Musical Journey: Part 2: The Descendents

Were you listening to punk in 1996.  I was.  I give you the album Everything Sucks by the Descendents.  This is probably the most fun I've ever had with  project...so bear with me.  I think I have three..mayyyyyyybe 4 more to go.  I should really be crocheting ponyos and totoros and birthday and christmas presents...because I do actually want to enjoy christmas this year and not worry about getting orders out...but i'm really having too much fun.

Musical Journey: Part 1

So, when I worked with Dez on the yarnbombing 18th exhibit, I was totally inspired by all the great work around me.  I decided I was going to start working on my own ambitious project inspired by my own musical journey, which I'm rediscovering with my kid.  Growing up my dad listened to oldies...old sock hop doo wop R & B type oldies.  I loved them.  I still love them.  Ask finnegan to sing you Earth Angel...he can do it.  Then as a young teenager, a boy who sat behind me in health class loaned me his NOFX punk in drublic cassette tape (did i just age myself?) and I was from then on a punk rock fan.  Now, I listen to stuff like Iron and Wine and Bon Iver because they appeal to my literarture lovin' poetic nature, but all of it....all the punk rock anthems about growing up to the sweet folky sam beam songs are part of who i am, and who finnegan is becoming.  It's so fun digging up the songs I'd grown tired of listening to, and seeing finnegan experience them for the first time.

these days listening to a song mostly means firing up the itunes...but i long for the nostalgia of sitting on a living room floor pulling out vinyl records.  this was never really my reality, but i have a romanticized notion of it in my head...so i'm going to create it as I see it, as I would want it to be if I was spending an afternoon with Finnegan listening to my version of "the greats".  So I give you a sample of what I'm aiming for.  The first vinyl album recreation is for The Clash's London Calling.  It's an iconic image...guitar being smashed...I really love how this turned out.  So, let me know what you think.

I think I know it all: a less than jake yarn bomb

I've seen Less than Jake in excess of 30-40 times. You just lose count after a while. I could tell you that I've seen them open for Bon Jovi...twice. Or that they once paid me a 100 bucks to sell merch for them in Canada. I would have done it for free....suckers. I could tell you that they're decent guys, and that I met them for the first time when I was 17....and they didn't take advantage of my extreme naivete, and that's something you can only really appreciate 10+ years later. I could tell you that I met my first roommate through them...and my third...I could tell you that the bass player once called my parents sketchy..and I don't blame him...

The last time I saw them, I was 21..until today. Its been 8 years, and I'm almost 30 now (on sept 24th..where has the time gone? no.... seriously. where did it go?) I'm taking my 3 year old to see them at the Warped Tour in Carson, CA.... because he's awesome, and he likes less than jake, and I totally get it. They're full of energy. and they're fun. and they're loud. not unlike my 3 year old. I hope I get a chance to say hi.

The yarnbomb, a boy shooting a pezgun, holds bit of a double significance. Not only is the image from their vinyl picture disc for their album pezcore, but it's also a tattoo on my back. The tattoo was an image I got out of a Pez collector's book before I knew the picture disc existed. It's a tattoo I forget I have, but it makes me smile when I see it...and remember the awkward pierced little freak that I once was (and still am on the inside) .

So, this is my last stop on this artistic experience. I'm going out of town 2 more times this summer, but this yarn bomb will be the last in this series I'm calling in my head "yarn the road" I have an idea for a new potential exhibit piece. Hopefully I can make it happen. Also, I have to start preparing for my etsy shop Christmas rush! It's never too soon.</
Cheers!

Free Crochet Leela Futurama Pattern

So, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but along with my Brobee doll, all of my Futurama dolls were also pulled from Etsy for copyright infringement.  So, since I have these great patterns already made up, I decided I would go ahead and post the patterns for free.   I really love these dolls.  I already had the Leela pattern all done up for someone who wanted to buy the pattern, so it's coming up first.  I'll post Nibbler and Zoidberg as soon as I find the time to write up the patterns.  Please let me know if you use these, and post pictures of the finished results!  I love seeing these dolls come to life!

