What I've been up to: Spyro, and something new!

A bout of unemployment has sent me into a creative hurricane. I've been making loads of stuff solely to put up on my Etsy shop, but a few things were made for me, and me alone.

First up, a blast from the past: A Spyro plushie!

There were a few years of my life where my memories are the most vivid. I was 9 - 11 years old or so, and I spent my days doing things like drawing my own sailor scouts, writing Gundam Wing fanfiction, playing Dragonball Z with my best friend, and of course, eating giant jawbreakers while playing Spyro.

When I say giant jawbreakers, I mean GIANT jawbreakers. They were about the size of a baseball, and took me a few days to finish (even for a candy-obsessed 10-year-old). I would often times break it with something, so I could fit rock-sized pieces in my mouth in order to hold my Playstation controller with both hands to fight gnorcs and save dragons. I have a grey 'video game chair' that I sat in, mere feet from the TV. It was a very small chair that rocked back and forth and sat right on the ground. These glorious days can be summed up with Jawbreakers, Spyro, and leaning back in this chair like I didn't give a care in the world.

When I came across this pattern, my heart leapt for joy. To be able to have a tangible thing to not only hold, but to make! To be able to look at and taste the sugar of the giant jawbreakers, and remember the Virginia air wafting into my room as I wasted my day trying as hard as I could to beat Metalhead.

This pattern can be found here (along with a pattern for Ember from "A Hero's Tail", though I haven't made her), and I have to say that it is absolutely worth the money. It's written very well, and looks amazing. It is time-consuming, but doesn't actually use up that much yarn. I didn't have to change a single thing, and Spyro looks amazing, and stands up nicely. There is some use of wire (to make his wings and tail poseable), and a lot of attaching of limbs. If you're up for a challenge, and need something comforting, then this is definitely the project.

My next project....IS NOT A CROCHET PROJECT!!

Yes, after months of longingly looking at overpriced ribbon bracelets being sold in stores, I finally decided to give into the ribbon jewelry craze.

Despite these bracelets having all the qualities I look for in jewelry (which is ribbon, and anything else that makes me feel like a mermaid and/or princess) I've held off on buying any, because I always felt like I could make it myself. As it turns out- I was right!

After crocheting in all of my free time (which is...all of my time), for the last two weeks, I knew I needed to find something different to do before I became completely and utterly burnt out on crocheting. Luckily, I had seen this tutorial on Pinterest awhile back, and had even bought the supplies for it. Unfortunately, the tutorial had kind of overwhelmed me, and the beads and ribbon didn't do much more than collect dust for awhile.

However, after a particularly yarn-heavy day, I decided to give it a shot. I was so pleasantly surprised! These bracelets were the perfect combination of simple and repetitive, while also being challenging and engaging. The result was absolutely gorgeous, and the use of elastic makes putting them on and taking them off very easy. 

I am, in fact, so happy with the results of these bracelets that I went out to Michael's yesterday, and bought more strands of glass pearls, as well as another spool of ribbon. Michael's sells the glass pearls in 7" strands for only 99 cents, and longer strands of smaller beads for the same price (a ribbon necklace would be amazing, too!). They also have nicer stone strands, but my wallet was just feeling a bit too light for that.

The tutorial can be found here. I did the "wave" and "pleat" patterns, since I was a bit too chicken (and short on supplies) to make the "fold". I'm not too keen on that design, though, so I wonder what other designs I could come up with...?

Fun fact: The bigger the bow, the more you feel like a princess.

Next time I come around I'll talk about chocolate, perler beads (SO MANY PERLER BEADS), fingerless gloves, how I can't stop making them, and why it's a problem.

One Skein Weekend: Drawstrings and Dragons Edition

This "edition" of One Skein Weekend is one I'm pretty excited about. I made a purse using crocodile stitch, and a small drawstring bag intended for Tarot cards (although it can be used for just about anything).

Anyone who knows me, or has been to my house, knows how I feel about dragons. The crocodile stitch is irresistible to me because it reminds me so much of dragon scales, and using crocheting to be able to flaunt and express my love for them makes me smile every time.

I have also been a Tarot card enthusiast for a long time, having acquired my first deck of Tarot cards when I was about 12. I really enjoy having such a beautiful bag that I made myself, and can store my favorite deck of Tarot cards in (which, you guessed it, is the Celtic Dragon Deck).

These two projects, while both being bags, serve different purposes, and are both so magical, that they somehow feel as though they go together.

Let's get started.

First, let's talk about the yarn:

Yarn: Bernat Satin
Color: Teal
Yardage: 200 Yards
Weight: Worsted
Price: (Not sure, it was a gift)
Extra stuff: A couple feet of ribbon, A few yards of scrap yarn in a contrasting color (I used Caron Simply Soft in Gray.)

