CLOSED - Nerd Games - Fall 2025

[megwell (Megan (she/her))]

Prompt: Imaginary (December Battle)/Rides: Carousel
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Salted Caramel Bourbon Ice Cream
Brief Description: This is from a Nigella Lawson recipe, and I like to imagine she and I would be friends if we met. I’m claiming it toward carousel because the mixer beaters used for this no-churn recipe are reminiscent of a spinning merry-go-round.
Project Photo(s): I didn’t get any great pictures, but here’s a pre-serving shot from Christmas night.

Prompt: Ganesha (December)
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Potholder
Brief Description: I got the loom and loops for this from Goodwill; it was my first time working with these particular types, and there were obstacles galore, mostly of the staying-on-the-loom variety.
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: Sun Wukong (December)
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Linxicon ATC
Brief Description: This was made for (and photographed by ) thanate. The ovals (egg shapes) are fashioned after the word cells in the game Linxicon.
Project Photo(s):

[megwell (Megan (she/her))]

Final push! Thanks for your patience .
Prompt: Day 11
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Holiday card 1
Brief Description: I made a couple of ATC-based holiday cards for swaps with other LCers. ATCs are one of my best skills.
Project Photo(s): Top card in this photo. Blurred because at time of posting one is still taking the scenic route to Sweden .

Prompt: Day 12
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Holiday card 2
Brief Description: I made this for the aforementioned card swap.
Project Photo(s): Bottom card in previous photo

Prompt: Zap 1
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Catalog refashion
Brief Description: I’m planning to use this catalog as my new gluebook. Today I removed some pages and replaced the staple binding with a quick three-hole pamphlet stitch. I even used the existing staple holes!
Project Photo(s):

[Smeddley (* Nerd Games Lieutenant *)]

I apologize profusely for the unbelievable project dump that is about to happen. I have a lot of reasons, but it’s no excuse! We all know I’m like this, but that doesn’t make it okay. I’m working on it! I will probably break this up into a few posts…

Prompt: December Battle - Real
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Goose
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Part of Skein Spider’s 12 Days of Crochet patterns this year… Geese are real!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: Zaps 1-5
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: DnD Initiative Tags
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: More tags for the gaming, there are 6 in the picture but it’s whatever 5 you want… I don’t format the images or print them, I’m only responsible for the beadwork and gluing them to the ribbons, so they don’t take that long.
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: Big Time 1
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: The Ghost Project
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: So you’re just going to have to believe me on the count, I did not keep track entirely, but I made about 40 ghosts that I tucked a dumb joke and a piece of candy under, and hid them around the office. People loved it, my hands hurt after that!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: Big Time 2
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Poncho
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: A friend asked for a poncho, and after a few false starts (so much frogging) I managed to make it and it was a huge hit!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: Big Time 3
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Cactus Plant
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: A friend volunteered me to make this for a coworker, and I did, though it took forever!
Project Photo(s):

[Smeddley (* Nerd Games Lieutenant *)]

Okay, for October’s prompts…

Prompt: October - Baby
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Octopus
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: From Skein Spider’s 12 Days of Crochet…a pastel peach octopus!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: October - Scary
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Raccoon
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: From Skein Spider’s 12 Days of Crochet…the entire theme was mischievous, and what is more rebellious than the lovely Trash Panda?
Project Photo(s)

Prompt: October - Ginger
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Squirrel
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: From Skein Spider’s 12 Days of Crochet…a red squirrel!
Project Photo(s)

Prompt: October - Sporty
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Acorns
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Whoever thought having the Browns and your favorite team would be any good? I made a bunch of Acorns and Pumpkins (orange and brown!) for my friend’s cube… I think in total it was 10 of each?
Project Photo(s)

Closeup of the acorn process (I tried/modified some patterns):

Her cube:

[Smeddley (* Nerd Games Lieutenant *)]