Crochet Leela

Materials Needed:

c hook

g hook
yarn needle
polyfil
1 - 12mm safety eye
At least 3 ounces of Skin Colored/Beige/Cream colored yarn
At least 1 ounce of purple yarn
Small amount of Gray yarn
Small amount of black yarn
Small amount of teal/light blue yarn
Small amount of white yarn
Small amount of pink yarn
Scrap of navy blue yarn

Head:
With skin colored yarn and g hook, ch 2
r1: 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
r2: 2 sc in each sc around (16 sc)
r3: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next sc. Rep from * around (24sc)
r4: *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc. Rep from * around (32sc)
r5: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in each of next 3 sc. Rep from * around (40sc)
r6-16: 1 sc in each sc around.
r17: *1 sc in each of next 3 sc. sc2tog. Rep from * around (32sts)
r18: *1 sc in each of next 2 sc. sc2tog. Rep from * around (24sts)
r19: *1 sc. sc 2 tog. Rep from * around (16sts)
r20: *sc2tog. Rep from * (8sts)

Body:
with g hook and black , ch 30. Join with sl st to first chain taking care not to twist ch
r1: 1 sc in each ch around until piece measures 1 inch. Switch to white yarn
Continue to crochet around until piece measures 2 inches.
Next round: *1 sc in each of next 3 sc, Sc2tog. Rep from * around. (24sts)
Next round: Sc in each sc around until piece measures 3 inches.
Switch to skin colored yarn, sc 4, switch back to white, for 19 sts (this is to give leela the tank
top look. The picture might help as a reference to what it will ultimately look like)
Switch to skin colored yarn, sc 6, switch back to white, for 17 sts
Switch to skin colored yarn, sc 8, switch back to white, Sc 2, *sc2tog 5 times. Fasten off leaving
long enough tail to sew head on

Arms:
Make 2
With g hook an skin-colored yarn
ch 2
r1: 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
r2: 2 sc in each sc around. (10sc)
r3: 1 sc in each sc around.
r4: 1 sc in next 4 sc, 1 tr in next sc (thumb). 1 sc in each of last 5sc
r5: 1 sc in each st around
r6: 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, sc2tog twice.
r7: 1 sc in each st around.
Rep last round until arm measures 4 inches. Fasten off. Leave long enough tail to sew to body

Legs:
make 2
with g hook and black yarn
foot: ch 5
r1: 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook. 1 sc in each of next 2ch. 3 sc in last ch. Do not turn. working
in remaining loops of foundation chain, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch. 2 sc in last ch (10 sc)
r2: 2 sc in first sc. 1 sc in each of next 2 sc. 2 sc in each of next 3 sc. 1 sc in each of next 2 sc.
2 sc in each of last 2sc. (16 sc)
r3: 2 sc in first sc. 1 sc in each of next 4 sc. 2 sc in each of next 4 sc. 1 sc in each of next 4 sc.
2 sc in each of next 3 sc. (24 sc)
r4: Working in back loops only, 1 sc in each sc around. switch to gray
r5: 1 sc in each of next 7 sc. sc2tog 3 times. 1 sc in each sc to end rnd. 21sts
r6: 1 sc in each of next 6 sc. sc2tog 3 times. 1 sc in each sc to last 2 sc sc2tog. (17sts)
r7: 1 sc in each of next 5 sc. sc2tog 3 times. 1 sc in each sc to end of rnd (14sts)
r8: 1 sc in each st around. Rep last round until piece measures 2 inches. Switch to black.
Continue to sc in each st around until legs measure 4 inches. Leave long enough tail to sew to
boy
Stuff parts and sew together.


Face:
with g hook, and white, ch2
r1: 6 sc in 2 ch
r2: 2 sc in each sc (12sts)
r3: *1 sc in next sc. 2 sc in next sc. Rep around (18sts)
r4-6: Sc in each sc around. Fasten off
Attach 12mm safety eye to center of white. Stuff and sew to face.
Mouth:
With pink and yarn needle. Stitch upside pink triangle. Use picture as example. Satin stitch
triangle to fill in.