First up is the Crocodile Stitch Clutch (The pattern can be found here.)
 

I made a few changes to Sara's pattern. First up, I added 4 more rows, to equal two more rows of crocodile stitch. I also made the handle out of 9 fsc instead of 9 ch (to add some extra width without doing a fifth row of CC). And for the back, I did a total of 29 ch to start, instead of 33.

I love the combination of sapphire and silver, so when this purse was finished I couldn't help but to think about how much it reminded me of treasure lost in the ocean. I have always had an affinity for the ocean, and the "scales" simultaneously reminded me of waves, and dragon scales.

I also love her version of the crocodile stitch, where she uses hdcs instead of dcs, so the stitches are tighter to prevent any smaller items from falling out. This pattern is beautiful, elegant, and the shimmery teal color makes it perfect for the midwesterner who still misses the ocean.

And, although this looks like it took a long time, it went really quick. Only doing 6 or 7 scales per row makes it go very quick, and the hdcs of the back work up quickly. Had it finished in a few hours.

Next up is the StarGazer Tarot Bag (which can be found here.)

I made this bag for the first time back in January of 2012, and at that time I used a very expensive yarn I bought with a gift card (because I'm too cheap to spend my own money on nice things). After I made the Crocodile Stitch Clutch, this project felt like it was the right amount of yarn to use up the rest of my skein. So, without thinking, I found the pattern again, and started to stitch it up, when I was hit with a very odd sense of deja vu. Looking towards my Tarot cards, I realized that this is the same color I used for the other one! While my expensive yarn drapes a little differently, using Bernat Satin has the same shimmer, and works up even quicker.

I only did 22 rows before the beaded row, and 5 instead of 7 rows AFTER the beaded row. If my gauge was smaller, I probably could have gotten away with doing all the rows, and still coming to the end of my skein, but using an H hook and omitting 5 rows, It worked out nicely that I had only a yard or two of yarn left. In fact, because of my large gauge, I probably could have made the foundation chain even shorter, since I can fit a deck of tarot cards in there with a lot of walking room left. If you ARE using one skein of yarn for both of these projects, and want to make this one true to pattern, you can always make the Crocodile Stitch Clutch true to pattern instead of adding two rows, and you will definitely have enough leeway.

As I said, though, this can make a nice drawstring bag in general, and can work as a dice bag, or a small drawstring bag for whatever trinkets needs you may have, so gauge isn't the most important.

I worked this up in a little over an hour, so it makes a great last minute gift, or a good way to get out of a crochet rut. The pattern is just single and double crochets, so it's really easy, too.

If you're looking for other things to do with a skein of yarn, here's my other One Skein Weekend Post:

-First Edition (AKA Radioactive Hobo Pirate Edition)

One Skein Weekend (First Edition)

I've had quite a bit of free time on my hands as of late. It's bittersweet, because while I enjoy hanging out, crocheting, writing, and eating Klondike bars, I also like doing things like making rent, paying my bills, and having enough money to buy more Klondike Bars when I run out. Since my hours have been cut so significantly at work, and I'm juggling my free time with being really poor, I thought I'd try something out for my fellow poor people.

In an attempt to help us out, I'm going to try a new thing I call One Skein Weekend. It's basically a few small projects that can be made with nothing more than a single skein of yarn. So if you have a full skein of yarn stashed away, or only want to spend less than $5 to keep yourself occupied over the period of a day or two, then maybe I can help you out. I am also, of course, only using patterns that are available for free, and will do my best to make things that make sense (So you don't have 4 hats in the same color, a bracelet made of wool, or a mug cozy made of thread, etc.).

This week I made three projects that all go together nicely in kind of a Spanish Pirate theme; A Lace Shawl, Mesh Wristers, and a Flower Headband. So, let's get started.

Here's the stats of what exactly I used:


Yarn: Bernat Satin
Color: Fern
Yardage: 200 Yards
Weight: Worsted
Price: (Not sure, it was a gift)
Extra stuff: One button (50 cents from Wal Mart)

First up is the "Lace So Simple" Shawl (The pattern can be found here)

This is 7 rounds, and uses an N hook. Big hook, a few rows? Takes a few hours, and probably about half of our allotted yarn (including the long tassels). I also used a button on this so it stays on my shoulders easier, and also easily turns into kind of a cool, Bohemian style scarf, the button clasp adding a little extra personality.

The actual pattern calls for teardrop crystals to hang off of the picots, but just looping the tassles through the right places looks fine, and costs less.

