Category: Dinosaurs

An Inspiring Whimsical Scrapmetal Menagerie

The Swetsville Zoo  in Timnath, CO is actually a sculpture garden showcasing the wild imagination of Bill Swets. Filled with creatures made from metal scraps including parts from cars, tractors, and motorcycles, this “zoo” includes dinosaurs, birds, insects, reptiles, dragons, even people and flowers. The two things all Swets’ creations have in common: they are all made from recycled materials and they all make you smile.

The first thing I saw when we arrived should have told me what was in store. I’m not sure if you have to keep your dinosaurs under 5 mph or you drive under 5 mph because of the dinosaurs. Either way, I was in.

dinoSpeedLimit_web

There were LOTS of dinosaurs. This was one of my favorites (complete with a bird’s nest in its mouth):

dinoSculp_web

There were quite a few dragons as well.

2headedDragon_web

While I liked his ants and other smaller insects, his giant praying mantis was my favorite.

megaMantis_web

I found his birds charming, too.

bird_web

rooster_web

Last but not least, here’s something that reminded me of the goblins from the movie Labyrinth (note the little driver in the mechanized monster’s open mouth):

goblinDriver_web

All the articles I found online talk about the looming demise of this unusual garden. Big box stores have been built right next door and there are plans for more development in the near future. But the Swetsville Zoo is still open (no entry fee! Donations welcome) for your enjoyment and I am hoping it will last. Get there while you can.

 

Knitted Diplodocus and Triceratops

20170705_knitted_dinos_web
Knitted dinosaurs, using patterns from Mini Knitted Toys by Sachiyo Ishii
20170705_knit_triceratops_web
Knitted Triceratops
20170705_knit_diplodicus_web
Knitted Diplodocus (I know the tail’s too short. But this is how the pattern was designed.)

A T. Rex Dressed As Elizabeth I

For Halloween this year, Tiny the T. rex decided to be Elizabeth I of England. She looked through books until she found a dress she liked (the jewel encrusted gown of the Ditchley portrait), then asked her Aunt Rexie if she could help her with her costume.

qei-ditchley-portrait_web
The Ditchley portrait of Elizabeth I (ca. 1592)

Aunt Rexie took one look, sighed, and then got out her sewing kit. After all, she adores Tiny. She spent days putting “gems” and ribbon on fabric before she could even begin sewing the dress, but the end result, and the happy look on Tiny’s face, was well worth the effort.

trex_ditchley_cul_web
Tiny LOVES her dress! (Thanks, Aunt Rexie!)

tiny_ditchley_full1_web

trex_ditchley_cur_web

 

trex_ditchley_overhead_web

Note: This is probably the most elaborate costume I’ve ever made. What was yours?

Saving Dinosaurs, One Sweater At A Time

The Dinosaur Foundation wants to bring back the fascinating animals that went extinct 65 million years ago due to unfortunate circumstances beyond their control. Impossible you say? Not really. We have a simple three step plan that will have us all neck deep in dinosaurs in no time.

We know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “Dinosaur Foundation, you’re nuts! Didn’t you see Jurassic Park? You DO NOT want to make dinosaurs from incomplete DNA!”

You’re right, we don’t. We want natural, organic, 100%-as-they-were-in-the-past dinosaurs, so we’re trying something a little different.

We’re knitting them sweaters.

df03_web

 

What’s the point?

To keep them warm, of course.

Every school kid knows that dinosaurs were wiped out when an asteroid hit the earth, filled the atmosphere with dust, and lowered the temperature around the world. If the dinosaurs had only had sweaters, they would have survived and would be with us here, today.

df02_web

So we’re busy knitting sweaters, while our physicist friends work on the time machine* we need to deliver them.

The Dinosaur Foundation’s Three Step Plan to Save the Dinosaurs:

1) Knit a bunch of sweaters. Really really big sweaters.
2) Invent a time machine.**
3) Take sweaters back to the dinosaurs before the asteroid hits.

dotthanks_web

 

The Dinosaur Foundation is looking for dedicated knitters ready to take on this challenge. The good news: we’ll be using a time machine, so there’s really no deadline. Please let us know if you would like to help.

dfposter01_web

*For those who think it’s impossible to build a time machine, scientists say it’s practically impossible, which means it’s at least a tiny little bit possible. We’re all optimists here at the Dinosaur Foundation. We believe that if we care enough, it can be done.
**For those who argue that we could just bring the dinosaurs back in a time machine without all this messing around with yarn: we don’t think so. We’ve agreed that building a time machine is practically impossible. A time machine that’s also big enough to transport dinosaurs? Not happening.

