A little inspiration goes a long way

feeling a little wonderous

my adorable nephew has decided that after loving iron man...and wolverine...and even the hulk, that it is time to turn his affection towards captain america. while i was looking for images online to make him a "helmet" to be like his current super hero favorite, I stumbled across a beanie that seemed inspired by wonder woman. i saved it for later and moved on to the captain america helmet...but couldn't get the thought of doing something wonder woman inspired out of my head. especially since i think captain america is a whiner. and a weenie.

and that i am really frustrated that the same guy they had play the human torch now also plays captain america. 

so anyways. i started looking up pictures of wonder woman and thought that the crown she wears would make a really fun ear warmer for this delightful arctic weather everyone has been experiencing. except us...in central florida. i mean, it got cold...but.  eh. no big deal.

i learned to crochet off of youtube. i still make a lot of mistakes. i usually follow someone else's pattern, but for some reason i have started to feel like that's cheating. although that's what patterns are written for. so i decided to see where creativity would take me, and i winged it. 

i am going to try to write the pattern...but please don't judge me too harshly if it looks like a hot mess. sometimes i never know if my chain 2 is supposed to count as my first stitch or not. or if that is something you have to stress. 

Wonder Woman Headband

size: adult female

H hook, worsted weight yarn

ch 13

row 1: in the 3rd chain from hook, dc. then dc in each chain after. at the end, chain 3 and turn (10 stitches)

row 2-12:  in the next stitch ( not the one that the chain 3 is coming from) dc. dc in each chain after. at the end, chain 3 and turn 

row 13: dc in the same stitch that the chain 3 comes from( we'll call it chain 3 space). then dc in each consecutive stitch. at the end, ch 3 and turn (11)

row 14: dc in the next stitch. dc in 9 more stitches. 2 dc in the last stitch. chain 3 and turn (12)

row 15:  repeat row 13 (13)

row 16: dc in next stitch, and each stitch until the end (13)

row 17: dctog the ch 3 space and the next stitch. dc each stitch after (12)

row 18: dc in next stitch. dc in next 9 st. dctog last two stitches (11)

row 19: repeat row 17 (10)

row 20-32: same as row 2.

row 33: dctog the ch 3 space and next st. dc in next 6 st. dctog last two (8)

row 34: repeat (with 4 dc inbetween the dctog)  (6)

 -cut off a tail and pull your yarn through

-pick up yarn at first stitch on opposite end (the one with 10 st :) ) chain 3

first row: repeat row 33

second: repeat 34

now you're going to connect the two ends together at the corner with a slip stitch. don't worry that the rest of the headband is not connected. we'll do that soon. at this point youre going to sc around the base of your headband (or the top, it depends on where you picked the yarn up at). *if you are sc along the top, when you reach what was row 16 (the "point" of her crown) do sc, hdc, sc in that same stitch. then just keep going with your sc until you make it back around to where you started. connect the two ends using slip stitches, and then continue around (whether it be the base or the top) with sc. when you make it back around...slip stitch into the first stitch (of that side). cut the yarn, pull it through and weave it in!

this is where i found the pattern for the star. i had to fiddle with different hook sizes and different yarns to get the right size. also, they start their star off with dc in the ring, but i just did sc to keep my star compact. 

i hope that made sense. i try to write as i go...but sometimes you get in the groove and you just forget. 

here is what it looks like on: 

it is definitely wider than her little tiara thing...but it's meant for keeping your ears and head warm! i tried to make one a little thinner... and i tried a different technique when crocheting it...but it just didnt look as nice on. 

next up, i'll have to make some "indestructible" finger-less gloves/bracelets. to compliment my headwarmer :)

stamptastic monday!

among the numerous things we have to thank MLK for, a day off from school is one of them. which means a day off of work for me! so today i decided to tackle some stamp making. with this whole business kick-off thing, i thought it would be nice to make tags for my items with a personal touch. since stamps (plus any ink you need) can get pretty pricey...i thought i would just fall back on an old high school project...print making.

if you have ever worked with lino cutting tools and carving blocks, then you know it can be pretty therapeutic once you get in the rhythm. if not, well...that's why i am writing about it :)

you can find the lino cutting tools at your local craft store. they are hardly ever on sale so they happen to be a good candidate for those 40% off non-sale item coupons you hang on to! the carving blocks will be right with them...and you usually find this stuff in the more professional artist side of the store, near all the paint and canvases. the term carving block can be a little bit of a misnomer because what i used was less of a block and more of a...4x6 flattened our eraser like so. 

the packaging gives you tips on how to transfer your image onto the block. in my case, i just drew with a ballpoint pen because i am impatient. so there's always that. 

if your image is small, you can always just use an eraser. but...if you plan on making multiple stamps, it would be more cost-effective to get the block and just cut it up. 

after you draw your design, you may want to color in the space you want to cut away, so that you don't remove the wrong parts. be mindful of the positive/negative space! the tool can be pretty sharp...so i recommend you cut away from your body and away from your opposite hand if you use it to steady the block. or, if you're cocky and believe yourself to be invincible (don't we all?), then cut in whichever willy nilly direction you choose.

my plan was to remove the space around the cloud, as well as give him some eyes and a smile, so that my cloud would be mostly whatever color i stamped. it's funny how plans change...

after removing what i thought was all the space i wanted...my cloud looked a little creepy. i'm not sure if it was his eyes, or his crooked grin...but the combination (plus my wack cutting skillz) made him look a little dastardly. so i removed his face and all his insides and just left him an outline, empty and alone. 

test out your stamp! you'll probably find some areas you thought would be below the ink line, but clearly arent. like i did. so using your print as a guide, just cut those areas away. re-test until you're happy.

and voila! a custom-made stamp that no one else has :)

a note on turning hobbies into income

put it on etsy, they say. you should be selling this, they tell me.
ha.
sure, i feel awesome when someone thinks something i make has the potential to make me money. but i don't think anyone really realizes how much work goes into putting your wares out there. the websites like to make you think it's as easy as fill this in, press this button, upload this pic, done! ahhh, but it's so not.
i've been spending an irrationally long amount of time setting up this blog. so that one day, someone will want to follow me as i attempt to create my masterpieces of yarn and ribbon or fabric or whatever. i can't even figure out how to put tabs that work on here.
the road looks long and weary, my friend.
but i am always down for a good learning experience, so i'm going to undertake the tedious task of connecting all things connectable on the interwebz for my teeny tiny biz-nass. business. yes, i am in my (very early) thirties and i still choose to speak...or write...words however i feel they should be said in that moment. there is always a little wiggle room in a constantly evolving (or devolving?) language. to an extent. there will forever be a difference between "your" and "you're" i hope.
ah but i digress.
let's start over. welcome! it's a pleasure to ramble seemingly unconnected tangents in your general direction. this (pause for effect), is my blog. a bit of this and a dash of that and a whole lot of nonsense. but what is life without a little nonsense?
i crochet, i sew, i paint, i draw, i write and i stare out windows, drinking coffee and dreaming of projects. i also daydream of all the what-if possibilities that most adults forget to dream about, but kids never do. like designing my own scuba gear for when we finally create a city underwater. regardless of the fact, i do not scuba dive.
see? utter nonsense.