FREE Star Wars Inspired BB-8 Crochet Toque Pattern

Posted in Crochet, Knit & Crochet , on December 21, 2015

BB-8 Toque Pattern by Lesley KarpiukHave you seen The Force Awakens yet?! Unquestionably one of the most iconic characters from the newest movie in the Star Wars franchise is a spherical astromech droid named BB-8. He’s totally adorable, and I decided to turn his likeness into a winter hat, or toque. (The shape is perfect, right?) Three drafts and a whole day of crocheting later, I had something that fit well and looked fabulous. So here it is, my free Star Wars BB-8 inspired pattern!

The pattern is pretty simple, but one round does require you to make color changes mid-row while carrying the yarn along. I included several photos and links to video tutorials if needed to explain and demonstrate this process very thoroughly. You should also know how to do front post half double crochet and back post half double crochet stitches, which create the ribbed brim.

Head on over to Ravelry to snag my FREE BB-8 Crochet Toque Pattern. Please note that the pattern is provided free for personal use and should not be copied or redistributed. Have fun making hats!

May the Force be with you and may this toque keep you warm while you’re standing in line waiting to get in to The Force Awakens! Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!


Free Pattern: Father & Son Matching Star Wars Tie Shirts

Posted in Portfolio, Sewing, Tutorials , on July 2, 2012

This is a cross post from our family blog; family crafts also get posted there under “We Made…”

Our geekling turned one this past weekend, can you believe it?! I decided that he would need something extra special to wear as the guest of honor to his birthday party. Liam’s Aunt Lora had given him a cute faux tie onesie 3 months ago that he’s worn into the ground, but it inspired me to make my own version of a faux tie shirt to match the birthday theme. But you know I couldn’t just stop there… naturally, my husband needed one of these shirts so that both father and son would match. (Lucas’ idea, I might add.) And then I might’ve made a little matching tie “shirt” for our schnauzer as well. I threw together some quick instructions and a PDF of the pattern I drew up & used in case you wanted to do something similar for the loves of your life, too! (more…)


Handmade Plush Greedo Doll

Posted in Miscellaneous, Plush, Portfolio, Projects, Sewing , on June 24, 2012

I know, I know. It’s been soap soap soap soap soap for so long that you probably forgot that I got my crafting online start by making plush and purses. (I had almost forgotten, too.) But this past week I went back to my “roots” and the days of crafting plushies in my craft dungeon in Calgary, AB and made something extra special for our son.

I’m a teacher so I don’t normally work in the summer, but my teaching contract has a few summer dates tacked on so that I can run professional development training for other teachers. Since the geekling normally goes to daycare built in to my school district, (which is closed for the summer) we had to find him an alternative daycare to go to for these random days. Every day when I would pick him up at this new place, I’d walk in his classroom and find him loving on this big plush Dora the Explorer doll. He was in love with this thing! He carried Dora everywhere, hugging her tight. It was adorable! Of course, Dora belongs to the daycare, and now that I’m finally off for the summer, that meant no more time with the Dora doll. We could’ve just gone out and bought him his own Dora the Explorer doll, but why buy when you can DIY, amirite?!

So then I started thinking. If I’m going to make my kid a big plush doll… why not give it to him for his upcoming first birthday, which is Star Wars themed? And since the party is Star Wars themed, let’s make the doll a character from Star Wars. Those of you that know me can see why Greedo was my first choice; he’s my favorite Star Wars character. I know, I know, it’s not about me, it’s about the kid. BUT, the geekling is going to be brought up RIGHT and be taught about how Greedo shot first, (George Lucas said so!) so I thought it was a good idea to start with a Greedo plush. Besides… we can then act out fan fiction where Han and Greedo didn’t shoot at each other and instead are BFFs and fly around our living room in the Millennium Falcon we made together. Can you just picture the geekling and his plush Greedo in his Millennium Falcon?! I just melted from the cute.

