Introducing Clive the Chilly Giraffe

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 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

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!

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 Finds: Jungle Creatures

Elephant Fabric Basket Set by
blota.etsy.com

Bride and Groom Hippos by
bunnywithatoolbelt.etsy.com

Recycled Metal Lion Sculpture by
PacificArtworks.etsy.com

Jungle Creatures Finger Puppets by
stayawake.etsy.com

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*

Green Vine Reversible Coasters by
Foodphyte.etsy.com

Cut Out Greeting Card - Thank You by
PaperBazaar.etsy.com

Shamrock Table or Wall Quilt by
moonspiritstudios.etsy.com

Green Apple Earrings by
PetitPlat.etsy.com

Tuesday Finds: Teeth

Hallo again! Those of you who have followed me on Twitter might already know that the recent blog silence was due to me having a couple of wisdom teeth pulled out. They were the last two, both bottom ones. Everything went pretty well, despite them being a bit infected and despite the dentist having to drill them both to bits before being able to get them out. I think the main feeling I've had from all this is a sense of relief to finally get them out. (There was also joy at being able to eat icecream with no guilt whatsoever, as it was one of few things I could eat without trouble last week.)

I've been feeling better each day after the operation and today the stitches were removed, which officially marks the end of all my wisdom teeth. Woohoo! I shall celebrate with more icecream!

A Lucky Tooth by
theblackapple.etsy.com

Molar Tooth Soap by
KcSoapsNmore.etsy.com

Tooth Fairy Pillow by
BeadRush.etsy.com

Little Tooth Teething Toy by
littlesaplingtoys.etsy.com

Minecraft

Now for something a bit different than the usual posts on this blog. Today I bring you a game recommendation! The indie game in question is Minecraft and it has given me more excitement and intense adventures than most games I've played recently.

Oh my, look at those huge caverns. Who knows what riches and dangers await inside.

You start off with nothing in a randomly generated HUGE world (apparently the surface area is about 8 times larger than earth) and your goal is simply to survive. It's a bright day and everything is peaceful, maybe with some cows, chickens and such wandering around. However, at night when it's dark, monsters will come out and it's a bad idea to be out in the open at this time. In order to live through it, you'll have to gather some resources and make a few basic tools, so that you can build a shelter lit by torches (light equals safety). You'll want a safe place that the monsters can't get into. Once you have one and have made more tools (including a weapon) and gathered supplies, it's time to start exploring!

Some worlds are snowy ones. Behold my house built on a cliff by the seaside. On the right you can barely see my greenhouse, growing crops for food.

For me, the appeal is two-fold - creative creation and danger-filled exploration. First of all, everything that you have in the game are things you've made yourself. There's a certain pride and satisfaction you get from that, even in a game. You can build a house (or a fort, or a mansion, or an underground lair with a moat of lava...) for yourself, in any shape you wish. You can use a variety of materials and decorate the place with things like paintings and bookshelves. For example, you can collect sand and clay to make glass for windows and bricks for walls, respectively, by heating them in a furnace. Use your imagination to your heart's content. How about a rollercoaster?

The scary scary dark night. The greenhouse is on the left and on the right is a big lighthouse I built because it seemed like a cool idea. I'm also hoping it will help me find my way back as I explore the surroundings. But mostly I built it just because it seemed like a cool idea.

Actually, there's a nostalgic element to this too. The blocky look of the game reminds me of building secret bases and such out of Lego when I was a kid. Back then I'd always run out of pieces before I was finished, but in Minecraft I can go out into the huge world and find more. Awesome.

Mr Morrgan enjoys the game too. Here's his house by the sea, complete with a manmade stream and planted trees and flowers.

Second, the world is full of cool caverns and cave systems to explore and mine for useful things like iron ore. The deeper you go, the better materials you find for making better quality tools, weapons and armor. It's dangerous, as these are dark places and monsters could be anywhere, but oh so exciting. I have had several great adventures in such places.

These waterfalls lead into dark caves below. Dare you go in and explore?

And after a scary adventure in the deep, it's a big relief to get back to your house by nightfall. Then you are safe in your home while zombies and other creepy things roam the land outside, and you can fry some bacon for dinner and work on more tools and weapons for your next expedition while you wait for morning.

Darkness falls and the moon rises as I return to my house just in time before the monsters come out. What a welcome sight.

Well, these are just some examples of the things you can do. If you're interested in the game, you can go to the Minecraft website to get the Alpha version that I have (a beta version should be available soon - yes, the game is actually still unfinished). There's also the older but free Classic version you can try out to see if this is your thing.

Inside Mr Morrgan's house.

You can also check out this series of Minecraft gameplay videos to get a better idea of the experience.

The view from the balcony of my cliffside house.