I had a lot of fun with this one, and I think it looks really nice. the sheen of the green yarn I used adds an extra magical element, and it's really good for covering shoulders (something I spend my days and nights looking for!). I think as a scarf it's good for fall, and as a wrap it's good for spring, and I've been using it indoors when I'm at home, not quite cold enough for a blanket or sweater, but just want something over my shoulders. These are also elegant and bohemian enough to whip up for some last minute Christmas gifts.

Next up are our Ivy Wristers (Pattern can be found here, as a free Ravelry download)

These use an I hook, and are the fastest wrist warmers I have ever made. I adapted the pattern a bit, with a starting chain of 35 instead of 29, and I did 12 rows instead of 10. They fit nicely, and are perfect for when my hands get chilly during NaNoWriMo (or blogging...yes, I am wearing them right now :)). Normally I'm a bit wary of the wrist warmer method of making a rectangle and folding it over, but this pattern is small enough that it works really well without being clunky, and actually fits the hand shape nicely.

The pattern itself took only a little while, and is just a quick motif repeated over and over and over again, making for an interesting pattern.

....Now~ ...

...Before you run off and make these, I have a bit of a disclaimer. Since I adapted the pattern to be bigger, I came VERY close to running out of yarn before finishing the final project. This is how much yarn I had left:

So, if you don't want to cut it that close, I recommend doing less than twelve rows. But, if you like to live on the edge, then go for it! Just be conservative with your yarn from here on out. Let me know how it goes for you!

And finally, our flower headband (Pattern can be found here)

This was a super cute project, and was rather interesting to put together (sewing the large flower to the 3 chain headband). I used an H hook for the flower, and an F Hook for the chains (the F hook being very important to not running out of yarn :P). Despite how big the flower is, I was actually surprised at how cute it turned out. I don't feel like it's gaudy at all, I just don't know when I'm going to wear it! Hopefully I'll manage to get some use out of it.

All together now!

So this is what it all comes together to be! Mine is a nice...radioactive hobo Spanish pirate theme :)

Isn't stash busting fun? I've been making a lot of little projects lately, and since I don't have any extra money to buy more yarn, my stash is certainly dwindling beautifully :P

Want more stash busters? Wanna see the other cool projects I've been working on? You know I'll be back with some kind of goodies soon enough.

Pokeball Deck Bag

My relationship with Pokemon is kind of a strange one. I only have two very strong memories related to it, and as I was making the pattern and crocheting up this bag for Pokemon cards, they were the only things I could think about.

I was about 10 when I got into anime, and Sailor Moon was my drug of choice. Something about Pokemon didn't really appeal to me, and while my friends sat on the curb outside their apartment buildings trading cards, I didn't want to be left out, so I feigned interest.

I liked talking to my friends about the different kinds of Pokemon, and I remember sitting outside, in the middle of the hot Virginia summer, with my binder of all kinds of cards, trading cards with everyone else who had their binders of cards. This is the first memory I really treasure about Pokemon.

I never became obsessed, really. But I certainly had a place for Charmander in my heart.

As a stocking stuffer one Christmas, my Dad, not knowing the difference between Pokemon and all those other animes I was into, got me a sparkly little bouncy ball with Charmander in the center. As I crocheted this Pokeball, I could clearly remember standing in front of my Christmas tree that night, the lights wrapped around the tree sparkling, my face and hands warm from the heaters, and my Charmander bouncy ball firmly in my hand, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to take care of him. So twenty seconds of a fragment of a memory of pretty lights and the smell of Christmas still hanging in the air is my 2nd nice memory of Pokemon.

This was all happening around the same time I spoke of in my last post, when I spent my days drawing Sailor Scouts, watching animes, writing fanfiction and just making my own universe. I've never felt more magical, and so even though Pokemon was never a vice of mine, it still holds a special place in my heart.

So, without further delay, here is that pattern for my Pokeball Pokemon card deck bag!

Pokeball Deck Bag

Pokemon and Pokeball (TM) Satoshi Tajiri

Original Pattern created by Pam Gabriel

Please do not sell products made from this pattern without permission.

PamGabriel@Gmail.com

This is a crocheted bag designed to hold decks for the Pokemon card game.

What you'll need:

• H Hook
• Less than a skein of worsted weight yarns in:
  • White
  • Red
  • Black

Abbreviations:

Chain (ch)

Single Crochet (sc)

Skip (sk)

How to do it:

With White, ch 31:

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, and in each sc across, ch 1, turn. (30 sc)

Row 2 - 10: sk next sc, sc to end of row, ch 1, turn. (30 sc)

Row 11: sk next sc, sc to end of row. (30 sc) (Do NOT ch 1 at end of this row.)

