most of a pocket creature (plus alteration ideas)
Look what I did yesterday!
It's the beginnings of a Pocket Creature. I didn't mean to do it in such similar colors to the Uni creature in the pattern pictures, but I just happened to grab the blue yarn for the body, and the red was then an obvious good contrast color. (If anybody really cares, the blue is Patons Classic Wool, and the red is from the original sample of Clasgens wool I got many moons ago. Finally a use for it!)
It's actually almost done. I still have to get the buttons for the eye, and figure out how to embroider a mouth. (I've never embroidered, but I'm sure I can figure something out.) I also have to make the stuffing. But the knitting stuff is done.
I found a small error in the pattern, though it's small enough that you'll find it and figure out how to fudge around it if you make it. I did the arms a bit differently, in that I knit the icords separately, then sewed them in. I think that was a lot easier than trying to pick up 6 stitches around a little yarnover hole, and then turn those into a neat icord. Oh, and I didn't do all of the sewing called for on the base, because it seemed a bit much. We'll see how well the baggie of rice stays in there. If it's not secure enough as-is, I'll do more sewing later.
For the hair, I poked a bunch of lengths of yarn through, poked the other ends through, tied them in knots to secure, then unplied the yarn to create the little creature 'fro.
It was a pretty fun little pattern to knit, because it keeps on changing. Also, when I started, I wasn't quite sure why I was doing what I was doing. I just blindly (mostly) followed the pattern, and soon enough it became clear what was what. Now that I have a better idea of how the little creature is constructed, I have some ideas for further changes to the pattern for the next one. (I've got to knit them in pairs, 'cause people have two hands!) One thing I'm going to try to do is shape the bottom at least partially with short rows, like a sock heel flap/heel cup. This one has you do shaping with increasing and decreasing, then sew stuff together to create that cup shape. I think short rows will be easier and nicer looking. I'm also thinking about doing fewer decreases for the neck, but putting in eyelets, through which I'll string a piece of yarn or ribbon. Then I can cinch it closed when all of the head/face details are done, and make a little bow tie. You can see in both my picture and the pattern picture that the neck is a bit mess looking with all that decreasing and increasing, so I think this will be a cute way to 1. get rid of some of the messiness, and 2. hide the rest of the messiness. I might also make the arms out of braids instead of icord. The icord arms are cute, and I'll do them again, but I think that braids will be cute, too. And a bit less work, if I'm feeling lazy.
Any other ideas for pattern alterations? I can't wait to play around with it. It's so small and such a quick knit that even if my alterations are a disaster, there won't be much lost in terms of time, materials, or patience. I love it!
It's the beginnings of a Pocket Creature. I didn't mean to do it in such similar colors to the Uni creature in the pattern pictures, but I just happened to grab the blue yarn for the body, and the red was then an obvious good contrast color. (If anybody really cares, the blue is Patons Classic Wool, and the red is from the original sample of Clasgens wool I got many moons ago. Finally a use for it!)
It's actually almost done. I still have to get the buttons for the eye, and figure out how to embroider a mouth. (I've never embroidered, but I'm sure I can figure something out.) I also have to make the stuffing. But the knitting stuff is done.
I found a small error in the pattern, though it's small enough that you'll find it and figure out how to fudge around it if you make it. I did the arms a bit differently, in that I knit the icords separately, then sewed them in. I think that was a lot easier than trying to pick up 6 stitches around a little yarnover hole, and then turn those into a neat icord. Oh, and I didn't do all of the sewing called for on the base, because it seemed a bit much. We'll see how well the baggie of rice stays in there. If it's not secure enough as-is, I'll do more sewing later.
For the hair, I poked a bunch of lengths of yarn through, poked the other ends through, tied them in knots to secure, then unplied the yarn to create the little creature 'fro.
It was a pretty fun little pattern to knit, because it keeps on changing. Also, when I started, I wasn't quite sure why I was doing what I was doing. I just blindly (mostly) followed the pattern, and soon enough it became clear what was what. Now that I have a better idea of how the little creature is constructed, I have some ideas for further changes to the pattern for the next one. (I've got to knit them in pairs, 'cause people have two hands!) One thing I'm going to try to do is shape the bottom at least partially with short rows, like a sock heel flap/heel cup. This one has you do shaping with increasing and decreasing, then sew stuff together to create that cup shape. I think short rows will be easier and nicer looking. I'm also thinking about doing fewer decreases for the neck, but putting in eyelets, through which I'll string a piece of yarn or ribbon. Then I can cinch it closed when all of the head/face details are done, and make a little bow tie. You can see in both my picture and the pattern picture that the neck is a bit mess looking with all that decreasing and increasing, so I think this will be a cute way to 1. get rid of some of the messiness, and 2. hide the rest of the messiness. I might also make the arms out of braids instead of icord. The icord arms are cute, and I'll do them again, but I think that braids will be cute, too. And a bit less work, if I'm feeling lazy.
Any other ideas for pattern alterations? I can't wait to play around with it. It's so small and such a quick knit that even if my alterations are a disaster, there won't be much lost in terms of time, materials, or patience. I love it!
posted by Rebekkah at 9:12 AM
1 Comments:
Of course, on my monitor, the creature and its background look purple, and given your recent spat of purple FOs/WIPs, it made me giggle.
~schizospider
Post a Comment
<< Home