Every Inchie Monday: Pirates

Arggh Mateys, 

Pirates you say, in TheHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?  You bet, but space pirates, of course!

Ford and Zaphod are talking about their childhood on Betelgeuse, and Arcturan megafreighters.  Apparently "The Betelguese trading scouts used to find the markets and the Arcturans  would supply them.  There was a lot of trouble with space pirates before they were wiped out in the Dordellis wars..."  [chapter 29].  Nice to know space is safe from pirates now.

I drew two inchies - one of a pirate with his peg leg and parrot:

And what self respecting pirate would be without his map for buried treasure?

My quilled pirate inchie goes outside the inch a little bit.  Hope you can forgive this transgression, but  it was hard to fit my pirate's parrot into the required space,  His beak and glorious tail hang over a bit, but he is pretty

Finally, here is my latest and favourite amigurumi - Dorothy from my all time favourite movie.  

She was difficult to make because I altered a pattern for a witch (by Sayjai Thawornsupacharoen).  I had to make the body twice and the arms/sleeves three times before I was happy.  I love the sparkly ruby slippers with their teeny tiny bows and the white 'buttons' on the straps of her dress as well as the blue around her neck.  It's as close to the original dress as I could make it.  I want to find some blue gingham ribbon for her hair bows and I'm contemplating doing something like white cross stitch to give the illusion of a gingham dress.  The hair is a bit long but so far I haven't been able to make myself cut it.  I had so much fun making her.

Have a good week my lovelies.

Every Inchie Monday: Horizon

Hello Folks - thanks for stopping by.

Well finding horizon (this week's word at Every Inchie Monday) was easy because it's in the same passage as direction, so I'll just copy last week's entry:

"...Zaphod was standing and scanning the horizon, because that was how far the gold ground stretched in every direction. perfectly smooth and solid.  It gleamed like ... it's impossible to say what it gleamed like because nothing in the Universe gleams in quite the same way a planet made of solid gold does."

On to the inchies.  My first offering uses one point perspective which I used to love to teach to students.  Three little rules and instant success.  It was always so satisfying to see their faces when they realized they could actually do something that at first thought seems difficult.  We also used to let the students out of the classroom to draw the hallways which the students always loved - no way to supervise them all at the same time -- freedom!

My quilled inchie is quite simplistic with a generic sun and a straight horizon - but not too bad considering it is quilled.

Have a great week expanding your horizons.

Every Inchie Monday: direction

Hello Folks,

Well I found one example of direction near the end of the book.  It may not be the one Trillian intended because direction is a fairly common word - but here goes.

It's been a while since we saw Zaphod, Ford and Trillian and for the life of me I don't remember why they are where they are.  I don't feel like going back to re-read again so here is the passage:

"...Zaphod was standing and scanning the horizon, because that was how far the gold ground stretched in every direction. perfectly smooth and solid.  It gleamed like ... it's impossible to say what it gleamed like because nothing in the Universe gleams in quite the same way a planet made of solid gold does."

Apparently the planet is only an entry in the catalogue of planets the Magoratheans can make and is on "Sens-O-Tape."



Some of these words are quite difficult to depict!  Obviously I was too lazy to draw a map.  Instead I chose a picture of one of those GPS finders you put in your car.  I really need one of these because I've always said I can get lost in my backyard.

Now how to quill direction?  I need first to show you a picture of what I was trying to make - a signpost showing different directions:

And here is my rather lame attempt:

Looks a bit like those twirler things you use in some board games, but it does have the cardinal directions, north, east, west and south.

Hope everyone has a good week.  

Every Inchie Monday: dinosaur

Hello Folks,

Arthur is in conversation with Slartibartfast about the construction of the new Earth.  The latter notes, "It's only half completed ... we haven't even finished burying the artificial dinosaur skeletons in the crust yet....  Arthur declines a trip to visit this new Earth saying, "It wouldn't be quite the same."

My -- and I'm sure everyone's -- favourite dinosaur is Dino from The Flintstones.  Isn't he cute?

And here is my quilled dinosaur.  He's kind of cute too.

Hope everyone has a large, outstanding week.

Every Inchie Monday: dinosaur

Hello Folks,

Arthur is in conversation with Slartibartfast about the construction of the new Earth.  The latter notes, "It's only half completed ... we haven't even finished burying the artificial dinosaur skeletons in the crust yet....  Arthur declines a trip to visit this new Earth saying, "It wouldn't be quite the same."

My -- and I'm sure everyone's -- favourite dinosaur is Dino from The Flintstones.  Isn't he cute?

And here is my quilled dinosaur.  He's kind of cute too.

Hope everyone has a large, outstanding week.

Every Inchie Monday: Brief case

Hello fellow space travelers,


(Well we are on a planet traveling through space)

Briefcase: Another tricky one to find.  It has to do with Deep Thought, the smart computer built to answer the question of  'Life, the Universe and Everything'.  "On the day of the Great On-Turning two soberly dressed programmers with brief cases arrived..."  This evolves into a discussion of whether or not Deep Thought is the smartest computer ever made, which, even though it has just been turned on, apparently it isn't.  All confusing and very Douglas Adams.


I can't find anything interesting to do with briefcase.  I once found a gorgeous grey leather briefcase In perfect condition  in a thrift shop for under $10 -- It must have cost ten times that new.  I used it for a while when I was teaching, but it turned out to be both too heavy and too small.  Similar story:  I once bought a beautiful hand painted leather purse, but it too was too heavy to use on a daily basis.  I get it out every now and then, use it for a day and then put it away with a sore shoulder.

So instead of a picture of that grey briefcase (mainly because I can't find it) I've chosen to go with a briefcase/portfolio that I would like to have.  The only ones in my local art store are black and boring.

I'm a little more pleased with my quilling inchie:

On the kitty front, Kaliko is a little better.  The vet gave her some anti-depressants to  make her eat (and make her happy) and they have worked.  She is eating and has resumed some of her annoying behaviours such as walking on my chest in the early morning and knocking things off of shelves.  I really thought I was going to lose her last week.  I know she is still sick and old, but it's nice to see her happier.  If only it were easier to make her swallow those pills -- anyone have any suggestions?

Every Inchie Monday: Infiinity

Hello Folks

Well according to Douglas Adams "Infinity itself looks flat and uninteresting.  Looking up into the night sky is looking into infinity -- distance is incomprehensible and therefore meaningless."  [chapter 24]

Another word not easy to draw.  But the first thing that came to my mind was Buzz Lightyear and his cry of 'To Infinity and Beyond!'

The only thing I could think of to quill was the symbol for infinity:

I'm a little late this week as I have a very sick kitty - she's 16, has renal failure and is not eating much.  I love my little fur baby to pieces.  That's her picture on my icon -- her name is Kaliko.  So sad.