Moving Day! Update Your Bookmarks!

Okay, the new blog isn't quite finished, but I'm too impatient to wait until everything is done. I need to get this thing moved so I can spend my blogging time getting the new domain where I want it instead of splitting my attention between here and there.

It makes sense to me anyway.

So, as the title says, update your bookmarks me bloggies!

Ye Olde Crochet Cultist will for now on be updated at

http://crochetcultist.com/

I know. It's a hard one to remember, huh?

See you guys there!

Time to bring some joy and break some hearts

Yes, folks, it's that time! It's time to announce the winners of my OWOH giveaway!

I have to tell you, after the pleading, pouts, prayers, and several attempts at bribery, it was a hard choice.

Well, a hard choice for the random number generator.

If I had tried to choose myself, I would have overloaded with guilt for not being able to give each and every one of you a dragon and a bunny.

So, in a way, it was hard. I am sorry I can't give each of you a dragon and bunny, but I am also very happy I got to meet you all and seriously hope you come back to visit...or at least join me in breaking in the new blog domain.

Anyway, here we go!

The winner of the dragon is...

Lady Roxi

The winner of the Ball of Bun is...

Pandora's Artbox

Congratulations! I know you'll give these companions a loving home!

I will be contacting you both as soon as I get this post up. If no response is received by Monday morning, I will pull a new number.

To everyone else, thanks so much for participating! Check back to see the new blog, and since I had so much fun with this one, I'm thinking of doing another giveaway!

Now, to go and visit all those blogs I missed. Wow. There are so many, but the thought of missing out on all that talent is just awful. You all rock!



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I have been asked several times, so I guess it's okay to answer on the blog now for everyone who was wondering. I didn't want to seem like I was plugging in the middle of the giveaway. Yes, I do sell my stuff. Right now, I only make the dragons by order because they take a little while to make. The bunnies are easy to whip up and I plan on having a stash of them soon, although I do take commissions for them as well, especially if you want a different color. If interested, please email me. eleanora.sgb (at) gmail (dot) com for prices.

The Comments for OWOH are now closed!

Wow! 194 entrants! That far surpassed anything I expected! And, you guys have been completely awesome!

I have been doing some marathon entering myself, but do know that I plan on visiting as many blogs as possible even though the OWOH is coming to an end. As I have said, my blogroll is going to explode with new blog links. Of course, if anyone doesn't wish to be linked, please let me know.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Tomorrow, probably in the evening, I will announce the two lucky winners of my giveaway after some intense meditation, a couple of shots of whiskey, discussion with my panel of cats, and a random number generator. Please check back here for the big announcement! I'll be contacting the winners shortly after. This is so exciting! Can't wait!



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What else can I say? I'm chewing fingernails in anticipation over here!

OWOH

Just as a notice, I will close comments for the OWOH post at 10 PM US Central Standard Time tonight.

I would wait until midnight but I have to get up early in the morning.

I apologize to all of my entrants for not specifying a time.

Still! This is exciting! Tomorrow the winners will be announced! WOO!

Not for 12 and under. No fun for you!

I haven't mentioned the CSPIA in a while. This wasn't because I wasn't still fighting the good fight. It was mostly because I needed my blog to be one of the places that didn't talk about it since most the places where I spent most of my time were all about the CSPIA. Sometimes, you just need a place to recharge.

Today, on National Bankruptcy Day, I feel the need to chat about it a bit.

There has been a stay put on the CSPIA which many people have pretty much determined is just a stay for the CPSC to not have to enforce the law despite their press release.

Mostly because of the fine print which pretty much says you still have to test and that the state attorney generals can still enforce it. Granted, the press release states:

The Commission trusts that State Attorneys General will respect the Commission's judgment that it is necessary to stay certain testing and certification requirements and will focus their own enforcement efforts on other provisions of the law, e.g. the sale of recalled products.

There isn't trust that the state attorney generals won't take the fine print and run with it.

