2 references from 1841 dictionary

Salopia antiqua: or, An enquiry from personal survey into the 'druidical,' military, and other early remains in Shropshire and the north Welsh borders; with observations upon the names of places, and a glossary of words used in the county of Salop (Google eBook) written by the Rev. Charles Henry Hartshorne printed at the University Press, Cambridge. London: John W. Parker, West Strand. 1841.

WHIPPET, s. a dog bred betwixt a greyhound and a spaniel.

NAGG, v. to bite at, snap. Ex. "Jim's whippet nagged at my heels."

John Cage

Today's New York Times Book Review includes a review of Kenneth Silverman's biography of John Cage, Begin Again. I'd like to read it, and I'd like to read Cage's own collection of essays and anecdotes, Silence. John Adams wrote the review and concludes it with this observation: "What emerges most powerfuly in Begin Again is Cage's enormous capacity for work, together with his exceptional self-discipline as an artist (something learned from Schoenberg) and his willingness to approach every new challenge with a beginner's mind."

That idea of using a "beginner's mind" for every artistic challenge is key to Cage, and key to any creative process. Curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to believe in unconventional conclusions are assets of the "beginner's mind." They're innate -- they're part of the "beginner's mind" -- and yet, oddly or interestingly, they are not always or automatically transferred to the "experienced brain." Art is impossible without them.

....And The Pussycat

Here's the pattern to make a tiny little cat - only 1.5" tall - that's the perfect pet for my mini amigurumi Witch. Make in the traditional black, or use and colours you like for a different type of cat.

See the previous post for general instructions and abbreviations for the pattern, and details on how to make a mini owl.

Witch's Cat

You will need:
Small amount of black yarn.
1 Pair of 7.5mm green safety eyes, or green yarn to embroider them.
Small amount of stuffing.
3.5mm (E) hook.

Special stitch instructions:
3 dc pop: popcorn stitch for ears. Work 3 dc into 1 st, take hook out leaving loop, put hook through 1st dc & pull loop through.

Start at top of head:
Round 1: Ch2, work 6 sc into 1st ch - 6 st.
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around – 12 st.
Round 3: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, 3 dc pop in next st, 2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 2 times - 18 st.
Round 4 - 7: (4 rounds) Sc in each st around – 18 st.

Fit eyes between rounds 5 and 6, treating the start of the round as the back of the cat.

Round 8: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times – 12 st.
Round 9: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 6 times – 18 st.
Round 10 - 13: (4 rounds) Sc in each st around – 18 st.
Round 14: Sc in each st around until you get to the middle back, [tail: ss in next st, ch 10, ss into 2nd ch from hook, ss in next 8 ch, ss back into original st], sc in each st to the end of the round – 18 st.
Round 15: Sc in each st around (work into the first ss of the tail, not the second) – 18 st.
Round 16: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times – 12 st.
Round 17: [Sc2tog] 6 times – 6 st.

FO, leaving a length of yarn. Embroider eyes if you haven't used safety eyes. Stuff and use length yarn to sew up hole at bottom, pulling it tight up through the body to ensure that the cat will sit on a flat surface.

The Owl.....

After I'd designed my Witch and Wizard amigurumis, I felt that they could both do with little pets, or familiars. So I made the witch a little black cat (pattern in the next post) and made a mini snowy owl for the wizard. Of course, when I started taking photos of them, I realised that I'd made the Owl and the Pussycat!

These guys are pretty small, only about 1.5" tall, so that they match with their owners. Even if you don't have a witch or wizard to make them for, they'd still be cute little mini pets. Maybe I'll take my tiny Hedwig to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

General instructions for both patterns:

Work in rounds unless otherwise stated and do not join rounds unless told to. Use a stitch marker to mark the start of a round - a small piece of different coloured yarn placed under the stitch at the start of the round will do. To start a round, you can use the magic ring method, but I prefer (ch2, work 6 sc into 1st ch). If you work the 6 sc over the tail of yarn as well you can use that to pull the hole tight.

Work through both loops of stitches unless otherwise indicated.

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
st = stitch or stitches
ss = slipstitch

sc = single crochet (US), double crochet (UK)

dc = double crochet (US), treble crochet (UK)
tog = together
sc2tog = decrease by working two sc together

FLO = work in front loop only

FO = fasten off

Wizard's Owl

I have made a snowy owl here but you could use different colours to make a different type of owl.

You will need:
Small amount of white yarn.

Small amount of black yarn for beak.

1 Pair of 7.5mm amber safety eyes.

Small amount of stuffing.

3.5mm (E) hook.

Start at top of head:

Round 1: Ch2, work 6 sc into 1st ch - 6 st.

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around – 12 st.

Round 3: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 6 times - 18 st.
Round 4 - 7: (4 rounds) Sc in each st around – 18 st.

