Batman’s Original Utility Belt Was Made Out of Sponges

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Who didn’t want to own a Batman utility belt as a kid? In the 1960s, the Ideal Toy Company manufactured one for purchase, complete with Bat-Cuffs and “Bat-A-Rang.” It was fun but looked nothing like its TV counterpart. The bright yellow, pouch covered belt hanging around Adam West’s waist was an iconic part of his Batman outfit.

Let’s peek into the Batcave closet and take a closer look at the secrets of the belt. There were several versions and add-ons during the production of Batman.

Believe it or not, one of the utility belts was made of kitchen sponges. When the show was first broadcast, such source material would never have been noticed. However, with our HD broadcasts, the detail is right there on screen. You can see the dishwashing-ready accessory up top.

Thankfully, the absorbent “pouches” were later replaced with wood blocks, sometimes covered in leather, which were then painted with yellow latex gloss paint.

The pouches were, in some cases, interchangeable to add the deep triangular pouch used to holster the Batarang on the belt. As for the tubes that are seen on the belt, those were simply wooden dowels painted and added to break up the belt a bit from the rectangular pouches.

With a little time and effort, you might be able to make yourself. So get ready, chums. Be it for cosplay, Halloween or for fun, you can make “those wonderful toys” for yourself.

Mini R2D2 Pattern

Mia posted her mini R2-D2 pattern back in 2002, on her crochet site. This Mini R2-D2 measures about 17cm. The idea to make R2-D2 came to Mia from a birthday gift for a friend, who really likes Star Wars.

This time, Mia decided to innovate and used some LEDs on R2-D2, so, it works as a small lamp. But the pattern can be worked without the electronic parts. You can replace the LEDs for some buttons.

The difficult part of this pattern it isn’t the crochet, but the collage, because there are to many details to cut and glue! Mia recommends to pay attention on the photos and to search on the web for R2-D2 photos, so, you can have a good idea of what you will need to do.

Crochet BMO Scarf

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Rose Henderson actually wrote this crochet pattern in 2014, but since the southeast part of the United States is finally starting to get chilly, I thought it was time to share this.

Rose said her 9 year old asked if she could make him a scarf that no–one else had at school. They compiled a list of his favorite TV programs, had a look around to see what was available in local stores and whittled the list down to BMO from Adventure Time. Thoughtfully, Rose posted her entire tutorial on this scarf on her blog, and even included a PDF of the pieces of BMO’s face, to trace onto felt.

Amazingly enough, this was Rose’s first crochet tutorial and it’s very clear and concise.

Make Your Own Octopi Amigurumi Army!

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You don’t have to make an army of them, but why wouldn’t you? Check out this free crochet pattern, designed by Adorably Kawaii on Craftsy. It’s a beginner level pattern with pictures, and did I mention it’s free? I imagine it would be a great scrap buster too, and it would be easy enough to replace the safety eyes with buttons if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

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You Need An Origami Sorting Hat Game

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Who doesn’t need an Origami Sorting Hat? Lucky for us all that Adelle Belnap from the blog Packed With Fun has created this adorable (and FREE!) printable Origami Sorting Hat game.  Her post includes a link to download your own Sorting Hat along with plenty of pictures and instructions.  Looks to me like this would be a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends (or the kids, or by yourself).  Enjoy!

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Make Your Own Tiny Great White Shark

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I’m a huge Sharknado fan, and with the fourth movie installment approaching, I thought I’d scrounge the internet for fun shark-themed DIYs to share.  I found this adorable, cute Tiny Great White Shark amigirumi pattern on Ravelry. The pattern is designed by Kelly DeSandro, and you can download it for free! The instructions are very detailed and come with some great pictures too.  Can you imagine a whole swirling sharknado of these little guys? Yes, please!

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