Anyway, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve gotten out the old sewing machine, but it felt like I had never abandoned it for soap when I got it out this past weekend to stitch together my Greedo doll. Thanks for not holding a grudge, sewing machine. I missed you!

Before I could start sewing, though, I needed a pattern. I tweeted a picture via Instagram two weeks back of a little sketch I did on a scrap of paper as I was formulating my plush plan; it was how I pictured a cute and cuddly Greedo doll to look. After getting the thumbs up from followers, I turned the sketch into a large paper pattern. The kid and I ran out one afternoon and picked up a bunch of fleece and felt, and the rest is history. Greedo came together overnight, and I couldn’t be happier with how he turned out. I love him so much that I’m not sure I want to give him away!

Our finished Greedo plush is 2ft tall (!) and made mostly of super soft fleece with some felt features. Fittingly I left the hole for turning & stuffing in Greedo’s head (hahahaha, see what I did there?) and hand stitched his head closed after stuffing. The nose and eyebrow is all one giant unibrow-nose piece that I sewed separately on the face so that I could lightly stuff it to give his nose and brow a bit of depth. As you can see from the pictures, I cut out the two large full-body shapes completely in the jumpsuit blue fleece and then cut other pieces, like the green head, brown shoes, yellow jumpsuit stripes, and brown vest, and sewed them down to the blue fleece form like pieces of a puzzle in the right spots. Then when I was ready to put Greedo all together, I only had to sew the two large blue jumpsuit pieces, instead of dealing with several different pieces. I hope that made sense. TLDR; I sewed down all of the other parts to the blue body outlines first.

I mentioned pictures – you know I took pictures of the whole process, right? Here they are!
[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157630236200242″]
(See the whole set on Flickr)

I seriously cannot wait to gift Greedo to the geekling this next week for his birthday! I hope you like how he turned out as much as I do. :) As a side note, I have lots of Greedo-colored fleece and felt left over, so you never know what other Greedo goodness I may make next! I’m totally thinking hand puppet or a mini lovey blanket…


We Made a Millennium Falcon for our 9 Month Old

Posted in Miscellaneous, Portfolio, Projects , on April 4, 2012

Cross post from our family blog:

Because what kid DOESN’T need their very own Millennium Falcon?

I rest my case.

I know it’s April, but this project started back in January and it has just taken that long to find the time to finish. We had bought the geekling this exersaucer thing that came in a huge box shortly after Christmas. Per usual, we put it all together and the kid enjoyed climbing in and on the box more than he did playing with the thing that came in it. This caused Lucas and I to do a lot of reminiscing about our own childhoods, and how much fun it was to make believe with boxes. We pulled out a couple more boxes we had lying around for Liam to play with. It took less than 10 seconds for me to make the jump from pretending one of the boxes was a car to, “How cool would it be to have a Millennium Falcon?” … everyone’s other vehicle, of course.

In no time at all I had formed the body of our Millennium Falcon out of cardboard using the exersaucer box and cutting some additional framework from extra boxes we had stored in the garage from our move back in October. I even had the perfect box to form a geekling-sized cockpit to sit in. We used a lot of packing tape to piece it all together. Then all we had to do was wait for decent weather so I could papier-mâché the whole thing out on the driveway. I’m sure our neighbors thought we were crazy. Or cool, maybe? I’m leaning towards crazy, though.

Anyway, fast forward a few more weeks and all of the papier-mâché was thoroughly dry. The Falcon was looking sweet! Then it was time to paint. We picked up some silver spray paint at the hardware store and I then proceeded to destroy the brand new garage floor with it. Hey, at least the paint on the floor is in the shape of the Millennium Falcon, am I right? Besides, that’s what garage floors are for; a constant reminder of how we did stuff in there, plus the shape is like a badge of awesome that makes me smile every time I get out of the car.

