Nautie KAL

2007-05-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

test

End of KAL?

2006-09-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had fun with your Nauties! I'm thinking it's time to end the KAL. I'll leave the page up, but stop adding new people/maintaining it. What do you think?

Good Nautie yarn

2006-08-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I've been dying a lot of yarn for socks and whenever I knit them, there's always leftover yarn. For a while I was making baby hats with it, but now that I discovered Nautie, I think it is a great use for all those leftovers!

So here's my first Nautie, in a blue/brown pattern. I think the small, yet increasing circumference of the Nautie really accentuates the color pattern of this sock yarn well.

It seems like everyone who makes one Nautie eventually makes at least another. I am no different. There's a pink Nautie hanging from my knitting needles right now.
:)

It takes me a long time but...

2006-07-29T03:02:00.000-07:00

I've done it!
My poor Nautie was waiting for a head since April.
I didn't found any yarn in my stash to knit the head. First I thought that a blue head might be great but I was wrong. Then I have decided to wait 'til I found the perfect color for my Nautie.
I've finally found it in my Grandma's stash. As she didn't want to knit any more, she gave me all her leftovers skeins two weeks ago. His name is Léon ;o)
If you want to see more pictures of Léon, go to my blog.

Sorry for all the mistakes I may have done. English is not my mother tongue.

Miss Conduct's Nautie

2006-06-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-06-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

...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

2006-06-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Giant Nautie

2006-05-30T01:50:00.000-07:00

Elliott claimed the giant nautie immediately!

Used 100 % Australian Wool from Full Thread Ahead, Los Altos, CA. It's 20 ply (Yes, TWENTY:)) and feels like rope. Not as nice to knit with as the microfiber/nylon blend; but still fun. Used sz 13 needles, it was like knitting with LOGS:) Had to knit it crazily tight so the stuffing didn't peak out.. I think a better way to make a big one would be to rework the pattern and use smaller needles but more stitches. It would require some thought process which I wasn't so keen on ;)

The only thing left to do are a few more tentacles, but I didn't have the heart to move the kitty... (As you can see he got abit cranky hearing the camera click away when he was trying to nap..)

Oopsies...

2006-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished my Nautie, had all the knitting done on Easter and just sewed on button eyes oh, let's see...three days ago. But alas! I have no pictures of my finished first Nautie, because I well, gave him away. To my physics teacher who is retiring this year. He was an awesome Nautie, so I gave him to an awesome teacher ^_^

But that just means now I can start another, right? :p

Finished my first Nautie

2006-05-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Cthulu the ammonite!

This is such a great way to use up some old acrylic lying around. I need to make more of these.

Knitting Magic Girl

http://magicknits.blogspot.com

Biggie Nautie

2006-05-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Both nauties now have eyes, the third creature is furry and pretty annoyed at having to be in the photo shoot (for scale). But she wasn't ready to budge.

She was alittle curious at first, they're pretty much the same size.. But after awhile she decided to just ignore him.

The big one was kind of a pain to knit, but it was totally worth it. I tried to make the inside twist sort of stick out alittle, and not disappear in the curl. Also tend to stuff them so tightly that sometime the stitches stretch. This nylon microfiber is not very stretchy, which is a good thing. It's very snuggable though!

Buddies

2006-05-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

The buddies met at Starbucks today!
The one with eyes leading the blind..
(he's getting his eyes as I write...)

Nautie goes to Starbucks

2006-05-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is my cute little Nautie, just finished him up! He turned out so well I can't wait to do another one, I think a bigger one would be even more adorable. I used some left over Peace Fleece for the shell, its kind of varigated so I didn't stripe him, and his face is some Encore. I don't have a digital camera (it's shocking I know it!) so I met my friend at Starbucks for a photo shoot and, of course, coffee.

Wooly Nautie

2006-05-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my first nautie. (without eyes, they're coming..) It's made from some scrap Rowan superfine merino yarn, normally needing sz 6 needles, but for the nautie to get a tight knit I used sz 4. It was so much fun to knit, very quick at first, but the bigger it got the longer it took;) It's a two evening-while-watching-tv length project for me..

