Doctor Who TARDIS Min-Finity Scarf – DIY #6

Now you, too, can time travel in style!

While perusing Facebook, I happened upon patterns for “shoulder cozies.” These are the perfect accessories for Canada’s fall/winter clash. Some days it’s hot, some days it’s cold, some days it’s rainy, other days it’s windy. One thing remains constant: no one knows what to wear each day, and as a result people are getting sick. I’ve already got TARDIS booties to protect my feet, so why not have a cozy to match? I keep this in my work bag, so if we’re beset by a surprise snowfall, I’m prepared.

This cozy turned out a lot bigger than expected. So big, in fact, that I can’t get it all in a single frame. x_x Perhaps I misjudged the necessary gauge and pattern stitches, because the TARDIS motifs are more visible from the back, than they are from the front.

Front

Back

For a while now, I’ve associated myself with Amy Pond, the girl who waited. I’ve spent a lot of time waiting, as well. I waited for M to come home, so we could watch the season 6 finale together. I waited with anticipation on the Megabus, to go to Top Hat’s house. I waited until now, and still haven’t watched the season 7 finales, even though M is “busy.” I think what kept Amy waiting was hope: hope that there was something better in store if she waited. And indeed, there were better things in store. But when the Doctor returned, Amy was older, and really upset with him for making her wait. I don’t think anyone should wait 12 years for something great to happen.Within a year’s time, so much can change. After 12 years, you may not even want that thing you waited so long for. Heck, after 12 months, you can change so much. But I’m sure a little patience never hurt. If you must wait, at least find something fun to do in the mean time.

There was another contest on deviantART this past month, the theme simply being “make a scarf.” This failed shoulder cozy can be both a scarf, hood, shawl, and cozy. It is called a min-finity scarf, because it is shorter than a regular infinity scarf. I personally would have preferred it to be longer, so as to fit more comfortably. Though it didn’t win any place in the contest, the mini-finity scarf did receive quite a few likes, and I now have something cozy to wear. Perhaps the best things in life, are created from accidents and failures?

Three ways to wear. Left to Right: scarf, shawl, hood

And yes, those are the 10th and 11th Doctors on my shirt. The 9th and 12th are hidden by the scarf.

That’s all I have to say about this scarf. Here, have a relevant Family Guy clip. I don’t remember the last time I laughed this hard at one of their jokes. (On my own, anyway ^_^; ) I looked it up and yes, that is David Tennant providing the voice for the Doctor. I guess the TARDIS is smellier on the inside? Don’t worry, this scarf will be aired out. 😀

It’s nice to actually do some needlework this week. I do have another ami ready, but it’s a secret. What could it be? Tune in December 17 to find out!

Are you keeping warm? Which is your favourite Doctor? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Boot Cuffs – DIY #5

Happy New Year 2016! You may have read the blog posted on December 30, 2015. I posted a reply to that blog on Sunday, which you can read here.

It’s time to start the new year off right: with some much anticipated craft posts. Whatever your reason for lack of motivation, completing quick ‘n easy projects get the creative juices flowing again. Now that we finally have snow and winter chill, why not try making these boot cuffs?

50% of girls on social media have a picture like this. 100% of those girls think it’s artsy. That being said, I call this one, “Waiting for You.”

Here is the tutorial I followed:

For this project, I used the now-discontinued Bernat BlackLites yarn in Cherry Chill. I also possess a ball of Cowboy, which I would like to use for longer cuffs.

Bernat BlackLites in Cherry Chill, left, and Cowboy.

If you already know how to knit, this project should be a breeze. Your fingers are the knitting needles!

The girl in the video cast onto her dominant hand, but I started by casting onto my non-dominant hand. I found this easier, because I could count the rows as if they were on regular knitting needles. The first row is the “right side,” while the second row is the “wrong side” in stocking stitch.

Regardless of the size of your calves, 20 rows should be enough to wrap around. Thanks to the wide stitch, you don’t need to make buttonholes! I made the buttons using a smaller crochet hook than the yarn’s recommended size. They measured about 3/4″ (2 cm) in diameter.

