I finished up my Katamari Damacy project and I'm pretty happy with the results. Making it was somewhat of a weird experience though. I'm a nanny, and if I'm awake, odds are I'm at work, so if I want to work on a project that's often the only time I've got. Knitting is an acceptable...I would even say encouraged hobby for someone in my profession so I'm not usually shy about working on a project while on the clock. However, (and this turned out to be a fairly big however this week) most of my projects are only "nerdy" in a tertiary sense. Hand warmers don't out me as a gamer, just as someone with poor circulation. The same for the hat I made a few weeks ago and the slippers I'm working on now. They aren't nerdy until I imbue them with nerdiness. This week however, there was really no getting around it. So when other adults asked me what I was making as I sat at ballet class/soccer practice/gymnastics/piano lessons waiting for the kids I wound up having to admit to my shady double life. I tried saying "a ball" but that was immediately followed by "for what?" so by last Friday I had given up and was just telling the truth.
"It's a Katamari ball." Which was of course followed by blank stares but those I'm used to. One woman though, shocked the hell out of me by responding "With or without stuff on it?" I about fell out of my chair. And I know it's hypocritical for me to have that response. When I'm at work I look like a nanny. Hair up, modest blouses, etc... But still seeing a woman who looked like the textbook definition of a MainLine soccer mom and finding out she games, that took me off guard. It says something about the world that we live in and I like it. I'm a card-carrying adult now. People my age have children in ballet class and we grew up in a world where everyone had a nintendo. It's kind of awesome. My future children, should they be gamers, will be mainstream. J.J. would like to take this moment to note that D and D will never be mainstream, but I rarely take her opinion into account...I'm not going to start now.
Katamari Ball
©Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009
Difficulty level:
Easy
Yarn:
Caron Simply Soft™ in Persimon;
1 H crochet hook
Ch= Chain
BO = bind off
SC= single crochet
DC= double crochet
Sts = stitches
R = Row
Inc= Increase (make one stitch)
Dec= Decrease (crochet 2 stitches together)
Instructions:
Increase rows:
R1) 2sc in each st around
R2) *sc in next st. 2sc in next st* repeat around (increases 1 in every other st)
R3) *sc in next 2 sts. 2sc in next st* repeat around.
R4) *sc in next 3sts. 2sc in next st* repeat around
R5) *sc in next 4sts. 2sc in next st* repeat around
Continue this pattern of increases until you are doing 15scs before an increase st.
Next 5 rows:
Sc in each st around.
Next 5 rows:
Dc in each st around
Next 5 rows:
Sc in each st around
Next 5 rows:
Dc in each st around
Next 5 rows:
Sc in each st around
Decrease rows:
R1) *sc in next 15sts, dec1 in next st* repeat around
R2) *sc in next 14sts, dec1 in next st* repeat around.
R3) *sc in next 13 sts, dec1 in next st* repeat around.
R4) *sc in next 12 sts, dec1 in next st* repeat around.
R5) *sc in next 11 sts, dec1 in next st* repeat around.
Continue in this pattern of decreases until you are decreasing every st. 8sts remain. Stuff piece with fluffy stuff of your choice. I like fiberfill™. Run yarn through sts, pull tight and tie off so no hole remains.
Nobs: (make as many as you want. I did 15.)
R1) ch30 with orange. Slip through first st to form a ring.
R2) 1 sc in each st.
R3) 1 sc in each st.
R4) 1 sc in each st.
R5) sc in next 2sts, dec1 in next st. Repeat around
R6) 1 sc in each st.
R7) sc in next 2sts, dec1 in next st. Repeat around
Break off orange yarn, join blue.
R8) 1 sc in each st.
R9) sc in next st, dec1 in next st. Repeat around
R10) dec1 in each st. Repeat until 5 sts remain. Draw yarn through sts and pull tight so there is no hole in top of nob. Arrange your nobs onto your ball where you want them and using a tapestry needle st in place, stuffing as you go. Roll up world and make stars.
