Thursday Art Walk

In Which I Drew A Little Guy

 

Sometimes, I sit down to do my art and I draw for hours and am unsatisfied entirely. I look at what I've wrought and grimace. I tear the page away or ctrl+a, delete. I try again.

And sometimes I plop myself down with a cup of coffee, scroll down my Twitter feed on my laptop, and inspiration smacks me like Hacksaw Jim Duggan with a 2x4.

Today was the latter.

I was sipping my morning brew, doomscrolling like a proper Millennial, and then I saw a post from @PossumEveryHour on Twitter. This post, specifically.

I don't know if you've known this about me, but I am a sucker for everything this picture is:

• small
• cute
• possum
• just a little guy

Love me some possums.

Would I probably be a bit freaked out if I saw one waddling towards me on its adorable-but-weird ratty hands & feet? Yep. Would I pet it? Absolutely not, if it was wild. But I would absolutely be obsessed with it. I'd back away and keep my distance while babbling quietly about how he's just a little man wandering around, and isn't it so wonderful? Isn't it such a cool little guy? Go have a good time lil dude!

So yes, I'm a bit mad for North American possums.

And I've seen the Australian ones. They're precious.

But North American Possums are very relatable. Obscenely short life spans, looks like it's gonna cut you but is actually scared witless of you, cooler-blooded than most mammals, beneficial without being noisy about it, eats whatever it bumps into that doesn't run away...

It me.

So of course I had to draw my own Little Guy:

"Awesome Possum" digital art; 2022

Yes, that's a lil possum. Yes, I'm still trying to figure out how to use Krita.

It's just a little guy, peeps. Look at that little guy!

I love him.

Anywho, that's gonna do it for me because the Christmas Crunch continues today. I have 3.25 items to make and 2 to finish.

I hope to draw some more, too, though maybe not today. It might take me a few days before I'm ready to start more art.

If you'd like a say in next week's category of art, feel free to shoot me a Ko-Fi with the category you'd like (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Dedbert, Location, Geometric, Word) and I'll fill that prompt!

For now, though, Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Am Working Hard!

Sweet Caroline (bum bum bum)!

I am a wee bit pooped. Why? Because the Christmas Crunch continues and I'm trying my best to figure out how to make one of my gifts lol. I'm also making up a second, and I have a few more left to make/finish. I am pretty pleased with my progress, but I'll be happy to give the frequent crochet a break soon lol.

As for the rest of this week, my plan is to start doing more art tomorrow (maybe after taking a quick hop down to the shops to see about a silvervine twig or some nip for my cat...).

I'll also be working on art for Thursday, but who knows what will come out.

Actually, I might be trying something for 2023. We'll see if I manage it. I miss making videos, but I don't often cook, so I was thinking I could maybe sum up my creative endeavors over a week over on YouTube? Like a slideshow of my art, anything I might find on walks, any food I make, crochet I've made, etc? Would there be any interest on that? I would have to teach myself how to add voiceover, and learn more editing skills, but it might be fun.

Aside from that, I don't have much to talk about besides that I'm very tired, I constantly crave beef jerky, and keep making weird grumbly sounds.

Think I'm turning into a bear.

Hibernating sounds very nice.

I do have other plans and ideas, too:

• I'd like to beat Winter 1 on Stardew in my latest farm
• I'd like to find a book to read
• I'd like to earn another Amazon Card or 6 through Mistplay or whatever so I can preorder Tears of the Kingdom (which, if y'all are very patient, I might even try to review, because this did used to be a gaming blog...)
• I'd like to bake more bread
• I'd like to get back to polishing rocks, because that was fun
• I'd like to drop a few pounds so it's easier to ride my bike.
• I'd like to hike a mountain, locally, with my camera
• I'd like to go to the beach more often next year. Maybe take 1 day per week to stroll the shore.
• I'd like to make some Goblin Jewelry (find random stuff and string it like beads - twigs, seeds, acorns, pebbles, shells, etc)
• I'd like to make sushi - proper sushi.

I have a lot of ideas.

I don't have a lot of energy.

Somehow I need to figure out how to match these two things up.

If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment below - I don't see anyone's email addresses or whatever, just a name and a comment!

And if you want a say in this week's art, feel free to shoot me a coffee over on Ko-Fi with an attached message telling me the category you're looking for - Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Geometric, Dedbert, or Word!

For now, I think that'll do it from me today. I am having a bear of a time focusing ;)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

Crunch Time Approacheth

Well, despite my best efforts this year, The Christmas Crunch is coming.

That's what I get for having 3 siblings, 3 niblings, and several family pets, I guess lol.

On the one hand, I have plenty of snowflakes, and if I make more tonight (which is my plan), then I'll have more than enough to give as backup gifts. On the other hand, I've given my family members snowflakes for the last two years, so it'd be nice to change things up.

