Finito!

I did it! Last night I finished my Krull the Warrior King prototype. I am extremely pleased with the finished product. Not bad at all for my second complete toy design. I am very excited to modify this pattern a bit to make him smaller and faster to knit. I also want to modify the head just a little bit to make the muzzle shorter but more pronounced and make the tail curve more. The prototype measures 10" seated and 14" standing.

I Think I Can...

Krull the Warrior King is almost complete! Squee! He only needs one more arm and two legs! Of course I'm talking about the knitted version, not the real Krull the Warrior King. He has all of his parts. I think I can finish him today if Max isn't too terribly demanding today. So far, Max is being very demanding. But I'm hopeful.

Al the Gator Prototype Revealed

Like I said, Al's head is too large for his body, but otherwise I am pleased with how he turned out. Time to start working on the version of him with a smaller head!

3 Legs to Go

And then I will unveil my Al the Gator prototype. He's turning out cute, I think, although his head is too large for his body as he was made. I've written two modified versions of the pattern, one where I made the head smaller, and one where I made the tail and body longer. I'll probably make the smaller version of him next and list him for sale on Etsy. Then I'll put the pattern up on Ravelry.

After Al is perfected, it's back to work on Krull the Warrior King! You've already seen his completed head, and I'm about 1/3 of the way through the body. I'm already working on a modified head pattern for my canine friend. And today I started making the Power Point presentation for my dissertation defense. No firm date yet, but I should be defending sometime in the next three or four weeks (squee!).

Al the Gator - work in progress

I still haven't finished my Krull the Warrior King prototype, but he's coming along well, I think. In the meantime, I've been distracted by a new design project - Al the Gator. I've been working in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta for the past couple of months, and it is chock full of alligators. I saw a ton of big gators when we were out doing field work today. Up until now, the alligators we've seen have been fairly small.

I've been thinking about knitting an alligator for some time now, but I never could find a suitable pattern. So I'm writing my own! Turns out, it wasn't that hard. And my knitted gator is coming along nicely (and quickly). Hopefully I'll be able to show you the finished product in a day or two. After that, it's back to work on the dog prototype, which I hope to finish within a week or so. (That may be a bit too ambitious, since I'm super busy with final edits on my dissertation and the new lab project I'm working on).

Prototype Head is Complete!

So I finished the head for my first ever toy pattern last night. It's turning out all right, I think. I am, however, definitely going to make a few changes in the final pattern that I plan to make available to the public via Ravelry. I haven't decided if I'm going to make it a free download or try to sell it. I'm thinking maybe free download to gauge interest. I have some other pattern ideas, and if they turn out well, I might try to sell some of those.

As for the Krull the Warrior King (aka stuffed dog) prototype, it's turning out on the large side, and I plan to modify the pattern to make it smaller. Here's a photo of the finished head, with ears and embroidered eyes. In the smaller version, I'll use 10 or 12 mm plastic safety eyes.















Since I've been so into this knitting toys thing, I've decided that I might also try to sell some on Etsy. I don't have anything listed yet, but I hope to have something up there in the very near future. I have a few versions of my dog pattern that I want to try, and maybe I'll list a couple of those for sale. I know I kept talking about making an octopus, but now I'm thinking I'll try a shark pattern next. I was pleased with the final product from the hammerhead pattern I bought, but I want to try to write one for a non-hammerhead shark that is knitted in the round ('cause I sort of suck at seaming, so the less sewing the better).

I'll keep you posted.

Tom the Bear

I finished the teddy bear I was working on yesterday. It is Tom the Bear from Twins' Knitting Minishop.



















I sort of love him. So does Max.














I haven't made Tom the Bear's cardigan yet, but I will. I still have to decide what colors to use. Blue with green trim, perhaps?

I also made a teeny tiny bit of progress on my very first knitted toy prototype yesterday. A very tiny bit. The nose is too big (I'm knitting it in the round starting at the nose), so I'm going to start over today. I've also decided that in the future I'm not going to write anything before I start knitting a new pattern. I'm just going to wing it and write down what works as I go. Hopefully I'll have something new to show you soon.

Pattern in Progress

I am in the process of writing my first pattern. Technically. It's for a stuffed dog modeled after my dog, Krull the Warrior King. Sort of (same coloring and general head shape, I hope). I say "technically" because I have knitted things without patterns before. You know, simple things like scarves and shawls. This pattern is more complicated than a scarf or a shawl, obviously. I hope the head shaping turns out all right. So far all I have is an incomplete drawing. I have one more leg to finish on the teddy bear I'm working on (pics to come soon) then I'll start on my Krull the Warrior King prototype. I expect to have to modify the pattern and re-work much of the design until I get it right. So it may be a while before I post pictures here, but rest assured that my first original toy design will be featured here in the not-too-distant future.

Elmo?

Max saw this lobster and said, "Mommy made Elmo!" According to the pattern, his name is Jacques Crusteau, but I guess we're calling him Elmo the Lobster.

Stripey Frog

I made this guy for Max after his Easter basket friends. Soon he'll have a whole frog family. I have yarn to make a bigger solid green frog and a wee tiny dark green/light green striped frog. Click on the picture, and you can order the pattern yourself from Etsy. You should also check out the other toys and patterns available from Yarn Miracle's Etsy shop. They're super cute.

Want

My local library does not have this book, and I want it really really bad.


















And also this one.


















If I order both of them from Amazon, I'll get free shipping. I may be forced to do that. That giraffe is super cute.

The Best is Yet to Come

I have tons of ideas floating around in my head for patterns. Unfortunately, I also have four knitting projects already lined up, all from patterns that are not my originals. But I hope to try out some original patterns soon. Like an octopus. I really really really really want to knit an octopus. But none of the patterns I've found are what I had in mind. So I guess I'll have to write my own. I also have an idea for a teddy bear pattern that combines all the best elements of the toy patterns I've seen. And a shark. I've already made a hammerhead (I'll post it here later), but I'm thinking about making something more like a bull shark. I just have to figure out how.

So expect to see some things here that you won't find anywhere else.

My First Toys

These aren't really, you know, my first toys. But they are the first toys that I ever knitted. I made them for Max (my 2 year old). They went in his Easter basket. I was inspired to start knitting toys by some nice people I follow on Twitter and their posting of links to cute toy patterns.

The carrot pattern is by Emily Ivey at Yarn Miracle. The lamb pattern is by Fuzzy Mitten.