Final Verdict: My boots have never looked so stylish! And my calves are nice and warm, without having to wear baggy pants. I want to make more cuffs, using actual knitting needles next time.* I wonder if they could be worn long, like the ones on the right?

Humph. The yarn became frayed. No wonder it was discontinued. Still, I like the colour design of black mixed with red, white, and pink. Here’s to hoping the blue ones will look great, too!

I finished my first pair, the night before seeing Kitty and Bear. That almost rhymed.

The next few months will be quite a challenge. Not only will I be returning to school, but I will return to school AND work a part time job at the same time. It may not be so bad, though it means M and I will have less time to chat and hang out. But at least we will have time in between classes for lunch. This week, we went skating and ate chilli. For all the bad luck I’ve had so far this year, it’s reassuring to have a positive M at my side. M says I worry too much.

Staying warm, on and off the ice!

Finger knitting, 8 sts CO vs. Size 11 needle, 16 sts CO.

*After a bit of experimenting, I discovered that swapping to knitting needles may not be such a good idea. Finger knitting creates wide, open stitches, while size 11 needles (the size recommended on the yarn label) create tighter stitches. My fingers ended up creating stitches twice as wide as the needles!

You can design a needle-based pattern for long cuffs using this pattern. Simply multiply the rows you worked in finger knitting by 2. For example, the video tutorial showed 20 rows. 20 x 2 = 40 stitches cast on. From there, work until the cuffs are as long as you like. Make button holes as you see fit.

The adjustable stitches mean that the excess will stick out. Try adding a third button, beside the top button, to keep things in place.

And so ends the first official craft post of 2016! What other crafts and DIY would you like to see here? Have you tried making winter accessories for friends, or family, or yourself? What projects would you like to complete this year? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

 

Chibi Doll Base – Amigurumi #26

Last week’s post was postponed due to extended work on this project. Today’s blog was delayed because I was gathering pictures of our subject. Excuses aside, I present to you… Mini M!

Mini M is all dressed and ready to go to his new home.

Quick facts about this plushie

This is made from my improvised standard chibi base, using a big head and chunky body. The ribbon was suggested by Shoony, instead of wrapping the doll in tissue. His hair is sewn in strands using brown yarn. Yes, it was time consuming. Yes, it was worth every second. Eyes are made from scratch, not safety eyes.

The pattern is a change up from my original pattern that tried to make things look more realistic. See here, with a Mini Shoony doll made circa 2011.

Penguin Shoony doesn’t approve

Perhaps I’ll remade this Shoony doll with the new pattern. Forget the “Draw This Again” meme, I’ll doing the “Make This Again” meme. 😛

But who is M, you ask? He’s one of Huggie Buddy’s roommates. And last Wednesday, M and I had one of the best days of this boring summer. We went for lunch, had froyo, watched the movie Stealth, and found a secluded area in the park that had couches. I also got a gigantic mosquito bite on the back of my leg. Woo…

Today, we had an adventure. M has been very kind to me, so it didn’t feel right to go over empty handed. And so I made the journey with Mini M and a bunch of homemade peanut butter cups.

Riding in Pika’s Bag, to his new home.

You can probably tell his eye is a bit messed up. While trying to make simple paint dots, the squeeze tube suddenly decided, “hey, know what this tiny squeeze needs? LOTS of paint!” BOOM! Gigantic blob of black paint. At first, I tried to fix it by scooping up the paint and duplicate stitching over the stained area. Then I tried painting it with a bit of white paint. Both… barely worked. M seemed happy nonetheless.

Famished from the journey

And yes, M was responsible for the hungry hungry Deku in the last post. 😛

Mini M always repays his debts.

