As I'm finishing up the Victory Jumper from the Victoria & Albert Museum's collection, I'm thinking hmmm...
With the navy changed to black and a few minor changes, these could be Rolling Stones lips.

I also love the purl side-it makes a toothier smile. It reminds me of Richard O'Brian and Rocky.

Bring back Reckless Rick O'Brian and "The Crystal Maze"! Makes me feel christmassy.

Granny's Crocheted Stockings
A Christmas Tale
note: nothing to do with the family legend of Aunt Jessie's fat ankles and not related to Granny in any sort of hosiery.


Once upon a time, in the early 80s, Granny decided that what our family was in want of was a matching set of xmas stockings. She used a base crochet pattern that I have sequestered in one of my lamentable sequestering spots, and substituted different colour schemes and lace trims for each person. Everyone also received crocheted or embroidered appliques of their favorite things (many of us seem to have been interested in balloons that year.) The photo above is of my Mum's stocking, featuring cats I believe to be Mavis, Warren and Oscar but Granny claims no such inspiration.


Click photo for full effect
Being so shiny and new, my stocking was finished first. A bold primary red sock with a trendy mint green and white scalloped edge. The true genius of my stocking however lays in A.the mysterious flying fish with Santa belt, B.Santa's leg and gift sack placement (I didn't know how else to put that), and C. An Easter basket.



So from this success Granny crocheted her way through the family, saving herself for last. This would have been noble were it not for the fact that our stockings were growing incrementally in size, making Granny's own humongous. An extension was grafted on to mine (indicated above by the green box)


Happy as this must have made me, by age 14 I decided that my stocking was looking a little babyish and should reflect my grown up interests.
I give you now the precursor of my crocheted celebrity dolls....
Eddie Vedder's head.

He looks more like Larry (stooge) Fine. shhh don't tell.

This year I shall add a new motif to my sock (and anyone else in the family who is feeling grown up). I'm thinking a leafy sea dragon...perhaps.
So continues the stocking saga. As to Aunt Jessie's mythical ankles, I will let you decide:

Click to enlarge

Obscurum per Obscurius

Dear former "mines and purls" googler
I think that we should exchange gifts this year. I am in halifax for christmas but something in the mail would be lovely too (and less scary).
I also propose that the gifts be $$$less.
ps I am not being bossy, just insistent. and brave. and v.attractive.

Like all good crocheters this year I've been rippling. I"ve been using Vanna White's new acrylic collection of yarns which I'm sure is v.naughty and tacky, but it comes in great colours and is making a washable (read: ok to curl up in and spill soup on) afghan. An Afvannaghan.

I'm using it for compulsory Granny Squares too, but combining it all with updated vintage crochet trims for a crazy quilt kind of effect. Here it is in early days and lately:

Although I'm still committed to creating a crazy quilt, the quilting premise that interests me much more is that of Tessellations and Symmetry. In particular I'd love to understand Scientists', Mathematicians' and Crystallographers' use of these principles and to explore how they could be used to apply Sacred Geometry to a blanket (a sacred item, no?). Surely one of the reasons that neo crochet has adopted afghans is because of their ability to convey care and love.
I think this is all doable. If you create a complex tessellation from a basic shape, they may easily be crocheted; squares, triangles, hexagons-basic motifs. If this motif is altered into a non symmetrical shape (imagine cutting out an odd shape out of a granny square) and this shape is reattached in a similarly wonky way (the motif could perhaps be worked in a strange new way to reflect the finished shape, or the extra appendage could be added like trim?) a complex, Escher like tessellation will have been created that can be combined with other identical friends into a variety of designs- square or ripply.


ps I am no longer rippling; I'm undulating.