Geek Central Station

Randomness

2011-08-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I liked Doctor Who enough to get these two prints...

...and hang them next to each other. But not enough to actually sit down and watch Doctor Who.

Also, this is a real picture.

Of a real bat. And this was my reaction.

That is all.

Star Wars Hoops

2011-07-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

These embroideries, made by craftster user loveandasandwich, are just too cute! I love the cute polka dot background, too. These would look great in a little cluster hanging on the wall. I love the use of felt, too, it gives the whole thing a slightly 3D feel to it. Check 'em out!

That wampa makes me a little sad.

Stay tuned!

Excuses, excuses

2011-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't get a pattern up this week. I had pictures and everything all ready and then at the last moment I decided that I didn't like the way they looked, and then I promptly forgot about it. I haven't just been sitting around though, although I haven't been working on any crochet crafts lately. I feel bad, because there are many more patterns I want to make and share with everyone, but sometimes I have a pretty short attention span for those sort of things and I just couldn't bring myself to do any crochet this week.

BUT! Like I said, I have been pursuing other interests. I have been painting! I've been getting the boyfriend to teach me how to paint, and although I've only been doing it for a couple of weeks I think some of my stuff is pretty good, although I still need help with shading and the like. I'm still pretty bad at drawing. Here are my two most favorite creations.

A dinosaur! Look how happy he is. I think his little flamboyant hands are my favorite part.

And another dinosaur, this one wearing a hat and a saddle. The only reason I had him wearing these was because the main figure didn't turn out like I wanted, so I just decided to do something silly since I figured it was wasted anyway, but now I love him!

I haven't only been drawing dinosaurs, but those are my favorites so far. The rest of the stuff is just birds and little sketches, mostly because birds are pretty easy to draw. Anyway, hopefully I will get back on track soon and release another pattern. Hopefully.

Stay tuned!

Firefly Nouveau

2011-07-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

I want these. They are very reasonably priced! But I am running out of free wall space in my house. Seriously, it's kind of ridiculous in here. But SO SHINY!

Happy Belated Birthday!

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy belated birthday to Nikola Tesla! His birthday was July 10th. Time for a roundup!

First off, a comic book about Tesla and his (best?) friend Mark Twain. No, seriously, they were friends in real life. How cool is that? It's called the Five Fists Of Science--again, how cool?! If you want kids to be interested in science, this comic book would probably do it, although if I remember correctly it's a little science fictiony, although no more than The Prestige (which is also awesome). Okay, maybe a little more fictiony than that.

Next up, these really swanky posters from Meganlee over on Etsy.

Tesla here is part of a set of scientists, and if they dark color isn't doing it for you, here's a really bright version.

I think I like the darker ones better though, although it's hard for me not to like something as bright as that. I tend to have that problem.

Next, check out these amazing lamps from VictorianMachines on Etsy.

I would buy these in a second if they weren't so expensive. Still, it looks like a lot of complicated work went into them, and I'm sure they're worth it...but the DIYer in me just screams at those prices. I helped re-wire my entire house, surely something like this would be doable, right?

Anyway, if you have never read about Tesla's works, you really should read up on him. He was working on a death ray! Like, a seriously bona fide evil scientist death ray. And he thought Einstein's theories were bunk. And the ladies loved him! Although I don't think he returned their feelings. Bros before hos, right Tesla? I can only imagine that if he were alive today we would definitely have space travel by now. And death rays.

Stay tuned!
(oh, and Edison is such a jerk)

Slave Leia Pattern

2011-07-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Slave Leia Pattern

Recommended yarn colors:

Beige for the skin
Gold for the gold parts
Purple for the purple cloth
Dark Brown for the bra

Follow the base amigurumi pattern. Leia's body is entirely in the beige color, so you won't have to change colors at all.

Leia's Skirt
Leia's skirt is made up of four pieces; two gold semi-circles and two long purple "cloth" pieces.

Semi-circle: Make two
Leave a long tail at the beginning. 6 inches should be enough.
ch 2, 3 sc in 2nd chain from hook
2 sc in each st, ch 1 and turn (6 st)
(1 sc, 2sc in next st) three times, ch 1 and turn (9 st)
(2 sc, 2 sc in next st) three times, BO and leave a long tail.

Purple Cloth: Make two
ch 7, turn
6 sc, ch 1 and turn
do this for each row, for about 8 rows or until your purple cloth is even with Leia's feet. When it is to the desired length, sc around the edges for a nice, finished feel.

Attach the purple cloth to the gold semi-circle. Use the long gold tail you left, per the instructions above, to attach the piece. It can look pretty messy on the backside, as long as the front looks nice it doesn't really matter.

Once you attach everything you should have two semi-circles with purple cloth attached to them. Take these two pieces and position them on either side of Leia's body. Now use the other long tail from the gold semi-circles to attach the pieces to each other. As you can see from the picture, I took the tail from the first piece, looped it through the second, and then secured the whole thing with a knot in the first piece.

Leia's bra
Leia's bra is probably one of the more difficult pieces on this amigurumi, mainly because of the embroidery required. Use a smaller hook for the entirety of the bra.

Make a chain around the upper body. This will be the bottom part of the bra (the underwire, if you will). Use a slip stitch to secure the chain.

Now, chain 15. (this will be the first strap of the bra)
sc in 2nd chain from hook
Switch to brown yarn. (this is where the cup starts)
sc in next chain, ch 1 and turn
2 sc in next st, 1 sc, ch 1 and turn
1 sc, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc, BO. Leave a longish tail.

With the gold yarn, pick up a stitch from the beginning gold chain and chain 15 again for the other strap. Follow the instructions above to make the next cup for the bra.

Now take the gold yarn and grab your embroidery needle. Basically you are trying to make a number "3" on the right cup and an inverse "3" on the left cup. The bright turquoise lines on the picture to the left illustrate what the design should look like. You can see from my picture above that I achieved limited success on this, but the overall effect is still okay even though it's not perfect.

Once you are done with both sides, use the long tail to attach the brown triangle to the bottom gold chain. You can attach the bra to the body if you wish; if you made it tight enough, though, it shouldn't move too much. I did secure mine because I made the original chain around the body too big and it kept wanting to slide down. A few stitches should be enough to anchor it in place.

Leia's accessories

So now the hard part is over! All that's left now is some easy chain stitch accessories. Use a smaller hook for these pieces except where noted.

For the arm band, chain 30-35 stitches in a smaller hook. You want the length of chain to wrap around her arm about 3 times. When you are finished, BO and use the long tail to attach the arm band securely to the arm.

For the choker, use a smaller hook to make a chain that fits snugly against the neck, about 22-25 stitches. Attach with a slip stitch and switch to a bigger hook. Make the next length of chain very loose, to simulate actual chains. I made about 20, but you can make as few or as many as you prefer.

Leia's Hair

Follow the yarn hair tutorial. The pieces that you are going to need are going to be pretty long; probably about 10-12 inches or so. Don't be afraid to go really easy on the hair. I made my Leia's hair like normal and then took out most of the hair on the backside of her head, because the braid will cover that part anyway and I didn't want it to be too bulky. Experiment with what works best for you.

Once you have all the hair attached, gently braid it. Attach at the bottom with a piece of gold yarn.

You're done! Help support this pattern by making your next Amazon purchase through this link!

The Three Musketeers

2011-07-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

This picture by Kate Beaton (of Hark! A Vagrant) pretty much sums up my feelings about the new Three Musketeers movie.

If you haven't seen the trailer yet, you should go watch it. It's supremely ridiculous. I am totally going to see it. Titus Pullo is in it. Der Humpink is in it. This brilliant actor is also there. It will be amazing. And stupid.

Stay tuned!

Princess Leia free pattern

2011-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Princess Leia Pattern

Recommended yarn colors:

White for the dress
Silver for the belt buckle
Beige for the skin

Follow the base amigurumi pattern and the dress pattern. Leia's whole body will be in white, so you don't have to worry about changing colors except for her arms.

Leia's Belt:
Chain about 28 stitches. Do a test fitting before slip stitching the ring together--the belt should fit firmly in the little dip where the skirt and body were attached. You want the belt to be snug, but not pinchy.
Once you have the right amount of chain stitches, slip stitch the ring together. Single crochet for 14 stitches (or until the halfway point) and then make three double crochets in the next three stitches. Continue with single crochet until the end of the row. Cut yarn and pull through the last loop.

Center the double crochet part of the belt with the front of Leia's body. You can attach the belt to the body if you wish, but it should be tight enough to stay on it's own. Weave in the ends.

Leia's Hair:

Attach the hair using the yarn hair tutorial. I like Silk Bamboo Yarn for Leia's hair. Once you have attached the hair using those directions, split the hair to either side of the head, as if you were making ponytails. I like to have a couple of long pins handy to keep the hair in place once I twist it.

Take one of the sides and twist the hair gently, being careful not to pull too tightly. Once you twist it enough the hair should want to begin forming a bun; all you have to do is help it along it's path. Tuck the ends of the hair underneath the bun, out of sight. Now is a good time to pin the bun in place--don't be afraid to use 5 or 6 pins here. Now, take a length of the brown yarn you used for the hair and come up through the center of the bun. Attach the bun to the head in a radial pattern, always coming up from the center. You don't need to be too concerned with attaching the bun to the head, just try and make the bun keep its form.

Just a note: Leia's hair buns are pretty difficult to get right. Once one side is in, take care to make sure the other is at the same height, is roughly the same size, etc. It might take a couple of tries until you get it just right, but once you do it's totally worth it!

Dress Pattern

2011-07-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Adding a dress to a character is very easy! First of all, simply follow the base amigurumi instructions. The dress will fit over the legs. Once your ami is fully stuffed and ready to go, follow these simple steps!

Step 1: Pick up stitches

You will noticed a slight crease in your amigurumi right around the waistline from the original 30 stitches that you crocheted. That crease is where you are going to pick up stitches for the dress. Pick up 30 stitches and single crochet them in a row around your ami's waist.

Note: Picking up these stitches is pretty tough. Sometimes I switch to a slightly smaller hook for just this row so that it is a little easier.

Step 2: Single crochet 2 rows even. Your dress will look a little funny, kind of like a little bubble dress (see below), but don't worry.

After the 2 even rows, you are going to start increasing slightly. Just do one increase on each side of the dress, indicated by the arrows below. I like to increase on the sides so that the front of the dress is unobstructed.

Do this for about 3 or 4 rows; enough to get over the "thighs". If you want a poofy dress continue to increase, but if you want a tighter dress stop increasing. (If you want a mini dress, you can stop now!) Continue on in even rows until the dress is the desired length.

And you're done!

Broship of the Rings

2011-06-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, these are too hilarious! Check out the Broship of the Rings, by Noelle over at How Are You I'm Fine Thanks,

There they are, the Broship.

And this isn't part of the Broship series, but I thought it was too hilarious.

I laugh every time this scene comes on. It's like Legolas understood what a diversion was only in the most abstract sense, and then, in that moment, it finally clicked for him. Too funny.

Anyway, you guys really should check out How Are You I'm Fine Thanks, because it's really funny. And there are really funny X-Men comics over there too.

Link Free Pattern

2011-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Link Pattern

Recommended Yarn Colors:

Green for the tunic
Brown for the belt and trousers
Gold for the hair
White for the pants
Beige for the skin

Follow the base amigurumi pattern. Start the beginning chain stitches in green, and then do row 1 in green. Switch to white at row 2, and then switch to brown for the boots when indicated in the pattern. Link does not have regular hair; please see this pattern for his hair instructions.

Link's arm color guide:
Row 1-3: brown
Row 4-5: White
Row 6-end: green

Link's Hat and Hair:

The hat should be very snug against Link’s head. The stitch count may vary for you, depending on how full you stuffed the head, so if 32 stitches seems too big or too small for you, adjust accordingly by making fewer or less chain stitches.

