Coffee Cup Cozy

I made this for my organic chemistry professor. After I finished two semesters of o-chem, she met with me during the summer to help me prepare for the Dental Admissions Test. She refused any kind of payment, but I know she has a weakness for fancy schmancy coffee drinks, so I sent this to her.I made the buttons out of Sculpey (red for oxygen, blue for nitrogen, which is how most molecule model kits represent them). The professor knew the molecule immediately (it's caffeine!).

For the inside of the cozy, I crocheted a simple rectangle that would cover up (and protect) all the embroidery guts, and I sewed that inside. I hope that will make it last a long time.

Adama and Roslin

The Lords of Kobol dig crochet. So say we all.

This was a gift for my son's preschool teacher. She and I talk about the BSG episode every week when I drop the kids off, and all the other parents look at us and no doubt think, "You're chatting about a show about genocidal robots? At a preschool? Really?" The show is taking a break until January, so I made Teacher Ruth these dolls to get her through the withdrawal.I'm not crazy about how the Admiral's hair turned out (a little black helmet, for crying out loud), but I was pretty happy with the method I used for Laura Roslin's hair (a method I first encountered in "Creepy Cute Crochet"). I went sort of a minimalist route with details. I mean, Roslin wears a black mini and a jacket, and pumps -- no problem. But Adama's uniform? I could totally have gotten carried away with trim and the belt buckle and the boots ... but then I never would have finished!

Star Wars stenciling!

When we planned our trip to the Science Museum's Star Wars exhibit, the boys decided they needed new shirts for the occasion.

Tiny Jabba with special guests

Just another day at Jabba's palace:




Then Boushh the bounty hunter arrives.


But Jabba sees right through her little ruse!

I made this as a going-away gift for a friend of mine. I got a small metal box from a craft store, and I sewed in some magnets on the bottom side of Jabba. That way he won't roll off. Leia and Boushh each have a magnet on their base, too. I made the figures from Sculpey. I cut a few layers of this random foam I had to make the box lining so they wouldn't bang around in there.

Pocket Jabba

I made this for my friend Karen, and then forgot to take any photos. Fortunately, she posted it on her own blog (adventuresofcancergirl.blogspot.com).

Twisted
friends

WCK and I hosted our playgroup last week, and everyone once again got a
good laugh at our Mr. Potato Head in the Darth Vader costume. (His official name
is Darth Tater, by the way). I explained that this was a gift from my sister
before WCK was born, and somebody pointed out that I must have some really
twisted friends and family: Every time the playgroup comes over, they find
something bizarre around here that was a gift from someone else.

This is true. I do have twisted friends. Today I opened the mailbox to find
that my friend DeAnna in Minneapolis had hand-crocheted me a little tiny Jabba
the Hutt. I must add that this was a gift for ME, not for WCK. I'm not a Star
Wars fanatic the way Jay is, but I do enjoy Jabba. I wish I could spend my life
lying around, laughing at people, and eating frogs. You don't find a tiny Jabba
in your mailbox every day, so it was a very special afternoon. DeAnna's note
pointed out that his nostrils somewhat resemble Clark Gable's moustache. You'll
have to judge for yourself:

He's so tiny that it was hard to get a decent photo of him, so I posed him
in a variety of locales. Here he is shopping for groceries:

Lounging at the Emerald City:

Hangin' with his good friend Thomas:

"Aloha," says Jabba. "I'm off to Hawaii!"

Finally, attacked by a T-Rex. Fight back, Jabba! Fight back!




You know how I'm always complaining that I never have the time to, say, clean out
our closets or read as many books as I want to, or prepare a fancy meal, or
write the Great American Novel? This is why.

Jabba the Hutt

This took a while to finish! But not because it's all that big -- I just couldn't settle on how to make it. First I thought the way to go was with two strands of yarn and a larger hook, but all that did was consume vast quantities of yarn. Then I started over using a G and Sugar 'n Cream sage worsted weight. Then I tried to make him as all one continuous piece, starting at the end of the tail, so that I didn't have seams, but his head area never looked right. So then finally I realized a seam wouldn't look bad if I sort of hid it under his lumpy torso. (Heck, that's why you can't see seams on MY body, either. They are hidden under my girth.) It ended up looking a little "gathered" as I stitched it all together, but I can live with that.The other end -- the end opposite his tail -- wouldn't snug up very well, so sometimes there's that bump. Argh. Makes it look like Jabba has contracted some sort of abdominal goiter.

For scale:

Nativity Set

Preparing for finals took over my life after Thanksgiving, so no fun projects for me. Immediately after my last final, the boys and I went to SD for a family wedding, then back to MN for Christmas. Most of my project time then was spent with the boys, which was great fun. Lots of painting and lots of Play-Doh, let me tell you.

In December, my son's daycare director saw a little Santa doll I made for my 2 year old. "That's so cute!" she said. "It almost looks like someone made it for you!" Karyn said, "DeAnna made it." She asked Karyn, "Do you think she'd make us a nativity set for the kids to play with?" "Oh, sure!" Karyn said, "DeAnna just knocks these things out left and right!"

(Did you all just cringe with me? Thank you.) But I was actually quite happy to do it, and so of course this turned into a project that has taken over my life over the past four weeks. I have probably spent 60 hours on this -- a couple hours here and there in the evenings and MANY hours each weekend. I got a terrible bout of 24-hour flu (or food poisoning), and all I could think was, "If I can just get upright, I could finish the shepherds."

I'm delighted with how the project turned out, but not as happy with the photos. I think a project to tackle soon is making a light box to do it right.

So here is the story:

As shepherds

were watching their sheep (I may make a few more so they have a respectable flock)

an angel appeared before them

and said, "Go see the baby. And his mom and dad."

"You will know them by their very tired donkey."

"You will find the baby lying in a manger lined with Fun Fur."

Three kings arrived.

(When I told my four year old Tom that I was making three kings, he said, "One is going to have red hair, right?" He and his best friend Charlie (with hair as red as red can be) were two of the preschool's Christmas program this year, so of COURSE one has to have red hair! Tom didn't mention his own hair at all, which was interesting.)

I guess they could all three kings could fit on one camel.

They brought gifts. (I made a box of gold (Glitterspun yarn), a silver bucket-y type thing, and a red sack tied with a silver cord. I finished them the night before I gave it to the daycare center and didn't take pictures, so just picture something cool. What I made isn't as cool as what you're thinking of.)

And then a giant attacked!

I've never done a big project like this before. The daycare staff was really happy with how it turned out. Me too. I can't imagine making another one for our house, though!