Today was a day of movies and general cuddles. Hey, anyone else out there notice that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a really long movie? Well, you don’t miss much by the end. John Cleese can call my mother a hamster any day. XP What a lovely day, sans the lactose intolerant tummy aches endured by yours truly. (You just HAD to get cheesecake bits on yours, huh, Pika? D: ) M was truly a sweetheart to cut our walk short just to take me to the nearby restaurant for the washroom. >_<;;; Here’s our selfie to commemorate the good parts of the day!

Pika introduces Mini M

I can’t wait to see M again! ^w^

Have you made something you want to retry? What other characters would you like made using this pattern? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Sadaharu (Gintama) – Amigurumi #24

Boo! Did you miss the plushie posts? Of course you did. And so, here is Sadaharu from Gintama.

The yarn used for this project was actually recycled from an old project: the Hello Kitty scarf. Which in turn was made from yarn I originally bought for a Hello Kitty plush that never got made. So much history in this one little plushie! This fluffy yarn is great, because you can’t see the seams and/or mistakes. On the other hand it sheds a lot, like a real doggy. Face is all felt, and the collar is a red ribbon.

I love the way his bright red collar stands out against his snow white fur. He is very small, so he can’t eat your head. Maybe this isn’t Sadaharu; it’s the small doggy. I can’t say much else about Gintama because I haven’t watched it yet. Although I would like to know the story behind that white penguin thing…

Surely I’m not the only one who can’t crochet with textured yarn. Converting a crochet prototype to knitting proved to be more of an ordeal than expected, and the end result wasn’t as great as expected. But I think it’ll be worth it to see Tay happy.

And of course, don’t forget to top off with a kiss on the forehead so Tay will be blessed.

Sadaharu kinda looks like Doge, don’t you think?

 

So compare. Much attempt. Wow.

 

Sadaharu is a present for Tay. You may remember him from the whale tissue box.

I asked Tay if he wanted anything from Anime North, and he said, “if you find a Sadaharu plushie, let me know!” I went looking for a Sadaharu plushie, but couldn’t find one. And I’m not just saying that because of the crafter syndrome; Gintama seems quite popular, but apparently not enough to be at Toronto’s biggest anime convention. Humph. Well you know the drill by now. The original plan was to finish Sadaharu and give it to Tay as thanks for hanging out post-birthday.

Twin poses.

For my post-birthday, he and I drove to the town centre… and had quite a journey doing so. Ask anyone who’s driven with me about my direction-giving skills. >_<; We went to the candy store and bought a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. Final verdict: good ones are good, bad ones are AWFUL.

We stopped into the pet store next door to look at the small animals. Two hamsters were running on a wheel. A third hamster came, shoved one of them off, and took his place. What a mean hamster! X3 Kind of a shame they no longer sell dogs anymore, but considering how they used to acquire those poor puppies, this is for the best.

Sadaharu and Leo are looking at each other.

We went to Boston Pizza for dinner, and Tay introduced me to cactus chips. They’re basically potato chip-cut fries served with “cactus dip.” (Whatever that is; I think it’s blue cheese or ranch) I had steak. Yay, two steaks in one week! Sadly, this steak wasn’t as great, since it had a huge chunk of fat on one end. Tay taught me something: the tough, inedible, rubbery-yet-bone-like part of the meat is called the gristle. Gristle is nasty.

Finally, we watched Tomorrowland. It was all right; the effects were incredible, but the movie fell into that sci-fi trap of spending too much time focused on the scenery effects, rather than giving us an actual conflict/story. We got 20 – 30 minutes into the movie and I wasn’t sure what was happening, or why. The sad thing about movie nights is that once the movie ends, so does the night. Our ride home was much smoother, despite not getting our bubble tea and/or cinnamon rolls.

This is how I want my birthday to be every year: good friends, good food, good times.

 

By the time this blog is posted, Tay will have moved away. It probably won’t be so bad; I’ve gone almost a year without seeing my two closest friends, so surely I can go a while without seeing Tay. Until then, I’m not letting his number and Skype name out of my sight. I’m going to watch lots of anime, make lots of fan plushies, and save up lots of money so he can join us next year at Anime North! >: O Meanwhile, this picture is here as a reminder:

Just so we don’t forget!