Start off with a chain of 32 stitches. Slip stitch into the first stitch, being careful not to twist the chain.

Row 1-2: Even

Row 3: (sc in next 14 sts, sc2tog) twice

Row 4: even

Row 5: (sc in next 13 sts, sc2tog) twice

Row 6: even

Row 7: (sc in next 12 sts, sc2tog) twice

Row 8: even

Row 9: (sc in next 11 sts, sc2tog) twice

Row 10: even

Row 11: (sc in next 10 sts, sc2tog) twice

Row 12: even

And so on, alternating a decrease row with an even row until you are sc2tog in every stitch. Bind off and leave a long tail.

Take the long tail from the end of the hat and use it to sew Link’s hat down. That’s it! Just fold over the hat and sew it down—I find that sewing it down in three or four places does the trick nicely. Don’t sew the hat to Link’s head. Just sew it to itself. Now we’re ready for the hair!

Take a length of gold yarn—about 6 feet or so—and tie a knot in one end. Place the hat on Link’s head and mark where the first set of hair needs to go. As you can see from the main picture, you want the hair to span from right over Link’s right eye to his left shoulder.

Thread the yarn through the loops made by the single crochet. DO NOT PULL THE YARN TIGHT! You want it to hang down. There is no need to knot the yarn on every loop, because the yarn will want to stay where you put it. Remember to not pull the yarn taut!

Now repeat this process on the other side of the hat, going from the same spot over Link’s right eye to his right shoulder. Notice how much shorter this length of hair is. When you are done making the loops, tie a knot to secure the yarn but do not cut the tail.

Position that hat on Link’s head and you’re done! Use the long yarn tail from the hair loops to secure the hat on Link’s head. The tightness of the hat should work in your favor here, because it won’t want to slip off. A couple of loops with the yellow yarn securing the hat to the head should do the trick.

Link's Belt:

Start by chaining 17 stitches. Now it is time for the pouch.

Row 1: Sc in the previous 3 stitches. Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Sc in the next 3 stitches. Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Sc in the next 3 stitches. Ch 1, turn.

Row 4: Sc in the next 3 stitches. Ch 1, but do not turn. You need to go up the side of

the pouch now, so do 2 sc along the side and then 1 slip stitch back up to the top. You should be level with the original chain now, so continue along your way.

Finish the belt off with more chain stitches. How many chain stitches you will need will vary on many factors; how fully the amigurumi was stuffed, your tension, etc. For my purposes I required 12 more chain stitches after the pouch was completed, but you may need a few more or less. The most important thing is that the belt is snug around the waist, but does not pinch. It should be tight enough to stay without being secured in any way. Fasten the belt with a slip stitch and weave in the ends.

Now it's time to attach the belt that runs across Link's chest. Pick up a stitch at the back of Link's belt, about the middle of his back, and begin chaining.

Continue chaining until your belt is long enough to reattach in the front. Attach this chain to the first belt.

Support this pattern by buying Legend of Zelda games through this link!

Art Dinouveau

2011-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

I work in a used bookstore, so I come across a lot of really weird stuff. Most of the time the stuff is gross, covered with bugs, cat urine, or various other things that don't merit being mentioned here, but every once in a while I come across something really cool, like this crazy bible dinosaur book (I actually see those quite often, unfortunately). But this book is way, way cooler. It is the neatest dinosaur book I've ever seen.

I mean, right? The whole book is a dinosaur Art Nouveau extravaganza. The title page actually says that the style is called Art Dino (dee-no). And yes, that pronunciation is included. Check out some of the pictures.

I really like this little squiddy decoration at the bottom. (or is it a nautilus?)

A black and white picture to show the crazy border, even if the picture is kind of gross.

You just kind of have to wonder how something like this would get made. I mean, I'm eternally grateful that it did, I just am very curious. I really want to display this somehow, but I don't want to cut up the book. Maybe I replicate one of the pictures in embroidery? Or force boyfriend to paint one of them? I don't know. But it is available at Amazon, and the used price starts at only $0.25! I guess at that price I could afford to buy a couple and tear out the pictures to my heart's content.

Stay tuned!

Major Overhaul!!

2011-06-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Alright, well, as you may have noticed, the site looks a little different around here. If you are reading this in a blog reader, click through! It's a little more polished, a little more fancy, and that's just the beginning. The biggest change around here is the new series of free patterns that I am going to start offering.

These two are the first free patterns available! Han's pattern is being released today, Leia's should follow next week.

And these two are coming soon! Link's ready to go, but Zelda's still not finished yet.

Gosh, both of those pictures really look like cheesy high school pictures of couples, right? That was not my intention.

And a preview picture! I'm very excited about this one, I think you guys will really love it.

I have many more characters in the works right now, and hopefully I will be able to put out a new pattern every couple of weeks or so. I have some really big plans for these free patterns. I don't want to spill the beans yet, but if I can work it out there should be some pretty amazing stuff here soon.

I am still going to be selling patterns in my etsy shop as well. I consider those to be on a different level than these patterns, and I am never going to put any information from those patterns on this site, like any sculpey tutorials or felt patterns. So if you want an original Geek Central Station Star Wars amigurumi, head on over to my etsy shop!

So everyone, this is a pretty big deal to me, so please let me know what you think of everything! I want to know if the patterns are good, if you like them, and what patterns you would like to see in the future! And if you create anything with these patterns, please feel free to send me some pictures. I love seeing what everyone makes!

Stay tuned!

Yarn Hair Tutorial

2011-06-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

This tutorial will show you how to put yarn hair into your amigurumi. If you prefer instead to use embroidery floss, which allows you a little more freedom in the styling area, click here.

First off, a note. I find that regular worsted weight yarn is a little too bulky for hair. Here are some of my preferred yarns.

Silk Bamboo Yarn for the dark haired characters.
Simply Soft Yarn for the lighter haired characters.

I like these yarns because they are a little thinner than the worsted weight, and I like the way that they hang.

Another note: With hair I've found that less is more. If you bulk up on the hair too much it will sit funny, even with the thinner yarn. Put in less hair plugs than you think you need. You can always add more later if you have patches, but the fewer the better.

Tutorial

Step 1: I like to cut all of the hair lengths before I start. That way I don't have to stop after every stitch and cut another piece. Strands should be from 6 inches -12 inches long, depending on how long you want the hair. Remember, the strands will be doubled over, so be sure you cut a long enough piece. You can always cut it shorter!

When you have all your yarn ready, insert your hook into the ami's head. Start at the bottom of the hairline; about halfway up on the head (as shown below) is low enough.

Step 2: Take one of the lengths of yarn and fold it in half. Grab it with your crochet hook and pull through.

Step 3: Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook and pull through the loop on the hook.

Step 4: You should have a little knot made. Repeat this process around the head. Start off pretty sparsely at the bottom, only adding volume once you get to the top of the head. If you put too many loops at the bottom your ami's hair will stick straight out.

Step 5: Once every loop is in, cut the hair! For the ami's with longer hair, this might just mean a snip at the bottom to make the strands even. For the ami's with shorter hair, this can mean some pretty complicated styling. You are going to want to cut the hair at the bottom first, and then work your way up. The hair at the top will be shorter than at the bottom. Basically you want the top of the hair to be just long enough to cover the knots of the bottom. Start slowly and reevaluate often. You are probably going to cut a lot more than you thought, but if you are unsure always stay on the longer side. You can always cut it shorter!

Han Solo Free Pattern

2011-06-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Han Solo Pattern

Recommended yarn colors:

Dark Blue for the pants
White for the shirt
Black for the vest
Dark Brown for the belt and holster
Silver for the belt buckle
Beige for the skin
Red for the stripes

Follow the base amigurumi pattern. If you like, you can start Han off by chaining the first 30 sts in black, to make his belt , and then switch to the dark blue. If you prefer not to change colors that often, though, it's not very important.

Follow the directions using the above colors as your guide. Once you are done with the body, it's time to move on to the accessories!

Click here for hair instructions.

Han's Vest:

Arguably his most recognizable accessory. Below are the instructions for the vest, HOWEVER, your pattern may require fewer or more stitches depending on your gauge and how tightly/loosely you stuffed your ami. Please use your best judgement as to whether or not to add/take away stitches.

Start by chaining 26 in black yarn. Use the above picture for a guide. When you size this around Han's waist, there should be about a 1 inch gap in the front.

Single crochet 3 rows. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Now you want to start decreasing. You are going to decrease 2 stitches every row. I placed my decreases randomly, because I didn't want lines of decreases. Do this for the next four rows, or until the vest reaches to just below Han's arms.

Now is the arm hole row. SC in the next 2 sts. Now chain 7 stitches, and attach with a slip stitch to the 4th or 5th st from the beginning of your chain. This makes a hole just big enough for the arm. Now is a good time to size it, to make sure that the hole is not too big or too small. If it is, adjust accordingly. Single crochet for another 5 sts, then chain 7 again and attach to the 4th or 5th st from the beginning of the second chain. Single crochet until the end of the row. DO NOT cut the yarn.

To give the vest a nice clean edge I like to single crochet around the edges (see picture below--"last stitch" refers to the last stitch you made before the decorative edge). Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. Use the long tail to secure the vest in place, paying special attention to the front. If not secured, the vest will flop open and generally look a little disheveled.

Han's Belt:

In brown yarn, chain about 32 stitches. This length should be long enough to circle around Han's waist and droop slightly over his right hip. Attach the last chain to the first in a slip stitch.

SC the next 6 sts, ch 1 and turn

SC 4 sts, ch 1 and turn

SC 3 sts, ch 1 and turn

SC 2 sts. Leave a long tail and pull through the loop. Use the tail to wrap around the bottom of the leg. Secure the tail and cut the yarn.

Buckle:

ch 4, turn

sc in the next 3 sts, ch 1 and turn

sc in next 2 sts, cut yarn and pull through the loop. Use the tail to attach to the belt.

Red Stripe

Take a small length of the red yarn and use an embroidery needle to embroider the stripe up both sides of the leg. Mine is a little off-kilter, but you get the idea.

Support this pattern by buying Star Wars items through this link!

Base Amigurumi Pattern

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Base Amigurumi Pattern

IMPORTANT: Unlike most amigurumi, which are made either from the top down or bottom up, this pattern is made from the middle. The legs are made first, and then the rest of the body. I prefer to use Cascade 220yarn, as it comes in a ton of different shades so you can always find what color you want.

I only use 2 crochet hooks while making amigurumi; an F hook and an H hook. Most everything is made with the H hook. The F hook is used for smaller detail parts; most of those instructions will be on the individual character pages. Everything on this page uses an H hook unless specifically noted otherwise.

LEGS:
This should be done in whatever color you want the pants to be. If you want a belt, start with the belt color and then change to the pants color in row 2.

Start by chaining 30 stitches. Slip stitch the last stitch to the beginning stitch, making sure that the row isn’t twisted.

Row 1: even

Row 2: 15 sc, ch 6 (21)

Attach the chain stitch to the first stitch in the row with a slip stitch.

NOTE: Your colors may vary.

Row 3: sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts (19)

Row 4-5: even

Row 6: (sc in next 4 st, sc2tog) three times, 1 sc (16)

Row 7: even

If you want to make boots, change to the boot color on this row. If not, continue with the original color.

Row 8: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4 sc (14)

Row 9: even

Row 10: (sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4sc (12)

Row 11: (sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4 sc (10)

Row 12: (sc in next 1 st, sc2tog) three times, 1 sc (7)

Row 13: sc2tog all around. Bind off and weave in all ends.

Now start on the other leg.

You do not need to chain 6 again! When you are working the even row on row 1, simply single crochet in the already made chain stitches from the first leg.