And, well, there's that whole having to test or destroy children's books printed before 1985. (Boy, that bit was definitely written by someone with the intellectual savvy of mayonnaise.)

Well, recently, the CSPIA actually released a rather easy to read set of guidlines explaining the definition of children's products, who should test, why, and what they are and aren't worried about.

You can find the PDF file on their site, but here's a direct link: CPSIA Guide

Do note their little "out" on the bottom of the title page. Either way, it does explain things.

Too bad they waited until the very last damn minute to post it. For many businesses, it's too late. And, the book thing still hasn't been resolved. (Lead in books? Are they kidding?)

Now, according to their little guide, their FAQ page, and an agent spoken to by an Etsy seller as posted by Knot By Gran'ma if your items are labeled "not intended for children under 12" then you're good. They will take your word for it. Now, granted, their FAQ has this little tidbit:

Does the CPSIA envision stuffed animals falling within the scope of the CPSIA’s lead limits or phthalate limits?

Most stuffed animals would be considered to be children’s products and presumably toys. A manufacturer would need to determine whether the design of the stuffed animals is such that it is subject to the lead paint limits, the lead content limits or the phthalate limits.

Now, that doesn't mean they automatically consider all stuffed animals toys, just most. And, that bit bout "A manufacturer would need to determine whether the design of the stuffed animals blah, blah, blah..." Well, considering their guide has this handy-dandy little table:

Table B ‐ These materials or components can be used (separately or in combination) and sold (provided they have not been treated or altered or undergone any processing that could result in the addition of lead):

•Precious gemstones: diamond, ruby, sapphire or emeralds
•Semiprecious stones provided that the mineral or material is not based on lead and is not associated with any mineral based on lead
•Natural or cultured pearls
•Wood
•Other natural materials including coral, amber, feathers, fur, and untreated leather
•Surgical steel
•Gold, of at least 10 karats
•Silver, at least 925/1000 pure
•Platinum, palladium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and ruthenium
•Yarn, dyed or undyed
•Dyed or undyed textiles (cotton, wool, hemp, nylon, etc.), including children’s fabric products, such as baby blankets, and non‐metallic thread and trim. This does not include products that have rhinestones or other ornaments that may contain lead or that have fasteners with possible lead content (such as buttons, metal snaps, zippers or grommets).
•Children’s books printed after 1985 that are conventionally printed and intended to be read, as opposed to used for play
•Certain educational materials, such as chemistry sets

So, if you use any of these items, you're still golden, as long as you're careful about buttons and such.

What it comes down to is they are finally getting the hint and figuring out that, yes, this rule has to have exceptions. I expect there will be tons of revisions of this guide and that there will be much arguing about this law.

Now, the reason I'm posting this is to shine a light down the tunnel and to also make sure that there is no question about my items. First of all, I have emailed all the manufacturers of the yarns, filler, etc. I use to make my crocheted creatures, and they have all certified lead-free. On top of that, the CPSC itself says that textiles are not counted.

Granted, even if they hadn't said that, I wasn't going to stop making my creatures. Nothing I use has lead in it, and everything is as safe as I can make it. Hell, as proof, when I'm sewing dragon bits together, I often have to wet the end of the yarn to get it through the eye of the tapestry needle, and how do most people moisten the end of thread or yarn before poking it through a needle? They stick it in their mouth! As much as I have to do that, I ought to be suffering pretty heavily from lead poisoning if there were lead in the yarn. But, THERE IS NO LEAD IN YARN. And, I'll be damned if they're going to tell me I can't make my creatures because they had a knee jerk reaction to the horrors imported from China. Products manufactured in this country are already bound by laws to keep lead and other dangers out of a child's toy box. The CSPIA is not only redundant but aimed at the wrong people. Oh, sure, I'm all for product safety, especially for kids, but um, let's try to aim the laws at the source of the problems, namely Asian manufacturers. My creatures have no loose parts. They do not contain lead.

