Knitting + Nerdery + Christmas = Awesome Ornaments

Most of November and December was spent completing orders and making Christmas gifts, but now that things have started to wind down for the year, I've had time to work on personal stuff. A friend of mine mentioned making knitted Christmas ornaments and I really liked the idea. The only problem was that the usual Christmas decor didn't seem right for Mr Morrgan and me. It didn't take long for a suitable idea to pop into my head, though. What better theme for a pair of long-time gaming nerds than old school gaming geekery!

The first imagery to come to mind was an old classic; the aliens from Space Invaders. It's as if these guys were designed to dance around in a circle in ornament form. And no, I'm not quite old enough to have played this back in the day, though I have some vague memories of having played a remake at some point.

Doom 2, however, I did play back when it came out. We didn't have a PC at home at the time, so I spent many, many school breaks playing it on one of the school computers. Ahh, fun times. Mr Morrgan played (and still plays) it way more than me though, and it was he who suggested I make this guy. He's called Coco the Cacodemon and he's a bit grumpy because I left out his ability to shoot lightning balls when I made him. Thought it'd be safer that way. Don't want a tree on fire for Christmas!

Next up will be another familiar floating face from Doom 2, the pain elemental, possibly a few of his lost soul buddies and finally a bit of D&D nerdery in the form of a Beholder. Then we'll have the most awesome tree in the neighbourhood!

(Note to self: need a tree.)

The year 2013 is about to end - a vacation is about to start

Well, we're a little over a week away from Christmas. This year has gone by fast. There's been a lot going on around here behind the scenes, such as me going back to university for a few more years' worth of studies. That has meant a lot of new routines and schedules to work out and get used to, which in turn has left (too) little time for my knitting and other related things.

It may be close to Christmas, but the weather is hardly winter-like yet. Sure, the ground is kinda white in this photo, but that stuff isn't really worthy of being called snow. Tsk.

Related things such as this blog! A mere, pathetic 18 posts this year, including this one. I suppose it's hard to post about new knitting when there's been very little new knitting to show off. I'm planning to change that next year, though! It's a bit early for New Year's resolutions, but now that I have these new routines (mostly) figured out, I can put more time into new designs. I have several pattern ideas I've been itching to try out!

As Christmas is getting close, it also means that Morrgan's Creatures will go on a little break as usual, starting Dec 19th. My Dawanda and Zibbet shops will be closed until early January. The Etsy shop will remain open but only for patterns, as they can be instantly downloaded. My patterns will also continue to be available from Ravelry and Craftsy. Any messages received during the break will be replied to after Morrgan's Creatures reopens in early January.

So, that's just a little FYI. This may or may not be the last post of the year, depending on how much time I have before the break. If this is indeed the last one, I just want to say thank you for the year 2013 to all my lovely customers! Thank you also to my readers, if you still exist with so little reading to do. ;)

See you again next year!

Tiny Dragons - The 31st Batch

Today we meet the last batch of tiny dragons for the year 2013, batch number 31!

From left to right:

#151. Tobias - mint and bright turquoise
#152. Miriam - peach and dark magenta
#153. Rudolf - moss green and deep green
#154. Meredith - rusty orange and dark purple
#155. Linda - creamy white and pale 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.

Totoro, To-tooooo-ro!

Today I'm posting about something rather unusual. Unusual because:

1. I made something for myself
2. I actually followed a pattern (*gasp*) made by someone else (*gasp!*) for once
3. I used so called stranded knitting (or Fair Isle knitting)

First of all, have you seen My Neighbor Totoro? If not, go see it! Go see it now!

Today's post is about Totoro himself, that adorable giant spirit of the forest. Or rather, how one can depict him in the form of knitted mittens. A friend of mine mentioned she was working on a pair of Totoro mittens and as soon as I saw pictures on Ravelry, I just had to try making a pair for myself!

I say "try", because stranded knitting is not something I have used very much. One could say this was a learning experience. To be honest I had to unravel my first attempt and start again, because the mitten turned out too tiny. I got there in the end, though!

