Morrgan's Creatures: October 2010

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Introducing Clive the Chilly Giraffe

turquoise and teal knitted and crocheted giraffe with red and white scarf by Morrgan

turquoise and teal knitted and crocheted giraffe by Morrgan

Bored of the heat and eager to see more exotic surroundings, Clive the giraffe left the savannah and traveled north to temperate forests. At first everything was just as he'd dreamed - plenty of trees to nibble on, pleasantly warm without being hot.

Then it got a bit colder. Then all the leaves fell down. And then it got absolutely freezing.

So here's poor Clive enduring winter, so chilly that he's turned blue, trying to keep warm in his red scarf. Let's hope the scarf keeps him from getting a cold - with a neck that long, a sore throat would not be fun!

Clive is available as a pattern via Ravelry (or click here to buy now - no Ravelry account needed) and from my Etsy shop.

Want to see more creature introductions?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday Finds: Ancient Olive Tree Project

This week's Tuesday Finds are a bit different. I'd like to bring you to the world of Frances Melhop - a world of fairytales, dreams and surreal imagery.

Frances has suddenly been given the chance to travel from New Zealand to Italy and begin what she calls the Ancient Olive Tree Project, which is something she's been dreaming of for 10 years. Her plans include old school photography of these magical olive trees, an exhibition and hopefully a book with these photos, local recipes and spooky stories by Italian grandmothers. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, because it was such a sudden opportunity, funding is a problem and she needs your help! Read more about the project and its progress on Frances' Kickstarter page.

Below is a small collection of her images, which fits my current mood, but there's much more to her work than what's shown here. Take a look at her website or Etsy shop for more!

ghostgirl by
matchstickgirl.etsy.com

home sweet home by
matchstickgirl.etsy.com

tiny paper boat by
matchstickgirl.etsy.com

waterbaby 8 by
matchstickgirl.etsy.com

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Who wants a pet AT-AT?

As some of you may have noticed, I'm a bit of nerd.

Okay, okay - so I'm actually a rather huge nerd. I *did* spend all that time when I was last ill in bed reading up on Star Wars trivia on Wookiepedia, after all. (In fact, I believe I reached a whole new level of nerdiness by learning about the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat. *sigh*)

However, I do not think you need to be that much of a nerd to appreciate this funny little video. Take a look!

I want a pet AT-AT!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Knitting tip: Two-handed Fair Isle technique

Today I bring you a quick knitting tip.

Are you a knitter? Do you like to knit Fair Isle patterns? Then this video is for you!

Basically you knit with two colours, using both the English/American and the Continental/European styles of knitting; holding one colour in your left hand and the other in your right hand. This way the yarns are kept separate and do not tangle, and the whole process is quicker. It's brilliant.

The only problem now is that I'd have to learn the English way of knitting, which seems overly complicated and slower compared to the Continental. This is the best reason I've found for giving it a try, though.

(Maybe you've heard of this technique before? If so, why haven't you told me? :D)

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Tuesday Finds: Green, again

Oh look, green! Again!

Yeah, I need a bit of green this week. Autumn is here and the plants are turning red and yellow. It's very pretty, but I do miss the green. *sigh*