Now, they are toys. I'll freely admit that. Although, funnily enough, I've not sold a single dragon for a child. Every one that I've sold has gone to an adult who had no intention of sharing with any kid. (Does that make them adult toys?) But, I can't deny, especially after seeing how many people want to give them to their kids if they win one for the OWOH, that they are toys. Did I ever intend them for kids under 12? Honestly? No. I intended them for fantasy convention geeks and SCA folks and really did just have adults in mind. Probably because I'm mostly an adult kid myself. But, I absolutely believed that some people will want them for their kids. Now, I could easily turn them into art dolls and say they aren't for children, but I can't control it if a parent decides to give it to their child. Besides, as previously stated, it doesn't matter anyway, yarn is not included in the lead testing and all of my stuff was already tested by the manufacturer anyway. They are about as safe as any other stuffed creature made with love, care, and the intention to give adults a chance to be kids and kids to have something that isn't cold, mass-produced, and void of any personality at all.

So, I leave it up to the populace to decide. I will make my Wee Dragons and my Balls of Bun and probably whatever else comes to mind. If parents aren't satisfied that they aren't going to abjectly murder children, they don't have to buy them. As stated, I mainly had adults in mind anyway. But, according to the CSPIA and several senators' aides and that guide book, I don't have to stop making them.

Besides, it's absolutely against my very fiber to let them bully me. My paternal grandmother taught me to crochet when I was six. She would be very proud to see how I've progressed from potholders, and I doubt very seriously she would let me stop just because some government yahoo who knows nothing about handmade products wrote some sweeping legislation just to give himself a pat on the back. She was Cajun. Cajuns don't take too kindly to being bullied.

For Grandma!



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And, hey, if they want to push the issue and decide that, yes, everything must be tested and, yes, we are all potential baby killers, then fine, let them. When the same people who support it can't find the handmade stuff they want to buy in order to avoid Chinese imports, when they go looking for some collectible doll from their childhood only to be told it is in a landfill, when all the books they grew up with are gone, when they realize it's not a Good Thing to let the government raise their kids, we'll see how fast the law changes. And, still I will make Wee Dragons. Because Wee Dragons don't take kindly to being bullied either.

Besides, being a Crafting Outlaw has an appeal to it...

Only two days left!

I'm chewing on my nails, are you?

Okay, I don't really have much in the way of nails because of the whole massage therapist job, but I'm still all kinds of nerves and stuff for the impending OWOH giveaway deadline!

You guys have been awesome and have said lovely things about my dragons and my ball of bun. I just know whoever wins them will give them happy homes.

I, personally, have a serious marathon of entering-of-fellow-bloggers'-giveaways session coming up. I can't even begin to tell you how many I've entered so far, but I'm going to hit everyone I can tomorrow! And, please note that I am bookmarking and reading every one that I can. My blogroll is going to seriously grow in the next few weeks because you guys are amazing, and I plan on spreading the word as best I can on my not-so-humble blog.

Speaking of Ye Olde Blog, the Crochet Cultist will be moving. I've made mention of my hubby purchasing my own domains for my blogs for I Love That You're A Geek Day, but I haven't officially made the move yet because of the OWOH. I didn't want to confuse people. However, I did want to warn anyone who might want to visit again that the Cultist will be moving, but it's not like this place will go blank. I'll just put up a regular post with the new domain.

There will be some minuses to the move, unfortunately. I can't do the whole "following" thing. We can do RSS feeds, but apparently there is no following unless I can locate a widget for it. So, I apologize to those I followed through Blogspot. I am still following you, just not through Blogspot.

Darn. I was hoping the changeover wouldn't be complicated.

On other fronts, I have begun the Wee Dragon Twins. I have had two, count 'em, two requests for black and red Wee Dragons. I have one full body completed and a skein of yarn that has given me its opinion on being turned into a Wee Dragon.





















