HPKCHC End of Fall 2015 Term - Throwback

And now we come to the end of my second term at Hogwarts!

(Yes, we're still talking about the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup challenge.)

As I mentioned previously, my goal was to turn in something for every prompt...well, that just didn't happen.  So my Plan B was to score more house points this term than last term, so let's do the round-up!

OWL Exam - Defense Against the Dark Arts  (200 points)

One Mr. VintageBeef, as part of a 2-plushie commission.

And one Mr. PauseUnpause, the second half of the commission.

OWL complete!  And official OWL badge awarded:

Order of the Phoenix Mission - BROOM  (100 points)

As part of an African-flower-along within my cete (Hufflepuff mini-group), I proposed doing A'Tuin the African Flower Turtle.

I then added two Nanook the Husky plushies, for a higher yardage project (which I didn't want to do, but I can whip a couple of these suckers off in a week or two if I had to...and I had to).

The Panda got to pick the colors, he approved the swatch I made,

and this was his Christmas gift this year.

This little guy is for sale in my Etsy store.

This one was a commission for a gal at work.

Another successful term of Double Advanced Studies completed!

My point total for Quidditch (after participating in all four rounds) was 136 points.

The Headmistress' Challenge this term had two parts; the first was doing something to convince the Goblet of Fire that I could be the Triwizard nominee.

I taught three of my "Muggle" friends to dye yarn using Kool-Aid:

These are the yarns I made the four Quidditch cuttlefish from.

The second part of the challenge was to attend the Triwizard ball with a date.  I asked fellow Hufflepuff student Annaspackman to go with me (as our Muggle husbands couldn't make it).  We could get bonus points for crafting similar projects, and making each other a gift.

Here are our turn-in posts:

From Annaspackman:

It was going to be close, but then, with the busy month Annaspackman had had, it was only to be expected. Outside the windows of the Den, the orange sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon as she straightened her masquerade gown in front of the mirror in her room.

With a quick flick of her wand, Annaspackman arranged her hair exactly to her satisfaction and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. A touch of jewelry, and then for the finishing touch…

She reached for the beautiful shawl she had only just finished and swept it around her shoulders. The lovely yarn she had chosen settled perfectly into shape and Annaspackman couldn’t help but giggle a little in delight.

Somewhere distantly, a clock chimed the hour and she gasped. “No, not going to be late! A Hufflepuff is never late; she arrives precisely when she means to,” Annaspackman reminded herself, picking up the gift she had wrapped so painstakingly a few days ago.

She reflected for a moment upon the odd meeting she’d had with her date, VelvetKey, in passing at breakfast that morning.

“Hi there,” Velvet had said, sitting down in a furtive manner across the table. She had what looked like a couple of muffins stashed in her pocket, but Annaspackman chose to ignore that for the moment. “Um, listen…I might have a, um…tagalong tonight. Nothing serious, I promise, it’s just…well…I sort of have a stalker.”

Annaspackman’s eyes had gone wide. “Another student is stalking you? Did you tell the Headmistress? She would be able to do something about that, surely!”

“No, no, I don’t want to get expelled, since it might be my fault he’s even here in the first place,” VelvetKey replied in a whisper. “He’s…blending. Sort of.” She drew a breath and let it out in a strained sigh. “He’s a perfect gentleman, when he’s not following me to my classes or trying to find ways to smuggle his bow and arrows all over the castle.”

“Wait, what?” Annaspackman blinked, sure she hadn’t heard correctly, but Velvet waved the question aside.

“You probably won’t even know he’s with us,” Velvet insisted. “I’ll come by your room around six or so.”

“Right…okay,” Annsapackman replied, baffled. Velvet had left then, not bothering to explain anything further.

She was interrupted by a light knock on the door. “Hello?” came Velvet’s voice. Annaspackman was quick to emerge, smoothing her shawl one final time.

“Oh, wow, your shawl turned out magnificent!” her date exclaimed, circling her for the full effect. “Are you ready? I left the…um…third member of our group in the Common Room.”

“Yes!” Annaspackman said. “Oh, but before we go, here’s your gift.”

“Aww, you shouldn’t have!” VelvetKey said happily, accepting the package. “And I couldn’t help myself, I just had to make a little something for you, too!” She passed the other Hufflepuff student a somewhat-lopsided parcel that squished a little suspiciously.

Both girls were distracted, however, by the quiet clearing of a throat behind them. They turned, and Annaspackman’s jaw dropped.

“Legolas Greenleaf’s our plus one?!”

(To be continued in VelvetKey’s post…)

Annaspackman's Shawl:

And her gift to me:

My very own knitted socks!  I love knitted socks!

The pattern?  The Sign of the Prancing Pony!

It couldn't have been any more perfect, except for my second half of the post:

(Continued from Annaspackman’s post.)
Annaspackman shrieked with delight at the sight of their handsome plus one and almost dropped her gift from VelvetKey. She had always considered stalkers to be creepy loners but Legolas Greenleaf? She’d known that freak summonings had been happening all term, but Legolas, prince of Mirkwood and all-around studmuffin? This was the moment she realised how true and lasting their friendship was, VelvetKey had not ditched her friend for the handsome Legolas and she wondered how many other girls would have done the same thing.

“Open it! Open it!” VelvetKey yelped excitedly, as she frantically tore the brightly coloured tissue paper off of her own gift. Annaspackman joined in the ripping of paper, both leaving a shower of tissue and sparkles to reveal their loot.

