Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: geek
Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geek. Show all posts

Friday, January 15, 2016

My First Enchanted Beauty Box Review

Hello friends,

I'm really excited to share this unboxing and review of the first ever Enchanted Beauty Box!  It's their December box and since this box is Disney themed they created a Star Wars box to celebrate the release of The Force Awakens.  I am so thrilled to see such a fun theme!  Check out the video below to see what I got and then enter to win the giveaway below so you can have the chance to win one of January's Frozen themed boxes.

The December Enchanted Beauty Box - Star Wars




You can nab a subscription for yourself at http://www.EnchantedBeautyBox.com and get 25% off by using coupon code GEEK.

I've kept this post brief because I know unboxings aren't for everyone.  I've actually decided putting videos of my subscription boxes on YouTube is a better way to let you all see what I'm trying out too.  So from now on I'll make short posts like this that you can feel free to skim over if they're not your thing.  Thanks for stopping by, and good luck on the giveaway!


The Enchanted Beauty Box Giveaway


Enchanted Beauty Box giveaway

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

2015 - My Year in Books

Hi friends,



Today I was thinking I'd write a couple book reviews for you all, but I realized it's been a while since I looked at my reading challenge for 2015.  Last January I challenged myself to read a book every week, 52 in all.  Along the way I also started working on an overlapping list of 52 specific kinds of books as shown further down in this post.  And the results are in:



2015 Reading Challenge!

Books Read:

(Click any link in the list to see my review!)
  1. Fables Volume 19 Snow White
  2. Fables Volume 20 Camelot
  3. Fables Volume 21 Happily Ever After
  4. Fables Volume 22 Farewell
  5. The Ancient Magus Bride Volume 3
  6. Wren's War
  7. Wren's Quest
  8. Ms Marvel Volume 3
  9. Hexomancy
  10. Wayward Volume 1
  11. Ghosted Volume 1
  12. Figment Volume 1
  13. A Brides Story Volume 6
  14. Dead New World
  15. The Torment of Rachel Ames
  16. Alice in No-Man's-Land
  17. Top 12 Places to Visit in Texas
  18. Battling Boy: The Rise of Aurora West
  19. The Master of Formalities
  20. The Death and Life of Mal Evans
  21. Spell or High Water
  22. Off to Be The Wizard
  23. Princess Ugg Volume 1
  24. A Walk in The Woods
  25. Velvet Volume 1
  26. The Ancient Magus Bride Volume 2
  27. Lumberjanes Volume 1
  28. Bride of the Water God Volume 2
  29. Bride of the Water God Volume 1
  30. The Ancient Magus Bride Volume 1
  31. Avengers & X-Men - Axis
  32. Secret Wars
  33. The Two Princesses of Bamarre
  34. Wild Magic
  35. Wolf Speaker
  36. Emperor Mage
  37. Wren to the Rescue
  38. Captain Marvel Volume 3
  39. Captain Marvel Volume 2
  40. Captain Marvel Volume 1
  41. Ms Marvel Volume 2
  42. Batgirl Volume 1
  43. Fuse
  44. Burn
  45. Gifts of the Blood
  46. The Swap
  47. Cipher
  48. Waistcoats and Weaponry
  49. Manifest Destiny Volume 1
  50. Amulet Volume 2
  51. Amulet Volume 1
  52. Thor Goddess of Thunder Volume 1
  53. The Sculptor
  54. Rat Queens Volume 2
  55. Rat Queens Volume 1
  56. Celebromancy
  57. Geekomancy
  58. The Long Mars
  59. The Long War
  60. The Reluctant Midwife
  61. Pride and Prejudice
  62. Price and Prejudice and Zombies
  63. The Weekend Homesteader
  64. Call the Nurse
  65. Paradise Lot
  66. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
  67. Injustice Gods Among Us Volume 2
  68. Injustice Gods Among Us Volume 1
  69. Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachians Mountains and Piedmont
  70. Midnight in Austenland
  71. The Permaculture Handbook
  72. Unlocked
  73. Lock In
  74. Ms Marvel Volume 1
  75. Landscaping with Fruit
  76. The Johnstown Flood
I think this is the full list, I may be a missing a couple more recent books, but this accounts for everything I can remember from a good go of looking at my records.  76 is better than I thought I'd do, so I'm quite happy with how my challenge went.  And I'm only a tiny bit surprised that 35 of the titles are comics, manga, or graphic novels!  Thanks to Fight or Flight Comics for that.  They opened almost a year ago and Bryan and I have found our perfect local comic book store in them!

