Biokniticry

Robots are pretty cool. Even this one, which is
stuffed with polyfill rather than mechanical
implements, is neat. I made it in the late spring/early summer of this year, but I can drag
my feet when it comes to posting. Here is the pattern:


Robot

Materials:
yarn – 85g grey
20g black
small amounts of red, yellow, blue

(I used 1 skein of Wool-ease in Grey Heather for the grey, and leftover Red Heart for the rest.)
needles – dpns – US sizes 4 & 6
stuffing
yarn needle
small stitch holder (be it metal or yarn in a contrasting color)
pipe cleaners – at least one – a dozen or so would be better
“knitting knobby” (i-cord making tool) (optional)

Body
using size 6 dpns and grey:
CO 20 sts
work 15 rows stockinette st
next row: CO 20 sts, p 40
next row: CO 20 sts, k 60
work 4 rows stockinette st

(begin button design, using intarsia)
row 1: k22 sts, knit design row, k22 sts
row 2: p22 sts, purl design row, p22 sts
alternate these rows until the end of the design, ending on a knit row

beginning w/ a purl row, work 24 rows stockinette st
next row: BO 20 sts, p 40
next row: BO 20 sts, k 20
beginning w/ a purl row, work 14 rows stockinette st
next row: BO 20 sts
cut yarn, leaving long tail for seaming

Legs (make 2)
using size 6 dpns and grey:
CO 7 sts
work 9 rows stockinette st
next row: CO 12 sts, p 19 (total sts – 19)
next row: CO 13 sts, k 32 (32 sts)
beginning w/ a purl row, work 21 rows stockinette st
next row: k13, m1, k7, m1, k12 (34 sts)
next row: purl
next row: k14, m1, k7, m1, k13 (36 sts)
next row: purl
next row: k15, m1, k7, m1, k14 (38 sts)
next row: purl
next row: k16, m1, k7, m1, k15 (40 sts)
next row: purl
next row: knit
next row: BO 16 sts, purl (24 sts)
next row: BO 17 sts, knit (7 sts)
work 13 rows stockinette st
next row: BO 7 sts
cut yarn, leaving long tail for seaming

Arms (make 2)
using size 4 dpns and black:
CO 18 sts
row 1: [k3, m1] rep (24 sts)
row 2: purl
row 3: knit
row 4: purl
row 5: [k4, m1] rep (30 sts)
row 6: purl
row 7: [k6, m1] rep (35 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: [k5, k2tog] rep (30 sts)
row 12: purl
row 13: [k1, k2tog] rep (20 sts)
row 14: purl
row 15: [k2, k2tog] rep (15 sts)
row 16: purl
row 17: [k3, k2tog] rep (12 sts)
row 18: purl
row 19: [k3, m1] 3 times, k3 (15 sts)
row 20: purl
row 21: [k2, m1] 3 times, k3, m1, k2, [m1, k2] 2 times (21 sts)
row 22: purl
row 23: [k7, m1] rep (24 sts)
row 24: purl
row 25: [k2, k2tog] rep (18 sts)
row 26: purl
row 27: [k1, k2tog] rep (12 sts)
row 28: purl
row 29: [k2tog] rep (6 sts)
row 30: purl

switch to grey for claw, leaving a long black tail for seaming
row 31: k2, m1, k1 - slide rest of sts onto st holder (4 active sts)
row 32: purl
row 33: k1, m1, k2, m1, k1 (6 sts)
row 34: purl
row 35: knit
row 36: purl
row 37: knit
row 38: purl
row 39: knit
row 40: purl
row 41: knit
row 42: purl 3
fold 6 sts in half and graft them together
cut yarn, and sew sides of work to form a long skinny pocket

retrieve the 3 sts from the holder, and work the other half of the claw beginning at row 31

Head:
using size 6 and grey yarn
CO 15 sts
work 15 rows stockinette st
next row: CO 14 sts, purl row (29 sts)
next row: CO 14 sts, knit row (43 sts)
beginning w/ a purl row, work 10 rows stockinette st
next row: BO 14 sts, purl row (29 sts)
next row: BO 14 sts, knit row (15 sts)

