Also, do you knit toy/stuffed animal type things? If so, can you send me a link to the design? I'm interested in getting some knit monsters for my daughter.

corvus

So, after some back-and-forth about what kind of monster exactly, I started searching online for patterns with pictures of the finished work available. Of the possibilities I submitted, Corvus picked one for Dracula that had been in The Knitter magazine (issue 50) but was more widely available in the 2013 book Knit Your Own Zombie: Over 1000 Combinations to Rip 'n' Reassemble for Horrifying Results by Fiona Goble.

Goble has written numerous books of patterns for stuffed animals and people, such as Knitivity: Create Your Own Christmas Scene, Fleecie Dolls: 15 Adorable Toys for Children of All Ages, and even Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. I think this book will appeal to a somewhat different audience. What's really fun is that all the figures are knitted in pieces, and you can actually attach arms, legs, heads, etc. with Velcro and snaps instead of permanent sewing. Therefore, you can tear your zombies apart for stress relief, voodoo doll usage, or just to make new combinations. The patterns included are:
  • Classic Zombie -- dangling eye made from a bead, hole in his torso where little red guts can be visible or spill out, a little rat to nibble on him
  • Frankenstein's Monster -- hole in his neck for a nut and bolt
  • Zombie Cop -- blood-spattered uniform, one boot, truncheon made from a knit-covered drinking straw, even little handcuffs that can be made from two toggle rings and a short chain.
  • Zombie Fatale -- bandaged hand, chest pocket for removable heart, dress, hat, even little beads for painted toenails
  • Dracula -- I think the little white beads for fangs really make this pattern, but there's also the cape and the gentleman's cane
  • Zombie Chef -- leg with broken bone sticking out, little knit-over-cardboard cleaver and knife
  • Zombie Grave Digger -- more like a skeleton stitched on a dark gray body, with a rope and shovel accessories
  • Zombie Rock Star -- long hair, hole in the top of the head with removable brain
  • The Mummy -- technically this one is just a very long "bandage" to wrap around any of the figures to make it a mummy
  • There are also "zombie mashups" where elements from the different characters are combined to make additional characters, such as Village Idiot, Mother of the Bride, Biker Chick Zombie, and Yoga Zombie.

If you have done any knitting, these aren't very difficult. The work is small (US size 2 or 3 needles) but not complicated most of the time. (The bit I found hardest was the ragged edge of one of Dracula's pant legs -- knitting something that looks like it's going to come apart but won't involved a sequence of stitches that took me a couple of tries.) I found the instructions pretty easy to follow, and a lot of the supplies can be found in many crafters' leftover supply stashes. I had to buy the pale green yarn for the skin, but clothes and accessories were all done with yarn and beads I already had.

The finished Dracula dissatisfied me slightly because the face didn't look much like that on the photo in the book, but it's recognizably a vampire. What's most important, Corvus and his daughter both like it. (For the rest of October 2013, the doll is pictured on my homenode.) While I have the book from the library, I'm making a Frankenstein's monster as well.

Sources:
Gable, Fiona. Knit Your Own Zombie: Over 1000 Combinations to Rip 'n' Reassemble for Horrifying Results. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2013.
http://www.molliemakes.com/projects/free-knitting-pattern-knit-a-vampire/
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dracula-5

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