Mortem's Tricks or Treats: Perl Not Purl.

We're at the peak of our season here when it's hot... and it's humid... and I'm feeling miserable in this combination-- too much of a desert dweller.

I have been so intolerably moody, that I can't seem to enjoy any of my favorite passed times, and normally when I get this way I just turn to something monotonously crafty, like knitting... except knitting in this weather is the worst and I haven't yet cracked the code on being able to motivate myself to knit during the warm season.

So June 24th was my 28th birthday, and my dear mister brought something to quell the restless dragon with tidings of craft supply. A very smart lad.

He bought me something I have been mentioning I've wanted to try; perler beads! They're simple, they're cheap and offer just the right distraction I needed on such humid and hot days-- just like knitting is for winter and fall days (a very VERY smart lad he is-- snuggles were in order).

He started me off on a variety pack and a set of pegboards. I took to Pinterest for a bit of pinspiration (words, woman, words!), and it became clear that I should be using my knitting and cross stitch patterns, because they are all the same format anyway.

I began simply with a cute little pumpkin that I was going to cross stitch (which was ironically taken off a fusible bead pattern site), but my imagination and creativity started taking flight almost immediately, and it was no longer the same pumpkin that should have been.

Well so much for following patterns...

It's easy and addictive to play with a pattern and let it get away from you when working with perlers, unlike most other times-- probably the reason so many are encouraged to use perlers, young and old.

I saw another project on Pinterest that is old news to others, but to me it was just the cherry to my steadily layering cake: earbud holders.
It opened up worlds to me; so much can be done with Perlers in the hands of a properly motivated mind.

It goes nicely with my wrapped earbuds,
which the bears have since been torn off (intentionally)

It only took two projects for me to realize that I needed something a little more elaborate and challenging.

I remember really wanting a ghost sweater by ASOS, and not being able to find it or a pattern for it, so I sniffed out a free pattern making program site and made my own pattern for a ghosty sweater to knit... that still hasn't been made.... but whatever, this is beside the point.

This wasn't the site I originally found, but it turned out to be just about as good: Pixel-Stitch. 

The patterns still need a bit of re-tweaking on a photo editing program (my favorite free one is Pixlr), but by jove! Now a way for me to construct the challenge I need.

And of course, I chose the almighty Boris Karloff as our very favorite monster:

Frankenstein's Monster:

Click image for printable.

I have (hopefully) made this public, so that anyone can nab it for any purpose they so choose to use it for; everyone needs a little Karloff in their lives, I'm sure.
My project was coming together, except if I was to embark on a perler portrait project I was going to need more hues and a larger board, and so I fed the beast (usually a bad idea, unless you can afford it) by buying additional supplies during the 4th of July sales at the craft stores (also a bad idea if you treasure your wallets contents)... but like usual, it just wasn't enough! Giving me a reason to go back among the plethora of torturous temptations. I guess it's my own fault though, for deviating from the planned color scheme. I guess for now I'll be playing defense against the kittles, since I have to wait around for more liquid cash to come my way to restock the greens I used up.

Can't even follow my own pattern, as it turns out.

I wondered about the longevity of the pegboards over extended heat exposure-- plastic does have a tendency to, you know, melt. That's what brought me to discover the "masking tape method". I tried it on the earbud holder project, and aside from a little stickiness leftover from the masking tape (which was easily removed with a wet/soapy cloth) it turned out to be just the solution to maintaining an unwarped/melted board.

Now I'm wondering how on earth I'm going to manage taping up Mr. Karloff as big as this piece is turning out, so that he can be ironed... looks can be quite deceiving-- my hands are not as dexterous as they once were.
I envision quite a lot of ranting curses.

Anyway! Because tricks are better accompanied with even more treats, here is a pattern of that simple little pumpkin with that Mortem twist for your beading or needle-craft pleasure (although I am positive you all could have devised it on your own, you crafty ghouls!), but sorry there's no color code on this one-- it was just modified on paint from the original:

Click image for printable.

Spook ya later!