Wo(ven) is Me

More Christmas gifts this time! I have a lot of those to share. This one was another relatively new craft for me: weaving. I had a bunch of interestingly textured yarns in various shades of blue, so I decided to go for a simple design that let the yarn do all the talking. I used three different types of yarn in my warp: a fuzzy, vibrant blue, a more subdued, knobbly yarn, and a bit of another homespun yarn that varied both in its thickness and its color! I really wanted the stripes of these yarns to be the focal point, so for the weft, I used some very thin cotton yarn, doubled up for strength. It recedes into the background in comparison to the worsted weight/bulky yarns used for the warp, so you hardly notice that it's what's holding the entire scarf together! The construction of the scarf itself was plain weave (I haven't really mastered anything else on rigid heddle yet), again so that the different yarns were the focus. I'm quite pleased with the result!

Of course, this is for the recipient to use however she wants, but I personally think that this scarf would go great with denim. The colors are reminiscent of a medium wash blue jean, and it would be a fun fall style to throw this on with a pair of jeans and a contrasting shirt/sweater! And it really goes to show that if you have interesting yarns, you don't have to do anything super fancy to them to get a nice product. Just give them a chance to shine, and they will!

You Spin Me Right Round

I enjoy making handmade presents for Christmas. To me, putting so many hours of effort into creating a gift yourself really shows how much you care about the recipient! That being said, when I make gifts, I try to stick to crafts that I'm well-versed in, so that the result will be professional and something the recipient will want to wear regardless of sentimental value.

That being said, there are situations that break the mold, and this year, I had one. Earlier in the fall, my grandmother presented me with a big ball of brown wool roving, knowing that I was trying to learn how to spin. She joked that I could turn it right back around on her and make her a present with it. I don't know that she really expected me to follow through, but by golly I was going to!

Like I said, I'm still trying to learn how to spin. I have a drop spindle, and while the theory of the craft makes sense, the execution escapes me a little bit. I did my best to produce a nice yarn, and then crocheted it up into a simple cowl that made the irregularity of homespun the centerpiece.

All it all, I'd say it turned out pretty well. The yarn is a bit inconsistent in size, but I suppose that gives the cowl a charming look! Plus, I know my grandma will be happy to explain the cowl's origins to anyone who so much as looks at it (in a way, the conversation starter is my real gift to her).

I have lots more roving lying around, so expect more spinning in the future! I may make a tutorial page for it eventually as well, seeing as I need the tutorials just as much as the next wannabe spinner!

Thanks (A Lot!)

It always seems like people fall into two camps when it comes to thank-you notes. Either they love them and spend lots of time finding or making the perfect card, or they think that cards are an outdated tradition and find the prospect of sending a physical note silly. 

Is it a surprise that I belong in the former category? I just think that the extra effort put into getting someone a card shows how you appreciate them and whatever they did. I don't exactly send thank you notes at the drop of a hat, but when I feel they're warranted, I want them to be special. 

I've had a lot of people to thank over the course of the fall, so a few notes were definitely in order! I could have gotten some at the store, but where's the fun in that? You can make your own cards just as easily, and make them personal to boot!

For someone I didn't know exceptionally well, I went with a safe, generic look. Calligraphy will always be a good choice for a handwritten note, and by spicing things up with little dotted accents, I think I made the card unique!

This next card, on the other hand, is anything but generic! The recipient of this particular card is a computer scientist, so I decided to play off of that theme. It's a bit backwards to hand-letter computer code onto a piece of paper, but I like the simple, nerdy result! The coding language I used for this is Java, if anyone is curious. 

I really can't resist an opportunity to be nerdy, so this last card also showcased it! This time, the recipient was a biochemist, so I had to draw a chemical structure. More specifically, this is an oligopeptide, made up of a number of amino acids in a chain. Since amino acids are each symbolized by a different letter, they can be put together to spell out words. Guess what this one spells!

