We're ready! Now what?

I don't know if I can accurately describe how much courage it took yesterday for me to cut off dangling ends of yarn.  It's ridiculous, but it meant being finally done with my Hobbes project.  I've been done with the individual pieces for months now; but whenever I finished sewing on an ear I immediately looked at it, and unsatisfied, I'd rip out the stitches.  To give you an idea of how long Hobbes has been on my slab in Frankenstien-esque parts, here's a blog post from early August when we began our little journey together.

Calvin would be ashamed of me.  Probably more accurately he'd be hovering near my elbow peering over my shoulder fretting that I wasn't working quick enough.  Then again, Calvin would probably relish his Franken-Hobbes while pretending to be a Mad Scientist.  Alas, I digress.  Hobbes came together while I was visiting California last month, not surprising considering he was the only project with me.

I'm afraid that this horrific neglect will continue, and may even get worse now that the tiger's all put together.  Daniel asked me yesterday what I was going to do with him now that he was done.  Honestly, I don't know.  I no longer have space adventures, go back in time or even play my own version of Calvin ball.  The kind of magic required to spark life into my little FrankenHobbes disappeared before I was 12.  Somewhere out there, Spaceman Spiff is exploring the universe, laughing in the face of peril, and missing a side kick who can be his best friend.  Where are you Calvin?

Thanks again to Sukigirl for providing a pattern to all us Waterson fans.  Thank you for making my first amigurumi project something so memorable (and good to learn on).

Lana's Waves

The original from 2009

This is long overdue.  To give you an idea of how long overdue it is, I made the first incarnation of Lana's Waves in the summer of 2009.  If you're feeling curious, you can see my original blog post here.


So, after all this time, what was the catalyst for writing down the pattern (and adding a small touch or two)?  Well, in short, it's Kate.  I'm not sure if there's a quick way of saying how we're related, but she's my cousin Lori's daughter (Lana's granddaughter).  Barely into her teens, it's still pretty obvious that salt water runs in her veins; not surprising considering how much her family loves the ocean.  Already a seasoned traveler, Kate has been to the Galapagos Islands ( you know that place that "was inspiration for Charles Darwin's Theory on Natural Selection"- from wikitravel).

The new one for Kate

Man, impressing a teen is hard enough; but one a passport stamp like that?  Forget about it!  Or so I thought.  Imagine my surprise, my glee when she emailed saying "I was at her house one day and noticed the quilt/blanket you knitted her. I fell in love with it. My mom told me that you were trying to earn money."  Damn, not only was she impressed, she was impressed enough for a commission!  So, while making this project for Kate, I took the time to write it down so that others can make it if they wish.  Anyway, here's the pattern for Lana's Waves (pdf format, thank you google docs).  Please email me at daniaerickson@gmail.com if you have any questions or find mistakes in the pattern.


* All rights to the design and pattern "Lana's Waves" are protected by copyright.  Dania Erickson 2012.