Mandrake from Don't Starve

This little guy is one of my daughter's favorite character's from the Don't Starve so far.

There was very few pictures to reference.. So I went from the below picture, plus my own game play.

I didn't take too many notes again =\  I had to focus on what was before.. bit of a time crunch to get it all ready for the con.


I worked with Caron Simply Soft yarn in Bone shade using a G hook.  Worked in continuous rounds 

Begin with a magic circle and 8 sc in circle.  Continue to increase each round  per usual till 24 sc are made.  Continue with 24 sc for 4-5 additional.

I chose to increase slowly.  Every few rounds I would increase in one row and continue with that count for a couple of more rounds.  The largest round has about 48 stitches and that was closest to top of its' head. 


The main body's height  measure about 6.5 inches.


I attached the eyes and mouth before I stuffed it completed and closed.

For the eyes...I believe it was  simply a magic circle with 6sc in the circle.. Cole circle and slip stitch I the first one... Fasten off leaving tail to sew on.   I shaped it once finished and while sewing it on.


The mouth was a chain of 7 hdc in each till the last one..two hdc in last chain continuing around the other side of the row in the remaining loop....should have a total of 10 hdc... slip stitch in beginning .  fasten off leaving tail to sew on.

Once they were attached I stuffed and completed the decreasing rounds.  Oh I forgot!! I added a squeaker in the middle as these Mandrake tend to be noisy!



I did the black detailing before I had stuffed it, but in retrospect I think it would have looked better doing after it was stuffed.



The legs are stumpy ones...

Make two.

Magic circle with 3 sc increase per usual to 12 sc and continue with rounds of 12 sc for a total of 9 rounds from start to finish

The arms are started in the same fashion but increase until there are 15 sc for a grand total of 16 rounds.



For the leafy bits on top ....

I started with a chain of 7 hdc in second chain from the hook and continued across.  Turn and repeat and adding increases focusing on the ends mainly.  Once I got the desire width I began to decrease in the ending stitches as well.  I sc around the leaf in a different green.


I tried to stiffen them, but it didn't work as well so they are floppy.  I attached the the top of the Mandrake once it was completely stuffed.  I didn't like the look of the area around the attached leaves so I made a chain and sewed it around to cover that up =\

In the end I think it turned out alright. 

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2013

Great con! With amazing guests this year!  Layout stunk though.  Split between two levels uber congestion trying to get in and out of exits... Hope they don't do that again!

The Artist Alley had some really amazing work..... just had to pick what we had room for to bring home.

Some of the cos play we saw.... I ventured away from all of the ones that had their butts sticking out... less is more, in my pleb opinion.

Dr. Gordan Freeman

Borderland Thugs

My daughter as Wendy of Don't Starve with cousin and the Tardis

The Ood

Scarecrow and Cat Woman

Tonto and the Lone Ranger

Xenomorph!!

Deadpool masked Ash

Juggernaut

Raphael

A Pretty Good Looking Batman

A Pretty good looking Joker

The Crow

Necromancer of Dol Guldur

V for Vendetta

My husband as Boba Fett

Boushh, Ubese disguise used by Leia Organa

TF2 Scout!!  Wish I had thought to ask him to pose with my ham bat ..

TF2 Engineer complete with Festive Helmet and Ballonicorn

 A Pair of Effie Trinkets

Katniss

Inspirational

Saw this art installation on Laughing Squid today... thought how cool would it be to recreate it in crochet mandalas




 

 




 The original source is here.


Pretty amazing, eh?!

Colorado Wildflowers and Wild Life

Don't Starve Ham Bat Crochet

The Ham Bat is a melee weapon from the game by Klei called Don't Starve.  It's a survival game where you explore your environment interact with the creatures within and do your best to survive while facing harsh climates and animals.

I didn't take many notes... well in fact I didn't take any... I have a great appreciation for crochet designers with all of the work that goes in creating a pattern. However, I'll try to share my thought processes on this project hope they won't be too foggy for you!




I referenced this picture as I went along.

I started with a magic circle in a worsted weight yarn cream in color.  I believed I used a G hook and worked in continuous rounds.  I think I started with 8 single crochet in the circle.  I increased in the following rounds till I was happy with the size.

I switched to a grey color in same weight.  I did one round in the grey.  I switched to white then and crocheted in the back loops of the grey round making the same amount of single crochets.   I wanted the bone to stick out a little ways from the ham so I continued on in white for three rounds.  I then switched to the main rosy color single crocheting and increasing in the back loops of my final white round.

I increased with the rosy color till I was satisfied with the size.  Switching to the copper brown color to simulate the outer cover of the ham bat, I crocheted in the back loops of the last rosy color round.  I added three picot stitches  to add the sense of the ham being covered in pig skin .....of sorts.....

I continued in this color till I thought it was big enough and began to decrease. I added a milk jug cap to put in the end bone portion to help keep the form.  I also cut out a cardboard dough nut of sorts to keep the face of the ham flat when I stuffed it.  The dough nut hole allowed the end bone piece to get stuffing too.

Begin to stuff.

In the last round I sc then chained 5 ss in second from hook, sc in next, hdc in next, a dc in the last one, sc in the next stitch to again add the sense of torn skin.  I completed this three times evenly in the last round.

I referred to this pattern for the bone handle portion.  I stopped at 18 sc for each of the two end pieces and added a couple more rounds till it seemed distinct enough.

Then add the details with black.






Once I made the bone handled i stuffed it a little added a dowel rod in the handle going up into the ham and stuffed some more.  Then I joined the handle to the ham and voila its a ham bat =)

     

Chicago Wizard World Comic Convention 2013 Cosplay Preparation

Cos Play

This is the third year we have attended this convention.  My daughter likes to go in costume.  This year I lucked out and didn't have to do a lot of sewing as I have had in the past.

The first convention we went to my daughter wanted to go as Chell from Portal and Portal 2.

Here she is as Chell.....

Had to find a convict costume then added the accents which you cannot tell from this picture =\   Plus we made an Aperture Science decal and added it to the tank she was wearing. 

She had a great time.  Her father made a portal gun, but by this time it was too heavy .. stuck with the Space Sphere to walk the convention floor.

The following year she wanted to go as a Little Sister from Bioshock... noticing a theme here ?    =)

We found a blue dress at the thrift store.. I'm not very good with the sewing machine but I don't think I did so bad... at least from afar =)  I had to add the peter pan collar and the bib in the front.  I made a pattern for each by drawing it via Word.  Her father made the Adam gun that she carried.  Her father was trying to make a Big Daddy costume, but it didn't go as well.  My daughter had seen this video and wanted to reenact it too.. didn't get the chance but we did meet a Big Daddy at the C2E2 convention. 

This year she wanted to go as Wendy from Don't Starve.  Super easy for me!!

This was a fun one for me.  The previous two years my husband had the fun of creating the weapons she carried.  This time I was able to crochet the accessories =)

I crocheted the small bird, ham bat, mandrake, some veggies, and the flower in her hair all from the game.




I'm working on a  post to focus  more on the crocheted items and an idea of how i made them..... =)