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From Free Vintage Crochet

I've been re-reading the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the books as a child, picked them up again a year or two ago, and have found they make superb comfort reading.

Last night I noticed that Laura was knitting a "nubia" for her sister, Mary. Given my past interest and work in Nubian studies, that stuck out a bit.

As near as I can seem to find in very brief Google and Ravelry browse, a "nubia" or "nubian" is a long scarf or shawl, wide enough to drape gently over the head and around the neck. This PDF from Ragged Soldier gives a modern example along with an historic illustration. They seem to have come into fashion in the late 19th Century and lasted through the early 20th.  There are vintage/historic crochet and knitting patterns available as well for free and on eBay and as Kindle "books" on Amazon. (I strongly recommend searching the internet for patterns found for sale on Amazon, as they may simple be free patterns converted (or not) to Kindle file format.

Image by mek22 via Flickr

Not sure this is a Nubian goat, but photo kicks ass.

The term  seems to have no connection to Nubia the place or Nubians the people, despite both terms being used. I thought maybe it referred to Nubian goats, but they don't look much like fiber animals. Then I thought maybe the droopy ears and the scarf over the head looked sort of alike.

But, no, I finally found this:

Nubia. [From Latin nubes, a cloud] A knitted or crocheted scarf of Soft, fleecy material, worn about the head and neck. (Source)

So, no telling people their hand-knit or hand-crocheted scarves make them look like goats. Probably for the best.

In other news, the weather has cooled of here and my head and hands are making it felt. Hopefully will level out soon.
Also, the idiotic Personhood Amendment failed. So I will have no reason to use the phrase "pry my IUD out of my cold, dead uterus."

Blurgh and some crocheting

As I said last time, the past few weeks have been rough. I'm not sure if I've been in a CFS flare, if my thyroid meds need to be adjusted, or what, but most the past month I've been dizzy to the point of greying out for no apparent reason, almost throwing up if I bent over, and exhausted - if I read a book as opposed to a bright, active computer screen I start to doze off, no matter how much sleep I've had or how recently I had been asleep.

Not as much has gotten done around the apartment as some might expect. I've done the best I can while not making myself feel intensely worse, pass out, or throw up. It's made me feel horrible and guilty and useless to not be able to do as much as I'd like, but I've tried to do a little every day, even if it isn't all that noticeable and to be gentle and kind to myself, using some of the skills mindfulness has been teaching me.

We have finally gotten our insurance cards, so I can start seeing doctors again.

This past week has been devoted to coping with and recovering from a bladder/kidney infection. I wound up going to the ER Sunday night after attempts to tough it out from Friday onward failed. I think the last time I was in that much lasting pain was when I had my spinal tap. I was going to wait until Monday and find a clinic or something, but realized I simply couldn't make it through the night with the kind of flank pain I had.

Fortunately the ER staff were nice and I've had a week of Cipro and some pain meds that I've used sparingly. While I'm grateful for the Cipro, the side-effects blow goats. It seems to cause severe headaches (though that might have been the infection) that throb with the slightest movement. Far worse than the migraines I usually have. And no response to meds.
Gut pain from the infection was a problem to the point I had trouble sleeping until recently and I get a little flare of pain again now and again that could be my kidney or could just be a grumpy ovary or a weird back spasm.
Up until today I've had major problems brain wise - lots of forgetfulness, typos, silly errors, forgotten words, dropping things, running into things.

And I've started having major pain and stiffness when I get out of bed. In the arches of my feet and the sides of my hips. What the hell? Why those specific areas? I have no idea. Cipro can do weird things to tendons and muscles, so I'm hoping this will go away when I finish taking it and isn't some new, weird permutation of some part of my sickliness. I've had more generalized weakness/pain. I don't really know how else to describe it - usually in my shoulders and hips. Holding anything up above my head, even very light things is exhausting with the edge of hurt that usually means muscle failure is imminent. Really hoping that's a Cipro thing too, but I suspect it's more a thyroid thing.

Anyway, that's the health report. I've been working through a mindfulness workbook and working on acknowledging my feelings and states of being, including pain and sickness and discomfort and anger along with happiness and joy and anticipation and letting them be. That's part of the reason for the detail here. I also hope that others reading this and going through similar things won't feel quite so alone in it.

I have finally started crafting again. I've been doing some spinning, though I've been limited by that weird shoulder pain/weakness thing.