Also started on the second nautie. Used double-stranded 100% nylon microfiber on sz 8 needles (very tight knit); and so far it's going to be HUGE (like pillow size almost..) I really love the microfiber, it's turning into a really cute baby gift! I think a number of them are going on our sailboat as pillows with a nautie-cal theme!

Woo and Hoo!

2006-05-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

My first KAL. It was much easier once I decided that my pregnant scuba-diver friend had to have a nautie for the baby. And she's getting ... um ... sizeable.

Because it is for an infant I embroidered the eyes on. also felt the need to twist the 'shell' a bit. You might be able to see it better from this angle. Oh, and I started Saturday morning and finished Sunday evening. I can get a lot done if I just knit. I'm not really showing off. I'm just glad I stuck with it. It's a terrific design. I think my next one will be silk, for me.

Finished Nautie...yay

2006-05-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have finished this Nautie but I'd been lagging on the photos and sewing these eyes. (still not done) but here it is....The pattern was easy to follow but next time I might do a little less repetition of the rounds...and I think I overstuffed him a bit...you can see the stitches stretched a bit. My nautie was bigger than expected but a very cute pattern. It's going to a friend in Canada.
~Bee

nifty nautie kitty knitting

2006-05-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

i recently went on a short holiday that included more travel time than actual enjoyment. i must say that the only good thing about that is the fact that i wasn't doing any of the driving so i had plenty of knitting time.
result: several nauties that only had 14 extrememly tightly knitted repeats and were partially stuffed with catnip! all the little kitties that i visited on my little trip got nifty nautie pressies. they were a big hit! unfortunately i didn't get any pictures to put up, but hopefully my friends will send me one soon.

Pink Nautie Sighting

2006-05-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

And here is my Nautie, unfortunatly I picked the most unrealistic colours possible.

Poor thing has to live without eyes for a while. I like how it turned out, but I thought that the coil was a bit tedious at times. I will most likely knit many more anyway! :-D

A Cornish Nautie

2006-05-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

This Nautie was created whilst on my hols in Cornwall. I was lucky enough to get some AL de Sauveterre Whisper which is 100% Alpaca and this colourway is called Cornish Pixie therefore just had to be used for this project. I couldn't believe it when I then found some Rowan 4 ply soft which matched perfectly and the eyes just completed him perfectly. He's a perfect reminder of a great holiday and here where most of his body was knit.

more nauties

2006-05-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

One blind one and One that isn't quite done

I love this pattern.

half done nautie

2006-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is the third time I've cast on stitches to knit this Nautie. I actually like how the yarn (Noro) looks this time, so I'm sticking with it. Last two times I tried a teal colored cotton. I didn't collect the random stitch and curl up my shell as I worked along because I had to go back and sew together the beginning curly part; my I-cord was not taut enough. And my make ones weren't well thought out. There were gaps. It looked like a Nautie giving birth to something not Nautie.

I finished the shell. But It doesn't seem big enough or swirly enough. And I knitted six rounds of the head. But I'm taking a break. The Noro I used is rough on my index finger. Maybe using larger needles would help. These are US 3. I don't have two US 4 cirular needles to make it on. And DPNs are out of the question. Knitting with a thimble covering my finger felt odd. So, I'm taking a break and hope to finish its face and have better photos in a week or so. I'll post again then.

Will probably post here, but if not, you can catch the next one at bekka.

Just getting started

2006-05-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

New to the KAL, here's my progress on my first nautie, I've just gotten started.

Pretty small so far. Already I can't wait to finish him and start another. More pics on my blog.

Meet Boco

2006-05-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Named by my son Jasper who thinks he is a snail. Jasper hasn't let go of Boco since I finished him.

New Nautie Picture

2006-05-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new picture of my nautie in progress. Not much has changed on him though. I got sidetracked by my sweater, so now I'll start working on him again!

KnittingMagicGirl

http://magicknits.blogspot.com

Another Knitty Nautie!

2006-04-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Say that five times fast! I finished up my Nautie. I've dubbed her, Julsey. What a fun, fast knit! I see many more of these in my future. I'm also thinking, couldn't this pattern be modified to make a snail? Hmmmm.... Great pattern, Beth!

More details on my blog.

Max the Mollusk

2006-04-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to Max the Mollusk, aptly named by my husband. I am pleased with how Max turned out, plus he was fun and easy to knit. Out of sheer laziness I simply changed colors when it came time to knit his head instead of knitting it in a separate piece or binding off and then picking up stiches. I like the way his head and tentacles look in pink, but I want everyone to know that it was actually my husband that chose that color, so that the nautiloid would look less "scary."

Happy Nautie Knitting!!

Contest results

2006-04-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Kellie won the drawing for the stitch markers!

Kellie, drop me an email with your address and I'll send them out.

suite of cephalopods

2006-04-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the washed out picture, but here are my three Nauties! the green face spiralled one was increased every 3rd row, you can see this made him have a huge head by the time the coil was approximately the same radius as the green & yellow one. He's more cartoonish this way I guess. My friend's office mate walked in while we were playing with them (shake them and they seem to dance, like muppets? never mind). and said he was sure I could sell them at the paleo conferences for at least $15. tempting but NO.

The exciting news is that I made these for a foram-picking pal and gave them to her today. She loves them! Soon they'll be hanging (swimming?) around her office. And we made a date on saturday to get together and work on patterns for forams. This might be a bit out there for your average marine invertebrate enthusiast but I'll let you know if we write anything that works. Thanks to Beth for turning me onto the invertebrate knitting concept. so many possibilities....

Sexy bobble Nautie

2006-04-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, Here is sexy bobble Nautie looking for the ladies. OK, maybe I would add more bobbles to make them look less like little blue flowers next time. He's still pretty cute though (I think he'll do OK)... Took longer than I expected, luckily it was raining all weekend here in CT. More photos. Kellie

Contest

2006-04-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, here is the prize:

A set of no-snag stitch markers! They are made of real shell, crystal, glass pearl, and bubble beads. They are very light, so they can be used on small needles and will fit on larger needles up to about a US 10.5.

TO ENTER:
1) Just post a reply to this topic before April 25th at noon, EST
2) You must be a member of this KAL (your name appears on the sidebar).
Feel free to join us before the contest deadline if your lurking!

I'll randomly select a winner Tuesday night.

more nautie goodness

2006-04-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

this is my next nautie. i like the coil of my first one, but i thought i'd try something a little different. i've gone for more of a conical (?) shaped shell. it's great, but the yarn i'm using isn't as thick as the first one so there is some stuffing showing through. oh well

So far so good...

2006-04-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is where I'm at with Nautie. I'm using Cascade Fixation. The face will be some solid color I have yet to determine. Needles are size 4s. I like the pattern well enough but... I think I should have used a thicker yarn for this project. I'm sure to make another so I'll have a chance to improve. Using cottonballs is cheap but I'm wondering about the washability of such a thing. My kids play the heck out of their toys so I know this little gal is gonna need a bath sooner or later.

Another angle:

Nautie in progress

2006-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all, here is my nautie so far, he is being knit with some Malabrigo I had leftover so he is sooo soft and cozy. I love this pattern, it is a really fun project.

CONTEST!

2006-04-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Coming soon!
The first (and maybe only) nautie contest!

You must be a member of the KAL to play, so if your lurking and not, join this weekend!

Finished Nautie

2006-04-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

I somehow managed to mess up the easiest part: placement of the eyes. I guess I put them on what's supposed to be the "chin" ... anyhoodle, here's a picture. His name is Zoidberg. [two more pictures]

okay...

2006-04-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe i am just really tired..but i think i am messing up the nautie....i start it and it looks fine..i split the i cord and then start adding and growing my little nautie...i check it and it is showing purl stitches instead of knit after i start knitting in the round..
Can anyone help? I feel like a goof for asking because it's not like i havent ever knitted anything before...but HELP!!!!
thanks!

Nautie progress

2006-04-18T05:03:00.000-07:00

Here's the one I've almost finished. The eyes are still missing. I'm supposed to have a bag of craft eyes lying around somewhere but I can't find it.

Here's my first experiment with a patterned shell. This is a chevron pattern with purl rows in between. Perhaps I should be using smaller needles with this yarn as the stuffing can be seen. My first finding in the pattern experimentation is that yarn-over increases are a big no-no as they leave holes through which you can see the stuffing. I'm using "make-one" increases instead.

