Crocheted Feed Interface

 I’m thinking about halloween already. I know it’s kind of early, but I wanted to do something really detailed this year. I’m going to try to be one of the characters from a book series I like, the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. And given that weapons are a no for this, it has to be one of the humans, which means I need a feed interface. 

Interfaces clip into the ear, and they can look like anything. I made one with pull tabs from soda cans and some thread, plus the clips off of a pair of clip-on dangly earrings. Yes, I should have been spinning. Yes, I promised myself I’d only spin this month. No, I haven’t been spinning. 

[ID: the side of a person’s head, zoomed in on their ear, which has the “feed interface” on it. They have glasses, and the temple of the glasses is tucked through the light pink loop on the interface. The clips attach to the top and side of their ear, and the interface sits in front of the ear]
On my right ear, showing where to put the clips (it’s not exact) and what the shape looks like

[ID: a “feed interface” lying on a quilt. It’s green, with silver accents, and it’s made of soda can pull tabs covered in crochet and buttonhole stitches, then sewn together in a vague ear shape. It attaches to the ear using two clips and a loop to tuck onto the wearer’s glasses temple (or pin into their hair)]
Lying on my bedspread

The process was pretty simple, although this is definitely a multi-craftual, complicated project. I’m not sure how well I can explain, but I’ll do my best.  

To do something similar, you’ll need three of the pull tabs (the things with 2 holes) from soda cans, some perle cotton and a 1.5mm hook (or whatever thread you want to cover with. I recommend something not too thin), a pair of clip on earrings where you can take the charms off and just have the clips, and an embroidery needle (with a thick eye, but not a yarn needle). 

To start, cover one pull tab with single crochet stitches. Pack them in, you want it covered completely. Chain 2 or so between the holes of the tab. Then cover anything you can’t get with a crochet hook (for me, the little bar in the middle, and the thick edge where I pulled it off) with buttonhole stitches using the needle. Finish off when you’re done with the crochet. 

Hold the other two pull tabs so that the holes with the rough edges overlap, at a slight angle. Start with the inside of the bend, in the middle hole, and pull up a loop around both tabs. Then pull up a loop in the next hole (basically like a sc2tog, but into two holes instead of two stitches) and finish the sc. Single crochet around the rest of the hole. Then sc into both holes again, on the other side, and while holding them at an angle, cover both tabs together as closely as possible. Sc into the next hole, cover it, then decrease in the same way back into the same place as the first stitch, sl st into the first st, and finish off. Cover the remaining places with buttonhole stitch. 

Now, sew the lone pull tab to the two together, so it continues the curve of the ear. Then, put the clips on the top of your ear and the side, and sew the little bit where the charms used to be onto the interface where they hit. Add a small chain loop at the front of the bent bit, if you want to slide the interface onto a glasses temple like I did. Then, you can decorate with any needle lace technique in the holes. 

Wear with pride on your right ear, and practice subvocalizing before halloween. (It might irritate your ear, don’t wear it for too long without a break.)

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