Nosferatu and Corportate Zombie

Patterns: Nosferatu and Corporate Zombie from Creepy Cute Crochet
Yarn: Scraps of Lamb's Pride Worsted, Cascade 220 and Elann Sierra
Notes: Check the author's blog for errata, tips and hints.
I didn't have any red felt and the kids didn't want to wait for a trip to the fabric store so I did some half-assed crochet-like blood on the mouth of the zombie. It looks like he's sticking his tongue. He's a lot happier looking than I expected.

Doubleknit Podcast #3

The newest podcast is available on the Doubleknit blog. It will take a little while for it to appear on iTunes.

IK Crochet Preview

It's up. As always I welcome your thoughts.

Good Evvvveeeening

I got a copy of Creepy Cute Crochet at TNNA. At first glance I was unenthused. All the little creatures have essentially the same body and head (there are a few exceptions). But when my kids got their hands on it they were in love. They asked--no, demanded--to be taught to crochet yesterday so they could "make two of everything in the book." I'm not whiz at crochet. I got them yarn and hooks and sat them down and showed them how to make a chain. My eight year old gave up after about 26 seconds. My 10 year old stuck to it a little longer. He made a chain and tried to learn single crochet. Then he gave up too. So I was instructed to make one of the patterns from the book. They picked Nosferatu. I made the head yesterday. It looked awful. I made a second one. It was much tighter and more rounded. I made the body, ears and collar today and stitched it all together. He just needs some buttons for eyes and felt for fangs and he'll be ready to suck. Your blood.

I have some minor quibbles with this book.
1. The instructions for the head are the same for nearly all the patterns yet they appear completely different from doll to doll. The instructions for Nosferatu's head make a sphere but his picture makes his head look very oval.
2. The patterns tell you to increase and decrease but don't explain how. I found more instruction on the author's website. I also found errata for the head there.
3.The instructions for the head and body both tell you to finish the piece and then later tell you stuff them once they're all closed up. I noticed this and stuffed them before finishing and so will 99% of people making them so not a huge deal.

A Few More TNNA Pictures

We've got Amy Singer and Jillian Moreno spinning, the Threadbear boys knitting, Stephanie from Spritely Goods (behind Amy).


Stephanie and Nathania of Purlescence.


A chocolate orgy courtesy of Lexie Barnes.

Lyle the Lobster

Pattern: Lyle the Lobster by Patti Gonsalves (free)
Yarn: Mission Falls Cotton from Amanda (free)
Notes: Totally straight-forward and easy amigurumi. I found attaching all the appendages really tedious which is why I waited nearly a month to finish it. Without them though he looks kind of like a sex toy. Better to sew them on.

Ripple Afghan Square

When you go to TNNA you practically have free yarn thrown at you. I was honestly turning down offers of lovely free yarn because...well, I don't need more yarn. And I didn't want to carry it all home. But when the ladies at Sheep Shop Yarn asked me to take home some yarn to test drive I said yes. The same day I got word of some friends making an afghan for another friend who is going through a rough time. I needed to knit an 8" x 8" square in worsted weight yarn. I wound the Sheep 1 (by hand) and started trawling Ravelry for dishcloth patterns. After a few misfires I found a pattern I liked that I hoped would create an appropriately sized sqaure. The yarn is really nice. I was told it was softer than Manos, harder wearing than Malabrigo and with a consistent grist (thickness). It is all these things. The square is a little less than square but I'm hoping in the larger context of an afghan it will be just fine.

Man Up

If you plan to leave a comment like this on my blog, " you fuckwits have no clue. Clare is fabulous and you are all ignorant and devoid of taste," then please have the guts to leave your name and contact information. Nasty, anonymous comments will be cheerfully deleted and their authors banned.

FYI, the comment was for this post.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

From the designer who brought you the dissected frog comes just the thing you've been waiting for. The dissected rat! You can relive those the waves of panic and nausea that made dissection so much fun without all the mess.




You can knit one yourself. The pattern is available as a download.

Personally, I'm still holding out for the fetal pig.

Auburn Camp Shirt Progress Report

I brought only one project with me to Columbus, the Auburn Camp Shirt. I wanted some dedicated knitting time to make actual progress on the project.


My progress after the first leg of the trip.


After two days in Columbus (I think).

Every time I pulled out my knitting everyone around me would start asking me about it. "What are you making?"
"What size needles are those?"
"What yarn is that?"
"You're making a sweater in lace-weight?"
"Are you nuts?"
When I finally met Chrissy Gardiner, the pattern designer, I proudly pulled out my knitting to show her. Before even looking at it she emphatically announced, "I never want to knit that sweater again." I had hoped she'd be the one person who wouldn't think I was crazy for knitting it. It turns out she had a crazy deadline for the sample and had to knit the sweater in two weeks along with some socks. So I can understand her negative associations.

Look, even Annie Modesitt thinks I'm crazy.





Here's where I am now. I don't know about you but I am pretty impressed. It's growing. And I keep reminding myself that the sleeves are tiny. I will finish this sweater damn it. And I will wear it with pride.

Continuing Crazy Small World News

While walking the floor at TNNA I passed a woman who looked just like a dear friend from knitting camp. I stopped. I backed up. I looked at her. I realized it couldn't be her because she wasn't a yarn shop owner. I walked away. I backed up again. Anyway, it was her! It was my friend Dawn. She drove up with three ladies who own her LYS where she teaches. We made plans to get together for dinner. At dinner we noticed the woman at the next table were knitting. We asked where they were from. They were from the Katonah Yarn Company. I said I grew up near there. After much discussion I find out that one of the ladies used to live three blocks from where I grew up and her children went to my day camp and elementary school! I told them I was with a friend from knitting camp and they asked if I knew Denise, another good camp friend.

I also finally met Kristi Porter. She and I went to college together but didn't know each other than. I mentioned it to Cookie and it turns out she went to the University of Chicago too. There were so many other funny little connections while I was there. I won't bore you with any more.

The TNNA Diet

It turns out that if you only eat one meal a day and walk about 10 miles on the sale floor of a trade show you lose a few pounds. The time change really threw off my eating schedule in Columbus. When it was lunchtime there it only felt like mid-morning to me. Then when it was my lunchtime it was 4 in the afternoon there. So I'd just hold out and eat a huge dinner. Then I'd curse myself at midnight in my hotel room when I was famished and there was no available food. Then yesterday I made a point to eat lunch on Columbus time for fear that I would not have time to eat while traveling. I am so glad I did. I ate at 10 am my time and did not eat again (except for a Cookie at the Columbus airport while hanging out with Cookie A. and the ladies from Dream in Color) until after midnight when I got home. My wonderful husband made me a hamburger when I crawled in the door then presented me with a Trophy cupcake. Yeah, he's a keeper.