November…

Prompt: November Zeus
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ghost and Ghost Dog
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: My friend sent me a picture of the iconic ghost walking ghost dog statue, so of course I found a pattern online to make it… I actually made two, later I made one for her cube neighbor, but they look identical, so… (they are white!)
Project Photo(s)

Prompt: November Quetzalcoatl
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Book Cozy
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Made for a friend for Christmas! It’s very patchwork and multi-colored
Project Photo(s) (see below, left)

Prompt: November Thor
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Book Cozy
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Made for a friend for Christmas! This protects the book on the go!
Project Photo(s) (see below, right)

(side 1)

(side 2)

Prompt: November Ganesha
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Elephant
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: 12 Days of Crochet again, elephants are grey!
Project Photo(s)

Prompt: November Wukong
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Walrus
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: 12 Days of Crochet again, walruses are brown!
Project Photo(s)

[Smeddley (* Nerd Games Lieutenant *)]

December! These are all the 12 Days of Crochet projects…

Prompt: December - Nessie
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Iguana
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Iguanas are green!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: December - Mothman
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Iguana
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Black crow - honestly my least favorite of the patterns, I made a (much larger) ami crow one time and I was just not happy with this one.
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: December - Jackalope
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Goat
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Goat horns!
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: December - Bigfoot
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Bear
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: Black bear
Project Photo(s):

Prompt: December - Jersey Devil
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Ami Fox
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: The Fox is red!
Project Photo(s):

[Mountains_and_Clouds (SaRa :) [they/her])]

OMG that goose is so cute!

[Smeddley (* Nerd Games Lieutenant *)]

And finally, my Free Range Projects, and I’m just going to put one header here to save space…

Prompt: Free Range 1-6
Team: Gourd of the Rings
Project Name: Amis, Amis, Amis!
Project Link: N/A
Brief Description: We have the last of the 12 Days of Crochet, the rat (1), as well as an ami werthers candy (2) (made for my boss because when he has to present things to people he always has a candy in his pocket, they joked it was a good luck charm, so I made him an emotional support Ami Candy), a bunch of snowmen (3) and a group trees (4) (still working on perfecting the pattern I like for the trees, post maybe coming in January about that, but the little ones work…), a large snowman (5), and some Christmas light bulbs (6) for a friend’s ugly Christmas Sweater!
Project Photo(s):

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

Prompt: November-Quetzalcoatl

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Blue Christmas Sweatshirt

Project Link: n/a

Brief Description: I was invited to participate in the Super Secret Underground Spirit Week at school, and I went all in. One theme was “Blue Christmas” and I sewed (so I could remove it and still use the sweatshirt) blue and silver tinsel onto the front of a blue sweatshirt (blue leggings and a blue tulle fairy skirt completed the outfit). I used two long, thin, yet feathery, multicolored pieces of tinsel garland.

Project Photo(s):

Prompt: November- Ganesha

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Crocheted Coasters

Project Link: Crocheted Coasters

Brief Description: After I gave my mom a set of coasters for Christmas (white with a peppermint stripe border), she brought out some gray and white yarn so I could make her a set for the rest of the year!

Project Photo(s):

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

These post it note holders are my Blue Ribbon Entry (Paper).

I’m using them in pairs for 4 prompts (I photographed them as two sets because the second set was finished after the first set was gifted).

Prompt: November- Sun Wukong

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Post It Note Holders

Project Link: Post It Note Holders

Brief Description: Not only did I make two of each color, each one holds 2 pads of Post Its)

Project Photo(s): (The two pink ones in the photo above)

Prompt: December- Nessie

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Post It Note Holders

Project Link: (see above)

Brief Description: These were gifts for 2 of the support staff on my team.I made a blue one (as close to Hanukkah colors as I could get) and a green one (for the woman who runs the Green Thumb Club).

Project Photo(s): The blue and green ones in the second photo above.

Prompt: November- Thor

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Post It Note Holders

Project Link: (see above)

Brief Description: I used a square paper punch, on the diagonal, to cut the thumb notches for these Post It holders. And, I made some that were orange and yellow.