Row 1: even (21)

Row 2: Follow instructions above starting on Row 3 and continue until Row 13 is completed. Leave a long tail.

Once you are done with this leg, take the long tail and sew the legs together so they don’t point in every direction. Secure the yarn with a knot and stuff inside the leg.

These are what your legs should look like after you are done crocheting them.

These are what your legs should look like after they have been sewn together. Don't worry if the thickness is uneven, that will even out when you stuff it. What will NOT even out is if the leg length is uneven. If the length is uneven, it means you missed/added a row somewhere in one leg and not the other, and you'll have to frog the leg and redo it.

ARMS: Make two
You start the arm at the "hand" part, so choose your colors accordingly. Start with the skin color, and if your character is wearing long sleeves, row 4 is a good place to change to the shirt color. If your character has short sleeves, row 7 or 8 is a good place to change colors.
Row 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
Row 2: (sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) twice
Row 3: even
Row 4: even
Row 5: even
Row 6: even

Row 7-10: even

BO, leave a long yarn tail to attach arm to body

BODY and HEAD:

Once the legs are completed it’s time to finish the body. Start by picking up 30 stitches from the other side of the chain that you made during the leg instructions. Use whatever color you would like the shirt to be for this part.

Row 1-3: even

Row 4: (sc in next 7 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc (27)

Row 5: even

Row 6: (sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc (24)

Row 7-8: even

Row 9: (sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc (21)

Row 10: even

Row 11: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc (18)

Row 12: even

Row 13: (3 sc, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc (15)

Row 14: even

Change to beige yarn for the head. I prefer Vanna White's Beige yarn for all skin tones, as this is the most natural looking skin colored yarn I have ever come across.

Row 15: (sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times (20)

Row 16: (sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times (25)

Row 17: (sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times (30)

Row 18: (sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times (35)

Row 19-21: even

Now is when you want to attach the arms, put in the safety eyes and stuff the whole body. Use a stitch holder to secure the last stitch you made and use the long tail from the arms to weave them into the body. Be careful to align them with the legs—you don’t want arms that are not in line with the rest of the body! I like to place the eyes around row 20-21, but you should use your own judgment to achieve maximum cuteness. Make sure you stuff the body very tightly, including the tips of the legs, which can be hard to reach. You can alter the form of the amigurumi with stuffing if you are careful—squish and squeeze to make your figure longer or fatter.

Row 22: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts (30)

Row 23: (sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts (25)

Row 24: (sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts (20)

Row 25: (sc in next 1 st, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts (15)

Row 26: sc2tog until head is completely closed. Bind off and cut the yarn and weave in the ends.

You're finished with the body! Now it's time to add the details to fully finish your character.

Star Wars PSA's

2011-06-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

These Star Wars public service announcements by College Humor are actually pretty funny! Color me surprised. I'm actually pretty pleased that they restrained themselves from making some sort of Admiral Ackbar "Trap" reference, although it seems that they couldn't refrain from a "Keep Calm and Carry On" spoof. Oh well. They are still pretty great.

Ha ha, in tiny print it says "Paid for by the Endor Department of Parks and Recreation." I would watch that show. An ewok Ron Swanson would be hilarious.

It was specieisim! And anti-robotism! R2D2 almost died fighting, shouldn't he at least get a purple heart or something?

I don't know what's coming out of that cup, but it sure ain't blue milk. It looks like how Hutts are born.

Anyway, I thought these were pretty great. Stay tuned!

My fancy art installation

2011-06-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

So, if you've ever read this blog before, you probably know that I really like dinosaurs. So when I came across these little plasticy dinosaur figures at Wal-Mart for $1 each, I instinctively grabbed one of every kind. But, you know, they were really cheap and plasticy, and I wanted something classy to go with my alien portrait. So here's what we did.

Oh hey Artoo! He's such a camera hog, he just had to get in the picture too.

They're pretty neat looking, right? We just spray painted them with primer, grabbed some cheap acrylic from the store and went to town! They're really colorful and bright and really cute, and pretty cheap to make. Let me know what you think!

Stay tuned!

Is this the 50's, or 1999?

2011-06-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

I think it's funny that Huey Lewis and the News picked 1999 as some distant future to reference in Back to the Future. I mean, I know we made a lot of technological advancements from 1983 to 1999, but still, wouldn't you pick, like, 2099? Or 2199? Or something REALLY far into the future? Anyway. How cool is this plush DeLorean? Of course this is made by the same plush engineer who came up with these really amazing felt dragons.

Look at all the detail! It's pretty amazing. I think the back engine parts are my favorites. Anyway, you can see more pictures of it here, including more detail shots and some in progress shots. I can't even imagine how many tiny stitches this thing must have!

Stay tuned!

I must have this

2011-06-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

That is all.

More pictures here.

Stay tuned.

Really Cool Artwork

2011-06-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing artwork I found on Flickr!

First off, a couple of whores from Assassin's Creed. I couldn't find any Altair or Ezio,which is unfortunate, but I guess the whores don't get enough attention. They are very helpful to have around when some...distraction is in order.

And Enslaved! I didn't think anyone besides me played that game. While it had a pretty unsatisfying ending, in my opinion, it was still pretty fun to play and looked gorgeous. Honestly, the screen caps of the landscapes were pretty much the entire reason I bought the game.

I guess I should take back that thing I said about John Marston smiling. He looks pretty cute here.

Some Dune artwork. Some drunk Duncan and Lady Jessica.

And some Tali!

All of these are done by Waspwolfshark, and there are more cool pictures over at her flickr page. You should really check it out. She's got some more Mass Effect stuff, some Bioshock stuff, and some Dragon Age stuff, just to name a few. There's some NSFW stuff over there, so heads up.

Stay tuned!

Twoferone

2011-06-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to do a needlework project for a while now, and, of course, I also wanted it to be geeky. I came up with something that has a reference from not one but TWO of my favorite shows. One: Parks and Recreation. Two: Archer. Now, if you are easily offended, what the hell are you doing here? Just kidding. Some people might find this offensive, but I assure you, it's (probably) not.

See? It's all flowery and curly and stuff. Boyfriend designed it for me, since he loves typography stuff. I think it turned out really nice.

Reference 1: Parks and Rec. "Just the Tip" was the name of Andy's band before it became "Mouserat". And then "Scarecrow Boat". And then "Mouserat" again. And before you ask, yes, I want to make a MouseRat embroidery as well. And some/all of the following:
God Hates Figs
Everything Rhymes with Orange
Nothing Rhymes with Orange
Fiveskin
Fourskin
Threeskin
Muscle Confusion
Puppy Pendulum
Teddy Bear Suicide
And maybe RatMouse? I don't know. But I love all of the band names. Wikipedia says that the guy who plays Andy made up over 200 fake band names for that scene. That's commitment.
Reference 2: Archer. Okay, this one is probably offensive. (Warning: Video contains nudity. Animated nudity, but still) Seriously, if you have Netflix streaming you need to go watch Season 1. So funny.

Anyway, let me know what you think! And if anyone is interested in the pattern, let me know and I'd be happy to put it up for download somewhere.

Stay tuned!

Red Dead Redemption

2011-05-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

So, I love Red Dead Redemption. It is a fantastic game, and I am just now going through my second playthrough of it after putting in about 40 hours in the first playthrough. I could ride around on my horse all day, watching the sun rise in Armadillo and watching it set over my ranch in Tall Trees.

If you have never played this game, I strongly recommend it. Sure it has fun shooting sequences, and like I said, riding around on your horse is fun and surprisingly relaxing, as long as you don't let some robbers sneak up on you or anything. I learned how to play Liar's Dice, and I learned that even if I get caught cheating at poker I am a faster draw than most anyone.

But there are parts of the game that are just amazing--anything to do with the mysterious stranger, for one (Seriously, go watch the youtube link. Even if you've never played the game, the writing and acting are excellent). And the little vignettes you come across while playing make this game different than anything else I've ever played. One time I was riding my horse around Mexico, just wandering around, and in the middle of nowhere I came across a woman who had been murdered. Her husband was next to her, crying, and since there was nothing I could do--no one to track down, no one to save--I left. About 10 seconds later I heard a shot fired and chills went up my spine. I didn't go back to check out what happened.

ANYWAY! Totally not the point of this post. Check out my little John Marston!

As you can see (well, maybe not from this picture but from the rest) I made little John Marston with legs, instead of the usual round base. It's the same pattern as the all crochet Link I made, and I really like it.

John here is complete with his revolver, his rifle, an ammo belt (both across his chest and around his belt), his magical bag which can carry 30 wolf pelts in it, a lasso and a fancy belt buckle. Oh, and a feather in his hat.

If it looks like his eyebrows are moving, it's because they are not sewed down. I really like them--I can't picture John without a look of worry and anger on his face--but boyfriend doesn't like them at all. Plus, when I think of John smiling I think of how creepy Shepard is when he smiles. I think John would look the same way if he ever tried to smile.

And here's a closeup of his face, so that you can see his scars. I know they are kind of small and he's missing the scars over his nose and lip, but boyfriend said it would be too much to try and put them all on there.

Do I have a thing for westerns? I dislike most western movies so much that I waited about 6 months to buy this game because I was afraid I wouldn't like the premise enough to bother playing it. And then there's the new True Grit movie, which I absolutely loved, which comes out on DVD next week and which I will be buying on day 1. And I also love Maverick! And Deadwood! (PS--The ONLY reason I saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie was because Ian McShane was in it. The ONLY reason I liked the new Pirates movie was because Ian McShane was in it, even though I felt he could have used more screen time. And a couple more expletives) Maybe I will have to reconsider my stance on westerns after all.

Anyway, let me know what you think about him! Stay tuned!

Portrait of an Alien Overlord as a Young Alien

2011-05-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

So, I bet a lot of you have been wondering what I've been up to this past year. (What's that? You haven't? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.) Now that the drywall is up and (mostly) painted we have had time to start to decorate. Here is one of my favorite corners of the house:
Aww, isn't he cute? Well, don't let him hear you say that, he'll feed you to the grablorx. Oh, and if anyone is wondering (again, probably not, but I'll tell you anyway) the pictures on the right side of the picture are portraits of our cats. They can be the alien's evil minions though, if that sounds cooler.

Frame is from IKEA, picture is from me nagging boyfriend constantly to paint a smug alien overlord. Let me know what you think!

Stay tuned!

Just what the Doktor ordered

2011-05-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Check out these amazing sculptures from Doktor A. I love the steampunkyness to them, obviously, but I really love how unique and full of character they are.

This is Amnesia Primm. The name just fits her exactly, right?

This one is Arbuthnot Wince, the Poisoner. Just look at that little bottle of poison hidden inside his tummy. Just look at it! Also, how cool is Arbuthnot as a name?

And I just love this one. A tiny octopus riding a bigger octopus. Awesome. And of course he needs a little umbrella and top hat. So cute.

If you have time you should definitely check out the links for each character, and then visit the site. Everything is so fully imagined, and all of the characters are so fully realized, it's amazing. If these little guys don't get their own movie some day, I am going to be extremely disappointed. Make it happen, Hollywood!

Stay tuned!

More house stuff, now with 100% more dinosaurs!

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, remember how I was saying that Olly Moss totally ripped off my idea for a neato silhouette wall? Well, it's not technically true BUT boyfriend and I also have some silhouettes up in our house. While ours may not be as classy as John Mcclane or GOB and Franklin, we have fancy dinosaurs, so yeah.

We made this dinosaur silhouette wall in our tiny purple hallway. Now, there's no room in here to even have one tiny piece of furniture, so I thought that we could really go all out with the decor. I bought the frames off of etsy in the vintage section. I really didn't even plan what sizes I bought, I just bought anything that was gold and frilly. Of course, the T-Rex had to go in the biggest frame, because he is the biggest dandy.

