March is not only National Craft Month, but also National Crochet Month, so it’s only fitting that we feature ten of the weirdest and coolest crochet and knitting projects ever made. As this is, of course, all a matter opinion, feel free to share your favorites in the comments!
Deep Sea Crafting
Coral reefs are some of the most beautiful underwater structures around. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t get to see these beauties in their natural habitats. Enter the world of crochet coral, a collective project by The Institute for Figuring. Crafters from around the world have added their interpretations of crochet reefs and the entire exhibit has travelled through museums across the U.S. Image via Margaret Wertheim [Flickr]
I’m King of The World…He’s Prince of The Cosmos
It’s one thing to say your baby boy is a prince, it’s an entirely different matter to say he is the prince of the universe. Fortunately, with the adorable hat pattern from Itchy Stitchy, you can dress him like the prince of the cosmos from Katamari Damacy without looking like an egotistical jerk. Image from the creator's Flickr stream.
Ukulele Gone Wild
If you’re going to make adorable art out of crochet critters, why not take it a step further and make a stop motion music video out of a pair of amagami playing the ukulele and singing? Apparently these two cuties make up a music group known as U900.
Pinhead Bunny Amagami
Etsy seller Moons Creations always has some interesting bunnies in her shop, including cathulus and Olympic skiers, but perhaps her greatest creation is the Pinhead bunny seen in this blog post. While this one is already sold out, if you PM her, maybe she’ll custom make you your own.
Ultraviolent Pleasantries
Crochet is normally such a sweet and happy medium but the designs created by artist Patricia Waller (some pics mildly NSFW) are anything but. Her goretastic crocheted plushie collection includes a bunny killed with a pitchfork, Miss Piggy falling into a meat grinder and a unicorn that has driven its horn through a teddy bear. While the pieces are quite impressive, it’s probably best to avoid letting your kids see them –unless you’re into the whole traumatizing-your-kid-for-life thing.
The Godfather Part Craft
Perhaps you like your gory crochet pieces to send a message to your enemies though. This knitted horse head pattern from the Anti-Craft is a vegan-friendly way to remind your enemies about the offer they can’t refuse.
Crochetadermy?
Speaking of vegan-friendly dead things,. Artist Shauna Richardson is quite possibly the authority on crochet animals in the wild and has quite the collection of taxidermied crocheted beasts. Anyone who loves taxidermy but hates to see the poor little dead animals is certain to enjoy her creepy-cool gallery.
Knitted Dissection
If you objected to dissecting frogs back in school, then this knitted frog dissection by Etsy seller craftyhedgehog might just be the ethical alternative you were dreaming of. It is also a great gift idea for anyone who overly enjoyed the frog dissection in school. If frogs aren't your thing, she also makes rat dissections as well.
Knitting For Miniatures
No article about crocheting and knitting would be complete without mentioning Anthea Chrome, the amazing artist who created all of the tiny clothing used in Coraline. While she’s best known for her work in the movie, her tiny sweaters are famous in their own right and have been a favorite of collectors and have been featured in museums.
Underground Knitting
One yarn movement that’s been sweeping the country and has even made its way on to the homepage of Neatorama this week is the idea of Knitting graffiti. It has taken place in Massachusetts, Houston, Finland, Ohio, British Columbia, Sweden, and New York –be sure to click on this link for Deputy Dog to see pictures of all of these places. Some of the artists, like those from the International Fiber Collaborative, have obtained permission first, while others are acting rogue in the dead of night. The funniest part to me is that of all the articles I’ve seen, only one person seems to dislike the work. Mark Lukas, who has a winter home in Cape May, told the Press of Atlantic City that he found the tree cozies in his neighborhood hurt the charm and authenticity of the Victorian homes in the area, “I don’t think it’s appropriate. It’s a public space and people should not be able to go in and do what they want to do.” Am I the only one who thinks this guy is a total spoilsport?
This post is incomplete without a reference to Yarn Bombing: http://yarnbombing.com/