Lucas insisted that the Falcon stay out in the garage for awhile after spray painting, and for good reason; it smelled pretty strong. Our little project aired out for over a month. I’d say it was because it needed plenty of time to air out, but in reality, we just got busy. Fast forward now to this week, my spring break. (Perk of being a teacher.) Number two on my Spring Break To Do List was “Finish painting the Millennium Falcon.” Isn’t that on most peoples’ to do lists? Just a typical weeknight for our family. (For those wondering, number one on my Spring Break To Do List was re-hanging 76 pieces of dinosaur artwork in Liam’s nursery. Check!)

Sure, our Millennium Falcon was satisfactorily silver, but it needed some detail work. I admit I scoured the Internet for good reference material, (I also like that when searching for the Millennium Falcon on Google that I get no less than 70 personal results. That’s because we have so many cool friends with similar interests.) but in the end, I took a lot of artistic liberties with my details. I still think it turned out alright.

For those of you that know us, we tend to take a lot of photographs. Of everything. So you won’t be surprised to find that I took photos all along the way, to document our progress and process in making a Millennium Falcon for our 9 month old son. Because really, how many kids can say they have their very own Millennium Falcon? Mine can’t, but that’s only because he can’t talk yet. But when he can… he’ll be one of a very small number of kids that can say they have their own Millennium Falcon.

Over breakfast this morning I threw together a bandolier for the Schnauzer out of craft foam. He makes a pretty convincing albino wookiee sidekick, amirite?

For the full gallery of 47 fun photos including more cuteness than you can stand + all of the process photos, check out our Flickr gallery here: We Made the Millennium Falcon. The photos go in order to show you how the project progressed.


Game of Thrones GEEKSOAP Geek Soap

Posted in Showcase, Soap , on August 1, 2011

Game of Thrones soap by GEEKSOAPOr should I say… Game of FOAMS?!

When playing the game of foams, you win or you die. Make sure to smell your best no matter where your loyalties lie.

STARK
Winter is coming… be the one true clean in the north by siding with the Starks.

Sigil: Grey wolf on winter white
Scent: Betrayal. A crisp combination of pine, cedar, and eucalyptus with just a hint of campfire to capture the essence of the wintry north.

 

LANNISTER
Hear me roar and always pay your debts to cleanliness.

Sigil: Golden lion on crimson
Scent: Pride. A sweet, earthy blend of patchouli, plumeria, and orange; rich and manipulative.

TARGARYEN
Fire and blood cleanses all.

Sigil: Scarlet dragon on pitch black
Scent: Dragon’s blood. A fiery blend of amber, myrrh, sandalwood, and a hint of patchouli. Powerful enough to wake the dragon.

BARATHEON – NEWEST!
Ours is the clean.

Sigil: Black crowned stag on goldenrod
Scent: Forest fury. An earthy blend of pine and campfire; strong enough to rule a kingdom.

Not a licensed or endorsed product. Fan interpretation completely hand-carved with love based on George R. R. Martin’s series, A Song of Ice and Fire. All bars are roughly 5.5 oz of 100% all natural and vegan friendly soap.

Watch season 1 & 2 of Game of Thrones at HBO GO.

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


RAWR! Dinosaurs on Parade in Soap

Posted in Soap , on May 24, 2011

RAWR!

Let’s face it, dinosaurs are cool. And it just so happens that the theme of our nursery décor is all about dinosaurs, which prompted our hugely successful (thanks to inspiration from @KatieDoyle and promotion by Think Geek!) Operation Geekling Dinosaur Project**. As you can imagine, we’re a little dino-crazy around our house right now between the growing geektastic dino nursery, this past weekend’s dinosaur themed baby shower, and preparing for the arrival of our little bundle of joy next month.

I crafted up these DINO-mite soaps as baby shower favors for friends and family. Each one is made from all natural ingredients and have a light powdery scent, reminiscent of cuddles and freshly washed onesies. As always, they’re also vegan friendly!

