Knitted Toys

I took up knitting in 2005 or so, and made myself a number of sweaters and other accessories, but the knitted things that are still around the house are the toys designed by Alan Dart that I made in the 2010’s. I’ve made his gnomes, pirate and mermaid, Dickensian mice, and Peter Rabbit. These designs often involve quite a few little pieces (usually knitted on tiny needles) that need to be sewn together just so, and and they sometimes have embroidered features. It’s a lot of work and takes a fair amount of organization and motivation to finish. I have a baggie full of parts for more Dickensian mice that I never put together, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get around to it. But it taught me a lesson, so by the time I made the pirate and mermaid, I knew to sew/stuff as I went along. Since they were meant for my two kids, I also made them in tandem so I’d make progress on both of them and not lose steam after finishing just one. The end result is always worth it, though.