(begin face design, using intarsia)
row 1: p2, p design row, p2
row 2: k2, k design row, k2
alternate these rows until end of face pattern, ending on a purl row

next row: knit
next row: BO 15 sts
cut yarn, leaving long tail for seaming

Antenna
using knitting knobby (or if you’ve got size 2 needles lying around)
CO 4 sts
work 10 rows of i-cord
BO 4 sts, cut yarn, leaving a short tail

if you don’t have those, on size 6 needles
CO 8 sts
work 1 row
BO 8 sts, cut yarn, leaving a short tail

Finishing
the Body
Use a yarn needle and the long tail to sew around the bottom and up the back of the body. If you wish, you may employ several pipe cleaners to form a boxlike skeleton to encourage a boxier shape. I measured and cut the pipe cleaners to twice the dimensions needed and twisted them together to make a stronger structure. It is good to fold the ends over about half an inch so the pointy wires don’t poke through the finished body. Insert the skeleton into the body. (I made a similar box for the head. I was going to make them for the legs – but the process is a bit tedious; I got lazy.) Stuff with polyfill.

the Head
Using the tails from the cast on and bind off rows, sew the corner seams on the head. Poke the two ends from the antennae (if you made i-cord, thread one tail through the center of the cord to the other end) through the top of the head, and tie it firmly in place. Insert a pipe cleaner skull if it so pleases you, and stuff with fiberfill. Sew the head to the flap on the top of the body, and sew the top of the body shut.

the Legs
Each leg is basically a long rectangular box with a triangular protrusion at the bottom to represent a foot. You knit them from the bottom (the sole) to the top. Using the cast on tail or another length of grey yarn, sew around the bottom of the sole, and up the back of each leg (the seam should be near the middle of the back of the leg). Stuff with polyfill, and attach it to the bottom of the body with the tail from the bind off. Repeat same procedure for the other leg. (Hint: look at the legs on my robot. That’s what we call “slightly overstuffed.” You may not like this look. I’m not crazy about it either.)

the Arms and Claws
So you’ve already made the skinny little pockets for the claws. This is where the pipe cleaners are not optional. Measure the pipe cleaner against a claw, bending and cutting it so that there’s a little extra length on both ends. Fold the extra length at each end over so the wire can’t easily poke through your knitting. Insert the pipe cleaner claw into the yarn claw, and use a grey yarn tail to close up any gaps in the middle of the bend. Repeat this on the other arm. Using the black tail near the claw, sew the seam up the length of each arm. Sew each arm to the body using the black yarn, so that the seam faces downward and the arm is about level with the chest buttons.

and Finally
Poke in the ends and show all your friends.







Face Design: (the o’s are grey, the x’s are black)
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
O O O O X X O O O X X O O O O
O O O O X X O O O X X O O O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
O O O O X X X X X X X O O O O
O O O X O X O X O X O X O O O
O O O X O X O X O X O X O O O
O O O X X X X X X X X X O O O
O O O X O X O X O X O X O O O
O O X O O X O X O X O O X O O
O O X X X X X X X X X X X O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Chest Buttons: (same color scheme as head, r’s = red, b’s = blue, y’s = yellow)
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X O O O O O O O O O O O O O O X
X O R R O R R O O Y O Y O Y O X
X O R R O R R O O O O O O O O X
X O O O O O O O O Y O Y O Y O X
X O B B B B B O O O O O O O O X
X O B B B B B O O Y O Y O Y O X
X O O O O O O O O O O O O O O X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

100% Red Heart! (I feel like a slut.)

i said that i would post the robot pattern. lo siento. next time, for real.

but now, there are much more important issues to be addressed. first of all, the bitchin' mittens are done! (mondrian style.) yeah, that's right, we used 'el cheapo' yarn, but try affording six colors of wool for some experimental mittens on a college-level budget. it ain't merino, but red heart has its (one) merit. behold the supreme gloriousness of these babies:


i'm going to shy away from more than two colors at once for several months. that got a little too complex at times. but oh, are they magnificent.

the rexlace belt is completed as well... though i didn't finish it in time to melt the ends in with a butane lighter before i left home. my roommate (linden, the exploding rainbow) knit a belt using a double strand of rexlace and yarn - that might work better, just so's you all know.

i'm currently working on a hat with waves, using SIX double pointed needles - not so portable, so it's coming along slowly. my other big project at the moment are the penguins that my aunt Deb designed and gave me yarn for. after that, we start working on the halloween costume.

