[UNTESTED!!!] CB's Hot-To's: How To Make a Bird Puppet (Sock loom)

Make a cute little UNSTUFFED, knitted bird puppet!

What you will need:

Adjustable sock loom (adjusted to any size)

2-5 different colors of yarn (body, beak, mouth, white[eye], black[eye])

Yarn hook

Scissors

Yarn needle

BODY - Begin just like a sock. 

BEAK - When you get to the heel, switch to another color (probably orange or yellow) do it exactly as you would, but decreasing to ONE peg, then back out. [OPTIONAL: Right after you get down to one peg, you can switch to another color for the inside of its mouth. Probably pink.] Knit a few rows around. Do another heel in the exact place of the first and in the exact same way. [OPTIONAL cont'd: Do the pink when decreasing, and switch to the yellow or orange when increasing.] 

HEAD - Switch to the first color of yarn. Continue knitting and finish like you would a sock (and DO tie off). 

EYES - Using a yarn needle, for the white of the eyes, sew an asterisk shape, or a star-like shape. Do this on both eyes. Then sew a much smaller asterisk of black in the middles of the white for the pupils. 

WINGS - Adjust the loom so that it is 2 (technically 4) pegs closer to the stationary short edge. Do (only) a heel out of the body color. Again, decrease to one peg, then increase. Tie off. Do another of these. With a yarn needle, sew them closed (separately) and then sew them to the body of the puppet in their appropriate place.

I admit, I have not tried this, I only thought of it because the heel on my sock that I am making turned out like a beak. I have no idea if all of this would work right. If you know that it would not work right, please tell me in the comments. Or even if you have a concern, please tell me. Or especially if you have tried this! Unless someone confirms that this method would work, and unless you have lots of yarn, I suggest not trying it because it probably wouldn't work... Sorry! I feel kinda guilty, like I am giving you wrong info... I am not! It is just an idea!!! ;D

Sock Loom!

I got a sock loom today! It is a rectangle of metal pegs that are closer together. It has a sliding short side of pegs to help vary in sizes. It is pretty much a tighter, and adjustable round knitting loom. It is very easy to make socks on this type of loom.

Please check out some video tutorials on how to knit socks like this. I doubt instructions I write will do you much good. ;)

More updates to this post soon, so check back in a bit! :)

Forth of July and Photography

Happy Fourth guys!!... Oops.. I'm late... Awkward... Okay not really, but I have made the page for my photography! It's really cool actually! I honestly havent uploaded any pictures YET but I will very soon! I just have to get somebody to help me figure out how to upload pictures onto the computer first. And I have to find a USB cable. :3 Don't worry I'll get the pictures up soon! You can subscribe to the page before I post the pictures so that when I do post the picture an email will be sent! I'm sure you'll love them! I'm actually not that bad! http://rkesphotos.blogspot.com/

Keep it Nurby! ~RK

Loom Knit a Ball (Round and Straight Looms)

Check out these in instructions from http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/loomed-ball.html. These instructions are not mine, they are copyright Becky Hardy, 2006. NONE OF THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ARE MINE. I did not create these directions or change them in any way.

Using a Knifty Knitter Newborn Loom (blue loom)

• Using 2 strands of worsted weight, 4 ply yarn held together, e-wrap the loom 3 times around. Leave a 6" tail at the beginning. 
• Double Knit  (2 wraps lifted over 1 wrap) around and around until a ball is formed.
• Remove with the gathering off method. (Like you would for a hat top).
• Gather it tightly.  Stuff with fiberfil.  Then thread the initial 6" yarn tail into a yarn needle, and weave it in and out of each stitch on your initial round.
• Gather tightly and weave ends under several times.  

(The copyrighted stuff ends at this point)

Now you know! This could be used to create a stuffed animal or anything else that takes a sphere. In the picture on the linked page where these directions originally came from, the ball looks to have about 15 rows, 7 or 8 stitches across. If you can count them more accurately, please do comment to us and tell us YOUR number!


You should also be able do this on a straight loom. Same stitch as the above directions.

Knit a rectangle, 8 stitches wide, 5 rows. Tie off regularly. Cut a long string from the ball of yarn and tie on end to on of the top corners. Use a yarn needle (not a knitting needle) and draw the string through the top row of stitches, away from your knot. Gather it and tie it so the top row has become like a corner. Do the same with the bottom (different string). Turn the points towards the inside and sew some of the open side closed. Stuff it with stuffing. Tada!


I tried to do it on a straight loom exactly as the round loom instructions say and I made a cucumber. SO I gave it to my dog as a new toy! :)


If you find it is easier another way, or have better instructions please do comment or email them! Thank you very much!

Virus!!