I ordered a bunch of soap samples from Chagrin Valley Soaps. I tried them in the past and couldn't quite get the hang of the shampoo bars and had trouble keeping the soap intact. I have shorter hair now and very different water, so I'm hoping for a better result. Also hoping the soaps might help with some of my random eczema and cystic acne and seborrheic dermatitis crap. My complexion is an absolute mess at the moment and it makes me sad in addition to being uncomfortable.

To help solve the problem of keeping the soap intact, I decided to crochet some soap sacks. Pop the bar in there, use it as a combo scrubby/soap, and then hang it to dry when finished. Sweet! Just finished the first one in about 45 minutes, using Cassiemarie's Soap Saver

In other news, Google + and Google Reader are pissing me off big time. I cannot find a way to share web pages directly to Google + via a share button browser plug-in the way Facebook, Twitter, and Delicious (and many others) can.
And the new Google Reader has apparently stopped working with the "note this in Reader" bookmarklet, which would also allow you to share webpages directly without having to open a new tab and cut and paste crap.
I am unamused.

Really delayed gifts involving scorpions

Late one night in Sudan I was getting ready to go to bed. I headed off to the latrine with my trusty headlamp turned on, pulled the plastic tarp nailed to some boards that we euphemistically referred to as a "door" open and had my heart stop for a few seconds. Camped out right next to the toilet paper (on the ground) was a scorpion. A big one. Probably of the deathstalker variety.  It was late and I had been and continued to be sick and weak, so I went in search of someone with sufficient upper body strength and testicular fortitude to kill the nasty thing with a shovel.

Eventually most of the team wound up hanging around the latrine to peek at the scorpion.  Finally Tom wanders by along with another male member of the team - Scott.  A debate ensues regarding whether we should kill the scorpion, chase it off, or catch it and release it somewhere else.  Mostly, I really need to pee and I was almost asleep on my feet so I finally snarled something to the effect of "get it the hell out of there so I can pee, dammit."

Scott went off to fetch a tin can and somehow got the scorpion into it.  I got Tom to stand guard outside the latrine while I used it as though that would somehow protect me from scorpions.  Then I went to bed. 
Meanwhile, Scott was showing off his new friend, "Pinchy."

Image by shovelingtom via Flickr

After a while, Scott took Pinchy off into the desert and let him go.  The villagers were less than pleased by Pinchy's reprieve - scorpions are serious business.  While a scorpion sting usually kills only the very young, old, or sick, the pain is supposed to be horrific and nearly maddening and often there isn't much that can be done but wait it out.  Thus, they kill the little bastards on sight. 



Anyway, several months later after we'd all come home and Tom and I wound up moving to a different apartment, Scott sent us a lovely housewarming gift and I decided he needed to have a memento to remind him of Pinchy and his 2 months in the Sudanese desert with a bunch of crazy people.
So, I crocheted a scorpion.  I think I borrowed the claw pattern from a free lobster pattern and made up the rest as I went along.  And found a can to put it in.  And then let it sit on my desk for a year because procrastination is cool or something.

So, after staring at it and thinking "hrm, I should put together the package of stuff for Scott and mail it" for the thousandth time today, I decided to actually, you know, do it.  Yay!
I made sure to document Pinchy too.

Re-enactment of discovering Pinchy in the latrine

Recreation of Pinchy's temporary home.

Pinchy, hanging out where he blends in like the sneaky little bastard he is.

Close-up.  He can smell your fear.

Granny Square

I agreed to contribute a square to a sympathy afghan for a friend of a friend who had a sudden health crisis in the last few months. Finally got around to actually making the square today.

I used a pattern from SmoothFox - a Celtic Granny Square and worked it up in some Pine Simply Soft Eco. It went much faster than expected andI think it turned out lovely. The free pattern includes instructions for single or multiple colors, so I may works with this a bit more in future.

Plus I got to use one of my polymer clay handled crochet hooks.

I did most of it sitting on my zafu while watching the first episode of Elizabeth R. My back is less than pleased about this. I've now retreated to the couch and my "boyfriend pillow" and heating pad.

Not terribly much else going on lately. I had one of my very bad migraines starting Thursday night with the major pain lasting through Friday and residual suckage through today.  The concurrent thunderstorms aren't helping.
I've also been a bit depressed, but I suspect the migraine had a role in that.

Hoping to get going on some other projects this week.  I'd like to try designing my own amigurumi for sale as finished objects and/or as patterns, but keep feeling inadequate to the actual task and so keep doing loads of "research" into pattern templates, etc., etc., without actually doing anything.
The same with polymer clay stuff.  Must actually do instead of just thinking.
There's also sewing to be done.  I'm finding long-ish skirts more and more comfortable lately for a variety of reasons and would like to make some out of cotton in some good neutral colors.  I've got fabric and pattern for jammies waiting.  And I've still got an excessive amount of buckwheat hulls and a ton of fabric a lovely friend from Ravelry sent to me waiting to be made into pillows and hot/cold packs.

