On a roll
Man, this last week was productive, both knitting and otherwise. I turned in scholarship forms, filled out a job application (when did I become an adult?! Ahhhhh!!), and, of course, knitted until my hands were numb. (Almost. I'm not quite that insane.)
First up, more for the menagerie. Gray squirrels:
Raccoons:
And a bonus shot of a raccoon and a panda doing a tumbling act:
I was working on a whole whack of critters Friday night, got 85% of the way done with the embroidery on the faces, and realized it was almost midnight. So I just chucked them on my desk and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, these two had somehow wound up in that position on their own. Funny, but also kinda spooky if you think about it.
I also made more doll winter accessories in colors I'm calling "Girly Girl" and "Aurora Borealis". No pictures yet, I'm waiting for sunlight tomorrow. I want to keep them all. Sigh. I think I'm going to switch over to sweaters next, for a change of pace (and needle size).
And in the non-bazaar category, I finally finished Omma's Jasmine scarf! Full-length:
Closeup:
And this is how much of the second ball I had left over:
Hee hee hee.
For those of you wondering how I get this much done even though I have a full course load: I always have a project or two in my backpack; usually I have at least one fairly complex (like the Jasmine scarf - lace and cables), and at least one simple (like doll clothes or traveling socks). On 3 days out of the week, I have four or five classes a day, with roughly 45-60 minute breaks between them. It's really not enough time to go back to my room, so often I'll just park myself in the student union or somewhere else and knit. I also knit when I don't need to take notes - like when I'm not drawing diagrams in A&P. And on the weekends, especially if I come home, I have a tendency to display nesting behavior: I hole up on the couch or my bed with the laptop and my huge bag (this one) of knitting supplies, projects, and yarn, and don't move for the majority of the weekend. Seriously. Weekends are my time, and I choose to make them down time as much as possible.
~~~MERCHANDISE UPDATE~~~
Between a few friends and my dad, I think I'm getting close to coming up with a store name. I'm currently dithering between Jenni's Alcove, Jenni's Nook, or Jenni's Corner. It would be subdivided into categories as necessary - mini critters, doll clothes, and poseables are currently the "lines" I would be offering. Thoughts?
Since I know about how long it takes me to make a horse, I was going to try another design next. Besides horses, I plan to offer Western and possibly Eastern dragons (with felt/embroidered wings and scales, natch), a few types of dinos, and maybe a Nessie or two. I'm thinking I'll try Nessie next, and maybe a Brontosaurus after that. I might hold off until I can get some plastic pellets though; I think the poseables need a bit more weight and substance to avoid toppling over. (Nessie shouldn't; she'll be fairly low to the ground anyway.) I also need to pick up some felt for the dragons and dinos (I'm thinking spikes/plates on Stegosauruses and maybe belly scales on a T-rex) too. Oh, and it turns out Walmart has a ton of cheap, small-print fabrics that are perfect for doll clothes. Something to keep in mind.
Child safety: I try to make my toy creations as child-safe as possible. I don't even use safety eyes unless they're specifically requested; instead, I use embroidery floss to make the eyes and facial features. (Allows for more colorful variety, too.) All the parts are sewn down and secured, so they shouldn't come off even in the wash. I use acrylic yarn for two reasons: 1) So there's no question about wool allergies, and 2) for ease of washing. This is especially important for the mini critters (the ones I've been cranking out), because those are more geared for very young kids. No point in making something hand-wash only that will be hauled all over creation and get who-knows-what on it, right? For the poseables, the wires are all bent into loops and then hot-glued at the very tips, so there's no chance of poking or scratching.
Molly will be going as Princess Leia (Episode IV version) for Halloween. I already have the fabric (a lovely shimmery white jersey-knit snagged from the remnants bin), and I'll probably grab some gray/silver sculpey to make the accessories. Hee hee hee.
Incidentally, I tucked Tiberius into my knitting bag and brought him to church, since quite a few people wanted to see the finished product. One of the ladies from the prayer shawl ministry has a five-year-old girl, and she was quite enamored of him. I let her handle him, and she was so careful - lightly petting his mane, moving his legs, and "trotting" him by gently bouncing him along the table. It was quite adorable, and I think he was a hit with a number of moms. Yay Tiberius! (Her mom and dad are both engineers and huge geeks, and her dad groaned/laughed and shook his head when I told him what the unicorn's name was. Ahahahaha.)
If the weather goes bipolar again this week, I will seriously be snarly. You have been warned.
In "me knitting", I want to make this top so bad it's not even funny. I'm thinking cap sleeves instead of 3/4-length, and make it in a light heathery blue-green cotton. And maybe do the wings in white and gray, in intarsia, instead of cables. To minimize on bulk. If I like it enough, I am TOTALLY making it in a wool blend for fall/winter.
And one last thing, a PSA of sorts: if a picture appears on your Facebook wall, please check to make sure it says "Joe Schmoe posted a picture to your wall" rather than "Joe Schmoe was tagged in a picture" before verbally ripping Joe Schmoe a new one for posting said picture. They have no control over the latter, and it will leave them hurt, scratching their heads and wondering WTF just happened.