*Bonus: I am going to enter Sadaharu in this month’s Knitting and Crochet contest! The theme is Cartoons and Anime. I’m thinking of adding more entries; a Bulbasaur plushie is long overdue.

 

Are you a fellow dog lover? Have you watched Gintama? What cool things have you discovered thanks to your friends? Comment below!

Very pika. Such happy. Wow.

Hello Kitty Scarf – Amigurumi #15

Yes, the scarf itself is still a WIP. I wasn’t sure where to file this. On one hand, it’s a mini ami. On the other, it’s an incomplete scarf. Then I thought, “por que no los dos?” And then I went out for burritos.

This plushie scarf was inspired off the Monkichi scarf I bought from Pacific Mall, back when I barely knew how to make anything but teddy bears. Kawaii, ne? (Cute, isn’t it?) They also had Hello Kitty and Keroppi versions, but I went with Monkichi so that Senor Monkey could have a friend. This is going to be an entry to the January contest over on deviantArt. I will include the link below.

Left: Monkichi scarf from Pacific Mall vs. handmade Hello Kitty scarf

 

You know that feeling when you have a problem, wrack your brain for solutions to said problem, and in the end the solution was so simple you wonder why you didn’t think of it sooner? That happened here, when deciding how to wash the scarf if need be. The scarf could be stuffed into an old stocking or lingerie bag, but the last time I machine washed a plushie it smelled. And so I’ve decided to attached fasteners to the back of Kitty. Now I can have a fluffy scarf and Hello Kitty brooch. Yay!

 

Few years back, I made a Hello Kitty ami for a friend’s girlfriend. I didn’t finish it in time, haha… XP All I managed to finish were the head, ears, and body. Maybe it made a good stress reliever. Oh well, not like that relationship lasted anyway.

Hello Kitty was one of my first animes. I didn’t realize it was an anime until Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z became popular, and people started explaining the differences between anime and cartoons. To me, cartoons were cartoons; they were drawn and animated, characters did and said funny things, but there was still a clear semblance of a story/moral. The only difference to me was the way they were drawn. Anime characters were drawn with clean lines and simplistic animation, while cartoons were silly and exaggerated. Yet, anime and cartoons are like hard and soft shell tacos; I like both!

Kitty and Mimmy

The English theme song went, Hello Kitty, play with us today, we’ll laugh and sing on this lovely sunny day. I spent my entire childhood thinking it was, “fluffy sunny day.” In my defense, the opening ended with a shot of a fluffy cloud that took the shape of Kitty’s face. So hah! Fluffy day! 😀

To those who haven’t watched it, Hello Kitty followed the adventures of Kitty and her twin sister, Mimmy. Kitty was outgoing and loved sports, while Mimmy liked reading and baking. For some reason, my favourite episode was the one in which they were dreaming of their ideal boy, and Mimmy meets hers the same day. He was sweet and liked reading, kind of like my type today. I’ve always related to Mimmy more, but I made Kitty because she’s the one everyone remembers. Don’t worry Mimmy, now that I’m a grown up, I’ll get all the nerdy boys for both of us.

 

And now, back to assignments. In terms of getting assignments done on time, this semester is already looking great. I finished two assignments early! Here’s to getting everything done on time throughout 2015.

This week, I will be resurrecting my game dev blog, Pika on a Blog. If you’re interested in reading about games in a more analytical light, click over!

If you’re interested in showing off your creative side, click over to Knitting and Crochet’s January contest. The theme is Sanrio, so if you want to make your own item, be sure to submit before the end of January! Even if you don’t win, consider it a great chance to receive exposure for your work.

What other character scarves and accessories would you like? How is school/work going so far in the new year? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Batman Hand Warmers

The post actually appeared before quarter to midnight? WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!

