Miss Conduct's Nautie

20 ply 100 % Australian Wool. It's going to live on the sailboat as a pillow. I don't particularly enjoy knitting with this super scratchy wool. This is the 4th nautie I've made, and my favorite yarn is the chenille like 100% microfiber stuff. It makes them look cute, hides the holes so no stuffing can peak out, and it is so incredibly soft. But the giant nautie was fun to make. If only to say it was made! Used felt to make the eyes, they're sewn on. I don't think I'll make another really big one. Maybe if it's in chenille (quad-stranded??)

Nautie Knitters...

...I'll be away for a week. So if you wish to subscribe/need to be marked as finished it will have to wait a few days! In the meantime keep up those nautie thoughts!

Intro + Nautie

Hallo all. I've been watching this knit-along since I started my first Nautie, and now that I'm starting my second, I figured I may as well chime in. My name is Michael, and I am a fairly amateurish knitter from coastal BC. And I think I am the first guy to post roundabouts here!

This is my first Nautie, Tweaky . He was knit on 3.25 mm DPNs and was my first attempt knitting in the round.

I also have another one for a friend on the needles. No WIP photos (my camera is travelling abroad without me), but it is in LanaGrossa 'Quattro Print' (a merino/acrylic blend).

I predict many more Nauties getting made on my end, and I love seeing everyone elses interpretations!

two-thirds done nautie

Almost a month ago I posted on my progress with my Nautie. Now, a month later, I've gotten it sewn up. At this rate, I might finish it by August. I love the idea of this project, but the reality of it.... would probably be better if I used the correct size needles.

I thought I knitted it's body on two US 3 circular needles. Wrong. They were US 2 (2.5). Bad idea. Bad mistake. Won't do that again. I want to try this pattern again, because it's super swell. I think any kid I present a Nautie to will be indebted to me for life. Dontcha think? And any adult I gave a Nautie? They'd be indentured to me for several lifetimes, no doubt.

While decreasing it's head I worried that this wasn't going to come out right because the instructions just seemed funky. But, it's head is fairly perfect. I used my new favorite mattress stitch to attach the head to body. It's head... now that is a fun thing to contemplate. I stuffed some of my extra ends into the body, that's what you see just inside it's "lip."

The whole time I sewed the head on I kept thinking of the cannibalistic flower from Little Shop of Horrors crying "Feed me Seymour. Feed me. Feed me!" And with the half-attached head, it operates much like a puppet, so the cannibalistic flower thing was Quite Realistic, as you might imagine. Then at certain angles I thought it resembled a seahorse thing. What were those things you ordered from the back of mail order catalogs? I'd love to find a pattern for a seahorse.

In another week or two, I plan to make its tentacles, because a Nautie is not a Nautie without them. I might have to buy another set of needles US 4, because I don't have them. Then, you know the rest, picking up three stitches and making eight lovely tentacles. Here's to another post in another month featuring All Done Nautie. I haven't decided what gender/sex my Nautie is. Any ideas? Maybe I'll just keep it an It.