aliens are landing at nina!

it's true, the invasion begins this afternoon, just in time for the renegade craft fair this weekend! so since you'll already be in the neighborhood, go ahead and drop by nina's to see what's new (alien hand puppets alien hand puppets alien hand puppets) and squish some yarn!

and now for the back story: (or, why is a thirty-year-old woman so obsessed with alien hand puppets?)

last fall i was making lots of little finger puppets using leftover bits of sock yarn for a group show i did with my friends at beans and bagels. at some point, i was skype-ing with my nephew, who always wants to see what toys i've been making, so i started showing him the finger puppets. he picked out a favorite, and i filed it away for future reference.

fast-forward to late spring, when i needed a quick-knitting something to send to said nephew, who was graduating kindergarten. and thus, the alien hand puppet was born! you know the rest, if you've been reading my blog since then, in which case, you're probably sick to death of hearing about these alien hand puppets.

at any rate, on a total lark, i thought it would be fun to make a kit that includes enough hand-dyed yarn to knit the puppet, plus the safety eyes, felt, and embroidery yarn to give it a face. i only dyed enough yarn to make six kits total, and four will be for sale (for $12) at nina (1655 w. division street, just steps away from the division blue line station), starting this weekend! the other two are being squirrelled away for a rainy day (or my etsy shop).

non-knitters who want me to knit them an alien hand puppet of their own, feel free to comment here or contact me in the method you see fit (but be warned, i don't know morse code or sign language, and can't interpret smoke signals very well).

Comments

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

handmade by stefanie

Search This Blog