Things that I Need to Learn

Here's a little list of knitting tricks/techniques that I want to learn:

• Entrelac - knitter's eye candy; high sexiness quotient
• Twisted stitches - I think I understand the principle, but I've never actually tried designing with these. I love Barbara Walker's wrought iron stitch patterns from her Third Treasury.
• Lace - more knitter's eye candy
• Short rows in the round - Yes, I already know how to do this, but I hate how there's always a hole at the location where the short row section ends and the round begins again.
• Increasing on the Wrong Side - I've been scared of it. Must pull out Montse Stanley's book and tackle it ASAP.
• Sculpting with stitch patterns - I need to make an octopus with cables or twists. And a mantis or jackalope. Or a universe. Stockinette is killing me.
• Knitting with wire - Toaster coils? Perhaps we'll begin with an un-electrified version first. I'll need to find some good wire, first. What about luminescent wire?

I'm sure that I'll think of more things to add to this list.

Here's what I've been working on: Mantises. My first solo show will open at the Joe Bar (Seattle) on September 3rd. Here's a sneak peak at some in-progress specimens:




It's an adventure making creatures that I don't have to create patterns for. I don't have to worry about reproducibility, among other things.

Just working the heads has been taking forever. September 3rd, here I come...

Inspirations

Yes, this is my latest inspiration for a new toy design. This delightful creature is a blackdevil angler fish. Angler fish are members of the order Lophiiformes, an order that includes monkfish, coffinfish, and the the hairy angler. Thankfully, these fish are quite small, and most females of the species are less than 6 inches in length. The males, on the other hand, are tiny and lack a digestive system. Using their amazing olfactory senses, they sniff out a female in the oceanic gloom. Once they have found the lucky lady, they latch onto her, and in some species, the circulatory systems of the male and female fuse. Henceforth, the male ceases to exist independently, and remains a sperm-producing parasite, incapable of sustaining himself without his mate.

What amazing adaptations for a life in the depths! I am always spellbound at the creatures that we are lucky enough to share this planet with.

Presently, I am working on a plush rendition of this creature. For tales of the trials and tribulations of the design process, stay tuned...

My First Blog Post... Hooray

I'm beginning this adventure in online reporting with some rather unexciting news. I've been knitting up a storm for the past few months, designing my own crazy plush creations, and having a lot of fun in the process. Now, however, I feel at a standstill. I'm blocked, so perhaps the miracle of blogging will help. Or at least distract me from looking at my yarn.

So, let's begin with octopi. I've been knitting them for a couple of months now, and I recently put the pattern up on sale on etsy! Here's the link if you're interested:

www.hansigurumi.etsy.com

And here are some pictures of the little rascals:





Knitting up octopi is a great zen exercise, particularly when you're working through the tentacles. These are probably the most difficult things to do, not in terms of technique, but rather in terms of sheer patience. At least for someone like me, who has, on multiple occasions, finished one sock or bootie, and, without looking back, has moved onto the next project. Embarrassing, but true.