It's really a shame when a skein of yarn would rather puke up its guts than become the project you for which you intended it. Not that it will save it or anything. I am a cruel yarn mistress. It can beg, plead, and be downright insubordinate, and dammit, it will be what I say it will be!

This is not a yarn democracy!

Bwahahahahahaha!

Ahem...

Yes...

Where was I?

Oh, yes, the OWOH giveway is in a couple of days.

Check back here for the official announcement of the winners!

Or, just check back for the fun of it and the official moving day to the new domain!

Or, just check back because you're bored.

Either way, have some fun!



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Of course, it's not like the new domain isn't actually working or you guys couldn't figure out what it's going to be, but I figure I'd at least try to make the new place presentable even if it's still under construction. Those "under construction" flashy icons are so 1990's. (And, of course, I say "I" when it's more like "We" when it's more like "My Amazing Hubby" who is making the place presentable. He can read CSS and not go cross-eyed. He's awesome like that.)

There are zombies when the interesting things wane...

I wasn't as productive as I would have wanted tonight, but considering I've been pushing my productivity for the last few weeks to its very limits of ADD, I'm not surprised I shut down tonight.

Yes, ADD. I have project ADD. I have this tendency to get really into a project, and when it nears completion...move on to the next one. I know there are people who suffer this beyond my blog borders. I've met some of you. You can't deny it. You know that things are going well. The current project is progressing. You will finish it and more because people are demanding it. But, oh, look! A duck!

Yeah, don't try to deny it. You've all had those moments when you're working on something you "must finish" and then something you "must try" clouds your vision and threatens to take you into the world of "something more interesting." And, it's a serious tease because you know the thing you are working on is seriously interesting, but the little bumps in the creative road make it less interesting than starting something new.

Don't look at me like that because I know you understand what I'm talking about.

Now, luckily, I feel my project ADD isn't in its truest form tonight. I worked on a previous project in lieu of the ones loooming. Granted, that's not the best excuse, but it isn't the death knell on my projects. Apparently, I needed a break from crochet to work on my sketch of a zombie girl scout.


















It's not even close to being done, but, hey, I figured I'd give you guys something to giggle at.

(One of these days it will be gross and disturbing...or disturbingly funny...I think I prefer disturbingly funny...)



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Here's a fun game a friend of ours made up to keep his children interested at dinner, no matter where it was. Look around the room, and ask yourself the question, "What would I use to defend myself if the Zombie Apocalypse came?"

In your current room, would you survive?

Empty Pages

This might tell you a little about me, but...I have a weird affliction:

I have all these journals. I collect them. I love them. There is this weird comfort to having them around. However, I never write or draw in them. It sometimes feels like I'm doing it wrong. It's the weirdest thing. I know they are mine and that it doesn't matter what I put into them, but it's like my inner me holds back because it's afraid someone might see.

Has anyone else had this problem?

I want to use these journals. I want to fill them with my thoughts and art and ideas and madness and...everything. So why do their pages worry me?

Anyone else feel or have felt like this? I cracked open a Moleskine journal today and just went for it. It felt strangely freeing and scary.

Am I just weird?

That's probably a really stupid question if only because I know the obvious answer. My husband often reminds me that "normal" really isn't a description that can be applied to my personality.



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It's really strange that journals make me feel like this. Haven't had this problem with sketch pads or just slapping some paper mache onto a frame and willing it into my desire. What's the difference with a blank page?

Why should you let them dictate your holiday?

So, my hubby and I aren't really into Valentine's.

Which is weird because when we started dating we felt compelled to do something on the day. I have theorized that this holiday, whether made up by Hallmark or not, is so ingrained in our culture that we feel downright guilty for not doing anything on that day. We have been assimilated by the Valentine's Borg Collective.

The geeks will get it.

At first, it seemed like we fell into the normal Valentine's trap. Candy, flowers, teddy bears. (Which we each exchanged, I might add. I think it's completely unfair to make the guy shoulder all of the responsibility for our collective brainwashing.)