Cards really aren't hard to make. All of these were made with only cardstock, markers, and pencils. If you have people to thank who are computationally or biochemically inclined, feel free to make your own versions of the cards above. Or, get creative with your own ideas! And even if you think that paper notes are outdated, be sure to thank the people in your life who help you! 

A Triumphant Return

Hello again! Long time no see, huh? I had intended to make a post or two before Christmas, but some members of my family found my blog, so I couldn't post pictures of gifts before I gave them! That, and I was very busy making said gifts and spending time with loved ones.

That being said, I'm back! I fully intend to catch up on all the posts I've missed during December, so watch out! I'll be posting every day or every few days until I get through my backlog.

I've missed sharing things here, so it feels good to be back. Stay tuned for more, and stay crafty!

It's the Busiest Time of the Year

Hello! Long time, no see! I've really been slipping with my one-post-a-week rule, huh?

Unfortunately, that's not likely to stop just yet. Late November through early December is one of the busiest times of year for me, as I'm sure it is for some of you. Between academic/professional responsibilities, planning for the holidays, and holiday concerts and performances, I'm really stretched thin!

What I'm trying to say, is that I'll have to go on a brief hiatus for a few weeks. Once I'm off for the holidays, I'll be able to get back to posting. And boy will I have posts to spare! I have to make gifts for my friends and family, after all, and only some of them read this blog.

Sorry to leave you all hanging like that, but life calls! I'll be back in a few weeks. Until then, stay crafty!

One for the Road

First off: sorry for the late post! I've been busy getting ready for holiday traveling. That being said, I wasn't too busy to get one more softie pattern off my chest, and this one's a real cutie.

It's a giraffe! Specifically a baby giraffe, designed by Courtchet. Isn't it just the cutest? I can't get over the adorable rounded shapes and babyish proportions of this softie. This is one of those projects that really works best with crochet, since the firmness of the fabric allows you to stuff the pieces to their full rounded potential without deforming them. And I made the fabric extra tight by using a 2.25 mm steel crochet hook on sport weight yarn (for reference, I would probably use a 3.5 mm hook on the same yarn in most other situations). Don't be afraid to go down a few hook sizes when making softies!

Okay, I've gotten my fill of cute animals for the moment. It's getting cold out here, so I need to shift focus to things that will keep my loved ones (and myself!) warm! Stay tuned for the adventures of Franken-mittens, the return of a favorite pattern, and my first attempt at a knitted top!

Plush Pals

Whew, it's been a busy week! I don't know about any of you, but November always seems to be the busiest month to me. And it's just about time to start on Christmas presents for my family...

...but before that, I need something cute and cuddly to get my spirits up. Or maybe more than one something. Enter, plushies!

Yes, whether you call them plushies, softies, amigurumi, stuffed animals, or something I haven't heard of, you'll probably agree that they're adorable. I've rounded up a few cuddly friends that I've made recently to share with you!

Bunnies are a plushie classic. Teddy bears may commandeer the number 1 spot on the list, but the lovable rabbit is a close second! Krawka's Bunny certainly does the animal justice with a cute, simplistic style that's just begging to be hugged. The pattern has a lot of pieces to juggle, but it's well written and easy to follow, so don't let that intimidate you too much!

Rabbits are a classic. Flamingoes... not so much. But maybe you have a quirky person in your life who would enjoy a large hot-pink bird plushie. Maybe you are that quirky person. Fair warning, Amigu Amigurumi's pattern is written in Dutch. Supposedly there's an English translation somewhere, but the site I was directed to looked so sketchy I was afraid to click on anything... If you're willing to brave a pattern in another language (or if you know Dutch), this is a wonderfully fun one to try! I'd recommend it if you have some experience with amigurumi crocheting, so that you can fill in the blanks when Google translate fails. 