As for the more complex challenge here's the worksheet all filled out:



I didn't want to double count anything, though I did read some books that would count under more than one of the headings in the checklist.  And I may have even missed something that might count, but I spent a good half hour trying to figure out what I read that could be added, and that's plenty!  I feel pretty good about all I ended up reading and can't wait to see what I read this year.  I'm not following any particular challenge, but I'm excited to read things I've been meaning to for a long time or have been recommended multiple times.  So I've started off the year with Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and have many more to come.  I'll try to get in a good book post at least once a month too keep you all posted about it too!

Favorite Reads

I kind of hate picking favorites, but I have to say that some of the books I enjoyed most from this past year would be Lock In by John Scalzi, a sci fi novel, The Ancient Magus Bride fantasy manga series by Kore Yamazaki, The Ms Marvel series featuring Kamala Khan by Willow G Wilson and a team of very talented artists, and Call the Nurse a memoir of a nurse working on a remote Scottish island in the 1970's by Mary J. MacLeod.  (Links above are affiliate links.)  I recommend all of them very strongly and I'm looking forward to all the great new picks this year will bring as well.

That's all for today.  Sorry I didn't get this post out sooner, but sometimes stomach viruses happen.  Yep....

But I'm ready to tackle a video unboxing for a great new subscription box, so be on the lookout for my review of the new Enchanted Beauty Box, the beauty box for Disney fans!  Have a great week!



Monday, January 4, 2016

New Years Resolutions or All The Lists

Hi friends!


It's a brand new year and I'm excited to hit the ground running now that the last Christmas celebrations are completed (The first weekend of January we had an extended family shindig).  In past years I haven't done much in the way of making resolutions, I've never believed in diets or going cold turkey to change your life.  But this year I'm going to try at a couple that I know will make my life better in healthy incremental ways that I wait to keep up for the rest of my life.

New Years Resolutions


  1. Make smaller attainable goals for my life each month, to improve my motivation levels.
  2. Not be discouraged by my failures, but learn from them.  Mostly the not be discouraged part though, 'cause seriously...I fail at my goals so often because life and mental health issues just happen.
  3. Celebrate the good stuff no matter how small, to cultivate gratitude and boost my positive thinking.
  4. Exercise daily, which is a habit I will build gradually.  But eventually I want to have at least 5 minutes and ideally 30 minutes spent doing something that's not sitting on my butt.
  5. Do some of the things I've had my list forever, and by this I mean fun things like that book I've meant to read, tackling Steam games I've had for over a year without trying, and new foods or travel experiences.
To get things started off I'm going to go over some of my January goals here, because writing about them makes me feel more motivated to take them on.

January Goals

  1. Write or post videos here 3 times a week.
  2. Get in exercise 2-3 times a week consistently this month.  Learn to love it along the way.
  3. Play 2 new Steam games, read 5 new books, listen to new music every week.
  4. Do one of those new things every day, because they're fun!
  5. Try cleaning my house for 15 minutes each day.

January Blog Related Goals

I almost didn't share this with you guys, but I feel like it's a really important part of what I'm doing that needs to be seen.  Bloggers work hard too, especially when we're making it our job.  And that's my main goal these days, which is hard sometimes, but all my successes get me excited.  I really want to share that with you all!