“Wow,” said Annaspackman in delight, “I cannot believe you made this for me! This is wonderful and such a thoughtful representation of my super-secret code name in our Bushwhacking Trail Team - Frodo!” She hugged him tight to her chest and then slipped him into her dainty shoulder bag so that his head peered out and he could be included in the activities at the ball. She wondered if it might be fun to cast a charm to animate him for the evening…

VelvetKey looked at her gift for a long time and Annaspackman began to worry that she didn’t like it. Finally VelvetKey looked up, her eyes bright with excitement, and said, ‘I am sorry but I was momentarily dazzled by the sparkles, this colour is truly Elfen and just me!”

”But do you get it?” said Annaspackman.

“Urm, get what?” replied VelvetKey.

“The pattern name… It’s named after the place we first met! The first time we shared a pitcher of Butterbeer!”

“Ah-ha! Of course!” VelvetKey grinned happily and on impulse hugged Annaspackman. “You have no idea how perfect your gift really is!” she exclaimed, giggling. “I can’t thank you enough!”

Legolas looked between the two girls with a long-suffering expression on his face. VelvetKey winked at Annaspackman.

“We’re going to be the envy of everyone at the ball,” Annaspackman said delightedly as Legolas offered her his arm. VelvetKey took his other arm and together the trio headed for the Great Hall.

My Shawl:

Not nearly as pretty and impressive as Anna's, but my mother-in-law loved it!

My gift to Annaspackman:

A wee little Frodo plushie!

And of course we had to have our picture taken with our date:

Total HMC points awarded: 89 points.

And then of course there were the classes.  September = 227 points, October = 230.5 points, and November = 139 points.  Total:  596.5 points.

Grand Total:  1121.5 points to Hufflepuff!

However...Ravenclaw blew us out of the water this term.  And it wasn't even close; they managed to score something like 15,000 extra points over the next house.  It was unreal.

To conclude my wrap-up of the Fall 2015 term, I will share my favorite part of it next time: the Bushwhacking Into Mordor challenge!

Craft on!

HPKCHC : End of Spring 2015 Term - Throwback

So, you might ask: how did the end of your very first "term" at Hogwarts end?

My goal for the term was to score over 1,000 house points for Hufflepuff.

Here's the grand finale of all my efforts; top to bottom!

OWL Exam - Potions  (200 points)

(OWLs are projects designed to take 2-3 months of crafting and be somewhat complex.)

I proposed to create a Minecraft plushie with over a dozen colors of yarn.  I added a Minecraft creeper to the proposal to make it more OWL-worthy for me.

Here is one King PauseUnpause:

And he is for sale in my Etsy store.

This is the creeper that inspired me to write up the free pattern!

My Potions OWL was successful, and that means I only have 12 or 13 more to do before becoming an OWL Mistress.  (You can't repeat any of the OWLs until you've done each of the types at least once).

Order of the Phoenix Mission - BROOM  (100 points)

(BROOMs are 5-7 week projects that aren't as intense as an OWL, and have a lot more room for interpretation if you know how to work the system correctly.)

I proposed to make 2 sets of identical monkeys from the Tallou the Monkey pattern found on Etsy by AuroraGurumi.  (This is incidentally what launched what my mother calls my "monkey business".)

Here they are:

It really is a cute, fun and very customizable pattern.

This means I completed what's called Double Advanced Studies projects (Double AS for short).

That brings us to Quidditch; there were four rounds, and I participated in every round!  The Quidditch cup is separate from the House Cup, so even if Hufflepuff didn't win one, we could still contend for the other.  My total points for the term was 126 points.

Then there was the Headmistress' Challenge; those points counted only towards the House Cup.  I scored 49 points.

Of the 24 classes available to do this term, I completed 20, and turned in 2 partials.  Add to that Detention each month, and I scored 205 points in May, 173 points in June, and 216 points in July for a total of 594 points.

Grand Total:  1,069 points for Hufflepuff!

So, VelvetKey, did you do it?  Did Hufflepuff with the House Cup back?  What about the Quidditch Cup?

I am overjoyed to tell you...Yes!

We won everything!  Hufflepuff won both cups, and we finished first in all areas of the game!

What a turn-out for my first time in the Cup as a sorted student!

I sailed off into August 2015 with a sigh of relief...and tons more crafting to do for the Starfleet Challenge!

'Til next time, craft on!

Minecraft Enderman Pattern

This project was a long time in the making:

Although the enderman may be constructed in the same manner as my Creeper pattern, I chose to do it differently, primarily due to the awfully long limbs on this guy.  I'll share what I did, and maybe you'll find it useful, too!

The finished height of this plushie is 44" tall when his feet touch the floor.

Minecraft Enderman

Supplies

• 1,000 yards of black yarn
• 10 yards of light purple yarn (I used Red Heart Orchid)
• 5 yards of dark purple yarn (I used Red Heart Amethyst)
• 2-3 lbs. approx. fiberfill
• 4.00mm (G) hook
• yarn needle
• lots of patience

Instructions

An enderman (just like a creeper) has six body parts: four (4) limbs, one (1) body, and one (1) head.  You will make the body and head in two panels each.  You will make the limbs as three panels each.

(Apologies in advance for no photos--my camera has mysteriously been lost in Z-space.)

Limbs (Panel 1)  Make eight (8).

