretty much just a band around my hips at the moment. I'll show off everything once I'm done. I just really hope the bottoms turn out OK. Sometimes I think it looks super cute, other times...well.. I guess we'll just wait and see.

And so this completes my weekend.

Work in Progress Part Two

2011-05-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Mr. Squid with the accompanying cover that will eventually attach to a railing.The cover is a combination of double crochet and triple crochet in alternating rows for a nice textured look so it stands out just a tad from the single crochet amigurumi style squid. The squid will be fully attached (so no one can rip him off the railing) and will eventually have two longer tentacles that wrap around.

Hahaha look! There's a Star Wars poster in the background. What a nerd! Oh wait.

Here's another toothless that I completed on commission this week. It's not like you haven't already seen about ten of these already.

Squid!

2011-05-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

So I was contacted last week by Knitty Graffity who asked if I would like to participate in her Woolly-Walk-Along all the way down in New Zealand! Well she described a little more of the event, which I don't go into detail about in case she plans to make a big reveal at the end, but I decided to join! I've never done a public work of yarn, but it sounded like such a neat challenge! Plus we just had a donation of a bunch of pink yarn. When I say a bunch, I mean around 10 skeins, so naturally I snatched it up and got to work.

We'll be decorating a railing, and here is my work in progress so far! (To see other works in progress for the same event check out http://knittygraffity.blogspot.com/ )

I will post more pictures when it's complete!

I feel like I've been here before

2011-05-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well after a week of working hard and really getting down to business I have two things to show for it. Both are commissioned items, and I'll be touching on that idea later. First let me show what I've accomplished.

Nothing new, but still some of my favorite stuff. The toothless is a half size, super cute and extra lovable. The Zoidberg is actually a little too fat. It's like he actually had a meal for once haha. I hope the two individuals who ordered them will like them.

OK so I do have a few things to touch on. First is I'm putting a temporary HALT to any new commissions. I haven't had a chance to do anything for myself in weeks since I've been swamped with orders. Well, maybe not swamped, but enough that between my volunteering and helping a friend part time with some work that I just haven't had time to make stuff for me. I have a list of crazy nerdy items that I want to try out, and my blog is in desperate need of some honest updates. Mostly Nerdy Crochet is slowly turning into Mostly Repetitive Crochet! That's no fun at all!

One step at a time!

2011-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

My apologies for all the design changes on my blog lately. Hopefully find one I like and keep it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Anyway just a few little things this week. First it was our two year anniversary on Monday (aww) and here's the fantastic Japanese style strawberry shortcake that I made for my husband. (As well as the start to the salad we had so I could feel less guilty about diving into a cake smothered with strawberries and whipped cream!) I was afraid the cake would collapse so I took the picture before the rest of the table was ready then promptly shoved it in the fridge...though I had to remove a shelf so the thing would fit.

I did get a little bit of traditional crafting in. I honor of May the 4th I crocheted a tiny Death Star.

I overstuffed the hell out of it so it makes a great stress ball. One that I've been using, a lot. There's something oddly satisfying about being able to crush the Death Star in the palm of your hand.

I've also been working on some orders. I have half a Toothless done, a Zoidberg that only needs his coat finished, and.. I swear there was something else I've been doing. OH I have two items boxed up and ready to ship.

As for non-crafty related events; tomorrow I'll be having my butt kicked by my personal trainer. I've been seeing this (hardcore) woman for almost a year, however even after all my work I still have 10 pounds to go and they are the most stubborn clingy pounds EVER. Of course that may be because I have the world's largest sweet tooth. I swear I can hear it actually whispering in my ear "just one cookie, you know you'll work it off later...come on, what's a little sugar when your meals have been nothing but greens?"

So after that I'm going to make applesauce bread and an angel food cake for my friend's not-so-secret baby shower. She is seriously the cutest person I know, and we both share a very strange passion for organizing things. At least I think it's weird that I should enjoy that.

I'm still debating whether or not to start writing a few more "books" (do they count as books if they are unpublished?) I'd LOVE to start a writing blog where I post chapters every few days, but I'm worried about having my ideas taken and having someone else make money off of it. Right now I'm waiting for my mother to finish editing one of my books so I can have a clear idea on whether or not to send it off to agents (you're the best mom!)