Project Photo(s): The Orange/yellow ones in the photos.

Prompt: Advent-Day 3: Friday, October 31
Gather supplies.**
Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing
Project Name: Post It Note Holders
Project Link: (see above)
Brief Description: For this project, I used 3 main supplies- Cardstock (plain & patterned), ScorTape (a strong adhesive tape to hold everything together), Self-adhesive elements (Various embellishments, Velcro dots for the closure).
Project Photo(s): The blue and green ones in the first photo above.**

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

Tulle Dish Scrubbies! These have turned into an annual gift for my mom and a few friends. I make them every year at Christmas while visiting my mom. Each one takes me about 36 minutes to make.

Prompt: December- Mohrman
Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing
Project Name: Red Tulle Dish Scrubbies
Project Link: (link is to my post from another year…so it’s not for points) Tulle Dish Scrubbies (with basic tutorial)**
Brief Description: Each scrubbie is made from 2 circles, knotted together inside at the center, then crocheted together around the edge.
Project Photo(s): Red Scrubbie #1**

Prompt: December- Jersey Devil
Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing
Project Name: Tulle Dish Scrubbies
Project Link: (see above)
Brief Description: I could only find pink at my local craft store, but my mom had some red in her craft closet (leftover from last year).
Project Photo(s): Red Scrubbie #2

Prompt: Advent- Day 9: Friday, November 21
Oops. Frog, stitch rip, erase, re-glue.

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Tulle Dish Scrubbies

Project Link: (see above)

Brief Description: I have been making these for several years. I have lost count of how many I have made!

Project Photo(s): Pink Scrubbie #1

Prompt: Advent- Day 10: Monday, November 24
Consider bailing.

Team: Don’t Stop Beleafing

Project Name: Tulle Dish Scrubbies

Project Link: (see above)

Brief Description: Crocheting with tulle isn’t the easiest. It starts to wear on my fingers with its roughness. And, it’s hard to pull the tulle through the stitches. My arm and shoulder were sore by the time I finished the 4th one. Next year, I will try to remember to make them in advance, over a longer time period!

Project Photo(s): Pink Scrubbie #2

[Tapestry (Jenn)]

I love your monthly photography pics!

[Tapestry (Jenn)]

The rush of last minute posts is filled with so much inspiration and crafty goodness!

@Smeddley - I adore all your crocheted creations! So cute!

@Mountains_and_Clouds - Eeeeeeeeee! Tomogotchi!!! Also, your clay creations are always gorgeous.

@craftADDchick - Cute note holders! And that Blue Chirstmas outfit is so cheerfully festive it’s impossible not to smile when you see it.

@megwell - Cute ATCs and that ice cream looks scrumptious.

@Tanath - I’m hungry just looking at your post! So much yummy goodness! The tea party treats and your cakes are my absolute faves.

[Tanath (Anat)]

I’m pretty much a beginner at sewing, and I mostly make stuff up as I go.
Basically, I made a tube out of the red fabric, attached one side to the elastic, turned it inside out so the elastic is inside the tube. Then scrunched it up and closed the elastic to the size I wanted and attached the other side of the tube.
My watch has removable bars on either side to attach a strap, so it’s easy to attach. You might have to figure out something else, depending on your watch type.
It looks like this:

[AIMR (Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)]

Duh, I thought I had to leave the back of the watch open for it to work! That green light is just for charging! ha ha…perfect…now that I know I can cover the back, I need to make a few of those! Thanks!

Well, I can’t believe that my elderly friends came over for dinner and stayed all the way past midnight to watch the ball drop on tv. I had planned on them leaving early (they are usually in bed by 8!) so I could post all my projects. Then, it snowed and we lost power for about an hour. It was freezing inside!

Oh well! There is next year and I had a bunch of fun and got so many ideas for projects for 2026!

[Tanath (Anat)]

It depends on the type of watch, I think. Mine is very simple and doesn’t have any sensors on the back. If yours monitors anything like heart rate, you might need to leave it open.