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Total matches for crochet: 97

Ewan

Ewan

Ewan's shy.  Really he is.  It's just that when he gets the opportunity to shine, he turns out to be a charisma bomb.  He'll play just about any game quietly, but give him a chance at something action-y and he'll be making the kind of moves and commentary that'll have a whole room enamored and laughing.  Well, if you can understand chocobo, that is.

To say that I "went a little overboard" may be an understatement.  I think I rocketed straight to the sea floor only to rip through the molten heart of the planet and emerge on the other side.  But, you know, shiny results!  So beyond just spending however many days (over a week; I refuse to figure out more) making this poseable chocobo with wired legs, head, neck, wings and tail, I spent several weeks hand-sewing and hand-beading his blanket, headpiece, those two decorative "front flaps" (I r a artist I no wurds), all of the various bands for the saddle, then of course formed the saddle and panel armor from scrap leather, added several layers of iridescent gold pigment, and finished off with a little decorative gold chain with three lovely Swarovski crystals and a couple of tail pieces comprised of glass beads and gorgeously dyed jade.  I feel as if I succeeded in... something.

A note on the leather panel armor: it's not so much the weight but the way the weight is carried that makes it necessary to adjust his legs so he's not going to go tumbling forward when the armor is on.  The "tail pieces" are actually counter-weights to help alleviate that problem, but adjustment is still necessary.  There's a whole bunch of stylish combinations to be achieved from all of these pieces, so of course Ewan's set to be a star in any situation.

Very soon he'll be on his way to join Desert Bus for Hope's lovely crowd of awesome goodies.  More on that soon.

 

Date: 08 September 2013
Ren

Ren

Ren is really quite fond of showing off.  He's got a bit of a habit of overdoing it sometimes, so what he really needs is a companion who can balance him out with a little "common sense".  Of course, this doesn't mean there can't be some mutual showing off.  I bet he could out-perform any human on Dance Dance Revolution--if only they made a chocobo-compatible version.

So I was trying something.  I wanted the look of my "classic" chocobos with a little more internal structure and... here you have Ren.  His legs and toes are wired as usual, but there's extra poseability in his neck/head, tail and wings.  He is a touch "bejeweled" as well, with a number of secure glass beads for a touch of sparkle.

Of course the "way more than a touch" of sparkle comes from that parade ensemble he's got there, a beautifully deep midnight blue real silk velvet hand-sewn with an assortment of glass beads and 98 real Swarovski crystals.  Ninety-eight.  I really wish I hadn't figured that out.  Luckily I lost track of how many weeks this took altogether, but my hands are currently trying to scream the answer at me.

Ahem, point being.  This guy will be off to Desert Bus for Hope headquarters very soon.  More details as the date approaches.

 

Date: 16 August 2013
Evalis

Evalis

Evalis, while still being considered a rather young and technically "immature" Decce, acts as Guardian of the South Sea Temple.  His desire to protect the temple is out of gratitude to the servants for raising him after having found him seemingly abandoned as a hatchling.  He's well-suited to the lifestyle, as far as he's concerned, spending most of his time enjoying the sea breeze, watching over the temple servants and enjoying whatever gifts of food the devoted bring for him.  (He likes cherries, clearly.)  Fierce as he may look, it will take another hundred or so years for his horns to mature in full, as well as the stinging barbs on his tail and the backs of his legs to be at their most potent (though it should be noted that the barbs are only activated in defense; otherwise they're perfectly harmless).

Some have come to believe that the Decce are actually related to the Celestial Turtle.  While their "shells" aren't fully hardened structures, the longer the Decce live, the more hard gem-like structures grow onto their shells.  They don't normally fuse and become fully hard until after a Decce dies; this is where the tales of heroes using Decce shells as shields come from.  Rather than the hero fighting and conquering a Decce, a Decce tribe or family unit would grace someone they felt worthy with ancient artifact so important to them that it is literally a part of their history.  While they were once linked with mages, these days they've become exceedingly rare to the point where not even the great mage circles know whether or not a whole tribe of them still exist.  It's a sad fate, but some argue it's also smarter to hide until humans figure out how to stop destroying themselves.

Evalis was one of those off-and-on projects that I worked on in large pieces interrupted by a week here, a commission there, and a necessary break so that I wouldn't wind up getting stabby here and there and everywhere.  So... what I know is that he took some number of weeks to complete.  Not quite a month?  But definitely more than two weeks.  About three?  Maybe a little more?  Time, what is it?  I did a lot of new things with the internal structure, and I'm sure you'll notice the paws/claws.  I'm so happy with how those turned out, you have no idea.

I can't express how much work went into this.  The entire length of his body from head to tail, legs, and each toe are individually wired and poseable, and boy is he a big fella.  From tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, he's about 20", standing casually at about 8" to the top of his horns.  His claws and horns are polymer clay, and his eyes are a gorgeously red-dyed jade stone.  There are plenty of glass beads and painted highlights using iridescent pigments, as well.  I mean, you know... shiny.

(For Sale)

Date: 06 June 2013
Lady Abigail

Lady Abigail

Lady Abigail (or just Abby to her friends) is still a little new at this.  Oh, she knows how to march, knows every whistle and command, can walk in step or run ahead and around.  It's the whole armor thing that she has yet to get used to.  Her handler thought it might be a good idea to get her started with something custom-made, something unique and personal.  Hey, even chocobos like to feel special.