Other than all of that I'm still just trying to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life. Though from talking to friends it seems that this is a common predicament for someone my age. Anyone else feel like they are living through Avenue Q?

Distractions

2011-04-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

     I'm sorry to admit this, but I don't really have anything to show for nearly three weeks of no posts. For the first two weeks I was away tending to my husband as he recovered from surgery and this week has been catch up for everything we missed. I guess I'm allowed to let life happen and all, but I feel somehow negligent.

     Now that's not to say that I don't have plans. Oh boy do I ever have plans! But, since I've been working on the commissions so much I just haven't had the time to implement them. Not only that, but I'm working on three or four commissions all at the same time. I'm starting to think that splitting my focus really isn't helping matters.
So instead of a glorious post full of bright pictures and silly commentary I figured I would just clue everyone in on my life. After all, there's not a lot about me on here.

     My name is Tracey, I'm 23 and I learned to crochet when I was about 10 from my grandmother. I dabbled in it off and on for a few years, then dropped it altogether until I got married. Six months of unemployment equaled a lot of free time and so I picked my hooks back up and started working on a basic granny square blanket. I nearly killed myself with the tedious nature of such a large project. To be honest I never did finish it 100% but I reached a point where "close enough" and "good enough" worked for me.

     It wasn't until this last winter that I started looking into the other things you can do with crochet. Amigurumi was a foreign word to me, and I was completely baffled whenever I came across a little crochet doll. Granted some work out there still baffles me, but I at least understand the stitches behind the art now. My first amigurumi was the little bomb from Mario as a gift. I followed a pattern and was very pleased with the outcome. Next I made a brain slug, and again liked the results. It wasn't until following a pattern for an Invincibility Star that I realized that not all patterns were created equal. What a mess! So I took the parts of the pattern that worked and added my own flair to make it look right. Oddly enough it worked a lot better and required a whole lot less concentration. I haven't looked at a pattern since.

     I free hand all my work now, not because I think I'm better than the patterns out there, but because I'm too damn lazy to read them. Seriously. My idea of good crocheting is being able to only pay 1/3 attention to the yarn and what I'm doing and 2/3 attention to whatever I have streaming on Netflix. That's how I've done all my art (and homework) for years. I think the only time that ever changes is when I'm writing.

     Maybe you glanced at a post I wrote several months ago, but I really have a passion for writing. I despise papers, essays, assignments, and and sort of professional documentation, but I adore writing stories. I've written two unpublished books, one of which sucks, but the other has potential. I hope to send it on to agents by the end of the year. That is if my selection of "editors" will ever actually read it. I've been tempted to start a writing blog, posting chapters and updates, but I worry that someone will steal my ideas. Plus I could really use an income. REALLY use one.

     Oops, distracted myself again. See what I mean? I can't even stay focused on one topic long enough to finished a quick post. Anyway that whole thing was really to say that when I write the world disappears and I only see the events unfold in my head as I scramble to write them down. Crocheting isn't anything like that, it's relaxing and challenging, but not engulfing. I love it when I'm working, but I don't really crave it when I stop. Maybe sometimes if I'm almost done with a big project, but it doesn't bleed into my everyday life.

     This isn't uncommon for me, especially as the winter ends. It's summer now and my mind works more furiously at ideas and concepts, rather than relaxing into nothingness with busy fingers. Winter is the time when I love to craft and sew and concentrate on motions with my hands. Summer is a time to get up and move; and the time to stay up late pouring my creativity into a new world.

     So now the question becomes: will I be able to balance my adoration for crochet with this unyielding need to write again? Also, how the hell did I end up in some philosophical examination of my hobbies?

Screw it, I'm going to go make dinner.

Creatively Challenged,
                              Tracey

I can't stay mad at what is essentially me. I love me!

2011-04-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

A duo of baby Benders mischievously drinking. Wait, could one be a prepubescent Flexo? You'll never know!

Commissioned by the ever hilarious, we'll call him Max, who waited patiently through my extended vacation, only then to feel the sting of a yarn shortage. Together we trudged through a battlefield of exchanged Futurama quotes and arrived in awe of Bender the Magnificent.

