Good Charlotte

Hi Knitters,
Finally I got around to finishing up this blanket for beautiful baby Charlotte, who was born in January. Charlotte is the daughter of the photographer for itty-bitty hats and itty-bitty nursery. She had a baby during the work for both of the books, two babies, two books.

I finished embroidering her name on the edge this morning and I will pop it in the mail tomorrow. The yarn is Manos Cotton Stria. A storm is brewing outside so the colors look a bit more muted than they actually are. I used size 6 needles and made 5 strips that I later stitched together. Then I picked up and knitted a picot edging in white. Easy, easy.

Even if she is almost 6 months old, you can use a blanket any old time, right? Or maybe I should say, better late than never!

Here is another site to check out. This one is loads of fun, so much to see.

best, susie

Family Trees and Knits

Hi Knitters,
Well, the Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky was such a pleasant surprise for me. I quickly picked this up before I went to Florida in March. I started reading it beside the pool and I was immediately hooked. I literally couldn't put it down.
I'll give you the quick premise of the book. A young couple is thrilled to be getting ready for the birth of their first child. The husband is an attorney and comes from a prestigious east coast family with a heritage that is documented back to the pilgrims. The wife has a more questionable family lineage. She was raised by her single mother and grandmother. Her father was a big question mark, and when the story picks up her mother had already passed away in a terrible accident.
Okay, the twist comes in when the couple deliver their beautiful baby and she happens to be African American. The parents both thought they were white. Here's where the story picks up. Accusations fly, questions are posed, and the quest to find the truth takes on a life of its own. Secrets are revealed along the way and other situations are stirred up do to the digging to find answers. The story doesn't unfold as you might imagine.
Now there are two things that I found fascinating. When I selected this book I thought it just looked like a fun, easy and entertaining read for my trip. I was surprised to find out that much of the story takes place in the grandmother's yarn shop. Knitting is a major part of the story line and is a major part of the characters' lives. Oh the joy I felt when I discovered this.
The second unknown was that much of the story takes place in Madison. The mother went to school at the University of WI and this is where she met the missing father. I love Madison and I love it when it is included in stories and movies. It is a beautiful city.
So now I've got an interesting story, plot twists, knitting galore, a baby, and Madison all in one novel. I recommend this book for a fun read that catches your attention right from the get go.
Debbie Bliss has done it again. Family Knits was just released and I had to pick it up. There are patterns for everyone including men, women, children, and babies. There are sweaters, scarves, hats, lace socks, long coats, and mittens. It is Debbie's classic lines and fantastic yarns that make this another one of her outstanding books. The photography is inviting and the shots of scenery and flowers and beaches make you wish you were there. I would wear many of the sweater designs easily. The children and baby designs are wonderful as always.
I have been an admirer of Debbie Bliss since the late 1980's, and I continue to support her whenever I get the chance. One thing you may want to note is that in the past her books didn't have schematics for sweaters. This book has schematics for all of the sweater designs. This is a good move!
One more thing, check this out. I have been loving this blog lately and you might too.
Happy Monday.
best, susie

Lost Again

Hi Knitters,
Well, the saga with my camera continues. My boys and my husband went to a Brewers game on Friday night and they took my camera along. When I asked where my camera was no one had any idea. My sons thought my husband had it and vice versa.
To make a long story short, it was left in the cup holder in row four behind the plate at the Miller park. My husband called the Brewers lost and found and they kindly are sending it back to us. That is pretty remarkable. In the mean time we started researching new cameras. I have been wanting a better camera for a long time. Even though I am getting my old camera back, we splurged on a new one today. We got a new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9. I haven't figured it out quite yet, but my son took these shots tonight.
A little progress has been made on the Vesper Sweet Water sock. I am on the heel and I am loving the yarn.

This is a new book project I am working on with some Manos and a wee bit of simple fair isle. The flower at the top is sitting on my kitchen table. A sweet friend gave it to me for helping her knit her first baby hat, not necessary but appreciated.

It's bedtime at our house.

Good night.

best, susie

This Is Why

Hi Knitters,
This is why I love making hats and other things for babies! Yesterday I went to my daughter's music concert and who was there but baby Sophie wearing the hat I gave her last week. I put it in a flower pot for delivery. She is about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Baby, baby.

best, susie

80th Post

Hi Knitters,
Wow, a lot has happened over the past 80 posts, life-changing events, family milestones, knitting milestones and many memorable times. It hasn't really been that long since I started this blog and it has gone so fast. I enjoy it and I am never short for content. Thanks for coming along so far.
My daughter, my youngest child, is a crafty girl. She reminds me of me! She looks like me, her interests are mine and she and I share the same ability to work on the same project hour, after hour, after hour. Lately she has gotten into finger knitting. She knows how to knit with needles, which I would prefer her to do, but this is her choice right now. The only reason I prefer the regular knitting is because I am always challenged with the mile long cords that need to be made into a project at the end.
I came up with a great idea. The cord for the nest in the photo was about 16 feet long. She knitted this entire ball of novelty yarn which I can't remember why I had. It probably came from the store closing. She works fast and furiously and doesn't even look at her hands while she works. She is my best shot at having an avid knitter in the family (my fingers are crossed). Anyway, I folded it in half and then made knots all along the strand. Do you see my plan for eating up as much length as possible? Then I made the all-time favorite coil pot and sewed it together with a needle and thread. She was just thrilled when I pulled out my felted flowers from here and fabric glued them to the rim. She is now finger knitting another cord that has reached the 20 foot mark and she is still going. More knots are in my future for certain.
These roses are part of my mother's day gift. My husband shopped at Sam's Club for me and these were the bargain of the occasion. Actually they are beautiful. Who knew Sam's for flowers? I love a practical gift and that's what I always ask for. I received an excellent set of Raechel Ray pots and skillets with orange handles. You may think this isn't exciting, but for me it is the best. I cook a lot and I love to cook big, hearty meals for my family. My pots and pans were looking worn out so this is something we all will get enjoyment from. My daughters also picked out earrings for me from Target. One daughter picked out turtle earrings, which made my ears itch something fierce, but of course I wore them anyway. The other daughter picked out flower earrings which don't seem to have the itching problem. Phew! I will have to alternate wearing the two pairs for a long time now, one day itch, next day no itch.

I can't believe how old my kids are getting, and I guess how old I am getting for that matter. They are a funny bunch of kids with big personalities. There is never a dull moment.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

best,susie

Jell-o People

Hi Knitters,
As I have said recently, I have been doing a major clean out and I found this book of my mother's called, Joys of Jell-o from 1952. Now every time I think of Jell-o or am around Jell-o (do they still hyphenate the o?) I am reminded of a friend of mine, who we used to socialize with a lot. I loved it because she would spend hours and hours making elaborate Jell-o creations, you know the layered pans of Jell-o in seasonal colors for every occasion. She made pans with 6 or 7 colors layered together. Can you imagine the time that would take?
One time I was talking to her about her layers and layers of Jell-0, which the kids went crazy over I might add. She just laughed when I brought it up and said, "Oh yeah, we're Jell-o people." Are you kidding me? I loooved this. It still makes me chuckle. Did you know there are Jell-o people? I just like to say it.
Hey, Jell-o people, check out these treats. The page above shows some easy Jell-o options where you make the cubes days ahead and then throw the dessert together the day of your party. We've got the Crown Jewel Dessert which is shown in the mold, a pie and a spring-form pan.

This is my favorite page that contains the recipes for the Ham Salad De Luxe and the Ring-Around-the-Tuna in the picture above. Is that green tuna? I am loving the olives and chopped pimiento, too. This book is a treasure I am hanging on to. Jell-o people, I know you may be pretty jealous of my find but if you ever need a recipe for that dinner party, just give me a jingle.

