October 2006 Archives

I mentioned a Halloween project by the name of "Scratch."

I said that he would be done by mid-October.

Yeah, well, he won't be happening. I'm very sad to say that, but he'll have to wait a little while longer. I've just had too much going on. Oh, well. At least the goblin is finished.

Okie dokie.

First, I'd like to say, it's great to be back.

Second, I'd like to say I don't have near enough Halloween decorations. I must be losing my touch. However, I found this place. There are plenty of links to teach me how to make my own props, including animated ones.

Oh yes, the zombie torso that crawls on the ground will be mine...

Thirdly, I have pictures...finally. Yeah, I've been a little remiss on that, but I've been distracted...and lazy...kind of...whatever...anyway...pictures!

First - just to keep Mimi in suspense because I know she's dying to see the goblin - the socks. Yes, that's right, I have committed a knitter's sin; I finished a pair of socks. I triumphed over One Sock Syndrome and now have a cozy pair of wool socks. Why did I do such a terrible thing? Well, I went to an SCA event in northern Arkansas where it was 32 degrees at night, and my feet were damn cold. When I took a shift of security (i.e. sitting on my butt at Security Point in case anyone needed someone to call the real security people on the radio), I decided it was a good time to work on the last sock. Now, having been months since I last knit, it took me thirty minutes just to figure out where the hell I left off. Once that was done, it was a breeze. I ended up finishing it at home, but you know, although they weren't able to protect me from Jack Frost chewing off my toes at the event, they have kept my feetsies nice and toasty on the couple of cold, rainy days (like yesterday) we've had here.

I present: the Socks.
They are my first pair; they are definitely twins; and I'm very proud of them. And, I have decided that if I never knit anything else, I would be content to knit socks. I absolutely love it! I have a desire for a pair of stockings next, although I have more of the lovely fleece that created these socks, and it calls to me. (It's more purple-y pink, the other yarn, but just as soft and cozy.)

Besides, knitting blankets and shawls are a pain. Okay, yeah, crochet uses three times as much yarn, but dammit, it's faster.

Oh, don't sneer at me like that.

I refuse to use circular needles. As far as I'm concerned, it's cheating. (Yes, I'm well-aware I probably just angered a few thousand people, but I really don't like circular needles. Take it as a personal opinion and ignore me.) I love DPNs, and frankly, have you ever tried to knit an afghan on DPNs? I can't imagine it not turning you coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs. Besides, I can totally be a knitter and crocheter. I think I'm doing very well at it now.

Remind me to tell you of my sister-in-law's shawl I started. It only needs to be finished by the 6th of November.

Yeah. No pressure.

Next up, my Halloween decorations. (Still holding Mimi in suspense.) The first set of pictures has the living room lights on.

This is the Grim Reaper on my wall. Just TRY to guess what he's really made of.

No, keep trying.

No, not that either.

Give up?

My Todd has a rather small knick-knack display case that hangs on the wall. I had stuck the skull up there on a whim, and then suddenly found all this black fabric... So, yeah, he's a skull, a display case, and some fabric. I reproduced him for the party with a box tacked to the wall.


This is my mantle. The Skull Guy, which you might know as my First Paper Mache Project, is crooked for some reason. I need to fix that. There's something to the left of the mantle...I wonder what it could be...


This is the Thing. I have no explanation for him except he pouted at me at the Halloween store, so I had to bring him home.


You know, it's amazing what you can do with a giant rope web and a big-ass spider, both of which you got on clearance at Hobby Lobby three years ago...

He's on the stairs.

Now, because I'm still trying to annoy Mimi, let's see it all in the dark with the decorative lights turned on! (Please excuse the fuzziness of the pictures. I haven't gotten the hang of taking pictures in weird lighting yet.)


The partial wing you see on the left is a large dragon Todd made. I should have gotten a picture of it. It wasn't for Halloween. It was a school project many moons ago. One of those things where you have to build something to protect and egg then drop it off a building. Yeah, my Todd built a dragon. No, the egg didn't break. Yes, they made him drop it over and over again just to see the dragon "fly." Yes, he's awesome.

Skull Guy again.

Ignore the TV. The window looks into the kitchen. The Thing swings slowly by himself. For some reason, even when the fan or A/C is turned off, he moves. Yeah, my house is cool.


I'd show a full view of the room, but my house is a mess right now. Maybe next week. (It'll all be up until Thanksgiving. Despite what the commercials say, there are THREE holidays in October, November, and December, not just Christmas. Dammit.)

And, now the moment we've all (Mimi, too) have been waiting for...the goblin mask.

It is finished! I finished it at 3 in the morning the night before the party because by God I was wearing it! Mostly because I didn't have a Halloween costume, for some reason. I'm very proud of it. It is my second paper mache mask ever finished.