I've finished at least three non-snowflake projects, one of which is in use already (cat sweater), one is going to its owner tomorrow (a tree), and something that will wait until Christmas to go to its owner (it's a secret to everyone!). I'm working on another couple tonight, and hopefully that will leave me free to dedicate tomorrow to art.

And yes, it's still more than two weeks to Christmas, and yes, that's a lot of time....

Except that it really isn't.

No, it's not enough time that I don't have to worry about running out. I have 7 groups of people to make things for with a total of 24 gifts to make. Of those 24 gifts, half are snowflakes, which I already have done, so that's 50% complete there. Of the remaining 12 gifts, I've finished... 1.

Hoo boy.

That being said, having a 54% completion rate on gifts in the first week of December is unheard of for me, so maybe I should calm down?

That being said, a couple of my projects are... bigger. So I really should be working on them.

And the yarn is allllll the way across my room because of course it is.

Le Sigh.

Anyway, that's going to be my week - coping with the yo-yo weather (it got to 50℉/10℃ again today for some ungodly reason), crocheting till my knuckles ache, practicing my art on the 2-in-1, and posting that art on Thursday. Next Monday, you'll probably see my neatly pressed & starched snowstorm, and next Tuesday, I'll be back on the internet to probably whine and cry about how much work I've given myself instead of going out and buying gifts like every other sane human being lol.

Such is the life of the slightly mad crafter.

I think I'll get back to sewing beads onto surprise crochet projects with some Supplemax Ultra I bought ages ago. Maybe I'll surprise myself and finish something big tonight?

And if you have any interest in pushing me in a particular direction for that art on Thursday, feel free to send me a coffee over on Ko-Fi with a message telling me which category you'd like me to work from (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Dedbert, Location, Geometric, Word).

And don't forget to Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which I Am Not Built for Yo Yo Weather...

This has been the weirdest fall, weather-wise. Yesterday was in the 40s (4,4℃), the day before was in the 60s (15,5℃), and today? I think our high was 38℉/3,33℃. And it's windy! We're talking gusts up to 25mph (40kph)!

Here's the problem.

My skull is a very sensitive barometer and everything that is going on with the weather has been wreaking havoc on my poor lil sinuses.

I have been coughing and sneezing all day.

Needless to say, I did not get a whole lot done today, crochet-wise. I tried to, but uh... I'm not a human being right now.

I'm a very sneezy potato.

Anywho, after about six and a half hours of crocheting and sewing and stuffing, here's the tree from last week!

It's a little under a foot tall!

I think if I was selling these, I'd charge about 30 bucks.

I also started work on a cat sweater!

I don't know if I can finish this...

I'm trying to make my cat a cute little sweater but....

I'm already out of sparkly green yarn.

Should I add that red & green yarn? It's lighter weight, so it could be trouble...

I could also just start over with the green yarn I used on the tree, of which there is a lot left...

I think I'll do that.

Maybe I'll also include some of the white metallic yarn I used for the flocking, too...

Crochet is hard, man.

Right, I think that'll about do it for me - I have sinus meds to take, water to drink, and thick blankets to cuddle down into...

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which The Christmas Craftathon Begins

If you are someone who is making things for people for Christmas, the very latest you can begin and not lose your mind is November 1st.

Take it from someone who waits til December every year - you want to start making your gifts no later than November 1st. Save the last week before Christmas for your Wrap party, where you wrap all the gifts (if you're not wrapping as you go).

So as of seven days ago, I've actually been working on Christmas gifts every day! Will I say what all of them are? No. Some of the people who are getting these gifts have access to this blog.

I will say this, though...

I am making another tree.

I don't remember if I showed the tree I made for my mom, but if I did it's from a couple of years back, and I'm terrible at tracking things down. Regardless, it's The Christmas Forest/DROPS Extra 0-1398.

As before, I'm using neither the correct yarn weight nor the correct hook, but it's still going pretty well! I'm using a Worsted Weight yarn and a 3.75mm hook, whereas the pattern calls for roughly a DK yarn and a 3.5mm hook. I'll be using Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo in Paddy Green with flocking made from Red Heart Super Saver Metallic in White.

I don't know if I'll be weighting the bottom of this (I'll have to ask my mom, since she's the one who asked me to make this), but I found that with the one I made her, it didn't need me to do much. I just didn't overstuff it and it mostly sits straight.

This is up to about halfway around Round 19

The progress I've made was made in about an hour and a half, total. It stitches out fast, is what I'm saying. 18.5 Rounds in 1.5 hours. 10.5 rounds remain in the main body, followed by 7 rounds of bottom and 5 rounds of Flocking...

Which leaves us 22.5 rounds. If we do some math...

Uh.... I'm not that good at math.

So we'll say it'll probably take another 2-3 hours, total (not counting breaks and distractions). That's a really zippy project! Especially for something that will probably be over a foot tall!

I'd give it a try if you've got oodles of yarn you're looking to use up and also want to give a fun gift!

I think that'll about do it for me. I'm gonna work some more on the tree!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC