#prym

[ub-sessed]

More swatching.

The woman for whom I'm making the Isobel Wrap is my boss. A few weeks ago the power went out at work, and so to kill the time somewhere warm until the power came back on, we spent a couple of hours at our favourite café at the corner, and I worked on one of my yellow moss stitch dishcloths. She admired the moss stitch pattern (which made me happy, since it's going to be part of the scarf I will eventually make for her), and asked me if I could knit her a couple rectangles of moss stitch for her to sew to a blanket she has that's too small. I adore her, so I said yes, as soon as I figure out how to knit it square, and asked which yarn she wanted me to use. She said the cotton. We only sell two cotton yarns in our store, and I'm pretty sure she meant the 24/7. I have a bit left over from a dishcloth, and I can't start the actual scarf until I've blocked my latest scarf swatch, so I figured I'd knit a blanket swatch for my boss so she can see what it's like (I personally think it would be nicer in the Patons Canadiana, but I haven't seen the blanket she's trying to match).

Anyway, with the Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday, I have to alternate Western and Eastern rows to get my moss stitch to come out square, but it would appear that that is not the case with this Lion Brand 24/7. I'm gonna frog it this and start over knitting the whole thing Eastern.

I haven't used these Prym Ergonomics in years: they were perfect for learning how to knit, but nowadays they're too grippy for acrylic, or not pointy enough for lace, or too large for dishcloths. But they are wonderful for knitting cotton Continental/Norwegian: they're not too slippery, they don't split the yarn, and they're so good at picking the working yarn. I'm using them because for this swatch I'm actually using the needle size recommended on the ball band (I always size down for dishcloths), and I like them so much that I might actually buy a smaller pair for future dishcloths?

I'm pretty sure my boss has figured out that the scarf I'm making is for her: she's seen the yarn (her favourite colour) and she knows I know she loves scarves, and she's heard my whole saga of how I originally wanted it to be a Christmas present but then I went to NY and then I couldn't get the damn moss stitch to come out straight. She suggested that I make it a birthday present instead. "Maybe your friend's birthday is in the fall." (Her birthday is in the fall.)

[skadikaos]

hi!! i recently did art for a game jam VN project called The Underglow! i have some concept sketches and details to share about it ^^

the character you get to know the best out of anyone in this setting has to be Prym. they're a creepy mad scientist with the most dubious morals and even sketchier intent towards the protagonist...

their name was based on prymnesin, a toxin created by a certain type of algae that has devastating effects on fish populations, which is why my initial sketch incorporated a sort of pipe that secretes a toxic smog. obviously, smoking underwater isn't going to work, but i thought it could be an interesting look.

almost immediately i settled on slick, tendril like hair that mimics the grasping arms of parasitic organisms. i wanted it to look like it was always moving, and not just because of the ocean current.

a large inspiration behind their general look and vibe are anglerfish, reflected in how their mouth is always open to show their sharp teeth, as well as the bio-luminescence all over their hair and clothing. coming close to prym should always feel a little bit frightening and like you're in danger of being consumed.

i've left it unclear exactly how much of prym's anatomy is humanoid under their coat. their hands are very important to them and remain a focal point of the design, but everything else is left up to their mood and your imagination :) underneath everything is simply a mess of tentacles, arms and tendrils. i like to think they use them as a makeshift seat quite a bit. the tendrils that make up their hair are also fairly dexterous. they can (and will) hold their surgical implements with them in times of great scholarly pursuits and excitement where two hands are simply not enough.

speaking of hands, i opted to paint a gradient up to their elbow in lieu of giving them gloves. they know surgeons and scientists wear something to preserve the fidelity of the experiment but... when your hands are incorporeal it can be tough to find gloves to fit.

les designed the actual character of the diver, but their outfit i designed is in parallel to prym as well. a lab coat of some kind, arms dyed black, and a sort of belted harness. in design and personality they are more restrained than prym.

for whatever reason, deciding on what prym's eyes would look like was one of the hardest decisions to me... here are FIVE separate options, of which we repurposed one. and then i designed another that became the default. hehe!

thank you for reading my rambling and looking at my little sketches. prym gets their own post, but i still have other sketches to elaborate on!

[litandlifequotes]

When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back.

The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho

[retroanimechris]

Finally finished up Selly Prym for Fierce Lunar Havoc!

Selly Prym aka "Tekno Selly", a pirate who has a rag tag gaggle of both Godhands (hyper sentient androids) and other humanoids in her band. She takes care of Sy Walker occasionally because she has a crush on him.

Going to dedicate more time to this project in between commissions and other work.

[mor-and-more]

Mmmmmm so I recently got some new hooks

2x Pony Easy Grip (with silicone handles) because they were cheap and felt nice to the touch

And Clover Soft Touch, which. Purely by tactile metrics is losing for me. I think I didn't realise it was just smooth plastic with just one spot using the material I prefer for the whole hook (like Drops Circus, which is just relabeled KnitPro Wave). Yes, with my Gremlin Hold on a hook the whole thumb is on it, I just don't like how it feels on the palm. I guess I expected it to be different based off "soft touch" and how people say it's comfortable to hold. Which to me usually means rubberised/silicony plastic

And now I'm convinced that Clover Amour would be better for me

But I am suddenly stricken with But I Have Something Like It Already

That being. A set of cheap Chinese hooks with silicone handles. Idk if they are actually good, I've just been using them ever since I got them. Some have scratches on the metal now, so I guess it's not a particularly resilient one

So I'm just looking at the Amours forlornly, for I know they are smooth As Fuck (I watched a video where as a tangent, different hooks' surface area was assessed for smoothness, and those hooks made an "I've never seen a surface so smooth" impression on the person doing the analysis)

Also yes my crochet tool purchases for years have been guided by the principle of "I'm getting this as cheaply as possible, because at most I'll need it for casting on"

Well, that actually escalated quickly, as I have. A few finished crocheted items to my name, and more coming, and none of them are doilies or washcloths (I started with crafts baskets, and I have a few of different sizes now), so. More "serious" tools are being looked at with all due respect and desire. After all, I got those Tunisian crochet hooks from the Lantern Moon collection. But now I'm fully stumped by Amours...

I guess I'll give it a week or so, for my thoughts to settle, because with all that thinking there's now so much stirred sediment of doubts about everything XD

[mapoptart]

They are neighbors

[emmetrain]

OOC;; One of these days I will make a multi-muse to bring my aliens here... Especially for Prym. I need everyone to meet Emmet's ultra human ancestor.

Would you still love him if he was a bug?

[nonbinary-ghost]

All the supplies for this year's temperature blanket has been gathered!

[no-brain-just-ocs]

A doodle collection of DnD characters that I love very dearly. I’ll try to tag as many as I can reasonably haha

[emiliemaria]

.

[fucktheprimacy]

You people will litwerli literay literrali l i t e r a l l y doannything with your curency its honesly ast onishing

Why was I allowed adult money?

[colour-of-dream]

Ludzie tęsknią za całkowitą odmianą, a jednocześnie pragną, by wszystko pozostało takie jak dawniej.

Paulo Coelho - "Demon i panna Prym"

[mor-and-more]

That's the thing I'm knitting yeah

A shrug, and this part is a bit over halfway through

At 181/320 rows

And it's something like 56 cm tall at the needles cord

At least the pattern is easily memoriseable!!

The sleeves are just 2x2 ribbing, I pinned the ready one up so that it's not dusting the floor and getting in the way, because I'll be at it for a while

I only knit like 10 rows yesterday

[lumiy-a]

A long post about tatting lace

I saw many people reblogging my tatted thingies saying they would like to learn, which fills me with joy because more people should learn the beautiful art of tatting. I thought I'd spend my two cents here on the tatting tools you can start with, because they look cool and I like to rave about tatting.

Shuttles

These are some of my shuttles (they're handmade), but showing them off is not the only point - there are different types of shuttles and I have my preferences, like everyone.

Cardboard shuttle: first, one thought about this underrated shuttle that may be useful if you want to start but you are not sure if you will like it.

If you want to learn tatting, chances are that you already are into crafting and you have a tiny crochet hook and thin crochet thread at home. Then you can definitely cut a shuttle out of cardboard and watch one of the many available tutorials on YT to see how to make the knots, and then you can decide if it’s something for you.