You know, I once tried to write out what Bender was made up of. Dolomite, iron, titanium, zinc, lead, all at mathematically impossible percents, not to mention a 0.4 nickel impurity. Then I tried to compile all his "bite my----" sayings. You know, "bite my shiny metal ass" "bite my red hot glowing ass" "bite my glorious golden ass" the list went on. Man that was a great Christmas, am I right Chels?

Anyway I get a kick out of seeing them both together. It kind of makes me feel like I'm creating an army of Benders to take over the world. Man I don't know what I would do without Futurama.

OK readers. I'm taking off for a couple of weeks. We'll see if I have time to post. I've got some grand plans stored away, just you wait and see.

Why is it the smaller the item the cuter it gets?

2011-04-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

So apparently I have some sort of obsession with making Toothless plushies. This is what, my 4th one? I mean Toothless is amazingly cute and all, but I wonder if I'm taking this too far. Bah, who cares when something is this cute!

You may remember my last plush was quite big. Here the two are side by side. The giant one has an 88 inch wing span and the little one ended up with a 46 inch wing span. So I was pretty darn close when I told people he was half size.

The little Toothless is actually not finished in the comparison picture because I had to mail off my giant one! He is now on his way to a new home. It was a bittersweet moment.

How can you not love a face like that! I was so twitterpated when I finished him that I made a collection of excited and cute squees that had my husband doubling over with laughter.

One final note. I almost hate to say this, but I've had so many requests. Unfortunately I will not be sharing or selling the pattern for my Toothless. Right now selling this little guy is the only way I'm getting any income and if I post the pattern I'm afraid that my unique version will be copied and stolen across the Internet. There are, however, several free patterns available on Deviant Art and I would encourage anyone interested in making their own to start there. Thank you for understanding, and as always thank you for reading!

April and a Brain Slug

2011-04-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I was making a brain slug as part of a commissioned project and thought, what the heck, I'll make my own pattern and have fun posting it. I know there's about twenty million other patterns for brain slugs out there. I mean, let's face it, they are just a ball with a floppy bottom and antennas. However, since I hate following a pattern while I crochet, watch TV, and drink tea, I have the tendency to just make it up as I go along. So here it is. Futurama Brain Slug-Mostly Nerdy Crochet style.

The color is a bit bleached out, which is strange since I deliberately avoided any direct light. I took one picture with a flash (gasp! I know, total taboo right?) and his colors show a little better. He's actually a very pleasant bright green without being too electric. The yarn is called "Moss" and is 75% recycled cotton. Well, actually it's now 100% recycled as I rescued this poor skein from the thrift shop.

Ok, so one more pattern to fill the Internet searches with:

Futurama Brain Slug!

Magic circle with 6 sc. Inc to 12

Inc, sc, inc, sc etc for 1 row

inc, 2 sc, inc, 2 sc for 2 rows

inc after every 5th sc for 1 row

inc after every 10th sc for 1 row

inc after every 20th sc for 2 rows

then do about 12-15 = rows

dec every 4th stitch for 2 rows, then every 3rd for 1 row, every 2nd... you get the idea. Stuff and finish closing.

sl st back to the edge

Tentacles:

sc, dc,tc,tc,dc, 4 sc, dc,tc,tc,tc,dc,dc,sc....just make a wavy base using single crochet, double crochet, and triple crochets. Vary and repeat until you've made one round.

1=row

sc in the "low" spots (close to the body) and dc on the ends of the tentacles for one row. Just to give a more pronounced wave.

sl st back at the beginning and you're done! Oh, wait. No you're not.

Antenna: make two

ch 16, 3 dc in 2nd ch from hook. sl st back to end of chain. Attach to body.

Don't forget to cut out an eye and pupil and sew them on. I used felt.

Well that's all. Today has been a very odd Friday, but I'm glad I have something to show for it. Oh and happy April everyone!

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

2011-03-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

"I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never, ever possibly destroy us. Mr. Stay Puft."

OK, so he's not exactly like Mr. Stay Puft. True that I left off his legs, but he makes such a great desk buddy this way! He's only about six inches tall, but if I were to make him again I'd go much bigger. He needs to be the size of my baby bender to really get the right feel. Then he needs to storm through a lego city, you know, for old times sake.

So yes, his hat is a little too big and his head needs to be made separately to give that chiseled marshmallow chin, but overall for a small two day project he's not bad. (I ran out of yarn for the order I'm working on so I threw this guy together instead.)