Finish off white.

Attach Black.

Row 12: Ch 1, sk next sc, sc to end of row. (30 sc)

Finish off black.

Attach Red.

Row 13: Ch 1, sk next sc, sc to end of row, ch 1, turn. (30 sc)

Row 14 - 22: sk next sc, sc to end of row, ch 1, turn. (30 sc)

Row 23 (Beaded Row): sk next sc, sc in next 2 spaces *ch 1, sk next sc, sc* Repeat * to end of row, ch 1, turn (16 sc, 14 ch1 spaces)

Row 24: sc in each ch1 space and in each sc. (30 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Weave in ends.

Use a whip stitch to sew the side and bottom together. Switch to white yarn when you get to the white part of the bag.

Drawstring:

Using red, make a chain of desired length, and weave through the holes made by the chain spaces in the beaded row.

Button:

With white:

Round 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook. Finish off white.

Attach black.

Round 2: 2sc in each sc around (12 sc). Finish off, leaving a long tail.

Sew button to center of front side of bag.

So, how did it go? Was it big? Small? Do you even use Pokemon cards anymore? Are you using it as a bag for something else? Let me know!

Next time! More deck bags are in the works, along with a Sailor Moon challenge (on a few different levels), and who knows...maybe even a NaNoWriMo update. 

Crocheted Eternal Inner Sailor Scout Transformation Wand

A lot has been going through my mind lately. Between changing jobs, dealing with school, having less money, and just all around feeling lost, something interesting happened to me.

From realizing I am not doing too much in my life, to realizing that maybe I don't want to, and dealing with all of this inner turmoil by spending about $100 on Ebay on Sailor Moon things and cheap jewelry.

After my inner searching subsided a bit, and most of my packages arrived, I sat down for about 3 days and watched the first 40 or so episodes of Sailor Moon. Being in Japanese, they required a lot of attention, and I was less productive than ever. Watching the group of girls who molded my childhood, and pretty much made me the person I am today, I couldn't help but feeling as though I was letting them down.

Now, I realize what this sounds like. 23 Year Old girl letting down imaginary characters, but it worked, right? Another bout of inner turmoil began and I ended up somewhere I think I've been all along.

I like this stuff. I like crocheting, and anime, and games and whatever else most 23-year-old women shouldn't really find themselves obsessed with. But then I realized that if I'm going to use this stuff to make me happy, I still have to work hard.

After everything made itself crystal clear to me, I suddenly had a burst of energy, inspiration and nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks.

When I was younger, I used to try to cut out cardboard in the shape of these transformation wands to use when I played sailor Moon with my best friend. They were always flimsy, uneven, a little too small, and covered in marker. I started to think about that time in my life, how happy I was, being in my own world all the time, and I wanted to have that back, if only on a small level. Remembering this, and about the fact that I would LOVE to make my own pattern, I immediately started drawing up plans, and around 3:30 AM yesterday, I started crocheting this.

I had SO MUCH FUN making this. I reminisced, I problem-solved, and upon finishing the first wing I felt full from how smart I was feeling. The wings were completely my creation, and I couldn't be more proud. I hope when you make this, you feel as stuffed with nostalgia, magic, love and justice as I did.

Since this is a bit of a prototype, I am offering this pattern for free, but please respect me and the time, energy and planning that went into this creation. I don't mind if you sell items from this pattern, but on 2 conditions:

1. PLEASE get my permission when you sell any creations from this pattern (gifting and trading is fine, of course)
2. I wanna see! Show me your finished product, and let me know where the pattern confused you, or was incorrect. I have only made this once, and some proxy-pattern-testers would be very helpful to me. It is the biggest reason I am offering this pattern for free. Also, I would LOVE to see that other people are finding inspiration and fun from something I created in a very pivotal 3 AM moment.

So, with inner turmoil behind me, 4 seasons of Sailor Moon ahead of me, and a very comforting Sailor Mars transformation wand beside me, please enjoy this pattern.

Eternal Sailor Scout Transformation Pen

Designed by Pam Gabriel

Sailor Moon and Sailor Scouts (TM) Naoko Takeuchi

This pattern can be used to gift or trade with friends and family, but please do not sell products from this pattern without my permission.

PamGabriel@Gmail.com

This pattern is for the transformation wands the Inner Scouts use in Sailor Moon Super S & Sailor Moon Stars seasons. Hopefully I will have patterns for the other Transformation pens soon.