  1. Meet my new monthly goal of over 5,000 visitors here.  Last month I was down a bit at 2134, but in November I had 3630.  I can do this!
  2. Post to social media daily and increase followers to the specified numbers - Facebook page 125, Twitter 350, Tsu, empowr, and Instagram 500), and post to YouTube weekly to work my way to 50 subscribers.
  3. Blog about the cool new things I'm trying out.  Seriously, this is the fun part that I get to share with you guys!  Also I want stick with my planned post schedule at least 60% this month.
  4. Contact some companies that I love or want to try out and review them here in partnership posts.
  5. Give my blog a beautiful facelift with the help of some great branding advisors.
Here's a peek at some of the font tests, a bit of which I'm already starting to implement!


This Week's "Menu"

  1. Start the cleaning and exercise routines mentioned above.
  2. Start the post routines on social media.
  3. Plan time for fun new things daily and make it happen.
  4. Write a book review post Wednesday.  (Let's see how I did on my 2015 reading challenge!)
  5. Finish creating my Winter 2016 Capsule Wardrobe. (So excited about this one!)
  6. Prep for and then talk to my branding advisors.
As you can see things are looking good, and I'm hoping for a fantastic year of growth in many areas of my life.  And to top things off, this past week Bryan and I had our third anniversary.  We have yet to really sit down and celebrate it, but we're going to try to do something special soon.  This week we're opting for a normal date night, which I don't mind since we're just getting back into the swing of things after all the busyness of the holidays.

I hope all you readers had a great holiday season, let me know what your resolutions are in comments.  Or better yet tell me how you've been able to keep up with the resolutions you've made in the past!  Tips are always welcome when you're just starting out in any new endeavor.


Happy New Year,


Thursday, December 24, 2015

My First Vlog, The Force Awakens, and A Dressember Update.

Hey friends,


I'm pleased to announce the winner of my giveaway is Angelica S.  Congratulations on winning the lovely Tigerwood necklace seen in my Holiday Gift Guide.

This week I'm trying something new!

So without further ado here's my first vlog:



Please note the volume starts out a bit louder and gets softer after the first couple minutes as I test equipment.

My Dressember Outfits

If you want to find out more about my Dressember participation check out my donation page here and go here to read stories about the lives changed through International Justice Mission.  Affiliate links are marked with a ◊ symbol, so if you happen to follow a link and buy something you help support my site.

Day 1, Dress - LuLaRoe, Leggings - Victoria's Secret, Ballet Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 2, Sweater Dress - Style & Co for Macy's, Leggings - Target, Boots - Trendsetter for Hushpuppies

Day 3, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Modcloth◊, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 4, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - ASOS, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 5, Flannel Shirt - Faded Glory, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Target, Flats American Eagle by Payless

Day 6, Jacket - Maurice's, Dress - ModCloth◊, Leggings - ASOS, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 7, Dress - Style & Co by Macy's, Bracelet - Old Navy, Leggings - Target, Socks - Gold Toe


Day 8, Shirt - Switchfoot, Dress - City Chic, Watch - Pick Your Plum, Leggings - ASOS, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 9, a dress...not sure which, and Leggings by Bombsheller (get a discount with my affiliate code GEEKMEUP)

Day 11 (Day 10 was a pajama day, because I dyed my hair finally), Flannel Shirt - Faded Glory, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - LuLaRoe, Flats - American Eagle for Payless

Day 12, Bag - Red Bubble, Necklace - Marsha Elliott Designs, Dress - Torrid, Leggings - Victoria's Secret, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 13, Locket - Forever 21, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - Target, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 14, Dress - LuLaRoe, Leggings - Target, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 15,  Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - LuLaRoe, Flats - American Eagle for Payless

Day 16, Dress - Style & Co by Macy's, Leggings - Target, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 17, Cardigan - Anthropologie, Dress - ModCloth◊, Leggings - ModCloth◊, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 18, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Bombsheller, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 19, Cardigan - Anthropologie, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - ASOS, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 20, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - ModCloth◊, Boots - Trendsetter for Hushpuppies
If my wardrobe choices look limited it's because I've been using a 24 piece capsule wardrobe for the month of December.  One of the pairs of shoes (new ones I ordered in a Cyber Monday sale) didn't fit right, so I'm just wearing 2 pairs of shoes!

Thanks for stopping by and if you liked the new multimedia format let me know in the comments and subscribe on YouTube!