Another spring cleaning story that makes me laugh is the story of my daughter's two hats. I ran across these as I was putting away the winter gear. My youngest loves her stripey stocking cap, the original hat is on the right. She wears that thing all of the time, even when it is pretty warm outside (note the naturally felted pom-pom). Well, she was crushed because she thought she lost her hat. I mean she was distraught. What's a mom to do but make her another one, hence the hat on the left. I even ordered new Manos to make this one because I didn't have great colors in my stash. I worked hard to quickly make her new hat. She was thankful, but she never liked the new hat very much.

Then one day she came running out of school wearing her old hat. I couldn't believe it. Her friend had found it in her backpack at the very bottom in a generally unused pocket. Now she has two hats, one to wear and one as a spare. From that point on she has only worn the original hat and I don't mind a bit.

To all of you mothers out there,

love and enjoy each other and,

have a beautiful Mother's Day.

best, susie

What's Goin' On

Hi Knitters,
Two of my neighbors both recently had baby girls so today I am dropping off these flower pots on their doorsteps. Sophia and Lindsay are their names, so cute.

I stuffed the hats with some fiberfill and tucked them into little terra cotta pots. I hope I get to see the babies in the hats. I love that.

I started this ripple scarf yesterday. I am using Jo Sharp dk wool that's waaay old and a 4mm crochet hook. I picked out a pattern that uses single and double crochet stitches, which are the only two I know. I surely could master more but I felt like doing something easy.

I think it is turning out well. I am using the pink ripple #16 pattern. There is one row that is a bit wonky on my scarf, but being the rebel that I am, I'm leaving it in! That's about as wild as it gets over here on a Sunday.

Go ahead and get this fantastic book, 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns by Jan Eaton. It contains both knit and crochet stitches that would be terrific for blankets, pillows, scarves, table runners, etc. Ms. Eaton offers up a huge variety with clear guidelines and options. This is a winner.

Okay, remember I wrote about my Suss Cousins cardi with the leather ties? Well, here it is. The yarn is Meunch Trikolore #32 multicolor. I used the leftover for the wine bottle cover with the buttons and fringe from the last post. I selected this color because I loved it on Juliane Moore, but I didn't make the sweater she is wearing. I picked a different sweater called the leather tie cardigan. Oh yeah, the book is Hollywood Knits, Suss Cousins' first book.

I strung a loop on one side and knotted some strands on the other to make the closure. You can get the leather string on a spool at a craft store. This is a snappy little cardigan with 3/4 length sleeves. I always look long and hard at sleeve length when I am knitting sweaters. Being the petite girl (okay, short) that I am, I do have to modify sleeve length most all of the time. 3/4 length is one of my favorite sleeve styles because then I don't have to change a thing.

I know you are all wondering and the answer is yes, I do wear a shirt under my Leather Tie Cardigan at all times. I guess I am not very Hollywood.

best, susie

Wino Forever

Hi Knitters,

I love that story about how Johnny Depp had "Winona Forever" tattooed on his arm. Then when they broke up he had it changed to "Wino Forever." That is too good, very funny and clever.

I am cleaning out my basement and house as we are contemplating what exactly we are going to do with ourselves in the near future. We are simply bursting out of our house. I love this house, but it is tight in here. We are tripping all over each other. Very soon we are either going to have to move to a bigger house or remodel our current house and add on.

Anyway, as I was cleaning out the basement I ran across a ton of knitted items I had done awhile back. I think I packed a lot of stuff up in bins when Alphabet Soup closed down.

As I was digging through a bin of knitted treasures I found these fun wine bottle covers I had made. Now I am not a wino or a whiner nor do I even indulge in wine, but I do like these bottle covers. In fact, I had to search to even find a bottle to put these on for the photo. I am trying to remember what yarn this is. I have a cardigan made in the same yarn as the fringed bottle, I think I used a pattern from Suss Cousin's first book. I should pull that out too because that is a great little cardi with some leather ties in front.