If you're not confident enough to pick through a pattern in a foreign language, maybe these chicks by the Enchanted Ladybug are more your speed. They're ridiculously quick to whip up, as they're crocheted in one piece. Just stuff, sew on eyes and a little beak, and be happy! If you're totally new to making plushies, this is a great pattern to test the waters. No big commitment in yarn or time, and if you like it you can make a whole family of chicks!

As you can see, I rather enjoy making plushies. It's quite a different experience from making a garment, and so the "rules" for doing it well are different as well. Here are a few tips if you're looking to start making plushies as well.

I'll readily admit that knitted fabric often feels better that crocheted fabric. It's much more supple and stretches better. But in a plushie, that's the opposite of what you want! Crocheted fabric's structure and stiffness makes it ideal for holding the shapes necessary to make softies, so if you want to learn a plushie-ready craft, try crochet over knitting. (You absolutely can knit plushies, it's just harder)

Pick a hook that's a few sizes smaller than you'd normally use with the weight of yarn you've chosen. Again, you want the fabric to be stiff enough to hold its shape, and tight enough to hold all the stuffing! By using a smaller hook, you can achieve this stiffness. 

Learn how to start a project in the round with the magic ring crochet technique. If you've ever tried to start a project in the round, you'll notice that there's often a sizable hole at the center of the circle. While this is fine for a hat that you intend to put a pompom on anyway, it can be a problem with a plushie that has to be stuffed. The magic ring technique solves this problem, creating a very tight circle center with no hole at all. It looks much more professional, and no stuffing will fall out!

Finally, stuff generously! In order to give your plushies a nice rounded shape, you need to put a lot of stuffing into each piece as you put it together. It will be more than you expect initially. And while there is such a thing as overstuffing, a firmer plushie often feels better in the long run than an under-stuffed one. A good rule of thumb that I follow is that I should be struggling just a bit to keep all of the stuffing inside as I close up the hole. 

Hopefully with this advice, you'll be able to go forth with confidence! Make plushies for the kids in your life. Make plushies for the adults in your life. Heck, make plushies for yourself while you're at it! We all need a little soft-and-cuddly love in our lives, after all!

Piercing Gaze

I don't have any piercings. Not even on my earlobes. Something about getting holes stabbed through my body just doesn't appeal... but that's a personal choice! To be honest, I think a lot of piercings actually look super cool: I'm just not going to get any myself.

That being said, Aubrey is described in the podcast as having piercings, so I have to figure out some way to fake them. Enter my two friends: wire and pliers!

Seriously, this is all you need to fake some piercings. A note: if you're going to do this yourself, make sure you're not allergic to the wire! Lots of wire used for jewelry has nickel in it, which many people are allergic to. Nickel rashes are no fun, so if you're sensitive to the metal, make sure your wire doesn't have any of it (this goes for any jewelry, not just fake piercings). I personally am not allergic to nickel, but I played it safe with this copper-plated aluminum wire.

But back to the task at hand! Many piercings are some variation of a circle, which at one point goes through the skin to keep it on the face. We can mimic that last part by having loops of wire that pinch or clip, or stay on the face in other ways. One of the easiest piercings to fake is the septum piercing, a.k.a. the nose ring. Start by wrapping the wire once around a round object that's the same size as your desired ring.

Cut it off and fold the raw edges over. That way, you're not getting pinched with sharp metal ends, and there's space for your un-pierced septum to go.

I'm not going to show you a close-up of my nostrils to demonstrate how to put this one on, but it's pretty intuitive. position in where you want it on the fleshy part in between your nostrils, and squeeze gently to affix it. This one is actually pretty comfortable to wear, and stays in well.

Next, let's try an ear cuff. This one will mimic the look of a few piercings up at the top edge of the ear. Begin like the septum piercing, by wrapping the wire around a round object once. Only, instead of cutting the wire, use the pliers to bend it into a U-turn.

Wrap the wire around the round object again in the opposite direction, and then cut it off. File down the sharp cut points of the wire to make it more comfortable to wear. You should get something that looks roughly like this.