I made these long-outstanding hand warmers for Justice. Yes, that is his real name. Even if I were to give him a fake name, it would be Batman. For the past month or so, he’d ask, “hey Val, where’re my hand warmers?” I would run away as I made this face: ( ; w ; ) It’s been what, four months now? I still haven’t given these to him. X3;;;

This was my first time trying duplicate stitch. Hm… These ended up looking more like eagles. Others have mentioned something about Battlestar Galactica. I think they look a lot better in the smaller picture below.

The base of these warmers was inspired by the “Hugs n Kisses with Love Hand Warmers” pattern from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. You may remember this from last month. This time, I skipped over the XOXO cable pattern, which resulted in plain warmers.

I noticed that they turned out bigger, even though I used the same size knitting needles. Then I realized that Man, I did not like duplicate stitch… I had to eyeball the necessary chart modifications so that it would fit.  Here is the chart I used, which was originally meant for a doggy sweater (click for original source, plus doggy sweater pattern!):

Story Time!

Together with Squirt, Speakerphone, and Tru-bert, Justice and I formed the Justice League. The entire Justice League went to Montreal, but then they split us up because girls and boys had to have different rooms. BLASPHEMY! Justice says that drunk/high Tru-bert is funny, and that Tru-bert and Squirt were arguing about waking up the next day. I felt bad for Justice, having to endure the apparent snoring contest that was going on. He can still be such a troll when he wants; when we play Cities and Knights, my cities always burn down. It’s his fault. Oh yeah, he has a minion, but the minion sucks because it didn’t finish building the death ray. It also let the African mafia burn down his laptop. Believe me – I was there.

From left to right: Tru-bert, me, Squirt, Justice, and Speakerphone

Suggestions have arisen for Wonder Woman warmers to be next. Also for that Charmander plush to be finished.

 

Are there any other types of hand warmer designs you’d like to see? Do you Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Knitting Time

I’m in the middle of making Christmas presents, so this week’s post is a throwback to stuff I already made. If you’re reading this on December 20, this is not the new post for the week. I’m just insanely busy finishing presents and sweets for everyone. x_x

Oh yeah, I knit too.

These are called “Hugs ‘n Kisses with Love Handwarmers.” I found the pattern in a book called 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. It’s a nifty little book to have around, in case you have a single ball of yarn and want to use it up. The handwarmers are pretty dirty, since they’ve been in my coat pocket since first year, 2010. I gave Suzie one to wear, and I wore the other. Our Graphic Design prof called us “the wonder twins” because everything we did was somehow connected. Of course, I’m dumb and wore the right hand warmer. While drawing, pencil lead rubbed off on it. Now I know how lefties feel. ;w; When Suzie met Rychu, I made him solid red gloves, like Ryu from Street Fighter.

I don’t think I should’ve made these striped… it made the garter stitch heart difficult to see. At least it made the Xs and Os stand out! 🙂

I recommend looking up this pattern. It’s actually quite easy to do, even if you’ve never worked with cables before. (It was my first time when I made this pattern) If you remove the XO motif and the garter stitch heart in the palm, it becomes a quick and easy standard hand warmer pattern. I also made a pair of black warmers with a Batman symbol, but I won’t post because I want them to be a surprise. You can start working on a pair in January, and have them ready by Friends’ Week! ^_^

Right: XO (hugs and kisses) cable stitching on the back of the hand. The heart is garter stitched into the palm.

 

About a year later, I made this dress. I remember trying to use the standard Super Saver yarn I now use for plushies. It turned out so stiff and heavy! >_< And so, I bought a big fat ball of baby sport yarn. This is a cute shade of blue. I like to pair it with dark blue leggings and sleeveless tops. Next, I want nice bright red yarn for a more “stylish” dress. Kind of like this, but maybe without the cowl neck. Or even this, but not so long.

 

And now, back to work on everything! If you don’t see a blog next week, consider the pattern links in this week’s blog as my Christmas presents to you. 😛

 

Hugs ‘n Kisses with Love Handwarmer pattern found in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. (Click for Ravelry link)

Sweater Dress pattern found here, as a FREE DOWNLOAD! (Originally retrieved from bernat.com)

 

What should I knit next? Do you like to give knitted/crocheted gifts? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Pokemon Hats – Knitting #1

October is a busy month. If you’re a student, it’s a time of submitting assignments and cramming for midterms. If you’re Canadian, you’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving and are now preparing for the cold weather. And of course, Hallowe’en is upon us. October also happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness month.