If a window pops up when you click a link (like a post title) and it asks if you really want to leave the page and the window says that it has something special for you, click Leave Page. If you click Stay on Page it might do something bad to your computer. Just a warning!!

July 4th Crafts!

It is the Fourth of July again! The time of year when your poor dogs are scared of the fireworks. D:< ;) But that's another story. Without getting sappy, July 4 is when we honor our freedom that we have in America (don't live in America but still want to make the gloves? I am getting to that)! Here are a few crafts to do in celebration!


Patriotic Fingerless-Gloves
Now, let's get one thing straight: A lot of you don't live in America, so you have absolutely no use for these. That is okay! You can make these in any color; I just needed a July 4 craft, so I used these. ;D

What You Need:

• A rectangular loom at least 20 pegs longways (doesn't matter, but I used the Knifty Knitter set)
• A loom-knitting hook
• Scissors
• Three full balls of yarn in three different colors (you WON'T use all of it, unless you have really big hands)

To Begin:

TIP: Write down the measurements of what you do so you can exactly replicate it to make the second one.

1. Before threading your loom, 'measure' you hands on the loom. Put the widest part of your palm flat on top of the pegs. Count how many pegs it touches (probably 4-6 pegs). Double that (8-12) and maybe add another peg, too make sure it isn't TOO tight (9-13. These are only ideas of what it might be like. Other measurements are fine). If you think it might be too loose, don't add another one. You can take one off, even, if you want. Stretching is better than too loose!... Probably. ;D Just make sure it is an odd number.
2. With the number of pegs you came up with, thread that many pegs (If you got, say 13, then on ONE side, count out 13 and thread up to there). Knit like normal for as many rows at you want. If you want them to cover the entire length of your lower arm, then knit that many. If you want it to fit just like gloves, then knit that many. BUT STOP AT THE VERY BASE OF YOUR THUMB!!!!!!!!!!!  TIP: Begin with any of the three main colors. If you are making your gloves long, you can do any pattern you like. If they are shorter, probably stick with one until you get to the thumb.
3. When you get to (the length it would take to get to) your thumb (for some, after many rows, for others, almost right away), make something called a Non-Placket Button Hole. After you have knitted the last row until your thumb, on the center two pegs (across from each other), take the loop of yarn and move it over to either roy the adjacent pegs (left or right). On the peg across from the center peg, move it in the direction opposite it. (Clarification: Look down on the loom. If you moved one loop to the right, move the other to the left, so they are going in different directions)
4. Next, with the color you were using, thread the pegs again, but this time STOPPING just before the center peg. Bring in another color, and do the same, stopping before the center peg. Knit regularly, but always leaving out the center peg. 
5. Soon there should be a hole in your work where the center pegs are. See if that hole is big enough for your thumb. TIP: Trace down the side of your pointer finger (the edge closest to your thumb). Trace down to your wrist. You will have touched the skin right net to your thumb. That part of your thumb is what you need to make sure fits through the hole. For many, the base of their thumb is probably 2 1/2 to maybe 4 inches. If the hole is not big enough yet, do another row with the two colors, still skipping the center. If you were satisfied with the size of the hole, choose a color to continue with. You could continue with the color you were using just before you began the hole, or you could use the color you added in, or you could use a third color. If you are choosing one you already have on your loom, just cut the other color away, leaving a LONG tail (to make sure it doesn't unravel). If you are adding in another color, cut both leaving a long tail.
6. Whichever you decided to do, thread all of what you had, going over the hole. You still won't be able to knit the middle because it only has one loop over it, but on the next row you will be able to. Continue for however long you want, but keep in mind: Your finger's knuckles aren't that far from the top of the base of your thumb. You might even want to go a few rows over your knuckles. READ THE NEXT STEP BEFORE COMPLETING THIS ONE!
7. You are going to make what is called a placket out of a different color. It is where the edge of something is thicker and stronger than the rest of it. It is where you double the number of loops you use, so you would take two bottom loops over two top loops. When I made these, I actually ran out of that color, so I was only able to do three loops on it, so I took two bottom loops over one top loop, and it worked fine. You can make however many rows plackets you want! :)
8. When you get to the point where you want to stop, tie off as usual. Cut a long tail. Because you switched colors, and if you have a small placket, and if the two tails are on opposite sides, you will tie the placket tail and the previous color's tail together in  knots a few times. NOTE: If the tail are on the same side, that is okay!
9. Thread a large needle (yarn needle) and sew the open side together, forming a tube. Knot all of the tails to stitches near them, do any little touch-ups, all that ending stuff.
10. Now do all of that again! On Step 4, if you used a different color for half of it, don't worry about doing it backwards; since you are using a rectangular loom, you can just fold it the other way and tie it. :)

This project inspired by: http://www.lisaclarke.net/2008/11/01/loom-knitted-fingerless-mitts/ You know, you could use this one just as well! :)

Star Hanger

This is very fast and easy! Also, you can do any shape, but I will just be calling it a star.