With black yarn, chain 7.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each across. (6)

Row 2-6: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (6)

Cut yarn and knot off.

(Yes, this is the easiest part of the entire project.)


Limbs  (Panel 2)  Make four (4).

With black yarn, chain 91.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each across. (90)

Row 2-24:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (90)

Do not cut yarn.  Turn Panel 2 to work on the short edge.Take one Panel 1 square and seam it with sc to the short edge of Panel 2 (it will form the end of one limb, with 6 sc's per side of Panel 1).

When you reach the beginning of the seam, turn the piece inside-out and match the long edges together (so the seam you just made is now inside what will become the enderman's arm/leg).  Sc down the length of the arm/leg.  Leave a 24" yarn tail and cut yarn.  Knot off for now.

The piece is inside-out (long, and very unwieldy).  This is the tricky part: turning it right-side out while stuffing at the same time.

Take the closed end of the limb and turn it right-side out by working it back through the center of the tube.  Stuff as you go--every 2-3 inches.  I tended to stuff the ends of the limbs a little firmer, so they would hold shape, and the middles of the limbs softer so they could bend easily (and they wouldn't be as heavy).

You will continually slide the outer part of the inside-out leg up as you stuff, while working the inner, right-side-out part down. (I tend to think of it like putting on a pair of long socks--you slide your foot down the center of the sock, while your hands pull the sock up around your calf.)

Once the limb is stuffed the way you like it, thread the 24" tail through your yarn needle.  Sew another Panel 1 to the top, and then you can use the remaining tail to stitch the limb to the body.

(Yes, you have to do this four times.  Yikes!)


Body  (Panel 1)  Make one (1).

With black yarn, chain 25.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-36: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 37:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)   (This creates a faux seam.)

Rows 38-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across (24).

Row 49:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 50-84:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Cut yarn and knot off.


Body (Panel 2) Make one (1).

With black yarn, chain 13.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (12)

Rows 2-36:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 37:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 38-60:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 61:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 62-96: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12).

Do not cut yarn.  

Time to seam. Pull final loop larger and remove hook in order to practice lining up the panels.  Take each and fit them around each other to make a box.

Crochet through both panels with single crochet.  This very long seam will close up the entire chest.

Note:  You may choose to sc an extra stitch at the corners to make them more defined.  I've done it both ways, and have no preference.

Remember not to seam the last seam closed before stuffing the chest.  

Stuff the chest firmly (it needs to be able to support the head), and finish sc'ing the last seam.  Cut yarn and weave in end securely with yarn needle.


Head  (Panel 1)  Make one (1).

With black yarn, chain 25.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-24:  Ch 1, turn. Sc across. (24)

Row 25:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 26-48:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 49:  Ch 1 turn.  Sc in BLO across (24)

Rows 50-72:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Cut yarn and knot off.


Head  (Panel 2)  Make one (1).

With black yarn, chain 25.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-24:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 25:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 26-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 49:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 50-56: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Now begins the eye detail with the two shades of purple.  You will use the color change method below to change colors.  I will describe how it is done the first time, but when CC (color change) is noted, it is always going to be the same process of finishing the final SC with the new color.

Row 57:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across in first 23 st.  For 24th st, CC at end of st.

Note:  You are changing color to orchid (the lighter purple) on stitch 24.  With black, begin the 24th sc by inserting hook into stitch, yarn over, pull loop through.  Take your lighter purple yarn and yarn over, pull through to complete stitch 24.  The tails of your yarn should be on the side of the panel without ridged faux seams.  You can cut the black yarn, leaving a 1-1.5" tail.

Rows 58-60:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in first 2 st.  CC to your amethyst (your dark purple) at the end of the 3rd st.

Note:  You will change color to dark purple on stitch 3.  With light purple, begin the 3rd sc by inserting hook into stitch, yarn over, pull loop through.  Take dark purple yarn and yarn over, pull through to complete stitch 3.  The tails of your yarn should be on the side of the panel without ridged faux seams.

Rows 58-60 (continued):  Continue with dark purple for the next 3 st.  CC to light purple at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with light purple for the next 3 st, CC to black at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with black for the next 5 st, CC to light purple at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with light purple for the next 3 st, CC to dark purple at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with dark purple for the next 3 st, CC to light purple at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with light purple for the next 3 st, CC to black at the end of the 3rd st.  (24)

You have just done the enderman's eyes.

Rows 61-72:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Note:  Make sure to tie off any loose yarn ends so that the face will not unravel.

Time to seam!  Pull final loop larger and remove hook in order to line up the panels.  Take both panels and fit them around each other to make a box.

Place your hook back into your final loop, and crochet through both panels with single crochet.

Stuff the head, remembering to pack the corners well for a well-defined box shape, and finish sc'ing the last seam.  Cut yarn and weave in end securely with yarn needle.


Attaching the Limbs

Legs:  Arrange two limbs on the bottom front seam of the enderman's chest, 3-4" apart.  Sew one edge of enderman's limb to the bottom front seam.  Knot yarn and weave ends in securely.

This resulting "hinged" attachment allows the enderman to "sit" on the bottom of his chest naturally.

Note:  I know that's not how the enderman looks in Minecraft, but I find that if you were to attach the legs to the center bottom of the chest piece, then he wouldn't sit very well and your seams would strain.

Arms:  Take the other two limbs and sew one on each side of the top side seams of the chest (again, making a "hinged" attachment.  Knot yarn and weave in ends securely.