T. Rex Easter Bunny

TrexBunnyEars_web
Putting the Eeeeeee! in Easter

Aunt Rexie got surprised by how early Easter is this year. Her plans to knit Tiny a bunny suit were curtailed until all Tiny got was a set of ears. Fortunately, Tiny is a forgiving girl (despite that toothy grin). She loves her bunny hat and wishes everyone a happy Easter and lovely spring.

HappyEasterFlowers_web

Technical notes: Spud and Chloë fine sock wool on size 1 double-pointed needles. It took a few tries to get the ears in the right place. Even then, Tiny is the scariest bunny I’ve ever seen (even scarier than Monty Python’s killer rabbit).

Tiny the T. Rex: Santa’s Not-So-Little Helper

When Aunt Rexie asked Tiny what she wanted for Christmas, Tiny said, “I want to be an elf and help Santa make toys.” Being a loving aunt, Rexie got out the yarn and needles and knit Tiny her very own Christmas elf outfit.

tRexElfLeft_web

While she’s much better at sleeves than she used to be, it still takes Aunt Rexie several tries to get them right. At least she’s learned to adapt on the fly. When she made a legging that was too short, she turned it into a hat.

tRexElfRight_web

tRexElf_web

Tiny wishes you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and the gift of an aunt who knits.

tRexElfCU_web

My favorite story about this project: I was at Jo-Anns buying some yarn and bells and the clerk asked me what I was going to make. I said “An elf outfit for a T. rex” and she gaped at me. She said, “That’s the cutest thing I’ve heard all day,” which made my day.

For those interested in the technical details: I used some acrylic and some wool yarns on size 2 needles. I keep thinking I’m going to be able to knit new designs first try, but this outfit took several attempts for nearly every part. Leggings and sleeves required multiple experiments before I got something that looked the way I wanted and also fit. The presents were particularly fiddly: I covered square wooden beads with scrap-booking paper, then tied them with metallic embroidery thread.

Halloween Costume for a T-Rex: Elsa from Frozen

When Tiny told her Aunt Rexie she wanted to be Elsa from Frozen for Halloween, Aunt Rexie was stumped. She doesn’t know how to sew, only how to knit, and she’s still a beginner. But she promised Tiny she’d make her Halloween costume this year, so she looked at pictures of Elsa and got to work.

Knitting this outfit was no easy task, but Aunt Rexie went for it.
Elsa from Frozen. Knitting this outfit was no easy task, but Aunt Rexie went for it.

The slim cut dress wouldn’t fit over T-Rex hips, so Rexie put slits up the side. She knew if she just made the skirt wide enough to wear, Tiny would look more like Cinderella than Elsa. She also knit a lacy cover for the cape with sleeves, hoping it would be enough like the translucent layer Elsa wore in the movie to satisfy her niece.

Tiny in her Elsa outfit. She loves it!
Tiny in her Elsa outfit. She loves it!
Rather than knit snowflakes into the gown, Rexie used glittery sequins.
Rather than knit snowflakes into the gown, Rexie used glittery sequins.
You can't be Elsa without the braid.
You can’t be Elsa without the braid.

Rexie also had to make a wig*. What a great excuse to buy more yarn!

While she found knitting the lace part challenging, she still got it done before Halloween. Best of all, Tiny loves it. She’s been wearing it around the house every day this week.

Halloween, here she comes!
Halloween, here she comes!

*My husband says it’s demeaning to put a wig on a dinosaur, especially a T-Rex. All I can say in my defense is: Tiny insisted.

Technical details for the curious: I used size 00 needles and a smooth, slightly shiny cotton yarn to knit the dress. The cape is knit from single strands of a sparkly embroidery floss on size 3 (cape) and size 2 (sleeves) needles. I do not recommend using the sparkly floss for knitting. The stuff was stiff and slippery and not knitting friendly. I nearly gave up on it.