But, when we moved in together, Valentine's became, well, something different. Something our own.

That first year of living together, he bought me my very much coveted Peaches, the rubber chicken.

Oh, yes, through the purchase of an item that is more well-known the the gag world than the whoopee cushion, we reclaimed the holiday. It is now ours.

I invite everyone to celebrate I Love That You're A Geek Day. To hell with pink hearts and fluffy teddy bears (I can make my own, thank you.) and...well...I won't give up the chocolate...Hallmark can keep it's ribbony red, pink, white, and nauseatingly cutesy trappings!

I would rather celebrate the love of my life by appreciating who he is and saying, "Dammit, I wouldn't change a thing." And, you know, it means more to me when he says the same in whatever he does. (It just so happens we are both hopeless geeks. Yay, geekdom!)

Actually, I invite you to reclaim the holiday in your own way. Doing it the Hallmark way is just consumerism. Doing it your way is special and fun.

Maybe your day is I Love That You're A Music Lover Day. Or maybe it's a I Love That You're A Chocolate Lover Day. Find the thing that you both have in common, the thing that you are so grateful for, and run with it!

Seriously, Hallmark has watered this down long enough. I mean, it's become a holiday of guilt. I a man doesn't buy his girl a ton of useless crap, then he's an unfeeling slob. And, oh, yes, it's mostly shouldered by the men. Sure, women will give gifts, but you can tell that most items and commercials are aimed at the men to give to their women. That's a bit unfair, don't you think?

You know, you enjoy what you love about your girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, every day. This day should really be a day to actually celebrate it, bring attention to it, in whatever way you wish. It doesn't have to cost anything. It could be as simple as a note hidden in the medicine cabinet, or a series of very interesting text messages.

Reclaim it! Make it yours!

I would like to gloat about my hubby giving my I Love That Your A Geek Day gift early. He bought me my own domains and hosting for my blogs! Yes, that's right! Ye Olde Crochet Cultist and the Kamikaze Kumquat will have their own spots in the internet universe!

It's like an awesome sandwich with awesome toppings served with a side of awesome and cherry-flavored awesome to drink!

The Cultist isn't moving just yet, so don't reset your bookmarks. I'll post when it's time for the great move. Right now, I'm just trying to make the site look presentable. It's taking more time than I thought.

Now, to figure out what to get him that's just as awesome. I want to get him a cubicle arsenal but he works with a bunch of fogeys. I can't afford to buy him another sword. I already made him a dragon, although I could do one in his device colors with a kind of experimental twist I was mulling over.

I'll think of something.

I don't think it will be as awesome of giving me my own domains, but I'm sure it will be pretty cool.

Seriously, folks, there is nothing like appreciating the thing about your significant other that attracted you to him/her in the first place. If it concerns bows and teddies and chocolates, then cool, but don't let it stop you if it is more along the lines of "Dear, I am so happy you're a mime."



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Ya'll should have seen how he broke it to me. He came home from a hair cut and said he had bad news that Kamikaze Kumquat was already taken as a domain name. I was mortified. He told me to check. When I entered www.kamikazekumquat.com it came up with the message:
Happy Valentine's a bit early...

I love my geek boy!

It's Alive! Alive! Mwahahahahaha!

I'm not sure what to say about my latest creation except the level of annoyance it took to bring it to fruition bordered on the obnoxious.

You know, the funny thing is I really think the reason it was so difficult was because it was cute.

I seem to have a problem with cute.

I don't mind cute on my terms. My Wee Dragons are way cute, for instance. And, yes, this creation is also quite cute, but, honestly, I don't have this much trouble when I do twisted, odd, weird, disturbing, or even "cute in a way that keeps its mother from devouring it".

Now, granted, some of the blame lies in the yarn itself.