Head:  Stitch head to chest with yarn needle and black yarn.  I used a single, center seam (middle of head to middle of the top of the chest), but this does cause the head to 'nod'.  For a more fixed head, sew using the top front and rear seams of the chest.

Ta da!

A complete set of my plushie pattern works!

And as always: Microsoft is suing people selling Minecraft things online.  Don't get me in trouble.  This is a free pattern.  Utilize it properly and be responsible with it.

Once again, nerdy crafters:  Craft On!

Starfleet's Newest Ensign!

I'm coming up on the end of my first month in the JJA (June/July/August) 2015 Tour of Duty for the Starfleet Fiber Arts Corps (SFAC).

This tour, I got to play for real fake points as an ensign!  I was reassigned from the Zimmermann to the Noro:

The doors of a distant cabin hiss open quietly, and a former cadet steps out, her new ensign pip shining on the collar of her uniform. She adjusts the shoulder strap of her carrying case as she strides confidently to the turbolift. Her steps falter, however, once she gets inside.

“Transporter Ro--no, Main Engineering,” she says quickly. The ‘lift doors shut silently, and then part again a few decks later, just as quickly.

Ensign Velvet Key hesitates near the Zimmermann’s main engineering console, and then pauses to wipe an imaginary speck of dust off of one panel. She looks around, a little misty-eyed, until her Away Mission automaton project wanders over to her.

She crouches, gives the little ‘bot a proud look, and then stands again. “You’ll be in good hands,” the ensigns says softly. “Make me proud by helping the next chief engineer.”

With that, she goes to the turbolift once more. “Transporter Room 6,” Ensign Velvet Key says distinctly, straightening.

“Where to, Ensign?” the transporter room chief asks as she enters the room and climbs up onto the pad.

“One to beam aboard the U.S.S. Noro,” the ensign replies.

And then in the Noro's forum thread:

The on-duty transporter chief acknowledges a hail from the U.S.S. Zimmermann, still in space dock over San Francisco. Moments later, a single beam of glittering light coalesces and a young ensign steps off of the transporter pad.

“Uhm…Cad--I mean, Ensign Velvet Key reporting as ordered,” she tells the chief, gripping the strap of her standard-issue Starfleet case.

Welcome aboard,” the chief says, handing her a PADD. “Report to Captain Samyra, First Officer Jrnylst, or Second Officer Jenybecca for assignment.”

“Yes, sir” she says crisply with a salute. “Thank you, sir.” The new ensign pauses for a moment in the doorway to get her bearings, and then heads for the turbolift.

Ensign VelvetKey reporting for duty, fellow shipmates. I look forward to serving with you all this tour.

I'm also helping out in Ten Forward this tour, as assistant barkeep!  I serve pictures of yummy food and drinks to the crewmembers that come in, and once in awhile prompt the forum thread with questions to keep chat going.

This month, we've been dealing with the Department of Temporal Investigations, and each of the six available missions have been themed around them.

Command:  Craft something to indicate how you would have handled this situation by either Option A crafting exactly to pattern to indicate you would do the same, or Option B modifying a pattern to show you would do things differently. Justify your position.

In undertaking this assignment, I chose to study a distant cousin of the tribble (the merphyllis munkai), as we had previously assumed tribbles to be extinct up until Commander Sisko’s little brush with time travel. While I was able to recreate the little animal’s proportions to exact specifications, it is unfortunate that his instructions had a few minor errors that needed correcting in order to provide a well-balanced appearance.
For that is what I believe the true issue is: balance. While I disagree with a few of the minor decisions Sisko and his team made (such as bringing tribbles back to our time), the overarching premise of his intent remains: he was correcting the actions of another time traveler. In fact, he was in the unique position of being one of the few people who knew about the problem and sought to fix it.

In conclusion, if I were to undertake the same mission, I would try to eliminate incidental alterations to the timeline as much as possible. No, I do not need to speak with Captain Kirk in order to obtain signature. (But that does not say anything about photobomb selfies made with the tricorder…)

Tallou the Monkey pattern; this guy is for sale!

...I just haven't put him on Etsy yet.

 Diplomatic:  Determine whether Kirk’s behavior was a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive. Craft something red for yes, or something green for no.

Commodore, in my review of the case files of this particular incident, as well as based upon multiple references to Captain James T. Kirk’s psychological evaluations and his own mission logs, it is my belief that Captain Kirk was a formidable judge of character. Thus, when he decided to tell the truth he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would not be believed, and therefore was not breaking any manner of rule or regulation.

I have crafted a charming, leafy vine of decoration to illustrate my point. Thank you!

 A scarf for Ms. Pat, DH's manager.

Queen Anne's Lace pattern is free on Ravelry!

Engineering:  Invent a “temporal stability field” which cancels out any instabilities in the timeline and prevents tampering.

In my own study of engineering, I have developed a four-point temporal stability field with quadruple the strength of a normal forcefield. These chaos-inspired inhibitors may be placed around the anomaly to keep it from affecting our timeline. Sometimes the best way to fight temporal chaos is with equal amounts of meta-chaos.

 This pattern is free right here on my blog!

Medical:  Craft something to protect against the temporal distortions.

Part of maintaining one’s health during temporal instability is maintaining sanity. However, recorded logs and other manner of records are not normally immune to shifting timelines. I have crafted a violet forcefield that can be placed around a recording device (such as a book, tricorder, or data PADD) in order to preserve useful information that would assist repeat time travelers in reaching their goals more efficiently.