What You Need:

• Paper
• Scissors
• Maybe a pencil for tracing
• Tape, glue, or staples

1. Cut out a star shape on two-four sheets of paper.
2. Fold each one in the very center, and tape or glue them together at the center. If you want, tape or glue a folded string to the center to use to hang it. Keep each piece folded towards it's other half.
3. Adjust them so each half are evenly positioned.
4. Now, wherever you look at it, it looks like a star!

Puff-Ball, Pom-Pom Thing

I forget what it is called, but it is sometimes on the top of hats and it is kind of fluffy... Anyway, you can make these really fast and easily and hand them around the house.

What You Need:

• Yarn (red, white, and blue, OR a R.W.&B. multi-color, or any color you like)
• Scissors

1. Wrap yarn around three fingers at least 30 times and cut the yarn from the ball.
2. Cut another string and tie it AROUND the middle of the wraps (not THROUGH the hole, AROUND all of it) VERY TIGHTLY!!!! If you want, just before you do this add in a shorter string and after you tie the other string, you can tie the shorter one to itself to make a hanger for it.
3. Cut through the loops.
4. Cut the strings shorter and fluff them up. Cut the strings so that the ball looks circular.

Hooray!

Enjoy the 4th of July! I hope your pets don't get too scared!

LOT'S OF DOGS RUN AWAY ON THE 4TH OF JULY BECAUSE OF THE SCARY LOUD NOISES. KEEP YOUR DOG'S COLLAR ON THEM TODAY!!!

Hey guys.. It's RK.. Long time no post huh? Hah! Well I am back!! With a new interest!!! DRUM ROLL PLEEEAASE!!!! *Drum roll* PHOTOGRAPHY!! I am going to start a new blog with photos I have taken. I hope you love it!! You should come check it out. I havent made the blog yet but I am going to make it in like... 5 minutes. :) Also, remember the drawings I posted last year? Well I have gotten so much better at drawing.. Im still an amature, but way better then before :D Well bye for now!!!

Keep it Nurby! ~RK

Drama Camp

A couple weeks ago, I went to a drama camp at the Orlando REP! It was called 'How Do I Get That Part?' and it was instructions on how to do an audition. We learned a lot of stuff that I knew nothing about. What I learned was:

Slates:
   Introducing yourself. Slates consist of your full name (f and l), what you are performing, and (usually) what production, book, etc. it is from. Example: 'My name is Connor Doohicky and I am presenting a monologue from 'Romeo and Juliet.''

Monologue:
   Your monologue is what you would present. It is a paragraph or two from a play, book, movie, etc. that is only one person talking (you). Some auditions have a one-minute time-limit. To be prepared for that, make sure all of your monologues are a little under one minute.

   Make sure your monologue is not too common. 'To Be, or Not to Be' is probably the most-done monologue. Choose something that shows off your talents, fits your type, and is a bit uncommon. (e.g. I did a monologue from 'Holy Musical, B@man!'. How many of you have heard of that? Ah-ha. Thought so.)

   Be sure to ground yourself (or follow the stage-directions you have blocked for it), and DO NOT FIDGET. If you stand straight and confidently with your hands at your sides, you will look like the great performer you are!

   Don't bring any props. For some reason (which I TOTALLY don't get! ;P) props are a big no-no if you want to get the part.

Ending:
   Your 'outro' is just a simple 'thank you' and maybe you can state your name one more time.

Dress:
   Dress up, but not too fancy. Just look nice and professional. DO NOT WEAR A COSTUME!!! It just doesn't work.

Cutting a Monologue:
   What if your monologue is over one minute? Then you trim it down! Read through it several times, marking off sentences that are unnecessary.
   Example monologue (crossed out is red): 'I love cotton candy. It is very yummy. It is so good. Yum, yum, yum. I love the taste of it. And so many colors! Pink and blue and red and orange and green and purple and dark green! I love cotton candy so much! One[ce] day I was at the carnival and I saw some cotton candy for sale. Some guy was selling it. It looked good. I said I want some! A[a]nd I really wanted some. Yum yum yum! I love cotton candy!'
   So, bad monologue all together, right? Don't use that. But the point is that it repeated itself or gave useless information or information that we could already figure out. Like if you love cotton candy, then you probably like the taste of it. Anyway, unnecessary info, useless info, unnecessary sentences, repetitions. Those are a few of the things you can trim out of a monologue.

Types of Directors:
   These are a few kinds of casting directors:

Regular: Will pay attention to you, and be polite.

Welcoming: Very friendly. This can sometimes throw you off, but just keep going. They LIKE you!

Stone-Cold: No laughing at your jokes. No expressions. No feedback. No nothing.

