Happy Valentine's Day!

Tell the people that you love what they mean to you.

Dragon's Wear Lipstick

I started this project back in June. The knitting was fun and went by pretty fast, but it wasn't until last weekend that I turned this

Into this

I know that makes it hard to believe me when I say, I don't really mind seaming.

In fact, I kind of like mattress stitch. The reason this was neglected was because of all the little pieces. I do most of my knitting on the subway, and I just didn't want to see an eyeball fall into the tracks. He got set aside until I could find some time at home to focus on him. Then we moved, so he was packed.

Excuses aside, he's been rediscovered and stitched up.

Pattern: Fiery Dragon Scarf by Brook L. Hanna
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential (now Stroll) Multi in Meadow Multi, Knit Picks Shine Sport in Grass and Leapfrog, and various bits of this and that.

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)
Notes: For the top of the dragon, I knit holding both the Meadow variegated yarn and the Leapfrog at the same time. For the bottom, I alternated between Leapfrog and Grass. I wanted to use the yarn double thick on the top and single on the bottom. In my head this meant that the top would be bigger/fuller and be a bit more substantial than the bottom. In turn, the belly would draw in a bit because it was smaller. It kind of worked, but it also caused a tiny problem.

Being bigger also meant being longer. I kept the row counts of both pieces the same (because that is ideal for mattress stitch), but the top had about an inch more than the bottom. I was still able to put them together, but it is not quite as perfect as I would have like. It is doubtful that the young man this is going to mind. Even I don't mind.

What I do mind is the lips. I think it looks like this dragon is wearing lipstick. It is my own fault. First, I didn't add the felt teeth like the pattern recommended. They probably would have made that seam between the red and the green more elegant, but I just don't have any felt lying around. Second, I probably could have tried another seaming method for putting the mouth in. I used mattress stitch because I like how invisible it is, but something a little more visible might have been less rounded. If that seam was flatter, the mouth would look more inset.

Now that I've aired my complaints and been my own critic, I have to say, I LOVE the nostrils. It is not a sentence I have occasion to use often, but they are my favorite part. They are just so cute!

I *heart* Giraffes!

What is your favorite animal? When I was young enough to be asked that question with some regularity, I always answered with panda bear. It made sense. Kids called me Manda Panda. The stuff with panda bears on it was super cute, and I'm a sucker for cute and cuddly. Then, at some point in college when I was far too old for anyone to ask me what my favorite animal is, I realized I've been wrong all along.

If anyone asked me what my favorite animal is today, I would proudly tell them that I love giraffes. They are absolutely adorable in the animated and stuffed animal versions, and in real life they are just overwhelmingly and endearingly geeky. I've got a soft spot in my heart for geeks and that long neck and those gangly legs just make me want to hug them. But when you see them moving, there is nothing awkward about them; they are amazingly graceful.

So, since the secret knitting continues, I am going to share some giraffe patterns that I have queued.

The Giraffe Illusion Scarf (Rav Link) by Isis Kowarik is so much fun. I love the concept and execution of illusion knitting, but I rarely see something that I want for myself. This scarf is going to be awesome though.

I don't have nearly enough hand knit dishcloths so all three of these will be great to add to my tiny collection. They are: The Giraffe Dishcloth by Lindsay Sasseville, Giraffe Dishcloth by Emily Jagos and Giraffe Dishcloth by Whitney Webster.

And of course there are fantastic giraffe knitted toys!

In order of appearance, but certainly not any special ranking I present to you:

Sock Giraffe by Bobbie Padget, Giraffe (Rav Link) by Susan B. Anderson (I have to get this book!), Jelly Bum Giraffe by Raynor Gellatly and Little Giraffe by Christine Landry.

What is your favorite animal? Has it inspired your crafting at all?

*None of the pattern pictures are mine. They all belong to the pattern designers.