What you'll need:

• E Hook

• H Hook
• Tapestry Needle
• Less than a skein of worsted weight yarns in:
  • Yellow
  • Color of your choice depending on the Scout wand you are making (Blue, Red, Green or Orange).
  • Pink
  • White

• Polyfil, or other stuffing.

Abbreviations:

• Chain (Ch)

• Single Crochet (Sc)
• Single Crochet Increase (scinc)
• Single Crochet Decrease (scdec)
• Slip Stitch (sl st)
• Half Double Crochet (hdc)
• Double Crochet (dc)

Final Dimensions:

Height (From top of star to bottom of stick): 12 ½"

Width (From wing tip to wing tip): 8 ¼"

Handle circumference: 3.75"

Star height: 2 ½"

Sphere circumference: 8"

Wing (From base to tip of Feather #1): 5"

This wand will be made in 5 parts (Star, Sphere, Stick, Handle and Wings), then sewn together. We will start with the star, and work our way down.

Let's get started!

Star (Make 2):

Using E Hook, and Yellow Yarn:

Rnd 1: Using the Magic Adjustable Ring technique, make 5 sc in loop. Do not join.
Rnd 2: Make 2 sc in ea sc around (10 sc). Do not join.
Rnd 3: *Sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc* around (15 sc). Join with sl st in first sc. Circle complete.
Rnd 4: Sl st in 1st sc. *[Ch5, sl st in 2nd lp from hook, sc in next st, hdc in next st, dc in next st] point made. Sk next sc in circle and sl st in next 2 sc. Rep from * around circle, after last point, make only 1 slst.
Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in ea st around (50 sc).
Fasten off, and weave in ends..

Putting the Star together:

With wrong sides facing each other (right sides facing outwards), sew together the outer loops only, using a whip stitch. Fill with stuffing before sewing together last point. Make sure stuffing is evenly distributed throughout points. Finish Sewing together. Weave in end(s).

Sphere:

Using H Hook, and Sailor Scout's Main Color (Blue for Mercury, Red for Mars, Green for Jupiter or Orange for Venus):

Row 1: Ch 2. 6 Sc in second Ch from hook. (6 sc)

Row 2: inc in each stitch around. (12 sc)

Row 3: Add 5 scincs evenly throughout the row (17 sc)

Row 4: Add 6 scincs evenly throughout the row (23 sc)

Row 5: Add 4 scincs evenly throughout the row (27 sc)

Row 6: Add 4 scincs evenly throughout the row (31 sc)

Row 7: Add 3 scincs evenly throughout the row (34 sc)

Row 8: Add 2 scincs evenly throughout the row (36 sc)

Row 9: Add 1 scincs within the row (37 sc)

Row 10: One sc in each sc (37 sc)

Row 11: Decrease by 1 (36 sc)

Row 12: Evenly scdec by 2 within the row (34 sc)

Row 13: Evenly scdec by 3 within the row (31 sc)

Row 14: Evenly scdec by 4 within the row (27 sc)

Row 15: Evenly scdec by 4 within the row (23 sc)

Row 16: Evenly scdec by 6 within the row (17 sc)

Row 17: (scdec, sc) repeat () around (12 sc)

(This is a good time to fill your sphere with Polyfil.)

Row 18: 6 scdec (6 sc)

Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Pull tightly to close.

Putting the Star and Sphere together:

First we're going to add the star to the sphere. Do this BEFORE embroidering your Scout's symbol on the sphere. There is a good chance the angle of your star may be changed as you attach it, and you don't want a weird wand. I did this by running yellow yarn up from the sphere, through the star, then under one stitch of the sphere, coming right back up to go through the star again. It's pretty tricky, so play around with what works for you. After I attached the 1^st point of the star, I pulled my yarn all the way through to the bottom of the sphere (the Stick will be attaching here, so it doesn't need to be pretty), then pulling it back up to the top. When I brought it back up, I made sure to line it up where the star was going to be sewed down to, so it wouldn't be crooked, then continued to sew down the second Star Point.

To weave in the ends, I brought both ends down to the bottom of the sphere and tied them off.

Bring the yarn down from the right Star Point to the bottom

You can see the top of the (light blue) needle where I brought the yarn back up to the top, and through the left Star Point

Yay! You should have this by now! I used my hand as a size reference.

Embroidering:

True to the Wands when the Scouts transform, their symbol appears in gold, so I'll be using yellow as well. I'm also only using the Planet Symbol. If you're feeling ambitious, feel free to add the extra symbol (Harp, Bow & Arrow, Laurels, or Hearts, depending on your chosen scout).

 

Sailor Mars FTW.