I do remember the big red button on the bottle is made from a coconut shell. These were so quick to knit on larger size dpns. In fact I know I wrote down this pattern somewhere in my old sketch books. If I remember correctly I just knitted the bottom section and then changed to a smaller size dpns for the neck of the bottle. This is a super easy project, and a great beginner project for knitting in the round on dpns. I'll try and find that pattern for you.

Here is an example of what I am up against when trying to keep my house in order. This is my second oldest son jumping off a couch with my three year old nephew following right behind. I found this picture on my camera and wasn't aware this had been going on. Those rascals! Evidence is good to have. This is our bonus room and has been used for many things over the years but mainly it has been a playroom of sorts. I am currently in the middle of fixing it up into a regular-like living space for real people who don't jump off couches with a guitar. Yeah right, like I have a chance.

Take care and have a terrific weekend.

best, susie

Gifts

Hi Knitters,
You can imagine my delight to find this beautiful silk box filled with yummy flower sugar cookies on my doorstep yesterday. It has been a difficult couple of months. Some days are better than others. The reason I am mentioning this at all is because I want to share with you how grateful I am to still be receiving all of the love and support from knitters and non-knitters alike. It is nothing short of pure sweetness and love to still find little gifts dropped off on my stoop, cards in the mail, emails, and phone calls from friends just checking in. I really think this is how people make it through tragic situations. It provides a little lift in the day. Thank you, friends.

My kids get so excited about things like these cookies. I love that about them. They all planned out when they are going to eat their cookies. Everyone opted for today after school. My friend, being ever so smart, sent 6 cookies, one for each of us. She used to work for a dog bakery, baking doggie treats at home. That is so cute and she is a wonderful baker, knitter, mother to Kaitlyn and she is beautiful inside and out.

That's my gift, but boy do I have some gifts for you, too, my dear readers. My friend Jill has so graciously transformed 3 patterns of mine into printable pdf files for you. They are free and I will put them up on the sidebar as soon as I find a little more time. In the mean time here they are as links: elefante, 45-minute mittens, and the page 81 booties. Jill has a wonderful etsy shop with fun knitting related note cards and other cute items. You just have to check out her finished elefante and her new blog. She works at a local yarn shop in Michigan where they are going to have a class on making an elefante! I think that is so fun. Thanks to Jill for her friendly support and providing these gifts to anyone interested.

Here are a few more gifts I purchased when visiting with my sweet friend, peaknit, here last weekend. I am finally getting some steam back in my knitting I am happy to report. On the left is some Cilantro from Nashua yarns enough for a child-size sweater, in the middle Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille for something little and squishy, felting needles and size 11 dpns, and on the right is one of my staples Rowan Handknit Cotton in some great boy colors, a little pink and purple and just enough for a chocolatey bunny of some sort. Good yarn-y fun for me. I am working away on new projects, not just for babies but for kids, teens and adults as well.

Itty-bitty is branching out, just a little though, because I can never get enough of that baby knitting.

Enjoy.

best, susie

p.s. I know the Paula Deen Lemon Blossoms recipe link didn't work a couple of posts ago and I tried many times. Sorry about that. If you go to foodnetwork.com and type in Lemon Blossoms you will get that recipe in a jiffy. You probably already knew that anyway! I'm telling you, this recipe is to die for and it's easy.

Good Morning, Sunshine

Hi Knitters,
Here's what I see in the glowy morning light:

Vesper Sweet Water has been wound and started,

my chevron scarf is about 2 years old and is made in leftover Koigu Kersti (who knew this would be the new trend?),

Peace Fleece, mmmm.

sock heaven (do you see Pink Lemonade?),

a little mosaic work that's been used and loved,

and my son's artwork (the eyeball fell off so he stuck it in the mouth, love that).