I used a blend of alpaca, wool and acrylic; one of my favourite yarns at the moment, both to knit with and to wear. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but boy, I definitely need to practice stranded knitting!

So, now I'm all set for winter to roll in, my hands protected by warm and fuzzy Totoros. If you want to make a pair of Totoro mittens for yourself, then check out brella's pattern on Ravelry!

Tiny Dragons - The 30th Batch

It's been a while, both since any news and more specifically since any dragon-related news, but now we have a whole bunch of newly-hatched tiny dragons ready for introductions! Say hello to batch 30!

From left to right:

#146. Leo - rusty orange and red
#147. Sylvanus - pale green and dark green
#148. Bianca - white and peach
#149. Heather - dark magenta and black
#150. Russel - teal and brown

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 Konrad the Cognitive Panda

Konrad is a scientifically inclined panda. He especially likes numbers. Give him a sufficiently tricky mathematical problem and he’ll be entertained for hours.

Unusually enough, the main problem with Konrad was figuring out a suitable adjective for his logical nature. Intelligent? Smart? Cogent? Cerebral? Perspicacious?

As I may have mentioned before, while I work on a design I have many hours of knitting when my hands are busy but my brain is idle. Often my mind begins to create a story for the creature I'm designing, so that at the end the complete design also includes a personality. It's important to me that the adjective, if there is one, fits the creature I have made.

For Konrad, many, many alternatives were found with the help of a thesaurus and my walking dictionary, Mr Morrgan, but none of them seemed a perfect fit. Then eventually Mr Morrgan suggested "cognitive" and everything fell into place. Konrad finally had the right word to describe him!

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

Want to see more creature introductions?

A Peek at the Balcony

Already past midsummer and I haven't posted any photos of the balcony garden? Tsk. I'm getting old and slow.

This is not because I'd be unhappy with it for some reason; quite the opposite. I think this is my favourite flower box arrangement yet! Marigolds, lobelias and pansies cover the edges, while a couple of miniature sunflowers are growing in the middle (I grew them from seeds myself, so they're a bit slower to bloom than the rest).

Yes, pansies! This is the first time ever they've survived more than a couple of weeks on our hot and windy balcony. I think the secret was perfect timing with the planting (early enough for them to properly take root before the hot days) and a bit of luck with the weather.

The table basket is looking pretty nice this year too! The stonecrop or Sedum on the left is one that survived winter, whereas the one on the right is a new acquaintance. The leaves on the new one are decorative enough on their own, but I'm also curious to see what the flowers are like. Not long now!

An Afternoon in the Woods

Last Sunday the weather was incredible - sunny, warm, barely a cloud in the sky. In other words, the perfect day to spend outdoors! Mr Morrgan and I prepared a picnic, then out we went.

One bus ride later we found ourselves by a sandy beach. After a much needed ice cream (it was HOT) and dipping our toes in the refreshing water, we headed off along one of the nature trails, wandering along the water's edge.

Eventually the trail lead deeper into the woods. Many fine trees were admired along the way and an equally fine picnic was had once we found a suitable spot.

We ended up spending the whole afternoon exploring the nature trails. Not a bad way to spend a day! =)

Morrgan's Creatures patterns now available as instant downloads on Etsy!

Tony and Hubert are among the creatures
available as patterns in my Etsy shop.

As the title explains, the patterns for my creatures are now available as instant downloads after purchase on Etsy. No more waiting for emails! I've always taken pride in emailing patterns to customers as soon as possible, but we all know any wait is too long when you're excited about a new project, right? ;)

Plus, as I no longer have to worry about timely emails, this means I can also keep the Etsy shop open while I'm on vacation and the patterns will be available for purchase all year round. Hooray!

A last look at winter

I went out for a walk today, as I often do, with Mr Morrgan (which happens less often). The weather was gorgeous; sunny and warm as if summer was already here. Just the other week it was still cold, wet and miserable, so I'm having trouble adjusting to this sudden, complete change. It feels as if I saw scenes like the one below mere weeks ago. But no, this was taken as far back as February. Months ago. Yikes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have summer again. I look forward to summer! It'll be warm and sunny and totally not depressing! Yay!