The photo is at an angle because of the stupid glare, not because it is wonky. Anyway, here's a closeup of the T-Rex. I like his teeth. It looks like he's smiling. And his tiny little hands. The background on the T-Rex is some white wrapping paper we had left over from Christmas. All of the other pictures are white cardstock.

Boyfriend and I sort of let the frames decide what went in them. Like so:

Matching frames for a dinosaur couple. I actually really like the lady velociraptor's hat. Very chic.

And here's a closeup of the other dinosaurs. I really, really like the brontosaurus, who has his head in one frame and his tail in the other. Not all of the dinosaurs are fancy like the T-rex and velociraptors, and that was for a couple of reasons. One, we didn't want to overdo it. Too many top hats and monocles might have been a little silly. Second, some of these frames are really tiny, and any details would be lost. I think they turned out great, though. Do you think we are missing any? Maybe a dilophosaurus with a neck ruffle, like Shakespeare? Or something better? Let me know what you think!

Stay tuned!

Are you still there?

2011-05-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I guess you can tell what game I've been playing lately, huh? So, one of my favorite parts of Portal 1 and 2 are the turrets. Now in Portal 2, turrets have a bigger role (I won't spoil anyone who hasn't played the game yet, but if you haven't, what is wrong with you? Go play it right now!) which is awesome. And of course many other people loved the turrets as well, and wanted to immortalize this love in the form of a plushie.
But not just any plushie. No no, this plushie is interactive. It talks. It complains, wheedles and lies its adorable way into your heart. Check out the video.

Interactive Talking Plush Portal Turret from Jonathan M. Guberman on Vimeo.
Totally amazing, right? The whole electronic construction part sounds a bit out of my league, although I am quite tempted to just buy all of the parts anyway and try to make it work.
It is a little bit weird to hear the turret say "I see you" and not hear the hail of bullets follow it, but it's a minor concern. I will figure out how to make one of these one day, I swear it!

Stay tuned!
(Oh, and if you don't plan on playing Portal 2 / don't care about spoilers / want to see something awesome, check this out. It's from the end of the game. You've been warned!)

STOP: Hammer Time

2011-05-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

So Thor came out a couple of weeks ago. I saw it, it was okay, I guess. I believe that Natalie Portman is an astrophysicist as much as I believe Denise Richards is a nuclear physicist in that James Bond movie, which is to say, not at all. But as far as the movie goes, everything that didn't take place on Earth was pretty frakking sweet. I love Asgard, and all the other god characters, and I really hoped that Thor and that awesome warrior chick would hook up, but alas. Also, Heimdall was awesome, but I really wouldn't want to have his job. The vacation days must suck, although on the plus side I guess you get to see other people vacationing? No, that sucks even more. But he was still cool.

ANYWAY, back to the point. I was browsing the internet one day (as one does) and I came across this picture:

And I thought, well, that's a pretty random picture. Thor as a frog? Well, it turns out it's a thing! And I immediately fell in love with Throg, and felt the need to capture him in knit/crochet form immediately. And here he is!

I was really not feeling up to making a frog pattern, so I just modified this pattern by Spud and Chloe. I was worried about the eyes not sitting right, but I think it turned out all right. Most of his accessories are crocheted, except the hammer, which I just made out of felt because I was done with trying to crochet a square. Round I can do, square eludes me. Anyway, I think I'm most proud of his hat. I had to block those little wing thingies to death before they would even be remotely straight, and the one on the left still wants to curl.

Anyway, I'm really pleased with him! Boyfriend doubted he would turn out, and for a while there he did look kind of silly, but in the end I think he turned out awesomely. Let me know what you think!

Stay tuned!

Edited to add: New title for post. It just hit me!

Do it for Science

2011-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure many of you are aware, Portal 2 came out just a couple of weeks ago. (PS--it was awesome). Check out these posters made by flickr user wd.farmer that capture the 50's style feeling of the game.
By the way, I love repulsion gel. I love all the gels, actually. I hope that when the Portal 2 DLC is released (and if PSN ever goes back online) that it will deal with all of the different gels. They were so much fun.

If these were available in poster sizes I would probably buy the whole rainbow. Definitely check out the rest of the posters, they are awesome. I can hear Cave Johnson's voice in my head as I read all of these.

Chell and friends

2011-05-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Although we don't get to see her very often, Chell is a big part of Portal 2. The main part, if you will. Without her and her stylish boots we would never be able to fall thousands of feet into the earth and sproing around on bouncy gel. Wow, that makes the game sound kind of lame, huh?

Anyway, with all of the turret / companion cube love that goes around, Chell usually goes unappreciated. But Nerdigurumi decided that was about to change.

I actually think my favorite part about this pattern is the portal gun. It's amazing!

I gotta be honest though--her eyes creep me out. I would just use safety eyes (which I use for everything, I know) but I think the effect would be a little better.

And the best part? The pattern is free! That's right, you can make your very own set. Finally something good came out of PSN being down!

Stay tuned!

Classier than the Mudflap girl, at least

2011-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

So, ignoring the fact that Olly Moss totally stole my idea (well, sort of, but I'll save that for another post) this silhouette show is pretty awesome.

Whoa! Look at all those silhouettes! From a distance, I'm sure it looks like a fairly standard Victorian silhouette wall, right? Well, let's take a closer look.

Oh hello, it's GOB and Franklin! "It's not easy being white..." I'm pretty sure I saw a blue Tobias out there too (literally blue, not sad) but there aren't too many closeup pictures, so I can't be sure.

Another sort of closeup; pretty sure that's Mulder and Sculley over there, right above the alien. Makes sense, right? Although I feel like if Mulder ever saw that alien (as in, Ridley Scott's alien) he would probably run away screaming "I don't want to believe! I don't want to believe!"

John McClane, complete with broken glass.

And Boba. Pretty standard by now though, huh?

Anyway, there are way more pictures out there of the entire show, if you are interested. The show looks like it was packed to the brim with people. I will post pictures of my silhouette wall later. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Stay tuned!

I've been published!

2011-05-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you guys have had a chance to check out the Star Wars Craft Book written by Bonnie Burton, who probably has the best job on the whole planet, by the way.

It's a really awesome book, by the way. I am going to make an army of those AT-AT planter boxes and recreate the battle of Hoth in my front yard. Minus the snow, though, since it hardly ever snows here. And the little Bantha plushie, which is seriously too adorable. Anyway, check out the best part though:

Oh yeah, that's totally me! And my little dudes! When Bonnie contacted me a while ago and asked for permission to use my pictures I nearly died. I am so excited and honored to be a part of the OFFICIAL Star Wars craft book. Too cool. Go check it out today!

Stay tuned!

Link Pattern Now Available!

2011-05-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Alrighty everyone,

After a super long hiatus, I am back, and with a new pattern to boot! I've been in a little bit of a creative funk lately. I didn't want to make the same amigurumi's that I had been making; they took anywhere from 8-12 hours to make, and while I really like how detailed they are I wanted to make something simpler, yet still detailed. If that makes any sense.

So I made this Link! I felt that Link was one of the more difficult original amigurumis to make, mainly because of the insanely detailed sculpey work. So I wanted to make something that was crochet only--no sculpey, no sewing, no felt, just yarn--but still retain some of the really cool details.

Here you can see his sword and shield, which attach to his belt. I'm actually the most proud of his hat and hair, which I think turned out really well, although getting his legs to look right (if you remember, most of my characters don't have legs) was a challenge as well.

Anyway, the pattern is now available at my etsy shop, so pop over and have a look! Zelda is the next project I'm working on, so that Link will have a friend and after that...well, I have some vague plans after that, but I'm willing to hear suggestions! Let me know what you think about this new version of amigurumi in the comments.

Stay tuned!

And I am redeemed!

2010-02-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

Alright everybody! I know I dishonored myself by posting that silly General Grievous yesterday, but I can make it up! Behold:
Check out this amazing Yoda! He is so detailed. His face is pretty amazing. And the little wispy hair on the back is just the icing on the cake.

And he's poseable! I love his little lightsaber.

And then Admiral Ackbar! He looks so cute and huggable, I just want to squish him! And the best part:

Well duh, Admiral.

These are all from the same amazing crochet artist featured in the post yesterday, Ravelry user guh-nome. I can't wait to see what other stuff she makes. I can tell you this--if she ever puts out patterns for any of these, I will be the first in line. Just amazing! Stay tuned!

This goes against my better judgment.

2010-02-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Alright, anyone who has been reading my blog for any amount of time probably knows that I hate the new Star Wars trilogy. (On a mostly unrelated side note, which will probably turn into a long and rambling story, I am a team leader at work. That being the case, I decided to do the mature, appropriate thing and force everybody to call me "Galactic Empress" and I then forced them to choose nicknames for themselves. It was going so well--I had a Jedi Knight, an Imperial Walker (I call her "atat" for short) and a Wookie Overlord. I even had people who were not on my team who wanted in, and so I even acquired an honorary Ewok and Rebel Fighter on my team. I swear, they picked the names themselves! Seriously! Then, my last team member decided that he wanted to be Jar Jar Binks. What. The. Hell. Who in the hell chooses to be Jar Jar? In the end I had to drop the whole thing. It was so embarrassing.) Anyway, I hate almost every single thing about the new trilogy. That being said, I hope you guys will appreciate me posting the following creation made by Ravelry user guh-nome:

Yeah, it's General Grievous. They might as well have called him General Bad Guy. Maybe General Evil. Okay, that's enough! This little guy is seriously awesome though. He's all poseable and looks really great. I am envious of the mad crochet skills going on here.

Anyway, I wanted to post this little guy because I think it is (another) awesome crochet project. I like crochet; it's pretty easy to make shapes and forms and I think I did pretty well creating a nice body shape for my little dudes. But some people can do way more amazing stuff! And the detail on this is incredible. Stay tuned!

Bioshock!

2010-02-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this awesome Big Daddy! For being made entirely out of crochet, it is incredibly detailed. Full disclosure here: I've never played Bioshock. I tried to play it, but I couldn't get over the first person view (I hate first person games) and how scary it was. Call me girly, but I like games that are bright and pretty. Like Assassin's Creed. It was bright and I loved climbing all over the buildings and jumping on people and stabbing them in the neck. That's also why I couldn't get behind Fallout 3 either, it was too gray. Alright, enough rambling, back to the craft!

I love the little drill. It's amazing that you can get that kind of effect with different crochet techniques!

The best part about this is the creator put up the pattern for free! So go and create a crochet army! Stay tuned!

And Happy Valentine's Day!

Lesson 101: Star Wars

2010-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

These minimalist posters are really cool. I would love to hang them all over the house! At the same time, they look like really old covers to really old boring textbooks. You know, if they made textbooks about Tatooine. Can't you just imagine some poor kid on the border planets being forced to take "Tatooine Early History--From 157-1597: The Rise of the Sand People." Alright, that sounds pretty cool. But you know, to some backwater kid who spends all of his days writing graffiti on moisture vaporators I'm sure it's pretty boring. "Moooooom, why do I have to study the history of the stupid Sand People? I want to go pick up some power converters!" You know how it is.

::Read in boring, monotone lecture voice:: The forest moon of Endor is home to many small creatures known as Ewoks. The topography of the moon, as well as the constant threat of predators, leads the natural inhabitants to create their cities high in the treetops. First we will discuss the Ewok Rebellion on 1295....
Let us take a look at the different kinds of ice crystals the sixth planet of the Hoth system has to offer....

Bespin is a giant gas planet. (pause while the audience snickers at a fart joke). One of the main mining materials comes from....

Okay, I think all I've proven here is that anything about Star Wars is interesting, even if it is talking about the Ewok Rebellions of 1295 (I just made that up, but it sounds awesome).

You can check out the rest of this guy's work over on his Flickr page. It sounds like he might be offering prints eventually, so if anyone is interested be sure to keep an eye out! Stay tuned!