Have a beautiful Sunday.

best, susie

Lexington Festival of Books

Hi Knitters,
Well, I found my camera and I am not even going to bore you with the story. Let's just say I am totally at fault. It's back and I am happy about that fact.
Moving on, last weekend I was in Lexington, KY for the Festival of Books which is hosted by Joseph-Beth Booksellers and the University of Kentucky. It is a massive event and it was put together beautifully. I was excited to go. When I arrived at the event, the first booth I saw was for Paula Deen. Oh yeah! I love Paula. Have you made her Lemon Blossoms? They are a treat and one of my favorite recipes. I saw Paula as I was waiting for the shuttle to the airport and she walked right by me and jumped in her car with her husband after the event. She is teeny-tiny in person, and that silver hair is beautiful. I wish I could have gone to her speaking event, but at least I got to admire her up close. She is an inspiration. I love women who work so hard and have a special talent like her. She has quite a story. On to the knitters!

When I found my booth, that was in very large room at the Lexington Center, I quickly checked out who was next to me. Lo and behold next to me on one side this name appeared. Recognize that?

On the other side of my booth this name appeared. Do you feel my excitement?

On the other side of Stefanie Japel was this booth. Oh, I recognize that! I knew right then and there it was going to be an interesting day. I was the first one there. I keep strange hours and I spend a lot of my day awake before any else gets out of bed. I have been known to get up at 3:00am on a regular basis. Let's just say I was up kind of early on Saturday and arrived, well, early. I set up my table or booth by decorating it with a bunch of my hats, photos from my new book, and I brought along the pg. 81 booties and Elefante for anyone interested.

Stefanie Japel and her editor, Jessica, arrived after me. Stefanie has just released Fitted Knits, which is a beautiful collection of women's sweaters. She is innovative and a real design talent. She has 2 more books in the works, one called Glamknits, coming out quite soon, plus she is a scientist full-time. Phew, that's a lot of work. Jessica was the moderator of the panel I was on with Stefanie and Ann Hood.

Ann Hood arrived next, she wrote The Knitting Circle, which I reviewed not long ago. I really wanted to meet her as I admired this book so much. It is so well-written and it came from such a raw emotional place, I just felt this book in my heart. I think I am going to do another post on The Knitting Circle because after I met Ann and heard her talk, I have a lot to say about her and her topic. She impressed me down to my toes. I want to share with you about all of that in more detail. So look for that soon!

I signed books at my booth for a couple of hours, it went well. It is always a fun pleasure to meet knitters and non-knitters who like your work. Pure fun. Plus, I had the advantage of getting Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's spill-over knitters. Let me tell you, I had such a great time watching her at work with those long lines of knitters. She is kind and thoughtful to every single person who comes through with their stories, picture-taking, and their giddiness at meeting her. Everyone feels like they know her personally, it must be strange at times. I got a major kick out of the entire thing.

Okay, while all of this action is going on, the wonderful owners of Magpie Yarn, Diane MacDonald, and Jane Homeyer, arrive on the scene. These two friends and business owners came to my tour stop in Lexington last fall. They sat in the front row and knitted away and they were so friendly. They are a class act. They had a yarn giveaway at the event last fall to coincide with Itty-Bitty Hats. I recognized them immediately. Diane and Jane then invite the knitting authors/editor out for lunch. Yay! At this point I am more excited for lunch than the panel I am on. The panel is right before lunch, 11:00-12:00. It is one thing to sit next to people at a book signing, but now I really get to talk with them.

The panel discussion was well attended, lots and lots of knitters there. We basically fill a nice sized room. Jessica asked questions, we all answered. I loved listening to these other women. We all have such different stories to tell, I mean really different. I was fascinated and I love how we all ended up on this panel together. It was comfortable and fun. The time went super fast, which is a good sign. We pretty much ran right out. Jessica, who is smart and cute, did a great job at moderating. She was well prepared and I especially like how she included Ann Hood, who wrote a work of fiction, in with Stefanie and me. It went smoothly. Stefanie Japel is very interesting, I really enjoyed her and she did a wonderful job for her first event or any event. We are going to be hearing a lot from her in the future. Ann Hood is likable and funny to boot.

