Now for the pattern. I must say having never knitted a toy before I didn't know what to expect. It has been a lot simpler than I first thought it would be. It helps that the Giggles wool is "fluffy" you could say, so that there are no defined stitches to match up, but it has been a good starter project. The trick I think is in the shaping when you add the stuffing as that is what defines the shape and character of the bear. I am finding the stuffing and shaping of the head something I intend to take some time on to get it looking right, otherwise I think the rest of the effort will be wasted if the face doesn't reflect a perfect finish. The next couple of weeks will tell. I need to explore for the right eye buttons. I can't believe out of all my button containers I don't have ones for the eyes. Oh well, I will enjoy the search and maybe find extras along the way.
So the blanket. It was meant to have 5 strips but in my late night efforts found that the picking up of stitches along the edge didn't work as well on two of the strips, it seemed to pull to tightly. So I sewed up the 3 finished strips and it worked well at that size so I left it at that. The edging on the pattern called for a larger border, however I felt having it the same size as the blue edging in the centre of the blanket gave it a better balance. Being a soft polyester, the squares do appear to be different sizes but the same number of stitches were used. I think not sitting and knitting in a shorter time frame has led to different tensions at the end. It is only really noticeable on one square, I am happy with the rest of the blanket. The people receiving the gift were happy, so I am happy and can't wait to do another blanket (after the remainder of outstanding projects are completed!)
