Keeping the rest of your hands busy

January 4, 2009 2:59 AM

So you've spent the holidays playing games, but now you have to be back at work. How to get your gaming fix during commutes and lunch-hours, whilst keeping up with that resolution to Learn Something New this year? Well, you could make a Sack-Boy. You can keep your portable games device warm with a Zelda cosy. You can knit up a Pacman scarf or a Space Invaders bag or socks if you're feeling retro. Or you can make a pocket ninja, an invincibility star to get you through the afternoon, a maqgnetic Katamari ball to spring-clean that desk, or a friendly companion cube. (and if you're too cack-handed to knit, you can sew a friendly cube with the pattern here and tutorial here!)
posted by mippy (13 comments total)

(I used fabric paint rather than sewing machine thread for my cube and it looks AWESOME (self link just so you can have a look).)
posted by mippy at 2:59 AM on January 4

Thanks, Mippy! I just did Learn Something New for '09. Can't wait to call my husband "cack-handed" just to see if he knows what I'm talking about, lefty that he is . . .
posted by emhutchinson at 4:57 AM on January 4

Mippy is a video game orange swan.
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:04 AM on January 4

Mippy, will you marry me? I know I'm a girl and already married, but if you can keep coming up with really cool patterns like these, I can come to an arrangement with Mr. G.

That cube rocks, by the way, and the links are just the thing I've been looking for to help kick me up the backside and get knitting.

I think it would be seriously cool to have a game oriented illusion/shadow scarf or hat.
posted by Grrlscout at 5:17 AM on January 4 [1 favorite has favorites]

Please... holidays... FUCKING END ALREADY.
posted by autodidact at 6:36 AM on January 4

Was I the only one struck by the irony of the Pacman scarf pattern creator asking people not to steal the pattern which they presumably produced by stealing the art from Pacman?
posted by TypographicalError at 8:02 AM on January 4

Is it wrong to want to make my own companion cube, even though I've not yet actually played Portal? (Only watched Youtube playthroughs) I'm supposed to be learning how to use a sewing machine right now, and that looks like such a fun cuddly project. Was it difficult to make, Mippy?

Maybe I should give knitting another go too, that Pacman scarf looks pretty cute...
posted by kosher_jenny at 8:03 AM on January 4

That's so funny that you posted this - I found the knitted companion cube last night and planned on getting yarn today. MeFi knitalong?
posted by bristolcat at 8:55 AM on January 4

Grrlscout - that illusion scarf link is great! I had been thinking about doing this Dr. Girlfriend scarf that I found the other day.
posted by bristolcat at 9:05 AM on January 4

It was easy to make, though I'd recommend using boucle fleece as it's thicker - might seem tricky with a hand needle but keeps shape better. It took me about a weekend to do, and now it lives in my boyfriend's flat for him to hide behind whilst playing Left 4 Dead.

You will probably need to hand-sew the corners, but it would take hardly any time with a sewing machine, and will probably help you practice.

There are lots of awesome gaming patterns on Ravelry (which I use as the craft form of window shopping as I'm not allowed to learn to knit yet) but you need a login to see a lot of them.
posted by mippy at 10:11 AM on January 4

So you've spent the holidays playing games, but now you have to be back at work.

How did you know??!!
posted by Foosnark at 12:26 PM on January 4

That Link sprite is adorable. Hello Linky! can sell a ton of merchandise if Nintendo makes a deal with Sanrio.
posted by ersatz at 4:50 PM on January 4

That Pac-Man scarf is awesome. I would totally buy one.
posted by fusinski at 11:02 PM on January 4