In other news I finally have a new car! My other was totaled a few weeks back so I've been stuck relying on my husband to take me everywhere. Not that I mind being chauffeured around, but he complains when I want to go shopping for my craft supplies. After today I'll be fully stocked and ready to put some serious work into the orders I've received. I really think things are falling back into place.

Monty the Monster

2011-03-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

Why hello! It's been a while since I've been able to post something new. I chose to do a "quick" project since I have a long list of orders to fill. Just FYI I won't be taking any new orders until I've completed the ones I've already taken. Sorry!

Now on to Monty! This little cuddly monster loves hiding in the back of makeup drawers and stealing prize possessions such as eye liner, chap stick, and his personal favorite: mascara. Although shy and misunderstood Monty is quite friendly once you get to know him especially if you feed him organic lip balms (honey based ones always disappear quickly).

Aww, so cute!

He may appear menacing at first, but his looks are deceiving. He loves to be cuddled in the palm of your hand and snuggled nightly before retiring to his hidden domain surrounded by the collection of his favorite discarded cosmetics.

He wants a kiss!

Japan in need

2011-03-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now everyone has seen reports about the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan not too far from Sendai. I know people who live in Japan, I've even spent time in Sendai. The families that I know there... friends that are there for work... are they OK? And that's nothing compared to the people I don't know. There have been so many lives suddenly disrupted and I want to find a way to help. I wish I could offer my home and let people stay with us. If you know of a way an unemployed girl can help please let me know.

It's times like this that I'm glad I called my blog MOSTLY nerdy crochet.

2011-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

OK, OK. I know I've already polluted my blog with a couple other versions of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, but let me explain; he doesn't suck this time!

I do not own Toothless. He is property of Dreamworks, I just designed a new pattern.

Encouraged by the money, er... I mean support of an old friend, I took on a new challenge of sewing a large plush Toothless. I was going to make a new one anyway, but it was much more enticing when someone else requested it. My friend had complete confidence and told me to wing it (haha) since my last sewn dragon looked more like a bat-lizard who desperately needed a diet. Excited to have a new project I bought all my supplies and then started cutting! Ever seen the crafster.org sign that says "measure twice cut once...meh just start cutting" well, that's me. But look how cute he is!

Made with cuddly fleece he is a combination of machine and hand sewing. He is 66 inches from nose to tail and has an 88 inch wing span, so he is BIG! He turned out a bit larger than I originally thought (I don't sew a lot so I figured a little extra material on each piece was better than not enough).

I suffered a few needles to the finger, the frustration of ripping out seams, a huge mess of fleece and polyfill bits all over my apartment (I was practically covered), and of course the terrible realization that he is way too cool to part with. I will of course be sending him to his new owner anyway.

Pay it Forward!

2011-02-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

So I've seen these kind of pay it forwards on facebook and such, but somehow finding it on http://www.tenpennysplendid.com/ made my mind explode with untapped potential. Long story short I signed myself up and was one of the lucky five. I have always found that even though I need to sell my stuff and make some sort of an income it's always been more fun to give things away. Especially things that I've made with my own two hands.

Here are the basic rules:

You must be one of the first five people to comment on this post (please leave name and email for further contact). I will then make something and send it to you by the end of 2011 (just as a personal request only US residents please. I'm sorry to any non US residents interested, but I just don't have the funds to ship things internationally right now.)

You need to post about Pay it Forward on your blog/facebook/twitter/or whatever media site you use and send something hand made to the first five people who comment before 2011 ends. Share the love people!

You can send ANYTHING that has been made by you! Big, small, unique, obscure...whatever you want as long as it has been hand made by yourself!

It is encouraged to post follow ups on what you've received/sent/etc to spread the word and show the world what crafty people can do! This step is, however, optional.

And so we shall infect the world with a chain of crafting wonder that expands beyond our families and friends, blogs and social media, and into new realms!

Join the fun!

Frylock with Free Pattern!

2011-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

I was requested to create a Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I've actually only seen the show maybe twice, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to capture the feel of Frylock, but I've been told I did just fine.