Okay, the knitters all loaded into a mini-van (Okay, we own two mini-vans and I am not proud of this fact but we don't have many options. Don't hold it against me.) I felt strangely at home in the mini-van while the others were laughing about it. I love this picture, that's Ann Hood front left, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee back right (like I have to tell you), Jessica, North Light Books editor, front right, and Stefanie Japel back left. Check out Stephanie's photo of our car ride here. I was happy to be in a picture with that famous green sock.

It was a happy, talkative group, as you can imagine. We went to a little restaurant, a local spot that was quaint and had a nice menu. At lunch I sat across from Stephanie and Ann was at my left. We ordered. Then we waited and knitted. Then we waited some more and some more. The problem was that Stephanie was set to talk at 2:00 and it was 1:40. Finally our lunch arrived. Did I care that my sandwich was made with the end of a loaf of bread? The answer is no. I would have enjoyed just about anything at that point. We all ate super fast so Stephanie could make her talk.

I did get to tell Stephanie about my personal favorite page in her last book, SPM Casts Off, and that would be on page 144 if you want to look it up. It is called, The Skanky Knitted Bikini. I laughed so hard at this paragraph. I have read it many times and skank is a word that is not often used by me, but I have always found it funny. Stephanie liked that and she told me how she enjoys that word, too, and the word arse. I love her. She also doesn't understand or enjoy the knitted lingerie thing. I love her again. She is just how you'd think she'd be, funny, friendly, opinionated (I adore opinionated people), down-to-earth, a vegetarian and oh yeah, she is tiny.

She says she gets nervous before speaking, but she seemed cool and collected to me. I was impressed by her. She has created a great voice for knitting and let me tell you, people love her. She is a rock star who makes people feel good. I was glad to have met her.

Here we are waiting at lunch. The owners of Magpie Yarn are between the two Steph/f/anies. Stephanie told Stefanie to go ahead and buy the extra letter for her name.

Here are Ann and Jessica at lunch, still waiting. Stephanie's talk started a little late, due to the fact that Stephanie needed a podium and they had to bring one in. I could only stay for a little bit of her talk due to my flight schedule, but I am grateful to have been able to see a bit of it. The feeling in the room was so happy. Everyone was excited. I sat back, pulled out my knitting, actually put my feet up (I was waaaay in the back) and enjoyed the whole thing.

See that man and the little boy? That little boy laughed so hard at Stephanie's every word, it was so sweet.

Okay, I have one more quick story. On the way home, well, really in Chicago's lovely O'Hare or O'Hell as Stephanie would call it, I had a horrible layover. It was supposed to be 3 hours and it turned into 5 hours. It was miserable and it included a large, older, very drunk man proposing marriage to me. When I said no thank you, he responded by shouting, well, thank god for that! Why me?

All in all it was good fun (except for the drunken proposal). Well done Lexington!

best, susie

Do I Have Stories For You

Hi Knitters,

I have so many good stories to tell from the Bluegrass Festival of Books, you really won't believe my good fortune. However, I am having a problem. I, for the life of me, cannot find my camera and I need the pictures I took for proof. Really, it's that good.

I will continue my search. I know I saw it as I was unpacking so it is in this messy house of mine somewhere. I've just searched through my suitcase a second time hoping it was hiding in there. I've looked in my son's room because he likes taking pictures, but no luck. I am getting desperate.

I'll be back, hopefully even later today with my tales from Lexington, but I need that camera to really share with you the events of the weekend. The photos may not even be that great, but I want them anyway.

Wish me luck in finding that darn thing.

best, susie

Elefante Pattern Printable

Hi Knitters,

My new friend, Jill, has been generous enough to put Elefante into a printable format for you. You can get to the pdf here.

