I like anime. I find it more aesthetically pleasing and mentally stimulating than western cartoons, and it has introduced me to cultures and characters that are now also very dear to my heart.
I also like knitting. It’s fun to take two sticks and some string and produce something creative and beautiful. I find it relaxing (well, most of the time), and it’s always a good conversation starter.
The million dollar question: how to combine these two interests?
(Warning: picture-heavy post ahead. Readers with dial-up may want to grab a drink and/or book.)
When I first learned to knit, about a year after I got into anime, I leaned more towards the symbolic side of things. It seemed to me that I couldn’t really make any actual objects from the series, so I went for iconic things in their place. My one true love at that point (about two years ago) was Fullmetal Alchemist, so I started with something I figured everyone could recognize. (Click on pictures to embiggen.)

This is the first “draft” of what I came to call tricolor scarves – two colors and three panels – an iconic symbol on the sides, and lettering in the center. This is Ed’s, obviously, symbolized by the flamel. (Fun fact: after I met Amelie at Ohayocon ‘07, it cameoed in a Cordeval comic.)
I also wanted to try one for D. Gray Man, since Carly was dragging me into that fandom, so…

Black stars for the AKUMA, with the word itself in the center panel.
At Ohayocon ‘07 it was suggested (a bit emphatically) that I do one for the good guys, so I came up with:

The Black Order version. The cross is gray, with the white spray overlaid with metallic silver thread, and the fringe includes all three colors.
Then I figured Ed’s scarf needed a complementary companion, so I designed:

Alphonse’s scarf, represented by his blood seal. Want a closeup? Of course you do.

At about this point I got tired of working with such a limited palette…

So I gave Roy a chance. Again, going for symbolism here; while I could’ve attempted the circle from his gloves, I decided to use flames on the army uniform colors instead. You can see I was attempting to “blend” the colors a little using a checked pattern at the end of each panel.
(All of the aforementioned scarves are only about four feet long and have a tendency to curl; however, I know what I did wrong and can fix this problem in future scarves. Also, these particular ones can be extended to a better length with a bit of surgery. Commission price per scarf: $25.)
I did knit a pair of white gloves and attempt to use embroidery to make a pair of genuine Flame Alchemist gloves. However, while the gloves turned out nicely, the embroidery was truly crappy. I shall spare you pictures.
Not too much time passed before I got a bit tired of the whole symbolic thing. There could only be so many people that wanted scarves, right? I was still on a D. Gray Man kick at that point, and all of a sudden this happened:

Timcanpy keychains. (commission price: $5. Cell phone included for scale.) It actually is gold yarn; the picture’s just a bit off. This was my first truly original pattern – I had to actually figure out the shaping on the wings and everything. It’s still one of my favorite things to make, especially since in a pinch you can use a cotton ball to stuff the body. Bonus: if you leave off the tail and make the wings white, it becomes a Golden Snitch.
And then I lost my head hauled off and made this:

A Mokona hat (commission price: $12). I’m very fond of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, despite the epic mind-screw it’s become in recent chapters (you know it’s a bad sign when the main villain is confused about the plot), and Mokona always makes me laugh. The hat is knit first; then the ears picked up and knit from root to tip, and inner ear duplicate-stitched in pink; and finally, the gem and features embroidered on. I’m considering coming up with a mitten pattern to match, though nothing definite is planned yet. (Carly got one of these for Christmas.)
As it turned out, I wasn’t done with the scarves yet. Alex commissioned one for his current fandom, Witch Hunter Robin, and I came up with this:

More symbolism. I’m not familiar with the series, so he sent me some official art and AMVs. From the logo I pulled the W with the scythe; from the trailer, the candelabra. This one only had two panels instead of three, so I attempted a new “blending” chart to make the colors flow together a little; if you embiggen the picture, you can see it a little better. (Commission price: $25.)
And apparently I haven’t gotten FMA out of my system yet, because it’s taking quite a bit of self control to not drop my Christmas knitting and make these:

Mittens. Flamel for Ed, blood seal for Al. Please note that this is just a sketch; the final product will (hopefully) look much better. The mittens will have a symbol on the back of the hand, a pattern on the palm other than pinstripes, and a little braid to separate the ribbed cuff from the actual mitten. Each pair can be one of each (Ed and Al) or two of one pattern. (Also, those little not-quite-rectangles on the palms are the thumbs. Just fyi.)
Actually, I have another animanga-related project planned as well… but that one is long-term and still just a pipe dream and quite possibly insane, so I’ll leave it to your imaginations.
And one more, just for fun:

A Sonic plushie (commission price: $10). Body is blue fun fur (Ihatethisstuffsomuch), head is a wee bit of some off-white stuff from the stash. His eyes are French knots and amuse me more than is probably healthy, plus they make the whole thing completely child-safe. And now I have the urge to make a Tails to go with him. (Honesty compels me to admit that I gave the other ball of fun fur away to a newly assimilated taught knitter; however, I know where I can get more, if people are interested.)
To me, designing things is half the fun. I like looking at a series and trying to figure out how I can represent it in my work – and then attempting to actually do it. Yeah, I like knitting, but a lot of that enjoyment comes from the act of creation. Who says design can’t be part of that too?
So. Just because I’m not that good at drawing (people at least) doesn’t mean I can’t have fun in my fandoms. I’ve found a way to mix my two passions – and even profit from it a little. But to me, it’s the act of creating and being able to hold something tangible at the end that makes it all worth it.
Now, to find that white yarn and some stuffing. My shelf could use a Mochimerica…
~Jenni