This is totally what I look like in real life.

Let’s make a post that ties in to all of the above. If you’re a student who wants to dress up, but doesn’t have the time to make or buy a fancy costume, simply throw on a fun accessory. With the cold weather approaching, consider a nice, warm hat. For example, my Pikachu costume last year (and the year before): I made a hat with the Pikachu ears. After that, I just popped on a yellow dress with a cutout tail sewn to the back, paint rosy cheeks, and voila~

Remember folks: silly headware + wise wardrobe choices = quick and easy costume.

Here’s the prototype Pikachu hat, beside the mystery newcomer hat. Can you guess what it will be? Hint: It’s not Ditto.

Right: Pikachu prototype. Left: Who’s that Pokemon?

Now it’s time to make your own hat! Don’t worry, hats knit up quick and easy. Try using larger needles or thicker yarn if you’re really in a bind.

How to Make your own Character Hat

Step 1: Make a basic hat. (I used this pattern from Tin Can Knits)

Step 2: Make necessary details, such as ears, horns, hair puffs, etc.

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit!

I improvised the ears on the Pikachu hat, and will improvise the details on the mystery hat, as well. If you’re new to circular knitting, the Tin Can Knits blog offers a step by step tutorial with pictures. You can also try making your hat from a basic crochet hat, or cutting the detail shapes from felt.

Finally, let’s move to the more serious part of October. I bought the pretty pink yarn (same shade as the breast cancer ribbon) from Zellers a year ago. The sign above the shelf said that all profits earned from said yarn sales, would benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. I don’t think it was wise to trust that sign…. this happened in December, and Zellers is no longer a thing. Now that I have earned back the value of the yarn on Etsy, I plan to donate that amount ($5.99) directly to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It’s not much, but at least this way I know the donation is going straight to the cause. I hope the donation will make a breast cancer patient’s world a little more plush.

October 24 is Wear it Pink day. I’m not 100% sure if this is also a Canadian event or not; our school had it last year, but we’re pretty bad when it comes to publicizing events. ( ; w ; ) Wear it Pink seems to be based in the UK. Even if you’re not confident in your ability to make fancy details, you can make a plain pink hat. You could also make a pink scarf. Scarves knit up quickly, just in time to wear it pink this coming Friday.

For more information, or if you’d like to donate to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, visit their website here.

Coming soon…

What other character hats would you like to see? Will you be wearing it pink? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

WIP it up, WIP it out, WIP it hard

It was a bad idea to have three projects going at once. At least, in terms of getting them finished. Here are the 3 projects I have going so far:

 

#1. Batman Hand Warmers

This is my first attempt at intarsia knitting. So far, it’s not very fun. Well, at least the hand warmer part was easy.

Samples of the final image. I’m going to make the first image, on the left.

 

#2. Mega Snorlax plush

How appropriate, since the new Smash Bros was released today! Now you can relive how it feels to have the Snorlax assist trophy  jump out at you. Here is the body compared to the mini prototype from last week:

Body of the big Snorlax, vs. the prototype

 

#3. Charmander

This body is going to be the end of me. I’ve ranted on this in the Torchic blog; I’m torn between making the tail attached to the body, or just making the two separate and sewing on the underbelly. Until then, I have no idea what I’m doing.

Pictured: Head and (tail?)

 

 

Oh yeah, Hyrule Warriors is out…

…

…

I HAVE SCHOOL TO ATTEND AND A BUSINESS TO RUN, NINTENDO!!! Y U DO DIS?! Well, guess I’m writing my Christmas list early.

 

And so ends another short blog post. I’m beginning to think I should make the new posts on Saturday, but no promises yet. Which project are you most looking forward to see completed? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~