 I may have spilled soda on this journal and needed

to cover up the damage, so I improvised...

Science:  Craft a hat to hide Vulcan ears, Andorian antennae, or just a bad hair day.

A close-fitting cap is the best way to hide Vulcan ears; on windy planets the hat will not get caught and blown away, thus exposing the secret identity of said Vulcan. To that end, I have crafted a beanie-style hat, complete with decorative pins.

 Pattern is free on Ravelry.

Tactical:  Craft something that represents Gary Seven’s role in the Temporal Cold War – something in a single color to indicate his honesty, something in more than one color to indicate his duplicity.

In my very brief (one might say non-existent) study of the mission reports pertaining to the individual known as Gary 7, I have come to the conclusion that one should not ‘monkey’ around with any time travel, timelines, time vortexes, or even undertake that manner of responsibility.

I have expressed my thoughts on Gary 7’s duplicitous actions with this peculiar little stuffie:

I made this one for my cousin's little boy.

Brig:  Any project that was started before the target month.

This engineering project is the second in my attempts to build a small automaton army to assist me with maintaining the systems in Engineering. I regret that I had to confine this particular model to the Brig for so long; a power surge in the ship activated him before his software had completely downloaded. Rather than lose hours of precious work, I confined him to the Brig while I waited for the necessary computations to finish. Now I have completed all necessary programming and he is just as useful and non-threatening as the first one.

A former commission, now cancelled.  

If you want to buy him, let me know!

Temporal Training Center:  Rescue temporally stranded projects and turn UFOs into FOs.

I proposed my unfinished King Pause plushie:

Hopefully I'll get him all finished by the end of July!

He's also a cancelled commission, so 

he'll be available for purchase eventually.

So far, this tour has been very interesting!  I can't wait to see what happens next month!

Craft on!

Minecraft Creeper Pattern

When I signed up to sit my Potions OWL (in the Harry Potter challenge), I was told to add a little something extra on to make it a 3-month project.

I decided to add a Minecraft creeper, and bonus:  I get to share my pattern with all of you!  Check this bad boy out:

Yes, that is literally his size next to my car.

This creeper stands at 21" tall, and is made to scale with my Minecraft people plushies, and the one enderman plushie:

The enderman is 44" tall, and his pattern is coming in a future post.

Minecraft Creeper

Supplies

• 600 yards of green/green varigated (I used Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn: Sagey Tweed)
• 20 yards of black yarn
• 2.5 lbs. approx. of fiberfill
• 4.0mm (G) hook
• yarn needle
• scissors

Instructions

A creeper has six body parts: four (4) feet, one (1) body, and one (1) head.  Each body part will be worked as two (2) panels.  They will then be seamed together using single crochet.

(I am going to apologize in advance for not having pictures available at this time.)

Feet (Panel 1)  Make four (4).

With green yarn, chain 13.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (12 sc)

Rows 2-18: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 19:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across (12).  (This is a faux seam.)

Rows 20-30: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 31: Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 32-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Cut yarn and knot off.

Feet (Panel 2)  Make four (4).

With green yarn, chain 13.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (12 sc)

Row 2-18: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 19:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across in first 11 sc.  

Note:  You will change color to black on stitch 12.  With green, begin the final sc by inserting hook into BLO, yarn over, pull loop through.  Take black yarn and yarn over, pull through to complete stitch 12.  The tails of your yarn should be on the side of the panel without ridged faux seams.

Cut green yarn, leaving a 1-1.5" tail.  Continue with black yarn.

Rows 20-30: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 31: Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 32-36: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Note: You will change color to green on the last stitch of Row 36.  With black, begin the final sc by inserting hook as normal.  Yarn over, pull loop through.  Take green yarn and yarn over, pull through to complete stitch 12.  The tails of your yarn should be on the same side of the panel as the other tails (the side without ridged faux seams).

Cut black yarn, leaving a 1-1.5" tail.  Continue with green yarn.

Rows 37-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Do not cut yarn.  Tie your color change tails together on the wrong side.

Time to seam!  Pull final loop larger and remove hook in order to practice lining up the panels.  Take one foot panel of each (Panel 1 and Panel 2) and fit them around each other to make a box.  If you're having trouble envisioning what I mean do the following:

Lay your Panel 2 horizontally, wrong side up (your tails and knots will show).

Lay your Panel 1 vertically, right side up on top of Panel 2.   (Yes, they will be a plus sign.)

The two smaller, square center portions of each panel should be on top of each other.  This is the top and bottom of the foot.  The longer portions of the panels are the sides of the foot.

Fold Panel 2's sides up and pin them to Panel 1, if desired.  Fold Panel 1's sides down and pin them to Panel 2, if desired.  Now you should have a box shape.

Place your hook back into your final loop, and crochet through both panels with single crochet.  This very long seam will close up the entire foot.

Note:  You may choose to sc an extra stitch at the corners to make them more defined.  I've done it both ways, and have no preference.

Be careful not to seam the last seam closed before stuffing the foot.  

Stuff the foot firmly (remember, the creeper has to stand on it), and finish sc'ing the last seam.  When stuffing, make sure to poke stuffing into each corner to give it a boxy shape.  Cut yarn and weave in end securely with yarn needle.


Body (Panel 1) Make one (1).