Love,
Lydia


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

Welcome friends, and happy Thanksgiving!


I hope you and yours have spent a wonderful holiday with family acknowledging all the good things you've been blessed with this year. Personally I am very thankful to have all of you readers here as I get to know you more each day. I'm especially glad you stopped by today because I have a wonderful batch of small business owners I want to highlight as we think about our holiday gift giving.

While I love many mass produced things like comic books, clothing, and makeup I also have a soft sport for all the beautifully handmade items. And the great part is there are tons of makers who focus on handmade items that fit more niche interests. I believe that spending our money on their great products is one of the most rewarding things we can do this season for our loved ones and the makers. So I hope that you will join me in shopping at some of these amazing stores as you find the right beautiful, geeky, fun, and handmade gifts for some of those special people on your Christmas list. At the end of the list you'll find a giveaway too!





Lydia's Designs - 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide


Paper & Chocolate Press



I heard about Paper and Chocolate through The Rising Tide Society, and was hooked the moment I saw their fantastic superhero themed journals and blank books. As you can see they cover a bunch of great fandoms, plus they have more traditional journals as well as some lovely Christmas ornaments! They're running the following sales this year:

Seasonal Deals:

During November use the coupon code NANOWRIMO15 to receive 15% off writers notebooks and journals; excludes recipe books, ornaments, and guest books.

Black Weekend Special: Free Domestic Shipping with coupon code: BLACKWEEKEND2015, November 26-December 1.

Holiday Deadlines:

All custom orders and made-to-order items need to be ordered by Thursday, December 10, in order to arrive by Christmas.
All ready-to-ship items need to be ordered by Thursday, December 17, in order to arrive by Christmas.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Authored Adornments



Authored Adornments specializes in literary inspired jewelry. Seen above is a beautiful cuff bracelet, and in their shop you'll find rings, pendants, and earrings as well as bookmarks and wine bottle stoppers. Most of the works featured are classic literature, but they also create custom pieces and have items in partnership with John Green which you can find at http://store.dftba.com/collections/john-green.

Seasonal Deals:

Black Friday is amongst us once again! This weekend will include some great sales. Each sale will be announced the day before, so please stay tuned! Since Thursday is Thanksgiving and I'll be spending my time with family, the Friday deal will be announced a little early, thanks!

Use: FRIDAYISBLACK for 20% off your entire purchase, good through 11/27. Visit the shop for more information.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram

Wood Notions



Sometimes I find myself looking for a more traditional gift, and ornaments are the perfect fallback. My husband, Bryan, is picky about no glitter being brought into out house, so I've found that one of the best types of ornaments we can both agree on are laser cut wood ones. Wood Notions has pegasus and griffin designs, many animals, and nature themed pieces, as well as creating custom designed pieces. I found them while looking for the perfect dragonfly Christmas ornament as part of Bryan's Christmas gift last year.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter

Ruskerville



You all may recall not that long ago I wrote about how I'd found a wonderful Ravenclaw themed planner, well, Ruskerville also carries planners fit for a time lord! And for those with less nerdy inclinations there are a variety of other general printed covers to choose from as well.


Holiday Deadline:

December 18

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Paper From Heaven


Paper From Heaven is a fellow North Carolinian who creates bags for just about anything you could want, from the fantastic cosmetic set above, storage for essential oils, crayon aprons for kids, to crochet hooks. And her fabric choices are lovely to boot!

Holiday Deadlines:

12/12 for US order
11/27 for International and military orders

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Spicy Paprika



Each pendant and earring in Amber's shop, Spicy Paprika is made delicately from tiny beads and semi-precious stones to create completely unique pieces. Each one is imaginative and has characteristics inspired by nature's own beauty. One of her pieces occasionally makes appearances here on my blog too, I was lucky to be able to watch her create it while visiting her home in California.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter

Olive + Pine



Olive + Pine collects beautiful handmade items from different makers and curates a collection that's sure to please the most picky people on your list. And importantly, their shop carries items hand picked for the men in your lives.

Seasonal Deals:

10% off storewide with the code SHOPSMALL valid Friday-Monday (for black friday, small business Saturday, and cyber monday!).