Fit eyes between rounds 5 and 6, treating the start of the round as the front of the owl.

Round 8: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times – 12 st.
Round 9: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 6 times – 18 st.
Round 10 - 13: (4 rounds) Sc in each st around – 18 st.

Find the stitch in the last round that is exactly in the middle of the back of the owl. Count back 5 stitches along the round (not including the middle stitch) and mark this stitch.

Round 14: Sc in each st around until you get to the marked stitch, [FLO sc in next st, hdc in next 2 st, dc in next 5 st, hdc in next 2 st, sc in next st], working through both loops again sc in each st to the end of the round – 18 st.

Round 15: Sc in each st around (work into the back loops of the st in the previous round that were in FLO) – 18 st.

Round 16: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times – 12 st.

Round 17: [Sc2tog] 6 times – 6 st.

FO, leaving a length of yarn. Using black yarn sew a beak. Stuff and use length yarn to sew up hole at bottom, pulling it tight up through the body to ensure that the owl will sit on a flat surface.

Free Pattern: Tiny Rabbit Amigurumi

Here's a simple little pattern to crochet a tiny rabbit, about 2" long. You crochet the ears and the feet as you go along, so the only sewing is for the features and the tail.

Tiny Rabbit Amigurumi

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
st = stitch or stitches
ss = slipstitch
sc = single crochet (US), double crochet (UK)

dc = double crochet (US), treble crochet (UK)

tog = together

sc2tog = decrease by working two sc together
FO = fasten off

General instructions:

Work in rounds unless otherwise stated and do not join rounds unless told to. Use a stitch marker to mark the start of a round - a small piece of different coloured yarn placed under the stitch at the start of the round will do. To start a round, you can use the magic ring method, but I prefer (ch2, work 6 sc into 1st ch). If you work the 6 sc over the tail of yarn as well you can use that to pull the hole tight.

Work through both loops of stitches unless otherwise indicated.

You will need:

Small amount of light brown yarn.
Small amount of white yarn.

Black yarn for features.

Small amount of stuffing.
3.5mm (E) hook.

Special stitch instructions:
4 dc pop: popcorn stitch for legs. Work 4 dc into 1 st, take hook out leaving loop, put hook through 1st dc & pull loop through.

Body:
Start at nose using light brown yarn.
Round 1: Ch2, work 6 sc into 1st ch - 6 st.
Round 2: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 st] 2 times – 8 st.
Round 3: Sc in each st around - 8 st.
Round 4: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 4 times – 12 st.
Round 5: Sc in next 4 st, [ear: ss in next st, ch 6, sc into 2nd ch from hook, dc in next 3 ch, sc in next ch, ss back into original st], sc in next 2 st, [ear: as before], sc in next 4 st – 12 st.
Round 6: Sc in each st around (work into the first ss of the ears, not the second) - 12 st.
Round 7: Sc in next 4 st, [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 3 times, sc in next 2 st – 15 st.
Round 8: Sc in next 4 st, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 st] 3 times, sc in next 2 st – 18 st.
Round 9: 4 dc pop in next st, sc in next st, 4 dc pop in next st, sc in next 15 st – 18 st.
Round 10 - 11: (2 rounds) Sc in each st around - 18 st.
Round 12: Sc in next 17 st, 4 dc pop in next st – 18 st.
Round 13: Sc in next 4 st, 4 dc pop in next st, sc in next 13 st – 18 st.
Round 14: Sc in each st around - 18 st.
Round 15: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times – 12 st.

Round 16: [Sc2tog] 6 times – 6 st.

FO, leaving a length of yarn.

Use black yarn to sew eyes, nose and mouth, stuff and use length of light brown yarn to sew up hole at bottom.

Tail:

Using white yarn.

Ch 3, work 6 dc into 1st ch, join to first dc with ss. FO leaving a length of yarn and sew to bottom. Use the length of white yarn to sew front teeth if you wish.

Witches and Wizards

Fantasy has always been my favourite genre of books and films, so I thought I'd design some cute lttle amigurumis of various classic fantasy characters. Given that it's nearly halloween it seemed like a good idea to start with witches and wizards.

There are lots of great books featuring witches and wizards - Terry Pratchett's Discworld books have brilliant witches like the formidable Granny Weatherwax and the young but powerful Tiffany Aching, and Unseen University is home to a wonderful collection of  bickering wizards. One of the great things about the Harry Potter books is the fun J K Rowling has with all the eccentric characters in their amazing outfits and Tolkien, of course, created a classic and iconic character with Gandalf, the archetypal old, wise wizard.

One of my favourite books when I was little was The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes (if you've never heard of it you can take a look at some of it here: http://tiny.cc/wpl9p). It has lovely line drawings by Edward Ardizzone of a little witch girl, and the most adorable witch baby, which were definitely an inspiration for my designs.