-aside from knitting-
things are going well here in oberlin. the semester is underway, and i'm putting off work until Sunday, as usual. last night some friends and I went to see the Twins play the Indians at Jacob's Field. we (the Twins, of course) lost, but only due to a throwing error. i heard a newscaster say something about 'in baseball - a big win for the Indians last night'. not quite. there were a couple of drunken guys behind us for a while (i hate to use the phrase 'white trash', but it fits) who had been getting on my nerves for several innings. (i'm not into consistently taunting the opponents' left fielders), and one of them actually caught a ball that Gutierrez threw up into the stands. even in his lowered state of character, he gave it to a kid. i guess Anne Frank was right about people. after the game, there was an overstimulating display of fireworks set to music. couldn't hear half of the musical cues, but there were some neat explosions.

this morning, Linden and i took the Lorain County Transit into Elyria and spent enormous amounts of money at craft stores. CLEARANCE YARN! i'm getting better about making yarn purchases with patterns in mind, but i'm still going on a yarn diet for the rest of the semester. (that means no more buying yarn. which i'm totally capable of. totally.

of course, the evening ended with X Files! Gender Bender and Our Town, both wonderful cult-centered episodes. Gender Bender was especially awesome, because one of the actors in it (Nick Lea) shows up later in the series as a recurring character (Alex Krycek). this was the first time i've seen Gender Bender after knowing this information, so it was a pretty enjoyable viewing. i won't bother you with talk of the weekend's original X Files plans, not today. instead, i'll feed you some more iTunes. song (album) - artist format, as always.

the monkees theme (the monkees) - the monkees
the prisoner (clash on broadway) - the clash
it don't mean a thing (if it ain't got that swing) (the great summit) - louis armstrong & duke ellington
a valjean arrested/a valjean forgiven (les miserables) - orginal london cast
girlfriend is better (stop making sense) - the talking heads
wonderful world (the soul story) - sam cooke
summertime (my favorite things) - john coltrane
moonlight serenade (pirates of the caribbean) - klaus badelt
drop dead gorgeous (just push play) - aerosmith
local road (sound theology) - jonathan rundman


--
grace and peace.

Gaaaaa! (or: the Woes of Dial-Up)

The pattern's done. The shrug's done. I have pictures. If only blogger would load them. Alas, not tonight. Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow. In the meanwhile, go read a book.

Revelation

Before today, I was uninformed. I read about knitters falling in love with their Addi Turbos, and I had no idea what the big deal was about. But I procured a new storage bin, which I decided to use for yarn storage, and as I was organizing my stash, I came across the packaging for my favorite set of circular needles. Now, these were the first circulars I ever purchased, way back when I didn't know enough to know the different brands available. Reading the card in the plastic bag, I see that I, in fact, do own some Addis. And I love them. I understand.


I'm almost done with my shawl (the Bobblicious pattern from Knitty), which really pleases me. Once I finish that, I'll be down to three projects. One of which is a belt made from Rexlace, which I could probably finish in about an hour if I felt like it. Come to think of it, the robot is nearing an end, too. I'll have to put up a very photograph-intensive post soon. How about in a week? Next Thursday, I will have the robot, shawl, and belt finished, photographed, and posted.


Outside of the knitting department, my life is going pretty well. I enjoy putting things in list formats.


- I've been working at a day care occasionally, sometimes hanging out in the nap room, or elsewhere. Tomorrow I get to help with an art project.
- I've been watching a sufficient amount of the X Files. I was highly amused by 'Arcadia'. It is about a homeowner's association where everyone was forced to fit in. You might be thinking, "well, yeah, that's kind of the bit with homeowner's associations," but there really is an abnormal element.
- My room is starting to look like it's not going to be clean again until I'm packing to head back to Ohio. (I'll be back in Oberlin in 43 days. I'm counting down.)
- I'm actually in the middle of more books than knitting projects. A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby), Huck Finn (Mark Twain), Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott), The Magician's Nephew (C. S. Lewis), Hope Against Darkness: the Transforming Vision of St. Francis in an Age of Anxiety (Richard Rohr), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J. K. Rowling)... I have a problem!


