January 1

Crochet Lego Baby Blanket

As I recently finished up a knitting project – a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf for a friend – I was surfing around looking for my next project. The Internets did not disappoint.

Andrea Baker of All Things Bright & Beautiful recently posted this awesome crochet Lego baby blanket that looks so do-able. I immediately pinned it to my “G33k” Pinterest board.

Lego baby blanket

The bobble stitch is fairly common on afghans, but I love how it mimics a Lego for a subtly geeky look.  Plus, this “set” of Legos would be so much more pleasant to step on in the dark.

Normally I tend to stay away from motif afghan projects because I find stitching all the pieces together to be a tedious chore. But I might be willing to overlook that for this project. In her blog post, Andrea mentions that she plans to write up the pattern she created and share it! I’ll be watching for that one! I wonder if my son might be interested in displaying this on his college dorm bed?

Links of Interest:

Category: Craft, Geek, Toys | 5 Comments on Crochet Lego Baby Blanket
November 27

Lego Craft: The Last March of the Ents

Last March of the Ents - lego project

As the sister of a “Legomaniac” growing up, and now wife and mother to some modular block-building aficionados, I am quick to recognize the imagination and talent required for the more epic Lego projects. I have posted about some I have seen, such as the Sandcrawler made of Legos.

Enter now the Ents. Or the last march, thereof.

OneLug, a “fellowship of builders consisting of Brandon Griffith, Alyse & Remi Gagne, and Bruce Lowell”, has recreated The Last March of the Ents – in Lego form. This is how they describe the project:

“Taken from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, this Lego model displays the epic battle as depicted in the film version of the timeless book. The base of the model is 305 Lego studs(8ft.) in diameter and the tower Orthanc stands 228 Lego Bricks (7ft. 2in.) tall. The battle consist of 23 Ents and 100+ Orcs.”

The Flickr gallery includes 75 photos and two videos, with some crazy-awesome close-ups to show the creators’ imagination and attention to detail. Definitely worth a click-through.

Last March of the Ents lego project - Ent aflame

Last March of the Ents lego project - Treebeard with Merry & Pippin

Links of Interest:

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September 2

Chicago Comic Con 2011 – DIY edition

As you may have read in my previous post, I recently attended the Wizard World Comic Con in Chicago.  While many in attendance were in full-scale cosplay mode (costume-play), some stood out to me because of the crafty–DIY nature of their projects.

I loved this crocheted ode to Dr. Who‘s Tardis. My model very sportingly gave me two views.

And with another homage to the good doctor – a walking Tardis! I’m not sure how much of the con this young lady got to see, as she was stopped frequently for photo opps!

Chicago Comic Con 2011 Dr Who Tardis costume

This Scott Pilgrim-inspired couple didn’t seem to think their costume very photo-worthy, but I thought they were great. I loved their little labels on their shirts and the giant mallet. Made me want to watch the movie again. It also reminded me of this fantastic embroidery project, posted on GeekCrafts earlier this year. (And I have seen a girl with hair like that – that’s mine pretty much every morning when I wake up! Except the purple part…)

Chicago Comic Con 2011 Scott Pilgrim cosplay

I had to marvel at this repurposed use of a set of Star Wars sheets, used to create a smart suit for the Mayor of Star Wars Town.

Chicago Comic Con 2011 Mayor of Star Wars Town Chicago Comic Con 2011 - Mayor of Star Wars Town

Unfortunately I didn’t notice many crafty things for sale at booths, but then, I was cruising through the aisles at warp speed. I was able to nab a few pictures.

Chicago Comic Con 2011 superhero fleece hats Chicago Comic Con 2011 crochet Cthulu Chicago Comic Con 2011 video game legos Chicago-Comic-Con-2011 Dr Who Dalek

Links of Interest:

 

Category: Comics, Craft, Geek, Movies, Sci-Fi, Toys, Video Games | 2 Comments on Chicago Comic Con 2011 – DIY edition
August 11

READER SUBMISSION: Love Brick by Brick

Lego ShipIf you love Legos, than there is only one place on the web you need to be. Or…rather, two places, as Love Brick by Brick is both an awesome blog full of tutorials on Lego jewelry and impossibly cool projects like the one pictured, but also a kickin’ Etsy shop where you can stock up on artfully made Lego jewelry.

And I promise I am not using “artfully made” generically, browsing Julia Morley‘s work was a surreal feeling, joining up the geeky child inside and the woman who loves cool, even beautiful jewelry, and reminding me they are both the same person.

Category: Craft, Geek, Girly, Toys | 1 Comment on READER SUBMISSION: Love Brick by Brick
June 12

Double Geekout – Legos + Star Wars

What do you get when you combine Star Wars and Legos? Well, you could get any number of things – video games, State Fair projects, birthday cakes… but today I’m going to share with you a Sandcrawler made of Legos. At over 10,000 building blocks, I call that an epic project!

Lego Sandcrawler by Marshal BananaThe beauty of it is that it’s fully functional via remote control. The creator, Marshal Banana, shared these facts, in the description in the YouTube video about the project:

Facts:

  • Minifigscale: 96 cm long, 100.5 cm long (lowered main ramp)
  • Weight: approximability 20 kg
  • Part count: over 10’000
  • Powerfunctions: 4 xl motors, 5 m motors, 4 receivers, 4 batterypacks, 22 Lego LED-lights
  • Powered radio-controlled Functions: forward & reverse, steering, main ramp: up and down, crane: up and down, in and out, conveyer band: forward and reverse
  • full interior on three floors in the front half of the model and a detailed cockpit (removable roof)
  • second crane in the back of the workshop
  • lighted smelter

Building and planning time: 9 months

LINKS OF INTEREST:

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April 7

Synthetic Division Out Of Time

Remember a long, long time ago, when we interviewed author Shawn Decker about his book My Pet Virus? Well, the thing about Shawn is he is a geek chic trifecta. In addition to writing an amazing memoir he is also a member of Synthetic Division (how’s that for a geeky band name?), and their latest video, Out of Time, was too good not to share. Yes, those are Lego Men, in a teeny Playmobil hospital. Yes, that is synth pop. Yes their band is named after math. Yes, it is pure, golden fried awesome!

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Music, Toys | 2 Comments on Synthetic Division Out Of Time