Dancing Robot Socks

This is part of an ongoing project I've been working on:
I was on a mosaic knitting kick and thought I'd try my hand at a robot design. I got this far before I realized that my asymmetric little dancing dude didn't transition well into the foot of the sock. Oh, dismay!

So I have to start over. And in a smaller gauge, I think. Something in light fingering, on #1 US needles, or smaller. I don't want to lose detail!

Bootie Time!

I've been on a bootie kick lately, thinking about how such seemly fundamental knits are, in fact, often quite devious. I'm determined to crack them.

I'm starting with a vintage bootie from one of my magazines:
They seem like a no-frills, garter stitch affair, but their construction reminds me a bit of folding origami.
With these, I started by casting on for the center of the sole, then shaped for the heel. (That's the slight rounding you see at either bottom, outer corner.) The zigzagging along the top is shaping for the toe, and the space at center bottom is for the ankle. You can see in the first photo that I've started the ankle, which is made by picking up stitches around that ankle inlet and working flat.

I foresee a certain amount of seaming in my future.

More Plarn

Lately I've been trying to get back in touch with my inner artist (as opposed to craftsperson, although I know the two aren't exactly separated) by experimenting with recycled media. I've been dabbling in paper mache, and of course, with plarn:This is actually a tiny bowl I made from one Radio Shack bag. I really like it's rough texture and it's delicacy.
The only drawback to it is that it truly is functionless art, even though it is in the shape of a bowl. Theoretically, I could put something in it, but it would be far from practical.

Little Monsters

I made these two little monsters from split vintage Orlon acrylic yarn that I got from my grandma's hoard. They're about 1 1/2 inches long - tiny! I made them into pins, and I was on a real monster-making bender, but nobody but me seemed to really be interested in them.
I like their expressions - one button eye, wide open, a squinty eye and lopsided fangs. They make me smile. Maybe I will make more of them...

My First Plarn

Are you familiar with plarn? Living this modern life, I find I am inundated with plastic bags, whether it be from the grocery store or the local thrift store. There a re some practical household uses for them, but trash can lining doesn't eat them nearly as fast as making plarn.

This is my first plarn project - a small (about 6 inches across at the base) crocheted basket. I find plarn (at least the kind I was using with this) is not unlike working with stretchy raffia. The texture and visual effect is similar. There's a certain amount of rigidity - because it's crochet - but it's also very pliable. (I don't know what kind of tensile strength it has, but I hope to find out in the future.) Despite its pliability, it is a bit hard on the hands, like cotton yarn. I have more projects in the works - coming soon!