With green, chain 25.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-36: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 37:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 38-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across (24).

Row 49:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 50-84:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Cut yarn and knot off.


Body (Panel 2) Make one (1).

With green, chain 13.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (12)

Rows 2-36:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 37:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 38-60:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12)

Row 61:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (12)

Rows 62-96: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (12).

Do not cut yarn.  

Time to seam again. Pull final loop larger and remove hook in order to practice lining up the panels.  Take each and fit them around each other to make a box, as described above at the end of the foot section.

Crochet through both panels with single crochet.  This very long seam will close up the entire chest.

Note:  You may choose to sc an extra stitch at the corners to make them more defined.  I've done it both ways, and have no preference.

Remember not to seam the last seam closed before stuffing the chest.  

Stuff the chest firmly (it needs to be able to support the head), and finish sc'ing the last seam.  Cut yarn and weave in end securely with yarn needle.


Head (Panel 1) Make one (1).

With green, chain 25.

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-24:  Ch 1, turn. Sc across. (24)

Row 25:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 26-48:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 49:  Ch 1 turn.  Sc in BLO across (24)

Rows 50-72:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Cut yarn and knot off.


Head (Panel 2)  Make one (1).

With green, chain 25.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc across in each st. (24)

Rows 2-24:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 25:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 26-48: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Row 49:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in BLO across. (24)

Rows 50-54: Ch 1, turn.  Sc across. (24)

Now begins the face detail with black.  You will use the color change method above to change colors.  I will describe how it is done the first few times, but when CC (color change) is noted, it is always going to be the same process of finishing the final SC with the new color.

Rows 55-60:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in first 2 st.  CC at the end of the 3rd st.

Note:  You will change color to black on stitch 3.  With green, begin the 3rd sc by inserting hook into stitch, yarn over, pull loop through.  Take black yarn and yarn over, pull through to complete stitch 3.  The tails of your yarn should be on the side of the panel without ridged faux seams.

Rows 55-60 (continued):  Continue with black for the next 5 st.  CC to green at the end of the 6th st. Continue with green for the next 5 st, CC to black at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with black for the next 5 st, CC to green at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with green for the next 3 st.  (24)

You have just done the creeper's eyes.

Rows 61-63:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in first 8 st; CC at the end of the 9th st.
Continue with black for the next 5 st; CC to green at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with green for the next 9 st.  (24)

Rows 64-69:  Ch 1, turn. Sc in first 5 st; CC at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with black for the next 11 st; CC to green at the end of the 12th st.
Continue with green for the next 6 st. (24)

Rows 70-72:  Ch 1, turn.  Sc in first 5 st; CC at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with black for the next 2 st; CC to green at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with green for the next 5 st; CC to black at the end of the 6th st.
Continue with black for the next 2 st; CC to green at the end of the 3rd st.
Continue with green for the next 6 st. (24)

Note:  Make sure to tie off any loose yarn ends so that the face will not unravel.

Time to seam!  Pull final loop larger and remove hook in order to line up the panels.  Take both panels and fit them around each other to make a box.

Place your hook back into your final loop, and crochet through both panels with single crochet.

Stuff the head, remembering to pack the corners well for a well-defined box shape, and finish sc'ing the last seam.  Cut yarn and weave in end securely with yarn needle.


Attaching the Limbs

Back Feet:  Arrange two feet side-by-side and sew the top front seam to the bottom rear seam of the chest.  His little black "toes" will be facing forward, almost beneath the chest.  Knot yarn and weave in ends securely.

Note:  I usually cut a 24" piece of green yarn and sew all the way across both feet, since they are side-by-side.

Front Feet:  Take the other two feet and sew the top rear seam to the bottom front seam of the chest.  Knot yarn and weave in ends securely.

If all of your black "toes" are not facing the same direction, then refer to picture below.

Head:  Stitch head to chest with yarn needle and green yarn.  I usually stitch the head to the body all the way around, so that the head won't wobble.  (This only works because the creeper has no arms to attach at the shoulder.)  Weave in all ends securely.

Ta da!

Creeper's gonna creep.

And since it must be said somewhere, I'll say it here: Microsoft is suing people selling Minecraft things online.  Don't get me in trouble.  This is a free pattern.  Utilize it properly and be responsible with it.

Thanks, fellow crafters!  'Til next time, craft on!

Etho: Six Months in the Making

We're approaching the end of the month, and I'm officially done with turning in homework/missions for imaginary points.

That doesn't mean I don't like it.

But I'm going up to New York for spring break, and since the new month of missions and then quests (we'll get to that in a minute) will begin while I'm away...I've been holding off on some smaller commissions.

But that didn't stop me from turning in an old Etho for Detention at Hogwarts this month:

He's been loafing about in a plastic bag, waiting for a new order to come in for him (or for him to come around on the commission schedule) since a cancellation last year.

Though I'm not 100% sure of the yardage, it's estimated between 1200-1400 yards (someday I will actually have to do a proper measure).  That qualified me for this badge:

And next month, the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup will be on hiatus--but I'll be able to sign up for sorting if I so choose!

In the meantime, the new Doctor Who-themed challenge entitled Time Lord Travels begins in April.  I have been put on Team Dalek (Exterminate!) and hope to make some decent contributions to the team.  There are reportedly four quests each month, as well as the over-arching Time Vortex Challenge (like an Away Mission or an OWL).