My Creative Space: There Be Monsters

The knitting (and crocheting) of warm stuff for autumn and winter continues. This week it's mostly been dreadful monster scarves. Rawr.


Looks like I'm all out of that blue yarn, so those will be the last two of this colour and material. Grab 'em while you can! I'll keep an eye out for a replacement yarn, though, so similar monsters may appear in the future.

(For those who might be wondering about the never-ending sock project, they're still not done. After all that knitting, unraveling and knitting again, I needed a break from socks. Wild monsters seemed like a much nicer project.)


Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!

Tuesday Finds: Forest Creatures

Custom Felted Moose by
forestblue.etsy.com

A Fallow Bear Brooch by
ememem.etsy.com

Vixen Mat by
Joannarutter.etsy.com

Tiny Bunny Wall Wear by
neawear.etsy.com

My Creative Space: Yarn trouble

This week I bring you a tale of woe, misery and broken dreams. And socks.

Remember the beige and green socks I'd just started on last week? Well, that project failed miserably.

It wasn't anything to do with the pattern or the knitting itself. One sock turned out just lovely, and the other was going well. And then I ran out of yarn. Yarn I'd bought about 5 years ago, so I can't get more of it now. Arrrrrgh.


I undid the 2nd sock and started again, making the sock a bit smaller this time. And ran out of yarn again. I then undid the finished 1st sock and am currently making it in the smaller size too. Hopefully there will be enough left over from that to finish both socks, and all this yarn puzzling will result in two fine, albeit smaller than planned socks. Hopefully.

So that's the reason why these socks are still in the works this week.

(Well. That and the fact that I may have gotten myself addicted to Soulcalibur 4 and Borderlands, taking up most [er, all] of my time. Again.)


Want to see the (more successful) creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!

Tuesday Finds: Houses

Micro Houses in Stoneware by
elukka.etsy.com

Fabric Buttons by
thebluekitteh.etsy.com

Little House Ring by
PeculiarForest.etsy.com

Stitched Cityscape Canvas Print by
lauraamiss.etsy.com

My Creative Space: Slippers and socks

Here's what I've been working on this week: knitted footwear for both men and women. It'll soon be the season for warm slippers and socks around here, alas.



Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!

Tuesday Finds: Teal

Tsumami Kanzashi Headband by
PetalMix.etsy.com

Mum Tote - Dark Teal by
yorktownroad.etsy.com

Multistrand Beaded Necklace by
xoots.etsy.com

Long Pencil Ruffled Skirt by
tasifashion.etsy.com

Tiny Dragons - The 4th Batch

The 4th batch of five tiny dragons is ready for introductions. From the left to the right:

#16. Crimson - red and dark red
#17. Cindy - light purple and beige
#18. Cyril - light blue and purple
#19. Cecil - turquoise and dark green
#20. Celia - light green and grey

Here's how it works: Every now and then I make a batch of 5 dragons. Each dragon will have a unique set of colours and they will 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.

Solving a Fruit Fly Problem

A few days ago I discovered that a cloud of fruit flies had appeared in the fruit bowl.

Ack! Ick! Yuck! What to do?!

Fortunately, I have suitable minions, also known as Drosera capensis or the Bane of Fruit Flies. They were more than happy to help me set a devious trap for the flies.


Muahaha. Feast, my pretties!

(Aaaaaand considering the topic of this post, I just have to link to this animation again.)

Tuesday Finds: Dinosaurs

If you're a dino fan like me, you may have noticed the recent news about Triceratops and Torosaurus. A recent study suggests these two are actually the same; that the Triceratops fossils were young animals and the Torosaurus ones were adults.

It's a world gone topsy-turvy.

Giant T-rex Vinyl Wall Art by
ModernDecals.etsy.com

Darling Dinosaur Necklace by
ANORIGINALJEWELRY.etsy.com

Triceratops Silhouette Pin by
lostatseashop.etsy.com

Build Your Own Stegosaurus Kit by
kfarrell.etsy.com

New Creations for Fall - Scarves

The first new designs for fall/winter 2010 are now available in my shoppe!

There's a simple idea behind this design. I like wearing shawls as scarves, but often they aren't ideal for the job. The shawl might be too short to properly go around my neck. Or if it's long enough, it's also too big and bulky for comfortable wear.

Designed to combine the best qualities of a scarf and a shawl, my triangular scarves or mini shawls can be used as both - layered around the neck or keeping the shoulders and upper arms warm on chilly nights. The main body of the scarf is knitted in a pattern that looks beautiful on both sides - I love the effect, to be honest. I decorated the edges with cables, my favourite thing to knit.

I've made a number of these now, each a different colour. I also used several kinds of materials and made small changes to the pattern for many of them, making each a little different from the others. They will gradually show up in this section of my Etsy shop.