Thundercats!

2010-01-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of posting lately, as some of you probably know Mass Effect 2 just came out and that has been eating all of my free time. Anyway, in between my brief respites from the game, I found this cute little kitty!

Oh I'm sorry, I mean manly kitty! Oh wait, that's kind of creepy. Anyway, I like the red fuzz that loveandsandwich used for the hair. And the little sword is attached by velcro!

This little guy is available on etsy for $200 (!). I don't know if there are any die hard Thundercats fans out there (I'm sure there are) but that seems a little steep. Anyway,I've made it through my first play through in Mass Effect 2, so a semi-regular schedule should be returning. Maybe. Stay tuned!

George Orwell Accessories

2010-01-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

I know 'Orwell' and 'handbags' don't usually go together, but check out these awesome clutches! They are based on George Orwell's "Animal Farm", and I know it's been a while since I've read it but I'm pretty sure there were no penguins in that book. Because if there were it would be ten thousand times more awesome. I like the whole concept though, and the clutches are really adorable! Check them out.

I love the platypus! Did you know that platypuses are awesome? The males have venomous spurs on their back flippers, and the venom is powerful enough to kill dogs. And they hunt using echolocation--the only mammals known to do so. Anyway, I think they are cool.

This little piggy is the only animal that really screams "Animal Farm" to me, but he is really cute! All of these little guys are (or were, at least) available at TsuruBride's shop on etsy. They are a little pricey for me, especially for a clutch--which I consider to be impractical--but I still love them. Especially the penguin. So cute! Maybe I need to learn how to sew leather. Anyway, stay tuned!

It's wrong on so many levels.

2010-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

Alright, we all know the new Star Wars trilogy sucked, for many many reasons (and if you would like to hear most of them listed, and have an hour and a half to waste, watch these). Anyway, one of these reasons is the ridiculous rocket jets Artoo has inexplicably attached to him. And now there is a reason they are silly beyond being just an incredibly stupid idea.

Duh, it's all so simple now! Anyway, if you'd like to read the whole scientific discussion about it, just click here. I understood almost none of it, but I'm sure there are other people out there who would appreciate it.

I usually hate little nitpicky stuff like this, and articles about how Star Wars or Star Trek isn't scientifically feasible, but this has to do with my little Artoo and it reinforces my opinion about the new trilogy and so I wanted to post it here. And you really should check out the
Phantom Menace review, it's really pretty hilarious. Stay tuned!

That's cool, my velcro was wearing thin anyway.

2010-01-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

In the market for some new shoes? Would you like to spend ridiculous amounts of money on them? Do you want to be a lonely nerd forever? Then look no further, Adidas has the perfect shoe for you!
Some AT-AT shoes.
I love the little Stormtrooper face in the back of this shoe! Although I'm sure you can get roughly the same effect with some sharpies...
And slave Leia shoes. I'm not sure if these are intended for men or women (I hope for women, although the shape of the shoe is pretty hideous), but they're shiny!
Some of the shoes are subtle--I like the light picture of the Death Star on the side, although I have a feeling that from the front they look ridiculous.

But then some of the shoes are not so subtle. Take this shiny shoe with pictures glued on the sides.

If you want to check out the official site with pictures of all the different shoes, click here, but be warned--there is a crazy amount of flash on that site. It might be a couple of minutes before you can actually navigate anything.

Anyway I'm kind of torn about these. On the one hand, they are Star Wars merchandise, and I'm pretty sure I've been programmed to love any Star Wars stuff ever made. On the other hand they are shoes, and I hate shoes almost as much as I hate shoe shopping. Hmm. Conundrum! Would any of you actually wear these?

Stay tuned!

It's a me!

2010-01-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Check out all of these little adorable crochet Nintendo characters! I know that there are a lot of these kind of things out there, but anenemyairship does a really incredible job on them. Plus there are lots of unusual characters!

Raccoon Mario.
Kirby Link--seriously, has anyone ever made a Kirby Link before? He's awesome!

A baby blooper and....Penguin Mario! He is so cute!

If you will remember, this is the same person who made this awesome giant Mario rug. She is really committed to Nintendo characters!

Many of these little guys are up on her etsy shop, but they are only available as finished projects. I wish there were patterns available, because these little guys are just too cute!

What is going on here?

2010-01-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

Anyone want to take a guess?

A dinosaur warning about the dangers of Jesus...
I guess this guy can arrest Jesus for cocaine possession?
And maybe this T-Rex is eating Jesus' disciples?
Alright, you know what? I don't care what's happening in that last picture, I want to live there. Or go on the submarine mission to find Jesus after he fled to a hidden Russian submarine while evading cocaine possession charges.

Wow, that was a really offensive post. Stay tuned for more! (more posts, not more offensiveness--well, not entirely. I'll try and keep it to a minimum. The dinosaurs made me do it!)

So Say We All.

2010-01-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, time for some Battlestar crafts!

These little guys are made by the same artist who did the Star Wars dolls. I think all of these are still available on etsy--it's worth it to go over there just to check out the other stuff the shop has! The ninjas are too cute. Anyway:
Starbuck and Apollo.
The whole crew--I'm not sure what Colonel Tigh is doing to Cally...he's probably just drunk and hitting on her.
Aww, little Gaius is so cute! Number Six, I think that dress is a little tight on you...

I love these little note cards. Actually I think I only like them because of the crazy octagonal paper they are on. I always wondered what the point of the octagonal paper was...

Yeah yeah, I know the whole Che Guevara thing has been done to death (even by us!) but I still think it's funny. You can check it out on etsy.
I put this last one in here because I think it is hilarious. It's supposed to be a sculpture of the Galactica, but I think it's just a piece of wood that kind of looks like a spaceship. I think it actually looks more like a Viper than the Galactica, but that's just me.

Anyway, stay tuned!

Okami!!

2010-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

That's right everyone, I still love Okami. And with Okamiden coming out sometime this year for the DS there will (hopefully) be a new influx of love for this sadly under appreciated game. And hopefully that also means a new influx of crafts! (Note to self: finish Okami embroidery sometime within the next decade. I've worked on it since that picture was taken though. It's in a box around here somewhere....). But until that game comes out, enjoy some little cute Okami plushes I've found!

I found this little guy over on Flickr. The other animals made by the same person, while not video game related, are still pretty cute.

These little guys (Okami and a fox spirit) are so adorable! They actually look like little cats. But it doesn't matter because they are so cute! Available over on etsy.

I have a feeling that this little Ammy is a professionally made plush for a Capcom booth somewhere, but I haven't really been able to find that much information on it. She actually looks needle felted, but I can't be sure.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll probably post updates about the game when it gets closer to the release date, as well as convince everyone and their mother to go buy the game when it comes out. If this game does really well, can you imagine how incredible an Okami sequel on the PS3 would look? Yeah, it's probably never going to happen. Anyway, stay tuned!

I want to go to there.

2010-01-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Check out this awesome office I found, designed by an architectural firm called "Because We Can". I don't know how much actual work gets done here, seeing as how there are about 5 lounge rooms to every desk as well as a fully stocked bar, but even so the concept of the thing is wonderful. Behold:

Each employee has a custom made desk. Now I know it doesn't leave a lot of room for clutter, something I am very prone to, but I would take any one of these in a heartbeat.
This is a secret room hidden behind a bookcase. Probably a lounge room of some sort.

That's right, a frakking POOL TABLE. At work.
And I guess this is a loungy area? I have a feeling that whatever these people do it isn't testing Guitar Hero, so I'm guessing this is another break space. But come on, who wouldn't want to sit and watch TV on a giant octopus?
If you want to check out the rest of the pictures just click here. The architectural firm who did this has done some other work too, but nothing this awesome. This just blows me away.

Porpoise Hork!

2010-01-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

I think I may have found the world's best collection of cross stitch pieces. Check it out.

I totally read both of these in Mom's voice. I never thought that her...colorful exclamations could transfer well into this medium, but they fit perfectly. Plus porpoise hork is probably the funniest combination of words. Ever.

Aww, Valentine's Day alert!

And some Arrested Development, for good measure. I especially like the heart frame for the "banger in the mouth" one.

There are other great pieces on the flickr photo stream, so be sure to check them out!

This does not smell bad. At all.

2010-01-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, for Halloween I alternately throw on either my Hobbit cloak or Jedi robe, pick up a sword or lightsaber and call it a day. This guy, though, this guy went all out.

And guess what? You don't even need to get some schmuck to hold up the back end of this. It looks like you need to wear stilts, but still. Guess what else? The guy who made this posted complete details on how to make your own, so maybe if you start right now you might be able to finish it by Halloween 2010.

Me? I think I'll go with this instead:
That's right! I got a Tauntaun sleeping bag for Christmas! (Actually it was my birthday but they're so close it doesn't really matter. [I won't admit to this statement on my next birthday]). I guess my loving parents ~~got all of my threatening e-mails~~ lovingly read my blog and saw how cool it was.

Oh and thinkgeek.com, I take back all of the nasty things I said about you. Sorry 'bout that. You pulled through. Stay tuned!

No, it's YOUR turn to empty the dark matter box.

2010-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Haven't you always wanted your own special little pet to curl up on your lap on cold winter nights? Haven't you ever wondered why your stupid cat can't finish the large dripping ham you gave them? Do you have a problem with large moose in your yard? Well don't worry any more! Check this baby out:

As an added bonus, he ever poops spaceship fuel! (Warning--said poop fuel may be extremely heavy and devastatingly smelly).

But wait! Act now and he's yours for free! You just need to be a member of Ravelry to be able to pick this little guy up and have him guard/eat your valuables and loved ones for years to come. Stay tuned for more great stuff coming up next!

Stitch Witchery! Also, pirates.

2010-01-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Look how cute this is!

At first I thought someone had drawn this on a piece of fabric, until Craftster user ktiounsometimesy said that she had satin stitched the whole thing. So amazing! I'm so jealous that it looks so clean. It almost looks like it was done by an embroidery machine! And duh, dinosaurs are awesome. Especially Dinosaur Comics.

Also, just because:

Ray guns!

2010-01-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have to admit it. I am an addict. I am addicted to ray guns. I just can't get enough of them. I think they are awesome and cool and sleek and nerdy and cool. Now mind you I wouldn't tote one of these babies around town or anything, but I would most definitely display one of these prominently in my living room. If only I were a millionaire! Or at least made a living wage!

Anyway, in the first of what will probably be many posts about ray guns, I will set the standards for what constitutes awesomeness way higher than I really have any right to. Check out these awesome specimens made by, of course, Weta Workshop.

It's hard to really do these pictures justice, so if you have time you really should click through to the site, where you can minutely inspect every crevice and nook in astonishing detail.

Now I think these are just made (for fun? no no, look at the prices) as an independent project, since as far as I can tell they aren't attached to any movie. If they were, I would probably go see it in a heartbeat, but for now I will just have to ogle from my computer screen. My favorite one if probably the Righteous Bison because I just love saying it so much. I also like the blunderbuss, but only because I think "blunderbuss" is a funny word. I think I want to put that I was shot by a blunderbuss on my tombstone, because then everyone would think I was cool.

Anyway, I want to post these here because eventually we are going to try and make a ray gun. I'm sure they won't be as awesome as these (because if they were I'm sure Weta would try and hire us the boy), but I think we can do pretty well with a trip to Home Depot and the use of the most awesome book I have stowed away in a box somewhere. It may or may not be functional. Stay tuned!

Hello, faithful readers!

2010-01-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's been a long, long time since I've updated here, but I can explain! I've been very busy. Yeah I know, that's not much of an explanation. How about this--I bought a house! We've been fixing it up (since frankly it was a piece of crap) and so I haven't had much time or inclination to keep this place updated.

