Sure, I hinted at that pun, but it’s the best one that’s even vaguely character-relevant. Closing out the year with my first attempt working patternless (though her head is from the Ideal Sphere by Emily Premise-Conclusion,) and one of my very favorite characters – Xion of Kingdom Hearts. (Patternless in part because there’s not a ton of people doing Kingdom Hearts crochet to begin with. This is the EASIEST outfit.) With Kingdom Hearts III coming out in 29 days (29 days!) I wanted to have a little friend to hug as terrible things happen onscreen. Honestly, thought it would take longer! This is my first prototype Xion – I want to tweak some things like proportions and how her wire is set up, and some of them will require a second attempt. Plus I want to attempt to replicate her off the notes I took and see if I can make a pattern. 
There were a couple issues while making her, since it was my first attempt. Most notably, I had to improvise a few points when I attached arms before clothes on her main body so her outfit here is less coat and more Very Long Sweater.
She’s pretty soft – all that black is Red Heart So Soft – but a touch smaller than I intended, mainly with her legs so short. (A matching Roxas would be teeny.) The beige is Vanna’s Choice again, while the grey is Loops and Threads Woolike Cool Grey. It’s also extremely fine in case I had to do more embroidery. (The boots’ outlines are actually metallic floss, but it was difficult to work with so I didn’t use it for the upper coat part.)
I am so, so proud to have made her. Apart from the head, everything else was from a year and change’s accumulated knowledge. Given how short a time it’s been, having something successful to show for it is just plain cool.
2018 was a weird and often trying year personally, but I’ve managed to accomplish a lot despite some general chaos. Here’s hoping for good things in 2019. Thanks for reading so far, you handful who do!
Alexa Appel - Blanket Dragon 