So in April we're looking at:

- 6 Starfleet missions + Brig + Away Mission
- 4 Timelord quests + ???

I don't have a proposal in place for the Time Vortex Challenge.  I wanted to sign up the next plushie on my commission schedule, but the gal who ordered it isn't sure she can afford him anymore.  So for now I'm planning like she's canceled and I'll have the freedom to work ahead on the next commission, or focus solely on the small ones.

I've packed a few of those to take with me (ponies and monkeys and BTCs oh my!) to NY, and I probably won't be able to blog much while I'm there.

So to you, my faithful readers, I say: Craft and vacay on!

(I'll see you in April!)

Quidditch Cup XX - Match 3

Happy Sunday to you!  I'm actually going to attend a church this morning!  (I find there's less pressure when you're going to an out-of-state church with friends.)

Just a quick, fun photo today:

Yes, it's VintageBeef and PauseUnpause riding a broom.

I participated in the Quidditch Cup XX!   For Match 3, all you had to do was submit a photo of you (or a stand-in) riding a broom (or other floor cleaning device; plenty of people now have newfangled electric brooms, or Swiffers).

I did put out a tweet, just because I was in a whimsical mood.  This photo features the most recent VintageBeef plushie, too, who is now on his way to his forever home in Nevada.

Here he is posed with "Tangerine" (you've met him as "Wolfie"):

Just adorable!  I might change my Facebook page picture.

I'll be back home in South Carolina tonight, concluding my whirlwind galpal trip to see DSCA and Deevius!  Possibly more crafting shenanigans to follow (including art trade lootz!).

Cheers and craft on!

Commission: Guude Boulderfist

Last year (what seems like a very long time ago!) I got a message on my Facebook page from a lovely lady named Elizabeth (Lilly Love on Twitter) inquiring about the first-ever Guude Boulderfist Mindcrack plushie.

I agreed to make him, and as most know, he took me a veeeery long time.  He hit me over the holidays and I had too many other things going on.  I had promised to make him in time for her to take the plushie to meet the real Guude at PAX South in Texas...and then completely forgot that it was my goal.

I hit some snafus along the way...such as attaching Guude's hands/arms backwards:

@GuudeLP Made a plushie oops...don't suppose you'd switch your hands backwards and save me a couple hours? XD pic.twitter.com/b18TFbNtjq
— Katie (@Velvet_Key) February 2, 2015

Guude (Jason) favorited the tweet!

Mini-Fangirl Fiesta!

Through a few trials and tribulations, I finally managed to finish the plushie and turn him in at Hogwarts for "Detention".  Detention applies to any project that was not started in the target month (in this case, February) but was completed during that month.

Here's Guude's official shiny portrait:

Doesn't he look just dapper?

I earned the Goblin Defiance Award:

There is a warning that there is a power struggle at Gringotts and that because many goblins recognize no wizarding master, they will not stand for any such control over their bank, regardless of what Fudge wants. Create a project that was diffiuclt for you to finish, or that seemed to want to rebel from you, causing a longer time to finish it and you’ll earn the Goblin Defiance Award.

And then of course I couldn't resist a little photo shoot to liven things up a little bit.  I thought my Pause plushie could show Guude how to vacay it up a little bit:

Why yes, those are coconut cups and that's a real ukulele.

And my favorite photo:

It's finally Friday, and tonight we can celebrate @GuudeLP style! (Because we all know Hawaii style rocks!) pic.twitter.com/q7ZLMMRnIu
— Katie (@Velvet_Key) February 6, 2015

No favorite or retweet from Guude this time, but he did favorite when Elizabeth/Lilly Love tweeted him about the arrival of her brand new plushie:

He's here! @GuudeLP looks awesome I can't wait till the next convention to show the real guude thank you @Velvet_Key pic.twitter.com/kVfOxBExRu
— Lilly Love (@LillyLove181) February 17, 2015

And of course, I did post the picture up on DeviantArt and Reddit (but my timing was very horrible, and it didn't get as many views as the other plushies--oh well!).

I've made great progress on that list from two weeks ago (a couple of snow days will do that to you); I'll be sure to share more pictures and badges with you soon!

Merry Christmas 2014

And now for a word from our past:

Merry Christmas from Team Canada! @PauseUnpauses @VintageBeefLP @EthoLP pic.twitter.com/mfmaMi3Pq6
— Katie (@Velvet_Key) December 27, 2013

And to all a good night!

VintageBeef III: UK Bound

After a terrible time trying to get a VintageBeef plushie sent over to the UK via USPS, he has finally made it into the hands of his ever-patient new friend, Zdenka.

I ended up shipping him FedEx instead; I'm not trusting any more third party handlers.

A side note: the customer service for FedEx is fantastic.  Very friendly, helpful, and forgiving.

Yesterday, I received this tweet:

Beefaroni cant wait to get out of the box & explore the UK! THANK YOU @Velvet_Key SO Much! @VintageBeefLP #mindcrack pic.twitter.com/J8okaHvBPU
— Zdenka Kolarikova (@ZdenkaK__) December 18, 2014

Finally, after fearing he'd been lost in the international shipping shuffle, Beef made it all the way to Great Britain!

The real Mr. Beef had this to say:

@ZdenkaK__ @Velvet_Key that's so cool!
— VintageBeef (@VintageBeefLP) December 18, 2014

I'm so very happy for Zdenka, and she's already informed Beef that he shall be meeting his plushie self at the announced London Minecon in 2015.  She's promised me pictures, and I'm very excited!