I've been down and out the last couple of days with the flu. Luckily I didn't have the really terrible stomach bug, but I still couldn't eat and I was all kinds of achy and dead. For the first two days I could hardly even put the next movie on. Luckily I started to feel a bit better yesterday and realized that my weekly-ish deadline was approaching for my blog. After attacking my sister for ideas she told me to make this guy. Seriously I just make whatever my sister says. Should I be worried?

As you can see a lot of my projects really come down to the details. Without his face and jewel I could have slapped an M on there and called it McDonald's! But add on that face and you have, without a doubt, a character with his own personality.

I was unsure about the whole jewel on his back thing. I couldn't find any pictures of it at first and didn't even know about it until my husband said something. I'm sure its not 100% accurate, but the pictures I did find were not as helpful as I would have liked. Hopefully its in the "close enough" category.

One final side note before I give up the goods. I'm going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and I'm not sure if I'll be posting anything or not in that time. But fear not! I have a couple of new projects I want to do when I get back.

OK, here's what you've been waiting for.

Frylock Pattern

Ch - chain
Sc - single crochet
Sl st - slip stitch
= rows - sc in each stitch around
Body
Ch 7, sc twice into the 2nd chain from hook
Sc 6 down the chain, add three more sc in the 6th
Sc on the straight, inc ever other stitch on the curve of the oval. (If you are making yours larger than mine you will need to add on inc in the middle of each straight as well.)
Continue until the oval is about 2-2.5 inches at its widest point.

Choose the inner portion of the chain and sc 1=round
Sc 10, inc 1, sc 10, etc for 3 rows
2=rows
Sc 10, inc 1, sc 10, etc for 2 rows
3=rows
Sc 20, inc, sc20 for 1 row (or until you end up on the curved edge of the oval)
(now for the taller lip on the sides of his “head”)
Sc 4, turn, sc 10, turn sc to other side (about 20 sc)
Sc 10, turn, sc 9, sl st into the next stitch, turn
Sc for 1=row, tie off.
Fries
Sc 6 in a magic circle. Sc = rows until you have a long tube (around 6 inches). Fold in half and stuff about halfway in his head. Repeat until you have enough fries to fill his head.

Add facial features with felt and embroidery.

If there's any issues or if you have any questions just email me at MostlyNerdyCrochet@gmail.com thanks!

Mickey!

2011-02-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Hey look! It's Mickey Mouse! Sorcerer style.

Yikes this was hard. His body and appendages were pretty typical shapes and really didn't take me too long to do, however all his extra bits were a pain! In a good way of course. I made him to trade with my father-in-law who is rather skilled at woodworking.

His face took around six hours to figure out. Two spent on doing, and redoing a crochet face until I finally decided that for his size that just wasn't going to work. After all hes only about the size of my Zoidbergs. So then I decided to embroider his face. I'm not very practiced at embroidery, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. Below is the back of one of his hands which are also embroidered.

I don't think I'd make another Mikey, at least not in this style. Of course if you offer me enough money I'll make just about anything hahaha. His cloak thing was very confusing. I had no idea where to start. I don't usually do clothing in crochet but I thought I would try it this time. It turned out alright, but it could be improved upon. Also, did I make his hat too big? Hard to tell. He looks OK in person, but now that I'm looking at the pictures I have to wonder.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the end result. There is no denying that this is, indeed, Mikey Mouse. So there you are father-in-law! I hope you like him!

"As for me I design mansions and then live in them..."

2011-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

"...I'm lying! I'm an appalling failure!"

Please welcome Universe 1's Dr. Zoidberg with a FREE pattern!

As you can see the design has been improved and for the first time I'm offering my pattern for free! Though, I do warn you, this is the first pattern that I've written out for someone other than myself, so you may have to email me for questions. MostlyNerdyCrochet@gmail.com

Can't crochet? You can order one. $35 + S&H money order or check (allow ten days to clear). Email for details.

As promised I will be offering a special gift to my sister for her continued demands... I mean support for my crochet. She must choose the red pill or the blue pill... I mean Zoidberg.

Leela 1: "The idiots have the box!"

Zoidberg A: "I think she means you."

By the way the box is just a blue piece of paper folded origami style. WAAAAY too lazy to crochet a box...that and I don't have the right color of yarn.