Arm piece:
With teal yarn, and g hook. Crochet a piece that will fit around arm. Crochet 5 rows around.
Fasten off. Sew piece together on arm.
With navy yarn, crochet a small line on arm piece. (this can also be done using embroidery or
cross stitching)
Lines on boot:
Crochet on top of boot with black yarn two black stripes on each boot. (this can also be done
using embroidery or cross stitching)


Hair:
With purple and C hook:
For this find a 9 inch piece of cardboard or a book with a 9 inch side (or anything with 9 inch
side).
1. Wrap the yarn around the cardboard and sc, ch 1.
2. Continue to * wrap the yarn around sc, ch 1. Repeat until you have the desired length of
hair. You can do this in segments if it's easier to manage.
Sew the hair on with the seams parallel to the face and zig zag sewing the hair to the back of
the head. You'll know you have enough when you can make a full looking pony tail. Pull some
strands forward to cut bangs. Tie the rest back with a piece of purple yarn.
Please let me know if you have any problems.

Leela Pattern by Giovanna Forsyth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Please do not sell this pattern or objects made
from it. Do not share it elsewhere.

Tango makes three...a nyc yarnbomb

So, I put a call out to my friends when Finnegan was born for book suggestions. For the books that stuck out in their mind as the best children's books they'd ever read, and I got some truly great suggestions, but by far my favorite came from my friend Alex.He suggested Tango Makes Three. It's about a pairing of male penguins who hatch and raise a baby penguin from a mother who was unable to care for the egg. It's on the frequently banned books list everywhere. Because you know...kids will become gay if they know some boy penguins in New York City Central Park Zoo liked to cuddle. It happens all the time. I wish I could convey deadpan on the interwebs.

I love this book. If you are a halfway decent person who wants to have a kid with an open mind and an appreciation for the idea that successful relationships can come in all shapes and sizes, this is a great introduction to that idea. Finnegan is no stranger to the idea that someone can have 2 mommies or 2 daddies. I genuinely think this book helped him understand that.

One of the biggest selling points to this "Big East Coast Trip" was that he could go see Roy, Silo, and Tango at the Central Park Zoo, which we are definitely doing, and this yarnbomb will be found in the vicinity as an homage to a great book with a great message.

When in boston..a fenway park yarnbomb

Our main event on our "Big East Coast Trip" as it has been named around this house is a Boston Red Sox game at the legendary Fenway Park. I love baseball.  It's pretty much the only sport I can remotely follow with any interest. I like it for many reasons. I like it's broad appeal.  I like that dodger tickets can still be obtained for less than 10 dollars.  I love the nostalgic American aspect of the sport. I like that it has its skeletons, and it's triumphs. Kirk Gibson's fist pumping homerun during the 88 World Series. or that time the Dodgers scored 4 back to back home runs, or any game Sandy Koufax ever pitched.

Oh, you've caught on, I'm a Dodger Fan through and through. I will never not be a Dodger Fan. So why so much excitement about Fenway? Because it's Fenway...duh. No baseball fan would turn up a chance to see a game at Fenway. I debated making the trademark LA Dodgers symbol for this yarnbomb, but it occurred to me that in the spirit of the game, I had to respect where I was, and why I was there. I'm at Fenway because the Red Sox are one of the oldest teams in baseball with a great history and a great ballpark.

Also, recent events at a Dodger game made me think about what it is to be a baseball fan, especially a fan dealing with a fan of an opposing team. In a game at the start of the season at Dodger stadium against the Giants, a Giants fan was beaten to a pulp. Do I hate hearing someone at a Dodger game rooting for the rival team? Sure, but when I go root for the Dodgers elsewhere I cheer, and people have to put up with me. It's just an unfortunate courtesy we pay to each other. That said, if we start beating people up at games....we just ruin the game. It means more security measures, higher tickets costs, and lost revenue if your stadium gets a reputation for having unruly fans (which Dodger stadium already has). Baseball is competitive, but it's fun. It's fun rallying around a representation of the city you love, but without those other teams that we love to hate....It'd just be a bunch of guys playing catch at a really big park.

So as a visitor to this fair city, I made the Red Sox logo. I'm here for the history of baseball, and I've got nothing against the Sox (they're in a different league after all). So go on Red Sox, beat those Indians today. I'll be rooting for you.