Mad Dorito (crochet pattern)

It's not often that I make up a pattern from scratch, so to immortalise this unusual moment for as long as this blog may last, I have decided to put it up online.  The explanation as to why I decided to make a mad dorito (it took about 2 hours) is not going to be present, it's a bit of an in joke and I don't think anyone outside the MX-5 circle would get it.  I might be wrong.  Either way, I'm not explaining.

So, the pattern: (Instructions are in American rather than English as that's how I think of my stitches.  If you are English, substitute SC for DC and you'll be all right).

Materials:
Yellow and black wool
4.5mm crochet hook
wool needle
red and white felt
2 x black beads
scissors

Sides (make 2)
Foundation Chain 20, ch1 to turn. (if you can't foundation chain, ch21, sc into 2nd ch from hook, sc along to end, ch 1 and start row 1)
Row 1 - sc2tog, sc in each sc along.  ch1, turn.
Row 2-end - repeat row 1.
Final row should be a single sc2tog.  Secure wool.

Leave a long tail on one triangle and use it to sew the edges together, leaving a gap to add stuffing.  Stuff lightly, this is a dorito not a samosa.  Sew up gap.

I decorated with a felt square mouth a-la Domo-Kun, black bead eyes and an angry monobrow in black sc.  I also edged the mouth in sc to give it a slightly sunken look and to hide the stitching around the edge - the felt I'm using shows needle marks quite badly.

So, if you every felt a need to make a mad dorito, now you can!

The temptation of the classifieds

Recently, I have harbored a pipe dream that tends to involve a large vegetable patch, an orchard, beehives, chickens and the postcard good life.  I am well aware that this will involve long days, manual labour and will require me to give up my social life.

My fiance, needless to say, is not enthralled by the idea, and would probably be even less enthralled if he realised that, if I come into enough money and he is sufficiently aggravating  I may just pack up and move to Ireland, leaving him in the dust.  Luckily for him, the chances of that happening are seriously remote.

Still, we did come to an agreement - I give up on the idea of us ever having children and I get my smallholding.  I have all sort of plans - selling dried herb sachets on e-bay to supplement the income over winter for a start.  Apple orchard + fruit press = apple juice (or scrumpy, potentially).  Beehives for honey to sell or make into mead.  On a small enough scale I wouldn't need more than an acre or two, and if I happened to land more, well, sheep farming for fleece has it's appeal.  And lambs are both cute and tasty. (I find sheep too stupid to form lasting attachments to once they're past the cute and skippy stage).

Of course, it would be tough.  The weather in the UK is not exactly brilliant at the moment, the past few years have been rough and I bet farmers are getting themselves further and further into debt as they try to recover.  I'm not looking at this career change through rose tinted glasses, at it's fundamental level it involves hauling around large amounts of animal shit.

And yet I want to do it anyway.  What does that say about me, I wonder?

Camp Nanowrimo

It feels more official with a badge, corny as that seems.  I feel a little guilty for setting myself a low goal this month, a measly 20k compared to November's 50k, but I could raise it, you never know.

I also feel like it's a cop out because most of what I've written so far has been typed up from a handwritten first draft - but I HATE typing up with a passion, and at least Camp Nanowrimo is getting the words onto the screen and into an edit-able format.  Ok, you can technically edit the handwritten copy too, but that gets messy and confusing.  It's quite amusing that chapter 4 on the first draft will be chapter 2 on the second draft, but I've cut out a large amount of the crap and decided to just go with split perspective rather than a split timeline.  Flashbacks and dreams are enough without diving completely into the past every other chapter.  It worked for the fanfic, but that's only because Duo didn't need much introduction - anyone reading Gundam Wing fanfiction should already have a pretty good handle on the characters and story after all!

Should probably go change my facebook picture to match I suppose...

Well, it's been a while...

It's been a while since I last posted, but then I don't think that the minute details of my life are all that interesting, and there is no point in writing if you have nothing to say.  

I have embarked on a new project - Camp Nanowrimo.  My word goal is only 20k at the moment - eminently achievable and I hope I won't be burnt out at the end, as I usually am in November.  I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and convert a fanfic into a Novel.  The only fanfic I have written that does not require an encyclopedia of explanation to give the background plot is Blue Lightning - after all, any post-war society that includes elite soldiers that fought in that war will do.  So, I created WW111 and the 'Specials' and Duo became Darren.  Solo got to stay Solo, but as names go his is not quite as recognizable.  In fact, if any strangers ever read it and contact me to ask about the subtle parallels to Gundam Wing, I will be happy to sign their copy of the book.

