Non crochet! Blasphemy!

File this under other stuff I make that isn't crocheted. Weird, I know, right?

Anyhow. About Gamer Geek Girlfriend. Dan had the idea, way back whenever it was (a couple years now, I think) that I could use existing 8-bit and 16-bit video game graphics, and translate them into pixelated yarn art. The truth is, it's easier said than done. It is true that the patterns are quite simple. It is also true that they don't take too terribly long to stitch up. Dan is also quite good at selecting graphics that can be made into coasters, ornaments, or whatever else.

The putzy part (and the part that causes me extreme frustration, boredom, tedium, etc.) is taking a small image on a computer screen and translating it into a proper needlework pattern on graph paper. We haven't really come up with a better method than using small square cells in Excel, and manually "redrawing" the whole image, usually twice.

The first time Dan (or I) will use the fill cell background function and just select as many cells that are meant to be the same color as we can. Copy, paste, repeat. Since we're doing it manually, visually comparing our work to the graphic on the screen, sometimes mistakes are made. In other cases, the original image needs to be simplified - perhaps there are two or three shades of a color that really could be all the same shade, without losing much definition in the image. Dan normally makes artistic adjustments to the design at this time as well, if they are needed.

Then, I take the Excel worksheet that Dan has "colored," reselect the cells that are a certain color, and enter in a symbol or letter to represent the color of yarn needed to complete those stitches. Again, copy, paste, and repeat for each color in the design. When I am satisfied that I haven't missed any of the cells, I remove the background coloring altogether. Then I add a thicker border to every 5th row and column to make a 5x5 grid, so that I can count the stitches more easily while I work. I add a legend to tell which symbol stands for which color, and print.

All of this takes place before I ever pick up a needle and thread. For that reason, the easiest designs for me to create are the ones I've done before. I make the same 6 Final Fantasy characters over and over - it's almost to the point where I've got the patterns memorized. I've also done Megaman, Yoshi, and some others. My only real restriction, if I am making 4" coasters, is that the height and width must be no more than 26 pixels in either direction. This effectively limits the poses and removes certain characters from my potential product list. We've started to translate patterns from lots of other games, only to discover that they won't fit. For example, the only two Megaman "villians" that fit were certain poses of Quickman and Metalman. I've considered cutting the feet off of some characters, or using a partial view (maybe waist up?) but haven't been happy with the results yet.

Of course, if I'm doing a cross-stitch ornament, pin, or magnet, the sky is the limit. I cut my own pieces of plastic for those type of projects, so I'm not limited by a precut square. In particular there is a graphic of Link from the Zelda games, stabbing forward with the sword out, that I'm planning to make into a pin sometime.

A challenge that I haven't even mentioned yet is getting the colors right. There are only so many colors of cheap acrylic yarn available for me to purchase, and sometimes I've had to fake it. Typically I'll be happy with a color, even if it doesn't quite match the sprite sheet, if it coordinates with the existing colors in the pattern in a way that gives the color the appropriate context. For example, in choosing colors to make Esper Terra, I had to find three coordinating shades of purple. The lightest lavendar needed to coordinate with the medium shade in a way that didn't make it look too pink or too blue. I really liked the results, but it was a hard thing to match up. Another choice is background color - some of the games have background screens or selection screens that make choosing a background color easy - others do not.

The last thing I do, when I've completed the surface stitches of a needlepoint project, is add the backing. This finishing step is critical to the professional appearance of the project. I never want a customer to have to look at the back of my work, regardless of how tidy it may be. For coasters, I add stiff black felt, and handstitch it directly onto the canvas using a sharp needle, the whipstitch and plain black yarn. For ornaments, pins, and magnets, I use a piece of white perforated plastic (the same gauge as the clear perforated plastic I stitched the design onto). I cut it to exactly the same size and shape as the "front," then stitch the two pieces together using a whipstitch and black or white embroidery floss.

At any rate, the final product is something I'm quite proud of. It's made the greatest dollar amount of sales to anonymous strangers on my Etsy page. I do worry that it's not the sort of item that people are willing to pay a lot for, but then again, some people are really fanatics about video game nostalgia. My work on this line is intended to bring together 80's crafty kitsch with 80's video game kitsch in a cute, functional way. Hopefully I've succeeded.