I decided Ignatius was too naked. So I made him a scarf. It’s BFL, a plied version of the yarn that went into my woven BFL colorshift scarf before.

And in answer to Meg’s question… it’s a fae. I have a couple that I drew, they visit my blog sometimes. Creeping around the corners and keeping out the gremlins.

Gobo is happily done with his fixing, and has his stitches out. He’s happy.

That’s all for now, back to the dyepots!

~The Gnome

I make stuff! Yay stuff.

First I spun up some nice shetland in the colorway “Moose.” Longdraw so it’s fluffier, two-ply, about worsted weight.

Then I looked at a bunch of different patterns, and decided that while they were nice… none of them were ideal. So instead I pulled out my crochet hook and started freehanding…

And made a shmoo body and then an extra piece to make the nose all moosey. At this point I’m fairly dubious about my own skills. But I forge my way forward and make some arms and legs.

Ok, now I’ve got all the bits… except… oh wait, it’s supposed to be a moose… where are the antlers!? Time to pull out fiber for more spinning. Undyed shetland, this time…

Spin it up, make a plying ball on a TP tube, and ply it up…

Aand crochet it up into antlers…

Ok, now we hope to all the petty pewter gods that putting the pieces together makes a moose… First, stuff the nose and antlers and sew them on…

And from the side…

Ok, I guess I can breathe. I was really unsure about the antlers and nose until I actually got them on. But now I think this might actually work!

Time to repeat the process with arms and legs, still crossing my fingers that shmoo-moose still looks cute with legs and arms. ::crosses fingers::

Yay! It actually worked! He’s even pretty cute! Hrm… but something’s still missing… what could it be? Oh wait, I know, magnetite! I know, you’re thinking, what? Magnetite? What the heck?

See? Magnetite! Little magnetite eyes! Meet the finally completed Ignatius J. Moose!

Isn’t he adorable? I say yes! Yay for projects working! I was pretty worried, I’ve never done anything like it before. Simple stitches, but all freehand, with stuffing, and then sewing things together… different process! Neat!

That’s all for now!
~The Gnome

Progress.

Square Count: 71
Squares Needed: 18-20 (Plus the corners, which should be arriving shortly)
Locations:
USA Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
USA Utah Logan
USA Texas Katy
USA Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Unknown Wanaka
USA New York New York City
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown Unknown
USA Florida Crestview
Norway Unknown Bergen
USA New York White Plains
USA New York Endicott
USA Minnesota Columbia Heights
USA Washington Lacey
USA Maryland Columbia
USA California Redlands
USA New York Binghamton
USA Illinois Chicago
USA North Carolina Hendersonville
USA Pennsylvania Conshohocken
USA Washington Tacoma
USA Oklahoma Broken Arrow
USA Alabama Huntsville
USA Maryland Huntingtown
USA Georgia Acworth
USA Idaho Moscow
USA California La Habra
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Oregon Portland
USA Massachusetts Somerville
USA Massachusetts Worcester
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA New York Babylon
USA California San Francisco
USA Washington Renton
Canada Ontario Stouffville
USA Nevada Boulder City

The current layout. Subject to some minimal changes as the final squares arrive. The corners will be double large white/offwhite squares, and the binding will be off white.

~The Gnome

It’s -17 degrees here (yes, celsius, no I’m not Canadian. I’m in all science all the time mode), I think it mght have affected my brain (and no, I don’t think it’s especially cold, I miss MN winter).

Many people have mentioned it, and the Yarn Harlot is currently demonstrating it with the Knitters Without Borders drive, but it still never ceases to amaze me how generous fiber artists can be, without a second’s hesitation.

Now of course, like any group of people, especially one as disparate and varied as “all crocheters and knitters” there are the bad apples, sour grapes, and rotten eggs. But seriously, wow, there are more precious stones in these fibrous sands than one could possibly rationally expect to find. Squares have arrived from literally all over the world along with well wishes, and apologies that they couldn’t do more/make more.

Trust me, this is enough. It’s almost overwhelming in it’s thought and generosity. Not to mention the individual beauty of the squares. You can feel that each stitch was made with love.

Square Count: 64
Plus: Some Xmas gelt , mate tea, thistle buttons, a magnet, and probably something else I’ve forgotten because my brain is melting.

From:

USA Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
USA Utah Logan
USA Texas Katy
USA Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Unknown Wanaka
USA New York New York City
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown Unknown
USA Florida Crestview
Norway Unknown Bergen
USA New York White Plains
USA New York Endicott
USA Minnesota Columbia Heights
USA Washington Lacey
USA Maryland Columbia
USA California Redlands
USA New York Binghamton
USA Illinois Chicago
USA North Carolina Hendersonville
USA Pennsylvania Conshohocken
USA Washington Tacoma
USA Oklahoma Broken Arrow
USA Alabama Huntsville
USA Maryland Huntingtown
USA Georgia Acworth
USA Indiana Moscow
USA California La Habra
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Portland Oregon
USA Massachusetts Somerville
USA Massachusetts Worcester
USA Wisconsin Madison

Ok, so I’m cracked, wacko, lost it. After having the afghan about 1/4 seamed… I’m taking everything I’ve done out, and redoing it.

Why?

Because it wasn’t right, and incorporating new squares as they came in was going to be a color matching nightmare. And maybe because I’ve been hanging around with too many bad influences who like to do things like this. This will be better and faster. But it means lunch will be spent undoing what was done, and Friday night and most of Sunday will be spent seaming again.

What am I doing with Saturday? Why, I’m driving north into the cold to visit the shop of the fabulous Boogie, owner of Spunky Eclectic to try out some wheels, and maybe pick up some more fiber (because clearly the pounds of it lying around isn’t enough, hush you). ‘Cause… yeah, I think I’m ready to upgrade my wheel.

Now, back to my western blots, protein gels, and lab presentation

~The Gnome

My good friend the Tsock Tsarina is fond of saying, “It’s the people, stupid” in reference to big events where things are acquired. Because, it is.

And that stretches beyond events, as I’m sure she’d tell you.

It wasn’t the gifts of the holidays that made them good for me, it was the family. It wasn’t the rest, or food, or drinking at New Years that helped, it was the friendship and easy companionship.

And now that I’m back, I come home every day and go to my front door to check for little packages. They’re coming in from all over the world, sometimes with extra notes, sometimes not. And they warm my heart and make it all easier, knowing that this many people all over the world really do care.

If you’ve sent a square, check the photos and location list to see if you’re included. If not, then I’ll add them as they come in and post an ongoing total.

The current square count is 40 Squares
Locations squares have been received from:
Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
Utah Logan
Texas Katy
Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Wanaka
New York New York City
Wisconsin Madison
Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown
Florida Crestview
Norway Bergen
New York White Plains
New York Endicott
Minnesota Columbia Heights
Washington Lacey
Maryland Columbia
California Redlands
New York Binghamton
Illinois Chicago
North Carolina Hendersonville

And the squares themselves:

Squares are still coming in, so please feel free to send in the next week.

~The Gnome