There’s the Crocheted Friends Forever:

TILLY, available here…

and BREE, available here!

There’s Jumbo Wolfy Baby…

Available here!

And last but not least, there’s Rugby the Pugbee!

Available here!

These pieces are much bigger than my usual crochet work — each at least a foot tall — making them truly “Huggable!” They have also been marked down significantly from their original pricing, so grab ‘em while they’re hot!

This blasé approach to watching instructional programming changed one afternoon when I flipped on KCSM and began watching an episode of a little show called Knitting Daily. A sage, grey haired woman (who I now know as Becca Smith) was demonstrating a relatively easy tutorial on knitted bags, and my interest was piqued. I saw what she was doing and said, “That looks fun. I can do that!” So I picked up some knitting needles and yarn, and the rest is history. Well, kind of.

It’s almost three years later, and because KCSM plays Knitting Daily every day, I definitely get my fill of episodes. Unfortunately, since it takes about 4-5 months for KCSM to air new episodes after they’re announced, that means A LOT of repeats. Having seen every episode of Knitting Daily at least two times — most of them three or four times — I came to realize there are a number of factors which come up continually from season to season and episode to episode. Therefore and hitherto, I’ve invented a little something I like to call

THE KNITTING DAILY DRINKING GAME!

I’ve been playing it for about a week now and I can tell you, it really adds to the viewing experience — although I generally substitute hot tea for an alcoholic beverage (I guess you could say I’m a “tea-totaler”). For those of you who may be a bit more adventurous or possess a healthier liver, please feel free to crack open a bottle of Jack or a jug of moonshine and start chugging away.

DRINK WHENEVER:

• Eunny Jang says “Primer.” (pronounced both “Primmer” and “Pry-mer”)
• Shay Pendray says: “Is that a fair/good/correct way to say/put it?”
• Shay Pendray interrupts someone to ask about something they just went over (or were about to go over).
• Someone interrupts a guest to say, “And this pattern is up on our website!”
• Cables, entelac, provisional cast ons, mobius, felting or tunisian crochet is demonstrated or taught.
• Laura Bryant wears a piece of clothing made from variegated yarn.
• Kristin Omdahl wears a piece of crocheted lace.
• Penny Sitler promotes her Helping Hands NeedleArts Mentoring Program. (Drink more if there are embarrassed teenagers with her.)
• Adina Klein uses some kind of self-deprecating tone or makes a quasi-sarcastic comment.
• Barry Klein demonstrates something with novelty yarn. (Drink more if there’s self ruffling yarn involved.)
• Mustard yellow, moss green, or reddish purple yarn is used, demonstrated, or worn.
• The top of someone’s head or hair pops into a close up instructional shot.
• Socks are the common theme.
• Organic wool and earth-friendly fibers are covered.
• Someone talks about how rare and wonderful Qiviut is.
• A picture of a sheep, alpaca, llama or ox is shown.
• Someone says “Make time for yarn every day.” (Depending on how drunk you are at this point, be sure to loudly scream “NO!! YOU make time for it!” back at the screen.)

Of course, the usual “don’t be naughty” disclaimers apply here: Be sure to drink and knit responsibly, don’t drive after consuming complex pattern information, keep away from children, and remember… it’s all in good funzies. This game is not intended to undermine the fantastic job that the Knitting Daily crew does, but to enhance the viewing experience for real fans.

So let’s raise a glass to Eunny, Shay, Kim, Kristin, Liz, and all the fabulous Knitting Daily crew.

Can’t wait for season 8!

 I’ve recently gotten many requests for Crothulhu t-shirts. I’ve been trying to get some printed professionally, but finding a place to do it affordably is apparently harder than staying awake during The Mclaughlin Group – very difficult indeed. Until then, I will try to make some more shirts myself  in a variety of sizes, so please stay tuned for that.

Also a reminder (in case your memory is short) that The Odd Couple is currently available at the Etsy store as well!

Don’t believe me? Just ask…

THE ODD COUPLE!

