Thursday, December 31, 2009

This Bunny Needs A Name

As the baby making continues among my friends so does the baby knitting. I'd love to tell you what is on the needles now, but it is going to be a long time before I can say anything about it (take that as a hint...) Fortunately, I have a recent baby FO to share.

This bunny needs a name.

I started out calling him Elvis because that is what the parents to be were calling there son, but as soon as I finished the head, he had a distinct other-worldly look.

I started calling him Al the Alien Bunny, and it suited him right up until I finished his ears.

Now that he is finished though, it is unmistakable that he's a bunny and Al really isn't fitting anymore.

Pattern: Sophie by Ysolda Teague
Yarn:
Knit Picks Cotlin in Kohlarbi
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)
Notes: I wanted to make this bunny out of cotton because I wanted it to be super washable and stress-free for mom and dad to be, but Cotlin was a very unforgiving yarn to make a toy with. Right now, I am working with
Comfy for another project, and it is a bit more understanding and much softer, so next time I make a toy for a new born, I think I'm going to try that.
Despite the troubles I had trying to convince this yarn to do what I wanted, I loved this pattern. Ysolda is brilliant and even though this is the first of her patterns that I've made, my queue is full of her creations. The pattern was easy to understand, and absolutely brilliant because there was no seaming to do at all. It starts with the head, and everything else is made by picking up stitches and knitting on (which I imagine is much easier if the yarn has just a little give).
The instructions warned that the ears were going to be difficult because they are folded in half at the attachment to the head (which makes them so completely adorable), but the section I had the most problem with was the beginning of the arms. I was working with DPNs and the head just kept getting in the way. Unfortunately, my frustration filled me with impatient determination and never stopped to take a picture of this section to show you the trouble. Despite that, I will be making this pattern again with some yarn that has a bit more give and drape.