This is something I've been meaning to do -- and I did it!  I crocheted Cheese-kun (チーズくん) as a gigantic amigurumi!  He is smaller than 'life-size' (as compared to the huggable plush that C.C. has), but he is good huggable size for me!  For those who don't know, Cheese-kun is a mascot for Pizza Hut in Japan, and has been seen numerous times in the anime, Code Geass - as a prize that C.C. has won from eating a lot of pizza.  ^o^  My amigurumi plush Cheese-kun measures approximately 15" tall, and 9" wide.

Screen-caps from the anime:


(This is project #38 of 50 crafty projects in 2007.)

I also am sharing the crochet pattern for free!  It can be downloaded here:
http://www.mmm-fruit.com/patterns/cheesekun.pdf
Please right-click and Save as... to your computer.

For those who make one - I would love to see your finished projects!

Okay! So, I wanted to knit myself a pair of legwarmers. I made Knitty's Postmodern Legwarmers last year, but they were just too chunky for me, and I didn't quite like how they looked on me. (But don't get me wrong, the pattern is great! They just don't suit my legs well.)

I haven't found another pattern, knit or crochet, that I liked. They are all too.. fitted. Or I don't like the style.  Then I saw the most perfect legwarmers on a mannequin in a store the other day. Black with colored stripes, wide, with the perfect amount of slouch to them - but they were for display only.

So, forever legwarmer-less I thought I was.

Until I pulled out some leftover yarn from my stash.  I had some Lion Brand Wool-Ease in various colors leftover from crocheting amigurumi and knitting Knucks over the holidays.  I started these legwarmers a few times (and ripped the out), trying to decide just how wide to make them, and I ended up with....



... this! A single legwarmer - still a WIP, since I have to knit up the one for the other leg now. But I love how it turned out.  I'm probably going to knit another pair that's longer (slightly wider maybe? for more slouch), but since I was just working with leftover yarn, I settled for this shorter length.

I jotted down everything I did as I went along so I can make the other leg identical, so here's the pattern below if you want to make your own.  I have skinny legs, and I don't know if we all knit with the same tension, so you may want to just knit a few rows at a time and try it on your own leg to see how you like it.  You may or may not need to make adjustments:


Slightly Slouchy Leg Warmers
by Sharleen Morco

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease
Needles: 3.5mm DPNs
Gauge: 5 sts = 1”

CO 60 sts.

Work 4 rows k2p2 rib.

Work 20 rows in stockinette stitch.

Switch colors. Work 10 rows in stockinette.

Switch colors. Work 10 rows in stockinette.

Switch colors. Work 10 rows in stockinette.

*k2tog, k 28**, rep from * to ** once more. (58 sts)

Knit 1 row.

*k2tog, k 27**, rep from * to ** once more. (56 sts)

Knit 1 row.

*k2tog, k 12**, rep from * to ** 3 more times (52 sts)

Knit 1 row.

*k2tog, k 11**, rep from * to ** 3 more times (48 sts)

Switch colors. Work 4 rows in k2p2 rib.

I've been working on some of the amigurumi patterns from Ondori book ISBN4277490395.. these are going as gifts for friends and family this holiday season.


Amigurumi no Inu (Amigurumi Dog)
Lion Brand Wool Ease & Size F crochet hook


Amigurumi no Usagi (Amigurumi Rabbit)
The golden one is using Lion Brand Wool Ease, the teal one with Lion Brand wool; both size G crochet hook


Amigurumi no Kuma (Amigurumi Bear)
Both using Lion Brand Wool Ease again and a size G crochet hook

I've been wanting to learn to embroider and picked up Jenny Hart's "Stitch It Kit".. and it is amazingly easy!  I love this kit!

Here's what I finished over the course of two nights: an embroidered cherry on a tea towel (from the kit), and an embroidered bird on a white pillowcase I had in my closet.

http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/sew/2006_0206_pillow01.jpg
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/sew/2006_0206_pillow02.jpg

I spotted this lovely Japanese-print fabric in the discount bin at Beverly's a few months ago and picked up two yards of it for myself. I had been intending to sew them into pillowcases (two) for my bed, but it ended up just sitting in my bin of fabrics.

Now that I've moved into a new apartment, I've noticed the place seemed a little drab, and we've been slowly trying to add more life and color into the place. We were able to get some plants from both of our homes, which has helped to freshen the air. Our sofa needed some soft pillows, too, so my mom brought over the two extra cushions she had from Ikea (they are small and square).

