Happy Easter!

Okay, I know that some of you might have been expecting my Easter project #2, but for a number of reasons I couldn't finish it... sorry. Instead, I've got something very special for you! By saying "special" I mean "Santa-Claus-Conquers-the-Martians special"... So, here comes! A really badly photoshopped, unfinished project from the distant past!!!

So, happy Easter everyone! There are some changes coming to this blog - more news on that on Monday. Also, I got some felting needles, so you can expect some felting weirdness soon.

Cheers,
Luke Crochet

I'm dreaming of a white Easter

Yesterday was such a nice day - lots of sun and it was almost warm. It seemed so obvious that the spring was coming. So, today I got up, opened the curtains and... WHAT THE HELL? SNOW?! Yup, it's snowing, a lot.

So, I've decided share a short list of things that might just help you survive this snow apocalypse:

1. Drink a lot of cinnamon coffee with as much sugar as possible – 1:1 ratio seems about right.
2. Chocolate makes everything better – sprinkle some chocolate shavings on your coffee, drink some chocolate beer in the evening, nomnom on a bar of chocolate or two.
3. Listen to some joyful music that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, e.g. Mrs Miller, Tiny Tim or Tom Waits.
4. Hibernate and wake up once spring really is here.

Being high on caffeine, boozed up with chocolate beer, suffering from sugar rush... that sounds like a nice way to spend you day:)

Enjoy,

Luke Crochet

Oh you silly moose...

As you might remember, I wanted to crochet something special for Easter this year. I also thought it would be great to cooperate with Mr Moose. Well, I made a new Mr Moose and left him alone for a few minutes so that I could get him some bunny ears and Easter eggs... I got back and found this:

I left him alone for a few minutes and this little guy confused Easter with Halloween and got himself ZOMBIFIED... Great job, Mr Moose! You've ruined Easter!

Crocheting and Creativity

Explaining why I began crocheting would be a good beginning, as that will probably explain my stance on creativity and, possibly, shortage of it. I'm not going to pretend that there was some artistic force within me that needed to be set free and that the crochet hook was the key to my imagination. No. It was something way less poetic - a bet. A simple bet that required me to learn how to crochet in order to win it. Not a very ambitious beginning.

However, I was hooked (no pun intended) really quickly. There is something amazing about the fact that you start off with a single knot and you can end up with just about anything between your hands. A slip-knot, a chain, a row - it seems almost natural and organic. After the insufferably irritating process of mastering the basics, you become a crochet-counting obsessed crocheteer with a slight yarn fetish. At first you work following other people's patterns, then you begin to understand how to create specific shapes and sizes and then...

And then the yarn-ball hits the fan. Despite the fact that with enough time, patience and skill you can crochet every object or creature imaginable, there seems to be some strange tendency to constantly produce (or manufacture, if you prefer) the same things. Over and over and over again. I'm not talking about using some very popular and easy to make patterns, like the famous Amineko pattern, as they are simply fun to try out and it's  a natural way of improving our crocheting skills. I'm talking about the endless wave of Pokemon, My Little Pony, (insert your favourite here) crochet fan-art.

At this point I have to explain that it is not my intention to alienate, offend, ridicule or criticise anybody. I do understand the joy of fan-art crocheting. I myself loved every single second of making Prinny or Babeling. Also, the aim of this article is not to criticise the makers of Pokemon amigurumi. Actually, I feel that it is us, the audience, that I'd like to give something to think about.

We choose to like, fave, share, etc., patterns and amigurumis of things that we have already seen countless times. It seems that we neither emphasize nor promote the importance of original patterns and ideas or more obscure fan-art tributes. Despite all the possibilities that crocheting offers, we are stuck in this circle of making and re-making the same objects.

Though I have seen some amazingly fantastic Pikachus and absolutely charming Totoros, I would so much more appreciate a far less than perfect but original monstrosity. There are so many people who create their very own patterns, including Samuel Williamson, whose creatures are mind-blowingly and ridiculously creative; Natalia Ninomiya, who makes both original characters and really awesome fan-art. Also, there are people like June Gilbank, who not only constantly attempts to crochet something new, but also motivates others to explore their imagination and environment to find new crochet inspiration.

So, please, do not feel offended by this article. Instead, next time you browse through the yarny-crochety horde on the Internet, try not to focus only on the stuff you already recognise from other media, like TV or film characters, but give extra credit to the original ideas. Encourage the creativity behind all those wicked spawns of twisted imagination, those disgustingly sweet and cuddly monstrosities dwelling in our brains.

I think that it all comes down to one thing - we really should shift the focus a bit, because coming up with your own design is at least as difficult as a skillful reproduction of an already well-know character or image. And one piece of advice to all fellow crocheteers – be brave, be experimental and don't be afraid to crochet your own original ideas.

So, if you want to express your opinion on the subject (or just let me know that I'm a prick), leave a comment and let the world know.

Cheers,
Luke Crochet

Mr Moose is on the loose!

Mr Moose is clearly not the best nature has to offer. He's only got one crooked tooth left and he wanders through the forest with no clothes on. What a disgrace! Anyways, enjoy!

I absolutely adore this derpy little guy! This project was a nice change after spending over a week working on Prinny. Hope you'll like it as much as I do.

You can buy Mr Moose at my Etsy Store. Prinny is also available to buy.

Or you can try to make one yourself using the pattern here.  This time I added a lot of pictures to guide you through the most difficult parts.

Feel free to comment:)

Cheers,
Luke Crochet

State of the Tentacle

I've been running this blog for almost a month now, so it's time to thank all the visitors. Thanks! The number of Tentacle Minions is growing slowly but steadily. Maybe someday someone will even comment on one of the posts;) My deviantArt profile is growing nicely and there are more and more monstrosities available at my Etsy shop. So give them a visit:)

A quick update - now you can follow me on Twitter! I'll twit about new crochet project, pattern, blog updates (and music I listen to while crocheting).

BTW Mr Moose is gonna be here tomorrow.


Cheers,
Lukash

He is coming...

He is coming.... soon!

Prinny is ready for action! +pattern

So can he really be the hero? Sure he can, dood! And you too can make one, dood:D I've prepared the pattern HERE.

This project took me a lot of time but I think it was worth it. For the very first time I started with a few pictures of Prinny, a ruler, something to write with and a calculator. So, first I prepared the full pattern and the actual crocheting came later. Yes, there are some things that need to be corrected, like the size of the beak which is a bit too large:P Also, the pattern is a bit raw - sorry for that. Hopefully my next patterns will be easier to follow.

Also, the batteries in my camera died halfway through the photoshoot, so I had very few pictures to choose from. This means that you can expect some better pictures soon.

Hopefully, master Etna is satisfied with my work:D And what do you think? Can this Prinny really be the hero? Feel free to download the pattern and check for yourself:)

Cheers,
Lukash

All work and no sun makes Jack a dull tentacle

This endless winter and lack of sunlight has somehow transformed me into sugar zombie. Since I get absolutely zero energy from the sun, I'm using sugar-powered batteries.  Domestic sugar, sweets and fruit consumption has skyrocketed! Coffee with 5 teaspoonfuls of sugar is a regular part of my breakfast now. And I have those strange cravings for dried fish.... must... eat... fish...

BTW my Prinny is finished and the pattern is almost done. I'll publish both over the weekend Hope you'll like it as much as I do.

Cheers,
Lukash

Colour-blind Fingerless Gloves

I hate this colour combination... and love it:D It's creepy how something can be both disgusting and fun...

So close, dood!

Just a bit more work and it's finished, dood! :D

Almost ready, dood!

Can you guess what I'm working on, dood? ;)

Cheers,
Lukash

Babeling Extravaganza

I'm still working on a big tentacle project and there's a big shipment of fresh yarn on its way, so there will be no new crochet stuff in the upcoming days. Fortunately, just as I promised, I've got a Babeling diarama to show you. Arranging those explosive little guys was really nerve-wrecking! One wrong move and BOOM! ;) So, here comes the Babeling Extravaganza!

Sorry for the quality of pictures - I've still got a lot to learn:D

As usual, feel free to comment and, if you want a Babeling but don't have enough minerals, you can get one (or three) at my Etsy shop

Cheers,
Lukash

Skull Bracelet

Remember the tiny skull pattern? I got an idea to use it in a rather unusual project. Unusual for me, as normally I only work with yarn. Here it is:

A leather strap bracelet with crochet skulls. To make things even weirder, every skull has a tiny metal bell inside it. However, because of polifill, they make a clickety-clack sound instead of ringing. Each skull is about 3x2cm.

So, what do you think? Would a necklace be better? Or would it be better for me to stick to yarn and yarn only? ;) It is worth listing on Etsy?

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think:)

Cheers,
Lukash

It's the Tentacle Month

March is here and this March is the Tentacle Month! That means that there is an all new tentacle project in the making. Updates soon:)

ALSO Tentacle Month means that the Mittacles are at a special lower price at my Etsy shop.

Cheers,
Lukash