These things haven't helped either:

Um, Assassin's Creed 2 is awesome. If you played the first one and liked it even the tiniest bit you will absolutely love this one. In fact, even if you didn't like the first one at all you will love this one because it's beautiful and fun and stabby.Yeah, I love Ratchet and Clank. Love love love. Now if Naughty Dog could make another Jak and Daxter game I would be in heaven.

Yeah, it's pretty much just Phantom Hourglass but less annoying and more fun.
Yay Battlestar!

Anyway, things have started to slow down around here. The craft room is slowly coming into focus, which means that we can start making some really cool things again. We are starting to actually decorate, which is going to be fun, so hopefully I'll be able to post some of the cool things we do. No wait, don't leave, it's going to be cool, not boring! My bedroom is going to look like Indiana Jones' study if he were an alien bounty hunter, plus some Steampunk elements thrown in for good show. Seriously, it's going to be awesome. I can't wait.

Once our craft room is up and running I would also like to start making more patterns--is there anything you guys would be interested in? I have a couple of original patterns I would like to try out, something a little different from what we've been doing, but if anyone has any suggestions/wish lists I would love to hear it. I would really like to make Lando, and probably another alien (Jawa? Ewok?) but it doesn't have to be from Star Wars.

Anyway, as a thanks to all of you (at least one? anyone? hello?) who have stayed with me through this boring reprieve, I have a special going on! Head on over to bigcartel and pick up all of the Star Wars patterns--the original Heroes of the Rebellion pattern, Yoda, Ackbar and Obi-Wan--for only $15! This offer is only good on bigcartel (not etsy), and only for a limited time, so hurry over!

Stay tuned--this year is going to be awesome!

Jedi (bath) Robe

2009-10-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

For the discerning bather who need to stay dry and look devilishly handsome at the same time. Also handy for those times you get ambushed by an evil sith lord when stepping out of the shower.

At almost $100, this is probably the nicest (or it better be) bathrobe I've seen. Unfortunately, the site that sells it doesn't seem to be working right now, so I don't really have a link so that you can go spend your hard earned cash to buy this awesomeness. However, if you're willing to drop $30 at Joanne's for some terry cloth and waste a couple of hours swearing at the sewing machine I'd bet you could come up with something just as cool. Stay tuned!

Blarg!

2009-09-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Another great (and free!) pattern over on Ravelry. That place is amazing, I love searching through all the new patterns put up every day. Anyway, check out this latest one I found!

Recognize it? It's an elven leaf brooch! It's so pretty too that you could wear it and not look like a freak (who knew that wearing a hobbit cloak in public was a weird thing to do?) but the other nerds hiding in the crowd would totally understand what it is. Very cool.

Click here for the free pattern from Ravelry.

I hope you guys know how to knit...

2009-09-24T12:24:00.001-07:00

...because you are going to want to knit this. This was created by a wonderful knitter I found over on Ravelry named Kelly. Check out this adorable little Serenity she made!

It's so cute! It could use some glow in the dark yarn on the little engine parts, but whatever. Oh yeah, did I mention that this pattern is TOTALLY FREE? It is so awesome that she would not only take the time to write up a pattern like this (because writing patterns are a total pain in the butt) but that she would put it up for the whole world to use. So go forth and knit! Stay tuned!

Old Timey Sampler

2009-09-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not sure if too many of you are familiar with cross stitch samplers or not, but if you are, well, most of them are pretty boring. They are pretty much made so that you can have an excuse to try out different stitches and a lot of times commemorate a birth or something like that. Anyway, leave it to the internet to come and make something really neat and interesting out of a sampler.

And it's an Internet Sampler! I know the picture is a little hard to see here, but it's very detailed. It must have taken forever. I love the borders--I think they might be my favorite part. The little emoticons down by the bottom are pretty cute too. I think this is so great probably because it captures the spirit of the Internet so perfectly--it's a place for, by and inhabited by crazy people. Too cute!

Couture Video

2009-09-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, you have got to check out these awesome outfits. These were made by Craftster user montyfull, and they are pretty amazing.

Look at all the sparklies! And check out the garter around the leg.

The bob-omb dress. It's a little hard to see, but it's quilted up at the top.
Gold coin dress--I think this dress is pretty amazing even without the video game theme.
Toad stool dress.
And a shot of all of the dresses, plus the toad dress in the middle. I bet there are a bunch of super nerdy girls out there who would wear these. Alright, maybe not the one with Mario's giant head on it, but the concept is pretty cool.

Anyway, yeah! These were too cool not to share. Stay tuned!

I'll just leave this here

2009-09-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

That's right. It's Tim Gunn. And Iron Man. Just thought everyone should see this.

It's a miracle!

2009-09-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle! Not only am I finally making a new post, we have a new dude to show off! AND we have a pattern for him! AND we have some finished amigurumi up for sale in the shop! Wow, I feel kind of productive. Not that I haven't been busy--I have--I have just been doing non-nerdy things. It's time for me to get cracking on Christmas presents if I want to get them finished in time--not because they are complicated, but because I am very bad at actually finishing projects I start. I get distracted with new projects pretty easily.

Anyway--the new dude! Behold!
It's Obi-Wan Kenobi! And he's very cute, if I do say so myself. I think his little white beard may be my favorite part about him.

And without his jedi robes.

Here's the closeup of his little lightsaber. It's very tiny and very meticulously painted.

All together! So what do you guys think? I know it's nothing really out of this world, but I have been wanting to make an Obi-Wan to add to our little entourage. Now if we could just finish our Gandalf the White we will be all set on wise old dudes.

Anyway, if you want to pick up the pattern it will be available in the store by the end of the week--we just need to finish the lightsaber instructions and we'll be set. I am thinking about making another pattern pack available with Obi-Wan, but I am having some difficulty picking out which characters to make for it. I know I want Lando in there, but I was thinking about adding an alien or some sort. Any ideas? Suggestions? I was thinking maybe a Jawa, but maybe Greedo or someone like that would be fun too. Anyway, I'm still thinking about it, so it might be a while before a whole pack is ready.

Stay tuned!

Just sleep on it

2009-08-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Check out this neato bed!
Oh yeah, that's a bed. A freaking awesome bed! It's a Y-Wing, complete with laser marks on the hull. It looks like it crashed landed in the (world's most spoiled kid's) bed room. Yeah, someone actually gets to sleep there. How awesome is that?

A view from the bed. Don't know what the joystick does, I assume it's just to get to school a little faster in the morning if you sleep in.From underneath/
So unless you are a master carpenter, it looks like you would be out of luck to get this in your own home. However, do not fear, nerds! There is a place out there for all of your Star Trek needs, at least. I know, I know, it's not nearly as cool as Star Wars, but I guess it's cool that there is a big enough market for Star Trek design that someone created a company to address those specific needs. Star Wars fans, we'll have to just pine and wait. Until then, stay tuned!

No fair! I had that same basic idea...

2009-08-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

I was so totally going to make this! No fair! Someone must have been reading my mind or something.

But mine was going to say "a second location" not "the second location", so it's totally different. And if you don't recognize the quote, it's from 30 Rock. And if you haven't seen it you should probably go watch it right now, it's awesome. This quote was from an episode with Carrie Fisher. And they totally made a Star Wars reference--and what's more, Carrie Fisher helped. And not just in that episode! In almost every episode. Also, I was reading a book the other day (maybe it was House of Mirth? I don't remember) and this one character's name was Carrie Fisher and they always referred to her by her first and last name, every single time. It was really creepy. Anyway, here's another person who stole another one of my awesome ideas:

One of Tracy Jordan's pearls of wisdom. Being shark week, I thought it was appropriate. At least no one took my last idea from 30 Rock...no way I'm going to tell you guys what it is though. It's going to be awesome though. You guys just wait.

Obligatory Firefly craft.

I just loved this little project! It's so cool, because you can change the picture of the bear every week! Or maybe, if your cats keep throwing up on your carpet, you can even put a picture of your cat in there. STUPID CATS.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah! We should have some new dudes coming up for you guys soon--and also some reworked old characters who needed a facelift. Hopefully they will be done soon! Stay tuned!

This ALMOST makes me want a baby

2009-08-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

I said ALMOST. Don't freak out, parents and/or boyfriend, if you are reading this. I just love this little costume. Also, do you think it is child abuse if you just have a child to dress them up in cute little cosplay clothes? I think that using a monkey might work too. They like wearing clothes, right? What was I talking about again? Oh yeah. Check out this too too cute adorable little baby outfit!

It's a tiny Link! Look how cute! I love the little belt. And the hat. Okay, I love everything about it. How adorable!!

The quiver, complete with arrows--I mean, baby bottle. They should have made it look like a lon lon milk bottle, but whatever. I guess you can't give arrows to babies, or something. Who knows. I thought babies loved playing with pointy sticks!

And this is the chest that all of those little tiny adorable clothes came in. Note: baby not included in the chest. We hope not, anyway.

Anyway, this was made by a craftster user for a friend's baby. What a cute gift! I love it. Maybe the cats want to play dress up...I'll let you know how that goes...

Stay tuned!

Our new dude is Mad

2009-07-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Check out our newest creation! He was made as a custom order from one of my co-workers. Oh yeah, it's Mad Max. I don't know if we captured the scruffiness and dirtiness as well as Mel Gibson did, but all in all I think he turned out rather well. He's probably more reminiscent of the first movie rather than the subsequent ones. Having not personally seen any of the Mad Max movies except for the third (yikes! a mullet! also, the Mouth of Sauron and his creepy child!) I think he looks rather dashing.

Here's a closeup of his various gadgets--he has some binoculars, a wrench, and underneath that is his leg brace. The other side of him has his shotgun...
...with a pretty cool looking holster.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! It's been a while since we have made a new character, but it was fun! Stay tuned.

I'm back!

2009-07-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I was just on vacation for a couple of days, but now I'm back and faithfully blogging again (yeah right). We do have a new amigurumi to show you guys, but the pictures aren't ready yet. Wanna see what went on while I was gone?
The Stitch Wars show! Check out all of the celebrities who were there. Honestly, how many art shows can you go to where you get to dress up?

It looks like this guy found a friend. Also, that's a pretty awesome costume.

Here's a couple more of my favorites from the show--a mounted Foul Moudama head. He does look pretty foul.

A Chewie robe! How awesome is that. For those lazy days when you want to lounge around the house looking like a giant wookie. I totally want one!

You can check out everything that was at the show on the flickr page, and I suggest that you go browse through there. It has some of the neatest Star Wars crafts I've ever seen. And if you're itching to buy something, check out the online gallery. Some of the prices are a little expensive, but it's art! Anyway, the whole show looks amazing, and I can't believe that I missed it. It looks like it would have been a blast. Stay tuned!

More Legos!

2009-07-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Check out some of these awesome video game lego creations! These were made by flickr user Saber-Scorpion. First off, some Assassin's Creed!

I know it's a tiny picture, but I think it's really cool. I love the bird flying around the top. Just like in the game! Altair is even sitting up at the very top.
And here is Altair fighting some Templars. I love the little horsey!
And from Mass Effect--the Mako. Oh Mako, how I hate thee. Hopefully the second game will have better Mako missions. (Also, if anyone is interested, watch this awesome Mass Effect 2 video. I'm so excited!)

And I'm not really sure about this one, but I see Master Chief in there so I'm assuming it has something to do with Halo. Since I haven't really played Halo all that much I really have no idea what is going on in this picture. It looks icky though.

Anyway, that's it for now! I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so it might be a little quiet around here for a couple of days (just like normal, am i rite?). I hope everyone has a nice weekend! I'm sure all of the nerds out there are excited about Harry Potter, so I bet everyone will be all busy with that for a while. Stay tuned!

