owifig

[owifig]

To answer some questions: 1) I am bad at social media - even this anarchic wonderland. 2) I DO have an etsy shop! It's here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NeapTideKnits 3) Monsters 1, 2, 5, & 7 are fairly faithful to patterns in "The Big Book of Knitted Monsters" by Rebecca Danger. It's a cute book, but I've had it for years and only recently really delved into it. I sort of wish the author had spent less time naming each monster and characterizing them, and instead organized it more like Muppet Whatnots: here's a bunch of monster parts, here's how to make them in a couple sizes, here's how you fit them together - have fun! 4) The gargoyle (4) is mostly this pattern here: https://www.devonmonk.com/2011/03/stone-the-gargoyle-knitting-pattern/ (though with a few minor changes for personal preference.) 5) Nessie (6) is heavily modified from but owes some credit to the Plesiosaur pattern in "Knitted Dinosaurs" by Tina Barrett. (I LOVE this book btw) It was a commission done years ago and I've never revisited my notes to try making another. 6) The owlbear (3) is my own design! I have several available in my shop right now!

And now: Knitted Monsters Sitting in Windows and Possibly Really Going Through Something

#knitting #thanks for the love

[owifig]

And now: Knitted Monsters Sitting in Windows and Possibly Really Going Through Something

#knitting #monsters #i made these #handmade #fiber art #kids toys #stuffies #that last one is trying to sell depression medication

[owifig]

I have made An Fanart?

Look, I have a weird junk-drawer fascination with maritime flag code - it's probably just an extension of a love of language. And yes, I know any form of flag code would have come 20-100 years post- the golden age of piracy. fwiw, I looked at Popham's code as being a historical predecessor to modern flag code but GOOB LORB is it inefficient if you don't want to convey one of the pre-set words or phrases - and would you believe the massive word list in question doesn't even include "gay" or "crime"??? However I did consider a couple different popham number phrases, my favorites being: "2485: I have succeeded but with the loss of men" and "2874: set fire to the town." If I were the kind of person who had a boat, I would absolutely buy/make archaic maritime flags 2, 8, 7, and 4 JUST so I could fly this overly dramatic message which would be unreadable to anyone except some irrepressible nerd who... -I've said too much.

[owifig]

I have made An Fanart?

Look, I have a weird junk-drawer fascination with maritime flag code - it's probably just an extension of a love of language. And yes, I know any form of flag code would have come 20-100 years post- the golden age of piracy. fwiw, I looked at Popham's code as being a historical predecessor to modern flag code but GOOB LORB is it inefficient if you don't want to convey one of the pre-set words or phrases - and would you believe the massive word list in question doesn't even include "gay" or "crime"??? However I did consider a couple different popham number phrases, my favorites being: "2485: I have succeeded but with the loss of men" and "2874: set fire to the town." If I were the kind of person who had a boat, I would absolutely buy/make archaic maritime flags 2, 8, 7, and 4 JUST so I could fly this overly dramatic message which would be unreadable to anyone except some irrepressible nerd who... -I've said too much.

#cross stitch #look what i made #ofmd #our flag means death #our flag means be gay do crimes #nerd shit #handmade #fiber art

[owifig]

I inherited my mom’s box of cross stitch supplies. One of the random things inside was this abandoned kit. I thought it was hers at first, but looking at the mistakes in the little bit of work that was done, and the utter mess of the back side, I think it might’ve actually been something she gave to me or one of my siblings to learn on when we were kids.

I wanted to finish it without taking out any of the original work, but I was also finding the original pattern a little insipid and dated. I re-drafted it in Stitch Fiddle, made some edits, worked around the errors. And - ta-da!

(And here's the basic chart in case anyone else needs to make some inspirational embroidery.)

#cross stitch #look what i made #handmade #fiber art #not today satan #teddy bear #a knife

[owifig]

Earlier this year I took a detour from knitting creatures to play in the land of cross stitch. Found some awesome patterns on etsy. These are, respectively, Leshy by WitchyStitcher and Kraken Moon and Boat by LolaCrowCrossStitch, each embellished by me with some glow in the dark thread I had on hand. (and which is a bitch to work with, incidentally - it’s slick and stiff and if it didn’t look so cool, I’d never bother.)

I love both of these patterns, but especially the way the shading is done on Leshy’s body using a few different greens and browns. Gorgeous design.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/989243518/leshy-cross-stitch-pattern-witch-gothic

https://www.etsy.com/listing/953201523/cross-stitch-pattern-kraken-moon-and

#not knitting #cross stitch #spoopy #spooky #kraken #leshy #slavic mythology #look what i made #glow in the dark

[owifig]

Every time I say “that’s it! no more octopus! no more squid! it’s TOO DAMN MANY ARMS.” and every time they just sucker me back in...

