Teddy Is Ready to Cuddle

I finally got Joshua's teddy bear done. All the pieces turned up, were sewn together and stuffed. I'm not going to lie, I'm relieved that this knitting adventure is finally over. It was, by far, the most complicated gift so far, truly a labor of love. Why, you ask. The yarn is a pain in the butt to use and the fibers make it almost impossible to see what you've knit and even more impossible to try to pick out seam stitches. Therefore, I have decided that I do not like working with Fun Fur yarn. Unless specifically needed for a project, I will not be using it again.

Animosity toward Joshua's choice of yarn aside, I think this little guy turned out alright. In the world of mass-produced, perfectly-sewn-together bears, he may look like an in-bred cousin who is missing a few marbles (crooked head, eyes that disappear behind fur, flat and misshapen nose), but I think Joshua will love him anyway. He's fat and cuddly and soft. And really that's all a kid needs in a teddy bear. And if he will scare away bad dreams in the middle of the night, even better.




Perhaps I could perfect this pattern in a different yarn, something fuzzy without eyelash fibers, I don't know. My sister-in-law is expecting and due to deliver in June. Perhaps I'll work up my courage to attempt this pattern again before then. If not, I'll find something super cute to make for my new niece or nephew.

Speaking of new nieces, I finished my soon-to-be-born niece, Harper's, blanket. Well, almost. I have all the finishing to do, weaving in the yarn tails, blocking, etc. I'll post pictures and details once that's all done. She's being delivered on January 7th, 2011, so I don't have long to finish it. Time to stop procrastinating and just do it. I'm not a fan of finishing work. To illustrate just how much I dislike it, I have a doily that I spent hours and hours knitting at least a year ago. It is still wadded up in my knitting bag, waiting for me to weave in the tails and block it. I have no one waiting for it and, therefore, no motivation to take the 20 minutes max it might take to actually finish it. Sad, I know. But there it is. Perhaps that will be my Christmas present to myself, that may motivate me to finish it. We'll see.