From the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden I made this little devil. I had a bit of trouble with the head (it is worked in attached rows instead of spirals) but all in all it turned out well. I used Schachenmayr Nomotta Catania (0110/Black and 0115/Red) and a 2.5 hook. I didn’t change anything (but the face) from the pattern.
It is vacation time and I have three weeks off from work. Also, we are pretty much snowed in here in Holland, so what is there to do but crochet or cross stitch?
The next pattern I made was the Bubble Leg Monster by Craftbits. The pattern itself was a bit unorganized and reading it took some getting used to. I used a 2.5 hook (2.0 for the eye piece). I used Stachenmayer Nomotta Catania, mainly 0189 (orange) and Color 0082 (the colorful legs). I also used a bit of black and purple for the mouth and eyes.
Last weekend I bought two new skeins, both variegated Schachenmayer Nomotta coton. One was all kinds of primary colors (yellow, green, red, blue) and one was various shades of pink. I knew immediately what I would use the pink thread for, so when I finished all the parts of my little octopus I started on this little piggy. The pattern is also by Lion Brand Yarns, and the only thing I changed is the nose, to which I added an extra round of twelve to make it stand out more. The eyes are some strings of black thread, with knots for the eyes. Exact colors are Schachenmayer Nomotta Catania Color 0030 (variegated pink) and Nomotta Catania 0110 (black).
Some of you may know, but during my daily life (ie when I am not crocheting, knitting, cross stitching or browsing the web), I work at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, our national library. I work full time on the European project Planets, a project with the aim of improving digital preservation.
Last Monday we held a one day conference at the KB for Dutch-speaking digital preservation professionals. I did a presentation very similar to the one I have been giving at the Planets training events, about the Planets Core Registry, a registry that ties together information about file formats and software. Inge Angevaare, of the NCDD (Dutch coalition for digital preservation) did a long article about the day on her weblog. Unfortunately it is in Dutch but I did want to share it with you.
After a little break I started a new amigurumi, a little octopus. Sinterklaas brought me new colors of thread (including a variegated skein, which I used here) and, even better, some ergonomic Clover crochet needles. My hands don’t hurt nearly as much now, and no more blisters!
This octopus is a pattern by Lion Brand Yarns (they have many cute patterns). I used Schachenmayer Nomotta Catania Color 0035 (red, purple, orange and pink mix) and a Clover 2.5 needle.
I am really happy with how it turned out. I finally figured out this whole business with the “right” and “wrong” side, so I flipped my work and now my invisible decreases work. I only still have a problem decreasing to nothing in the end, but I think I know now what to do (use regular decreases at one point.
I changed the pattern only for the legs/tentacles. The legs were originally 13 rounds, I made them 23 rounds because I liked that look better. I made eight legs, but in the end I could only fit seven on there….
