[Construction]

During a break from the hats and baby blankets...

I had to make this while my husband was at work or in another room, as it squeaked against the hook quite noisily. It was also a bit mucky as my hands sweated and the print came off. No, I won't be making any more, as crocheting with paper really is horrible! I only finished this one because it was sat in my WIP box, staring evilly at me and making me feel guilty.

Construction
The trunk is crocheted in a tube from strips of newspaper, and the branches are made of wire wrapped in more strips. They are bendable, and can be positioned. I allowed myself the luxury of a little glue when I did the branches - there's none at all used on the trunk.

The finished tree stands at a proud 12 inches tall and took the best part of a local newspaper.

Stages
Take newspaper, tear it into strips and get twisting... Look out for kitties who seem to like twisted strands. It isn't a good idea to do it over your knee, because it gets clawed.


Joining the strands
Undo the end inch or so of the strands, then twist them back together, one on top of the other (making sure the twist runs the same way on both). Tada! No glue.
Hold the strand twisted as the trunk is made in a SC tube. This helps prevent the strand breaking.


Finished!
Does this take recycling a step too far? I suppose a layer of paint or varnish might toughen it up, but It's sturdy enough to hang things like necklaces off.

This thread is very inspiring, and there are brilliant ideas here!
I wanted to play too, so I made these badges - it's Bear and Looshkin.

I'm trying to make these
http://www.crochetme.com/abominable-baby-slippers
but I'm having problems with the loopy stitch. You can't see it very well on this picture, probably because it's white, but the loops are disappearing. Can anyone help me, please? I'd really like to make these for *sigh* 3 babies. (Luckily 2 have small feet).



I finished the parts and stitched them together, but I've found that even with the reinforcement layer in place, the distance between the rows of loops is growing, and my loops are shrinking - the rows are actually pulling apart. I've tried pulling on the loops, which helps, but I don't know how to fix it for next time.

Is it cold outside or something? We all seem to be making hats!

I don't know if you'll remember my murloc hat? I made this new one for my husband, so he can /moo at people when he's playing World of Warcraft. I play Alliance, so I had to go undercover to make my design sketches.

Here it is, on my son. The horns have wire inside them, so they are posable. I need to do something with the nose ring. Maybe a brass-coloured bangle would do it?

 

If you don't play WoW, then just enjoy this moo-cow hat. 

I've had bucket-loads of this green mohair for ages, so I was very happy to find a pattern to significantly reduce my stash. Like a few other people, I had problems with the sole, so I frogged it and just pretended I knew what it meant. 

   

The ears are a little more floppy than I expected - that happened after I washed them. I don't think they are too much of a health and safety hazard, but I might just catch them up to the top of the slipper anyway.

I used Dylon puff paint on the soles after sliding around the kitchen, and puffed it up with the hairdryer. (They are supposed to be carrot-shaped. Doesn't go onto mohair very well. Shave it first?)

Lorac's Murloc Hat

 

Murlocs are frog-like monsters from Blizzard's 'World of Warcraft'. I thought they would make good hats. I feel pretty pleased with myself as this is the first thing I've designed/made from scratch.


I couldn't resist the Infamous Chicken Viking Hat. Thanks for the directions, Skullseamstress!



I was a bit enthusiastic when it came to the bumps.