Ask and you shall receive; I had a lot of people request I make these available to the masses for purchase, and now these ridiculously adorable soaps are up in the GEEKSOAP shop just for you. Now you can rub dinosaurs all over your body, too!

Remember: RAWR means “I love you” in dinosaur :)

**What’s Operation Geekling Dinosaur Project? Read our Call for Submissions back in March, a recent update post, and check out the official Flickr gallery for lots of awesome dinosaur goodness.


Clean of Kong: A Fistful of Bubbles GEEKSOAP Geek Soap

Posted in Soap , on January 24, 2011

Introducing a new GEEKSOAP original! Clean of Kong: A Fistful of Bubbles!

Donkey Kong is one of the legendary classics in the video game world. Forget Billy Mitchell or Steve Wiebe… now YOU can beat the record high score for cleanliness and go down in history forever as the Clean of Kong!

This fabulous soap is an iconic homage to an arcade classic, based on the token barrels found throughout the entire game series. It was custom designed and created by me, so you can be sure your soap is lovingly handmade and one-of-a-kind!

These unique barrel shaped soaps stand approximately 2.75″ tall and are nearly 3″ across at their widest point, weighing in at a whopping 7 oz each! They smell of plump banana bunches with a hint of sweet coconut, and you’ll love that every bar is made from 100% all natural ingredients. As always, GEEKSOAP bars are also vegan friendly!

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net


Hockey Geek Regulation Puck GEEKSOAP Geek Soap

Posted in Soap , on January 8, 2011

“Oh! The good old hockey game,
Is the best game you can name;
And the best game you can name,
Is the good old hockey game!”

While not the first of its kind, Hockey Geek puck soap was something that I had created privately to give to family and friends this holiday season, and it was met with so much enthusiasm that I’ve decided to make it available to the general public for a limited run. Get yours while hockey season lasts!

Soap has official hockey puck regulation dimensions and weighs approximately 4.2oz. Vegan friendly and made from 100% all natural ingredients! Scented with a subtle yet rugged scent that reminds me of the crisp air in the Canadian Rockies.

Available at geeksoap.net during hockey season!


Scarfthulhu Cthulhu Scarf

Posted in Crochet, Knit & Crochet , on October 1, 2010

Introducing the Scarfthulhu Cthulhu Scarf – the perfect complement to my Cthulhu Toque! This is a truly evil, yet fashionable statement in keeping warm this season.

The Scarfthulhu Cthulhu Scarf is another original Cthulhu pattern design of mine. Made from soft worsted weight acrylic yarn, this scarf is 100% handmade and features Cthulhu tentacles and sewn on buttons for eyes. Due to the button eyes, this product is not recommended for children. Approximately 63″ (over 5ft!) of awesome. Available for purchase at The Pink Toque shop!

Love the plush Cthulhu you see pictured wrapped in the scarf? He’s a creation by Ruth of CthulhuChick.com. Be sure to go and grab one of your very own, and let her know that Lesley sent you!

Washing instructions: Your Cthulhu scarf is machine washable on a gentle cycle, however, I recommend handwashing with lukewarm water and laying it flat to dry.

Goes well with my Cthulhu soap and Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt over at geeksoap.net, too! :)

Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf Scarfthulhu Cthulhu scarf


FPS / TPS Gamer GEEKSOAP Geek Soap

Posted in Soap , on September 30, 2010

By fan request… first/third person shooter gamer soap! Featuring Halo and Gears of War; perfect for that boost you need after an all night gaming session!

GEEKSOAP is handmade from vegan friendly, hypoallergenic ingredients and comes generously scented with Boom Headshot! to ensure an invigorating clean that’ll leave you feeling confident and ready to pull another all-nighter with your console.

Size: 5oz bar with the dimensions of 3″x3″x1.25″ (Gears of War) or 3.5″ x 1.25″ (Halo)

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

gears of war and halo geek soap gears of war and halo geek soap gears of war and halo geek soap gears of war and halo geek soap gears of war and halo geek soap

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!