Friday, January 18, 2019

Josiah (by SuAmi)


I'm still working on the orange chair, although I have had to take a break to work on my items for the annual swap for the HalfScaleMinis group.  Unfortunately, I can't write about my items until after the swap has occurred, on pain of being banned from the swap in future years.  I can say that my original idea did not work, which necessitated a return to the drawing board, but I finally came up with an alternative plan, and production is going full speed ahead.


In the interim, I do have a little something to post about, a very little something—Josiah!  In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt was given a badger by a young girl in Kansas.  The Roosevelts named him Josiah and kept him as a family pet for a while, until they had to give him up due to his habit of biting people.  In return, they got a stuffed badger for the library.  He looks kind of ferocious.


My original hope was to crochet an amigarumi version.  I got a pattern for a stuffed toy badger and thought I would be able to make one the right size by using a single strand of embroidery floss and a size 14 hook, as well as simplifying the pattern a bit.  I actually have done miniature crochet like that, with decent results.



This time, however, despite several attempts to modify and simplify the pattern, I finally had to admit defeat.  I have no idea how they crochet in the round for those teeny little legs without losing track of their rows and wanting to tear their hair out.  It was time for my back-up plan.

SuAmi on Etsy does some of the sweetest, tiniest amigarumi animals I have ever seen, and I have always wanted something by her.  So, as a Christmas gift, my mother bought me one of her badgers.  (Admittedly, at the time we ordered it, I hadn't made my goats and sheep, so I hadn't considered the possibility that I might be able to make a polymer clay version work.)  Anyway, he arrived this week, and he's cute as can be.


Here he is in the room.  I think he fits in there very well.


I am telling people that he is the real Josiah, not the stuffed version.  He just happened to wander into the room and stand at that exact location. 😉 It's clear he's not nearly as fierce as his taxidermy counterpart. 


The books are also coming along, slowly.  At last count, I had made 269 books (including the books on the desk and side tables), but I still have 17½ shelves left to fill.  Fortunately, I can make the books while sitting and watching TV.  Suggestions of good shows to binge watch while making swaps and books are welcomed.  😊  We subscribe to Netflix, BritBox and Acorn.  Last year, I watched all three seasons of Broadchurch while making my swaps.  I've already consumed all of A Place to Call Home, 800 Words, The Great British Baking Show, and most seasons of QI.


16 comments:

  1. Josiah is just too adorable!!! I can't even imagine crochet that tiny, but I am just as astonished at your afghan and pillows! Is there anything you are not excellent at? The concentration and skill it must take!!! I hope there are people in your real life who are suitable to appreciate just how incredible your miniatures are!
    During my allotted TV time lately, I have been watching documentaries via Netflix. There are some fascinating people in the world, and the struggles some of them go through leave me feeling much more grateful to have my set of problems!
    Best of luck with the orange chair and the book making! The shelves are looking wonderful!

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    1. Thanks, Jodi! I hated to give up on my efforts, but I think I found a good alternative. Yes, fortunately, there are people in my real life who appreciate my miniature work. :-) I will definitely check out the documentaries on Netflix.

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  2. I can't imagine crochet period. I'm amazed that you even made the attempt. But then I saw your afghan and pillow and realized that this isn't something complex to you like it is to me. Gorgeous work.

    Josiah is adorable. Clearly he has better manners than his real life counterpart. I love all the books on your shelves. You have so much patience! Good luck with the orange chair.

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    1. Thanks, Sheila! Normally, I like miniature crochet, but this was just too tiny for me. And, yes, this Josiah is very well mannered. :-)

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  3. Your cute mini Josiah adds to the general animal menagerie found throughout the room, yet I'm glad to hear that Teddy had the good sense to remove the real Josiah from his home, because I wouldn't care to be bitten by those teeth either!
    I think that our docile mini pet is a much better alternative and I am delighted to see that mini Josiah has unlimited roaming privileges, much like a watch badger guarding Teddy's territory.
    Regarding what to watch on t.v. as you are making books.... what about listening to an audio book as you make them? There's lots to choose from on Youtube depending on your particular tastes.
    I'm a Big I Claudius fan and have made mini perfume bottles by the HUNDREDS whilst listing to it.

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! I didn't even know there were audio books on YouTube. I have to check them out. We never missed an episode of I, Claudius when it was on Masterpiece Theatre many years ago. Derek Jacoby was spectacular in the part. I've never read the books. Maybe I'll check out the audio versions.

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  4. Goodness, Josiah is so darn cute! His rl stuffed counterpart though... yikes! The books look like they are coming along nicely. I’m having a mental blank on my tv habits at the moment, but I can’t believe you are watching Aussie series like 800 words and A Place to call Home.. I loved that series, I’m so sad it’s finished. I’m interested to know if you enjoyed it. :) I have American friends that are watching Wentworth at the moment, which is a remake/reinvention of a 1970s Aussie series called Prisoner.. set in a women’s prison.. I’ve never watched orange is the new black, so I can’t say if it’s similar. I did watch the movie Chappaquidick the other day and it was very interesting. I hope you find some more binge content for your book and mini swap making endeavours.

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    1. Oh, I know! I’m watching “The Good Doctor”... loving it.

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    2. Thanks, Sam! I *loved* "A Place to Call Home." I came to it late. It's shown in this country on some PBS stations, but never on ours, so when I discovered it on Acorn, I binge-watched the first five seasons. That kept me in mini-making TV for a while! Acorn showed each episode of season 6 just two weeks after it aired in Australia, which was really nice. I was sad to see it end, too, but I thought they did a good job of wrapping things up and providing a satisfying ending. I remember a serial that showed on PBS in the late 70's called "Prisoner in Cell Block H." I *think* it was from Australia. I wonder if it's the same as the one you're referring to? My friends and I used to watch it like fiends. :-) "Wentworth" is available here on Amazon Prime and "Packed to the Rafters" is on Hulu (which we also get, yay!). And, of course, "The Good Doctor" is currently available on demand. I will check them out. :-)

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  5. Oh and if you like the guy from 800 words. His previous series was called “Packed to the Rafters”.

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  6. Josiah in reincarnate is so stinkin' cute! The real life version is a little on the rabid side! I love a good docu-series, especially if psychopathy is involved. I usually listen to those narrated true crime shows...I don't need any pictures! My son is pestering me to watch "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", it is by the Coen brothers, should be entertaining. Keep those books agoing Deborah.

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    1. Thanks, Carrie! Yes, the real life version is kind of scary. I do like documentaries. Just watched a short series on how real-life murders influenced mystery novels. I'm with you; I don't need the pictures! I love a mystery, but I prefer any violence to occur "off stage."

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  7. Lost my long winded post bus basically said the badger and you are amazing. Also, Netflix suggestions: The Fall and Luther. I am watching Lucifer. The crimes are fluff and have no depth but the relationship between he and the detective is interesting.

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  8. I've always loved learning about Teddy. He was the most interesting president in my opinion and I didn't know he ever had a pet badger, but of course he did. Love it.

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    1. Thanks! They had quite the menagerie. In addition to Josiah, they had a small bear named Jonathan Edwards, a lizard named Bill, several guinea pigs, Maude the actual pig, a blue macaw, a one-legged rooster, a hyena, a barn owl, Peter the rabbit, Algonquin the pony, multiple dogs, and a garter snake named Emily Spinach (because it was green).

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