This part is a bit tricky, you can use the stitches on the sphere to help guide you, but it's going to take some undoing and redoing. For this, you're just going to sew in and out in the shape of the symbol, then go over it again to cover the empty spaces the stitches leave. Once again, bring the ends down to the bottom and tie them off.

Stick:

Stick is made from the bottom.

Using Yellow and H Hook:

Row 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook (6 sc)

Row 2: 2sc in each sc (12 sc)

Row 3: (2sc, sc, sc) around (16 sc)

Row 4: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (20 sc)

Row 5: sc in each sc (20 sc)

Switch to Pink.

Row 6: In FL only, (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (25 sc)

Row 7: In BL only, (sc, sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (30 sc)

Row 8: In both loops, sc in each sc (30 sc)

Row 9: (sc, sc, sc, scdec) around (25 sc)

Row 10: Repeat row 9 (20 sc)

Row 11: Repeat row 9 (16 sc)

Rows 12 - 31: Sc in each sc (16 sc)

Row 32: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (20 sc)

Row 33: (9 sc, 2sc) twice (22 sc)

Row 34 - 35: sc in each sc (22 sc)

Switch back to Yellow.

Row 36: In FL only, sc in each sc (22 sc)

Row 37: Evenly distribute 3 scincs throughout row (25 sc)

Row 38: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (30 sc)

Row 39: sc in each sc (30 sc)

Row 40: (sc, sc, sc, sc, scdec) around (25 sc)

Row 41: (sc, sc, scdec) around, 1 sc (19 sc)

Row 42: Repeat row 41 (15 sc)

Row 43: (sc, scdec) around (8 sc)

Row 44: sc in each sc. (8 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Stuff with Polyfil.

Putting the Stick and Sphere Together:

With a tapestry needle, using the long tail of yellow yarn from the Stick, pull the yarn through the scs of the opening of the stick through the middle of the bottom of the sphere, and back through again until you have gone all the way around. Now, go about one stitch towards the outside of the circle and repeat. This will keep the sphere firmly on the stick. Repeat if necessary. If you are finding your sphere isn't staying on, and the stick isn't staying straight, you may need to stuff more Polyfil into the stick.

Handle:

This is that extra part on the right of the stick that sort of resembles half of a heart. I am not sure what the purpose of it is except to make it look cooler. Either way, I will refer to it as the "Handle" for lack of a better term.

This will be crocheted twice as wide as it should be, then folded in half lengthwise and sewn together with polyfil inside to keep the shape.

With Pink, and H Hook:

Ch 7

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, and in each st across (6 sc)

Rows 2 - 44: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across (6 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Fold in half lengthwise, and whipstitch along the outer edge. Sew up one short side, but leave the other open. From the open end, you will be inserting stuffing. Using a stuffing stick (or a chopstick), push the stuffing down into the Handle. The opening isn't very big, so a small stick is necessary, and so is some patience. It doesn't need to be very dense, just enough to keep some shape once it's sewn on.

Putting the Handle and Stick Together:

Attach the open end of the handle to the right side of the very top of the pink part of the Stick. I sewed around twice just for good measure. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Now, shape the handle into the general half-heart you want (refer to reference picture if needed). Now, leave about an inch of the handle to curl up at the bottom of the curve of the handle. Using your tapestry needle and pink yarn, go through the small end part of the handle, the part that is actually attached to the stick, and through the stick itself. Do this 3 – 5 times until it is securely attached. Also be sure the bottom of the handle is in line with the top of the handle, so your handle isn't sewn on crooked. Weave in ends.

Push your needle through all three parts.

Be sure the top and bottom of your Handle are aligned

How the bottom of the handle should look. It kind of represents a Violin Scroll.

Wings (Make 4):

Wings will be comprised of a base and 3 Feathers. It will all be one continuous piece, so there will be no yarn cutting. Once you reach the end of a feather, sl st down the feather towards the base where the bottom of the previous feather is to start the next feather.

If you are having trouble visualizing the pattern as you read, there is a picture diagram below the pattern

Base:

Row 1: Ch 2, 3 sc in 2^nd ch from hook, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: 2 sc in next 2 sc, sc, ch 1, turn (5 sc)

Row 3: sc in next sc (sc, 2sc) twice, ch 1, turn (7 sc)

Row 4: (2sc, sc) twice, 3 sc, ch 1, turn (9 sc)

Row 5: (2sc, sc) twice, 5 sc, ch 1 turn (11 sc)

Row 6: (2sc, sc, sc) three times, 2 sc, ch 1, turn (14 sc)

Row 7: (2sc, sc, sc) three times, 5 sc, ch 1, turn (17 sc)

Begin First Feather:

Row 8 - 15: 3 sc, ch 1, turn (3 sc)

Row 16: 1 sc, 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)

Row 17: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)

Row 18: 1 sc, ch 1, turn (1 sc)

Sl st down Feather #1 until you reach the base of the wing.

