Confederate Cemetery, Lewisburg, West Virginia

I took these photos while on a whirlwind 6-day trip to the East a few weeks ago. I mean, here I was in the middle of the Confederate Cemetery, with it's solemn ground and mounded earth....

 
...and all I could think was "this FENCE..."
 

They don't make fences like this anymore. At least they don't make them like this in Southern California.

And, yeah, it's just Hipstamatic, but it felt like that.

Just. Like. That.

Yarn Bombing My Neighbor Part II

The other evening, my kids wanted to go an visit our neighbor, Kathryn.

Specifically, my kids wanted to swing on her tire swing and pet Kathryn's dog.  We had a very nice time chatting with Kathryn and other neighbors, petting Kathryn's slightly nervous pooch, swinging on the tire, etc... when Kathryn mentioned that she'd been looking for a traditional, wooden swing to add to the other side of the tree. 

I had one in the garage.  Still in it's box. 

I was overcome by the need to own it while at IKEA a few months ago, wishing I had a tree large enough to hang it in, and figuring I'd make a frame or hang it from the porch, or SOMETHING... and for $15... I had to have it.  So there it sat, languishing in the garage-- a sad, terrible existence for a swing.

Seriously.  That's about the saddest thing I can think of right now... poor swing!

After some time messing with too short ropes and the subsequent finding of longer ones (that I had ALSO purchased with the intention of somehow hanging a swing... GEEZ! What is WRONG with me?!?), there are now TWO swings in Kathryn's yard.

Except that... except that... well... after we decided to move the tire swing on the other side of the tree (in  order to give the wooden swing more clearance), when we re-hung it, the whitewalls on the tire weren't showing on the street side, and Kathryn much preferred it that way. 

So, I jokingly mentioned that she really shouldn't worry about it, because I'd more than likely come over one night and paint a mural on it or something... But our other neighbor very nicely, and only half smirkingly re-hung the swing with the whitewalls in their proper location.

But still.  I had a plan.

TIRE SWING YARN BOMB

I had wanted to do this under cover of darkness for a surprise in the morning kind of a thing... but I went over to take measurements for the tire in the dark that same night, and it was pretty clear to me that there was NO WAY I was going to be able to attach this thing to the tire without light. 

So, I hung it in the day time, thinking she wasn't home. 

She was.

She came outside to see us (my kids were swinging again), and was utterly delighted... She was even happier that she was there to SEE it being done.  So... YAY!

I made it by making a line of granny squares a little bit shorter than the circumference of the tire.  I wanted to have to stretch it tight, so that it wouldn't be loose and kids could still swing.  The sides are made of simple, striped rows, decreasing stitches in each row so that the whole thing formed a donut when the ends were stitched together on site.

I was a HUGE relief when the thing actually FIT.  

 

 

It was NOT a huge relief to see the black widow in the interior of the tire halfway through the sewing.

She was really pretty and ultra creepy and spidery looking- with the scarlet-red hourglass shape of the Black Widow on her abdomen.  Creepy, man.  Oh, did I already say that?

She is now at the bottom of Kathryn's vacuum cleaner.  One just can't have a tire swing full of Black Widows. 

The kids mostly took turns swinging, and there was only one episode where one screamed loudly at the other to the point that momma had to threaten them with going home.



 

But that's how it goes.

 

And now, whenever I turn the corner into my neighborhood, there is this charming tire catching my eye.... 

And Kathryn, who has been a PEACH for the past 11 years has a fun, new swing.  Well, TWO, really...



Yarn Bombing my Neighbor...

Shhhh....





To be continued...

Nyan Cat Amigurumi PATTERN!

FINALLY!  I got it done. 

Now... Who will be the first to test this bad boy?  I've worked it twice from my instructions, and it isn't the easiest thing ever, but if you have any Ami experience, you should be able to make your own!  Enjoy!

You can download a PDF on Google Docs...

Or...