Perhaps the most interesting area of life lately has been my faith. The church that I've been a member of for three years and have gone to my entire life is in a 'growth period'. Basically, we have some serious issues (financial and otherwise) that we need to work on if we want to continue to be a congregation. I'm not sure how close the church is to closing down, but it's clear that we need to have some serious changes. So a couple of friends and I have been planning a summer event for the youth group, which we've been very involved in, but I feel kind of detached. I have been thinking more and more about what the Christian community at Oberlin could develop, and I'm starting to feel like my home church here in Minnesota is less and less a part of my spiritual life. It's two blocks from my house, and I've been going pretty much weekly as long as I can remember. It feels weird. And on top of that, my mother (who is clergy) is changing churches this week, after being in one position for 14 years. Oddly enough, the church she's leaving is where the day care is located. And when I get back to Oberlin, I'll get to meet the new pastor at First United Methodist, too.


Wow!

My First Mitten!

Soon and very soon you are going to see the robot.
But not today.

However, I happened upon the most wonderful contest the other day called Bitchin Mittens. Basically, creating art in mitten form. I've been playing around in my head with possibilities and decided to use yarns from my stash to make (to be honest my mum helped me think of this) Mondrian Mittens. Here's the first one:



I'm not sure as I want the pair to match, so I may come up with some variation of Mondrian's initials (PM) in the five or so colors he liked so much. I made this first one in under 24 hours, which makes me really happy. The world of mittens is intriguing. It almost makes me wish for winter to come sooner. Almost.

I'll post the intarsia chart whenever I get around to finishing and posting the robot.

Grace and peace.

FSM? six weeks late

sooo...

finals are coming up, and consequently, i should not be knitting and watching so much x files. but i did buy myself a little knitting knobby the other day, and have been making blue i-cord (leftover t-rex yarn) and have been pondering what to do with it. a friend suggested i make a series of flying spaghetti monsters to reflect the stages of picasso's art (blue, rose, and cubist). we shall see, we shall see.

once i find my size fours again, there will soon be another pattern for you all to feast your eyes upon...inspired by the mental obsessions of brady higa.

...aaaaaaand
i wrote that back in mayish. and now its julyish. so it's outdated, and the robot (the aforementioned pattern that incorporates my size 4 dpns) is still unfinished, but coming along nicely.

in other news, there's this neat shrug entitled 'Bobblicious' on Knitty, and i've started that in ravenclaw colors. the hogwarts set shall be complete before the summer's out. there's an abandoned rexlace belt still on the needles, which i suppose i'll finish one of these days.

i've decided that perhaps a way to make myself blog more often and even regularly, is to go with this trend of using 'shuffle' on iTunes and listing the first ten songs that come up. here's this week's listening. i'll put them in song (album) - artist order for clarity.

1. Better Days (Better Days) - Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
2. She Said, She Said (The Big Come Up) - The Black Keys
3. Parker's Mood (Ken Burns Jazz) - Charlie Parker
4. Sometimes a Fantasy (Glass Houses) - Billy Joel
5. She's Not You (Worldwide Gold Award Hits) - Elvis Presley
6. Dose (Dose) - Latin Playboys
7. Wade in the Water (A Portrait) - Chanticleer
8. Company in My Back (A Ghost is Born) - Wilco
9. This Time Darlin' (Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell) - Social Distortion
10. 747s (Public Library) - Jonathan Rundman

...nothing too incriminating...i lucked out this week, i guess.

grace and peace. and yarn. ;)

P-Bird!

modelo numero dos. disfruta.
pattern number two. enjoy.


Pterodactyl

Materials:
yarn – 85g should suffice, I would imagine
needles – US size 6 dpns (4)
stuffing…I used polyfill
yarn needle
googly eyes or buttons (optional)
point protectors (optional, but a damn good idea)
craft glue (optional)

Wings (make 1)
(it would behoove you to employ point protectors here, then you can pretend you’ve got straight needles)

