Snake!

Don't worry, Ophidiophobes, it's not a real snake, but one made with yarn and a hook. Does that make you feel better?



Plus, he's really goofy looking, with buttons for eyes and a crooked embroidered mouth. And have you ever seen a snake done in the colors of the Swedish flag?



Project: Snazzy Stripes Snake from Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful
Hook Size: F5
Yarn: Old Brittany 4-ply lambswool that's been in my stash since early 2005
Started: January 1st
Finished: January 19th

This was my "I'm going to learn how to crochet, dammit!" project. I probably should have chosen something that does not have a finished size of 43" long as my first project. But it was an excellent learning experience for me, considering that I did 95% of it WRONG. No, not "different", WRONG. This is how one performs a single crochet:

Insert hook into foundation chain or stitch, yarn over and pull through chain or stitch (2 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through both loops.

I didn't do that. I think I did something more like a slip stitch, where I inserted my hook, yarn over, draw yarn through both the chain/stitch and the loop. And you know what? It HURTS to do that for over a yard of crochet. It's really tight, and it takes forever. Once I figured out what I was doing wrong, I looked at my work, briefly thought, "should I start this whole thing over again?", then I said Fuckitol! and just finished it. That last 2/3rds of the head went by really fast! As a result, the snake's head is HUGE in relation to his body.



I didn't have any of the cool stuffed animal eyes that are used in the book, and I didn't have any googly eyes large enough for him, so I made my own! I just used small black buttons that have a buttonhole on the back of them (don't know the technical term for these), and standard 4-hole white buttons that are somewhat larger. I embroidered a mouth on him, which is hard to do and keep it straight. The receipient of this beautiful piece of craftsmanship (craftspersonship? craftsselfactualizingindividualship?) -- ZMrK -- does not care if the snake is a little bit wonky, he thinks it is awesome all the same.

I have no idea what my next crochet project is going to be. I mostly wanted to learn how to crochet so I could make really cute Amigurumi toys, so I think I'm on my way to doing that. I'll probably also make cute hats, baby stuff, and afghans (I miss the crochet afghans my Nanas and Aunties used to make! I know my rat Desdemona chewed one up, but I don't know where the rest are.)