OK people who just wanted to look at the pretty pictures may stop reading. Those who want the pattern please continue:

Pattern Attempt for ZOIDBERG

Cheat sheet: sc (single crochet), dec (decrease), inc (increase), sl st (slip stitch),

Head
Row 1 Make a magic circle with 6 sc in the center. Pull tight.
Row 2 increase to 12 stitches
Row 3 sc 2, inc, sc 2, inc, repeat until end of row (use a stitch marker for working in the round)
Row 4 sc 3, inc, sc 3, inc, repeat until end of row.
Row 5 sc 4, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 4
Row 6 sc in each stitch for the row (one = row)
Row 7 sc 4, dec, sc 10, dec, sc 4
Row 8 sc 3, dec, sc 3,
Face tentacles: chain 4, sl st into second chain and continue back to row. Repeat 3 more times.
Row 8 continued sc 3, dec, until end of row.
Row 9, repeat row 8 without the face tentacles.

Body
Inc, sc, inc, sc, repeat for one row
Sc 4, inc, repeat for one row.
One = row
Sc 4, inc, sc 4, inc, repeat for one row.
Two = rows
Sc 6, inc, sc 6, inc repeat for one row
Two = rows
Sc 10, dec, sc 10, dec, for two rows
Two = rows
Begin to stuff
Sc 6, dec, sc 6, dec, repeat for 2 rows.
Sc 2, dec, sc 2, dec repeat for 1 row.
Finish stuffing
Continue to decrease(throw in a regular stitch if needed now and then) until closed.

Legs (x2)
Redo row 1 and 2 from the head instructions.
Ch 4 and make two toes just like the face tentacles were made.
Choosing the inner portion of the stitches from row 2, sc in the round for approximately 7 rounds, or until a little over an inch tall. No stuffing necessary. Attach to body. Make the other leg. Attach to body.

Arms (x2)
Ch 6. Attach the 6th stitch to the 1st and crochet around to form a tube.
Make tube about 1.5 inches long. Ch 4 and make 1 tentacle (for his claw) sc 2 in the tube. Ch 4 and make the second claw. Dec across tube to close. No stuffing necessary. Attach to body. Make second arm. Attach to body.

Eyes and clothing
Cut out felt for the eyes and clothing. Embroider pupils onto the eyes.
For the clothing cut out pant shapes and shirt shapes. Sew edges and dress him! Embroider little circles onto his jacket. Here’s hoping the rest can be figured out by looking at my pictures.

Seriously, I have no life. If you have questions just ask! You can either do so in a comment or email me at MostlyNerdyCrochet@gmail.com

Zoidberg!

2011-01-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

And the Furturama crafts continue! I give you Dr. Zoidberg!

He has a fully crocheted body with felt clothing. The clothing was hand sewn and is removable! He was made in the basic amigurumi style and took me around three days to complete (working in about two hour chunks). I started him last weekend after posting Baby Bender. I also started an even smaller Fry, but then realized I don't have any orange yarn for his hair. Oops, oh well. I'll just have to keep my eyes open at the thrift shop for a while (where I regularly volunteer).

Took some better pictures! Here he is with his entire ensemble.

As I mentioned his clothing is removable and here's his basic body style!

As a side note I've been thinking about starting up something with Etsy, but I can't decide if that would make my crocheting into a chore. As it is I don't usually make these only for myself, I make them to make my sister jealous or my husband awed. It's fun to get a little attention for something I do, especially since I don't have a whole lot to show off otherwise (though it helps that I volunteer now). Selfish reasoning aside I also don't know what I would charge for such an item. I can judge off of other Etsy sellers, but sometimes I just think they're prices are outrageous! For example remember my failed plush Toothless? I've seen several that, in my opinion, are just as far away from being Toothless and are priced around $250.00 for ones the same size! Small crochet amigurumi range from $10 to $70 for something like the little Nintendo bomb and star that I made for Christmas.

It's a difficult decision, but for now I'm happy to take (paying) orders.

"I'm Bender, baby, please insert liquor!"

2011-01-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

After much pestering from my husband and sister I present baby Bender! This version of baby Bender was taken from Futurama season five, "Lethal Inspection" and comes complete with Mexican beer!

This was a rather ambitious and tedious project, taking me an entire week of diligent work. How did I do it you ask? Why by eyeballing it of course! No patterns, no direction, and no hope! Fortunately Bender refuses to be anything less than awesome. I hope I have done him proud.