To some, a Goth boy dating a Punk girl sounds like a subculture disaster waiting to happen.

Sure, their days are filled with drunken fighting, bad dark poetry and the occasional accidental overdose, but they still know that true love means never having to pretend you’re normal.

There definitely won’t be a marriage, children, or a white picket fence in their future…

but that’s the way they like it.

 Someday they’ll be able to look beyond their vast differences, but for now these two star-crossed lovers are happily living out the phrase “Opposites Attract.”

(Available here)

Although an illustration of a winged, nude, and seemingly hydrocephalic child may have been a great marketing ploy in the 1960s, I figured this questionable vintage packaging could use some modern day pessimism — just in time for Valentine’s Eve.

Ahhhh… that’s much better.

Happy Valloween, y’all!

I actually made this designation about five years ago when I went on a February Werewolf movie binge — the first of many — and have been celebrating it as such ever since.  Sometimes werewolves just don’t get the credit they deserve, squeezed behind vampires and zombies like some kind of second-class monster citizens. My private lycanthropic celebrations were somewhat vindicated last February when Hollywood released The Wolf Man remake, but this year I’m taking my message to the streets (the internet streets, that is) in the hopes of letting everyone in on the fun!

In celebration of this fine month, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite Werewolf movie selections. I highly recommend watching them all in one 8-hour sitting to confuse yourself as thoroughly as possible.

#1: My Mom’s a Werewolf

Because let’s be honest: everyone needs a mother more monstrous than the one they currently have.

—————–

#2: Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf

(AKA Stirba: Werewolf Bitch)

Sexy Sybil Danning as a Transylvanian werewolf queen? Yes, please!

—————

#3: I Was a Teenage Werewolf

I’ve been on a real Michael Landon kick lately, watching Bonanza in the afternoon, Little House at night and Highway to Heaven on the weekends. Now that it’s February  I’ll turn up the Landon  factor to “10″ with a re-watch of this 1957 stinker!

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#4: Werewolf of Washington

(Full movie online HERE!)

Dean Stockwell stars in this 1973 satirical tale about a reporter who changes into a cute white fuzzy-wuzzy fur-face and then becomes Press Secretary to the POTUS. Talk about a horrible transformation.

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#5: Teen Wolf Too

If you’ve already been traumatized by the ending scene in the first Teen Wolf where that extra in the audience exposes himself, trust me, you’ll step into a whole new realm of ecstatic trauma watching this dreadful sequel. Bonus points if you watched every episode of the horrible cartoon as well.

—————–

#6: Curse of the Werewolf

A Hammer horror production starring the delightfully delicious Brit actor Oliver Reed as one of the fluffiest werewolves ever.

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Oh, hey… and while you’re at it, why not bring home some Croshame Wolfies to love and cherish?

There’s the original Wolfy Baby!

She-Wolfy!

And Teen Wolfy!

However you choose to celebrate Werewolf Awereness Month, make it a safe and happy one…

but watch out for that full moon on Feb. 7th!

Conjoined Sisters!

Sister Mary and Sister Madeleine are two pious ladies fresh from the nunnery. They’re sometimes friends, sometimes enemies — but they’re always incurably inseparable!

Available here!

Also currently available in the Etsy store are my 2011 Plush You pieces:

Hostess with the Mostest! Available here  SOLD!

Imaginary Friend! Available here SOLD!

And last but not least, The Clown Box! Available here

All of the Plush You pieces are original, OOAK works and have had their prices highly reduced, so get them now while they’re still drastically slashed and bleeding!

Filed under: Antigurumi, Etsy Store ]]> http://croshame.com/2012/01/29/etsy-update-1-29-12/feed/ 1 croshame Conjoined Sisters full Conjoined Sisters face closeup Hostess with the Mostest Imaginary Friend Clown Box Sunny Side front angle http://croshame.com/2012/01/26/rashes-are-red-violence-is-blue-heres-a-free-gory-pattern-just-for-you/ http://croshame.com/2012/01/26/rashes-are-red-violence-is-blue-heres-a-free-gory-pattern-just-for-you/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:44:38 +0000 croshame http://croshame.com/?p=1209 ]]> Oh goody goody gummy bears! It’s almost February, and that means Valentine’s Day! YAAAAYYYYY!!!

