The Little Visitors
From a land far crochet.
Sorry.
So, tiny fashion projects have been on pause for a few weeks. I was busy with a bit of work for a friend and some family commitments then taking some time to focus on a different kind of project: the Little Visitors.
The first of the little visitors arrive…
I've taken a break from tiny clothes to crochet tiny aliens and other critters.
I've been making crochet toys for new babies in my family for number of years now which prompted one of my cousins to ask me if I could make a Goldbug (of the Richard Scarry books) for her son.
Finished Goldbug.
Goldbug was an honoured dinner guest.
Until then, I had always used existing patterns rather than making up my own; I was still learning and coming to understand the ins and outs of how to make shapes with crochet. Goldbug was the first pattern I can say I created on my own - not that most of the shapes were all that complicated to figure out. Upon completing him, it occurred to me that if I were to make him with bright green yarn and add an eye or two he would make a good alien.
Et voila! Alien!
As I was making him, more ideas for aliens started coming to me as well as the idea that they should have, forgive the expression, I say it with love, old people names. I mean the kind of names that are a bit confounding as you wonder how anyone ever looked at a tiny, brand new baby and thought yes, Floyd. Or Mildred. (Admittedly, I have picked some names which I don't think quite fall into that category, but they still have an old quality that I like.) And so, a gimmick was born.
Carl
Carl was the first to be made. I had the clearest image of him in my head and was most excited about figuring out how to make his mouth and the scallops around his bottom edge. I imagine him as being sort of jelly like - a friendly gelatinous blob rather than a horrible one (for the Futurama fans out there.)
For some of them, I've had an idea of the finished product in my head as I began, but others have been more a case of a starting with something I was interested in trying out and sort of improvising and figuring it out as I went. Mabel was a bit of an improvisation as I started with a vague idea for her body and kept adding bits until I liked how she looked. Edna was inspired by an eyeball I had originally meant to use on Winston before changing my mind. I thought it was a perfectly good eyeball and it seemed a shame not to use it so I decided to come up with an eyeball-centric design. The real challenge with her was figuring out what I could add to her body which wouldn't make her look like a plush coronavirus, which I felt that might be in poor taste. (My mum has a particular fondness for Edna and loves the way the eyeball can be popped out of its socket.)
I've made eight (sort of nine) aliens so far and have been having a lot of fun creating scenarios and little stories about their explorations. So far, they have been to the park, camping and the cottage as well as trick or treating. (I might have been giggling to myself the entire time I was making their little costumes.)
I have also begun to expand my repertoire back into the world of animals which actually exist, this time with my own patterns. Earlier this summer I had made a bunny and cow for another new baby in the family and recently I made a hedgehog and a pig.
The natural conclusion of this tale is that as much as I do have a lot of fun making all my little critters, I don't want to do it for free forever. To that end, the other thing which has been keeping me from tiny dresses has been setting up a store on Etsy. (Also, a doozy of a cold my cousin's two year old was generously passing around at the aforementioned family commitments; I haven't had a cold in almost two years and I can't say I was missing it.) So far, I've listed ten of my creatures and I hope to add more in the future. For the time being, I'm seeing how it goes and if I get any response.
Class portrait!
Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I will be getting back to my 1880 dress soon as well as starting into a few other ideas I have planned. I recently went searching through all my old sketchbooks for an old drawing and I ended up coming away with a bunch of inspiration from things I drew in high school which I now actually know how to make. I also have a few ideas for things which have piqued my interest as puzzles to be figured out and, of course, I’m still on the hunt for fabric for the Belle dress; one day I will finish her!
Check out my shop at www.etsy.com/ca/shop/littlevisitors
They are also having adventures on Instagram at little_visitors