I also need to quit daydreaming about the homestead.  It'll happen when it happens.  Chickens!  Vegetables!  Goats!  Bunnehs!  Horsies!

Finished Pug

Last night I finished making a pug amigurumi using a pattern from the wonderful June at Planet June. Despite her wonderful pattern instructions and equally wonderful on-line tutorials, I think the color changes in the eye-mask area turned out a little wonky, but she's still a cute little pug baby. I'm hoping she'll be loved by her recipient. As it is, I think I may have blisters on my fingers from all that crocheting. :P
I'm ashamed to admit I've barely used my zafu since finishing it. It seems every time I'm about to move from the couch to it Oreo decides he wants to climb in my lap and I can't resist doggie cuddle time.

Actual Crafting Content!

Ha, suck it doubters!  I do finish a project every now and then.  It's almost never something for myself, but hey...
Anyway, I made a little fairy that resembles my niece for Xmas/Birthday/Your-Aunt-Fails-at-Time-Management Day.  Ahem.  We gave her a book as well.  I made an attempt at jewelry but need to figure out how to work with tiny little bits of wire when I have arthritis in my hands.  Heh.

I finally finished her while we were down visiting - her constituent parts had been made, but she needed putting together.  She's from the pattern/recipe by NeedleNoodles, who is also the author of the very awesome Creepy Cute Crochet.

Tom was kind enough to take some photos:

Those of you who are squeamish should avert your eyes for the next one, which made me do a spit-take:

I made a little scrubby bath toy to go with a bath book for our baby nephew.

And before we left I frantically raced to finish my crocheted tote bag and sew a lining into it.  It didn't turn out quite how I'd hoped, but it's somewhat functional.  No photo of it.

I cast on, frogged, and cast on again a beginner pattern for a lace washcloth about 10 times during the trip.  It think it's finally going well.

And I've cast on, frogged, and cast on again for a gift due soon-like that is making me ever so slightly grumpy and forcing me to admit that I should probably review a video of knitting in the round with circular needles because I'm clearly screwing up somewhere.

Merrick, The Elephant Man

Merrick, The Elephant Man
Originally uploaded by MrFoxyy

Very cool amigurumi of John Merrick. Interesting topic, and another example of the very interesting mouth technique that Mr Fox has demonstrated with other pieces, like Mr. Bunnyford, one of the ultimate marriages of cute and nightmarish I've seen.

Patterns and finished items available at Mr. Foxy's Toy Emporium.

Crochet Mercury Redstone and Atlas

Crochet Mercury Redstone and Atlas
Originally uploaded by Ms Premise-Conclusion

Ms Premise-Conclusion has done it again! I featured her earlier crocheted rocketry a while back.  Now there is more early NASA awesomeness - this time the Redstone and Atlas rockets used for the Mercury launches - the first manned launches in the US. The Redstones managed to heave the Mercury capsules into sub-orbital flights (Shepard and Grissom) and the Atlas managed orbital flights for all the remaining men of the 7 chosen as astronauts except for Slayton who was grounded for health reasons.
The also sent up chimps. Supposedly because they could be trained to perform some tasks in the capsule and thus give an idea about action and function during spaceflight, but I rather like the theory that it was just because someone at NASA hated chimps.

Bluebird

Bluebird
Originally uploaded by simplypeaceable

This sweet little bluebird caught my eye today. Isn't it nifty? Even more awesome - it's simplypeaceable's first time designing her own amigurumi pattern. Very cool!

Crochet Saturn V

Crochet Saturn V
Originally uploaded by Ms Premise-Conclusion

I am having serious nerd-gasm here. I've talked before about my love of the early US space program. In my idea notebook there is a page devoted to ideas for amigurumi and other crocheted items and space stuff is on it. I don't know if I would be quite ambitious enough to do the Saturn V or patient enough to try to keep in in scale, but Ms. Premise-Conclusion did both!!!
I am in awe. Sooooo nifty cool.
Even better - there's a pattern for sale in her Etsy shop! Get your nerdy butts over there, people!

Doubly adorable

Steampunk Hat
Originally uploaded by chrissymay

Adorable hat plus adorable doggie! I love the crocheted steampunk style hat. The doggie plus the pose and the great quality photograph are pretty freakin' sweet, too.