CO 80 sts
row 1: k
row 2: k38, p4, k38
row 3: p38, k4, p38
row 4: k17, k3tog, k18, p4, k18, k3tog, k17 (76 sts)
row 5: k2, p1, p2tog, p31, k4, p31, p2tog, p1, k2 (74 sts)
row 6: k16, k3tog, k16, p4, k16, k3tog, k16 (70 sts)
row 7: k2, p1, p2tog, p28, k4, p28, p2tog, p1, k2 (68 sts)
row 8: k32, p4, k32
row 9: k2, p1, p2tog, p27, k4, p27, p2tog, p1, k2 (66 sts)
row 10: k14, k3tog, k14, p4, k14, k3tog, k14 (62 sts)
row 11: k2, p1, p2tog, p24, k4, p24, p2tog, p1, k2 (60 sts)
row 12: k28, p4, k28
row 13: k2, p1, p2tog, p23, k4, p23, p2tog, p1, k2 (58 sts)
row 14: k11, k3tog, k13, p4, k13, k3tog, k11 (54 sts)
row 15: k2, p1, p2tog, p20, k4, p20, p2tog, p1, k2 (52 sts)
row 16: k24, p4, k24
row 17: k2, p1, p2tog, p19, k4, p19, p2tog, p1, k2 (50 sts)
row 18: k9, k3tog, k11, p4, k11, k3tog, k9 (46 sts)
row 19: k2, p1, p2tog, p16, k4, p16, p2tog, p1, k2 (44 sts)
row 20: k20, p4, k20
row 21: k2, p1, p2tog, p15, k4, p15, p2tog, p1, k2 (42 sts)
row 22: k7, k3tog, k9, p4, k9, k3tog, k7 (38 sts)
row 23: k2, p1, p2tog, p12, k4, p12, p2tog, p1, k2 (36 sts)
row 24: k16, p4, k16
row 25: k2, p14, k4, p14, k2
row 26: k2, k2tog, k2, k3tog, k7, p4, k7, k3tog, k2, k2tog, k2 (30 sts)
row 27: k2, p1, p2tog, p8, k4, p8, p2tog, p1, k2 (28 sts)
row 28: k2, k3tog, k3tog, k4, p4, k4, k3tog, k3tog, k2 (20 sts)
row 29: k
row 30: BO, cut yarn

Fabulous, darling.


Body
(knit in the round, so you’ll use all four needles, finally)
(you’re beginning at the head)

CO 18 sts
rows 1-4: knit
row 5: k14, turn
row 6: p10, turn
row 7: k8, turn
row 8: p6, turn
row 9: k6, k2tog, turn (17 sts total)
row 10: p7, p2tog, turn (16 sts total)
row 11: k8, k2tog, turn (15 sts total)
row 12: p9, p2tog, turn (14 sts total)
row 13: k10, k2tog, turn (13 sts total)
row 14: k2tog, k11 (12 sts)
rows 15-16: knit
row 17: k2, m1, k8, m1, k2 (14 sts)
rows 18-19: knit
row 20: k3, m1, k8, m1, k3 (16 sts)
rows 21-23: knit
row 24: k4, m1, k2, m1, k4, m1, k2, m1, k4 (20 sts)
row 25: knit
row 26: k8, m1, k4, m1, k8 (22 sts)
rows 27-28: knit
row 29: k7, m1, k1, m1, k6, m1, k1, m1, k7 (26 sts)
rows 30-32: knit
row 33: k6, k2tog, k10, k2tog, k6 (24 sts)
row 34: knit
row 35: k6, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k6 (22 sts)
row 36: knit
row 37: k6, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k6 (20 sts)
rows 38-39: knit
row 40: k6, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k6 (18 sts)
row 41: k3, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k3 (16 sts)
rows 42-44: knit
row 45: k1, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k4, ktog, k1 (13 sts)
row 46: k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1 (10 sts)
rows 47-48 sts: knit
row 49: k1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k3 (8 sts)
row 50: k2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1 (6 sts)
rows 51-52: knit
row 53: k2tog, k2tog, k2tog (3 sts)
row 54: k3tog, cut yarn

Arms (make 2)

CO 4 sts
row 1 and all subsequent odd arm rows: knit
row 2 and all subsequent even arms rows: purl

this goes on for a while

row 25: BO 2 sts, k2 (2 sts)
row 26: purl
row 27: knit
row 28: purl
row 29: BO, cut yarn, leaving a long tail


Legs (make 2)

CO 8 sts
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: knit
row 4: purl
row 5: k1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1 (6 sts)
row 6: purl
row 7: knit
row 8: purl
row 9: k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1 (4 sts)
row 10: purl
row 11: knit
row 12: purl
row 13: k1, k2tog, k1 (3 sts)
row 14: purl
row 15: k3tog, cut yarn


