diff --git a/src/conversion.rs b/src/conversion.rs
index ad13adea..150bfbbe 100644
--- a/src/conversion.rs
+++ b/src/conversion.rs
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ pub trait FromPyObject<'p, 'a> {
 
 /// ToPyObject is implemented for types that can be converted into a python object.
 pub trait ToPyObject<'p> for Sized? {
-    //type PointerType : 'p + PythonPointer + Deref<PyObject<'p>> = PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>;
+    type PointerType : 'p + PythonPointer + std::ops::Deref;
     
-    //fn to_py_object(&self, py: Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, Self::PointerType>;
-    fn to_py_object(&self, py: Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>>;
+    fn to_py_object(&self, py: Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, Self::PointerType>;
+    //fn to_py_object(&self, py: Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>>;
 }
 
 /// BorrowAsPyObject is implemented for types that can be accessed as a borrowed python object
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ trait BorrowAsPyObject<'p> for Sized? {
 
 // impl ToPyObject for BorrowAsPyObject
 impl <'p, T : BorrowAsPyObject<'p>> ToPyObject<'p> for T {
+    type PointerType = PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>;
+    
     #[inline]
     fn to_py_object(&self, py: Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>> {
         Ok(PyPtr::new(self.as_py_object(py)))
@@ -103,6 +105,8 @@ impl <'p, 'a> FromPyObject<'p, 'a> for bool {
 // When converting strings to/from python, we need to copy the string data.
 // This means we can implement ToPyObject for str, but FromPyObject only for String.
 impl <'p> ToPyObject<'p> for str {
+    type PointerType = PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>;
+    
     fn to_py_object(&self, py : Python<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, PyPtr<'p, PyObject<'p>>> {
         let ptr : *const c_char = self.as_ptr() as *const _;
         let len : ffi::Py_ssize_t = std::num::from_uint(self.len()).unwrap();
diff --git a/src/err.rs b/src/err.rs
index 99395ee9..6eff81b6 100644
--- a/src/err.rs
+++ b/src/err.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use std;
-use {PyObject, PythonObject, PyTypeObject, Python, PyPtr};
+use {PyObject, PythonObject, PyType, Python, PyPtr};
 use pyptr::PythonPointer;
 use ffi;
 use libc;
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ impl <'p> PyErr<'p> {
     }
 
     #[allow(unused_variables)]
-    pub fn type_error(obj : &PyObject<'p>, expected_type : &PyTypeObject<'p>) -> PyErr<'p> {
+    pub fn type_error(obj : &PyObject<'p>, expected_type : &PyType<'p>) -> PyErr<'p> {
         let py = obj.python();
         PyErr {
             ptype: Some(unsafe { PyPtr::from_borrowed_ptr(py, ffi::PyExc_TypeError) }),
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index b6ff8c1a..16217227 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ pub use err::{PyErr, PyResult};
 pub use python::Python;
 pub use pythonrun::PythonInterpreter;
 pub use object::{PythonObject, PyObject, ObjectProtocol};
-pub use typeobject::PyTypeObject;
+pub use typeobject::PyType;
 pub use pyptr::PyPtr;
 pub use module::PyModule;
 pub use conversion::{FromPyObject, ToPyObject};
diff --git a/src/module.rs b/src/module.rs
index 04bc6e40..16615471 100644
--- a/src/module.rs
+++ b/src/module.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 use std;
 use ffi;
-//use ffi::CStringAsPtr;
-//use {PyResult, PyErr, FromPyObject, PyTypeObject, ToPyObject, PyObject, Python, PyPtr, PythonObject};
-use {Python, PyPtr, PyResult, PyObject, PythonObject, PyTypeObject};
+use {Python, PyPtr, PyResult, PyObject, PythonObject, PyType};
 use err;
 
 pub struct PyModule<'p>(PyObject<'p>);
@@ -22,7 +20,7 @@ impl <'p> PythonObject<'p> for PyModule<'p> {
         &self.0
     }
     
-    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyTypeObject<'p> {
+    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyType<'p> {
         panic!()
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/object.rs b/src/object.rs
index 5d434d18..880015a8 100644
--- a/src/object.rs
+++ b/src/object.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-//use {PythonObject, PyPtr, PyResult, PyTypeObject, Python};
 use std;
 use std::cmp::Ordering;
 use libc;
 use ffi;
-use {Python, Py_ssize_t, PyResult, PyErr, PyPtr, ToPyObject};
-use typeobject::PyTypeObject;
+use {Python, Py_ssize_t, PyResult, PyErr, ToPyObject};
+use typeobject::PyType;
+use pyptr::{PyPtr, PythonPointer, as_ptr};
 use err;
 
 /// Trait implemented by all python object types.
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ pub trait PythonObject<'p> {
 
     /// Retrieves the type object for this python object type.
     /// unused_self is necessary until UFCS is implemented.
-    fn type_object(unused_self : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyTypeObject<'p>;
+    fn type_object(unused_self : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyType<'p>;
 
     /// Retrieve python instance from an existing python object.
     fn python(&self) -> Python<'p> {
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ impl <'p> PythonObject<'p> for PyObject<'p> {
         self.py
     }
     
-    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyTypeObject<'p> {
+    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyType<'p> {
         panic!()
     }
 }
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ impl <'p> PyObject<'p> {
         unsafe { ffi::Py_REFCNT(self.as_ptr()) }
     }
 
-    /*pub fn get_type(&self) -> &PyTypeObject {
-        unsafe { PyTypeObject::from_type_ptr(self.python(), ffi::Py_TYPE(self.as_ptr())) }
+    /*pub fn get_type(&self) -> &PyType {
+        unsafe { PyType::from_type_ptr(self.python(), ffi::Py_TYPE(self.as_ptr())) }
     }*/
     