Plus, in the unlikely event I ever run out of things to crochet, I can totally start making hats for Oreo.

Golden Dragonet

Golden Dragonet
Originally uploaded by Angry Angel

This Pern inspired dragonet (or fire-lizard) by Angry Angel is amazing. The detail with the eyes is great and now has me wondering if all the nifty new tech for making interactive and/or light-up soft-form toys and objects would make it possible to get eyes to whirl and change color like they do in the books.

Angry Angel notes that she wanted a fire-lizard as a child. Theoretically, I'm a grown up and I still want one. Seriously. If I ever get stupidly rich, I do believe I will endow a research project to create them. Of course, when the abominations unto the Lord that inadvertently are created and released and proceed to wreak havoc on the world at large, I'll be a villain. But it will totally be worth it. :P
Ahem.
I hope the recipient appreciates her, because she's absolutely wonderful.

Latest Project

It's a re-usable/washable duster sleeve for a pronged hand-duster that might rhyme with "sniffer."

I used Sugar n Creme cotton (which you can't see it this super lazy photo I took with PhotoBooth) and Lion Brand Fun Fur and followed this pattern.  See here if you aren't on Ravelry.

Nifty coolness.

Animal!!!

animal muppets drummer
Originally uploaded by out of the frame

I'd contemplated trying an Animal amigurumi (he's one of my favorite Muppets) but out of the frame beat me to it. Which is fine, because this is awesome! Great use of fun-fur/eyelash yarn, too.

He even has ickle drumsticks.

angry teddybear

angry teddybear
Originally uploaded by Speckerna

If the bloody stump, cast, and victoriously raised firearm weren't enough, the excellent addition of the angry eyebrows should tell you that this bear means business.

Excellent. /Monty Burns

Pretty, clever, and practical

Gehaakte lamp - Lamp‐shade crochet
Originally uploaded by suzettesuzette

This lampshade by suzettesuzette is amazing! The granny squares are adorable and the application is wonderful. I would never have thought of a lampshade. Very cool.

Frankenstein

100_4457
Originally uploaded by Waikikidragonfly808

He's so excellent! Perfect with Halloween coming up!

Zombies! Bunnies! Zombie-bunny!

zombiebunnybaby
Originally uploaded by tinyowlknits *

Check out the adorable zombie bunny made by tinyowlknits. This is another example of less-is-more - I like the simple shapes - arms and legs can be fussy sometimes.

Anyway, the details here are adorable - the pink yarn under the eyes and the scar across the face are great zombie details.

Available from tinyowlknits' Etsy shop.

Amazon Amigurumi

Now that it's been delivered, I can post about the Amazon from Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
Top photo shows her bald and nakey! Oooh, amigurumi pornography (this should get some interesting Google hits).

Once I figured out how to get the hair going, with the help of tutorials by the author of Creepy Cute and aided by finally breaking down and getting some tiny steel crochet hooks - it worked out very well.

I decided that an Amazon needed a bow as well as a spear, so she wound up with both. It's a recurve bow, because I am that much of an archaeological nerd. If I'd had appropriate stone or some broken glass handy, I may well have tried knapping a tiny spear-point, too. As it is, I made a bunch of little notches on the edges to make it look as though it had been re-touched.

I used an ombre yarn for a more "natural" looking bikini. The stupid thing was too big, even after I remade the amigurumi using a larger hook, so I did some alterations, making decorative loops in the bands of the top and skirt.

The whole thing is made of various acrylic or acrylic-wool blend worsted weight yarns. I know that the patterns call for cottons, but they can be a bit harder to find in a variety of colors and I have tons of acrylics handy. Yes, baby-melting acrylics. Suck-it, yarn snobs.

I think it all turned out pretty well.

Latest Project

So, I bought a skein of ultra bulky yarn quite a while ago intending to make myself a beret. And I finally got around to it. I actually started last night, attempting to follow a pattern. Yeah, not so much. I frogged it. Multiple times.

Screw following patterns. I made up my own. And here is the result. It's not finished yet, but I figured I'd share it here anyway. It's worked up ridiculously fast, but I can feel my tendons or muscles or something in my hands and forearms starting to twinge a bit more than usual, so I think I'll give it a rest for the night.

In other news, I managed to get up well before afternoon today. And I dusted, swept, mopped, and fed and watered my plants. I think the mini-rose is dead, but my African violet is doing spectacularly well. Maybe I'll try to get some more. Or see if I can find other flowering plants that do well in similar conditions (indirect light).