I love natural fibers. I prefer them. But, after the Invasion of the Great Munching Menace of 2008, I am short an entire stash and definitely short of cash to replace it. (Only a tiny fraction of my stash survived, including the alpaca, thankfully.) Plus, I have seen my dragons in the hands of children and adults (mostly adults) and frankly, their treatment of the dragons runs about the same. This isn't a bad thing. They are played with and enjoyed, but being played with and enjoyed means they will get dirty. It's much easier to wash a dragon made out of acrylic rather than natural fibers. Sure, I have no problems making them out of something natural. I would love to. But, until someone commissions one with the request that natural is what they won't, I won't assume. Natural fibers require a special care that most people aren't aware of. Granted, more and more people are learning, but I really don't want to get an email saying they weren't aware that wool would felt quite like that and while it might still be a dragon, it really...well...do you know any good carnival sideshows?

I tried using a regular Red Heart kind of yarn, but it made the creation come out...stiff. The dragons kind of need a little stiffness to their fabric for what they are, but this one has floppy ears. Red Heart yarn, no matter how loosely you crochet it, does not produce the right amount of flop.

This is why I moved to the Homespun. I had some of it left over that had not been infected by the Munching Menace, and thought that it was just the right amount of soft and fluffy to give the right amount of flop.

And, I was right.

Yes, it argued with me. Yes, it tried to eat my hook. Yes, it would curse me under it's breath and unravel into an unworkable fluff while I was asleep. Still, it was perfect for the project.

So, without further ado and with much hope you guys will like it, I present:

Ball Of Bun













Backside:













I wish my fluffy butt was this cute.

Now, I think he's pretty damn cute, and with the battle it took to design him and get the yarn to actually be him, I find a satisfying little twisted sense-of-humor in that smile.

I seriously hope ya'll like him because not only will there be more like him, but he is also the official Second Prize to my OWOH giveaway. You will find the official giveaway post updated, so even if you're after the bunny, please post comments there.

I have to tell you guys, this one was a hard one for me. He's very squishy and has ears that are perfect for playing Helicopter Bunny. He almost made me become a very rude blogger and inform ya'll that he's Mine, mine, and you can't have him! Nyah! But, I resisted.

I'm sure someone will give him a lovely, happy home where he will stare at them with that same twisted, sarcastic smile...



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God, I'm losing my cred, I think. Our friends all know me as the person who not only got married on Halloween but who made most of the props for the reception. (Well, Todd did the seven-foot Grim Reaper. I love that man.) I have a handmade bat-winged skull over the fireplace. One of the first things I gave the Hubby when we started dating was a homemade candle holder that definitely looked as if it had a less than stellar day. I If I keep producing cute stuff, they might start thinking that the Halloween parties are going to have unspiked punch and Wal-Mart decorations. Definitely can't have that. After the Mardi Gras mask commission, it's back to my roots...that is, of course, if I'm not making dragons or bunnies...

Who says yarn doesn't fight back?

You know, I know yarn is inanimate. I mean, for the most part. Okay, when it has been spun from fibers that came from a living creature, I sometimes expect some residual sentience.

For instance, I once spent an entire weekend explaining to a ball of wool in no uncertain terms that it will become a pair of socks, and if continued that insubordinate attitude then it would get to know our fireplace up close and personal.

After some back-talk, it finally listened.

As I said, I kind of expect it from wool. It was once living, right? And, considering it was forcibly taken from a rather angry sheep then washed, carded, spun, dyed, and generally treated with what we would call "respect" but what with what it would call "abject cruelty," it's no wonder it has an attitude.

Wool has an excuse.

So, what the hell kind of excuse does the synthetic yarn I'm using have?

Seriously. I've been having this argument with this stuff for days. I'm telling it it will be a bunny. It insults my lineage and frays into something that looks remarkably like Pomeranian fluff. I cut the fluff off, start over, and remind it that while it may try to eat my hook, I do still have a fireplace.

Synthetic yarn is never as impressed with a fireplace. I think because it doesn't burn so much as melt and stink, getting the last laugh.

