Wow....the massiveness of this Great Lake Michigan monster is overwhelming, from this view...is it not?! Looking at this black and white, dry docked picture captured in all its glory...holds an unsustainable thought process for me...."Have I bitten off more than I can crochet?!"
Well....when you break it all down, into a daily job...I suppose even the most timid of crafters could handle 100 or so stitches at a time...it's more about consistency here, than anything else. So, I absolutely believe this sizable project is worth seeing through to the end...even when you have to take a break and move onto other projects that might need your attention today.
I imagine that's a normal shipbuilders process...somethings have to be built first, while other objects are made to order...to finally bring it altogether at the end of how ever long it takes to put the ship into the water. And so it sits.....dry docked, until its completion.
The SS Badger didn't start out being a ship...it began with an idea, a plan, and a drawing that went through many rough drafts, I'm sure! Just like every crochet pattern...you have to begin with all these thought processes...before you ever get to your hook and yarn. Now, of course...if you're anything like me, you might have ripped your first few rounds out...once or twice by now...lol! Perfection is the key to a great masterpiece when it's all said and done...but, truely...nothing is ever perfect. Some designs have to go back to the drawing board many times, before they even begin to be built. As we progress with our oversized amigurumi today...just remember, you are never alone. You're building right along side of me and many others, who are taking on this large undertaking as well.
Maybe some actual numbers will help you to realize how very large this ship really is....
It's body is: 410' 6" long, 59' 6" wide, 106' 9" high...which is a staggering 7 stories! It weighs 6,650 tons displaced....Displacement measures weight of a volume of water displaced, not the vessel's absolute weight in pounds put on a scale.
I am always amazed at myself...that I never stop learning something new everyday....and YOU?!
.jpg)
It holds 600 passengers, 180 cars/vans/trucks, tour buses, RVs, motorcycles, and Semi-trucks. I don't know about all of you, but that is just INCREDIBLE to me! NOW, I know you're asking yourself...how much yarn is this going to take me...well, I'm not that scientific...but we're working a much smaller scale here, but I'd still love to wager...ALOT!
I think it's safe to say however, we'll use one skein at a time...lol! I'm good with that sort of thing...doesn't sound as scarey to me either...or as expensive!
From what I have learned, it cost an astounding $5 million to create the SS Badger, back in 1952! WOWZA!....Can you imagine the amount of yarn it would cost to YARN BOMB that baby?!
Now, that's something to think about...for yet, another day!
Well, last week...we started with a partial ball of Heartland Black Canyon, from Lion Brand https//:www.lionbrand.com/ ...and today, Since I ran out of yarn in the middle of our next row, I am attaching the next full skein of Black Canyon...to keep working out and up!
To start off with...this is just an example...not the actual join of the current piece I'm working on...this is just to show you how you make it all come together in a 'color join', so you can see it better!
From these pics, you can see that starting off from the middle of a row isn't that difficult...you just have to hold your work together tightly, and pull your new strand through your last two loops of your current unfinished sc, then position your hook into the next sc st, while crocheting over a portion of the new tail, as well as, the old tail from the last skein you're just finishing up with.
As you can see here, from my beloved H hook...it's one of my most used hooks! You might have one of these too...if not now, you will by the time we take a tour through this project...lol!
At Rnd 4, we finished up with 244 sts, (before our stitch marker from the previous round 3)...and now, since our join...we're ready to move ahead!
We're NOW progressing to Rnd 5:
Start off, with a sc in the next 4 sts, then 2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc, 1 sc, 1sc, 2sc, then sc in the next 110 sts, bringing you back to the other side...then, repeating the last pattern in reverse (2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc) then sc 110 sts back...leaving you with 252 sts, in this round.
Rnd 6:
*2sc, sc in the next 3 sts* (5x), 2sc, (27 sts complete), sc in the next 105 sts, *2sc, sc in the next 3 sts* (5x), 2sc, sc in the next 105 sts...leaving you with 264sts in this round.
Rnd 7:
*2sc, sc in the next 4 sts* (5x), 2sc, (32 sts complete), sc in the next 106 sts, *2sc, sc in the next 4 sts* (5x), 2sc, sc in the next 106sts...leaving you with 276 sts in the round.
As your bottom progresses, when you turn it over...you'll see all your joins...this is your 'Underbelly'... And before stuffing, you'll want to secure these stragglers by weaving them in to your completed work, with a yarn needle.
In the meantime, we can continue on with our next Rnd 8:
*sc in the next 6sts, 2sc in the next st* (5x), (leaving you with 40 sts to begin this round), then sc across 103 sts. *2sc, sc in next 6sts* (5x), and sc across the remainder 103 sts, leaving you with 286 sts. at the end of this round.
Rnd 9:
In this round, you'll sc around, in every stitch of this round...286 sts.
Rnd 10 & 11:
We're makin' progress ya'll! In these 2 rounds, you'll be crocheting in the (BLO) or back loop only, 1 sc in each st around...286 sts, in each round you complete.
We are now changing the direction of how our yarn is going to lay...and we're now repositioning it, to begin coming up off of the table now. This is how you create depth to your project...and now, it no longer can be considered a 2-D piece. Since an amigurumi is a toy, it has to change shape...and so, it begins!
For any of you who have ever crocheted slippers...think of this part as a
VERY LARGE SLIPPER BOTTOM!
Rnd 11 & 12:
When you begin this round, you'll want to begin picking up both your stitches again...you are NO longer just working in the back loops...now, continue to sc in each stitch around one more time,
286 sts...in each of the next two rounds.
Here, you will begin to see the sides coming up off of the bottom of the table now.
Rnd 13:
In this round, we want to start our sc sts in each FLO (front loop only)...and continuing around for 286 sts....this begins to fan our base out and away from our bottom, just a bit more! In so doing this...we're creating the BELLY of the ship!
Rnd 14:
Now, sc in the next 159 sts, 3sc in the next st, (place another st marker in the middle stitch of this increase) and continue to sc around in the next 126 sts. (288 sts)
Rnd 15:
Next, sc in the following 160 sts, 3sc in the next st, (replace the st marker) and continue around in the next 127 sts. (290 sts)
And....as much as I'd like to keep going today...I'm 5 1/2 hours into this pattern today...and need to go on to something else...like lunch!
We'll see you here again soon...for some more lil' ss crochetin' rounds. We've covered some 3,372 sts today...I'd say that's some relatively good crochetin' there...but, like they say...Rome wasn't built in a day...and neither was the SS Badger!
No comments:
Post a Comment