To wear it, simply slide it over the rolled top edge of your ear. This "piercing" had a tendency to slide around on my ear, ruining some of the effect, but overall it stayed on. If you don't have piercings in your earlobe, you can make a one-wrap version of this one to mimic them. To wear, position the ring over the fleshy part of your earlobe and pinch it closed to keep it in place. Of all of the jewelry I made, these were the least comfortable to wear, as you have to pinch relatively hard to get them to stay on. That said, they were also the most convincing: I had a friend comment that she thought she just hadn't noticed my ears were pierced before!

Lastly, let's try a facial piercing that can't just be pinched on. Eyebrow piercings can be pretty convincingly mimicked with a simple half-circle of wire, but no amount of pinching is going to keep it on your face. Instead, just dab some skin-safe adhesive onto each (filed-smooth) edge and hold it to your brow until the glue dries. When I say skin-safe, I mean something meant to go on your face, like eyelash glue or SFX makeup supplies. Let's be honest, though, I didn't have any of that and so I used Elmer's glue.

Pretty good, eh? This one stays on as long as you don't forget it's there and try to scratch an itch on your forehead! If you're even in need of some extra piercings to accompany a costume, there's no need to go get a needle. A bit of wire and some ingenuity will work too!

And with that, I've completed all the component parts of my Aubrey cosplay. All that's left is to put it all together! But since I neglected to take pictures on Halloween, you'll have to stay tuned until I find a photoshoot opportunity!

It's a-Belt Time

Okay, so I promise I got all of this stuff done before Halloween. But I was so busy finishing it and wearing it that I didn't have time to write up any posts! I'll make it up by doing a couple of posts rapid-fire now!

First up, the penultimate piece of my costume: the belt! I love making tablet woven belts. They're super strong, and it's pretty easy to make a complex pattern out of simple materials. Plus unlike most weaving, you don't need a fancy loom setup! To go with Aubrey's aesthetic, I found a tablet weaving pattern that looks like chains. I could've continued the red-and-black theme, but instead I went with blue and black. Sometimes we all need to mix it up! The pattern was very simple, so the band itself worked up quickly.

Neat, huh? The back of tablet weaving has a different pattern, but is usually just as polished as the front, so your belt can be reversible! Right now, though, my "belt" is just an unfinished band. I have a whole bag full of D-rings to make the buckle mechanism. All I need to do is attach them to one end and stitch across the other end so it doesn't fray!

Usually I do this by machine (it's faster, and the stitches are tighter), but I couldn't find a machine in time, so hand-stitching it is. I still think it turned out well! All that was left was to try it on.

Looks good to me. But no time to waste: onwards to the next component!

Doctor Bunny

As Halloween moves ever nearer, I really need to pick up the pace on this costume. Now I've checked off yet another box on my list, in that I now have her beloved furry companion! Dr. Harris Bonkers is described as a New Zealand white rabbit, so this is what I'm trying to emulate. Cute, right?

I debated between my list of craft proficiencies while deciding how exactly to bring Dr. Bonkers to life. Crochet is a great vehicle for stuffed animals, and there are always a million knitting patterns. But sewing would work as well. After failing to find any good yarn-based patterns for a semi-realistic rabbit, I went with the latter craft. I thought I'd try my hand at pattern-drafting as well. It's not something I'm accustomed to, so I was prepared to fail! (Such is the nature of experimentation). The few times I've done it before, I've started by piecing paper together like so:

Okay, that's roughly rabbit-shaped! I found about half a yard of white flannel that I had lying around and cut out the pieces with about a quarter inch of seam allowance. If you work with light fabrics, I really recommend grabbing yourself a water-soluble fabric marker: it does wonders when trying to trace and label pattern pieces! Chalk works similarly for darker fabrics.

