Crafts Page

the fun stuff...

click the links to venture the vast expanse of the kitchen table. reaching far, round, and wide, its sure to encompass a craft you are searching for.

A cat's Banky

here my beloved cat's banky (blanket), it's crocheted with several stitchs, being the 3d shell stitch, star stitch, and two-row block stitch (flat back, texture is on front, sort of mosaic). It's then wrapped in a border of that block stitch and ended with crab stitch (forward version) Other basic stitches are in US terms.

Personally, I quite like the blocks being oriented different directions, and I was able to modify the block stitch into a grid and spell Guinness's name in a block text across the middle!i also used double crochet and half-double crochet sparsely, which created immitations of flower pots under the wavy shell stitch rows, and utilized the color of the yarn very nicely. the whole thing reminds me deeply of the grey lego pegboards and plenty of fun we've had over the years.

Also, it is quite hefty, as the shell stitch is round about 3 rows of yarn all on one row's height, and the two-row block-stitch reaches to the row below. My hope is that it won't fall off him in his sleep lol. It's not finished, not quite. I have to sew in the extra strings, and give it a good, gentle wash/soak.
The yarn used is patons' "Blue ragg" held double, with a [] crochet hook. it took about 20 skeins (50 gram), which divided by 2 for being held double, is 10 of a higher wieght, divided by 2 for 100 gram skeins, is 5 balls of a usual yarn, i suppose. I'm not sure. either way, it was an absolute pleasure to work with, the color change was very exciting to see as I went along. The balls usually lined up, although certain skeins did come with tie-ins that threw it out the window. It's ok, the blanket came out GODDAMN SPLENDID anyways!


I will link to the individual youtube tutorials used.
3d wavy Shell stitch, shown by Naztasia
Star stitch, shown by Squishy & Co.
Unnamed (2 row blocks, flat back textured front) stitch, shown by Hooked By Robin
forward Crab Stitch Border, shown by Change Path Crochet
Disclaimer, these links are unaffiliated, G-money! i make no bank! only banky 😝, and share information ;]

tuxedo cat looking up, sitting under a gray and colorful blanket darker image of cat looking aside, under colorful and grey blanket, all cozy like. tuxedo cat with closed eyes and perked ears, paws out from under a crochet blanket. a misty showcase of the blanket's ripples, with the tuxedo cat looking dead ahead, face half-covered by banky and out of focus.
pics of Guinness, my sweet tuxedo kitty cat under his new banky.

Dolls, dolls, dolls, and sewing them together.

Contrary to the title, I'm talkin bout sewing a doll's skins together! Well, I did the bones in wire, and the fascia in stuffing, and the muscles in ripped t-shirt (though those techinically arent mutually exclusive I think,) and now has come the time to sew on the skin to our dear, headless, friend. Fret not, I crocheted the head a little while back, though it is lacking Twig's dark ears. Yes, this is a doll of Twig, My fursona, a grey humanoid furry cat-raccoon shapeshifter Livin on Zino. :3 In the interest of stop motion. Fret Now, for the skin will be of a fuzzy sock I seldom get to wear anymore, due to my need for compression stockings. It shall live on!!! (I think I shall miss the legs the most, I quite liked the dragon shell -like layering going on there...)

A collection of pictures below: the "bare-bones" process! to the completed skin!

I also added pipecleaner wire hands last minute hehe, same process but dark shirt for "skin".

4 pictures of progress of creating A DOLL, armature to head+ body furred
Progression of wire doll creation.
  1. A wire armature in wide legged stance, arms out hardly balancing on a messy desk.
  2. A fuzzily wrapped up armature, standing at the edge of the desk, wisps in the wind.
  3. An under fur skin, with shirt cloth wrapping around limbs to create final form.
  4. A furred (with fuzzy sock) body, in grey wih dark grey paws (crude but animatable!), and an unfinished crochet head with a dark grey wisp of a nose stitched on.