February 21, 2006
How could I not?
If there seemed to be a weird delay between when Matt posted about his love for me in the form of a configurator-a-tron and now, well it's just that. Weird. That, or procrastination. Whatever it is, it is not for lack of returned love.
Click 'Read More' to learn about Matt's new robot.
Hello.Matt got his knit robot in the colors he specified (and I had on hand). It might have been a day or two later than Valentine's Day, but it wasn't a secret and in fact, he helped with the finishing.
His new 'bot, Bruce (his name, not mine), is a happy little fellow. Yet it always seems like he's got other plans or thoughts going on. Or that he's quite confident in his ability to best his hu-man companions.
No swingers jokes, please.We took BruceBot out for a day at the park on what was probably the coldest day in North Texas this winter. Brrrr. But no worries for Bruce - he's impenetrable to the cold.
He seemed to enjoy tromping around this playscape for the fleshy fledglings and besting us at his skills. Soon enough, though, he took to the sky zipping away into the gray, wet day.
ZOOM! Click for a close-up.After trudging back to the house on foot, we found that the Brucinator had returned, let himself in (how'd he get a key?), and made us all some yummy hot cocoa! He spent the rest of the afternoon in conference with our old football game. And I'll admit, I'm curious to know what they talked about late into the night?
Project specs for Bruce (robot):
- Pattern: Robot from Jess Hutchinson's Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy
- Yarn: discontinued Lion Brand CottonEase in Blueberry, Pistachio, and Orangeade. Also, Berroco Quest in Platinum (antenna and control panel), and scrap Merinos Dodici grey yarn.
- Needles: US#6 & #8 dpns
- Notes: If I make another 'bot using CottonEase, I will probably go down a needle size or two. It was a little open for my tastes; I can see some of Bruce's working bits. But the pattern was fun and easy, and I think it would make a great project for a newish knitter to learn on.
What language do they speak? l337?And yes, there are more thoughts on other robots to keep Bruce company. (I mean, come on - how much longer can he discuss one sport with the football fella'?) My mind keeps wandering to the extra bulky and sock weight yarns? MAXI and mini 'bots, anyone?
And do you know what's charming? Matt keeps referring to Squarey (from the 'Unusual Toys' book) as another robot.
February 13, 2006
Happy Valentines
So, it's not quite Valentine's Day as I write this, but I have to be tricky about these things. You see, until she sees it here, she won't know...
There's a little bit of back story here. Nanc has been working on knitting a robot for me, based on a book that she got from jess hutch crafts.
The trick with it is picking out colors. It's hard to tell what makes a robot look sweet, and what colors are lame. So, for Valentine's for my dw, I humbly present the robot configurator-a-tron.
Small print: I put this together in my free time. It should work in most modern browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Mozilla). I can't say for sure it will work for you. Hey --- besides, it's not for you anyway! [grin].
Happy Valentine's Day, Nanc
Love, Bonez.
February 07, 2006
How could I not?
Oh-my! I did this as a lark, but the results were such that I had to share this with my peoples.
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Nanc!
- Europe is the only continent that lacks Nanc!
- Some birds use Nanc to orientate themselves during migration.
- Nanc will become gaseous if her temperature rises above -42°C!
- Nanc can taste with her feet!
- The state nickname of Iowa is 'The Nanc state'!
- Contrary to popular belief, Nanc is not successful at sobering up a drunk person, and in many cases she may actually increase the adverse effects of alcohol.
- Nanc kept at the window will keep vampires at bay.
- While sleeping, fifteen percent of men snore, and ten percent grind their Nanc!
- Snow White's coffin was made of Nanc.
- The original nineteenth-century Coca-Cola formula contained Nanc.
February 01, 2006
Lil' miss shy
One of the biggest surprise gifts that Matty wowed me with this year (er, Christmas 2005) was a Blythe doll. To be specific, a reproduction Ashton-Drake blonde Blythe.
Read more, but beware: there's a bit of a rant-tangent that I went off on. Fun, eh?
My lil' Blythe girl originally came dressed in her reproduction ugly dress (very reminiscent of Holly Hobby IMHO). I have plans to knit for her, but a quicker response was to buy some doll clothes and see what fit.
Okay, so mini rant: What the heck is up with the doll clothes these days? The dolls our children play with look like strippers, hookers, and addicts! How could this have happened? The kids that play with Barbie® dolls aren't at the age where they watch MTV or are dressing like whores, are they? I mean, really? It's bad enough that the pink doll's image is disproportionate to reality, but to teach children that dressing like a porn starlet equals happiness? Even the boy dolls look like they work in the sex trade! Its just too much! (And I mean no offense to whores and the porn industry.) Phew... rant over.
It is a bit tricky to find the right fit clothing made for other dolls. First off, Blythe head is (to be blunt) gi-friggin'-normous! From there, her shoulders are broader, her chest is smaller, and her hips and legs are bigger than the blonde queen's figure. Supposedly Blythes fit nicely into Skipper's clothes, but since she's not made anymore... I tried a combination of Barbie® Fashion Fever (ugh) and Bratz® (groan). I even picked up some "boy" Bratz fashions, for something with a little more cover.
Luckily for me, I am not a young, impressionable child AND I can happily dress my Blythe like a 'ho. But for her first introduction, I wanted something with a little more modesty, but nothing drab like her hippie dress that she came in. I found this little number surprisingly on a Bratz! special edition Tokyo A-Go-Go doll.
Hee hee. I've currently set my desktop wallpaper at work to the image on the left. Sweet!