I have some crappy pictures of Nautie on my blog

2006-04-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

I finally started Nautie this weekend and got a few rows done at least. I was pretty busy, so I didn't get to do much. I posted some blurry pictures of the little guy on my blog. It's http://magicknits.blogspot.com

I liked how the yarn is creating a stripey pattern for the shell too. I'm pretty happy with that. Happy Nautie making!

'nother nautie - more increases

2006-04-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Work in progress...
This one has 2rows light green, 1 row dark green... increase in every 3rd row, up to making a stitch in 2 of 3 rows in the last several pattern repeats... Hey Beth, if you're watching, did you experiment with rate-of-increase? I like stubby by the way. This is stubby the spiral version - looks almost like a cartoon, he's so chubby. Guess I shouldn't be too worried about morphological accuracy in cotton invertebrates.

What I want to knit:
Impossible ammonite
But I'm hoping that just stripping will look kinda like this:
Potentially possible ammonite

Thanks for everybody's comments!! Nauties are way more fun than grad school. This is a seriously bad trend if it continues.

It's a nautie shell

2006-04-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get as far this weekend as I wanted before I had a flare up of cubital tunnel syndrome (affects the pinky and ring finger). I was happy that I managed to get the shell done, though it will be a couple days before I'll be able to do the face.

I'm using fingering weight yarn on size 1 needles. I'm doing a solid color shell rather than a striped one. This shell has the full amount of increases (up to 36 stitches around). I'm using Crazy Monkey Yarn, a hand-painted yarn made by a girl in my knit group.

stumpy baculite

2006-04-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first nauties I made; I increased every row instead of every 4 rows. Christie reminded me of it when she said she was considering a baculite that increased every other row.

I think I started this one from the wide opening and decreased toward the point. I hadn't figured out the face yet, either, so it's a little lumpy. Yes, I eventually gave it eyes :)

Picking up stitches for the face is totally cool. Anything that eliminates a seam is awesome in my book.

Fun fact: I read that nautiloids in the Ordovician could have up to a hundred tentacles. Me, I get kinda bored with I-cord after 8 or so :)

couple o' little nauties

2006-04-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

I made these smaller than the pattern called for - fewer repeats, and small cotton yarn on size 3 dpns. The baculite is about 9 inches long (not counting the tentacles). I shouldn't be posting them before they have eyes but what the hey. They're for my pal Heather who got home today from her first research cruise.

The green one was done with one solid color and one varigated yarn.

I made the heads by picking up stitches inside the finished shells rather than knitting them separately and sewing them together. Next time I would increase the baculite faster, like maybe every other row instead of every 4th. Definitely making more of these...

From Gamma's House

2006-04-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

This is what I have done, from knitting off-and-on at Gamma's the past couple days. I think I'm on the last of the 29 repeats-bit of the curliness. Don't remember. :p

So what should I name it? I'm sure some of you recognize the green and yellow yarns there...I thought perhaps Nautie needed it worse than the scarf did...

I knit so much Thursday that somehow, I lost feeling in the pad of my right ring finger :p. It's like just now coming back.

I had to finish

2006-04-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

I couldn't leave my Nautie without a face.

Come on over to blog to read about Grandpa Nautie's Day Out!

I HATE I-CORD!

2006-04-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

I hate i-cord. it just never turns out as neat as the rest of my knitting. It took forever to knit those tentacles!

Anyway, enough complaining

here's my first completed nautie -->
it isn't the best picture of him, but the ones with better angles, etc all have other projects in them.

i wanted bright colors and boy is he bright!

i'm going to start a more pastel-ish nautie for myself tonight.
this was just too much fun!

Another Nautie on LJ

2006-04-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on the shell of mine (about 80 rows in of the ~130 row needed). I'm doing mine in fingering weight and it looks like mine will end up the size of my palm.

There was another nautie posted on the knitting community over at livejournal. This one is pretty interesting in that the knitter used beaded eyes and did the shell in reverse stockinette. ('Nother Nautie)

(I hope it is okay to post the couple that I've found.)

Binding off the shell

2006-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I'm binding off the shell now. I don't think I'll get to the body this weekend, so some of you may finish before me!

I was thinking that it would fun to dye some self striping Nautie yarn for the next Nautie. The thickness of the stripe would change as the stitch count increased, but it could still be neat. I'll post details if I do it.

Hi!