My pattern is now for sale in my Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/listing/59426451/pattern-for-witch-or-wizard-mini - and with it there are instructions for all the variations to make a mini witch or  wizard (just 4.5" tall) with several different looks.

What Matters in the End

In Wednesday's New York Times, there was a story about a small pocket of Switzerland where Romansh is spoken. The number of Romansh speakers peaked in the early 19th century, but the peak amounted to about 2.2 percent of the total Swiss population.

Bookseller Elisabeth Maranta owns a store in that small pocket of Switzerland. When she was asked why most of the books in Romansh she sells are poetry, she said, "When a patient is dying, he writes only poetry."

Living with Emerson's Ghost

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article in The New York Times about a young couple who recently became the new caretakers of the Ralph Waldo Emerson House in Concord. They are both 27-years-old and, until recently, knew little about Emerson. The opportunity to live rent-free in a very cool place held obvious appeal, and now they are responsible for a household full of history: china, 127 mirrors, paintings, photographs, candlesticks, clocks, pin cushions, gardens, hedges, grapevines. It's a museum, but when the tourists leave, they get to have friends over! They drink wine in Emerson's house! They read and talk and laugh in the rooms where Emerson read and talked and laughed. They use his furniture!

About ten years ago, we were in Boston at the same time my mom and dad happened to be in Boston. They were visiting friends, and they were headed to Naulakha, Rudyard Kipling's house in Vermont. The home is owned by Landmark Trust USA, an organization that saves and protects historic properties. It's modeled after Landmark Trust in Great Britain, and it allows people to stay in these historic properties, surrounded by antiques and original furnishings. We wound up staying at Naulakha too, and it was wild and fantastic to sleep in that house, to eat there, to sit in Kipling's chair and read. Like the new caretakers of Emerson's house, we were trusted with that house. We were unsupervised, and had the the home to ourselves. We cooked, we explored, we read, we played pool on the third floor, we slept, and we left feeling as though we had acquired a strange new understanding of Kipling -- an intimacy I would not, previously, have thought possible. Landmark's founder seemed to recognize the appeal (and the advantage) of this opportunity when he said, "We believe that by using buildings in this way--where possible combined with ordinary public access--the maximum number of people get the most from them; and that many visitors who go just for a holiday come back with their interest aroused in what they have found there."

Andrea Lieberg, one of the new caretakers of the Emerson house, documents her experiences in a blog, afarmerinthedell.wordpress.com, which is worth checking out. (I can't seem to create the direct link.)

And here, because I can't resist posting this too, is a picture of Naulakha:

Illustrations on flickr

I've decided to make more use of my flickr account,and as such I've consolidated the art work from Ms Grumpy Muppet blog on here, and will add more over time. You can see my 'random illos' here.

My patterns for sale on Etsy

Just for reference, I'm putting a list here of the crochet patterns I usually have for sale on Etsy. These are all normally available, with all the details about the materials and skill level needed to make them, at lucyravenscar.etsy.com. If any of them are missing from my shop, just contact me and I'll relist them.

**Updated December 2012**

Star Wars Mini Amigurumi Patterns:

Single Patterns $3.50 each.

You can also buy two patterns for $6, three patterns for $9, six patterns for $17 or all 14 patterns together for $37.

Admiral Ackbar

Jawa

Boba Fett

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Yoda

Ewok

Chewbacca

R2-D2

C-3PO

Darth Vader

Stormtrooper

Princess Leia

Luke Skywalker

 

 

Han Solo

Dragonet Amigurumi Pattern: $6

Adorable Monster Amigurumi Pattern: $4

Also available to download from Ravelry: Adorable Monster

Small Spirit Pattern: $4

Flora the Elephant Amigurumi Pattern: $4
Also available to download from Ravelry: Flora the Elephant

Witch and Wizard Amigurumi Pattern: $4

Also available to download from Ravelry: Witch and Wizard

Woolly Jumpers Amigurumi Pattern - Rabbit and Lamb: $4

Also available to download from Ravelry: Woolly Jumpers

Chubby Gnomes Amigurumi Pattern: $3.50
Also available to download from Ravelry: Chubby Gnomes

Tooterphants Amigurumi Pattern: $4.00
Also available to download from Ravelry: Tooterphants

Mother and Child Spirits Amigurumi Pattern: $5.00

Also available to download from Ravelry: Mother and Child Spirits

Flappy Owl Amigurumi Pattern: $4.00

Also available to download from Ravelry: Flappy Owl

Little Folk Amigurumi Pattern: $5.00

Also available to download from Ravelry: Little Folk

Finn and Jake Amigurumi Patterns: buy them separately for $4.50 each, or together for $8

 

 

 

Woolly Monkey Amigurumi Pattern: $4.00

Also available to download from Ravelry