Here it is:


NYAN CAT AMIGURUMI PATTERN
(by Julianna McDuffie)

STUFF YOU NEED

• Yarn in a rainbow of colors as pictured. (I used mostly Red Heart Soft and Bernat Satin)
• Felt for the face
• Sequins
• Poly-fill or yarn ends for stuffing
• Size E or F hook
• Hot-glue gun/glue
• Tapestry needle

STITCHES USED

• Chain
• HDC (Half Double Crochet)
• SS (Slip Stitch)
• Bobble Stitch
• Whipstitch for joining pieces
• DC BOBBLE STITCH:  YO, insert hook into next stitch, pull through 1 loop YO, Pull through 2 loops. (2 loops on hook). YO, insert hook (in same stitch), YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 1 loop, YO, pull through 2 loops (3 loops on hook). YO, insert hook (in same stitch), YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 1 loop, YO, pull through 2 loops, YO pull through all 4 loops.
• HDC SHELL STITCH:  4 HDC all in one stitch.

************************************************************

POP TART BODY

CH 20

Row 1: SC in second Chain from hook. SC across. Working on the opposite side of the foundation chain, continue to SC across in the remaining chain loops, forming an in the round pocket. Join with SS in top of the first HDC in the row. (36 stitches)

Row 2-12: CH 2 (counts as first SC), SC around. (36 stitches)

Row 13: Flattening the piece, join front and back sides together with SS for 8 or 10 stitches. Stuff lightly (it’s a Pop-Tart, not a beach ball!). Continue to SS join front and back sides across. (18 stitches).

POP TART EDGING

(Note: The edging shells may not work out perfectly evenly– especially the Round 2. You may need to add or subtract a shell to hit the corners properly. Not a big deal. There’s enough excess ruffle here – on purpose -- that it won’t be a problem, and no one will notice. The most important thing is to be sure to set up your corners IN THE CORNER on Round One. In Round Two, the corner should be made in Round One’s chain 2 spaces. Yeah. My math skills aren’t great.)

Round 1:

Join Beige Yarn at the top left corner of the closed pop Tart.

1st CORNER: CH 2 (counts as first SC) and SC in same stitch. CH 2, 2 SC again in same stitch. 1st Corner made.

LEFT SIDE: SC across to Corner.

CORNER: (2 SC, CH 2, 2 SC) all in corner stitch.

BOTTOM: SC across to Corner.

CORNER: (2 SC, CH2, 2 SC) all in corner stitch.

RIGHT SIDE: SC across to Corner.

CORNER: (2 SC, CH2, 2 SC) all in corner stitch.

TOP: SC across to 1st Corner made. Join with SS in first SC. (continued…..)

Round 2: (Changing to HDC here…)

Slip Stitch to 1st Corner CH 2 Space. All in the same CH 2 space: Ch2 (counts as first HDC), 3HDC, CH 2, HDC Shell.

LEFT SIDE: Skip 2, *HDC Shell, skip 2* across, ending 2 or 3 stitches away from corner CH2 space.

CORNER: In the corner CH2 space, (HDC Shell, CH 2, HDC Shell).

BOTTOM: Skip 2, *HDC Shell, skip 2* across, ending 2 or 3 stitches away from corner CH2 space.

CORNER: In the corner CH2 space, (HDC Shell, CH 2, HDC Shell).

RIGHT SIDE: Skip 2, *HDC Shell, skip 2* across, ending 2 or 3 stitches away from corner CH2 space.

CORNER: In the corner CH2 space, (HDC Shell, CH 2, HDC Shell).

TOP To End: Skip 2, *4HDC in next loop (shell), skip 2* across, ending/joining with a SS in top of first HDC. Weave in all ends.

