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.