Miscellaneous nonsense

I had grand plans of getting my house cleaned over Thanksgiving weekend and catching up on all kinds of craft projects, but I really just wanted to sit around and read magazines. However, I did a few small things, introducing more nonsense into the world. Perhaps we’ll call it an homage to the new Muppet movie.

One particular hardware store employee helped me brainstorm and find pieces for my Pez dispensers, so I made him a gift to take to him when I bring in pictures of the finished dispensers.

bug bug

Don’t ask. I don’t have an answer.

I experimented with crochet shaping on Friday. The first one didn’t turn out remotely like I planned/hoped, but, well, here’s a potato monster in a tree.

up a tree

Of course he doesn’t actually live in a tree; that would be silly. He lives in a basket.

in a basket

That’s all for now!

Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans and US residents out there, and anyone else who would like to be wished a Happy Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving, in addition to friends, family, health, and financial security, I am thankful for…

MONSTERS!!!

festive monsters

I am also thankful for a little time off. Work has been hectic and intruding greatly into the rest of my life, so this weekend will be good for getting caught up at home and produce some things to show you in the coming days. Have a lovely holiday!

Schooled by coffee

This is the September Ravelry CAL and Amigurumi Army mission post, which would usually appear two weeks from now (second Thursday of the month after the mission). However, I’m done with them already, and I am going to stop taking part regularly. I have too many of my own projects that are higher priority. So here’s the last of the regular-participation posts.

The CAL theme was “back to school.” I tried to make Stumpy a backpack, but I didn’t measure very well (read: at all) and it was a little snug. However, it fit the Hug Monster:

wearing the backpack

I did this by chaining, making an oval by stitching around both sides of the chain (with three sc in each end) for two rounds, I think, and then stitching around with no increase until it was as tall as I wanted the front opening to be. Then I switched to stitching in rows, slip stitching at the end to make the first few rows each decrease in length, and then stitching straight (with a ch 1 at the start of each row) until the flap came down far enough. The straps were made just like the coffee mug handle, below, except that I didn’t join new yarn for them – for one of the rows of the bag I did the straps in FL only and then continued with the bag flap in the BL.

face-on view from the side

I have foreshadowed the next item: coffee! I could have personalized the mug but nothing jumped out at me. 

unassuming

That is, until the coffee did!

Rargh!

The theme for Amigurumi Army this month was “Amis with a Twist.” I got the coffee monster idea from Irka!, though hers is better executed (you may remember her from the fish to sushi pattern). For this one I have an actual pattern.

Coffee:
1. 7 sc in magic ring
2. 2sc around (14)
3. *2sc, sc* around (21)
FO yarn. Join new yarn in BL at a different spot around the circle.
4. sc in BL around (21)
5-10. sc around (21; 6 rows)
11. *dec, sc* around (14)
12. dec around (7)
Stuff, FO, embroider face.

Mug:
1. 7 sc in magic ring
2. 2sc around (14)
3. *2sc, sc* around (21)
4. *2sc, sc, sc* around (28)
FO yarn. Join new yarn in BL at a different spot around the circle.
5. sc in BL around (28)
6-12. sc around (28; 7 rows)
FO.
For handle: join new yarn to row 11. Ch 20, sl st to row 6.
Sl st again in row 6 one stitch away in direction back bumps of chain face.
Hdc in back bumps of chain back up to top of mug; the first one will be awkward.
Sl st one stitch away from initial yarn join; FO.