Welcome to the first post on the Bextraordinary Creatures blog!
Before I get to the actual content for this post, I want to take just a moment to explain how I'll be using this blog to share updates beyond what I post on Instagram and Facebook. Blogging is a great way for me to "think out loud" about patterns and projects in development, share a bit of my process, and also provide some free resources for readers - for example, pattern modifications or add-ons that aren't worth publishing as a separate pattern but could be made available for free right here.
Posts will be sporadic and whenever I make one, I'll share the link on Instagram and Facebook, so you don't need to check here regularly - I'll keep you in the loop!
And now, my current project...
I'm always & forever a dragon girl. From "Dealing with Dragons" (the only reason I know what cherries jubilee is) to Dragonriders of Pern, spending my formative years playing Pern MU*s and then World of Warcraft, dragons have always had a way of capturing my heart and mind. I know I'm not alone in that - the enduring popularity of dragons of all forms is testament to our fascination with these large, proud, inspiring mythical creatures.
In designing my own dragon pattern, I was.. well, mostly thinking of myself! See, I absolutely love hand-dyed yarn, especially from small independent dyers, and have a habit of collecting single skeins of each beautiful colorway. And then I find myself with a huge stash of these single skeins that don't really coordinate with each other, and no cool pattern that will use just one! If only you could see the number of cakes of Malabrigo Rios and Washted, or my collection of worsted yarns from my favorite small dyer Prismatic Fiber & Artistry... it's a bit embarrassing, really! And as much as I love just looking at them and admiring them, I really do want to turn them all into fantastic creatures.
That's why I decided to make this a "one skein dragon": all the main color parts (head, body, four limbs, wing boning, eye ridges, scales) come from a single skein of yarn like Malabrigo Rios or Prismatic's worsted base.
- Chained short rows for a smooth body-to-neck curve. This means no change in texture from normal back-and-forth short rows.
- Worked in a spiral, so no slst, ch1 join seam. I know it's possible to hide a seam and make it less visible, but it always bothers me so I try to avoid it.
- "Cartoon realism" in anatomy. I spent a lot of time looking at reference drawings of dragons and other animals to try and get the digitigrade feet correct!
- Head large enough to fit sinker-style safety eyes. The pictured green dragon has 16mm 3D/sinker/trapezoid eyes and they fit perfectly.
Pattern in development - watch this space or follow @bexcreatures on Instagram for more updates!