     /// Casts the PyObject to a concrete python object type.
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ pub trait ObjectProtocol<'p> : PythonObject<'p> {
         let py = self.python();
         let attr_name = try!(attr_name.to_py_object(py));
         unsafe {
-            Ok(ffi::PyObject_HasAttr(self.as_ptr(), attr_name.as_ptr()) != 0)
+            Ok(ffi::PyObject_HasAttr(self.as_ptr(), as_ptr(&attr_name)) != 0)
         }
     }
     
@@ -131,7 +131,8 @@ pub trait ObjectProtocol<'p> : PythonObject<'p> {
         let py = self.python();
         let attr_name = try!(attr_name.to_py_object(py));
         unsafe {
-            err::result_from_owned_ptr(py, ffi::PyObject_GetAttr(self.as_ptr(), attr_name.as_ptr()))
+            err::result_from_owned_ptr(py,
+                ffi::PyObject_GetAttr(self.as_ptr(), as_ptr(&attr_name)))
         }
     }
 
@@ -145,7 +146,7 @@ pub trait ObjectProtocol<'p> : PythonObject<'p> {
         let value = try!(value.to_py_object(py));
         unsafe {
             err::result_from_error_code(py,
-                ffi::PyObject_SetAttr(self.as_ptr(), attr_name.as_ptr(), value.as_ptr()))
+                ffi::PyObject_SetAttr(self.as_ptr(), as_ptr(&attr_name), as_ptr(&value)))
         }
     }
 
@@ -157,13 +158,13 @@ pub trait ObjectProtocol<'p> : PythonObject<'p> {
         let attr_name = try!(attr_name.to_py_object(py));
         unsafe {
             err::result_from_error_code(py,
-                ffi::PyObject_DelAttr(self.as_ptr(), attr_name.as_ptr()))
+                ffi::PyObject_DelAttr(self.as_ptr(), as_ptr(&attr_name)))
         }
     }
 
     /// Compares two python objects.
     /// This is equivalent to the python expression 'cmp(self, other)'.
-    fn compare(&self, other : &PyObject<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, Ordering> {
+    fn compare(&self, other: &PyObject<'p>) -> PyResult<'p, Ordering> {
         unsafe {
             let mut result : libc::c_int = std::mem::uninitialized();
             try!(err::result_from_error_code(self.python(),
diff --git a/src/pyptr.rs b/src/pyptr.rs
index 84eafcfe..bdf23a52 100644
--- a/src/pyptr.rs
+++ b/src/pyptr.rs
@@ -79,6 +79,16 @@ pub trait PythonPointer {
     fn steal_ptr(self) -> *mut ffi::PyObject;
 }
 
+/// Workaround because 'p.as_ptr()' doesn't work for associated types.
+pub fn as_ptr<P: PythonPointer>(p: &P) -> *mut ffi::PyObject {
+    PythonPointer::as_ptr(p)
+}
+
+/// Workaround because 'p.steal_ptr()' doesn't work for associated types.
+pub fn steal_ptr<P: PythonPointer>(p: P) -> *mut ffi::PyObject {
+    PythonPointer::steal_ptr(p)
+}
+
 impl <'p, T : 'p + PythonObject<'p>> PythonPointer for PyPtr<'p, T> {
     #[inline]
     fn as_ptr(&self) -> *mut ffi::PyObject {
diff --git a/src/typeobject.rs b/src/typeobject.rs
index 2980e4ef..0a89c4b8 100644
--- a/src/typeobject.rs
+++ b/src/typeobject.rs
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@ use ffi;
 use libc::c_char;
 use std;
 
-pub struct PyTypeObject<'p> {
+pub struct PyType<'p> {
     cell : std::cell::UnsafeCell<ffi::PyTypeObject>,
     py : Python<'p>
 }
 
-impl <'p> PythonObject<'p> for PyTypeObject<'p> {
+impl <'p> PythonObject<'p> for PyType<'p> {
     #[inline]
-    fn from_object<'a>(obj : &'a PyObject<'p>) -> Option<&'a PyTypeObject<'p>> {
+    fn from_object<'a>(obj : &'a PyObject<'p>) -> Option<&'a PyType<'p>> {
         unsafe {
             if ffi::PyType_Check(obj.as_ptr()) {
                 Some(std::mem::transmute(obj))
@@ -31,24 +31,24 @@ impl <'p> PythonObject<'p> for PyTypeObject<'p> {
         self.py
     }
     
-    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyTypeObject<'p> {
+    fn type_object(_ : Option<&Self>) -> &'p PyType<'p> {
         panic!()
     }
 }
 /*
-impl PyTypeObject {
+impl PyType {
 	pub fn as_type_ptr(&self) -> *mut ffi::PyTypeObjectRaw {
 		// safe because the PyObject is only accessed while holding the GIL
 		(unsafe { self.cell.get() })
 	}
 
-	pub unsafe fn from_type_ptr(_ : &Python, p : *mut ffi::PyTypeObjectRaw) -> &PyTypeObject {
+	pub unsafe fn from_type_ptr(_ : &Python, p : *mut ffi::PyTypeObjectRaw) -> &PyType {
 		debug_assert!(p.is_not_null())
-		&*(p as *mut PyTypeObject)
+		&*(p as *mut PyType)
 	}
 
 	/// Return true if self is a subtype of b.
-	pub fn is_subtype_of(&self, b : &PyTypeObject) -> bool {
+	pub fn is_subtype_of(&self, b : &PyType) -> bool {
 		unsafe { ffi::PyType_IsSubtype(self.as_type_ptr(), b.as_type_ptr()) != 0 }
 	}