Begin Second Feather:

Row 8 (Now moving across BASE of wing): 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 9: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn

Row 10: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 11: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn

Row 12: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 13: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn

Row 14: 1 sc, 1scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)

Row 15: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)

Row 16: sc (1 sc)

Sl st down Feather #2 until you reach the base of the wing.

Begin Third Feather:

Row 8 (Once again along BASE of Wing): 3 sc, ch 1, turn (3 sc)

Row 9: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #2, ch 1, turn

Row 10: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 11: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #2, ch 1, turn

Row 12: 1 sc, 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)

Row 13: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)

Row 14: 1 sc, Sl st down feather until you reach the base of the wing, 1 sc, sl st in each st to end of wing. Fasten off.

Leave one long tail on 2 of the 4 wings (for sewing), then weave in all other ends.

The pen lines represent where the scs are, and the orange dots represent where you should sl st. The numbers are not accurate. This is just a visual aid to help you out with following the written pattern.

Putting the Wings together:

On both wings, there will be a wrong side facing outwards, and a right side facing outwards. Place 2 of the wings right side against wrong side, and stitch up along the bottom, feathers, and top. Flip inside out, then fill with stuffing. Sew the last side together, except for a small opening about the size of a penny. This will be the area used to attach the wings to the Stick.

Now you can see where the opening should be left for attaching it to the Stick.

Putting it all together:

Now, all you have to do is sew the opening on the wing onto the top yellow portion of the Stick. The only thing you have to worry about here is making sure it doesn't touch the handle. If you need to sew on a higher part of the wing onto the stick for reinforcement, go ahead. This wand is pretty big, and you wanna make sure it's sturdy.

Hooray! We're done!

Now you can transform into your favorite Sailor Scout! Well...maybe not. But you can have a nice addition to your Cosplay, or just keep it around to remind you of where you've been, where you want to go, and the imaginary people you're letting down if you just...give up.

Next time! I'm working on some patterns for deck and dice bags in Pokeball and TARDIS flavors. See you soon!

TMNT Can Cozies

These cozies were actually made as a commission for someone who decided AFTER I had made them all that they didn't want to buy them. Maybe I overcharge on my Etsy Store, but then again, Maybe I'm just someone who values their time more than most people. I never call in sick, but I do request days off for no reason sometimes. I don't spend my days off getting things done, I spend them doing things that make me happy (if I didn't, would I have a blog dedicated to crocheting and crafts?)

All these things are so important to me, having more happiness than money, having more time to take walks and pictures of wildflowers than doing laundry and fretting about things. I occasionally do laundry and fret, but more often than not I'm cuddled up in a nest crocheting something big and fuzzy. Why, then, did it take me so long to deal with the fact that I was hating what I was doing 40 hours a week?

Until recently, I worked at a movie theater. I didn't work at your typical movie, theater, either. It was a more upscale theater with higher prices, and better commodities (also a theater that has jaded the word 'amenities' for me forever. More on that later). The customers were so mean to me that in the past I have gone home to cry, drink, and Gabe and I have even had some rough times when I came home to scream and scream and scream about how my day went.

I had been called stupid, a 'fucking idiot'. I've been told I will 'never go anywhere in life'. I have been called a liar after telling someone that our theater has won awards. I have been literally screamed at for telling someone they had to wait in line. I have been told our salt is 'too salty'. I have been personally blamed for mistakes made when a person ordered tickets online, then promptly yelled at. I have been scoffed at and had my eyes rolled at me countless times. I could go on, believe me. Is it because I'm a mean or rude person? No, it's because people are used to getting the things they want, no matter what, and I was actually holding our policies up. I got yelled at, berated and degraded for doing my job, properly.

I stayed there for two years, and some change. I stayed there because I was convinced I couldn't find another job, because this was the best I could do. It wasn't until the incident in Aurora, CO that got me to quit.

It was a strange feeling, to feel so close to something that had nothing to do with you. Maybe it was the fact that it was a movie theater, and so is Sundance, or the fact that it was so random and isolated of an incident that it very well could have been me, at my theater. It may have even been the fact that that weekend, customer after customer scrunched their faces up and scoffed at me when I told them we would have no additional security in our theaters, and I was just about done. But honestly, it was very little of that, it was the fact that the tiniest part of me thought for one millisecond that I kind of maybe understood where he was coming from.

No, not the deranged Joker persona and the killing of many innocent people. No, not that part. The anger part. The part where people treat you terribly for no reason to a point where you do something drastic and irrational.

