Christmas knitting 2011
Jan. 8th, 2012 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stmaybe posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
knittingBackground info: I have five nieces and nephews: Squirrel (8), Pipsqueak (5) & Lumpy (14 mos) who are soon to have twin sisters added to the family, as well as Ladybug (10) and Boo(9). I've always loved stuffed animals and been terrible about bothering with things like gauge and needle/yarn sizing that are so important in knitted clothing, so I learned to knit toys for the kids. None of these are from written patterns, I just make them up as I go along, though several of them were inspired by other people's existing creations and do have patterns that make a very similar knitted creature. If you'd like a link to one of the patterns, just ask. I keep the pattern links so as to give credit for my inspiration over on Ravelry.
Squirrel's dad hinted that she might be thrilled to find a knitted snowy owl as her gift this year. I wish I'd planned my knitting time better, this was the second to last of my Christmas knitting and thus was rather rushed. I would have liked to add some speckling and better shaping to the head.
Of course, if a snowy owl shows up at your house it simply can't arrive without carrying a letter from Hogwarts.
Then there were the Marsupial Monsters for Ladybug, who is obsessed with anything having to do with babies. Baby people, baby animals, baby marsupial monsters. Such an easy and fun knit. Starting at the head with provisional cast on makes for nice monster head shaping.
The Marsupial Monsters eventually got a set of teeth.
For tiny Lumpy, who has given up on crawling but has decided that standing takes way too much effort and is racing around on her knees... a Giraffasourus. With a nice long neck perfect to grab in the crook of your arm as you race around the house on you knees. The nice round body also bounces entertainingly when thrown from stroller with an emphatic "uh-oh!" Giraffasourus was supposed to be a giraffe, but came out reminding me of Dino from the Flintstones. I would have made the legs longer, but I wasted too much of my sock yarn making the body nice and bulbous.
Boo thought he might best like a cyclopes monster with horns, out of the variety of monsters I showed him on Ravelry. He started all this knitted creature nonsense this year by sending me a birthday card covered with silly monster stickers. His mom called later to let me know that the stickers were a hint that he'd like me to knit him a monster for Christmas.
And last but not least, for 5 year old Pipsqueak a monster by the name of Legless. Legless was rather annoyed at me for leaving him till the last minute. I argued that there are 5 (5!) nieces and nephews to knit for and I just didn't plan my time well this year. Legless wound up being the most fun to knit, because I knit the legs (separately) on Christmas Eve, in front of the kids. Pipsqueak was so enthralled by my answer to his question "What are you knitting?" Answer "Legs, of course" that he followed me around and watched the construction of the legs quite intently, trying to figure out what they could possibly be for or why anyone in their right mind would want to knit legs? He even insisted on helping by cutting the yarn ends when I was ready to stop knitting. Legless acquired his legs on boxing day, but I never got a photo of him finished.
Squirrel's dad hinted that she might be thrilled to find a knitted snowy owl as her gift this year. I wish I'd planned my knitting time better, this was the second to last of my Christmas knitting and thus was rather rushed. I would have liked to add some speckling and better shaping to the head.
Of course, if a snowy owl shows up at your house it simply can't arrive without carrying a letter from Hogwarts.
Then there were the Marsupial Monsters for Ladybug, who is obsessed with anything having to do with babies. Baby people, baby animals, baby marsupial monsters. Such an easy and fun knit. Starting at the head with provisional cast on makes for nice monster head shaping.
The Marsupial Monsters eventually got a set of teeth.
For tiny Lumpy, who has given up on crawling but has decided that standing takes way too much effort and is racing around on her knees... a Giraffasourus. With a nice long neck perfect to grab in the crook of your arm as you race around the house on you knees. The nice round body also bounces entertainingly when thrown from stroller with an emphatic "uh-oh!" Giraffasourus was supposed to be a giraffe, but came out reminding me of Dino from the Flintstones. I would have made the legs longer, but I wasted too much of my sock yarn making the body nice and bulbous.
Boo thought he might best like a cyclopes monster with horns, out of the variety of monsters I showed him on Ravelry. He started all this knitted creature nonsense this year by sending me a birthday card covered with silly monster stickers. His mom called later to let me know that the stickers were a hint that he'd like me to knit him a monster for Christmas.
And last but not least, for 5 year old Pipsqueak a monster by the name of Legless. Legless was rather annoyed at me for leaving him till the last minute. I argued that there are 5 (5!) nieces and nephews to knit for and I just didn't plan my time well this year. Legless wound up being the most fun to knit, because I knit the legs (separately) on Christmas Eve, in front of the kids. Pipsqueak was so enthralled by my answer to his question "What are you knitting?" Answer "Legs, of course" that he followed me around and watched the construction of the legs quite intently, trying to figure out what they could possibly be for or why anyone in their right mind would want to knit legs? He even insisted on helping by cutting the yarn ends when I was ready to stop knitting. Legless acquired his legs on boxing day, but I never got a photo of him finished.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 07:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 10:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 02:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 03:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 03:49 pm (UTC)Absolutely adorable!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 03:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 04:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 05:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 07:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 05:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-09 11:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 05:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 01:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 05:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-11 03:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 02:02 am (UTC)Those are just killer.
I want to learn this. My granddaughters would be thrilled.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-10 05:45 am (UTC)I'm working on learning to write up a pattern for a snowman I made last year, but writing patterns is hard. I forget to pay attention to what I'm knitting.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-11 07:47 am (UTC)