Tiny Dragons - The 23rd Batch

While the previous batch was likely the last one of the year, this one definitely is. Say hi to batch 23, the last dragons of 2012!

From left to right:

#111. Magdalena - antique pink and light purple
#112. Phineas - cobalt blue and sky blue
#113. Ethan - mint and light green
#114. Perrin - brown and dark indigo
#115. Lisbeth - teal and dark blue

Here's how it works: Every now and then I make a batch of 5 dragons. Each dragon has a unique set of colours and they get a signed hatching certificate with their name, number and date.

When they're ready to list, I post an introduction on this blog like the one above. During the following few days, I'll list them in numerical order in my Etsy shop. Should you happen to spot one you must have, let me know and I can reserve it for you.

Introducing Claptrap of Borderlands fame!

Greetings traveller! I am CL4P-TP; you may call me by my locally designated name, 'Claptrap'.

Claptraps are fun little robots you encounter in the Borderlands games. The poor things are often used for target practice and abused in other ways by the bandits of the Borderlands, so I spent much of my playthroughs wanting to give these poor guys a hug. Well, now I can!

Knitted Claptrap and Game Claptrap.

Work on Knitted Claptrap started in 2010. I made decent progress for about two weeks, then Christmas season kicked in in full force and I had little time for extra projects. Alas, after that poor Clapson had to sit on my desk in a semi-finished state for almost two years. When Borderlands 2 was released earlier this year, it inspired me to finish my own little robot!

Then for some oh-so-important numbers and other facts.

• Mr. Claptrap is knitted both flat and in the round, from various DK weight wool blends.
• Special techniques used include intarsia and i-cord knitting.
• He needed a ridiculous total of 40 separate pieces, if I counted correctly.
• He's a respectable 40 cm / 16" tall, making him the perfect size for hugs.
• Working on him gave me a really sore neck on three occasions.

I wanted Claptrap as detailed as I could make him by knitting alone (plus a wee bit of embroidery). I could add a few more details, I suppose, but then I might go insane, so I say he's ready now.

So, what do you think?

Tiny Dragons - The 22nd Batch

A second bunch of tiny dragons follows hot on the heels of the previous one, this one just as colourful. Say hi to batch 22!

This is likely the last batch of dragons this year, but there will be more next year, I'm sure.

From left to right:

#106. Hector - teal and rusty orange
#107. Fiona - violet and dark indigo
#108. Nina - moss green and pale green
#109. Justin - sky blue and dark blue
#110. Jaune - orange and bright yellow

Here's how it works: Every now and then I make a batch of 5 dragons. Each dragon has a unique set of colours and they get a signed hatching certificate with their name, number and date.

When they're ready to list, I post an introduction on this blog like the one above. During the following few days, I'll list them in numerical order in my Etsy shop. Should you happen to spot one you must have, let me know and I can reserve it for you.

Tiny Dragons - The 21st Batch

My fingers decided they'd had a long enough break from making tiny dragons and were just itching to make a few. Say hello to the colourful batch 21!

From left to right:

#101. Roberta - hot pink and dark pink
#102. Periwinkle - mint and light purple
#103. Ruska - bright yellow and red
#104. Neptune - bright turquoise and light green
#105. Trevor - brown and dark magenta

Here's how it works: Every now and then I make a batch of 5 dragons. Each dragon has a unique set of colours and they get a signed hatching certificate with their name, number and date.

When they're ready to list, I post an introduction on this blog like the one above. During the following few days, I'll list them in numerical order in my Etsy shop. Should you happen to spot one you must have, let me know and I can reserve it for you.

Introducing Sophie the Sleepy Snake

Sophie is a pretty laid-back snake lady. Give her a warm place to sleep and a hug now and then and she’ll be as happy as can be!

There's a little doodle in my notebook, a few years old by now. I'm pleased to say it looks pretty much exactly like the photo above. There are few things more satisfying than being able to create a design exactly as I've seen it in my mind's eye.

After the Humboldt pattern was ready, with its many pieces to knit and sew together into a fancy bunny, I knew that I wanted to make something simpler for my next project. Something with few parts and straightforward knitwork. With this in mind, I browsed through my idea notebook and came upon the drawing mentioned above. Perfect!

At the time I had also been working on other small knitted projects and had ended up with quite a pile of yarn ends on my desk, in many different colours. Playing with this colourful pile brought forward a delicious combo of moss green, yellow and rusty orange. I knew that whatever I made next, it had to have these colours. Thus, Sophie's colour scheme was decided.

Sophie 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?

Most excellent brownies (wheat & gluten free)

I love baking. However, as I've discovered I can no longer eat grains, I can't use wheat flour or rye flour etc. If I want to eat what I've baked myself, that is.

This has meant quite a few adjustments in the kitchen and much experimenting with other flours, such as coconut and almond flours. They behave quite differently from the usual grain ones and there have been many sad baking failures during the past year or two. However, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that once you get the hang of how to use these other flours, many baked goods turn out even better than the usual wheat versions!

Make thin slices...

My latest triumph was this recipe for brownies. It uses ground almond flour, which not only gives them a delicious nutty flavour and texture, but it's also easier to get the moist texture that is vital for brownies. This recipe can be used for the usual thicker brownies, but you can also make thin slices less than one cm (about 3/8 in) thick and they'll still have that moistness about them.

...or proper brownies!

Most excellent brownies, wheat and gluten free
(makes 12 brownies or 25-50 thin slices depending on cut size)

• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate (I use 60-70%)
• 150 g (5 1/4 oz) butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 dl (about 1/4 cup) raw cane sugar (note: I don't like very sweet stuff, so double or triple if you have more of a sweet tooth than I do)
• 2 1/2 dl (1 cup) almond flour
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1-1.5 dl (about 1/4-5/8 cup) crushed hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts or other nuts of your choice. 
• Optional: you can also add about 1 dl (1/4 cup) of peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened), raspberries or some other suitable flavour variation you might like

Melt dark chocolate and butter together on a low heat. Let cool a bit.

Whisk eggs and sugar until white and fluffy. Combine with somewhat cooled choco mixture.

Mix together the dry ingredients (add a pinch of salt if you're using unsalted butter), then stir into the batter.

Pour onto a baking tray lined with paper. For brownies, use one about 33x27 cm (13x10 1/2 in). For thin slices, use 40x33 cm (16x13 in).

Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 15-20 min. Be careful not to bake them too long!

Let them cool completely, before cutting into slices and devouring.