It's Not That I Haven't Been Making Stuff..,

...I just haven't been posting it. So, here it is, in a nutshell, I have really been more into gardening (at times it is more like farming) than blogging. I could make promises to update more often for the two or three complete strangers who read this blog, but I will, inevitably, slack off and disappoint. So, I will just post.

I was going through some pictures (we have WAY too many pictures on our computer... curse digital), and found some stuff I had not shared. I just love these little dudes, and every winter, I bust out my knitting needles and make a few. Usually as gifts, and sometimes just 'cause.

Han and Chewy were a gift for my brother in law. I think I nailed Han (even did the pin striping on his pant leg), but Chewy has a bit of a girth issue in the neck. They still look cool. I will have to make another set.

My son was into "Charlie and Brown" as he calls it. I decided to give it a go, and I was very pleased with the results. Not sure where those two ended up, but that beagle and his boy friend are nice. Snoop is only about as tall as the first knuckle of my thumb. Granted, I have good sized thumbs, but he is still tiny.

When I look back at these little dudes, I sometimes can't believe I made this stuff.

Portrait

"Daddy"

by Mason

Crayon on newsprint

2009

"He has one big eye and one little eye!"

More Dudes...Yeah, Baby!

After breaking down the Superman set (see previous post), I set out to get the proper scene for the "dudes" I just completed. I was impressed with the "dudes" made by Kimberly Chapman and was ready to create a challenge for myself: Austin Powers!

I originally began making these little dudes for my "little dude," but after the many hours of creating, I think I might have to keep these for myself.

I foud the hair to be the most challenging piece for these groovy dudes. It was a really tight knit and difficult to get the embroidery needle through the head (I had to use pliers for Austin to pull through the dense layers).


For Miss Kensington, I stitched in the hair and used some hairspray to shape and hold her doo.


Austin's glasses were also an issue. I completed them last night at 1:30am only to realize that one side of his frames was WAY bigger than the other. I had to tear it all out (not an easy task) and start again (I finally got to bed at 2:45).

I purposefully left off mouths on my dudes. I like to be able to imagine their expressions and moods.


I did place the scar on Dr. Evil's right eye. It is understated, but you can spot it if you are looking ("But don't look too close or I will put you in the tank with the ill tempered sea bass...Mooooohaaaha Ha!").

To give you an idea of their size, here is the gang next to a spare "D" cell from Mason's swing (don't worry, Mason. I'll give it back!).

Over all, I think they turned out smashing, baby!


These are all the dudes so far (I did make a wee ninja, but I can never find him...too stealthy!). I am plannning on making more. If there is a challenge you would like to submit, please do! I am always looking for more ways to further my obsession.

Roll the Montage!


"Come on, Vanessa! Back to my groovy jumbo jet!"


"Austin, you ARE and Man of Mystery!"


"I'll get you, Austin Powers, if it's the last thing I do! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha! Mooooohaaaha Ha!..."

Superman Returns

So, I have been WAY into knitting lately. It is a hobby gone obsessive. But it is not scarves or hats or cute, furrry mittens that gets me excited. Lately, I have been into knitting Little Dudes!

I spent today setting up a photo shoot for some of my recent dudes. Jen was amused by my dedication to my art and snapped a few of me intensly getting the shot just so.


Superman was my first "dude." I made him for my 4 month old son, Mason after running across the pattern online (Kimberly Chapman has a great site with many free knitting project patterns including some of her own "dudes"). He really digs this dude and loves to slobber on his head.


And now...The Montage!


"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!
It's Super-Little-Dude!"


"Daah, da, da, dun, daah... Daah, dun, daah.."


"Daah, da, da, dun, daah...Deeump, ta, daah!"

Another Chalking

Ok, one more chalk set, and then I promise to give it a rest for awhile. The reason I have so many of these is I use them in my lessons at school. Many of these paintings are temporary (done on flimsy black butcher paper with cheap chalks) and used in teaching the lesson, up in the room for awhile, then off to the recycling bin. It's nice to have a place to keep them alive and share them with others.


Here is the heart. It was actually done in layers over several days. Each day, I would build on top of the existing work. Here's the breakdown:
Day 1: I taught about arteries, veins and capilaries as well as the travel to and from the heart. At this point, the heart was nothing but a blob of reddish hue.
Day 2: We began the discussion of how blood enters the heart (Inferior and Superior Vena Cava), exits to the lungs (pulmonary arteries, re-enters the heart from the lungs (pulmonary veins) and finally gets pumped back out to the body (Aorta).
Day 3: The atriums and ventricles and valves along with a recap.

Here's another chalking I did. Can you guess what I was going for?


If you said, "zits," I guess I should go back to the drawing board (literally), or you should go back to 5th grade. If you said, "aveoli," you are correct and I did my job well because I made this stuff.

There's a Moon Out Tonight

Just a quick bit of chalkwork from my unit on astronomy. This was the first chalk painting I did this year for my class. They provided the usual response of "Man, how'd you do that?!" to which I gave my usual wise crack of "With chalk." And I wonder why I get so much lip from the kids. I guess I made that monster, and I made this stuff.

This Man Knits

I have suffered many snide looks when I mention that I have "a thing" for knitting. These looks usually come from those of my same gender. I guess most men out there in the world when they think of knitting, think of the furry scarves and grandma's crochet throw. So, this one is for all those men out there that think of knitting as a woman's sport.


If you want to give it a go, you may find the free pattern HERE, but I made this stuff.