Krampus Challenge – Day 30, Crochet Krampus in progress

 

Crochet Krampus in progress!

It’s NOT a bunny!

 
I’m still cleaning up the cross-stitch pattern, but I decided to switch gears for today, so at the very end of the month I started an entirely new project – a crochet Krampus amigurumi.

I realize that right now he looks like the disembodied head of a zombie bunny, but I think once I add the horns, beard, and body, he’ll look more goat-like. Regardless of how he looks, my 2-year-old nephew has already made it clear he wants this little guy. It will be up to his mother if he gets it.

Krampus Challenge – Day 29, The Last of the Shrunken Elf Heads

Four Shrunken Elf Heads

I think this may be my Christmas card next year!

What do you think? The elf on the far right has ears. I think ears make it look more elfie, but I also think I might want to sew them on a bit differently. I don't know though.

Here's a closer look at Elf #4.

Elf #4

Look at dem ears!

I think I'm done making elves for the rest of this season. I've got one more project in mind, aside from the cross-stitch pattern, which may or may not be done in the next two days. I'll have to see how New Year's Eve goes.

 

Krampus Challenge – Day 22, Krampus Raven #2 is finished!

 

Two Krampus Ravens

These ain’t two turtle doves!

 
Yay! I finally got the second Krampus Raven finished this evening. You can see that the colors match pretty closely. I didn’t have a dark grey for the smaller bird, but the dark maroon and black match perfectly, and I even had a smaller pair of the same kind of safety eyes! The only other difference, aside from the light grey/silver yarn, is the shape of the belly. I think I accidentally added a couple rows to the belly of the smaller raven, because it didn’t sew up the same as the  larger one, but other than that, they’re a perfect match!

I’m going to put the small one on my Krampus Tree, and the larger one on the Christmas Tree! And then, I’m going to move on to the next project! Taa!

Krampus Challenge – Day 20, Three Elf Heads Are Better Than One!

 

Shrunken Elf Heads!

Ta-daa! A trio of shrunken elf heads!

 
I managed to get these three finished today. I’m very pleased with how they turned out. They’re a very simple project, but even simple projects take a bit of planning and thought.  I experimented a bit with each elf hat to determine exactly how I wanted to make it. Small things – like crocheting in the front loop only on the bottom row – make it easier to assemble the final product.

I also noticed a few things about the yarn I used for these. For the most part, I went with Red Heart. Red Heart has plenty of shades of green and red, and some of the greens are perfect for making zombies. However, some of these yarns were more difficult to work with than others. Some of the reds had a stiffer feel to them, making them harder to stitch. One of the heads I made with Vanna’s Choice, which is one of my favorite yarns to make toys and amigurumi with. The difference between your basic Red Heart and Vanna’s Choice is very noticeable. Vanna’s Choice is much softer and easier to use. But it’s also more expensive, so there’s that to take into account.

I also did a little sketch today of my little shrunken elf heads.

 

Elf Heads Sketch!

This is exactly what our tree looks like right now.

 
I drew this in a book called “Never Quit Drawing,” by Laura Simms, illustrated by Kerby Rosanes. The little duck and snail critters at the lower left of this sketch are Rosanes’ work, as is the pencil at the top of the page. The rest of the artwork is all mine. The idea behind “Never Quit Drawing” is to establish a daily drawing habit. The book guides you through the process of developing habits in general, and looking at how drawing habits affect an artists work in particular. After each chapter, there are pages for the reader to draw on, with a spot to write down the time of day the drawing was done, and the mood/energy level of the artist. Obviously, i wasn’t feeling my best this morning (see the note on “tired, joint pain’). But i did get my drawing done for today.

TTomorrow, I hope to finish off the second Krampus Raven and maybe get started on a Ginger-Dead Man ornament. We’ll see how it goes.

Krampus Challenge – Day 19, Slow Day

 

Shrunken Elf Head Ornament Parts

Things are getting done stitch by stitch here.

 
Today was a slow day. I only got 2/3 of a hat done this evening because I slept very late this morning, then spent the rest of the day watching the new Star Wars movie and going out to dinner. I was a total SLUG. Maybe i’ll make a slug ornament to commemorate this lazy day.

Actually, a slug pillow for my bed would be kind of cool. I may have to look into that.

Hubster, the kids and I enjoyed the new Star Wars movie. I will NOT post any spoilers here. Instead, I’ll just say it’s nice to see my kids so excited about something that I first enjoyed almost 40 years ago.

Also, a bit of random trivia about me and Hubster – today is the 25th anniversary of our first date. Twenty-five years ago today, Hubster took me out to see the ONLY movie that was playing in our small college town at that time – “Home Alone.” “Star Wars – The Force Awakens” is a much, MUCH better movie. Although I would watch a reboot of “Home Alone” if they got BB-8 to play Macaulay Culkin.

Krampus Challenge – Day 17, Krampus Kitty in a Hat!

 

Krampus Kitten!

“I will have my revenge for this, human.”

 
I’m almost finished with another shrunken elf head. I had hoped to be further along, but today turned out to be a busy day. Among other thing, I had 7 loads of laundry to get folded. I have decided that laundry is probably the ultimate Krampus present. It’s that gift that never stops giving, unfortunately.

I plan to finish off this elf head and the second Krampus raven tomorrow. Aftert that, we’ll see what I get done next!

Krampus Challenge – Day 16, Krampus Ornaments in Progress

 

Krampus Ornaments in Progress!

My Krampus projects are all in pieces right now.

 
These are two very different ornaments in progress right now – a shrunken elf head and a Krampus raven. I thought I had picked a dark red for the elf hat, but then I put it next to the raven’s wings and saw that it wasn’t really all that dark after all.

Hopefully, I’ll get one of these finished tomorrow. I’m also working on a Christmas gift for a family member. That needs to be done this week too. Oh, and did I mention I now have to bathe our cats on a regular basis? They have fleas, and I’m going to be cleaning them up for a while. Cats really are the creatures of Krampus, especially when they’re being bathed.

Krampus Challenge – Day 09, I’ll show you some progress!

Finally, a Krampus Kat approves of my progress on the Krampus Kowl.

 

Krampus Kat approves!

“Yes, human. I will accept this paltry offering as a blanket.

 
Well, maybe that look on Marmie’s face isn’t exactly approval, but it ain’t rejection either! I spent most of today bouncing between crochet and doing laundry, the result being I am now 2/3 the way through both tasks. I have a couple more loads of laundry to do, and another 24 rows to crochet on the cowl. I want this damned thing done! I like it, and I love how it’s turning out, but I do have other things I want to make this month! Like another Krampus Raven! And this really cook idea I have for an ornament to give away to all those deserving of the Krampus spirit! You know who you are! And yer gettin’whatcha deserve!

We’ll see if I can get this cowl finished by tomorrow, or maybe by the end of the day Friday. I have Girl Scouts coming over this weekend to spend a day cooking, so I know I won’t have a lot of time to craft then, but we’ll see what I can make happen. Until tomorrow then, good night!

Krampus Challenge – Day 08, Krampus Kat judges me

 

Krampus Kat makes me cry!

“Get this thing off me! I refuse to pose with your half-assed attempts at crochet!”

 
It’s official. Kats are THE animal of Krampus time. Hiccup said some very not-so-nice things to me when I tried to get him to pose with my Krampus Kowl, even though I did make a lot of progress on it today. Apparently he is dsappointed that I did not get anything else done today. Like feed him lots of treats. Now he’s threatening to leave something very unpleasant in my stocking this Christmas. Very, very unpleasant…