Buddy a Week: Hedwig

Sooo we had this nice blog series lined up but then forgot that we were heading out on a cruise to Alaska for a week (AOL cheesy face).  So we promise that things will be back on schedule with new buddies coming out this week, but as we're writing this in the SEA-TAC airport we'd like to present a little messenger from the Harry Potter series, Hedwig.  More characters to follow this week =)

Buddy-A-Week #2: Chef Duff

First I'd like to apologize for this late entry, it was a fun yet busy weekend and crafting had to be pushed back.  Now that all of that is over,  we'd like to present you with our Chef yarn buddy.  However, he not just some generic chef, he's the main man down at Charm City Cakes in Maryland, it's Chef Duff Goldman:

He comes equipped with his pipping bag and a finished two-tiered cake.  He also has his classic goatee and very expressive eyebrows.  He should be up on Etsy in the morning, however it is too late tonight to post anywhere else.  Speaking of Etsy, we were contacted recently by the Austin Browncoats who liked our Jayne Cobb doll and asked if we'd be able to donate a few dolls for a raffle to raise money for various causes.  We said we would do what we could and secretly I'm hoping we get to make all of the Firefly crew, but most of that is dependent on Anna's patience and schedule.  The raffle event isn't until September so there is some time, however you should drop by their website http://www.austinbrowncoats.com/ and donate to some worthy causes.

Now to the good bits, Anna and I came up with some ideas that we thought should be locked into a certain week and a few of these happened to lead up to a certain movie release later in July.  So we would like to announce a deviation from the normal randomness in favor of giving you two Harry Potter themed yarn buddies a week up until the release of the move in July.  This week will feature everyone's favorite messenger and groundskeeper.  Come back later in the week to see the finished products.

Buddy-A-Week #2

Well the first week is always the hardest right?  For this week we decided whether to use a project Anna is working on independent of the Buddy-A-Week project, but opted to trust the shuffled cards instead.  This week's card gave us a generic chef which we had written down as a male and a female chef.  However immediately we realized that generic is just not how we do things and quickly thought of something within the bounds of a chef.  So our project this week is still chefs, however, they are going to be a few of our favorite chefs instead.  Check back later in the week to see our progress.

Buddy-A-Week #1: Killer Rabbit

So today's the first posting for Buddy a Week!  And we did it on time (Woo hoo!)

Aww, check out the adorableness.  Here's the mythical Killer Rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He only looks this happy because he just finished eating a poor sod who wandered too close to him mistaking him as a harmless little bunny.

Aww!

But watch out, he's got a mean streak a mile wide.  Also, for some reason, he's got a Holy Handgrenade.  Maybe it didn't detonate?  Maybe he ate the man who was carrying it?  Either way, his sharp pointy teeth aren't looking that white...

This little guy is already reserved, but if you'd like your own drop by our Etsy Store and get one for you or your friend.

As for me, I'll hide behind this rock.  Thank you.

Buddy-A-Week #1

Well, it has begun.  Ideas have been collected and culled, and card faces have been assigned.  Fifty-two ideas, fifty-two cards and a random draw of our LEGO card deck from Anna has given us the four of spades and this guy with nasty, pointy, teeth.  Look out for updates throughout the week with the final product being unveiled on Saturday.

So it begins....also

     Bryan here, I design and create the clay bits of the yarn buddies.  I have always been detail oriented and I think the personal effects of a yarn buddy can really give them a personality.  After seeing the button eyes and felt accents on the yarn figures from Creepy Cute Crochet, I decided to try and make them myself mostly because we couldn't find the right buttons for eyes and I didn't like just having felt accessories.  Now I have no formal art training, BS in Geography, but as we make more and more of these buddies the quality of pieces has gone up.  I think the most fun I have with these projects is in using my very advanced crafting tools of an X-ACTO knife, Pentel Clic Eraser, and a toothpick to create a doodle I made.


     To give this blog a bit more of a direction, we've decided to embark on a Buddy-a-Week campaign.  This is inspired by Jonathon Coulton's Thing A Week song creation experiment.  However, instead of creating a brand new idea from scratch, we have come up with a white board full of ideas, mostly nerdy, and will be selecting them at random and working on them over the week.  The idea is to select the buddy on Mondays and work throughout the week until the final product is shown on Saturday.  Some are a bit too simple to constitute their own week so there may be a few sets.  Any new thing that we make will be available on the Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/ABStringTheory by the end of the week.  Once I figure out how to really use the store we'll be putting up some older buddies as well.  Stop by this Monday to see the first buddy selection.

So it begins...

This is me, Anna, and I have been a seasonal crocheter since I was in high school.  My mom and sisters taught me this craft in order to help me focus while reading for classes.  I would have dropped the hobby altogether if my dad hadn't insisted in me continuing and finally challenging me to make him a scarf.  He knows me too well and knew that I wouldn't allow myself to fail when given a task.  So I made him a scarf, and it was horrific looking.  Being the nice sweet father that he is though, he will still wear it on really cold days.  But, that was...oh my goodness...eight years ago and I'd like to think I have much improved my crocheting.

In March of 2011, my beloved boyfriend Bryan and I were walking around Barnes and Noble when we wandered towards the crafts section of books.  While I was looking at different pattern books, Bryan picked up Christen Haden's Creepy Cute Crochet book and immediately saw the Cthulhu on the front cover.  He showed me the book and asked me to make him one.  I smiled, laughed, and said it was adorable; then I asked if he was really serious.

"Yes," was his answer.  "I know you have more creativity up in that head of yours and I want to see if you can make more than a hat and scarf set."  

He had me, and we both knew it.  I accepted the challenge with the only stipulation being he had to buy me the book.  Ten minutes later, we were walking out of Barnes and Noble with my new crochet pattern book of making dolls.  

I relayed this story to my family and friends and they laughed at our silliness.  However, when I showed them the book, they asked for one for themselves.  After I made toys for them, I began posting pictures of the toys I had made and I had more requests for customized creations.  Eventually, several family, friends, and even strangers inquired about their cost and emphasized I ought to sell the toys.  

I knew if I wanted to go through with this business venture, I would need Bryan's support and help.  He is, after all, the one who gives all of the dolls their personality through their eyes, mouths, and accessories he makes out of baked clay.  We talked it over and decided to take the initiative and begin a small business; I would take care of all of the crocheting details and he would handle all of the sculpting.  After much discussion with my sisters and my soon to be brother-in-law, my older sister, Gina, came up with the name String Theory.  The business was born.

I know this was a long post, but most introductions can get long winded.  I will do the best I can in making posts shorter in the future.  Otherwise, welcome to AB String Theory, I hope you stay tuned.