Pointy Head Thing

CO 4 sts
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: k2, m1, k2 (5 sts)
row 4: purl
row 5: k1, m1, k3, m1, k1 (7 sts)
row 6: purl
row 7: knit
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: k2, m1, k3, m1, k2 (9 sts)
row 12: purl
row 13: k2, m1, k2, m1, k1, m1, k2, m1, k2 (13 sts)
row 14: purl
row 15: knit
row 16: purl
row 17: knit
row 18: purl
row 19: k4, m1, k4, m1, k4, m1, k1 (16 sts)
row 20: purl
row 21: knit
row 22: purl
row 23: knit
row 24: purl
row 25: knit
row 26: purl
row 27: k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1 (12 sts)
row 28: purl
row 29: k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1 (8 sts)
row 30: purl
row 31: knit
row 32: purl
row 33: k1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1
row 34: purl
row 35: k1, k2tog, k2tog, k1
row 36: purl
row 37: BO, cut yarn, leaving long tail


Finishing

Poke in the yarn tail at the closed end of the body. Then, where the head is angled, where it changes direction, find a small hole on either side of the head. Realize that this is problematic and the designer was too lazy to go back and remedy the pattern to get rid of these, and decide you’d better take up your yarn needle and sew them shut. Do this; it won’t take but a few moments. If you’ve elected to use buttons for eyes, now wouold be the perfect time for attaching them. Then you can stuff the body with your luscious polyfill! Mmmm…


Now you don’t want your pterodactyl to turn out like Icarus, so attaching the wings securely is key. Fortunately, the centering part is easy, with that line of purl stitches down the center. So cut yourself a nice hank of yarn and sew down the edge of that purled column, and across the bottom, up the other side, and back to where you started. Tie a knot and poke in those ends.

Stuff the legs, and attach them in a logical fashion, using the tail from the cast-on row if possible. Make sure they don’t stick out at too much of an angle, that would look a bit silly.

Working with an arm, thread the long tail down through the hand (those rows of 2 sts), and bring the edges of the arm together, seaming it into a skinny little tube. If you’ve still got a good deal more of the tail left, use it to attach the base of the arm to the crease where the body and wings meet. Then carefully, sew the arm to the wing, so that the arm is positioned relatively horizontally a little more than half of the arm’s length, and then bent upwards, so that the little hand bit sticks out above the wing at the top. Like always, poke in the end when you’re done. (Obviously, you’d want to do this for both arms, which you totally understood, but I’d thought I’d point it out to ward off any self-proclaimed masters of technicality.)

Aaaaaaaaaaheadlessbirdaaaaaaaaa!

Now comes the interesting part. That poky head thing. More seaming! So take that lengthy tail from the bind-off row and employ your yarn needle to sew the edges together, lightly stuffing. You want a little bit of polyfill, probably, but I feel like mine is too puffy. Not that overstuffing is a huge problem. You’re still making a pterodactyl, which will still qualify as equally amazing in most people’s minds regardless of the heftiness of that head plate. In the end you want it folded so that the seam you just made runs along the center of the bottom side, with the piece being relatively flat. One end should appear more rounded and shorter than the other. That’s good. That goes in the front, so the other (pointier) side is closer to the wings. Using your stitching skills (honed in the rest of the Jurassic birdmaking process) sew this to the head, using the logical positioning skills that all of us have somewhere deep within us. (Careful, it is easy to sew it on a bit crooked. Then it turns out like mine, which is sort of looking off to one side. Which is cool, if that’s what you’re going for. But it’s not too hard.) Here comes the predictable refrain: poke in those ends!

Get out your craft glue and stick on those humorous googly eyes. Probably two is good enough. One on either side of the head is a good rule. Sort of close to the poky head plate. But by all means, don’t let me stifle your creativity. If you want a Cyclops pterodactyl, or seven eyes, all on the left side, go for it.

Show all of your friends/acquaintances, and send me pictures of your creation. Especially if it’s eye setup is unconventional.