First up, more for the menagerie. Gray squirrels:
Raccoons:
And a bonus shot of a raccoon and a panda doing a tumbling act:
I was working on a whole whack of critters Friday night, got 85% of the way done with the embroidery on the faces, and realized it was almost midnight. So I just chucked them on my desk and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, these two had somehow wound up in that position on their own. Funny, but also kinda spooky if you think about it.
I also made more doll winter accessories in colors I'm calling "Girly Girl" and "Aurora Borealis". No pictures yet, I'm waiting for sunlight tomorrow. I want to keep them all. Sigh. I think I'm going to switch over to sweaters next, for a change of pace (and needle size).
And in the non-bazaar category, I finally finished Omma's Jasmine scarf! Full-length:
Closeup:
And this is how much of the second ball I had left over:
Hee hee hee.
For those of you wondering how I get this much done even though I have a full course load: I always have a project or two in my backpack; usually I have at least one fairly complex (like the Jasmine scarf - lace and cables), and at least one simple (like doll clothes or traveling socks). On 3 days out of the week, I have four or five classes a day, with roughly 45-60 minute breaks between them. It's really not enough time to go back to my room, so often I'll just park myself in the student union or somewhere else and knit. I also knit when I don't need to take notes - like when I'm not drawing diagrams in A&P. And on the weekends, especially if I come home, I have a tendency to display nesting behavior: I hole up on the couch or my bed with the laptop and my huge bag (this one) of knitting supplies, projects, and yarn, and don't move for the majority of the weekend. Seriously. Weekends are my time, and I choose to make them down time as much as possible.
~~~MERCHANDISE UPDATE~~~
Between a few friends and my dad, I think I'm getting close to coming up with a store name. I'm currently dithering between Jenni's Alcove, Jenni's Nook, or Jenni's Corner. It would be subdivided into categories as necessary - mini critters, doll clothes, and poseables are currently the "lines" I would be offering. Thoughts?
Since I know about how long it takes me to make a horse, I was going to try another design next. Besides horses, I plan to offer Western and possibly Eastern dragons (with felt/embroidered wings and scales, natch), a few types of dinos, and maybe a Nessie or two. I'm thinking I'll try Nessie next, and maybe a Brontosaurus after that. I might hold off until I can get some plastic pellets though; I think the poseables need a bit more weight and substance to avoid toppling over. (Nessie shouldn't; she'll be fairly low to the ground anyway.) I also need to pick up some felt for the dragons and dinos (I'm thinking spikes/plates on Stegosauruses and maybe belly scales on a T-rex) too. Oh, and it turns out Walmart has a ton of cheap, small-print fabrics that are perfect for doll clothes. Something to keep in mind.
Child safety: I try to make my toy creations as child-safe as possible. I don't even use safety eyes unless they're specifically requested; instead, I use embroidery floss to make the eyes and facial features. (Allows for more colorful variety, too.) All the parts are sewn down and secured, so they shouldn't come off even in the wash. I use acrylic yarn for two reasons: 1) So there's no question about wool allergies, and 2) for ease of washing. This is especially important for the mini critters (the ones I've been cranking out), because those are more geared for very young kids. No point in making something hand-wash only that will be hauled all over creation and get who-knows-what on it, right? For the poseables, the wires are all bent into loops and then hot-glued at the very tips, so there's no chance of poking or scratching.
Molly will be going as Princess Leia (Episode IV version) for Halloween. I already have the fabric (a lovely shimmery white jersey-knit snagged from the remnants bin), and I'll probably grab some gray/silver sculpey to make the accessories. Hee hee hee.
Incidentally, I tucked Tiberius into my knitting bag and brought him to church, since quite a few people wanted to see the finished product. One of the ladies from the prayer shawl ministry has a five-year-old girl, and she was quite enamored of him. I let her handle him, and she was so careful - lightly petting his mane, moving his legs, and "trotting" him by gently bouncing him along the table. It was quite adorable, and I think he was a hit with a number of moms. Yay Tiberius! (Her mom and dad are both engineers and huge geeks, and her dad groaned/laughed and shook his head when I told him what the unicorn's name was. Ahahahaha.)
If the weather goes bipolar again this week, I will seriously be snarly. You have been warned.
In "me knitting", I want to make this top so bad it's not even funny. I'm thinking cap sleeves instead of 3/4-length, and make it in a light heathery blue-green cotton. And maybe do the wings in white and gray, in intarsia, instead of cables. To minimize on bulk. If I like it enough, I am TOTALLY making it in a wool blend for fall/winter.
And one last thing, a PSA of sorts: if a picture appears on your Facebook wall, please check to make sure it says "Joe Schmoe posted a picture to your wall" rather than "Joe Schmoe was tagged in a picture" before verbally ripping Joe Schmoe a new one for posting said picture. They have no control over the latter, and it will leave them hurt, scratching their heads and wondering WTF just happened.