Knitted thorns

[bercilakslady]

I'm trying to work out a pattern to make a Rose Goblin. It's basically the child of a cat and a rose bush. I can make a cat, but this one needs thorns, that are directional, like a hedgehog's spines. (The Rose Goblin is from Seanan McGuire's _Rosemary and Rue_, which is a wonderful book

Comments

[apis_mellifera]

I am assuming that you're making a stuffed toy--would bobbles of different sizes work? If you used a different color yarn for them, you'd get bumps (the Extermiknit Dalek pattern uses bobbles of different colored yarn for the bumps on the bottom half of the Dalek if you want to see the concept in action), but I don't know how realistic you want the thorns to appear. I guess it depends on how realistic your cat pattern is and how pointy you want the thorns to be--you could find pointy beads if you really wanted it to be stabby to the touch... ;)

When I read Rosemary and Rue, I didn't imagine the Rose Goblin as having thorns all over its back like a hedgehog's spines, more like barbs along the spine and limbs, kind of like a living briar. But it's been a few months since I've read it, so my recollection could be completely off.

[bercilakslady]

The spines aren't all over, I don't think, but they have the same sort of directionality as a hedgehogs spines. I want to make this relatively realistic.

If I do just the ridges of thorns, I might end up doing a rose lace pattern over the body, where it's pink rather than the gray of the thorns.

[boojum]

Short lengths of I-cord? You could give them directionality by starting them as applied I-cord and then making them freestanding. For further shaping (aren't thorns wider at their bases than at their tips?), you could decrease stitches near the ends.

[naturespirit]

That was my thought.

[bercilakslady]

I wasn't sure how to make I-cord directional, but doing it applied first is a good thought. Thanks!

[plate_of_felt]

My first thought is- make holes (like buttonholes) where you want the thorns to be, then pick up the stitches around them later with dpns and decrease to a point.

[celticdragonfly]

OOOOH!

I'm not sure what to say, but when you figure it out, post it!

I was picturing it more like an ambulatory rose than a cat. Just... catlike in manner. That's a great book.

Small bits of icord with wire inside them for stiffness?

[bercilakslady]

Seanan posted that art card of the cat and rose goblin, and the goblin is cat shaped, just different colors and with thorns. I think I'll do a rose lace pattern over the body bits to bring in the flower theme.

[celticdragonfly]

Oooh, I missed that. Where did she post that?

[bercilakslady]

http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/78333.html

[ladysaphira]

When you said a cross between a hedgehog I immediately thought of ysolda's Smith pattern. Her description says the hedgehogs' spikes are knit separately and then joined to the body while it's being knit. If you want the thorns to be all over the way a hedgehog's spikes are that might work.

[bercilakslady]

What an adorable pattern!

I might use something similar, even if I don't go for an all over thorn pattern.

Thanks for your help!