curiosity cute

The Killer Rabbits

I am a long time Monty Python fan and my favorite section from The Holy Grail is the Killer Rabbit. This got me thinking about what a killer rabbit would actually look like.

I then stumbled upon a documentary about Ted Bundy and I thought maybe you could have the Bundy Bunny - but that seemed like a step too far! So I stuck with some killer a bit more in the past starting with the wonderful Queen Elizabeth the I Killer Rabbit

 

She is made out of this amazing ginger mohair that is so soft but gives really even coverage. I made her hat out of vintage buttons and a bit of crochet lace as a ruff.

I love this angle because you can see her cute little teeth dipped in blood - yet she still manages to look regal!

with an extremely cute behind!!

I also felt compelled to make this little guy Nero Killer Rabbit or Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Killer Rabbit as he likes to be called.

He is made out of the same amazing mohair with a slight purple hue as it is the emperors favorite. Nero killed both his mother and his brother so those sharp teeth have been put to really good use!

He is a charmer really - Even if he did fiddle while Rome burned.

I have become quite addicted to making these little creatures using really fine yarn and just letting my imagination run riot! From the side he could be any normal bunny!

 

Soul Swan Love

The thing that I think makes me luckiest in my life is that I am truly loved. Sometimes it is really hard to put into words what it feels like to have a soul mate and that's what started me thinking about these Soul Swans.

The idea is that at some point soul mates have shared the same body but have been ripped apart - then they find each other again - all very trite.....but we have a pair of swans in the canal by our house and I swear it happened to them.

They return every spring to sit on a nest right next to a big road - and last year they had 5 signets each of which made it into adulthood. What an amazing achievement!

The spend so much time grooming and looking after each other - that at times they seem to be one creature and so the Soul Swan was born.

 

I wanted to give each swan a name that could be either male or female - I found out there is actually a word for these dual purpose names they are epicene names - this swan is called Hekili which means Passion.

I was surprised by just how much personality they had! They really do look like they are passionately in love.  

Cats on the Brain

Somehow over the last year I have managed to acquire 2 cats and a kitten. I love them all dearly but the constant stream of dead and nearly dead animals they bring in the house is really quite trying. Having never had cats growing up I was completely unaware of this amazing wild quality they have. It seems like they choose to be with you , they choose to cuddle you and sometimes they choose to scratch you to pieces - so much emotion in an animal so small!

As ever that made me want to try to capture some of that cattiness in crochet - I haven't got very far just the head so far. It's slow progress but I want to get it just right.

I am trying to get the face shape right - the roundness of the back of the head and the delicate triangle finish on the front

It was important for me to get the nose right - This one is far too wide but I think I am getting a little closer.

I was also trying to get the eyes to sit deep within the head - I think it can look very toy like when the eyes seem to be sit on top of the creature rather than as an integral part.

This gives you a close up of the eye and also how the nose tip needs to make the bridge between the long section of the nose and the mouth.

She looks a little moody but that's cats for you!

Now just how to design the cats body!  I have had several attempts already I am working on making a skeleton frame out of pipe-cleaners and padding then putting on the skin.

This realistic way of building a creature seems to be getting nearer to the result I am looking for. 

Curiosity Cute - Conception?

I have some questions I am asking myself - The first of which is "Why start a new blog?" I have loved blogging at Roman Sock - and I don't intend to stop, I just needed a place to house the slightly weirder side of me. Blogs seem to develop a bit of a personality themselves and there is something very wholesome about Roman Sock so Curiosity Cute is for my naughtier side.

I was recently asked out of all my crochet creatures which was my favorite - it had to be the underkitty and that lead me here - to a place I can imagine with no holds barred!

I also want to use this space to witter on about techniques I am trying and the process of designing a crochet creature. I have changed a lot in my working practices since I made the underkitty and I am constantly exploring and trying to create new things. I am also not going to limit myself to crochet so you might find me trying out other stuff too!