Thank you Zdenka; I would collaborate in any fangirl manner again!

Our Cheaty Overlord, Nebris

New plushie on the Mindcrack scene!

I received an order via DeviantArt from JuneBugPancakes for the very first Nebris plushie:

Looking very dapper in his vest.

Yes, these plushies are big enough to hold their

own in an adult-sized office chair.

Of course, I always try to do a unique pose for each new plushie to put up on Twitter and sometimes Reddit:

Nebris is known for his 'cheatiness'...I decided that

the 'Evil Overlord' motif would work nicely.

I put the photo up on Reddit, and got this reply:

Mini Fangirl Fiesta!

Sorry for the delay; it's obviously been crazy around here!  With any luck, I'll be able to share all of my October and November projects relatively on time.  The list now reads:

1)  Enderman

2)  VintageBeef VI

3)  Red & Black Scarf

4)  Dwarf Beard

And then there's all the art trades I have to start and finish:

1)  Minecraft pillow(s)

2)  Mass Effect coasters

3)  Groot figure

4)  Doctor Who sweatshirt

Which reminds me, I never did show you guys the one art trade I did manage to complete.  Hmm...I'll try to get to work on that!  It really was lovely!  (And nerdy.)

Talk to you soon!

Pillow Talk, VintageBeef Style

Funny story.  I used to try and learn one new craft per year.  Past crafts have included:

- iron-on t-shirt images
- hand-sewn teddy bears
- fleece pillows
- jewelry making
- book binding

I still have many supplies in my attic from these past attempts.  When I was having my tunic for cold LARP events made, I went up to get Penelope, my duct tape bust model (who is about 20 lbs smaller than I am now).

For some unknown reason, I decided to rummage around in my other craft supply boxes while I was up there.  (Seriously, the precise reason escapes me.)

And I found four 14" pillow forms from a craft session I had participated in when I worked for the university as a cafeteria hostess.  We had made a throw pillow for each of our student managers as gifts (maybe Christmas gifts?), and then I had offered to take the extras home.

So, three years later, they were still in their shrink-wrapped plastic bags.

And I said to myself...hmm.

Pillow covers are nothing more than two flat panels stitched together at all four edges.

So I did a few measurements, and came up with a double-sized estimation for the first panel:

Since VintageBeef is my most requested plushie

(and I had the yarn handy) I gave it a shot.

When I finished the panel, I noticed it was at least an inch or so short of being tall enough.  (Uh oh!)  I added another row of brown at the top, but I wasn't going to frog the entire panel and try to make it taller.  I decided to wait, do the back, and try it anyway.  Crochet is somewhat stretchy, right?

The back:

Legolas' Elven Focus cannot be interrupted.

And the front of the finished product:

I have no idea whether or not adding one extra row of single crochet at the top of each panel helped at all, but I know that seaming the panels on the outside was a definite good call.  I used slip stitches (3 per corner) on the left, bottom, and right sides before inserting the pillow form.  Then I had to continuously squish the pillow down inside while slip stitching the top shut.  I chose to use the coffee-colored yarn all the way around for the border, because it was the most dominant color.  Plus, using more than one color would have caused structural weaknesses in the seaming--more knots to come unraveled.

Easy peasy!  The pillow is up for sale in my Etsy store!

Ooh, and I also made a tweet:

Hiya @VintageBeefLP! Here's your chance to cuddle with your own cozy, bearded face: pic.twitter.com/cSW6ltuhYI
— Katie (@Velvet_Key) October 13, 2014

And the tremendous Mr. Beef himself favorited and replied:

@Velvet_Key Omg that is so cool!
— VintageBeef (@VintageBeefLP) October 14, 2014

FANGIRL FIESTA!

Of course.

Now I'm pondering the wisdom of dressing up my PauseUnpause plushie in a Halloween costume for "teh lulz" as the kids say, and tweeting the picture out on Friday.  Hmm...must ponder.

Later!

Hooray for Etho!

The commission, that is.

So, that list from last week?  Boo-yah!  Cross the first one off, baby!

(It's going to be a long, working weekend here for me...)

But not to delay; it's time to put his listing up on Etsy for his patient (I hope!) buyer.  She's already purchased and received her own VintageBeef and PauseUnpause, so she's sorta committed at this point.  ^_^

Here's a quick photo I took of Etho playing the Wii:

There's rumors the game might be Just Dance...

...but he's not telling.

Onward we go!  I still have some time to get work in on those beanies and beards!

Cross another one off the list!

I am so excited--tonight I was able to photo, pack and list on Etsy the trio of Team Canada plushies I've been working on since April!

A huge, HUGE thank you to Zdenka K. from Manchester, U.K. who placed the order and has been supremely patient with me!

Here's one of the photos I snapped before bagging up the boys:

Yes, the sign says U.K. or Bust!

(Yes, I did have to look up the flag before scribbling it down.)

And now, for those of you keeping score at home, we have:

- Etho

- Beards & Beanies Kickstarter

- Nebris

- Enderman

- Custom Wig

...still on the crochet docket for the month.  (Yes, I know what day it is.  Don't make me cry thinking about it.)

In a few days, I'll share the photo of the gift I made for the dear Panda's birthday (very last minute, but also very low-budget, so I couldn't argue with that!).

Cheers!