All pinned and set to sew! I did most of my sewing by hand just because I have limited access to a sewing machine around this time (sad, I know!). It was quicker for me to do by hand than to go through the work to borrow a machine. Since there were so many small pieces to this amateur pattern, I really made use of my marker for labelling.

leg. 
So detailed. So useful.

Individual components got sewn, stuffed, and attached to the main body. Next up was to add the detail work, with some felt eyes and an embroidered bunny nose.

He's really looking like a rabbit! But wait...

Does something look... off to you?

I can't quite put my finger on it...

...oh. Maybe it's that this bunny is seriously buff. Dr. Bonkers, have you been experimenting with steroids??? It seems that in making the paper pattern, I failed to take into account the stuffing, which makes the pieces considerably... bulkier than the paper suggests. Hence the ripped rabbit.

Well this just won't do. I have no problem with Dr. Bonkers refuting the dichotomy between brains and brawn, but this is just ridiculous. Time to do a little emergency surgery to reduce this bunny's bodybuilder physique.

I removed a considerable amount of stuffing and took in a lot of the fabric on the legs. This is where a stitch like the ladder stitch comes in handy: it's nigh-invisible on the front of a project if done well! It's a really useful stitch for finished stuffed animals and the like, and well worth learning. Anyway, back to the rabbit. Let's look at a side-by-side comparison of the back leg size, before and after.

Ohhh much better. Let's finish the job, shall we? We can't have a lopsided bunny!

Now that's a rabbit! He's still a bit muscular if you ask me, but that's okay. Dr. Bonkers believes that a sound body and a sound mind compliment each other. He listens to news podcasts while he lifts (with a spotter present, of course). I should probably follow his example.

Jokes aside, I'm really proud of how this rabbit turned out! Pretty good for an amateur pattern, eh? He's about the right size for a rabbit, too. There's just one thing missing, though...

Now that's a handsome rabbit!

The Other Kind of Lace

What else is there to do for my Aubrey costume? Let's consult my handy reference drawing (this is why we make one!):

According to the reference, I've got four parts left: fake piercings, belt, shoelaces, and Dr. Harris Bonkers (who hasn't shown up for quite a while in the podcast, but I still want him!). Of these, I think that the shoelaces are going to be the easiest. I already have crochet thread in red and other colors, I just need to braid some strands together to make it shoelace-thick!

Based on some preliminary experimentation, 6-9 strands of size 10 crochet thread is about as thick as your average shoelace. I tried to make a 6-strand flat braid, and it turned out really cool looking! It also took me an hour to braid 2 inches... yeah maybe not the route to go while I'm on a time crunch. Instead, I tripled up the strands and made a much quicker 3-stranded braid with black and red threads. The result is still pretty awesome, especially since the two laces aren't identical (one has two red strands and one black, the other has two black and one red):

But wait, how did I get those little plastic pieces (aglets) to put on the end of the laces? I wasn't terrible concerned with durability since this is a costume I'll wear intermittently (and replacing laces is pretty easy), so I actually used Scotch tape! I wrapped a few inches of tape tightly around the end of the lace, being careful to keep it from spiraling down the lace, and trimmed the end flush to the tape. A dab of superglue at the end keeps things from unravelling. 

It looks just like the real-deal, and honestly, it feels sturdier than I anticipated. I'll keep you all updated on how well it holds up; this might actually be a viable option for regular-use shoelaces if you want to make your own! Time will tell, though, so I'll refrain from making any more wild claims. Instead, here's the laces on my boots:

Snazzy! I really like this look, actually, and they're very easy to make. Assuming they hold up reasonably well, I might make a bunch of laces in different colors for everyday use! But that's an after-cosplay project. Three more pieces to go!

Putting it Together

It's October already, and that means it's less than a month until Halloween! I'm so excited! It also means that I need to finish my Aubrey cosplay if I want to wear it around. I maaaaay have gotten sidetracked with some... other projects recently, but now's the time to buckle down! And I'm starting that by putting all of the components that are done together. Time to sew!