EVERYBODY LOVES VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

Oh, wait… no they don’t.

In fact, there are more than a few people out there who feel that February 14th is nothing more than a big sham designed to make singles feel like crap and keep greeting card companies in business. Keeping these folks in mind, this year I decided to come up with my own Valentine’s Day greeting to make and share with the ones you love… or loathe.

If you’re tired of getting the same old “Oh, I love it!” or “How incredibly sweet!” upon gifting your sweetums their usual, mass-produced Valentine, sit back and watch the lovely look of confusion strain their face when you plop this little sucker into their lap. Maybe you’ll even get a sexy lower lip quiver or a tear-filled eye in the process. HOT!

This little fellow works up pretty quickly, is crocheted back and forth (as opposed to rounds), and requires only a scrap amount of yarn .

Download the pattern PDF here!

Kitty Catsup! (Found here)

and Weiner Dog on a Stick! (Found here)

These two compliment each other wonderfully, but you might want to separate them at the table since they fight like a couple of bottles and sticks. They’re both nutritiously yummy and notoriously perishable, so grab them now while they’re hot!

Yes, it looked fairly decent then, back when it was still a work in progress. It took me 6 months of hard work, finger stabbing and arm pain to complete it, but unfortunately the final piece came out looking very different than I had originally planned, leaving me so disappointed in the end result that I never showed it to anyone. I’ll admit, it was an ambitious first project and I got in a bit over my head (as well as my neck, shoulder and elbow). But even though my once-graceful swan lady turned out more pockmarked than Edward James Olmos and took donkey’s years to finish, I masochistically dove into another needle felted sculpture directly afterward, determined to learn from my mistakes and create a final product I was happier with.

Titled “A Scent”, this second piece is part of my mixed media series Pink Period (which can be viewed here).

There were several important things I learned between my first and second needle felted pieces, and although I still consider myself an amateur felter with much to learn, I thought I would pass along some of my recent revelations and pointers to other interested beginners. Careful, though — needle felting tips are pretty sharp.  *snort*

#1. Needle felt the wool into a solid shape BEFORE adding it to the work. This may seem to be a huge “DUH” for needle-felters-in-the-know, but it took me a while to truly figure out. Trying to felt something into submission while it’s on the piece just ends up pushing it into the work instead of adding on to it.

#2. For larger pieces, USE A MULTI-NEEDLE TOOL INSTEAD OF JUST A SINGLE NEEDLE. I put this in shouty-style capitals because, like a complete dumbshit, I only used a single needle on my first piece — which was over 12″ tall and had a wire armature inside — leading to more frustration than was necessary. I’ve found single needles to be better for felting tiny things, making details, and attaching pieces.

#3. Needle felt only for as long as you can. Stop when you start hurting, or preferably, before that. This is a very hard thing for me to do, as I often get so rapt with sculpting that I can sit for 10-12 hours at a time without leaving the art. This works fine for clay, but not so much for felting. (My ulna agrees.)

#4. Have patience. Unless you’re making a small, simple piece, needle felting takes a long time. Hell, even small and simple can take a while.

#5. Stabbing yourself with a barbed needle only hurts slightly less than everyday life. Don’t be scared to bleed for your art. In fact, welcome it. Then thank your lucky scars you’re not felting in the 19th century.

#6. If you can squish it with your fingers, it’s probably not done. The more solid the work, the better. Of course, this is merely my own personal preference and opinion; depending on what you’re making, you may want to leave your felting as hard or soft as you desire. That is, until the NFTF (Needle Felting Task Force) is formed… then you should be worried.

#7. Lastly, wooden felting tools make great blood absorbers.