Thursday, March 5, 2009

Vices

My cousin, Raymond, is a job recruiter who recently wrote an article titled "How To Land and Protect a Job in a Down Market". From his article:
"Apply for jobs in 'recession-proof' sectors like vice. People tend to gamble, drink and smoke more when they’re stressed."
With that helpful advice, here are my handmade vices:


The beer bottle is decorated with an oval pattern from Edie Eckman's book, Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs. The dice were stitched together from six square pieces each, stuffed, then embroidered with white dots. The cigarette pack has a firm cardboard box inside, and its outside is decorated with red yarn stitched around a plastic bone ring. Each cigarette contains a wooden dowel for support.

I rarely—if ever—indulge in these vices, but my alter ego, Woomi, has been known to overindulge:


He'll never land a job in that condition!

22 comments:

  1. Love these! Looks like they were fun to make. And of course, there's nothing like capitalizing on someone's weakness during tough economic times. Especially if that weakness is awesome crafts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Wren :) Yes, the cigarettes were especially fun to make and pretend-inhale, but after the photoshoot in the grimy alley, the cigs are now off-limits!

    Our shared weakness for awesome crafts is one of the sweet side-effects of tough economic times ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ohhhh!!
    They're fantastic!
    I really really love your work...
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for the encouragement, DannyFlo!

    Your amigurumi on your blog are very adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Teehee!! Woomi is wasted. I love that you even thought to put the beer bottle in a brown paper bag for the photo shoot. Tell Woomi to lay off the sauce:D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brilliant! Love these cute, loveable vices!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for writing, Mequet & Miss Julep!

    Mequet: Yes, Woomi likes to be discreet when he's drinking in public, but it's time to for me to call his sponsors, I agree!

    ReplyDelete
  8. just stumbled on ur page
    it's so awesome to find a fellow BC crocheter!!!
    keep up the great work :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for writing, Lisa! You're one of the few BC crocheters I know online, so we both need to represent the province well with our yarn critters :)

    Your creations on your blog are very cute, especially the erlenmeyer flask!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am so honored that your following my blog!!!
    I absolutely love your creations, they're amazing!
    and hello to meet a male crocheter, must respect!!

    do keep in touch!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you, Kimberly! I found your blog through Lisa's amazing esapesa blog. Her and I are the self-appointed amigurumi twins in British Columbia :)

    Your crochet critters are full of joy! I'll continue to follow your adorable work :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You do some of the coolest work with yarn and a hook!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks, Ally! I have much more to learn, but making amigurumi is all super fun... especially with encouragement like yours!

    ReplyDelete
  14. THIS IS SO BADASS!!!! LOVE IT!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Miss Louie! That's a super compliment coming from someone with so many artistic talents on display in your Lock & Louie blog!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think you'll live a long and happy life if all your vices are crocheted :-). If only I could stick to crocheted chocolate!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks Amy! :) Crochet chocolate would be cute and tempting, especially if they were put in those little paper wrappers. My real vices are coffee and potato chips, which I likely couldn't resist even if I crocheted them every day!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You are my new hero Howie!!!! I love, and am inspired by, your crochet work. And your grandmother's knots are just amazing. I wish I would have had her to teach me! I'll add a link to your blog on my site so that I can keep track of your great work. Take care Howie. Kara

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks so much, Kara! It's super to hear from such a talented amigurumi artist as yourself!

    The knots on your stand-out Hopping Ghost character were made so expertly, and I also wish my grandma could teach me how to make them in person.

    I'll also be following your excellent work on your blog, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  20. LOL! He's amazing. I love him!

    ReplyDelete
  21. wheredidmysaucego: I'll tell Woomi that he has a fan! That news is going to inflate his already big ego though. He can be intolerable! ;D

    ReplyDelete
  22. Merhaba
    Süper olduğunu biliyorsun sanırım. Yaptığın şeyler harika....

    ReplyDelete

Share this blog post