A local yarn shop put out an open call for stuffie designs and patterns based on their logo of an octopus knitting a scarf. They said my design was cute, but in the end they rejected it. IDK - I guess someone else must’ve come up with something cuter. Ah well. I’m still pretty happy with the way he turned out.

#octopus #knitting #tiny hat #look what i made

[owifig]

Here’s the thing - If you look at a heron, you’ll think “My, what a majestic creature!” If you study a heron, you’ll think “Such a wonderous and unique shape nature has created.” If you spend six weeks trying to make a heron from scratch - which btw NO ONE asked you to do - then it’s all just “WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS YOU TROMBONE-NECKED DINOSAUR???”

Anyway. I made a birb.

#Knit #knitting #look what i made #heron #birb #stuffed animals #bird #trombone-necked dinosaur #If I cannot possibly sell it for how much I ought to charge to make it worth the effort I put into it then is it art?

[owifig]

Pointy horses.

#stuffed animals #stuffies #knitting #Knit #look what i made #unicorn #pointy horse #poin-ty horse doo doo doo doo doo doo

[owifig]

I got this inexpensive witch hat online and decorated it with some crochet vines and flowers, and a fingerloop braid band. Now I think I’m going to wear it everywhere forever.

If you see me wearing this, smiling secretively and cackling to myself, fingers twitching as I delicately select apples one by one at the grocery store - know that I am living my best life.

#hat #look what i made #witch #crochet #roses #arts and crafts #halloween #lol no I'm not going to stop wearing this after the 31st

[owifig]

I guess I’ve been on some kind of sea creature kick while stress-knitting my way through furlough/quarantine.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NeapTideKnits

#Knit #kids toys #stuffies #handmade #sea creatures #seal #mola #squid #sunfish

[owifig]

BEHOLD... her.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/815027018/beholder-dice-guardian?ref=listings_manager_grid

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #beholder #knitting #handmade #kids toys #Squirrel Girl #critter

[owifig]

A month or two ago a friend sent me a message that was essentially just: “knit owlbear?” Then this just sort of happened.

Stats: The horrible monster of legend! Feared predator of the wild! Beak: +7 to hit. 1d10+5 nuzzling Claws: +7 to hit. 2d8+5 soft-pets "grrrrhooooo..." <snuggle>

https://www.etsy.com/listing/740167930/owlbear-stuffie?ref=shop_home_feat_3 

#dnd #owlbear #dungeons and dragons #critter #knitting #Knit #handmade #kids toys #stuffed animals

[owifig]

bloop.

#knit #knitting #kids toys #stuffies #octopus #look what i made

[owifig]

Sooo... I made a thing

A couple things actually. And I sent them to Critical Role. I’d been tossing around the idea of knitting some CR fanart for a while, but I wanted to make something unique and interesting. Several months back while practicing color work I was listening to Dani on Talks recounting how she sometimes watches tense episodes from the lobby in a near-panic. So I came up with a CR emotional support pillow for hugging and screaming into in desperate times.

Then, as I was working on it, Chris Perkins made his epic Spurt cameo and - well, stuffies have become my main craft - I got attached to the idea of a stuffing-less stuffie Spurt. A flat Spurt. A dead Spurt. I worked on he and the pillow slowly over time. Then when he was done I added a scorpion-tipped staff. And since I always have some bees around I threw a bee in the box as well. Because bees. The fact that @brianwfoster​ put a pic of Spurt on twitter and brought it out during the show makes me so happy, because hopefully that means I gave some of these sweet wonderful people back at least a tiny bit of the delight they’ve given me over the years of watching. I <3 these nerds so hard. 

#critical role #critters #critical role fanart #knitting #d&d #talks machina

[owifig]

Finally Updating My Shop

I spent the entire day making some long-planned updates and additions to my Etsy shop. Finally added the giraffe who’s been following along on the last few First Friday Artwalks. Also got some new pics of a few old items I was never entirely happy with.

(I’m not saying I’m finally getting off my ass and doing this stuff because I want to make some money to donate to the Critical Role kickstarter. But I’m not NOT saying that either...)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NeapTideKnits

#yarn #knitting #etsy #critters

[owifig]

Nudity and sex are most keenly evocative of life, freedom and pleasure. Violence is tied to death, fear and anger. It’s no wonder those with the authority to do so will always seek to control and criminalize the pleasing and/or artistic human form well before they’ll reign in the tools of oppression. What’s even worse is when they fail to grasp the difference.

Hi @staff

You know who is really into your new policy? You know who is showing up in my notes to defend you? Nazis. Shitty little white boy Nazis who are thrilled that you’re running off and alienating enormous swaths of your users. 

So you’re really doing a great job, and you can feel really proud of your employer’s decisions. If you’re lucky, you’re going to make Tumblr as awesome for Nazis and their supporters as Twitter! GREAT WORK, TEAM!