Invertebrates...

Putting the "endless" in "endless forms most beautiful".

Silly exams.

Scaffold.

Doing things which would have made fourteen-year-old me think me super-cool makes me a specific kind of happy.

Someone else's.. petrol station?

Oh Internet, you give so much and ask so little.

Someone else's words

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

- George Bernard Shaw

Sometimes I worry I'll never do anything that could be described this way.  Sometime I feel bad that my whole life isn't this already.

Birds in their little nest...

My parents were thirty years married last Friday.  I wanted to make them something either practical or small, but I've already made most of the practical things my abilities permit (even for jokey things like "Knit matching hats, ho ho", I've made them both hats with the same pattern so that's kind of gone...) so I went for small.

One of my mother fondest sayings is "Birds in their little nests must all agree to live in peace and harmony."  So I made two little birds in their little nest, with five pearly beads for eggs.  (I'm child number four of five, and thirty years in the pearl anniversary, so Google tells me.)

This one is blurrier, but you can see the eggs!

The teeny birds are a pattern from Knitting Mochimochi, by Anna Hrachovec.  The mammy bird is made from yarn leftover from a shrug I made my mother; unfortunately the only things I've made for my dad have needed bulky wool which would have resulted in a giant blobby bird.  The nest was made by threading the beads through silver wire and then twisting it with round-nosed pliers.  I do like my little nests!

In more family-related news, my brother's girlfriend is visiting from America.  She brought me over this:

The chain started in Ithaca, where they used to live.  I am very happy with it because

a) It combines books and food, two of my favourite things

b) Veggie recipes I've found in books here tend to be either sidenotes or bland bland bland.  I like flavour!

She also tells me that originally their Grumpasauri were facing off against each other, but now they've teamed up on top of the bookshelf.  Cute.

P.S.  The cherry-blossom tree outside my house looks like this these days:

Ridiculous hats.

More OpWall crafting!

These were both made using this pattern (Ravelry link).

The first was made in response to a request for a mystery item.  It's based on the wonderful Brainmonster hat - the only reason I didn't use the original pattern was because I wanted to use bulky yarn (I used some I had left over from my big snuggly jumper), and the pattern called for worsted, and I didn't feel like fussing with gauge and needles (8mm, I think!)

Dublin has a disappointing lack of big googly eyes!  I improvised with the buttons, but it looks sleepy and confused, instead of cheery that it is eating tasty brains.  Were I to make another one, I think I'd just embroider on eyes.

Hat number two was based on a picture a friend sent me that I forgot to save.  A unicorn is a unicorn, though.

I wasn't sure how to do a mane, so just crocheted two fluffy yarns for a few rows.  It's more of a fluffy mohawk than a mane, but that's good too, sure.

The last is a beret I made myself last Winter because I wanted to make something involving cables, and a slouchy beret.  I am efficient!  (I'm also not usually one for accessories, but last Winter was one for bundling up.)  I made this with Rowan Cocoon yarn, which is lovely and soft and fun to touch, on 8mm needles.

Unfortunately, when I blocked it, it became gigantic (which is why it falls under the category of 'ridiculous', I think it could be quite nice if fixed).

So, dear tiny portion of the internet who stop by: any advice?  I'm considering just leaving it in hot water for a while and then wearing it while it dries.

Also that thing that looks like an infected Monroe piercing is just the result of my bad habit of scratching off my skin, please disregard.