THE KITTY BITS

HEAD - worked in the round

Round 1: CH2 (counts as first SC). 7SC in second loop from hook. Join with a SS in top of first SC. (8 stitches)

Round 2: CH2 (counts as first SC). SC in same stitch. *2SC in each stitch* around. Join with SS in top of first SC. (16 stitches)

Round 3: CH2 (counts as first SC). SC in same stitch. *SC in next. 2SC in next* three times (11 stitches to this point). Form a 4 DC Bobble Stitch in next stitch to make the first cheek. (12 stitches to this point). *2SC in next. SC in next* 3 times (21 stitches to this point). 2 SC in Next. In the last stitch of the round, form a 4 DC Bobble stitch for the second cheek. Join with SS in top of first SC. (24 stitches)

Rounds 4 & 5: SC around (24 stitches). Tie off leaving a long tail to stitch to the front of the Pop Tart body. Weave in end of Round 1.

EARS (Joined and stitched directly to the last row of the head)

LEFT EAR, Row 1: Find the joining stitch of the cheek bobble in Row 3 of the head. Move down to last row of the head. Count 4 stitches toward the top of the head. Insert hook in 4th stitch and pull up a loop to join. CH2 (counts as first stitch). SC in same stitch. SC in next (3 stitches).

LEFT EAR Row 2: CH1. Turn. Skip first stitch. SC in next (this is the middle of row 1). (2-ish stitches) Tie off. Weave in ends.

RIGHT EAR, Row 1: Find the joining stitch of the opposite cheek bobble. Move down to last row of the head. Count 2 stitches toward the top of the head. Insert hook in second stitch and pull up a loop to join. CH2 (counts as first stitch). SC in same stitch. SC in next (3 stitches).

RIGHT EAR Row 2: CH1. Turn. Skip first stitch. SC in next (this is the middle of row 1). (2-ish stitches) Tie off. Weave in ends.

LEGS – worked in the round (Make 4)

Round 1: CH2 (counts as first SC), SC 5 times in first loop of CH2. (6 stitches)

Rounds 2-6: CH2 (counts as first SC) SC around. (6 stitches). ALTERNATELY, you could work each leg in a spiral until you reach desired length.

Tie off leaving a bit of tail for stitching to the back of the Pop Tart body. Weave in end from Row 1.

TAIL

Row 1: CH 13. SS in second stitch from hook. SS in next. SK next stitch. SS, SS. SS three times in next stitch. SS, SS. SK next stitch. SS, SS.

Row 2: CH1 (counts as SS). Turn. SS next. SK next. SS, SS. SS three times in next stitch. SS, SS.

SK next. SS, SS. Tie off leaving a bit of tail to stitch to the back of the Pop Tart body. Weave in end from Row 1.

THE RAINBOW

Note: The rainbow is worked as a ripple stitch (think, “ripple afghan”). If you would like to make your Nyan Cat into a long, rainbow scarf, make your initial chain as long as you would like your scarf to be, and then add a few chains for good measure. You can always undo a few loops on the end of the chain to make it “fit” the pattern. Won’t hurt anything, and it’ll be easier than counting in the long run. Plus, I’m bad a math. I may have already said that.

Row 1: WITH RED, Chain 25.


Row 2: Ch 2, Turn (counts as first HDC). HDC in next two chains. *2HDC in next chain. HDC in next 3 chains. Decrease in next by (HDC 2 chains together). HDC in next 3 chains.* across.

Row 3: SKIP 1st stitch, Repeat Row 2, using ORANGE.

Row 4: : SKIP 1st stitch Repeat Row 2, using YELLOW.

Row 5: : SKIP 1st stitch Repeat Row 2, using GREEN.

Row 6: : SKIP 1st stitch Repeat Row 2, using BLUE.

Row 7: : SKIP 1st stitch Repeat Row 2, using PURPLE.

Weave in all ends.

FINISHING

1.) Working from the front, join Head to bottom right-hand corner of Pop Tart, using the long tail to whipstitch. Hide your stitches as much as possible, and leave the ears “free” so that they can stick out a little and move. Stuff the head with Poly-Fil when you are ¾ of the way closed. Finish whip stitching the head to the body and weave in the ends. Note: I chose to join the head all the way into the corner, even sewing directly to the Pop-Tart fringe in the corner, but it’s your call.

