Sherlock Mania~~In Wool

The return last weekend (at least here in Canada and the U.S.) of the Sherlock series from the BBC starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, brings Sherlock mania back into full swing. PBS ran several hours of programming about Sherlock Holmes, his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and their combined contributions to forensic science to this run up. Additionally programs about the faces and voices of the numerous actors who have played Sherlock and Watson in the theatre and on the big and little screens were available before last week's return.

Full disclosure here, I didn't read the entire series of Sherlock when I was a kid, but I live with someone who did. I like very much the versions of recent Sherlock actors, Jeremy Brett, Jonathon Pryce, Robert Downy Jr. and Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary and have become a true fan of the video versions.

Cumberbatch has brought a special flair to the role of a modern Sherlock using a smart phone while Freeman's Watson blogs about their cases. A new generation seems to becoming excited about Sherlock all over again. That includes a new generation of knitters as well. Note Cumberbatch's Sherlock with the two-tone striped scarf on the left and someone's knitted version of the same on the right.

And who could forget the more sexualized Robert Downey, Jr's Sherlock. There were two full-length movies of Downey paired with Jude Law playing Watson with whispers of a third. Perhaps because of their more equal acting chops I found Law's Watson playing a much more vital part in the sleuthing than other versions. (However last evening at John and Mary's wedding, Cumberbatch was very complementary to Freeman's human side of solving crimes. So perhaps the modern version will have a much more involved Watson as well. Time will tell.) Below is Law's Watson wearing a brown, blue and cream scarf from the movie and a knitter's version of the same.

Not to leave crocheters out the loop (pun intended) here's a version of the pair done in the crocheted amigurumi technique made popular in Japan. It's a bit hard to determine exactly which set of actors are being portrayed here. Perhaps Cumberbatch and Freeman, perhaps Downey and Law.

And who could resist the prototypical deerstalker hat Sherlock wears. This one done for a baby is so beyond cute I can't find the words to describe it, so I won't.

No patterns for any of these offerings, you are on your own. Perhaps in the words of Sherlock they are "elementary" enough anyone could make them up without a pattern, well, perhaps not the deerstalker, but all the rest.

Comments

Ode to the Cat

It has been six months since Mike, the cat's, passing. I think of him every day and miss him especially when Paul is away. Mike was a being in the house with me and we were close. Grieving his death has been muddled with my Dad's passing and sometimes I feel guilty about that happening. As time passes the ache becomes less hurtful for both and I am starting to get mostly good memories in its place. Recently I helped celebrate Pablo Neruda's birthday with Jami, my poet and overall very creative friend. Guests were asked to select one poem written by Neruda to read to the small group who gathered for the celebration. I picked this one: Ode To The Cat -- Pablo Neruda There was something wrong with the animals: their tails were too long, and they had unfortunate heads. Then they started coming together, little by little fitting together to make a landscape, developing birthmarks, grace, flight. But the cat, only the cat turned out finished, and

Anatomy of a Sock

I've been knitting socks for a relatively short time. One of the disconcerting things for me as I started following patterns for socks is the pattern designer assumes the knitter (in this case that would be me) knows all the parts of a sock. So I thought I'd devote a post to improve my own knowledge about the anatomy of a sock and maybe some of you will learn something about the humble yet necessary sock as well. Here's the names of the parts of the foot as I know them. #49 ankle, #50 heel, #51, instep, #52 ball, #53 big toe, #54 toe, #55 little toe, #56 toenail. There are some parts more important for this discussion; first the heel of a foot is generally used to refer to the entire C-shape from the ankle to the instep. Speaking of the instep, it refers to that curve near the bottom of the foot. And what seems to be missing in the design above is the sole which generally refers to the bottom of the foot in total or plantar aspect in more technical terms. (BTW

Yarn Barf

It's back to quirkiness and time to step away again from the cuteness for a while. But as you see I'm someone who slips from one to the other without much effort so anticipate this back and forth to be my new normal. A dramatization of me in the midst of my startitist frenzy Yarn barf . I'm willing to bet you hadn't thought of putting those two words together, had you? It just so happens yarn barf can be a reoccurring pain for those of us who use yarns that come in a skein instead of a hank. (No pun intended regarding the current Noro virus, well maybe a little pun.) Skeins of yarn wound by the manufacturer These are hanks which need to be wound into balls If you look closely at the picture on the right you'll see the start on the millet yellow skein at the centre right of the photo. Its start can easily be seen coming from the centre of the skein onto the violet skein to the left. Easy to find, right! Sure but what about the remaining 4

Flagel Knitting Files

Search This Blog