May 23 2006
crossing another baby off the list
Last night I tooled around with a gift for my friend LK’s baby. LK is perhaps a bigger Buffy fan than I am; she owns all 7 seasons on DVD, whereas I stalled out at the first 3 (and she bought me season 3!). Now, I don’t know if the baby will be a boy or a girl, but I think she’ll like a Buffy-themed gift even if she has a boy—maybe he’ll grow up to have all the good qualities of, say, Xander (but not the dumb ones).
So I knit up a baby-sized Mr. Pointy.
I’m also giving her this Buffy toy. This package cracks me up, especially because it “Includes Rocket Launcher, and Right Arm of the Judge.” (So this is early Buffy; season 2.)
I took notes while I knit up Mr. Pointy, in case someone else wanted to make one, but honestly it’s not something that really needs a pattern. Here’s a vague pattern for what I did, which took about an hour to do:
Mr. Pointy
Yarn: Lana Gatto Wool Gatto, in brown (or pick whatever you have on hand)
Needles: US 3 circular for I-cord and magic loop (or dpns)
Stuff as you go—it’s easier.
- Cast on 3 stitches; work I-cord for 5 rows
- Start randomly increasing stitches—don’t increase evenly around. A stitch here, a stitch there, maybe 3 here, 2 there. Be erratic.
- Knit even for a few rows between increases.
- On some increase rows, increase several in one spot and decrease (k2tog) a little later in the row. (Mr. Pointy is kind of gnarled when Kendra gives it to her; this makes the effect more erratic and gnarled.)
- Continue until it’s about 4 inches long, or the length you’d like. If you make it longer, keep increasing as you go so it feels proportional.
- Increase until you have an even number of stitches.
- At the end, k2tog around
- Knit one row even
- k2tog around
- k2tog around again, if you want
- Break yarn, draw through, and hide the end inside the toy.
I’m quite happy with the result, and it continues my budding trend of giving completely weird and seemingly useless gifts to expecting friends. I originally thought I’d be making a sweater or something else for this kiddo, but I’m going to see the parents this weekend at a wedding, and I wanted to give something now. Plus this is so LK-inspired, I have to do it!
SHUT UP. I must go knit Mr. Pointy RIGHT NOW.
What a great gift. Baby showers will never be boring with you around :-)
This is so awesome. You are so my hero. The only person I know who wants this for her kid is me, so I’m putting it on my list of things to make for Rachel Jr.
I am SO knitting this to take to the Buffy Sing-Along.
This is TOO COOL!
So need to make this. I intend to use it maintain order in my house. (”Don’t make me dust you!”) Thanks for sharing.
Buffy Sing-A-Long? I want one! I have to learn how to knit more quickly just to do the Mr. Pointy. That (Mr. Pointy) is also the name of one of my cats. Proud Buffy Nerd.
This is FABULOUS. I came to look at the Anastasia socks pattern (which I’ve got queued on Ravelry now - they are lovely!) and saw a pattern link for Mr. Pointy. I thought, hmmm…I wonder if that’s what I think it is - but surely not…and it was! Love it!
I think this is fabulous too! I’m another Buffy nerd with a cat named Drucilla.
Yeah, I misspelled it! I bought ALL the seasons in a box set. At one time I did have hamsters named Buffy, Xander and Cordelia……………….Thanks for the smile!
*Technically* speaking, Mr. Pointy was originally Kendra’s lucky stake, and looked something like this. I think the moniker got transferred later in the show, but, c’mon, somebody had to whip out the Buffy Fandom Pedantry. (That, and we just rewatched Season 2.)
Why does everyone always think Mr. Pointy was the name of Buffy’s stake? It was actually the name Kendra gave to her own stake (which she gave to Buffy). Buffy is the one thing about which I really nitpick lol!
Lol, if only I could knit.
I have you beat in the pet department.
Cordelia - Chihuahua
Jasmine - Terrier
My cat is Drusilla as well, who had kittens named Buffy, Willow, and Lilah.
Friends have Buffy and Willow, and they kept the names.
Drusilla and Lilah are still with Cordy and Jas.
Awesome stuff! I’ll be giving you a plug over at my blog ;)
What a fabulous gift. I’m definitely going to have to knit up one of these for my daughter.
(My dog’s name is Darla)
Also, *technically speaking*, there are 7 seasons of Buffy. Granted, the show started off as a mid-season replacement which meant it didn’t get a full first season. For serious Buffy trivia, name the show it replaced on The WB’s schedule ;)
No one wants to point out that there were 7 seasons and not 6?
[…] at pepperknit, Mintyfresh posted this knitted Mr. Pointy which she created for a friend’s baby shower. […]
This is most excellent! Now I just have to try and adapt it to crochet, or learn how to knit. I posted about it at my new blog: http://jossisahottie.com/whedoncraft/2008/07/29/mr-pointy/
fantastic! I shall start my very own Mr. Pointy tonight…
So cute, thanks for the idea!
How funny! I saw Mr. Pointy in your pattern list and knew exactly what I was going to find. I was a huge Buffy fan (ok, I still am). I can’t wait to try this out.
[…] This knit Mr. Pointy, as a baby gift no less, is too cool! […]