Squid Pro Quo

I just had a commission on two knitted squids fall apart - I won't go too deep into it here except to say that I'm okay with it, actually kind of happy that it didn't work out. It was on a barter, and I wouldn't have been able to get what I wanted out of the deal. But any scheme that starts out "Squids for (blank)" makes me happy.

Picture me, the urchin on the sidewalk with a sign, "Will Knit Squids for Food."

That's actually a dream I'm starting to follow. I'm building a ladder up to that solar powered hover castle: I've started submitting patterns for publication, and I started selling my patterns on etsy a couple months ago. And any of you long-time friends and lurkers will have noticed (and hopefully not been too annoyed by) the sudden flutter of buy-it-now buttons on my pattern pages - folks can get their download on right here. I bought a domain last week - tattingmydoilies.com is now mine all mine. There's only the shell of a page up right now, but there's a pretty picture!

I'm excited about spreading out into a full-on website 'cause it means I can move all the dollar signs over to a shop page and this here blog can just be a regular old blog again - where I can think out loud and share my prides and progress and foibles and misadventures, and talk up other people that knock my socks off.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the economics of trying to get paid for making things, and about how money for "craft" works vis-a-vis money for "art". But right now I'm totally in love with the idea of bartering.

So: Dear universe - I knit squids, what do you do? Want to trade?

Will Knit Squids for Tatting Lessons.
Will Knit Squids for Massage.
Will Knit Squids for a Bottom Bracket.
Will Knit Squids for Web Design.
Will Knit Squids for _________

Class Picture Day at Sea Beast Academy

A kraken, a squid, and an octopus walk into a bar. The bartender says, what kind of a joke is this? Da-dum, dum. Step right up, folks! Here for your downloading amusement and knitting pleasure is the whole sea-beast family:

Squiddity, the Squid has 10 extra tentacles for good measure. Pulpo the Octopus is svelte, symmetrical, scalable, and smart. And Beware the Kraken strikes quivering fear of cuteness into the hearts of even the skankiest pirates.

Patterns are now available in the shop! Five dollars each or all three for twelve. (Drop me a line if you've already purchased the first two and I'll hook you up.)

More Kraken Love

Bleep! Glug, glug! Marsh- mallows!

Friend...

Beware the Kraken from the deep!

Is that a boat in your hair, or are you just happy to see me?

Pattern downloadable in the shop for five clams!

Inspired, of course, by

Sing Ho! For the life of an Octopus! Sing Ho! For Pulpo!

I've finally finished the octopus pattern! Meet Pulpo, my favorite new eight-legged friend. He's got a big head, and lots of long legs (only the standard compliment of eight this time!) Continuing my obsession with radial symmetry, he's totally symmetrical, except for his googley eyes. And did I mention the pleating? Well, there's pleating! It's really, really fun to do, at least if you're me.

Hmmm... why do I think he's a boy? I've just been reading about octopi on Wikipedia - they don't have any bones, and they're really, really smart but don't live very long because their hormones (endocrine secretions) "are the cause of genetically programmed death" after they reproduce. Ok, so I'm glad I'm not an octopus, even if it means I only have two arms. Oh, and also in the UK they're honorary vertibrates. I rather like that.

Anywho, the pattern is now available over in the shop.