He is by far the largest amigurumi style crochet I have attempted, and although he has some minor defects, he is an overall success! I started at his mini antenna and crocheted down to his "crotch plate" in one go. I then made his feet, but unfortunately by then I had used the entire skein of silver yarn so of course I had to go buy more. I finished off his other attachments and then put him together! I added a few details, such as his door and mouth, and then threw in a beer to keep his power cells fueled.

Here he is from the episode.

And HERE he is in physical form!

So, what do you think?

Nananananananana Nananananananana BATMAN!

2011-01-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

You know it!

The body is crochet, the extras are all cut out from felt. My favorite part is that he has no arms and legs, and he doesn't even need them.

The only annoying part was the bat symbol. Too small my friends...too small, and yet packed with awesome goodness. This is how I spend my Friday nights. Oh and this was made as a gift.

Stage One: Complete!

2011-01-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

OK, what you see is the first stage to completing a very large floor pillow. Surprisingly this pillow top was crocheted from 1 inch strips of sheet (idea courtesy of another crafting blog my sister showed me). Do you have a guess to how much of the sheet it took to crochet this? (Find answer below)

The hardest part was since the sheet is in strips it doesn't want to pull through the loops like a nice round piece of yarn. I could only work for an hour at a time before my arm was too sore to continue. Though it was an improvement over cutting the sheet into strips, which resulted in my thumb going numb for two days.This took me about a week of various sessions to complete.

Also, Futurama has nothing so do with the pillow, other than it offered background entertainment and it's size is that of a regular DVD.

Flash kind of bleached out the above picture. Oh well. Below is just a detail shot.

(The answer to the question: an entire queen size flat sheet.)

Murloc 2.0

2011-01-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

After I made the murloc for my brother-in-law my husband asked for one too! I let him pick out the colors and then I went to work.

As you can see I do these little guys in stages. First the body, and then the legs. I should really write out a pattern, but I always seem to forget once I've started.

Attach them altogether and then start on the embellishments.

Huzzah!

I don't want to be a writer... I want to be an author!

2011-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Alas, let me warn you that this entry will not have a bunch of colorful photos or impressive pieces of work. Instead this is about that other passion of mine: writing. The only problem is people often misunderstand that writing in itself is not something that I dream of, its the act of telling a story in a beautiful and cohesive way. I love disappearing into exaggerated worlds and wonderful ideas. So I guess it's no surprise that I love the young adult urban fantasy genre; which just so happens to be what I write as well.

My most recent book fits in well with the other young adult series. Outlandish creatures, dangerous foes, incredible strengths and abilities, all wrapped around a girl trying to figure out how to live a normal life. Little does she know that she is just as fantastic as the world around her.

Unlike the majority of young adult books this girl is not in school. You see, I disagree that YA spans just the tweens and high schoolers. It reaches into the early 20's, and I am proof.

Anyway I'm not here to discuss the specifics of my book (as much as I would like to, but I don't want my ideas stolen) I just wanted to confide in my ever amounting list of three people that read this blog that I am very nervous and anxious to begin the next phase. I want so much to be published, and I know I'm not the next Stephanie Meyer or J.K. Rowling, but I want my book to give all the young people like me a chance to escape from the world...even if it's just for a little while.

So as I begin to write my query letter and prepare myself for the inevitable (and multiple) rejections I just want you to wish me luck. I have a journey ahead of me and it's going to be rough.

Just remember...I don't want to simply write. I want to tell stories and entrance readers...I want to be an author.

This isn't how he was supposed to be...

2011-01-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by expressing my disappointment in this project. I was so excited to create a huge cuddly Toothless that I dove right in and spent the first day entirely in front of the sewing machine. He took me two days, which may not seem like much of an investment, but I was absolutely devoted to making him. The pattern I followed was posted by a gal on Deviant Art and since I don't sew much I thought my chances of sewing one by "eyeing" him wouldn't be very good. Now I wish I had just winged it. Her pattern was a nice place to start, but it produced a disproportionate dragon, one that I tried very hard to fix.