Not that I think it likely, but there you go.

So far I'm 2,500 into the second draft, the one that I will be using for the word count, and I seem to have mislaid the notebook with the original draft in it (not a brilliant start I know).  Well, I know where the secondary notebook with chapter 2 in it is, but I'm still not convinced that the split POV is the way forward - I think I'll write it split and then get a second opinion after a few chapters.  As Bracket is the only one I trust to read my WIP, I will be calling on her years of writing expertise to guide me in my choices.

And perhaps get her to take her damn commissioned blanket for her cats at the same time!

IT HAS HAPPENED!

IT HAS HAPPENED!  My book is now up for sale on Amazon.  Currently only available for kindle download, soon customers will be able to order the paperback version as well - as soon as I approve the proof copy when it arrives. XD

So excited about the fabulous cover designed by Carly Woodhouse - it just looks awesome!  It might have taken longer than I would have liked, but I'm really happy with it.

For those who have already read the book, I have now changed the ending to better fit in with the 'suspense' category I have dumped the book into. 

The kindle link is as follows:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elysium-Dysfunction-ebook/dp/B006ZCGM72/ref=sr_1_20?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348997684&sr=1-20

Hopefully I can amend this to add the link to the paperback version soon!

New Project

Started a new project for a university friend of mine today.  She LARPs, and I made her a blanket in the colours of Milen as she kept on getting cold during the nights - probably because all she eats during the game is cake!  Apparently her kitties love it so much she decided to commission me to make another one.  Now, I have discovered that I cannot repeat the same project twice - I get so bored.  So, I've used the same stitch as it is nice and cushy on the paws, but I've mixed up the stripe pattern a little.

Zak has already approved of the initial set up!



Pattern for those who are interested:

Holding two strands together, Ch 101.

Row 1: DC in second CH from hook,  DC in each CH along.  100 SC.
Row 2: CH1. (DC in DC, TR in DC).  Repeat (***) until end.  50 DC, 50 TR.
Row 3:  CH1 (DC in TR, TR in DC)  Repeat (***) until end.  50 DC, 50 TR.
Repeat row 3 until piece is desired length.

I'm changing the colour every 5 repetitions, I have dark brown, a fawn, a tan and a cream.  The pattern goes: 
Brown/Brown x 5, 
Brown/Fawn x 5, 
Fawn/Fawn x 5, 
Fawn/Tan x 5, 
Tan/Tan x 5 
Tan/Cream x 5 
Cream/Cream x 5
etc etc.  You get the picture.

Will add to this post once I've done enough for it to be worth another picture!

New Fanfic

Finally finished 'Only Pussies Hate the Snow'.  It's been a draft on my hard drive for an awfully long time, but while I was bored in my hotel room in Germany I found the time to polish the draft and finish it off.  I expect I'll never be quite happy with it, but I'm happy enough to put it up on Fanfiction.net.  After quite a busy week last week - silly me, thinking that taking time off of work would mean that I would have time to relax of all things! - and an equally busy and possibly internet free week planned next week, I thought it best to just get it out there before we leave for the Whitterings in half an hour.


Of course, now that it's uploaded I'm wishing that I had given myself that extra time and finished the last read through.  I think I got to page 10 or so, so it's been more than half edited, and I concentrated on the later portions of the fic while in Germany, so the whole should be quite presentable.  The reviews will tell, I expect, if I get any.  Hopefully I will.


Hilariously, the reviews for Filling the Void dropped off massively once I took the 'yaoi' out of the story summary and decided to leave it as a friendship fic.  I knew that the only people who trawl the Ichigo & Renji character combination are perverted yaoi fangirls!  I think I only got one review for the last chapter, and that was a couple of weeks after posting it! 


About to head out for a party which will hopefully fill the old cliche - sex, drugs and rock and roll.  Alcohol still counts as a drug right?   I could be wrong about that.  And the sex totally depends on the location, of course.  


The cats have food, the plants have been watered and the snakes probably won't even notice that we're gone...