One more thing...

Here's another little treat from Russia -- a video montage I made of Loki exploring the landmarks of St. Petersburg. I had so trouble with the uploading...so it's pretty lo-fi, but I think the soundtrack makes it worth the time...heheh

Loki on the lam

I'm having trouble keeping up with the pattern demand in the face of all my other commitments/projects/stress of moving back to America and a new apartment. But I will have it finished and posted here eventually!

Meanwhile, here are some highlights from my time adventuring in Russia with Loki at my side. I only brought him out on a few occasions since the weather was mostly wet and windy and not good for little dollies to play in. Also, I really did do other things, like study and stuff while I was there...

Loki with some doll-sized (but Putin-strength) Putinka vodka. Oof.

Loki "suns" himself in Red Square (only tanning in dreary fog is how he maintains his pale complexion). A mere two weeks after we left Moscow, Tom Hiddleston (the real Loki!) came to that very city with the rest of the Avengers cast (minus Captain America...) for the premiere! Unfortunately, I could not return to Moscow in time on my budget. Alas, alas!

Loki sits astride an anti-tank gun above a former German bunker in Kaliningrad.

Loki takes in the sumptuous Tchaikovsky opera Queen of Spades at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. I think he quite enjoyed the gambling motif and devious, scheming (not to mention desperate for love) tragic hero Herman. Игра! Добро и зло одна мечта! The game! Good and evil are a single dream!

The following week, Loki was treated to ballet at the Mariinsky! Again, he found the Stravinsky selections to his taste -- one, Petrushka, was in fact about dolls, and the other, Firebird, was based on folklore and had some very stylish villains! And both featured magic, mischief, and more than a dash of spookiness (this being Stravinsky).

At intermission, Loki indulges in a little red wine. He may have refused Tony Stark's offer of a drink in the Avengers, but if you've read the comics, you know he actually drinks an awful lot. This might be why his plans never quite work out...

My clever theater-going companion, Greta, spotted a doll-size glass near us (previously used for vodka, I think...) and took this picture of me and Loki drinking to the arts!

Avengers premiered in Russian IMAX theaters a week earlier than in the US and Loki and I ran to the nearest one as soon as my classes were over! We enjoyed it immensely, even if it was dubbed into Russian, which I only mostly understood.

Loki meets Medusa on a bridge near the Summer Gardens.

"You are my little sun!" reads the graffiti. Awww, couldn't resist this one!

Loki gets a lift from a bear statue in the Smolny region of Petersburg.

Loki in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Loki on the gate to Mikhailovsky Gardens.

Making mischief...

Sweet almonds!

At the swanky Dostoevsky-themed restaurant "Cafe Idiot."

Ah, those were the times!

Avenger, Assemble!

Follow these schematics to put Thor together just so!

I prefer to leave the helmet, boots, and hammer not sewn down, but if you are going to give Thor to a child, it's probably best to sew them down so they don't get lost.

And that's that! Your Thor is all ready to go fight crime on Asgard, Midgard, or your comic book shelf!

I'm working on the Loki pattern and will hopefully have it up by the end of the month!

HAIR

Turn up the glam rock, it's time to knit Thor some godly hair!

These instructions create a wig that fits snugly on the head of a Basic Dolly.
Gauge: stitches and rows per square inch using a smooth, shiny worsted weight yarn.

Fame-ish!

I'm not quite finished with the Thor pattern (really close though!), but I had to post this breaking news concerning a certain hat pattern featured on this site...

I'm on Russian TV -- in my Loki hat! MY PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD HAS BEEN SET IN MOTION! Unlike with past attempts (Napolean, cough, Hitler, cough cough), I survived the Russian winter. Thus, I am one of Earth's most powerful schemers and the obvious choice to be Loki's number-one ally in planet conquest. Seriously, Avengers would have ended differently if Loki had invaded St. Petersburg and not New York City.

I only today was made aware that a clip that had been shot of me saying "I don't understand" in Russian, which was part of a mini-interview I did with a reporter back in November, has been in use as the opener for a segment on a Russian early morning news show about things foreigners can't understand about Russia. I thought my interview had been discarded because I insisted on asking a difficult question (Why are there posters with lines from Keats in the metro?). Not so! I may never get the answer to this question (really, why? and just the same stanza, oddly enough my favorite, from Ode to A Nightingale, in every single metro station), but I do get my .15 minutes of fame!

To see the whole thing in context, click any one of the most recent (first listed) 12 videos on this page! http://www.5-tv.ru/video/morning5/custom%20such/?page=0

THOR! pt. 1

And here his is, the God of Thunder, at last!

I still need to do up the instructions for Thor's godly mane. I'll also have a page that shows exactly how it is all put together (including facial detail). Verily, I shall do this soon and have the whole pattern available for free downloading at Ravelry.com!

Oh, and here's the hammer!

I'm sorry that the images aren't as clear and neat as in the past. I'm making do with borrowed computer equipment in Russia, OK. It'll be more readable in the PDF once I've got it up.

Until then, may the eyes of Odin be ever upon ye!

Hark!

I swear by the beard of Odin, that I am nearly done writing up the pattern for Thor (I received a specific request for him and was so tickled I put my dear Loki on the backburner for the time being)! I would have it up by the end of the week if it weren't for the fact that I am going on vacation to Moscow and Kaliningrad starting tomorrow. So...it'll be after that. But you can start breaking out your fantasy-tinged classic rock albums now, for Thor demands to be crocheted with T-Rex, Led Zeppelin, and Donovan in the background. I listened to Immigrant Song in particular a lot when I was working on him...

******

One important note: in working on my patterns, I noticed that I've been using the word "row" where I really should use "round" since these dolls are all knit in spiral crochet (no turning, no joining rounds). I've been doing amigurumi-influenced spiral crochet things for so long now that I forgot to be specific on that point. Sorry if there was any confusion!