Disrespectful: Texting, maybe. Just not paying attention. If they aren't going to pay attention to you, you don't want to be in their show! BUT STILL BE RESPECTFUL. They might know people that could get you further into the business. ;)

Audition Bag:
   A survival kit, basically. What might be in this bag:

Extra resumes, head-shots, etc.: You never know how many you'll need!
Tape, Staples, Stapler, etc.: What if you need to keep together some resumes and head-shots?
Repertoire binder: A binder that has all of your monologues, songs, etc. Maybe a journal to mark which monologues got you a part or went well, or a list of the auditions you attended.
Gum or mints: Garlic smells bad.
Things that help you memorize: If you learn by ear, a tape recorder on which you have recorded your song or monologue. If you learn by sight, make sure you have the paper with your presentation on it. If you learn by smell-- umm.... huh?


Callbacks:
   If the director liked your audition and wants to narrow down his choices for who the cast, he might hold callbacks (I am using 'he' generically). If you are given a callback, it is probably a good sign! Callbacks are usually a cold reading, where you are given a script you have never seen before and asked to perform it. You will be given maybe 10 minutes to look over the script. Sometimes you will have another auditioned reading the other lines with you. If so, be nice to them and laugh with them (you don't want to act in a scene with someone you don't like, so why not act in a scene with someone you DO like?)! Other times, the director might read the other lines, and he might read them stone cold. It gives your awesome acting a chance to shine!
   Just read it with emotion and make sure to pay attention so you don't lose your place. Even if you have memorized it, don't just not use the script. You don't want to risk realizing you really HAVEN'T memorized it, or even just losing your place.


So that's that! It was really fun and the teachers were amazingly nice!

Random + Writing,
CB

To Artists That Don't Feel Like Artists (A post to help you feel as amazing as you are)

On my ukulele post, I got a comment from Anonymous. This was their comment:

Sup' I'm the guitarist she's talking about.
So far I'm still not to good but slowly getting somewhat better. :P
I wish I had a blog. But I don't think I'd be allowed. Plus, I doubt I'd get taken seriously. Maybe when I'm older.


I was not happy. You know why? Because they thought you had to be older and taken seriously to be an artist. That is definitely not true. Here was my comment back:

Taken seriously? Are you comparing yourself to us? We aren't taken seriously at all! Far from it! We just have a few people from around the world that either keep stumbling across our blog or maybe just enjoy our ideas and craziness. And no matter how old you are, people can take art seriously. One of the famous composers (Beethoven, I think) started when he was four. His dad and friends had a strings band or whatever you'd call it, and during practice they took a break and went into the kitchen. They heard beautiful violin music coming out of the room they had just left. When they came back in, it was Ludwig van Beethoven. How do you think they reacted? Half probably dismissed it. Didn't take him seriously. He went one to be one of the greatest musicians in history. Half of them did take him seriously and realized his work as music. So no matter how people react to you, taking you seriously or not, you can definitely go on to become a musician. What am I saying? You can definitely be a musician right now. Never give up your art, your feeling just because of how someone reacts to it. Art is not about the way people react to it. It is about the feelings behind it, the journey you took to create your work of art. And if art has that definition, everyone is an artist because life is about the journey, too. So everyone's life is a masterpiece. You better treat your life like one.

That commenter probably won't ever see this, but I want them to know that every single artist stands behind them. There are billions of artists that feel just like them somewhere out there. Every single artist supports them in their journey on finding their artwork. Every single artist gives their love to every other artist. Artists feel how connected one another are, so we give love and strength and wisdom to each other. If you ever need someone to lean on, any of you, not just this commenter, just look at a painting or listen to some music, or watch a play, read a book, anything! Just something artistic. Through our art, we can feel the feelings that the artist put into the art, the feelings they had on the journey to creating it. And one of those feelings is always love. So feel that love through the art. And please, please, please know that you are NOT ALONE. You have the entire world standing behind you and holding your hand. Because everyone is an artist creating their life's story. And they will help you on your journey. Because not only is your life journey art, but art is your life journey as well.

I want every artist to stay strong and never stop fighting. RK and I, and every single person in the whorl, give our love to each and every one of you.

Wishing you safe travels on your life journey,

CB

Ukulele UPDATE!

I can now play Dynamic Duet from Holy Musical B@man pretty well!!! :D I have played it through about 6 times (it is an awesome song!)! It is helping me practice switching chords during the song. I thought singing while playing would be hard but it is really helpful to the rhythm and tune! :D

As you can see, I am NOT in love with the ukulele, and I am NOT excited and happy about it.

Haha. I bet I fooled you! I AM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED AND I AM IN LOVE WITH MY UKE! It is just so much fun to sit and play music!

Random + Writing + Updates,
CB