Found on Ravelry

2009-07-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Check out some of the awesome stuff I've been finding on Ravelry lately. That place is so cool! And there are lots of nerds there, too, which makes finding really cool stuff really easy. Also, you can search projects by what kind of yarn is used--which is good for me, since most of the time I just buy really pretty yarn but have no idea what to do with it. But anyway, here are some of the more nerdy projects I've found floating around.
First off--probably the most awesome use of granny squares ever. I like that it isn't a traditional square shape, and is just the outline of Mario. Even so, this thing must be pretty huge. I think there are over 350 granny squares on this thing.
These little dragons are too adorable. They are babies! I love their little tiny wings and their little head spikeys. I think I might go buy the pattern for them--I want to make a small army of them.

I like this project because it's something I never would of thought anyone would make--a Snakes on a Plane hat. I mean, I know the movie was all posed to be something really awesome, but it kind of flopped and it was kind of a while ago--I just didn't think that anyone would go through all of this trouble. It's awesome though!

And this little cute octorok! And not just any octorok--it's a boss. I love all of the little details on the top of him. Also he looks really angry.

Hope you guys enjoy! I haven't really been crocheting much, this kind of almost makes me want to pick up my hook again. Almost. Still plugging away on the embroidery for now, though. Stay tuned!

Cute little custom monsters

2009-07-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am always awed at the really cool original stuff that people come up with. I mean, it's always really cool to see another cross stitch "the cake is a lie" sampler, but sometimes the original things people come up with are the best. These little guys are a great example of that--they are totally adorable, original, and I want one so bad. This artist, LucyRavenscar, also has some geeky sensibilities--she is the one who made these little adorable Star Wars people. Anyway, check these little monsters out!

This one is a rock spirit. Rocks can be cute, too!
This one is called a Dandelion Dragon. I could totally imagine him as some wise old kung fu master in a movie!
This one--probably my favorite--is the ice troll. I love his little fangs. And I like how happy he looks.And this one is a dawn spirit. I love how the yarn colors on the tummy really look like a sunrise.

In addition to all of these being adorable, most of them are made with fuzzy yarn, which is my enemy. I have to totally respect someone who can use it so well and use it more than once because of how crappy it is to work with.

Oh, and for anyone who wanted a geeky fix even after seeing these little adorable guys, check out her free Wicket the Ewok crochet pattern! Gotta love free patterns. And check out her etsy page--she sells these little guys on there, but my favorites are all sold out! And they look like they are very reasonable prices, too. Anyway, stay tuned! I'm slowly making my way through my embroidery piece (not original, based on a video game, but what can you do) and I'm going to need some more TV shows to watch soon. Ah well.

The greatest geek church ever

2009-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Stained glass isn't just for the churchies anymore! Check out these awesome stained glass windows--well, some of them are pretty small, maybe not window sized, but still pretty cool. I wish that I could do something this awesome.

I really like this one. The lightsaber looks really cool when the light is coming through the window. I like how simple it is, and the composition.
This one isn't really a stained glass piece, but it is a fused glass frame. At $80 it's a little expensive for an everyday picture frame, but I guess if you have a picture of yourself getting the high score on a pacman arcade machine it would be the only option for you.

This one is a candle holder. I bet it looks really pretty at night all lit up. I like the windwaker designs that are used, too. Once again, though, at $100 it's a little out of my price range.

Here's one that's a little cheaper! At $25 this little sun catcher is cute, affordable and pretty. Now if only I watched Dr. Who!

Anyway, I just thought these were pretty. I wish that I knew how to do stained glass--I would probably cover my whole apartment in it. How about something like this for the living room? Totally. Stay tuned!

The ABC's of Nerdiness

2009-07-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love looking at alphabet books. They always have the neatest illustrations in them. But even the very coolest one I've ever seen (it was about kitties!) cannot compare to these awesome pictures. These are made by an awesome artist named Neil Cameron--the alphabet is an ongoing project, and he is taking suggestions for future letters! I think he is up to "R" at this point. Check out some of my favorites!

I like this one. Inebriated Iron Man is pretty hilarious, if you think about it. Though I guess Tony Stark is an alcoholic, so it's not that much of a stretch--still, I love all of the beer splashed on his armor.

Poor Pika!I wonder if people with letters as names have a support group or something? And if they did, would Q blink them into a fight with the Borg?

There's many more nerdy letters over at his website, so be sure to take a look over there. Stay tuned!

Puts the "throw" in "throw pillow"

2009-06-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is one mean looking pillow, people. You just put your head down for a nice nap and wake up with your head partially decomposed. Say hi to Boba Fett while you are down there!

See, the sarlacc is bragging about nabbing Boba Fett (even though he eventually got away). I guess he (she?) is waving around the helmet to show the other sarlacc's how awesome he (she?) is. Are there really other sarlaccs? I'm not even sure. And if there were, do you think they would brag about what they got to eat? I wonder if they make miniature sarlaccs for garbage disposals. I haven't had much sleep, can you tell?Made by ScumptiousDelight for the Stitch Wars show. Stay tuned!

Don't step on me!

2009-06-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this adorable bath mat! I found it on Craftster the other day, and I just can't stop thinking about how cute it is! The little curl is just too adorable.

It's crocheted out of strips of cotton fabric, that's why it is so big. Then the eyes and mouth are made out of felt. I'm not really sure how waterproof it is, but I know that I want thirty of them laying on my floor. I was also considering making a Pikachu--maybe a Pikachu all curled up and sleeping or something? Or maybe a Ghastly or Koffing or something, they probably don't get as much love as their brighter colored Pokemon friends.

If you want to make your own, go to ragrugcafe.com to learn how to make this kind of rug! Then all you have to do is find the right colors, glue on some eyes and wham! Your very own pokemon. This would also be a good present for those people who hate pokemon, since they can step on them all day. Stay tuned!

Don't lose your head!

2009-06-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome fell beast! I don't think they get enough love in the Lord of the Rings universe. Made by the same girl who made this dragon I have already talked about. The dragons themselves were cute enough (and inspired by the Reign of Fire dragons, so they were already kind of nerdy), but now she modified her pattern to make a fell beast.

Look at his little teeth! Isn't he so adorable? I like the little spikeys on his back. And everything is poseable! There are wires running all through the neck and wings so that you can reenact your very favorite scene from Lord of the Rings. As long as it's not the part where he gets his head chopped off.

You can pick up the pattern for the original dragon over on etsy, but as of right now there is no pattern for the fell beast. And check out even more pictures over on Craftster! I think I might need one of these to guard my Lord of the Rings DVDs. Anyway, stay tuned!

Grr! Argh!

2009-06-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Alright, just a quick note about this adorable little embroidery project I found over on flickr by TiLT creation!

Dinosaurs? Awesome. Firefly? Awesome. I love the colors she used on the dinosaurs, they are adorable. And I love the childish looking scirbbly font, too. It looks like something Wash would totally draw. Anyway, just a quick note! Back to my own embroidery.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, everyone! I hope everyone is having a good day, and I hope that no one found out their father was some sort of evil galactic ruler who was trying his best to kill you and all of your friends and then proceeded to cut off one of your limbs. You know. The usual.
Adorable picture via Flickr!

A Question

2009-06-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, everyone, I have a question for you. You're walking down the street, minding your own business. You are going to get some cake from the bakery, and it's a lovely day outside. Right as you are turning on to the main street, this van drives past you and parks right in front of the bakery.

What do you do?

Yes please

2009-06-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yes I would like this please thank you very much. How awesome are these bookends?

Oh Georgy. I promised you I would never give you money ever again after those awful prequel movies and your childish, petty refusal to put the original THX editions on DVD, but now here you are with this awesome bookend set and I'm ready to fork over some more cash. Of course at $190 these bookends aren't an impulse purchase, but they look awesome and I covet them. They sure as hell wouldn't be holding any prequel DVDs, not in this house no sir, but I have some lovely Star Wars books that would look mighty nice.

Anyway, these don't even ship out until April 2010, so I hope no one is too excited about these. I guess it gives you enough time to start saving up your pennies though. Stay tuned!

via Gizmodo.

Sure, why not?

2009-06-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Why not have the original cast of Star Trek knitted up as meerkats?

Well, there's just no reason now, is there? So here you go! But maybe the original cast isn't your thing. It's too corny. Well, we've got that covered!

Here's The Next Generation. I like the Reading Rainbow guy's eye thingy. Alright, alright. You don't like the Next Generation either?

Have some Janeway. (She's a little hard to recognize without that awful hair).
Or maybe Chakotay!

Yeah. I have no idea why they are meerkats, but I think they are pretty cute. Plus they are knitted, and I have to give props to anyone crazy enough to knit something like this. My brain is almost ready to explode just thinking about how difficult this would be to do. Anyway, if you want to pick one of these little buggers up, just go to Niftyknits etsy site! She seems to be ready and willing to make custom orders, too, so feel free to ask for a Tom Paris meerket but as a lizard from that one episode where he turned into a lizard and had lizard babies with Captain Janeway. Yeah, that's right.

A Different Kind of Baby

2009-06-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Alright, everyone, I've talked about some cute stuff for babies before. But those were for human babies! And human babies are chumps. Now, if you were looking for something for a Klingon baby, well, that's pretty hardcore. And there are some pretty hardcore baby items available for a baby like that. Check it out:
The baby cradle--although I would have assumed Klingons just leave their babies on rocks or something, to toughen them up.
A baby walker.

A rocking horse--which is probably my favorite. It looks wickedly evil.And finally a rattle toy.

Now these, of course, aren't really available on the market, because you know if they were some crazy Trekkie parents would go and buy these for their kid (wait--are Trekkies allowed to mate? What's that? Only every seven years? Alright then). These are part of an art gallery show by Shi Jinsong. Well duh! Do you know how fast those things would be covered with fingerprints if they were real? I mean, come on. Stay tuned!

More Stitch Wars!

2009-06-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

More and more cool stuff is being made for the Stitch Wars gallery exhibition! I am so excited. Here are some super cute adorable little Star Wars moon buns from Moon's Creations.
Cute, right? I've probably posted these before (because I love all of the Moon buns, I think they are so cute) but I figured they could show up again. I especially love Chewie! I wonder if he is made out of the same yarn as I use...it's a pain in the butt to use but it's the only thing I've found that looks like Wookie fur. I wonder if a yarn designer out there ever pictured their yarn being used for Chewie fur? Probably not.

And here's Ghost Kenobi. So cute! I love the blue shade. And his costume looks rather complicated--he has a little tunic on, and a belt, and a little jedi robe! All ghosty blue tinted, of course. I love the little mustache.
And finally, my favorite bunny--Oola! Poor Oola, you didn't last very long, but now you will live forever in bunny infamy! I love the little headband and the chain around her neck. Too cute!

Anyway, I'm really excited to know that our little dudes will be in such good company. I wish I could see everything together! And it looks like the 501st is going to be making an appearance at the gallery on opening night, too. I'm so jealous! But for now we will have to look at all of this adorableness through the computer. Stay tuned!

Reach for the Stars!

2009-06-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Alright people, listen up. It's never too early to start geekifying young children. If you wait until they are old enough to talk, it's too late. Best to start them off when they are babies. Their brains are still mushy at that age, and the brain accepts information more readily because it is porous. Trust me, I'm a brain scientist.

Anyway, here's a shining example of someone doing their part:
It's a Mario baby blanket! I like it because it's not another one of those pixelated 8 bit game projects--don't get me wrong, I think they're really cute, I'm just really tired of seeing them. I really like the black outlines around all of the shapes, too.

Oh yeah! And the best part? The pattern is available for free! To make the Mario version all you have to do is use different colors and glue on some cute little eyes (I assume, anyway, there really aren't any notes about it on Ravelry). So if you guys know any cold babies out there, start crocheting! Stay tuned!