Alright, so you might be looking at this and thinking "he's really not that bad" (or you might be as laughing at how bad it really is) but I have to admit that he's not really horrible. But he's also not Toothless. I figured I should still post him since being a crafter doesn't mean everything I make will turn out perfect. I spent a lot of time on him and I've decided to recognise my efforts by putting him here. He may irk me and make me want to cry with how hard I worked, but I did my best with the pattern I had. (Next time screw the pattern.)

I want to try to make a new one, but I'm afraid it will take a while...especially since I don't have enough fleece left (and since I'm unemployed I need to wait for the good sales).

Presenting Toothless

2010-12-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

Toothless in all his glory.

After my husband bought me the DVD of How to Train Your Dragon I became obsessed with finding the cutest plush Toothless possible! Do you know what my option was?

Yeah seriously? That little dumpy BLUE round lizard thing was NOT going to cut it. So like the majority of crafters who enjoyed the movie I decided to make my own. This little guy was 100% designed and created by me (no, not Toothless, he belongs to Dreamworks. I'm talking about the pattern and the plush, duh!)

Altogether Toothless took me about four days to craft. That's right, just four days... and about four weeks. In the first two days I completed his body down to the toes and back spikes, but after that my ability to eyeball his form hit a wall. I spent another two days trying to figure out how I was going to get his wings to look anything like the pictures. Frustrated I "set the project aside" and finally returned to it yesterday.

As you can see the wings (and everything else) doesn't quite match perfectly. After all he is a crochet version of a computer animated dragon, so it's not like I'm working in the realm of realism here. However I have seen many versions out there and I truly feel that mine is at least not the worse.

So what finally pushed me to finish him you ask? I want to make another. No, not crochet. Upon my searches for a respectable Toothless plush I came across a fellow crafter who has posted a pattern for a sewn version. Oh and it's about four feet long, which after working with miniature styles I'm ready for something BIG.

Also, happy birthday to me! I now have a rather cute Toothless!

More New Stuff!

2010-12-29T11:22:00.001-08:00

For those of you out there that have no idea what this thing is: don't worry. I had no clue until I started my research. My brother-in-law is into World of Warcraft and as a Christmas gift I spent hours looking up the cutest creature available from the game. This is a baby murloc. I saw only one pattern for a murloc on the Internet (which I wasn't impressed with) so instead I decided to wing it.

This murloc was crafted by eyeballing the image from the game as a reference. So I really do get the credit this time! (Other than of course the character is owned by the game).

You may have noticed that the background is some lovely fabric that my mother-in-law picked out to make a baby blanket for a friend. She wanted to learn how to make a no-sew fleece blanket, and so together we made this cute little thing. I've made several others in various fabrics on my own.

More Presents!

2010-12-29T11:04:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like the classics for Aunts and Grandparents. Scarfs and hot pad holders; I know, not nearly as cool as my other things, but I still made them on my own!

Christmas Gifts!

2010-12-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

This year I actually did what I say I'm going to do every year...make gifts. I managed to make a gift for nearly every one of my immediate family members. Fun? Yes. Infuriating? Yes. Will I do it again next year? Only if I can manage to afford the supplies. Thank God for Goodwill!

The Star and Bomb-bomb were from patterns I found online. I looked at several and used what I liked! Point of the story? I have no rights to the characters or patterns, but enjoyment still ensued.

The Futurama brain slug was another cannibalized version of two or three online patterns. The color isn't really right, but I wanted to use what I had. The gift recipient loved it anyway.

(Again I didn't make the patterns, nor do I have any character rights)

This pretty snowflake was made from a Snowflake Monday pattern. (snowcatcher.blogspot.com)

Older Crafts

2010-12-29T11:00:00.001-08:00

A Halloween mask made with paper mache and A 1-UP cake I made for a friend's promotion party. I've seen better cakes, but I was working with very few proper cake tools at the time.

A jellyfish! One of the most beloved gifts I ever gave. Apparently it is usually used as a small pillow and cat toy! (With all those little strings how can it NOT be?)

2010-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

A special thanks to all the people who let me play with henna on their bodies.

This tree was rather neat if I do say so myself. Unfortunately the wire was a little weaker than I thought, so it's use as a jewelry holder didn't work out so well. However it does make a great Halloween decoration.

Another wonderful cake for someone I didn't know haha. (Please ignore the strawberries spewing their juice all over the place and just appreciate the general look of the cake)

Bakery Days

2010-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Best

Time

Ever