Giant Lizard King

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Materials:
needles: US 6 (4-double-pointed)
yarn: worsted weight, 85g should be sufficient
yarn needle
stuffing
googly eyes: (optional, 10mm. you could use buttons, too)
craft glue

Abbreviations:
k: knit
p: purl
m: make a stitch (a form of increasing)
k2tog: knit two stitches together
t2togtbl: knit two stitches together through the back loops (or you could just knit two together, the original dinosaur pattern used this, i don't know exactly why)
sl: slip a stitch (don't knit or purl, slide it onto the new needle)
psso: (in sl1, k1, psso) pass slipped stitch over, like you would if you were casting/binding off
st(s): stitch(es)

Head, Body & Tail
(leave a longish tail at the beginning, it will come in handy later)
cast on 4 sts
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: k2, m1, k2 (5 sts)
row 4: purl
row 5: knit
row 6: purl
row 7: k2, m1, k1, m1, k2 (7 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: k4, m1, k3 (8 sts)
row 12: purl
row 13: knit
row 14: purl
row 15: cast on 12 sts, knit (20 sts)
row 16: cast on 12 sts, purl (32 sts)
row 17: k3, m1, k9, m1, k8, m1, k9, m1, k3 (36 sts)
row 18: purl
row 19: k3, m1, k11, m1, k8, m1, k11, m1, k3 (40 sts)
row 20: purl
row 21: knit
row 22: purl
row 23: knit
row 24: purl
row 25: k3, k2togtbl, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3 (38 sts)
row 26: purl
row 27: k3, k2togtbl, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3 (36 sts)
row 28: bind off 7 sts, purl (29 sts)
row 29: bind off 7 sts, knit (22 sts)

split 22 sts between 3 needles (I divided them 7, 8, 7) the rest is knit in the round.

rows 30-34: (joining to make a circle) knit
row 35: k2, m1, k2, m1, k3, m1, k8, m1, k3, m1, k2, m1, k2 (28 sts)
row 36: knit
row 37: k3, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1, k10, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1 (35 sts)
row 38: knit
row 39: k4, m1, k4, m1, k4, m1, k10, m1, k4, m1, k4, m1, k5 (41 sts)
rows 40-42: knit
row 43: k9, m1, k5, m1, k12, m1, k5, m1, k9, m1 (46 sts)
rows 44-60: knit
row 61: k5, m1, k5, m1, k5, m1, k14, m1, k5, m1, k5, m1, k7 (52 sts)
rows 62-70: knit

re-position sts so that the 30 frontmost sts are on one needle, and the rest divided evenly between the other two. working only on the needle with 30 sts, do the following (back and forth, as if using straight needles) to create a flap-like thing:
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: knit
row 4: purl
row 5: knit
row 6: purl
row 7: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (28 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (26 sts)
row 10: purl
row 11: knit
row 12: purl
row 13: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (24 sts)
row 14: purl
row 15: knit
row 16: purl
row 17: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (22 sts)
row 18: purl
row 19: knit
row 20: purl
row 21: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (20 sts)
row 22: purl

now you’re going to change direction, still working on the one needle. you’re basically turning the heel of a sock:

row 1: sl1, k11, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 2: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each has five unworked sts, that’s good)
row 3: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 4: sl1, p5, p2tog, turn (8 live sts, each end has four unworked sts)
row 5: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1 turn
row 6: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has three unworked sts)
row 7: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1 turn
row 8: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has two unworked sts)
row 9: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 10: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has one unworked st)
row 11: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 12: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (all 8 sts on the needle are live)
row 13: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso (7 sts)
row 14: sl1, p5, p2tog (6 sts)

okay, good job. i’m proud of you. now you’re going to pick up stitches from the side of the flap you made right before the heel. we’re going to be knitting in the round again. actually, i did this pickup up chunk differently but i think the following sequence of rows should get rid of those funny-looking vertical lines on the prototype. <> trust me. here we go:

row 1: knit (6 sts), pick up 11 sts w/ empty needle (left side of heel flap) , knit them. knit across those needles you’ve been neglecting, then pick up 11 sts (right side of the heel flap) and knit them.