Holiday Deadline:

December 15

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

Flytrap Clothing



Flytrap makes beautifully designed botanical printed clothing. I own and love one of their cowls that I got last year when I first saw their work at the Boylan Heights Artwalk in Raleigh, NC. Their work is also 100% made in the USA, down to their labels. Additionally they carry a couple of shirts for men as well as womenswear (currently available in S-XL).

Seasonal Deals:

11/27 15% off your entire purchase
11/28 20% off all apparel, both men's and women's
11/29 20% off all scarves
11/30 - Cyber Monday, $30 off orders over $150, free shipping, plus a pack of blank Flytrap Clothing notecards.

Holiday Deadline:

December 21

Social Media:

Facebook
Instagram

babyCorn Soaps

BabyCorn Soaps create a variety of fun bath and body products as well as traditional soaps. Plus they make monthly subscription boxes on a nerdy theme (Star Wars is December's, and November featured Doctor Who) and a more conventional box with seasonal themes too. Anything from their shop would be perfect for the beauty lovers out there. Additionally they make items for men too, such as radioactive shave cream and lumberjack soap.

Seasonal Deals:

BFRIDAY for 20% all items except wholesale and subscription boxes from 12/27-12/29

Holiday Deadline:

November 30

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

The Little Smith



And last but not least is The Little Smith. Their jewelry designs are hewn from wood and silver to create stunning geometric shapes and sinuous metal details. They've been kind enough to allow me to do a giveaway for one of their gorgeous Tigerwood Geo Pendant necklaces, pictured below. I'm thrilled to be working with them on this article since they happen to be longtime friends of mine.

Seasonal Deals:

11/27 - 20% off the Earth Collection with code blackfriday2015
11/28-12/16 - 20% off orders over $25 with code holiday2015

Holiday Deadlines:

December 16

Social Media:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest



Lydia's Designs and The Little Smith Necklace Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share some of my favorite handmade shops with you today!  If you have any questions or comments I'd love to talk to you more, so feel free to leave me comments.

Love,
Lydia

P.S. If you need a few more ideas head over to my Etsy art shop at http://lydiasdesigns.etsy.com or check out The Rising Tide Society's own gift guide here.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Suspense, Dystopian Worlds, and Gaming for Charity!

Hi folks,

I've had a rough week, but I'm going to be writing 3 posts before I go to bed Saturday.  This is post one!

So I've had the pleasure of reading two books recently that were given to me by the authors for review.  I'm excite to get to do this sometimes because it allows me to try some things that I might not normally see otherwise.  I find these books through reviewer partnership sites like Tomoson or Net Galley and occasionally even get some compensation for spreading news about them online (as I would most of the books I review).  But, on to the reviews....

The Torment of Rachel Ames



The Torment of Rachel Ames is a novella by Jeff Gunhus.  I'm normally not so interested in horror or thrillers, but I noticed the blurb for this book put emphasis on how a lot of what is happening is simply the character trying to figure out what parts of her life are reality and which are her mind playing tricks on her.  All of this takes place at a lake house, which could be anywhere, but seems to have a bit of Maine flavor to me.  As the story progresses the reader thinks they know what's happening, but the truth really doesn't come out until the last few chapters.  And even then it left me with unanswered questions.  Luckily it was in a way I didn't mind!  I liked this book and it's a quick read, though I will warn it is more graphic than most I read, but I read pretty tame books overall too.  You can pre-order the book on Amazon here◊ (it comes out November 10th!) and read more about the author at www.jeffgunhus.com


Alice in No Mans Land


Alice in No Mans Land by James Knapp◊ is a dystopian fiction that sticks to a lot of the trends I've seen lately in the genre.  It's not uncommon since so many of the trends are universals, some part, usually a large chunk of it is left to some horrible fate, in this case blocs of desolation where squatters live.  One of the country's largest businessmen decided to go out and look at bloc he wants to convert.  He brings his kids and second wife along for the ride, and then things get crazy as his daughter Alice finds herself crash landed in the middle of the bloc.  What ensues next is the typical kind of exploration that opens the privileged girl's eyes and earns her friends along the way.  It's not entirely predictable, but it's a little more predictable than I'd like.  The writing is pretty good and kept me reading to know the ending.  It's a reasonable choice if you're looking for more in the genre, though I admit I might be getting a bit jaded towards it myself.

