Monday 8 June 2009

Tardigrades

Stephen Jay Gould's book of collected essays Dinosaur In A Haystack has been my requisite toilet reading for the last couple of months - which has led to me spending waaaayyyy longer than necessary on the porcelain throne.

This book is also the reason for my current tardigrade obsession. His essay Of Tongue Worms, Velvet Worms and Water Bears features a drawing of a tardigrade (or water bear) shedding it's egg-laden outer cuticle, and is also responisible for sparking my interest in these tiny eight-legged creatures.

So I decided I had to make one.

And one became two.

And two became three! (Very good to know I still retain my elementary grasp of maths.)

They're hanging out on my keyboard now, waiting for me to make more friends to join them. Oh, and if you're wondering why these ones have only 4 legs - it's supposed to be a side-on view, hence the other 4 are hidden.

Once I'm done with the felt ones, I'm off to make a couple of tardigrade softies. Complete with all eight legs.

I'm not too sure what to do with all these little felt tardis, but I might stick a safety pin behind and turn them into brooches so I can attempt to start a tardigrade trend. After all, they've only been waiting for their turn in the spotlight since the Cambrian period.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Woolly. Thanks for your comment (and entry into my giveaway). In answer to your question, I have as yet not sold at any craft fairs. My first will be a university summer fete in July, and hopefully the We Make London Christmas fair, and anything inbetween.If I sell anywhere else in London, I will be sure to let you know.

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  2. I can totally see these as brooches...It would be fun to find out what people think they are...I actually thought they looked like a manatee (kind of...but maybe thats b/c I was thinking about manatees...lol). I love work inspired by interesting creatures!

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  3. Hello!
    I love these tardigrades- very quirky and sweet.
    Thanks for visiting my blog today!

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  4. They are precious, definitely stick a pin on them and I am sure someone out there will love them enough to start the trend for you!

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