The war has raged on.

Last night, there was a victory as I achieved bunny feet with bunny toes. Hard to see in the yarn's fluffiness, but there are bunny toes!

But, as you know, one victory doesn't often end a war, and war is not pleasant to look at. I shudder to show you the photograph of the progress, but I, for one, am all about letting people make their own decisions about what they should and should not see.

Warning: if you have small children in the room, you might want to hide their impressionable eyes.

Deep breath...














I know. It's terrible, but I don't like hiding the truth from the world even if it's ugly.

Yes, it's yarn carnage, but with hopes, from the carnage will come cute fluffiness.

It's the price I pay for a bunny.

And, may be the price you all pay. See, if the yarn cooperates and turns into a soft, squishy bunny in the next day or so, then I will offer it up as a runner-up prize for the One-World, One-Heart giveaway.

So, you see, the process may be harsh and ugly, but from that comes fluffy squees!

This yarn will not get the best of me! This yarn will become squishy goodness and it will like it! I will win! For the sake of the OWOH travelers, I will win!

Stupid synthetic yarn.

If my entire stash had not been invaded by moths, I'm sure the wool would be laughing.



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The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun, which, while fluffy and soft and something you definitely pet, is a snaggable nightmare. Now, crocheters understand this, I think. It's not snaggable in the since that it will snag on a rounded corner of your coffee table if it comes within five feet of it. It's snaggable in the sense that you put your hook through the loop for a pull-through and what you get is fibers from the previous row who have decided they will take your hook for ransom. It is the cause of much cursing, a good deal of drinking, and enough growling to make the dog leave the room in worry.

Salutations OWOH Wanderers!

Okay, I didn't blog for a few days so it would be easier for the OWOH travelers to find the giveaway post, but I can't stand it anymore! I must blog! So, I put the badge to the sidebar so people can find it.

First of all, I just want to say how happy I am that all of you beautiful OWOH travelers dropped by for a visit! Greetings! Hello! And, please visit anytime! Even more so, thank you all for the lovely, kind words you had to say about my Wee Dragons! I love making them, and they bring a lot of joy and play to people of all ages. (Funnily enough, most of the people who commission them from me are adults who instantly turn into giggling kids when I hand them their new dragon friend. And, I have to tell you, it's the best ever!)

I'd also like to thank Lisa Oceandreamer for hosting the event. I hadn't heard of it until a twitter friend sent a tweet about it. I was so excited! Lots of people with amazing talents to meet! I will participate every year as long as it happens. Thanks, Lisa!

I'm sure this event will cause my blogroll to grow exponentially.

I will also have to say that, damn, guys, ya'll are some seriously talented folks. In some ways, I am jealous as all get out, but mostly, you all inspire me to continue with my own arts. (Although, ya'll keep me humble, which isn't a bad thing, if you ask me.)

Anyway, I hope you all continue to drop by and hang out and see how ye olde Crochet Cultist continues to develop/fights off the stagnation trolls/frightens small children and some adults.

Take care all!



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The stagnation trolls are devious creatures. Just when you get in the blogging groove, they flick your ADD switch and suddenly you're not blogging because there's just something really interesting about that dryer lint...

One World-One Heart Giveaway! Wee Dragons! (Second Prize Added!)

This is the best evar!

In an effort to connect bloggers and just spread some much needed hugs to the world, an event has been created to have hundreds of bloggers give of their art and of themselves on the same day. How cool is that?

It's called One World-One Heart.

Your friendly, neighborhood Crochet Cultist is all over this! Yes, folks, by leaving your comment and your contact information on this post, you can win your very own custom-made Wee Dragon!

Let the models strut their stuff!







































(Sorry for the yellow look to this one. He really is blue and white. I'm still learning how to take pictures indoors.)