Real shuttles

Now for the “real shuttles” I’ll refer to the ones by Handy Hands, but there are other brands too. You can find the Prym shuttles on Amazon, and if you’re into handmade stuff you can find handcrafted shuttles on Etsy.

I think there are two main groups of shuttles: with and without bobbins. They can be with or without hook.

Shuttles without bobbin

Examples: Sunlit, Moonlit, Starlit by Handy Hands; they come with or without hook, or with the pick (the pointy tip)

Most of my shuttles are without bobbin. The downside of these is that loading them with the thread takes more time. The advantage is that they can generally take up more thread and the thread is firmly kept in place (while most bobbin shuttles I have tested tend to loosen up with time). I have a preference for simple shuttles without hook, but those with the hook are useful if you’re traveling, so you don’t have to think about where did you put that crochet hook.

Remember that if you opt for a shuttle without hook, you will need a separate crochet hook - go for the tiniest you can find (not sure about the gauge sizes in the US but in Europe that would be like a 1,25-1,75 mm one)

Shuttles with bobbin

Example: Aerlit, Dreamlit by Handy Hands

These are very handy because the loading of the thread is very fast. They all come with hooks (even those from other brands I have seen). Downside is as said above, the bobbin tends to loosen with time. I suppose this is not happening with the Dreamlit that has a different mechanism but I haven’t had a chance to test that one (it looks great so I hope to get one soon)

Threads

When you start, you can use a thin crochet thread (for a 1,75 mm hook) just to test it out. But most crochet threads I have tested are not as good as thread specifically made for lace so if you like it you should switch to tatting thread. Some people use polyester-based thread - it’s very cheap and comes in very big bobbins but I haven’t found one I like so I stick with my two favorite brands - DMC and Lizbeth. These are not cheap, but the quality is very high.

I’m not an expert in DMC sizes because I have used it less often but as far as Lizbeth is concerned you could start with the largest size (gauge 10) and then go smaller as you become more confident. The smallest size is 80 and I confess it’s a PAIN to work with. I usually work with 20 or 40 for doilies and jewelry.

More tools

You will also need a crochet hook (as said above, the tiniest you can find), scissors, and possibly a beading needle (I find it’s the cleanest way to hide thread ends). If you’re into jewelry you’ll also need beads and various jewelry-making tools like clamps and the various types of connecting pieces.

Where to find stuff

I guess it depends on where you live. If you’re in the US you can find the shuttles and the Lizbeth thread at Handy Hands. I’m in Germany and we used to have a nice shop selling tatting stuff but unfortunately they closed, so I have to buy them from other European shops like Perles and Co and Hobby Perline that ship to Germany for a reasonable price. If you’re in Italy there’s also Spazio Ricamo that has a lot of threads. These are just some shops I know and there are for sure many more.

The ultimate question: shuttle or needle

Since I’m there I’ll also say something about shuttle vs needle tatting. I’m obviously a shuttle tatter but I actually started with needle tatting like many others.

Needle tatting is less scary at first and very quick to learn, but I think I would never switch back so I’d recommend learning to use the shuttle right from the start. You can start even with a DIY cardboard shuttle at zero costs, while you would need to buy a set of needles if you wanted to start with that. Also one shuttle fits all sizes of thread, and you can make bigger projects while tatting with big amounts of thread with the needle is cumbersome. I think some patterns like the two-shuttle designs are also impossible to do with the needle but I might be wrong.

Anyway if there are other tatters out there who want to share some tips for beginners, please do and let’s talk about this beautiful art ✨

[thethreemages]

Reposting over to my TTM-focused blog, here's Miss Prymmy strutting her Bi Pride with Reve from my DP Next Gen verse!~ ;p ✨

*rolls* -Heyooo people of Tumblr, Happy Pride Month!~ Felt bad I couldn't really draw a whole lot for it with how dang busy/drained I kept getting irl, BUT I couldn't resist the chance to redraw this one old 2019 Bi Pride pic I made with Reve & Prym (from my Three Mages OC-verse)~ 💜✨

Two fabulous purple magic-users in their own right, I could def see them being a fun lil duo if they ever somehow met~ (chaotic antics-bound-to-ensue, aside lol) ;p

[boyduroy]

If you could let me know your preferred craft as well and why you like that particular brand. Thanks! 🧶