People are mean. People make you cry, and run you over, even when you're being nice, and even when they know you're having a rough time. In that moment, I realized how much faith I had truly lost in humanity, and I couldn't deal with it!

I left early that Saturday, having a crisis with myself.  Do I stay, stay unhappy and comfortable, or leave and go out into the big scary world of job hunting, potential unhappiness on an even deeper level, and maybe even a pay decrease? Yes, yes I would. Without having a job lined up, I quit. I quit the hell out of that place.

Exactly two weeks after putting my notice in, I was hired on the spot at a place where I will be able to serve my favorite thing (espresso) to people doing my favorite thing (being creative). I will be working at Traveler's Hearth Cafe & Games, a cafe and board game shop, where people can get away from their TVs, phones, twitter, and whatever other time-wasting machines to be social, and have fun with their time. My kind of place? I hope so.

So, I may have wasted some time making these cozies, but I suppose the least I can do is make the best of it, and share the pattern with you guys. And yes, I'm going to do my best to take some things with Sundance with me, and leave the negativity behind.

These cozies were rather easy enough to make. I  adapted them from my TMNT Mug cozies, and I actually like them better. I think they look nicer, even though I have no use for can cozies...I hope someone else does.

So here's how to do it.

Base worked in continuous rounds.

R1: With green, ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook (6sc)

R2: 2 sc in each sc around (12sc)

R3: *2sc in next st, sc* 6 times around (18sc)

R4: *2sc in next st, 2sc* 6 times around (24sc)

R5: *2sc in next st, 3sc* 6 times around (30sc)

R6: *2sc in next st, 4sc* 6 times around (36sc)

R7: ch 1 (does not count as stitch now and throughout), in back loop only hdc in each st around. ss to first hdc. ch 1, turn (36hdc)

R8 - 15: Working in both loops, hdc in each st around. ss to first hdc, ch 1.

R16 -20: With Color B (Bandana color), hdc in each st around. ss to first hdc, ch 1.

R21 - 22: With green, hdc in each st around. ss to first hdc, ch 1. Fasten off after row 22.

Eyes (Make 2):

R1: With white, ch 2, 6sc in second ch from hook. Do not join to first st. (6sc)
R2: 2sc in each st around, ss to first st, cut white. (12sc)
R3: With Color B (Bandana color),  *2sc in next st, sc* 6 times around (18sc). Fasten off, but leave a long tail.

Pupils (Make 2):

With black, ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook, ss to first sc. Fasten off, but leave a long tail.

Using the long tail, sew the pupils onto the eyes. Then, using the long tail, sew the eyes onto the mug cozy.

Weave in all ends.

Good luck, guys! I should be back soon with some STAR TREK goodies, and another semirelated story :)

Broomstick Lace Finger Cuff

I've been so into broomstick lace since I made my Misty Broomstick Lace Hat. I guess I was surprised by how easy it is, when I've been feeling so overwhelmed by it for so long. I've made a handful of broomstick laces bracelets over the last week or so, and after my FIFTH one, I thought, what about other broomstick lace jewelry?

I decided to try to make a ring, and although this turn out much bigger than I had anticipated, I still enjoyed the idea of a 'finger cuff', many of which I used to own back in the day when I shopped at Hot Topic ;) These, however, are a little lighter, a little prettier, a lot more elegant, and have zero skulls on them.

Not sure how to broomstick lace? A tutorial can be found here. Otherwise, this pattern will assume you know how to do basic broomstick lace.

What will you need?

- 1.50 or 1.65 MM crochet hook
- Size 10 Crochet thread
- A Size 8 (5.0 MM) knitting needle
- Tapestry needle.

Here's how to do it.

Row1: Chain 17. Single crochet in 2nd ch from hook, and in each ch across (16 sc).

Row 2: Pull up a loop from every sc onto your knitting needle (16 loops). Pull together a group of four loops, ch 1, then 4 sc in the gathered loops.  *Pull together the next group of 4 loops, and 4 sc in the gathered loops.** Repeat from * to ** until the end of the row (16 sc, 4 groups of broomstick lace)

Repeat Row 2 until your finger cuff is the desired length. Mine was 8 rows.

Finishing off: Fold cuff so both WS are facing outwards, sl st through both the 1st and last rows to connect. Finish off after connecting last st. Tie off ends, and flip inside out.

Are you going to make one? Where are you going to wear it? I'm not sure what occasions mine is appropriate for, so I wanna hear what you guys are doing with yours! I think it's a nice coffeehouse afternoon accessory, but then again, that's what I think all accessories are for :P!