This is it on my wall.


More views of it.



This is me wearing said goblin for the Halloween party. I got lots of compliments. It definitely made my ego feel good.
The angle's bad, so you see more of my nose, but it's pretty well-hidden when I'm not cheesing for the camera.

It still needs to be treated with a sealant so the acrylic paint doesn't melt off when it gets wet. (You would be amazed what happens at a party. Rain, people spilling drinks on you, me slicing bottles of water hanging in a tree with a sword and getting myself soaked in the process... Yes, it really happened, and it was damn cool.)

I haven't decided yet if it's going to get bartered, sold, or placed in my personal collection. I guess the real challenge would be to make another one...

I was originally going to go with a more brownish color, but Todd said goblins should be green. I rather like the green. Anyway, there you have it.

(I hope to have the bunny mask done or close to done this weekend. Fingers crossed.)

Mimi, you are in charge of the Side of the Hill Polls. What do ya'll think of the goblin?

Anyway, thank you for attending this version of The Crochet Cultist on Parade. Please come back again when I'm crying over why I didn't start that damn shawl three weeks ago. I'll let you point and laugh.

Incidentally...did I ever mention Halloween is my favorite holiday?

Just checking.

As soon as Todd quits gaming and loads them onto the computer I will show them to you. Hopefully, that will happen within the next hour.

Preview:

My Halloween decorations.
The goblin's sneer.
My warm socks!

I've been back to work for about a week. Blech

The party went fantastic.

The socks are toasty.

And, the goblin mask is finished.

I hope to give a bigger update with pictures this evening, but it depends on when the girls and I get finished with the Stitch. It might be tomorrow. Either way, things are calming down so more updates to Ye Olde Blog are a'comin'!

I have been on vacation since last Thursday and will not return to work until Thursday.

Admittedly, I worked my butt off over the weekend at an SCA event, but I also got to do some relaxing, too. Today, I didn't do much except finish my first pair of knitted socks! (Pictures tomorrow. I don't feel like messing with the camera tonight.) Tomorrow, I have some things I have to do for the upcoming Halloween party on Saturday, but it's not like that won't be relaxing. I've really been enjoying my time off. I may even have to take a nap. Woo! I wish things had worked out that I could take this whole week off, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. At least Thanksgiving is near.

Speaking of the Halloween party, I was told by a friend in the SCA that she actually overheard people at the SCA site talking about the party. I was worried about people showing up. Looks like it might be more than I expected. I just hope everyone has a good time. I've been wanting to throw a Halloween party for years, and now that I actually get to do it, it would suck if it was a bomb. Fingers crossed!

Well, I think I'm off to bed. I get to sleep in even! Double Woo!

...where you wonder why you bothered to ooze out of bed?

Yeah, of course you have.

I had one of those.

It's just been...interesting here lately.

But, today...well, let's put it this way, if I had known it would have been like this, I would have just flushed my head down the toilet and gotten it over with.

Between the stupidity, excuse me, the Stupidity of work, the Stupidity of Co-workers (yes, it is a separate gripe), the fact my cat has eaten his weight in gaudy yellow ribbon and has spent the day puking his guts up and can't seem to hold even water in his stomach but yet he didn't let me know this until the vet was pretty much closed and they can't do anything for him until tomorrow, my miscalculating my finances, the event we have to get ready for, and my lost hopes to finally, Finally, have a Halloween party...yeah, it wasn't worth getting out of bed.

Oh, screw it. I Will have my Halloween party, and by the gods, it will be friggin' great!

I hoped to post some pics of my Halloween decorations tonight, but I needed some time to wind down after this day. Blech.

Tomorrow, I will post something less whiney. We hope.

At this moment, I enjoy the Spike TV (a total macho channel) Scream Awards. Any award show that has an award for the Most Memorable Mutilation is definitely not your Aunt Mimi's award show. Gotta love it. Besides, The Devil's Rejects, one of the few movies to actually creep me out which happen to be written by one of my favorite musicians, got Best Horror Film. Definitely gotta love it.

Yes, folks, I'm sick and twisted, but I also do yarn and paper mache. So, I ain't all bad.

I have made some progress on the masks. I have had the future owner of one mask look at it and give her approval of the current progress.

I hope to have her mask done before Halloween.

But, that isn't my worry.

I worry about the shawl I have to crochet.

My sister-in-law wants a shawl for her birthday. A very specific shawl. It will probably be made of that lovely cotten fleece I did the baby blanket out of.

I worry that touching tha tlovely stuff will cause me to cycle and the masks will languish in their unfinished stages for months...perhaps years.

I worry that the people at the yarn shop have forgotten who I am.

I worry that sleep will not be an option this month.

Pray for me.