Knitting Pattern for Batman Toy

Batman Knitted Toy

I have to admit, I love being challenged to create something special. This Batman inspired toy was created because a young man asked me if I could knit one for him. I could not resist and this is the result.
Of course it is not perfect, but when you look at the toy, it does resemble the original character.
It was after I finished the toy, that I though it might be good to share my notes, and therefore I wrote up the knitting pattern.

You can get the free pattern on Ravelry or by clicking on this link:

download now

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Black Friday in America

Black Friday is one thing that I still cannot completely understand. Why would I want to get up in the middle of the night and go to a store to purchase something that I don't really need and many other things just because they are on sale? Yet, many people will do that, and then we will watch news about stampede and fights in various stores over TV or any other materialistic object, that  they didn't need in the first place, but they all wanted to buy just because it was on sale.

 I wonder what an anthropologist would say about this tradition in about hundred years.

Anyway, just because I prefer to stay at home, spend time with the people I love, and work on some handmade gifts for them, I still would like to offer some discounts and sales for other people on my knitting patterns.

Therefore, I have a promotion 25% off the price for all of my knitting patterns published in my Stana's critters etc  Raverly Store - here. For the promotion to work you need to use the coupon "happyday"

This promotion works from November 27th until December 4th 2013.

And here is quite a long list of other fiber related discounts and deals which the author Marly Bird compiled together. It contains also my coupon code.

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Still Minions

Minion Hat

Evil Minion Hat

Minion Phone Cover

When my knitted minions photo was included on the Despicable Me FB page last week, I had to return to the adorable minions.
I was asked to knit minion phone cover. And because I had the yellow and blue yarn out, I knitted hat, and then I knitted the evil minion hat. 
The knitting patterns for all three things are being test knitted at the moment, and will be available next month.
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Feeling Famous......

....at least for a moment until the reality kicks in.

Please, let me explain.
Few days ago I have received a message from a marketing company in U.K. They asked for my permission to use this picture of my knitted minions as a part of one of their promotion activities prior to DVD release of the movie "Despicable Me 2".
 As a thank you for doing that, they would provide a link to the original post (my blog). A great exposure to audience that might not know about my blog otherwise.
For a moment I envisioned thousands of readers suddenly exploring my small corner on the Internet where I share my ideas, knitting patterns, and sometimes my thoughts. For that brief moment I felt as if I am someone famous. But, then reality kicked in and I realized that it is only in my head, and actually I would not want to be famous and experience all that comes with fame.
However I wouldn't mind to have more visitors to my blog, and more people knitting my critters and perhaps give them away to make this world a little bit better, by being generous, and kind, and caring for each other, outside of our comfort zone.

My brief moment of feeling famous can be viewed here.

In a  strange twist of ways the Internet sometime works, the other knitted minion was inspired by my Knitting Pattern for Minions, which the author kindly provided the link to.

And then, I saw another pattern on the Internet, which the person claimed as their own creation, but it looks exactly as my Knitting Pattern for Minions , including the number of stitches, and rows and techniques for body, arms, legs, goggles, overalls etc.

I know that I cannot prevent something like this from happening, the same way I cannot prevent somebody else from trying to sell my knitting patterns that I have provided for free on other web sites and actually charge money for it, but this makes me feel sad and disappointed. Sad for those people who would pay money for something that I offered for free. Disappointed for behavior of those people who would do that. And I have to keep asking myself, Why would anyone steel someone else's work and claim it's their own work, without  properly crediting the authors.
What else would people like this do, to make a little bit of profit from someone else's work?

I know that the world is not perfect and that bad things happen, but if we all tried to be nicer, kinder, more courteous, and respectful then the world might be a better place to live and share.

Thank you for visiting.

Rejection Letters

Leaf

Part of my world is filled with submissions. I think of something, create an idea, spend hours writing, rewriting, sketching, etc. Once I feel the idea I want to submit is ready I send it out. It may be a response to a Call for Submission, or perhaps I think that my idea is a fit for a particular place. After, I am left with anticipation waiting for the response.

The happy moment arrives, when my submission is accepted.

Sometimes, a not so happy moment arrives with a rejection.

Rejection letters are a strange phenomenon, they can evoke various feelings in the receiver.

I would divide the rejection letters into three categories.

The first category is basically a version of "We don't care about your submission." Letters and notes like these hurt the most.

The second category is a version of "We don't have space/money/time...(fill in the blank) for your submission, but thanks for sending it." these types of rejections are unpleasant, but acceptable.

And then there is the third category of rejection letters. They usually say something like "Thank you for sending your work to us. It was a pleasure to review it. Unfortunately...." Even though it is a rejection letter, it makes me feel appreciated. Someone actually values my work, effort, time and has the decency to make me feel valuable as an artist, writer, and designer. This feeling makes a huge difference. After receiving this kind of rejection letter, I actually feel a great surge of inspiration to be better the next time, whereas after receiving the first category of rejection letters make me feel like my work is worthless, and therefore even I as a person have a lesser value.

In reality they are all rejection letters, therefore my work was not accepted, however the difference in the way the letters are perceived is huge, at least for me personally.

In the end, it makes me think more about where I will send my submissions next time. Would it be the place where they value the work and the artist, writer, designer, or to a place where they don't really care?

Thank you for visiting.

Monster Al and his friends

Monster Al and his friends

Monster Al is the first monster I have ever knitted. He started his life as a drawing done by my child, what seem to be a very long time ago. In reality it was fall of 2009.
I must admit, Monster Al has a special place in our lives. I wrote a book about him, which you can read here: Monster Al  and now I am writing second book which will include the knitting patterns.

The book is almost finished and the pattern is test knitted at the moment.

Thank you for visiting.