Extra Life



Lastly, today Bryan, his brother DJ and I are participating in Extra Life - a 24 hour game marathon for charity.  We're playing several different games from Season 2 of the Walking Dead to Street Fighter 4, Arkham Knight, and more.  All proceeds are going to the Children's Miracle Nework, so if you feel like you're interested in watching you can watch a livestream of us playing at http://www.twitch.tv/fatubuu8990 and if you feel moved to support us you can visit our donation page at http://www.extra-life.org/.  

Otherwise I'm going to attempt to write more later today because I have too many things to catch up on!  Have a great day everyone.

Love,
Lydia

Monday, November 2, 2015

16 Knits For Geeks

Hey everyone,

So being sick last week caused me to neglect writing, but I'm excited to be feeling better (finally!)  And to make up for it I'm going to be sharing an extra post with you all this week, in which I'll be doing an unboxing comparison of October's beauty and lifestyle subscription boxes.  My new format for reviewing them will be all together in one post, in a more simplified form.  That way if you like hearing about beauty it'll be together in one place, and if it's not your thing it'll be easier to avoid.

Announcement!

Another more exciting development this week, that you may have already noticed, is that my blog now has it's own domain!  So you can find me just by typing in LydiaDickson.com into your toolbar!  I'm very excited for this development because it will open new doors for partnerships, since it's seen as a signifier of a serious blogger versus someone who blogs as a hobby.  I hope you all will enjoy the journey with me as I make Lydia's Designs, soon to be Love, Lydia Dickson my full time job.  If you're wondering what to expect, know that it will be more of the same great content with graphics and overall quality that I'm dedicating to constantly improving.  Now, on to today's subject:

16 Knits For Geeks



I've picked 8 categories and and am sharing both an easy and a hard pattern in each.  For those of you thinking ahead, you should be able to complete any of these knits in time for Christmas!  There're no blankets or other huge projects in this post, though if you're set on one scroll all the way down.

Hats

1. Jayne Hat

image from Firefly Wiki

Everyone who loves Firefly knows and loves this iconic hat.  And what's great is it's a fairly easy one to knit.  What you need to know: knitting in the round, basic colorwork
Find the pattern here on Ravelry.

2. Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit - Gimli Inspired Dwarven Helmet and Beard


This hearty dwarven covering will make your look battle ready, or just keep your face warm during the winter.  Either way you'll look awesome.  This pattern isn't free, but it's too beautifully detailed for me not to include.  It's a little more complex requiring: knitting in the round, snap closures, tapestry crochet, and what looks like either color work or double knitting.
You can see more information here on Ravelry.

Stuffed Animals Creations

3. Pocket Sized BMO


This guy is adorable.  This pattern only costs $3, or if you feel adventurous you could even try making your own pattern since BMO is essentially a box with noodle limbs.  Techniques required: i-cord, seaming, cutting and gluing felt, and maybe a touch of colorwork.
Found here on Ravelry.

4. Little Cthulhu


This little guy is crocheted, so it's perfect for branching out from knitting to something new.  He's adorably scary and while complex, not that difficult overall.  Making him requires: crocheting in the round, single crochet stitch, increasing single crochet stitch, decreasing single crochet stitch, double crochet stitch, and chain stitch.
Found here on Ravelry.

Scarves

5. Doctor Who

Another great iconic piece of knitwear, and one that's perfect for the beginner with a bit of patience.  The scarf manages to keep a tediously long strip on knitting interesting with changing colors and widths as you work each stripe.  Requires: changing colors, fringe.
Find it here on Ravelry.

6. Katniss' Cowl


I've been eyeballing this beautiful cowl for a long time, but I think I need to practice more before I'm ready to tackle it.  It's not terribly hard though, and could be modified for a beginner fairly easily so long as close attention is paid to the various sections.  Requires: crochet details, learning interesting stitches like herringbone, and seaming.
Here's a link to the Ravelry page.

