One of the projects I never thought I would like to knit found out that I really love, is knitted toys.
The bunnies from
Little Cotton Rabbits cannot be resisted.
Fuzzymitten also has patterns that are too adorable not to knit. One must not forget
Amanda Berry! My first love was the patterns from
Oliver Boliver....
Currently, I am taking a Craftsy class from
Susan Anderson and making a giraffe. She explains things well...and usually tells you WHY she does the things the way that she does. I have learned a lot from watching her.
These critters help use up odds and ends of stash yarn...that is one draw. The other is watching a character come together. Faces are important. Faces give the animals their characters. My first stuffed animal, Little Bear, had real attitude....and very bad behavior. I have been more careful since then!
My very favorite of all the knitted toys I have done was from the pocket bunny pattern. The yarn is Pipsqueak and knits up like fleece. There is just something about this bunny.... It went to a special little girl.
The little tail was so cute. I can't remember who the designer of this pattern is..but whoever it is is genius. I will be making this pattern again.
I have used Pipsqueak on other animals as well. While it is NOT the most fun yarn to work with, it makes such a cute toy that I do it anyway.
One of the things that Susan Anderson stresses is that the fabric should be knit tightly enough so that the stuffing does not show through. That is easier to do with Pipsqueak than it is with a plain worsted yarn.
Instead of embroidering the eyes, I used safety eyes to get a slightly different look. Choosing the right eyes was interesting as I wanted to make sure the rabbit looked friendly.
A little boy that I know LOVES elephants. When I found the Babar pattern on Ravelry, I had to do it for him. This was also a lot of fun. As I was in a hurry, I only made one of the outfits. Babar also has a green suit and bowler that can be knit.
Think about how the toy will be used when planning how to do the accessory pieces.
Babar's crown is sewn onto his head...firmly...so that it doesn't disappear when Babar and his boy have adventures.
The robe can be removed. When I was putting in the stitches for the ermine part of the robe, I tried to be careful to keep them of a length that would not get tangled with little fingers.
Babar's eyes did get embroidered. I am not totally happy with the way the eyes turned out...but it is all a learning experience.
Take a chance on toys. Even adults like to get them!
Use fiber appropriate to the recipient. Take into consideration how it can be cleaned.
Little Bear, the early toy, was given to my older sister. She in turn gave it to our mother as a comfort in the hospital as she was leaving the world. Little Bear did return to my sister....a job well done.