First, I sewed all of my lovely patches onto the lapels of my jacket. It already looks very cool. Where's the Pine Guard patch, you ask?

It's a secret society, I'm not gonna leave it out in the open! (Plus I can be all cool and flip my collar whenever I want to show it off.)

But that's not the only thing that's happening to this jacket! Remember those wing decals I made way back when?

They've been sewn on as well! And in order to really drive home the "flame" part of the Lady Flame, I made some fire decals in the same style and added them to the "pockets" in the front. Finally, a use for fake pockets!

Put it all together, and it turns out pretty cool if I do say so myself!

With that, the jacket is pretty much finished. I could probably just throw this on and pass for Aubrey, but whoever likes to do fun things halfway? Onwards, to more projects!

A Bulky Break

I love lace, I really do. It's interesting to work, it's pretty, and there are so many options when it comes to making it!

That said, sometimes my poor fingers need a break.

After the copious amount of lacework I've done in the past few months, I thought I'd give myself a little change of pace with some thicker yarn. And since bulky stuff works up so quick, why not make a set of items?

Enter these beauties!

Cute, right? The patterns are the Dewey Decicowl and the Ana Beanie, adjusted slightly to accommodate the weight of the yarn. They're not supposed to be a set, per se, but I think they work really well together!

Both patterns are great for an intermediate crocheter. The general shape of cowl/hat should be familiar by that point, but each piece utilizes a number of less common stitches that add textural interest. The Ana Beanie uses a sideways construction to make the ribbing, which intermediate crocheters may not have seen before. That said, both patterns are quite easy once you get the hang of the new stitches, and the finished products are a fine addition to your fall/winter wardrobe! I think that I'll be using that hat pattern quite a bit in the near future, when I start to consider Christmas presents!

A Well-Traveled Cow

Who doesn't want to see the world?

...okay, so I'm not much of a traveler. Vacations are paradoxically stressful! But I love to read and hear about other parts of the world, and I'm happy to say that I'm hosting quite the adventurous guest for a few weeks. Say hello to EDNA!

Yes, that's a cow made out of a sock. Her name is EDNA. This probably requires some explanation.

I've been a fan of the webcomic Stand Still Stay Silent for about four years now, and I've been a part of its fan forum for almost as long. At one point, one of the forum members, ginger, acquired a kit to sew an adorable cow from a sock. A few others suggested that this little cutie could travel to all the far-flung regions of the world our fellow forumites call home, and EDNA was born! She's been to so many countries now! East-coast US is probably not the most exciting of those locales, but it's a good thing she's making a stop with me, because her next destination is a wedding! And she needs something nice to wear, doesn't she?

I'm not accustomed to freehanding a pattern, but there weren't exactly published patterns on Ravelry sized to fit sock cows. So I just started to crochet a tube out of thread, varying the stitches as I saw fit to give the emerging dress a little texture.

I was going for a bit of a 20's flapper-dress style (because who isn't excited for it to be the 20's again? I know I want some of that fashion to be back in style!). So just a little flare at the bottom, with some strategically placed spiraling holes for a little added interest. All that was left to do was to add some straps, and EDNA had a custom-made dress!

She looks awfully good in it, too!

But that's not all. EDNA also has a variety of coins from all the countries she's visited, along with a cute purple bag to hold them. The thing is, she's been so many places that the bag is now too small! I decided to make her a new, bigger container for all her keepsakes:

What's the best storage for a gal on the go? A backpack!

Now EDNA's all decked out and ready for her next adventure! But first, let's do a photoshoot with her in all her new stuff. The trees are just starting to change color and....

...And it's rainy and miserable. Right. Well, an indoor photoshoot is just as good!

Bovine fashion is going to be all the rage next season, you guys. I'm calling it. But this cow here is an adventurer first and foremost, and she's ready to go forth into the world yet again. So long EDNA! I hope to see you again someday!