The rules are simple:

Please leave a comment on this blog post with your contact information along with your two favorite colors. (Or, if you choose, two shades of your one favorite color.) The spirally dragon is a new venture that was well received, so if you want that, please let me know. I will close comments on February 11, and on February 12, with the aid of random.org I will pick a winner. I will then contact you to finalize your preferences, and I will create your very own Wee Dragon!

Please note that as of right now, I make these dragons out of acrylic yarn and poly-fil. The reason being that makes them easier to clean and take care of. If there is an allergy, please let me know.

My pictures do them no justice. They are very cute and great companions. Their going opinion on things right now is:















"Rowr!"



Very eloquent. :-)

Again, please make sure you leave some way in the comments for me to get in touch with you be it your email or your blog with your email. Sorry to be tough, but if I don't receive email confirmation within three days, I will award the prize to someone else. Don't want you to miss out on your Wee Dragon!

Also, having had a wonderful amount of response to my giveaway, I have decided to offer a second prize. Please meet the recently designed and created Ball of Bun!



























Yes, he's a little fluffy ball of bunny that sits about 4 1/2 inches tall with ears that are perfect for Helicopter Bunny! He is made from the very soft Homespun yarn and fits in your hand or sits perfectly at your computer to bring you up on a bad day.

Hope ya'll enjoy him as well!

And, if you want, here is the participant list to enter more giveaways.

Take care. Have a good heart. Give love.




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Okay, I meant to mention the dragons are about a foot long from tail tip to chest and stand between 5 and 6 inches high at the head. Also, I would also love, love, love it if the winner took a picture of themselves with the Wee Dragon or at least their Wee Dragon in the wild! :-)

Wee Dragons Abound!

The Punk Dragon is done.

Okay, I call it a punk dragon because while it looks a little like something a member of the Clash might find adorable, there really is a reason behind it.

Let me explain.

See, I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism where we create a persona that existed from a time period ranging from "how early do ya wanna go?" to 1600, dress up in outfits that mimic that time period, go to events to watch men and women in armor beat the snot out of each other while eating, drinking, being merry and learning how to be more accurate in our persona. It's all historical and yet not, hence the "Anachronism" part of the title. Anyway, it's a fun hobby.

As I mentioned, there is fighting. Well, the fighters need a kind of referee to make sure everyone's armor is up to snuff, to keep them from getting too carried away, and letting them know when a piece of armor has blown out. This is only a small portion of what they do. They are the Safety Squad. In order to distinguish them on the fighting field as marshalls they carry around a black and yellow stick.

For example:



















For obvious reasons, we call it the Twisty Stick.

A friend of ours is a marshall and commissioned from me a black and yellow dragon. He, essentially, wanted a Twisty Dragon.

Ask and ye shall receive:














I wasn't so sure about this one. I was kind of afraid he would be a bit obnoxious or look something like a crazed bumble bee, but you know, I think he came out pretty cool. I like him. He's a dragon that marches to the beat of his own drum and really doesn't care what the other dragons think.

He also makes me think I should do more punk dragons. Wee Dragons, Punk and Goth Editions.

Oh, and I tried taking better pictures of my niece's dragon. The other pictures I took just weren't that great. The rainbow yarn I used looked way more red than it is and not all that palatable. (Not that I was all that happy about using rainbow yarn anyway. But, she's five. What do you do?)

I think this is a slightly better pic.













The reds don't look quite as harsh. It still looks better in person. I just wish I could have found a rainbow yarn with a bit more yellow. As I had said, though, I had a hard enough time looking for rainbow yarn that didn't look a rainbow had thrown up after a bender.

Of course, the next dragon commission is a camouflaged dragon for a five-year-old boy.

Kids. They know what they want, that's for sure.




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I earned serious brownie points with a group of emo teens at the Barnes and Noble stitch last Friday. About five of them came up and nervously pointed out how cool my dragons were. I thanked them, after which they shuffled their feet a bit, looked a little embarrassed, grinned sheepishly, and ran off. I didn't think I was all that scary.