But yeah, the unusual way in which the weather went from winter to very late spring in a few days was a bit much for me to adjust to. (I can go outside in a t-shirt now? Woooooah. Where the heck did I put my summer clothes again?)

As you can see, I still have some photos taken on my winter walks, which I never got around to posting. I shall post a couple now and maybe one more a bit later. A last farewell to winter, and then I will hopefully be ready to move on to summer. ;)

Tiny Dragons - The 29th Batch

Woah, May already? It's almost summer time. Where did spring go?

Probably missed it because I was obsessed with knitting tiny dragons. Again. Speaking of, batch no 29 is ready! And now I'm officially Knitted Out for now, as far as dragons are concerned that is.

Coming next? Quite possibly a new pattern, if all goes well!

From left to right:

#141. Natalie - peach and rusty orange
#142. Anton - bright turquoise and bright teal
#143. Callisto - light purple and dark purple
#144. Bruno - sand and brown
#145. Emery - deep green and greyish 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.

Tiny Dragons - The 28th Batch

Behold, more dragons! Batch 28 has arrived. Yup, I'm on a tiny dragon spree again and already working on the next batch. 'Tis an addiction.

From left to right:

#136. Coffey - brown and black
#137. Lena - light purple and dark pink
#138. Bronwyn - pale green and dark brown
#139. Casper - sky blue and rusty orange
#140. Emma - grey and purple

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 27th Batch

Tiny dragon batch 27 is here! One of them has already flown off to a new home, but the rest will soon be available in my Etsy shop.

From left to right:

#131. Onyx - black and grey (sold!)
#132. Cohen - pale yellow and light green
#133. Naomi - hot pink and dark magenta
#134. Franklin - white and teal
#135. Paula - dark green and dark red

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 26th Batch

A whole bunch of new tiny dragons has entered the world. Please welcome batch 26!

From left to right:

#126. Vulcan - black and red
#127. Vivienne - white and light purple
#128. Marcus - pale blue and bright turquoise
#129. Sarah - sand and purple
#130. Erica - violet and black

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.

Snowscapes Part 2 - By the River

In the past week I had the opportunity to take several long walks along the river here in Turku. The weather was fantastic most days, ranging from bright sun in a cloudless blue sky to mysterious misty mornings. The perfect chance to test out the new camera Santa brought me.

Some brave soul actually dared to go out on the ice.

Winter Morning Mist

Oh winter, you certainly know how to sweep me off my feet.

I predict many more snowscape photos as the week progresses.

Snowscapes

This year the winter has been unusually cold and rich in snow for this part of the country. I absolutely love it. This is the kind of winter I grew up with when living further up north as a kid. The kind of winter that makes the dark season seem worth it. But don't take my word for it; take a look at these pics from the past week or so and decide for yourselves.

What do the great outdoors look like in your part of the world right now?

Tiny Dragons - The 25th Batch

Two weeks into the new year and two batches of tiny dragons. I wonder if this counts as an addiction? Say hello to batch 25!

From left to right:

#121. Charlotta - dark indigo and dark blue
#122. Corbin - moss green and saffron yellow
#123. Francesca - dark magenta and dark purple
#124. Sebastian - sky blue and grey
#125. Benjamin - creamy white 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 24th Batch

Happy New Year!

While the holidays were spent suffering from an überflu for the most part (me shivering from fever on Christmas Eve; Mr Morrgan's turn on New Year's Eve), I had a pretty good time during the holiday break anyway. I hope you did too.

The new year begins as the old year ended - with a batch of tiny dragons! A couple of tiny dragons are missing from the photo because they have already flown off to their new homes, but the ones shown will soon be available in my Etsy shop!

From left to right:

#116. custom - black & white stripes and red (sold, not pictured)
#117. custom - black and yellow (sold, not pictured)
#118. Ginger - sand and rusty orange
#119. Fortune - dark green and bright turquoise
#120. Finnegan - white and pale 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.