You can still check out our fairly comprehensive NYE guide, but if you didn’t get tickets to one of those giant, over-indulgent parties or that just isn’t your style, then here’s where you need to be: PLAN A: NoBunny, The Atoms, The Kabbs, Jungle Fever @ Ken Club. The headliner is what happens when Rock ’n’ Roll High Schoolmeets Donnie Darko—a randy Oakland pervert playing garage-pop often dressed in nothing more than his skivvies and a rather disturbing bunny mask. And show up early for Jungle Fever, the new project featuring former members of Wild Weekend. PLAN B: Punk Bunny, Bostitch of Nortec Collective, DJ Miss Lady D @ Beauty Bar. Speaking of bunnies and perverts, Punk Bunny frontman Luigi Sandoval is like the gay version of Peaches singing family-friendly gems like “Heavy Load” and “Bromance” over ’80s-inspired electro and female backup singers. PLAN C: Sweet and Tender Hooligans, Blasphemous Guitars @ The Casbah. No one to kiss at midnight? A Smiths cover band might be just the thing for you. BACKUP PLAN: The Drowning Men @ Hensley’s Flying Elephant.

We’re not ready for an Etsy launch yet, but things are happening for us here at Green Elevator. Since Steff and I decided way back when to start a business we’ve been on a craft mission, an exploration of craft, a journey to the crafter with in! That basically comes out to be 5 billion (no more no less) half finished/started projects.

However, I think Steff has started to master the art of aprons while I have continued and improved my amigurumi-crocheted creatures. The first official Green Elevator items have been photographed and posted to
flickr. Nothing is for sale yet, but you can get an idea of some of the things we have cooking.

Hedge Hamster

I made this guy several months ago when we were first thinking of starting a business. I was going for a woodland type creature, and he turned out to be a mix of a hedge hog and a hamster. So that’s exactly what he is.

Space Hamster

This was my first attempt with using wire in an amigurumi project. I had no idea what this was when I finished.

Conversation:

Megan: What is this thing?

Steff: A hamster from space?

and so he is..

Punk Bunny

Ah this project was fun walk down memory lane. I, and many of my friends, went through a “punk” phase in high school. Blue hair, baggy jeans, old thrift store t-shirts – the whole bit. Looking back at pictures we looked about as hardcore as this bunny does. But who says a little bunny can’t be badass? Um.. you know.. in his own way.. kind of.. Anyway, Rock on little guy.

Vegetarian T-Rex

A vegetarian T-Rex. Maybe we’re not slaves to nature after all. Or maybe carrots are just that good. The gentle reptile to my right is a little different than my previous work. Slightly more muppety/cartoony, and more complex. He was created using many little swatches of crocheted fabric sewn together. I would love to try another dinosaur since this one was a great learning piece.

All the pictures were taken at the beautiful, amazing, and just a little big magical – Prospect Park. Field trip to Coney Island next? What?

PLAN A: Pelican, Wolves in the Throne Room, Tombs @ The Casbah. Each of these groups approach metal from interesting angles, but it’s Tombs who might be most deserving of your attention. Imagine Joy Division and Bauhaus songs played by Neurosis, and you’re pretty close. PLAN B: Nobunny, The Glossines @ Ken Club. It’s impossible to take anybody seriously when they’re wearing a bunny mask, so just kick back, have a few beers and get on board with this Tucson native’s intentionally dumb garage-rock party. PLAN C: The Donkeys, John Meeks @ Luce Loft. The second in five days of special concerts at Downtown’s Luce Loft is also likely to be the best of the lot, filled with cosmic California country delights from two of the area’s finest practitioners. –Todd Kroviak

Nobunny? Really? This looks like some cable-access, Chicago scenester version of Romper Room broadcasting out of the same basement where they filmed Wayne’s World except the lip-snyncing technology is soooo circa 1990. But in a good way. Enjoy.

Quick Picks:

Punk Bunny at “Club Purple” @ Radio Room–Read Enrique Limon’s hilarious article with the man behind Punk Bunny from this week’s issue  here. Lube not included. And if you still don’t believe that this band is fucked up, go here, or here, or here.

Two Sheds, Boomsnake @ Bar Pink

A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Endoxi, Runhoney, The New Lead Detectives @ Canes

It’s all about the bunnies around here. I’m test knitting a bunny that I’ll tell you about soon (when it gets a face, so as not to scare Laurie). And I’m crocheting (yup, i’m hooking!) this punk bunny out of amigurumi by elisabeth doherty.

So cute. I’m using leftover Knitpicks Shine Sport, and I’m loving the colors. I had plans to make a whole army of bunnies for Easter, but i’m quickly running out of yarn–these take more than you’d think. And I’m running out of time, but that’s beside the point.

My favoritest part about this pattern is the explanation for why the bunny has a little scull on his t-shirt (you can see it on the book cover, just follow the book link.) The designer explains, “Really, he’s kind of timid and twitchy, like most rabbits. He wears this shirt hoping that people will leave him alone. If you were the new kid at the skateboard park, you might wear a shirt like this, too.” All this under a picture of a kid, at a skatepark, looking a little slouchy and wearing a t-shirt with a skull. Love it.

I’m back and forth between wanting to recreate the scull for the punk bunny look, or going with an Easter Egg to be festive. I’ve still got a bit of work to do before I decide.