New Monster Monday: Rainbow Cyclops

Rainbow sweaters have been hard for me to come by lately.  I particularly love how bright the colors are in this one! It's perfect for spring!

Monster Monday: Couch Monsters!

It's that time of year again!  The sweater monsters are taking over my living room couch!

I'm prepping for Mayday Underground.  Setting the sweater monsters out on the couch helps me get a good sense of how many monsters I have and what colors I need more of. I definitely need to work on making some brighter colored monsters. I seem to have a lot of darker colors and greys.

New Monster Monday: Hints of Green

Some of my newest sweater monsters. 

(I think knowing St Patrick's Day is coming subconsciously made me include hints of green)

New Monster Monday: Turquoise-Faced Multicolored Barn Owls

Here are the finished limited edition Multicolored Barn Owls!

I've only made three so far to see how people would like them. I'd hate to make a lot of them and then have no one want them.  But based on the response I've been getting on my Facebook fan page after I posted the pictures, people seem to love them!  They are each currently available in my Etsy shop.

Orange Wings

Purple Wings

Mustard-Yellow Wings

For more owl-ish goodness, check out my friend Casey's shop Peaches Products.  It's all her fault I got into owls in the first place!  

New Monster Monday: Building Up Inventory

 This week, I continue to work on building up my sweater monster inventory for the "Mini Mayday" show next Saturday...

A new monster before the hand-sewn details are done.
(I love orange and turquoise together!)

A bad Instagram pic of 7 monsters I finished last week. You can see the finished orange/grey/turquoise monster at the left.  I'll be taking better, "official" pictures of the monsters later this week.

Back to sewing!

New Monster Monday: Stripey Sweater Monsters

 I'm gearing up for the Pullman Memorial Alternative Craft Fair that is this this upcoming weekend in Albion NY during the Albion Strawberry Festival.  Here's a sneak peek at some sweater monsters I finished this past weekend...  

(I have a confession:  I think I have an Instagram addiction!)

Fun photo of one of the sweater monster trying to make friends with the kitty. ;)

New Monster Monday: Mayday Finds

This week's New Monster Monday doesn't have monsters made by me, but features items I got this weekend at Mayday Underground!

First is a monster "ornament" from Erin Makes Stuff.  She actually knits all her monsters herself.  Her booth has a sign that says "We're not socks and we never were!"  My knitting skills are limited to the knit stitch (I don't even know how to purl!) so I am really impressed with the stuff she makes!  I especially like the square beads she uses to make the teeth.

I like squishing his face and messing with his lips to make him happy or sad!

I also got this cool little turquoise octopus from Peaches Products.  I traded her a Bunny Nubbin and a Ninja Nubbin for it. (yay for artist trades!) 

 I added them to the collection of small plushies in my craft room. (from left to right: (top) blue Mini Monster from EcoLeftz, Owl Nubbin, Octopus and Owl from Peaches Products. (bottom) Nubbin, Monster Ornament from Erin Makes Stuff, Finger Puppets I won in a blog giveaway from Happycloud Thunderhead.

I have my own Owl and Nubbin because I can't find that particular color of fleece anymore...and, you know, I am allowed to keep my own work sometimes, right? ;)

It provides a happy little corner of inspiration while I'm sewing!

New Monster Monday: Wilhelmina

I've been watching the TV series "Ugly Betty" on Netflix lately...and the main antagonist on the show is named Wilhelmina.  I don't imagine this monster having the mean, manipulative personality of the character that is her namesake, I just think Wilhelmina is a great monster name! (no double meaning intended!)

New Monster Monday: Farnsworth the Stripey Sweater Gremlin

This is Farnsworth the Stripey Sweater Gremlin...

"Farnsworth wants to be a scientist when he grows up. But for now, he enjoys performing various culinary experiments in the kitchen...most of which end up being some shade of orange."

 

I made Farnswoth from the arm of a thrift store sweater.  I have a "brother" for him, made from the other arm of the sweater, waiting  for me to sew the final details (eyes, lips and heart) by hand.  I think I'll name the brother...Finkleberg.  Don't ask me why...it just popped into my head!  And I think the two names sound cute and funny together..."Farnsworth and Finkleberg".  It sounds like it should be a kids' cartoon show (like "Phineas and Ferb"?) LOL.  I'll have to post photos of Finkleberg when he's finished.

Orange and blue are one of my very favorite color combinations to work with!  It seems only natural that they go so well together, since they are complimentary colors.  He's a fairly large monster (about 18 inches tall) and the sweater's texture is woolly and soft...so he's perfect for hugging and snuggling.  (confession: I'm snuggling with him right now!) 

I can just imagine a child taking him to bed every night...not being able to go to sleep unless they have their favorite stuffed toy.  I wonder if they'd keep the name I've given him, or make up their own name.  It kind of makes me giggle to imagine a child whining "But Mooooom, I CAN'T go to sleep without my Farnsworth!"

That makes me think...I need to start writing the monsters' names on tags to pin on them at craft shows. (which my mom has been suggesting I do for awhile now) People at shows will sometimes ask if I name them.  I really only end up naming the ones I list on Etsy.  But I've sold monsters before on Etsy solely because of what I chose to name them!...because the buyer had a particular attachment to the name (their middle name or the name of a good friend).

Yes, Farnsworth is turning out to be yet another one of those "favorite" monsters that I secretly want to keep for myself. (wait...isn't that every monster I make?) 

New Monster Monday: Hazel the Sweater Monster

I am continuing my thread of naming monsters after characters in movies/books I have recently watched/read.  Not for any particular reason other than it's a good way to choose monster names.  

I am naming this monster Hazel, after the narrator/protagonist in  "The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green (the author that is one half of the Vlogbrothers, a popular YouTube channel I follow)   I don't imagine that monster-Hazel is anything like book-character-Hazel.  It was just the first name that popped into my head when trying to decide what to name her.

New Monster Monday: Xeniba the Sweater Monster

I made a batch of Sweater Monsters the other day in an attempt to build up my inventory for my next craft show on February 5th.  Plus, it's been awhile since I made anything new!

I made this monster out of a sweater my grandma gave me.  Don't be alarmed, she got it at her church rummage sale and gave it to me with the intent that I make monsters out of it!  I think this is my new favorite monster (you know...the one I secretly hope no one buys because I'd like to keep it!)

I as watching "Spirited Away" when I was working on the machine sewing part of her construction, so I decided to name her Xeniba. (the movie character's name is spelled "Zeniba", but I felt like spelling it with an X instead!)