Using the Japanese-print fabric and no pattern, I used about 1/2 a yard to make a pillowcase for one of the pillows. I have another 1/2 yard set away to make a pillowcase for the other one, and the extra 1 yard I'll save for a future project. I ended up making the pillowcase so that the pillow form is fed in through the back, so I don't have to worry about any frilly looking edges when the pillow is being displayed.

I think... that I am going to give up on sewing.  I drew out my own pattern for an overnight bag, and I'm working with some thick fabric.  I guess it's too much for my sewing machine to handle, because the needle broke and shards flew onto the bag, got stuck on the bag, and one bounced off my neck.  I've also poked myself hundreds of times on the pins holding the top & handles and the whole bag together.  I've only sewn the lining and the main body of the bag, but I still have yet to sew the top (with the zipper) to the bag while connecting the lining and main body together, plus the handles.  I'm supposed to do it all at once while just sewing around the top but it's too thick and I'm afraid of my machine now. >_<

If I hand-sew this (and what stitch should I use), do you think it will hold together and be sturdy enough to hold clothes + daily use items (such as toothbrush, etc.) for overnight carrying?

My family and I just got new phones and we upgraded from an ancient Nokia model to this one: Nokia 6102



Here is a view of the top of the phone to show there's no loop.. that area that looks like a potentially good spot to attach a strap is actually just the loudspeaker/speakerphone, and nothing attaches to it. >_<

I'd like to personalize mine and my mom's a bit with some sort of cell phone charm, but I noticed our phones does not have the little loop where you could attach a strap/string onto. >_< All it's got is the antennae.

So, I've been looking at various bead/charm/jewelry sites and searching through all the findings, but I can't find anything like these fitted rubber bands, which is what I will probably need to make my own charms:


https://shop.thehungersite.com/store/item.do?itemId=26345&siteId=220&sourceId=1260044&sourceClass=StoreSearch&index=3

Anyone know where I could buy some, or something similar?

Thanks so much.

In short, I am working on my final project for my photography class and will be presenting it in book form.  More details about the book here.

The book will include fold-out pages, so the actual pages need to be able to tri-fold, like so:



So I'm going to need pages that are:
a) thick and sturdy, since photographs will be mounted onto them.
b) at the VERY LEAST, 6" x 18".
c) clean and white
d) won't cost me $100 lol, as i've already spent so much on photo supplies this semester

Anyone willing to recommend some good sources to buy paper?  Online is preferred so I don't have to make extra trips, but I can also check local places - I go to school in Contra Costa County in California.

just showing off my latest:

http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/crochet/2005_1002_amigurumi.jpg

crocheted with an h-hook, 100% acrylic worsted weight, stuffed with poly-fil, and no pattern. it was inspired by amigurumi photoscans i had seen floating around online of bears and bunnies and whatnot.

i didn't write down what i did to make this, although i should have, but it's the same as any other amigurumi piece - crochet in the round and do increases, decreases, and even rounds wherever necessary.

After a loooot of hard work, time, fun, and frustrations.. my boyfriend and I are coming very close to completing my computer mod project!

The painting is what took so long, since we messed up and then the fumes started affecting his asthma, but.. we finally got it done, and all I need to do now is add on these adorable stickers randomly, maybe on the window, and replace my piece-of-crap, temporary power supply with a good one.

THE FINISHED PAINT JOB:
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/2005_0903_case01.jpg

http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/2005_0903_case02.jpg

http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/2005_0903_case03.jpg

"Cherry Red" automotive paint.

Here are the before shots..
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/001.gif
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/002.gif
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/003.gif

If you ever plan on painting a computer case, make sure to ALWAYS SAND IT.  You'll want to wet sand off the original paint down to the bare metal first:
http://boredgirl.mmm-fruit.com/living/supercomp/055.gif

and then use primer, sand it, then apply thin coats of paint, always dry-sanding in-between the coats.

And use automotive paint, because spray paint caused us SO MANY PROBLEMS. it crystallized as it dried (which was strange), and it flaked right off.. we had to go through a whole paint-removal process and start over, so it became a little more expensive than we had originally planned.

We also cut a window out in the side panel (so you can see the insides) and cut a blow-hole at the top for better air circulation to keep it cool, since there's lots of overclocking and whatnot going on inside.