Combining Two Loves to make EPICOSITY

Once I began playing Minecraft, it quickly became a time consuming obsession. I enjoy being able to create with all of my imagination and this game definitely gives you plenty of room to build your dreams.

I normally move from one new obsession to the next, sometimes abandoning the last hobby for a new one but this time around I wanted to combine these two and create a Minecraft inspired crocheted item. Beanies are my specialty, so to speak, and so naturally I wanted to make a creeper beanie.

A creeper is a cubed, pixelated monster from the Minecraft. It's so scary! When you're playing and the game's sky rolls into night time, these creepers come out and sneak up on you. The only warning is a hissing sound followed closely by a .....POW!!!!!LARGE BOOM!!! and they blow you away.

They're always good for a scare and a laugh! That's why they are beloved and hated equally by all Minecrafters.

I created this beanie:

I played around with some felt and polyfill and made this adorable matching key chain that looks like the dirt blocks from the game. It's about 1 inch cubed.

They are for sale as a set at my etsy.com shop and I wanted to showcase it and some of the other AWESOME Minecraft inspired gear my fellow Etsy shops have for sale so I made a Treasury List.

A Treasury List is a collection of items for sale centered usually around a specific theme. For example, let's say you want to make a list of all of your favorite pink shawls you've found around etsy, or wedding dresses, or in this case, Minecraft EPICOSITY!

Here's a link to the Treasury List I made called Minecraft Mania:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjEzMjQzMTd8MjcyMzAyOTExOA/minecraft-mania

*This picture belongs to ArtbyMark of http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByMark?ref=seller_info

I'd have to say my absolute favorite is a square cake shaped kitty pillow with cat nip! Look how stinkin' cute!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78614018/minecraft-inspired-kitty-catnip-cake?ref=tre-2723029118-12

I definitely want to make more Minecraft inspired gear. Maybe some felt goodies like hair clips and jewelry. Do you have any suggestions?

I wanted to include free patterns for something geek and awesome that you could create for yourself or maybe a smaller person you know so here it is!

This picture of Link amigurumi and the pattern are the sole property of "Becchin" as mentioned in the pattern translation page. Please click on the link to view the pattern and enjoy!

http://tanoshimou.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/link-legend-of-zelda-amigurumi-free-pattern/

If you and/or your kids LOVE Super Mario as much as I do, you'll definitely appreciate this free crochet pattern directory for ALL things Mario!

http://freeamigurumipatterns.wordpress.com/category/mario-video-games/

Well friends, that's all for now. Thanks for reading <3

Love,

Mery Ann

Cause Crochet is Awesome

What's better than a Free Pattern?

Wait for it..........FREE YARN!
Too bad there isn't any. :(

But at least I have a free pattern for you!

I came across this adorable newborn dress pattern and I just had to tackle it. I found it on Ravelry.com and let me tell you, if you aren't already a member, go join! It's free and painless. It could seem a little intimidating at first because there's so much to do and see but with a little practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. (See bottom for quick tips.*)Besides, you could always ask me for help! I'm always happy to lend a hand!

I had previously crocheted a pair of baby sandals and a headband from an original pattern I wrote and used the same colors and puff stitch flower for each of them like this:

And then added the dress to the set as shown here:

This set is available for sale on my etsy shop here:


https://www.etsy.com/listing/101238603/summer-newborn-baby-dress-headband-and


For the free dress and diaper cover pattern click this link:

http://www.oocities.org/crotiques/bgs.htm


And for the puff stitch flower check out a fellow crocheters Blogger page here:


http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2010/07/6-petal-puff-stitch-flower.html


I have a database of free crochet patterns on my Pinterest page here:


http://pinterest.com/cbatcreations/favorite-free-patterns/


I have the sandal and headband patterns scribbled into my crochet notebook and I haven't decided if I write it up and post it. I'd need people to test it of course and then I would post it for free, just because.

Do you think I should write it up and post it?

I don't know why but I don't think I would ever be the kind of person to sell patterns. I love seeing all the amazing patterns people have for sale but if I wanted to make something bad enough, even at my amateur level I would probably just try and figure it out myself first. It could just be because I'm stubborn though. It would definitely be easier to just use an already created, written, and tested pattern instead. Oh logic, why must you lose to stubborn all the time?

HA! Just thought of something. What if kids said, "Let's play logic, stubborn, pride!" instead of rock, paper, scissors?

Anywho :)

Thanks for Reading
Love, 
Mery Ann


*Ravelry tips: At first you'll want to look around at the literally thousands of free patterns for either knitters or crocheters by typing a category into the search bar on the top right of the main screen. From there you'll see pictures and descriptions of the patterns and a menu on the left hand side of your page to narrow down your search by category, sizes, and even hook or needle size. Once you find some you like, click on them and either favorite them to show support or add them to your library so that you can access them at any time. I'm CoolBeansnThings on there so add me if you'd like and message me for help with anything. :)

Welcome to PANDA-emic

The new home of Cool Beans and Things and La Lady Panda (same person). 

I needed a place where all my friends could get to see my creative sides expand and the natural next step of evolution in social web networking seemed like a blog. I did some research and some soul searching and this is what I've come up with. In case you're wondering, La Lady Panda is my Xbox Live gamertag and Cool Beans and Things is the name of my crochet business. I have a Facebook page, Etsy shop, Ravelry Page, and Twitter and Pinterest page for it, here are the links:

http://www.facebook.com/coolbeansandthings

http://www.CoolBeansandThings.etsy.com

http://www.ravelry.com/people/CoolBeansnThings

https://twitter.com/#!/CBaTCreations

http://pinterest.com/cbatcreations/

A little about me:

Any one who knows me knows first and foremost, I'm a gamer. From first person shooters to arcade games and beyond, I love video games. My latest and greatest obsession is Minecraft for the Xbox 360 and I wanted a place where I could share what I learn about the game and the things my friends and I create.

My creativity is not limited to the digital world either. For as long as I can remember, writing and drawing have been my passions. A newer but not less beloved passion of mine is crochet. I taught my self how to crochet with videos on youtube and have since blossomed into an entrepreneur! I'll be sharing my creations along with some of my favorites from others and free patterns on here as well.

I hope to incorporate videos to be added to a youtube page eventually about crochet tutorials and minecraft exhibitions as well as anything else that may strike the idea tree along the way so stay tuned and please be sure to comment with suggestions. <3


Thanks for Reading<3
Love,
Mery Ann