Bofur Hat

Hello there!

So over the past month I have embarked on an epic knitting journey to create my very own Bofur hat!!

As seen below from the recent release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

I decided to do up my hair for the occasion! It was fun threading wire through my own hair to create shape!

 

 I followed the extensive pattern found on ravelry here.

Made by this tumblr blogger knitstruck.

My own tumblr post can be found here.

 One thing that has really surprised me in this project is just how useless wire is when confronted with weight. It was very difficult to sustain the levitation of the ear flaps long enough to take these photos - the bulk of the wool is just too heavy for my poor wire. Even my pigtails had trouble defying gravity.

Here's a terrible picture of the back. This is what happens when you try taking a picture of the back of your head by yourself.

 

Bofur was my favourite character in The Hobbit. From the very beginning he looks a little different to the other dwarves. In contrast to their elaborate beards, he simply has two messy pigtails, and a flipping ridiculous amazing hat. He is not at all proud like the other dwarves, but likes to tease and have fun. The brothes Bifur, Bofur and Bombur are the only dwarves on the quest who are not descended from the line of Durin in the Lonely Mountain. They are poor coal miners.

For me, one of the best scenes in the movie is when they hide in the cave and Bilbo attempts to leave for home. Bofur confronts him, and Bilbo accidently offends him about their lack of a settled home. Despite this, Bofur is the only dwarf who reaches out to Bilbo, and says "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Although not in the book, this scene really established his endearing character.

The completion of this hat has come at just the right time as the weather turns cold in Australia's crazy climate!

I'm definately wearing this hat at the end of the year to the release of the second Hobbit film!! :)

-Albusowner

EDIT: Click HERE for a post on my full Bofur cosplay in June 2013 :D

Hobbit Hole craft

I have a lot of catching up to do with my posts, so here we go!!

With the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I have been delving into a number of hobbit crafts. My first project was Bilbo's sign for Bag End. I tea-dyed the paper with 6 teabags left for 20minutes to create a light shade of old-looking parchment. I then used a calligraphy pen of two sizes to spell out the lettering which I just copied from a still from the movie. (I found the full calligraphy set in an opp shop a few years ago for just $2. No regrets!)

My second project was a real-growing miniture hobbit hole!! It's based of this fabulous original tutorial: Make a Miniture Hobbit Garden.

I began with a base of some glass beads that were just lying around in my room, then with a large layer of potting mix. I uprooted a little plant that was growing in one of our garden pots and replanted it into my hobbit garden. I also uprooted some moss growing around in the shady parts of our backyard. [note: since these photos, the moss has mostly withered. I am not an expert in gardening, but I believe moss requires more water than most plants.]

Final touches include a hobbit door/windows and a chimney. The door is just a piece of cardboard that I designed and coloured [note: the colour in inky pens will run (I learned this the hard way), so using pencil will ensure more long-lasting colour. Look at the original tutorial for a much better solution anyway with clay and paint!]

The door leans against the side of the little mound, but the chimney is attached to a toothpick and secured into the ground.

 

I hope you enjoyed my Hobbit tutorials!

-AlbusOwner