Amezri's other journal space

Project Knitting for HowlerCon is complete! \o/

What follows is a bit about the hats and why I made them, but also includes a really long ramble about my anxiety disorder.

I made the hats for the currently listed Howler Con guests: Holland Roden, Haley Webb, Tyler Hoechlin, Eaddy Mays, Melissa Ponzio, Orny Adams, Charlie Carver, and Linden Ashby. They’re all acrylic yarn except Tyler’s which is a wool blend, and Charlie’s that has wool in the striping. I might make a couple of extras in case of last minute additions to the guest list.

( Lots of photos under the cut! )

I’ve been attending conventions for over 10 years as either an attendee, staff, or working for/with guests. I’ve gotten into the habit (tradition?) of giving guests prints of my digital artwork when I get an autograph. That was also motivation to create new pieces every con season so that when I saw someone again, they could have something new. It was a good way to start a conversation with guests and I thought it was a nice thank you for taking the time to visit fans.

So what’s with all the knitting?

Well, last year I got kind of really super depressed and developed a paranoid anxiety disorder. tl;dr I thought everything was falling apart and everything was going to catch fire and I was a horrible mess. “Everything” included my desktop computer where all my work and 20+ years of files live. Strangely I don’t have any problems with my phone or iPod or other computers - just that one. I couldn’t sleep with the computer in my room (I’ve always had one in my room since I was 13) and now I can’t even go in to the office it’s been moved in to without feeling anxious. I haven’t turned that computer on since I turned it off in May 2014. Therapy blah blah blah, and basically my tactic of avoidance is the best for now.

Since I couldn’t get to my computer to make new art, I decided I was going to make little stuffed pocket wolves for the guests. While I was at it, I made some extra to contribute to HowlerCon’s charity auction. Once I was done with that, I needed another distraction - enter the tedious work of painting a replica of Kira’s backpack. After that, I needed something else and came up with the idea to knit hats for all the HowlerCon guests.

Knitting has been the best avoidance project for me. Before I started more time consuming projects, I used the internet and online shopping as my avoidance activities, which is really not helpful when you don’t earn an income. The fact that I had two storage tubs of yarn means I could shop my stash and not spend money on more yarn - so that was a bonus. Knitting keeps my hands occupied so I’m not checking the internet every 5 minutes. Knitting hats means I don’t get bored working on larger projects like scarves. I spent a lot of time figuring out what patterns and colors would work for each person and hopefully I’ve made good choices.

It took me about two weeks to knit all of these hats, which is about my average. Of course, in that time I haven’t spent more than an hour or two on Tumblr - that’s probably a good thing.

I’m looking forward to giving these hats (along with a pocket wolf and a postcard print) to the guests at HowlerCon. I don’t know when I’ll be allowed to give them - I’m assuming during the autograph session? Of course, if somehow one of the guests finds me and asks me for it, I’d be glad to hand it over. Heh.

So, thanks for reading all that. I’m pretty pretty happy with how these came out, especially the patterns I’ve never used before. If you’re interested in the patterns, you can find information on them on my Ravelry projects page.

Well. I didn't do anything yesterday because I was trying something out on the knitting loom and it totally didn't work, so I wasted 3 hours not getting anything done. ARGHHHHH. But today, I tried again when I got home and... erm.. well, it was slightly better, but still pretty wrong. Finished the whole thing in 3 hours, but clearly I can't count stitches for crap. queenmaab now has two hats she can choose from.. On the plus side, I think I figured it out with the double-worsted weight yarn, since I was basing it off that with two strands of chunky yarn. Yeah, not smart. Anyway...

After work yesterday I also went to Target to pick up heel inserts for my new River boots as they're slightly too big. I ended up also getting two dresses, a shirt, and Sweeney Todd. Oh! And I ran into Debbie M. That was kind of random.

In other news... this River/Mal video by obsessive24 set to The Servant's "Body"? I don't know how I missed it before. It's just.. brilliant. Not overtly shippy, so everyone can enjoy.

So.. I am not remotely ready for con this weekend. I don't know what I'm going to pack and probably won't even do that until tomorrow night. I've been hemming and hawing about print giveaways and I just found 4 copies of "Module" already printed, cut, and signed. Just have to mat them, so might have them anyway if I get around to it tomorrow.

I also just found out that I need to clear 50% of my stuff out of my room because the contractors are coming on Tuesday to do the windows and siding. Which means I have to clear all my crap out of the way -- stuff under the bed, the bed, the dresser, two storage units under the window, my computer desk -- and pull stuff off the walls so when they're banging away on the siding, they don't knock anything off and damage it. I'm tempted to leave some of it up. Maybe. UGH. I'm going to have to do this right after con. On the plus side, everything should be done before the Browncoat shindig, so yay!

Meh. Gonna finish up some laundry and maybe pack a little. At least get stuff piled up to be packed.

Apparently there is a giant typhoon headed this way. It'll be here this afternoon and hang around until Saturday or Sunday. Hooray?

Paid for two hours in the net cafe and now I don't have anything to do. at least I'm talking to crushw_eyeliner.

Came back from Alishan yesterday. It was nice and not hot or humid there. Can I spend the rest of my time there? :-P The hotel we stayed in was pretty swanky. Rest stop squat toilets, though? OMG. NO.

I should be leaving Taiwan on Monday, 10pm Taiwan time. Hopefully there will not be issues due to weather.

Been working on my Raven claw scarf. I'm three stripes from the end, but it doesn't really seem long enough. Not sure if I'm going to just add some stripes at the end or hope it'll stretch out (which it likely will). I'll figure it out once I've woven in all the ends and can have a proper look at it.

I want to make Luna Lovegood's scarf, but I really don't know enough crochet... Someone should make it for me XD