2006-04-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a french knitter and I'm 19.
(Sorry if there is lots of mistakes, I hope my english isn't too bad)
I have been knitting since last autumn and I really like it!
I have a bachelor's degree in science so I knew and love Nautiles!
When I saw the Nautie pattern on Knitty, I knew I will knit lots of them.
Here is the beginning of my first Nautie. I will knit the face in blue yarn.

HELLO!

2006-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Introductions first, I suppose.
I'm Megan. I'm 24 and have been knitting since last summer.
In order to support my knitting habit, I work as a substitute teacher while I volunteer at the local zoo as a docent.

I am a science geek at heart so Nautie was right down my alley. I saw it on Knitty and made a mad dash for my stash.

My first Nautie is in a pretty rainbow yarn with a bright blue face. He is almost finished (pictures tomorrow hopefully), all i need is the i-cord pieces. He is intended for the 3 week old baby of a fellow science geek who also happens to be an old friend. I can't wait to ship him to his new home and make one for myself!

I was surprised at how easy it was to coil once I got a hang of it. i wasn't quite sure where exactly to place my m1 and include the coiling stitch so half of this first one is twisting a bit while the other half seems to have straighter lines. I love experimenting with the patterns the first time around! (why is it so hard to actually stick to a pattern????) I'm also horrid at sewing and seaming so i picked up stitches for the face instead of making separate pieces. To my relief, it worked swimmingly!

I suppose that's it for now since it is waaaay past my bedtime.

Happy Knitting! Cheers!
Megan

2006-04-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Someone over on livejournal posted a picture of a completed nautie:

Nautie Nautie over on the Livejournal knitting community.

She used chunky yarn and large needle and only increased to 18 stitches. It looks pretty good.

veritas' dreams of the nautie

2006-04-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

i now already have two requests for nauties, without even making one for Me yet!

step 1. in my plans is to get some stuffing. need that stuffing, right?
step 2. get some lovely, cheap and nasty acrylic.

step 3. hope to all that is holy my misaddressed knitting needles i got from ebay show up.

then it's time to nautie away.

big ones small ones ones as big as your head.

Brie's progress

2006-04-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite as far a long as Sherry is, but here is my Nautie so far (as of 7 rows ago):

It's not quite big enough to use cotton balls with. :) I'm fairly close at this point to having increased to half of the stitches needed for the shell.

Progress

2006-04-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here is progress on my Nautie:

Just a few more increases to go on the shell.

BTW, if you forget to bring your stuffing to knitting circle, cosmetic cotton balls from the pharmacy work fine!

Mango here!

2006-04-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Reporting for nautie! Hah, that's so much fun to say...*ahem*

Well then...hi, I'm Mango, young'n at 16.5 years on earth and six years on the needles. My Gamma taught me to knit, twice actually, and my favorite thing about my personal knittyness is that I am an ambi knitter. Yup, both "normal" styles with both hands. Hurrah! And I love knitting with DPNs. Love it. Apparently, this is kinda abnormal. Whatever. I've been a fan of Knitty since I stumbled upon it one boring summer...I think it might have been during the "Sex and the Knitty" issue, actually...how odd. I frequent the boards, well, lightly stalk them, under the same identity here and am easily recognized by my (stupid) blond kitty Spaz, featured in my avatar.

Oh yeah, and I'm a nerd. Big time. Was in Science Olympiad for three years, and will be giving one of these to my former Fossils coach. Have a couple of molds of these guys somewhere, I believe. Or was it a cast? I never get those two straight. Eh.

Will be starting the, oh...six little buggers I have planned tonight while at my Gamma's house. She's got some stash she wants to vacate the premesis...

Nautie ideas

2006-04-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Since the use of stitch patterns came up, I just wanted to point out some ammonites that may be interesting models. You geologists and paleo geeks know that ammonites and friends evolved some really crazy shell textures and shapes. I was thinking of these guys on my walk to work today and how I could perhaps make different shell textures in knitting.

Perhaps alternate purl and knit rows?

Don't forget the heteromorphic (partly curled) guys:

In the Cretaceous ammonites went nuts with external and internal shell development. Maybe as a defense from sea reptiles?

Bobbles?

Internet explorer users

2006-04-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Whoops, sorry IE users. I don't use IE usually and I just noticed the sidebar wasn't showing properly in IE. It should be OK now.