I'd been thinking about making a fully-wired, completely poseable chocobo for some time now.  I just hadn't actually given in to such insane ideas until now.  The reception to my Desert Bus chocobos was just so good that I felt I should really push myself and rise to the ridiculously complicated challenge.  But I'm glad I did!  The result is lovely Abby with a wired beak, head and neck, legs, toes, wings (all of her primary feathers are also wired) and tail.  And she has claws!  I've been wanting to put claws on a chocobo for years!

And then, after all that, I decided she needed armor.  (Because I'm kind of unsmart.)  So... I went right for some scrap leather I've had for years and started cutting.  Well that was a learning experience, but seeing as how the result makes me extremely happy, it was worth the work.  Stylized forget-me-nots are the flowers that grace Abby's armor, and once I figured out how to firmly secure rhinestones to leather, I couldn't resist having some "flower buds" on her helmet/mask.  Both pieces of armor attach easily with little handmade hook and eye findings and chain, and it's really easier than it looks.

She also needed that lovely blue velvet blanket.  Yes, real silk velvet.  Yes, it attracts light colored fuzzies like crazy, but it's SO SOFT and shimmery and yes.

And of course she's my chocobo, so she needed a touch of bling.  I beaded her a couple of wired "anklets" and then decided her wings needed a little sparkle, so I made her some "wingbands" too.  She seems to like them.

Abby's a big girl.  In her "natural" pose, she stands 12 inches high to the very top of her crest.  With her tail up, she's 6 inches from her chest to her tail, but with her tail extended out that measurement jumps to just over 10 inches.  Fully extended, her wingspan is 15.5 inches.  She can quite solidly support a Square-Enix action figure bareback, and can easily support the lighter ones with full armor on.

She's playful, sweet and loves her greens.  But she won't turn down a slice of cheesecake.  Just so you know.

(Sold.)

Date: 05 January 2013
Acalyn

Acalyn

Acalyn is a coatl or a winged serpent, really quite content to sing in the highest branches of trees, though given warmth and food and a little doting, she finds human shoulders relatively decent as well.  It's said that these songs are sure to drive away nightmares and bring pleasant dreams to all who hear them, so the next time you happen to hear songs in the forest, you may just want to stick around to listen.  You may also want to see if you can't lure out a lovely singing coatl with some trail mix.  They love the stuff.

I was out to try something different.  And this just kind of happened.  I do like the idea of creatures that can double as jewelry, and somehow it just sort of evolved. this way.  All of the frills are just specially treated fabric so it's not overly stiff and easily flexible, and the fabric paint is the standard type I use for crocheted creatures.  Of course there's also so very much shiny with both tiny glass beads and larger fiber optic ones, plus all of the iridescent pigment mixed into the fabric paint.  I just can't stay away from that stuff, you know.  A large hook and eye finding allow her to clasp shut and turn into a necklace... or a wreath, I suppose.  Either way, her internal structure is wire so she's easy to adjust.

(For Sale)

Date: 22 November 2012
Acalyn

Acalyn

Acalyn is a coatl or a winged serpent, really quite content to sing in the highest branches of trees, though given warmth and food and a little doting, she finds human shoulders relatively decent as well.  It's said that these songs are sure to drive away nightmares and bring pleasant dreams to all who hear them, so the next time you happen to hear songs in the forest, you may just want to stick around to listen.  You may also want to see if you can't lure out a lovely singing coatl with some trail mix.  They love the stuff.

I was out to try something different.  And this just kind of happened.  I do like the idea of creatures that can double as jewelry, and somehow it just sort of evolved. this way.  All of the frills are just specially treated fabric so it's not overly stiff and easily flexible, and the fabric paint is the standard type I use for crocheted creatures.  Of course there's also so very much shiny with both tiny glass beads and larger fiber optic ones, plus all of the iridescent pigment mixed into the fabric paint.  I just can't stay away from that stuff, you know.  A large hook and eye finding allow her to clasp shut and turn into a necklace... or a wreath, I suppose.  Either way, her internal structure is wire so she's easy to adjust.

(For Sale)

Date: 11 November 2012
Estelle

Estelle

RPGs.  All day, every day.  She can cast magic with her eyes closed, level up a character with one foot while having a snack with the other, plus a casual conversation.  EXP is the spice of life, but it's how you use it that really matters.

Estelle is the third and final chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this gal for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17.  If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.

Standing at 9.5 inches in height to the very top of her crest (just over 5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at her widest point) she's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos.  But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know?  Her body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill.  Underneath layers and layers of yarn, her feet are wired for balance and poseability.  (And she should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.)  Her eyes are blue fiber optic/"cat's eye" beads that have a really lovely glow that the camera decided it didn't really want to capture.  Pft.  If not already obvious, this is not a toy for the young'uns.  I do hope she'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though; especially when you've got a lot of grinding to do.  There's nothing wrong with teamwork and trading off.

Date: 31 August 2012
Ferdinand

Ferdinand

Fighters, brawlers, racers; Ferdinand is a fan of them all.  You wouldn't think six toes and a beak could manage to pull off a dozen special moves in a row, but he's more than happy to prove you wrong.  Don't make any bets, okay?

Ferdinand is the second chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this guy for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17.  If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.

Standing at 10 inches in height to the very top of his crest (5.5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at his widest point), he's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos.  But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know?  His body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill.  Underneath layers and layers of yarn, his feet are wired for balance and poseability.  (And he should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.)  His eyes are drilled stone beads, though exactly what stone has been driving me a little nuts.  They're obviously dyed, regardless.  And obviously this is not a toy for the young'uns.  I do hope he'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though.

Date: 31 August 2012