ooh, snazzy. now we’re redistributing stitches again. combine those two needles we ignored for a long time onto one needle, there should be 22 sts. then evenly divide the heel stitches onto two needles, so the heel flap is divided right down the middle, 15 sts on each. muy bien. we have 52 sts, so let’s decrease: (the slashes fall between the needles)

row 1: knit 12, k2tog, k1 / k22 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k12 (50 sts)
row 2: k14 / k5, k2tog, k8, sl1, k1, psso, k5 / k14 (48 sts)
row 3: k11, k2tog, k1 / k20 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k11 (46 sts)
row 4: k13 / k4, k2tog, k8, sl1, k1, psso, k4 / k13 (44 sts)
row 5: k10, k2tog, k1 / k18 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k10 (42 sts)
row 6: knit

sweet. tail time. i will no longer differentiate between needles, so get ready to count.

row 7: knit
row 8: knit
row 9: *k3, k2togtbl* 4 times, k2, *k2tog, k3* 4 times (34 sts)
rows 10-14: knit
row 15: *k2, k2togtbl* 4 times, k2, *k2tog, k2* 4 times (26 sts)
rows 16-20: knit
row 21: *k1, k2togtbl* 4 times, k2, *k2tog, k1* 4 times (18 sts)
rows 22-24: knit
row 25: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (16 sts)
rows 26-28: knit
row 29: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (14 sts)
rows 30-32: knit
row 33: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (12 sts)
rows 34-36: knit
row 37: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (10 sts)
rows 38-40: knit
row 41: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (8 sts)
rows 42-43: knit
row 44: k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2 (7 sts)
row 45: knit
row 46: k2, sl1, k1, psso, k2 (5 sts)
row 47: knit
row 48: k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1 (3 sts)
row 54: purl
row 55: cast off knitwise
cut the yarn; you’re doing wonderfully.

Arms
make two (if your t rex is an amputee, modify the number of limbs accordingly)
these are easy. should take you two minutes, tops. you could experiment and try four tiny partial rows of stockinette stitch and see if that turns out more clawlike)

cast on 7 sts
row 1: k2, turn
row 2: p2, turn
cast off

leave a few inches for a tail, you don’t need much here.

Legs
you’ll need two of these puppies.
these are knit flat, you’ll seam them later.

cast on 4 sts
rows 1-6: knit
row 7: cast on 10 sts, knit (14 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: knit
row 12: purl
row 13: knit
row 14: purl
row 15: knit
row 16: purl
row 17: knit
row 18: purl
row 19: knit
row 20: purl
cast off, and leave a long tail (long enough to sew side of leg and attach to body)

Finishing
First, use the tails on the arms to attach them in what looks like good arm spots on the body. Basically just use the needle to thread each end through, and tie a nice knot.

Then, stuff the tail and body up to the neck.

If you’re using buttons for eyes, now would be a good time for attaching them.

Use the yarn needle and the yarn end from beginning of the head to sew head seams. Then stuff the head, poking stuffing in through the neck. Then sew the neck closed. Tie a small knot and poke the end of the yarn inside the beast.

Finally use the leg yarn ends to sew around the bottom of the foot and the side seams of the legs. Stuff them, and attach them to the body in a logical location. Keep in mind that the legs and the tail sort of form a tripod of support for this fellow when you’re placing your legs.

Attach googly eyes to the head with craft glue, using your logical placement skills once again. Or glue them to your buttons if you desire obnoxious eyes. That could look pretty cool.

Go take pictures of your new buddy and show all of your friends. They will be amazed and ask you if you’ll make them one. Smile, and shake your head. Tell them to knit their own damn dinosaurs. This one’s yours.

Send me a picture of your t rex.

Salutations!

The main intent of this page is the sharing of joyous ideas and thoughts, particularly those that pan out into something tangible, like knitting patterns. Perhaps it will make me continue to do interesting things so that the world doesn't perceive me as boring. I'm a bit hermity at times, especially on breaks, but this could definitely be entertaining.

We're going to kick off the site with possibly the most amazing thing ever, which of course, refers to a knitting pattern; my first design, in fact! Tyrannosaurus Rex! For Advent! With a pink leg! And googly eyes!

This all started when I was surfing around looking at knitting patterns online and I came across some awesome stuffed dinosaur patterns (click on 'salutations' for the link). I got this idea in my head to make a set of dinosaurs to match the colors of the liturgical calendar (a Protestant thing), and that three would not suffice. Hence, the tyrannosaurus rex. There might be another coming soon; we shall see. Overall, I'm quite pleased with it.

It will be up as soon as I figure out a reasonable posting method.


Enjoy.