Personally, I was tired of looking at that pink and blue box of o.b.’s for 5 days out of every 30. Pink and blue really doesn’t speak to me at the best of times, but during that one week it usually bugs the hell out of me. Something needed to change… Thus, the Red Menace was born.
Using some scrap cardboard that was slated for the recycle bin I crafted a somewhat sloppy box with an X-acto, a ruler and some tape that was slightly larger than the original tampon box. Then with tampon in hand I cut a flap slightly wider than the tampon was long and tall enough to get my fingers into, leaving the bottom edge attached to the bottom of the box.
Then the crocheting began. With red yarn (what other color could I possibly use?) I single-crocheted my heart out, fashioning a cover for my warped box. The joy of crochet is that you can either make squares and rectangles to fit every side of the box and stitch them together, or try a more free-form method and fit as you go.
The flap has its own cover that covers the outside and most of the inside as well- which does make the flap stand open, but it gives the box a more finished appearance. Appearance being the key word here. The teeth were free-formed after the flap was covered and the eyes are dual buttons sewn onto the crocheted cover. I added a snap to the back of the flap to keep the “mouth” closed when not in use, but perhaps a better constructed box would have made this addition moot.
The last thing I constructed was a lid for my little friend- as I wanted to make sure it fit over the crocheted cover. Obviously it too needed a cover or it just wouldn’t mesh with the whole piece.
Some day my tampon-holding-friend may grow some tentacles, ooze a crocheted puddle of red, or perhaps grow some horns and Medusa hair, but those additions will probably wait for the next time the Red Menace strikes.
-Lyzard
