LydMc Blog One Year Anniversary: Return of the Ewoks... Again!

The Sushiwoks are back and puffier than ever!

Today is a very special day for the LydMc blog: it is officially the One Year Anniversary of the first blog post! Huzzah!! One whole year of delightful, nerdy, and often delicious forays into creativity! In honor of this momentous occasion, I would like to celebrate with a craft inspired by the blog that started it all: The Sushiwoks!

Yub nub!

Not only were these Star Wars themed appetizers the first post on the LydMc blog, they were also the ones that put it on the map. Thanks to the awesome sharing of fellow nerds, cooks, and craftspeople (thanks, all!), the sushiwoks started making the internet rounds and page views climbed to the hundreds. 

 And then, one fine day when I just so happened to get my wisdom teeth out, I sit down on the couch to recover and see the views have jumped to the thousands! As it turned out, ThinkGeek posted the sushiwoks (sushi ewoks) on Facebook making the blog go viral, and the day I got my wisdom teeth out one of my favorite memories. How many other people can say that? ;)

 So without further ado, I bring you the less edible, albeit less perishable cousins of the Sushiwoks: the Puff Ewoks (a.k.a. Puffywoks)!

Puffywoks in their natural habitat.

Just as the sushiwoks are essentially rice balls (onigiri) formed into Star Wars' most adorable creation, puffywoks are basically tiny stuffed animal ewoks made out of yarn. My initial inspiration for such a craft was trying to find a way to use up scrap yarn left over from other projects. The results? Cute and huggable Puff Bunnies.

Puff Bunnies!

The puff bunnies seen above were made with extra yarn remnants that I had after arm knitting an infinity scarf and arm knitting a blanket (blog to come). It was just a matter of time before I discovered I could make ewoks this way, too.

Puffs are looming

If you've never seen these little looms before, you're missing out. The larger ones can be used to make hats (also a blog in the making), scarves, and all sorts of other delightful yarn creations. These tiny ones are intended for making flowers, and are also a great platform to make miniature stuffed bunnies, ewoks, and whatever else you have in mind.

Ewok in progress...

 A few inches of looming later, and you already have the brunt of your ewok created. You can see the outside has the typical knit texture, but if you turn it inside out...

Deja Vu...!

...the purling nubs look just like sushi rice!

Puff Appendages... sort of

To make the ears and tails, simply crochet a few chain stitches leaving enough room on either end to tie onto the ewok. For ewok ears, I crocheted 3 stitches each, and for the tail, which I wanted to be more pronounced, I crocheted 5 stitches. 

For Puff Bunnies: Crochet 5-7 chain stitches, then double back with a single crochet for each ear, and make a pom pom for the puffy tail.

After the ears and tail are complete, tie them to the Puffywok body to attach. For the eyes, just weave a piece of colorful yarn in and out a few times in the appropriate location and tie it off on the inside, as well.

The Puffywok Wardrobe

As for that cape, if you're at all proficient with a crochet hook (or even if you're not!), you can just free form a leaf-like shape, leaving small holes for each ear and a big one for the ewok face. As you can see, I experimented with a different pattern for each one, so basically, have fun with it!

The Arctic Tribe (Rare Sightings on Hoth)

For the blue cape, I crocheted a chain for the bottom and swung back up for the rest.

The Moss Tribe (Common on Endor)

For the green cape (a.k.a. the babushka cape), I crocheted more linearly and tied the front ends together afterward.

The Ninja Tribe (or possibly Hipster)

And for this one.... I'm not really sure what I did there. Like I said, free form is fun - ewoks aren't picky!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Ewoks!

At the end of this project, I wound up with four Puffywoks complete with interchangeable capes and aptly themed crochet hook staffs. Although I made a few of the capes with a specific ewok in mind, it's fun to mix it up and see what different combinations you can get. 

Caped Crusaders!

Phew... 1 year, 30 blogs, and more than 20,000 views... It's truly been a wild and fantastic ride so far, and it's not over yet! Keep an eye out for a new and improved LydMc website, complete with more and different content (comics anyone?), and all sorts of delightful surprises. 

To help make the LydMc blog the best it can be, please take a moment to comment below, message me, or take the poll on the right to share what your favorite parts of the blog are and what you would like to see more of in the future.

Coatee-cha puff puff!

Thank you all so much for visiting, sharing, and commenting on the LydMc Blog! This first year has been a great and wonderful time and I look forward to sharing many more to come. 
In the wise words of Wicket... Allayloo!
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA

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