Cosplay Items

7. Companion Cube

This little companion cube is perfect for cosplay or your desk.  You could easily size it up too.  The pattern is very simple, but does take: some sewing and seaming by hand to finish.
Find it here on Ravelry.

8. Walking Dead Inspired Zombie Head


I know this pattern isn't intended to be specific to The Walking Dead, but is would work great as a decapitated zombie head, just make the skin green and add blood.  There are lots of different versions of this shown on the pattern page including one modeled after Jack Sparrow.  And the head doubles as a bag, so it's perfect for conventions.  To make this you'll want to know: knitting in the round, i-cord, a bit of hand sewing, and felting.
Take a peek at the pictures here on Ravelry.

Bags

9.  D4 Dice Bag


If you play tabletop games or card games like Magic the Gathering having dice is essential.  This bag is the perfect storage solution that's easy to make.  It requires: hand sewing, seaming, and recommends a zipper closure.
Details here on Ravelry.

10.  Space Invaders Tote

This fun bag takes you back to arcade fun.  You could even alter the pattern a bit to make the bag wider so it could be used for groceries.  Requires: colorwork, reading a chart, and stranding.
It's here on Ravelry.

Kids Items

11. Ninja Turtle Mittens

Wear your favorite Ninja Turtles on your hands, or make them for your friend's kids.  Either way they're perfect for cold weather!  Requires: shaping, hand sewing, and knitting in the round.
Pattern found on Ravelry.

12. Star Wars Knitsabers


These lightsabers are perfect for kids (or grownups) who love to swordfight, but don't want to get in trouble for getting too rough about it.  I love how detailed this pattern is, showing you how to make 4 different authentic lightsabers.  The pattern as written makes 10" lightsabers but you could easily make a longer version to suit your tastes.  Requires: knitting in the round, sewn details, and decreasing.
Find it on Ravelry.

Accessories

13. Iron Man Gauntlets


I love these gauntlets, I'm sure if I had a pair I'd be pretending I could fly all the time!  Perfect for a Tony Stark or Pepper Potts cosplay, or just cooler weather.  Requires: stranding, embroidered details, and seaming.
Find it here on Ravelry.

14. Star Trek Socks

These socks are a more complex project, but perfect for keeping your toes toasty.  It looks like the creator has put a lot of love into making sure everyone can understand their pattern too.  Requires: shaping, stranding, and probably working in the round.
Found on Ravelry.

Sweaters

15. Weasley Monogram Sweater


After reading Harry Potter if you were like me you wanted to wake up to one of these sweaters at the foot of your bed Christmas morning.  It may be a bit more work, but if you get started now you can make this dream a reality for someone you love.  It's not too hard either, I promise!  Requires: intarsia, seaming, duplicate stitch, taking body measurements.
Find it on Ravelry.

16. Wonder Woman Sweater

This pattern takes some dedication to chartwork, but the end product is beautiful.  If you want to feel like an Amazonian warrior just put on this sweater.  Requires: taking body measurements, seaming, colorwork, stranding, and reading charts.
Found here on Ravelry.

Honorary Mention

Afghan Squares

So you really want to make a blanket?  Ok then try this Geek-A-Long with science, math, and many more fandom themed squares too.  Requires: seaming and colorwork.
Science patterns can be found through Ravelry, click through for other patterns.

If you read through this post and don't know what Ravelry is, it's a site to keep track of your past, current, and future knitting projects.  It's been around for quite a while and had built up a great database of patterns found on the internet as well as from books.  They also allow you to give feedback if a project was difficult and in some cases you can even get help from a pattern's creator if you get stumped.  It's a great resource for a beginning or advanced knitter.

If you have a hankering for projects that are less involved or need to get rid of some small bits of yarn you may want to check out my post from last year featuring 70 different no knit/crochet yarn crafts.  There are some great little gifts plus ideas for holiday decor!

That's all for this post, I'll see you again soon.

Love,
Lydia