Geek Crafts

“I have no plans to love you,” said Coraline. “No matter what. You can’t make me love you.”
— Neil Gaiman (Coraline)

That may be what Coraline said to “the other mother”, but you won’t be able to say it to this adorable amigurimi by Ravelry poster, Sharon Rose, aka Homemade Obsessions.

I love her little yellow boots, her key necklace, and the drapey blue hair, and of course the button eyes are perfect. (Even though, I have to admit, they creep me out a little bit.)

The blog post includes the pattern, and stepped-out photos for attaching the pieces and hair.

Also be sure to check out Sharon’s patterns for Wybie and the Ghost Girl.

In case you haven’t heard about Coraline, it’s a fantasy/horror novella by British author Neil Gaiman, published in 2002. There was a graphic novel adaptation, published in 2008, and illustrated by P. Craig Russell. The stop-motion animated film was directed by Henry Selick, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2009. [Historical facts per Wikipedia]

Now, unrelated to Coraline, but related to Neil Gaiman…have you seen the footage of the Minnesota Public Radio interview with Neil Gaiman, where they call Mythbuster’s Adam Savage and he does a short singing stint in the voice of Gollum?  According to theonering.net, it “contains so many different brands of geekery it might shut down the internet.” You simply must see.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Crochet Coraline Doll Pattern at Homemade Obsessions blog
• Crochet Wybie Doll Pattern
• Crochet Ghost Girl Doll Pattern
• Movie website
• Coraline on IMDB
• Wits with Neil Gaiman, Adam Savage, and Gollum: “I Will Survive“
• More amigurumi crafts on GeekCrafts
• Other book posts on GeekCrafts

Continue Reading

If the San Diego Comic-Con is the arena rock star of the convention world, then San Francisco’s WonderCon is the concert-hall favorite. It’s not nearly as big, but much more manageable, and (in my humble opinion) just as much fun.

I attended two days of this year’s Con, where I met numerous writers, artists, and geek icons. My favorite folks to talk to, though, were the hard-working crafters tabling throughout the Con.

Some had made items to promote books and webcomics, others were devoted to selling thier handmade crafts. No matter the reason, though, they were always happy to stop and share a little about their creations.

  [...]

Continue Reading

Craftster MonstersUnderYourBed hand-sewed this tiny – 5 inches tall – Coraline doll and made an even tinier Mr. Squiddy to go with her. Browse through her posts for an extremely detailed Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter.

• Tiny Coraline and Mr. Squiddy
• Luna Lovegood

Continue Reading

May the Fourth be with you! Over at flickr, Angry Angel posted the coolest Chewbacca amigurumi! It looks felted, doesn’t it? I can’t believe that it’s just brushed yarn. Angry Angel made the pattern for her etsy shop, but Chewy isn’t the only Star Wars amigurumi pattern available: she actually has twelve of the characters!

• Chewbacca Amigurumi on Flickr
• Angry Angel’s Flickr Profile
• Crochet Creatures and Amigurumi Patterns on Etsy
• Chewbacca Pattern
• Don’t forget to check out World of Geekcrafts contest!

Continue Reading

A plethora of crafts and products have been inspired by the upcoming royal wedding of Will and Kate, but none so epic as Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, a book containing knitting patterns for not just Prince William and Kate Middleton, but members of the royal family as well.  The book even comes with a fold out of Westminster Abbey for you to stage your own wooly royal wedding.

This book is so amusingly epic I might just have to pick up a copy.

• Knit Your Own Royal Wedding

Continue Reading

Is it spring yet?  Here in the Great White North it certainly is not, but I’m sure it will be soon (that’s what I have to keep telling myself).  In the meantime, I’m stuck with what I can only assume is gnome fever.  I’ve been looking at all sorts of gnomes on DeviantArt, remembering the days of green grass and fresh warm air, but I was stopped in my tracks when I caught sight of Deviant user Jevist’s Gnome Family Portrait.  I love so much about these little plushie guys, from their goofy eyes and poofy beards to their detailed belts, but what I love the most is how Gnombie fills my mind with terribly wonderful ideas of a world full of tiny undead gnomes, complete with their colorful pointy hats.  Don’t stop at just the family portrait though, continue on to read about Gnibble, and don’t miss Voracio, the gnome eating Alien! 

• Jevist on DeviantArt
• Gnome Family Portrait
• The Gnombie
• Gnibble
• Voracio

Continue Reading