ETA: Maybe this mobile would be a nice accessory, yeah? The Left 4 Dead one is probably too much, though. You don't want to raise a serial killer.

Wanna see what I've been doing?

2009-06-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

Alright, now keep in mind this is an "in progress" shot. In progress meaning the first 1/8th of the project is only half done. So I still have a lot to do--like way more to do on it than I'll ever probably get done in this lifetime. Anyway, here it is!

Yay! What do you guys think? I'm really super excited about it. You can see the starting of some color up at the top--I'm still not too good at satin stitch, but I think I'll get better the more I work on it. Now I just have to work out the long and short stitch to fill in the big areas (like Amaterasu) and I'll be set! This thing is going to be one brightly colored crazy pieces when it's done. Check out the picture I'm basing it on:

I know it's a little fuzzy (open it in a separate window to see it clearly), but isn't it awesome? It has almost every character from Okami. Oh, and see the tiny little circle with Amaterasu in it in the middle? Yeah, that's what took me, like, a month to do. Well, it took me that long to do the outline, it will probably take me four times that long to fill in the color. But can you imagine how amazing it's going to look when it's done? Anyway, I'm radiating out from the middle, so there are a couple of other figures drawn (by my boyfriend, of course, since I can't draw at all, or apparently even trace) in pencil around the outside, and I can't wait to start on them!

I really want to know what you guys think about this. I was worried about posting in progress shots, but I'm super excited about it! Let me know what you think, and stay tuned for more!

A backpack that really shields your stuff!

2009-06-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Check out this adorable little backpack over on Craftster!

And look--the back even zips up.

I think it's adorable! Personally I wouldn't have crocheted it--I would have made it out of something stiffer, like a felt or some sort of fabric with heavy interfacing--but I really like the concept. Also I think the crochet on the back of the shield is really pretty, and I am jealous that there is a zipper. I have always found zippers to be difficult, so I'm pretty easily impressed when someone is able to put such a nice, clean looking one in their project.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm not courageous enough to actually wear something like this, but I find the idea of it totally adorable. Stay tuned for picture of my embroidery project, coming soon! (I'm sure everyone is holding their breath).

Heh.

2009-06-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

Heh. Wookie Cookies.

Another entry for the fabulous Stitch Wars show! Every time I see something new that is going to be at the show I contemplate buying a plane ticket to Florida just so I can see all of this awesome stuff in person. These wookie cookies were made by the very talented lady over at the Yummy Pancake. These little guys are so ridiculous and totally adorable. Too cute! Stay tuned!

Cute Little Monster

2009-06-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, for something a little different I thought I would share these little guys. They aren't related to any fandom or anything like that but I think they are super cute and really creative. Made by this very talented lady, it looks like these portal monsters are just the beginning of a series of portal monsters. I can't wait to see what the rest of them look like!

This little monster is my favorite. He is depicting wonder/curiosity. I just love the way she used the embroidery hoop as a portal! And I love the little ripples on the felt where he is popping up. Oh yeah, and I love how he is stabilizing himself with his other hand as he is pulling himself out. All in all, I think the whole thing is brilliant! He is too cute.
I like this one because it shows her crochet work. Most of the other stuff she does is plush (probably felt?) but her little crochet creatures are adorable too. I think this one is a cow/cat hybrid. I like the horns!
This one is called "Believe" and depicts the emotion of hope. I love the gesture! I'm pretty sure that the fingers (and arms?) are made out of pipe cleaners. I love the dangling green pieces.

And here is a new monster--yet to be named, I believe--and the wonder/curiosity monster from earlier. They are friends! Too cute. It looks like the new creature is ripping out of his portal, instead of pushing out like the other one.

Anyway, I thought these were adorable. I never thought of using an embroidery hoop like this, but I think that it is a great new way to look at them. I can't wait to see what new monsters this artist makes! If anyone is interested in anything she sells she does have an etsy store--I thought the birdies were especially cute, but not necessarily geeky. It's worth taking a look, though. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! Stay tuned!

Still Alive

2009-06-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm not dead, I've just been very lazy. Bad me! I haven't updated in a long time I know, and I'm really sorry. I wish I could blame it on work or something, but it's not that. We're just really tired of making our little dudes. I know, I know, it's depressing. And there are still so many characters we want to make, it's just...they are very hard to make and each new character can take upwards of 10 hours of work. And everyone keeps asking for the same characters over and over, and it's just getting exhausting. Not a sustainable business model, I guess, though people seem to like the patterns. And lately there has been no new crafty goodness that really makes me excited, and so the blog has been neglected.

But don't worry! I won't let the blog waste away. I just have to try harder to find the cool new stuff that I know is out there, somewhere. I have been working on a new project of my own, an embroidery project, but it is going to take a long, long time to finish. My boyfriend estimates five years, but he is probably factoring in my admittedly short attention span. So far I am loving embroidery though! It's based on a picture I found on the internet from my favorite game, Okami. Once again I'm going to urge anyone who hasn't played it to GO GET IT. Seriously. It's for the PS2, which is super cheap now, and it will provide you with at least 50 hours of the most fun gameplay you've ever had. And it's beautiful! Which is why I wanted to do an embroidery project based on it. But I'll post pictures of it soon, in its half completed state.

But for now, enjoy some really cool Star Wars embroidery! Here's a great one for Father's day--you can get more info on it here.

And this one...I haven't posted this one before, but I've known about it for a while. It disturbs me, but I thought I would post it here and let you guys make a decision about it. I want to like it, I think the concept is really funny, but...I don't know, the sexy stormtrooper really freaks me out. The flickr page is here.
Yeah, I don't know what's up with the head in the crook of the arm either. Anyway, you guys should really stay tuned. I'm making it my mission to be better about posting, I promise! And I'll be posting pictures of my new project soon--stage 1 (of like, maybe 20 stages) is almost done! Stay tuned!!

Totally Off Topic

2009-05-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

Do you guys want to watch the cutest video ever? Take a look.

Isn't it adorable? Those little guys look like they are having loads of fun. Also, I want to go to the New Zealand zoo. Our zoo doesn't have King penguins! Anyway, I hope you guys got a laugh out of it. Stay tuned!

Tauntaun plush!

2009-05-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while. Stuff has just been kind of boring around here lately. We're still making our dudes, but they are nothing new, just Star Wars and Lord of the Rings characters, stuff you guys have seen before. Anyway, I finally found something that I thought was pretty neat! This little plushie is going to be at the same show that our Star Wars guys are going to be at! We are going to be in good company. Take a look! It was designed by artist Heidi Kennedy--you can check out her stuff over at My Paper Crane.
Aww, Luke is so cold. He does not look very happy.

And the tauntaun's tummy zips up, and Luke fits inside. How cute is that? And before anyone asks, yes, I may have a small obsession with tauntauns being split open and used for warmth. Does anyone have a problem with that? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Anyway, hopefully we will be done with the repeat characters soon and be able to make some new characters, but who knows. Stay tuned!

Guess what today is!

2009-05-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's Limerick Day! Which means you can go around reciting naughty limericks and no one can stop you. That's what it means, right? If it's not, then I'm probably fired. Anyway, I found some really funny limericks, thought I would share them here. Some of them aren't quite right (I'm really obsessive about the right number of syllables in a line, and some of these are a little off) but they're still pretty funny.

First, a Star Wars one.

The fourth Star Wars movie came first
And it led to a decades long thirst
For starships and lasers
And photons and phasers
Its influence wasn't the worst

The second one wasn't half bad
Though the freezing of Solo was sad
But the biggest plot twist
Wasn't Luke's cut-off wrist
It was Vader as Skywalker's dad

The third movie sold lots of toys
Fuzzy Ewoks the stature of boys
Luke's regretting that kiss
Now that Leia's his sis
And Han Solo is sharing her joys

And some Lord of the Rings limericks.

The Elves rescued Frodo, hooray!
But then sent him into the fray,
"Poor Middle Earth's stuffed
and we've had enough
we're all nicking off, anyway!"

When Gandalf fell down to the pit
the audience thought that was it
but he'll be all right
and come back in white
the sequel is already writ!

Yay! Feel free to leave a naughty limerick in the comments section. Stay tuned!

Do you know what day it is?

2009-05-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today is May 4th, otherwise known as Star Wars day! Get it? May the 4th be with you? Alright, so it's a really bad joke. But I just found out today, and after I got off of work! I didn't even get to torture all of my co-workers with Star Wars quotes all day (okay, well I did a little bit anyway, but it would have been a lot worse if I had known it was Star Wars day!)

So how should we celebrate? How about a free pattern! For today only, in celebration of Star Wars day, if you buy a Heroes of the Rebellion pattern I will send you the Yoda and Ackbar pattern for free! Hurry and order before midnight!

The Stormtroopers are already partying!

Stay tuned for more coming up soon!

The Most Awesome Book

2009-05-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone, are you ready for some awesomeness? Because I found the most awesome book today. No, it's not about Dinosaurs and the Bible, but it might be even better. It's about lasers and robots and stuff. Take a look.
Okay now, I know this looks like a ridiculous book. But it is absolutely, positively the real deal. The book seriously has electrical diagrams and instructions on how to make your very own laser pistols and ray guns and stuff. Here's the actual names of some of the chapters:

Ch 2: Visible Red Continuous Laser Gun

Ch 4: High-Power Pulsed Red Ruby Laser Gun

Ch 7: Pocket Pain Field Generator

Ch 14: Ion Ray Gun/High-Voltage Generator

Ch 16: Magnetic Field Distortion Detecto

Ch 27: Electronic Paralyzing Device

Isn't that crazy? Just when you thought you were safe from evil crazy scientists making space laser guns BAM! Here are some plans, right here in the open. Everything an evil scientist needs to begin taking over the world, bwa haha hahah! Okay, just kidding. I have no idea what this book is saying, it's all gibberish to me.

Anyway, I though you guys would appreciate some of this craziness. I wouldn't believe it was possible unless I saw it myself. Stay tuned!

Disney has a sense of humor!

2009-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of. Check out these posters that were supposedly used to boost employee spirit for the Star Wars weekend (as if someone couldn't get excited about Star Wars on their own). However, these posters could be interpreted as being anti-Star Wars if you take a closer look at them. Here they are, with my take on them.

This one says, "Make fun of short people! They can't ride our rides!" I mean, is it really the Ewoks fault that they are so short? Haven't they already been persecuted enough by Stephen Colbert? On a side note, Colbert says that Ewoks are perfect they way they are--bite sized.*

Now Disney is making fun of fat Gamorrean guards. Aren't they ugly enough without Disney shoving their ridiculous standards of beauty in our faces? It's mostly muscle mass though, at least that's what Jabba told me**.

Poor Stormtrooper. He's going to starve to death unless he can find a way to take his helmet off. And judging how the stormtroopers acted over on the forest moon of Endor, I think it's a good bet he'll starve to death. They got beaten by a bunch of Ewoks who couldn't even ride the rides at Disneyworld!

This one is my favorite. It says to me, "Come on kids, have fun at Disneyworld! Watch as a murderous father tries to kill his own son! It's the most magical place on earth!" Also, the lightsaber being on makes me very nervous. All it takes is one little flick of the wrist and Darth Vader's head will be cut in half. Plus you can see the lightsaber from a good distance away, thereby losing your sense of surprise. Although I guess a giant tall guy dressed in all black with a cape doesn't blend into the crowd very much. Am I over analyzing this? Probably. But is it really funny to capitalize on a father's murderous rage towards his son? I guess the answer would have to be yes.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed these posters, even with my very pointed and astute observations about them. I hope everyone is having a nice week! Stay tuned for more cool stuff coming soon.

via Superpunch.

*Okay, he didn't actually say that. But I'm sure he would if someone asked him how he felt about the Ewoks height.

**Okay, he didn't actually say that. But I'm sure he would if he weren't dead and fictional.