2.) Working from the back of the Pop Tart, join Legs, (let the bottom row of Pop Tart pink as your guide), using the long tails to whipstitch legs to body. Weave in ends. I started with one leg all the way in each of the bottom corners, and then placed leg three directly next to leg one, and leg four directly next to leg one, leaving a belly-space between each set of legs.

3.) Working from the back of the Pop Tart, join Tail to the upper right-hand corner (you are opposite the head on the from side, right?), using the right hand side of the Pop Tart Pink as a guide. Do not sew to the Pop Tart Fringe to keep the movement.

4.) Working from the back of the Pop Tart, and using pink Pop-Tart yarn, join RAINBOW vertically down the right-hand side of the Pink Pop Tart, one row over from the end/edging so as not to overlap the tail.

5.) Cut facial features from felt and hot glue. I kept with the theme and made everything but the cheeks square, like pixels. I tried square cheeks as well, but just thought circular cheeks added to the overall cuteness factor.

6.) Randomly hot-glue sequins on the pink of the Pop Tart. Fly through the sky…..

NyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNyaNya….

GOSH! Napoleon Dynamite Amigurumi

Napoleon:  It took me like three hours to finish the shading on your upper lip. It's probably the best drawing I've ever done.

Napoleon: Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner.

Napoleon:  I caught you a delicious Bass.

D-Qwon: Welcome to D-Qwon's Dance Moves.  Are you ready to get your groove on?

Napoleon: Yessss.

Napoleon: Who are you?

Lafawnduh: I'm Lafawnduh.
Napoleon: What are you doing here?
Lafawnduh: I'm waiting for Kip.
Napoleon: Kip?
Lafawnduh: Why are you so sweaty?
Napoleon: I've been practicing.
Lafawnduh: Practicing what?
Napoleon: Some dance moves.

Holy Hannah, I love that movie.
  

Kitchy Goodness.  Another custom order to be shipped to Niagara Falls Toot-Sweet.  Am gonna have to make one for myself as well, if I can bring myself to cut out all those teeny letters again. 

 Just for funsies, here is a list of Things I Tried while making the "Vote For Pedro" t-shirt:

• Sewing it with yarn (not good enough)
• Nicer embroidery (yeah.... not my forte)
• considered an iron-on (didn't have any on hand),
• toyed with just writing it on white fabric to sew on (again, not good enough)....

....and then! I remembered how Lindsay over at Filth Wizardry makes these awesome iron-ons out of plastic bags (she DOES! It's so cool!), and I tried that, too--- writing on a white plastic bag with red Sharpie and ironing it to a test swatch (ok... I tried it like, 5,000 times), but, alas! When ironed, the red Sharpie faded to fuchsia, which made me kinda sad. And slightly bummed. Then I tried printing out the logo on a piece of paper and sandwiching THAT in between two pieces of clear plastic. It WORKED, but was a little too thick for my liking.  for THIS project, anyway.  I'm totally going to try that again for something else.

(Have I ever mentioned that I can be a bit of a perfectionist? No? Mmmm. It's true. To the point of making myself insane, really... it's a tossup as to whether it's a good quality or not.)

So the only thing I had on-hand (that I could think of) as some Heat-N-Bond iron-on fusible stuff. The kind that you aren't supposed to sew. The kind that is really tough once ironed. I also had a bit of red satin left over from Miss M's Snow White costume a few years back.

And here's the really fun part..... did you know you can PRINT on Heat-N-Bond???

You Totally Can.

I found the "Vote for Pedro" logo on the web, reversed the lettering as I would to print a regular t-shirt iron-on, sized it to fit my Napoleon t-shirt, cut out a 4"x6" swatch of Heat-N-Bond and ran that baby through my ink jet printer. Then I fused the Heat -N-Bond to my red satin and cut out a much of it as I could. With tiny fabric scissors. For a loooooong time. Couldn't get the interior of the "P"s, though. Too tiny! It isn't perfect, but it's the best I can do.

Although, I think if I make one of these for myself, I will probably go the easier route and just do it with a regular iron-on, even if it won't look as nice. I'm just a big cheapskate, and geez that took a long time.

GIMME YOUR TOTS!