BTW, if you don't like your name/nickname I posted on the sidebar, drop me a comment or an email and I'll fix it.

Back to knitting my Nautie!

Aloha!!!

2006-04-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to add the button! Yahoooo!
Now I need to begin my Nautie!
I have two nephews and one son of my very own and I am soooo excited to make them some stuffed animals that are fun like these...I just wanted to say hello to everyone!
Thanks for the hint about the pattern..I will get back in a few days and let you all know how they are coming along!
Aloha!
Rachel

Hello from Iceland

2006-04-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm Eyja and I haven't been much on the Knitty-boards so far, except for the occasional lurking. I'm a manic knitter, and while I rarely make stuffed animals, something about Nautie appeals to me. I'd love to try making a few versions of nauties experimenting with different pattern stitches and get rid of some of my yarn stash while I'm at it.

Hi, all

2006-04-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm Brie (briezee on the knittyboards, but I think I've posted maybe a total of twice since September). My interest in Nautie is due to the fact that 75 – 80% of the stuff I knit is stuffed animals. I've been knitting since last October and have made half a scarf, 3 socks, a mini sock, 6 teddy bears (4 simple one piece guys and 2 from The Knitted Teddy Bear), and a set of 5 mini stuffed chickens. (I'll finish the scarf and the other sock sometime…)

I started the Nautie last night and after a couple of stumbles finally figured it out. I wasn't able to get the shell to form with the stripe pattern. I then tried it single color and it was better, but had a hard time handling the DPNs with the yarn (I was using Caron Simply Soft and I almost have to use plastic needles with that yarn, but all I could find was metal). So I ended up finding a ball of hand painted sock yarn (in blue and dark grey) and some size 1s. And it's working much better. I'm up to row 40 on the shell (about 30% there). Stuffing has been interesting, but I've gotten a lot of practice with the other toys. (The chicken family I did last weekend gave me a lot of practice stuffing mini-objects.)

It's a cool pattern and the shell part is pretty simple. I'll let you know when I get to the face.

Hi everyone

2006-04-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Hello to all you nautie fans out there. When I saw that there was going to be a KAL for the ammonite pattern on knitty, I knew I had to join. I'm a geologist and I work for my state's geological survey. Paleo has always been my love. I've always been fascinated by dinosaurs, but my real love is moroccan fossils, especially ammonites, orthoceras, and the thousands of species of trilobites. I also have a passion for knitting. When I saw nautie, I knew I had to make some. Me and my coworker already have acrylic yarn sitting around the office, so on our breaks, we're going to knit up some of the cute little ammonites.

Thanks for letting me join. Can't wait to see how everyone's nauties turn out!

KnittingMagicGirl
http://magicknits.blogspot.com

errata

2006-04-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've already heard about an error in the pattern! For the face, you should be decreasing three times each row, and the number of stitches between decreases will always get smaller. After 7 stitches you have 6, then 5, then 4, then 3, etc.

The error is that the "knit 5" and "knit 4" lines were duplicated, so it looks like your stitch count should go up. It shouldn't - just keep decreasing smoothly. I notified the editor; hopefully they'll correct it soon.

UPDATE: it's now fixed on the Knitty page.

Button!

2006-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

We have a KAL button from LaBean! Thank you! He's over on the sidebar!

Hello, hello

2006-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd say hi to everyone!

First, I'm Sherry, or lunastrixae on the Knittyboards. I've never hosted a KAL, so if you have any suggestions for the blog, corrections or want to make a button, please feel free!

Second, I love Nautie because for many years I was a part time educator, docent, and fossil preparator at a local natural history museum. Pretty much I helped clean and restore fossils, mostly from the Cretaceous, and spoke to kids and adults about geology, dinosaurs and cool dead things. The most recent project of mine was to help mount a fossil crocodile skeleton at my old university.

Third, I also grew up in Ithaca, the same place as the designer (Beth) of Nautie! Neat, huh?

Finally, I have a stash of worsted weight yarn bits, and I plan on starting my Nauties tomorrow. I'm sure once they are spotted by my museum pals, I'll be making tons of them.

Enough about me, what are your 'nautie' plans?

Welcome!

2006-04-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Nautie KAL! The blog for fans of knitted Ammonites and Baculites!