There were about 20 pieces to this little bear man. A fun project because it was like putting together a three dimensional puzzle. Creating the face was an interesting experience - giving him personality in his slight smile and choosing just the right eyes. As soon as the eyes were in place (done last) he took on real life and sometimes I feel like he’s staring at me.
He’s about the size of a one-year-old child and his arms and legs move. Propped up carefully he’ll actually stand up. His head swivels side to side, too. Because of his little parts (eyes, arm and leg joints) he’s not a good toy for a small child, but he is a wonderful decoration and cuddler for the small child in me.
This was the “Jack” pattern from The Knitted Teddy Bear, the same pattern as “Catherine” (large bear in the middle in the picture on the left (click for large picture)), but with contrasting hands and feet. My version is definitely a boy bear, though I didn’t necessarily plan it that way. He just became a boy when I put him together. Don’t you think he looks masculine?
Made with Katia Papiro, cotton/linen blend, in colors 85810 (light brown) and 85815 (dark brown), 93yds and 20sts/4 inches. This pattern took 5 balls dark brown and less than one ball of the light brown. (I think this yarn is since discontinued (check eBay)
The Knitted Teddy Bear : Make Your Own Heirloom Toys with Dozens of Patterns for Unique Clothing and Accessories
Author: Sandra Polley
At first glance, all the bears in this book look too similar to justify a whole book. But on closer inspection, you’ll see that each bear has a personality all it’s own - from sweet teeny tiny bears to great big huggable teddys. Some of the designs allow for moving arms and legs, others are all yarn and stuffing, perfect for babies and little kids. Tips are included for personalizing the expression on the little guys as well as instructions for making them appear ‘old’ and ‘ready-loved’. There are patterns for clothes made to fit the various body sizes.
Read more and see sample designs from the book.
Rating: 
So, this is a very simple pillow, but now that it’s complete, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. I knitted one side in moss stitch, 20×20 inches, over a year ago on a week-long trip to my parents house for thanksgiving (or something, I just remember the long plane ride and the knitting, watching movies and the knitting, sitting in the backseat of the car and the knitting, etc.)
Moss stitch is boring. Tedious, really. But there’s nothing like it for texture and floppy, drapey, soft fabric. The pillow is knitted from two (yes, just two) balls of Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton in natural. I love that stuff. One, it’s really cheap so it’s not a big deal to buy a bunch and just have it laying around for random projects. Two, it’s really durable. It’s a work-horse cotton. Three, there’s not a lot of sheen, just a soft natural look with little flecks of what I assume are cotton leavings (the twiggy stuff that doesn’t get filtered out in the cotton processing) - whether it is or not, the look of it made up into a thing is very organic and unprocessed.
It took a long…long…time to knit the moss stitch side (moss stitch, if you’re not familar, is knit one purl one, so you’re switching your yarn from the front to the back of your work every stitch. It slows you way waaaaayyyyy down.) So, once I was finally ready to put this sucker together, I wasn’t about to make it knitted on both sides (as originally planned). Instead I found a checkered upholstry fabric in cream and white that echos the moss stitch perfectly.
Throw in an 18 inch zipper (not 20 inch, so there’s a little bit of a solid seam on the edges of the zipper to make it feel more sturdy) and it’s all done! Sewing knitted fabric is hard - I don’t think I have the right “feet” on my sewing machine, but we got through it.
And my puppies love it.
Pattern : Rosemary from Rowan Summer Tweed
Yarn : Rowan Summer Tweed
Color : 500 Powder Blue
Content : 70% silk, 30% cotton; 50g; 117 yds
Gauge : 4 sts/inch
Needles : US 8
# of balls : seven
Designer : Kim Hargreaves
This made up really quick and is perfect for summer evenings. The armholes, to my delight, fit perfectly. It’s like it was made for me 
So, I’ve knitted a sock. A sock and a half. It was cool to see the variegated yarn begin to take shape in it’s fancy pattern. And it was cool to see how the simple heel was made. And it was rewarding to see that the heel used exactly one stripe of color so it stands out. And finally, it was interesting to dig into the second ball and find the exact same beginning point in the pattern for the second sock, and see it work out.
But that’s it, I think. Been there, done that.
I don’t think I will become a sock knitter, no offense to those of you who are. Maybe it’s because I don’t wear socks in general. But I also think this particular sock, the one I’ve made, it horribly ugly. I’ll never wear these. Certainly not out of the house. And I haven’t ever seen any other patterns or yarns out there that I would wear. And I think with knitting or sewing it’s the challenge of the design that I find interesting. Calvin Klein doesn’t design socks. Neither does Rowan. And I don’t make them. (except for this last one of the pair, that I will finish someday, just because I should).
There were about 20 pieces to this little bear man. A fun project because it was like putting together a three dimensional puzzle. Creating the face was an interesting experience - giving him personality in his slight smile and choosing just the right eyes. As soon as the eyes were in place (done last) he took on real life and sometimes I feel like he’s staring at me.
This was the “Jack” pattern from The Knitted Teddy Bear, the same pattern as “Catherine” (large bear in the middle in the picture on the left (click for large picture)), but with contrasting hands and feet. My version is definitely a boy bear, though I didn’t necessarily plan it that way. He just became a boy when I put him together. Don’t you think he looks masculine?
;void(0);)