Thank you, Jill!

best, susie

Page 18 Elefante

Hi Knitters,
The pattern for Elefante is finally here for the taking. This pattern came to be when a knitter emailed me after spying a tiny striped elephant on a shelf in Itty-Bitty Hats on page 18. She wanted to know where to get the pattern. I had no idea where that elephant came from until a friend (thanks Renee) told me about this site. I am sure the original is a crocheted toy from this site and boy oh boy, are the other toys available here ever cute. I decided to make a pattern for a knitted version of this little guy and share it with you here. Have fun and please let me see your finished Elefante!

Warning: Please be sure to use your discretion when using poly-pellets for filling your knitted toy. If your elefante is intended for a baby, please be sure to not use poly-pellets or make a muslin bag to hold the pellets before putting them inside the elefante. The other option is to only use the fiberfill to stuff the toy. The pellets would be considered a choking hazard for babies and toddlers if they leak through the fabric. My elefante is knitted with a tight, dense fabric that holds the pellets inside and it is not for a baby, it's for me! Enjoy.

Elefante
Materials:
Set of 5 double-pointed needles US size 4
Size E crochet hook
Fiber-fill
Poly-pellets
Yarn needle
Scissors
Stitch marker
Yarn:
Cascade 220 in Red, Pink, Orange and Lime
Julia by Kristin Nicholas in Dark Blue and Light Blue
Small amount of black to embroider eyes
**Any worsted weight yarn will do and this is a perfect project to use up your stash. Try not to buy new yarn for this pattern! Make up your own colorway for the stripes. You only need very small amounts of each color to complete Elefante.**
Finished measurement:
5-inches tall by 6-inches in length (he's tiny!)
Gauge:
6 stitches per inch
Stripe Pattern: (used throughout except the ears and where specified)
2 rounds of each of the colors in the following order:
Red
Pink
Orange
Lime
Dark Blue
Light Blue
Tip: Since this is a stuffed toy and the inside will never be seen, I cut and tied the ends of the different colors on the inside as I worked. This will hold together better because toys are often pulled and squeezed by little ones, at least I hope so! Don't worry about the ends is what I am trying to say and go ahead and tie some knots! Really!
Abbreviations:
Rnd round
sts stitches
k knit
k2tog knit 2 stitches together
m1 create a new stitch by placing the bar in between 2 stitches on the left needle from front to back, then knit it through the back of the loop.
kfb knit into the front and back of the same stitch

Legs: (make 4)

With Dark Blue cast on 21 stitches and place 7 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to knit in the round and place a marker on the first stitch also being careful not to twist the stitches. Knit every round working 2 rounds of each Dark Blue, Light Blue, Red and Pink.

In Pink only continue as follows:

Rnd 1: purl

Rnd 2: (k5, k2tog) on each needle (6 sts per needle, 18 sts total remain)

Rnd 3: knit

Rnd 4: (k4, k2tog) on each needle (5 sts per needle, 15 sts total remain)

Rnd 5: (k3, k2tog) on each needle (4 sts per needle, 12 sts total remain)

Rnd 6: (k2, k2tog) on each needle (3 sts per needle, 9 sts total remain)

Cut the yarn and place on a yarn needle. Pull through the remaining 9 stitches tightly to close the hole. Weave in the end to the inside. Pour poly-pellets in the leg to about half full, fill the rest with the fiber fill. The top of the leg remains open. Set the legs aside for now.

Body:
Working in the stripe pattern beginning with Red, cast on 9 stitches with 3 stitches on three double pointed needles. Join to knit in the round, placing a marker on the first stitch and being careful not to twist the stitches.
Rnd 1: kfb of each stitch
Rnd 2: (k1, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 3: (k2, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 4: (k3, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 5: (k4, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 6: (k5, kfb) across each needle (21 stitches per needle and 63 stitches total are on the needles)
Place a marker on a Rnd 6 stitch. This will be used for measuring in a moment.
Continue in the stripe pattern and knit straight for 2 1/2 inches from the stitch marker you placed on Rnd 6. Now begin the decrease rounds.
Rnd 1: (k5, k2tog) across each needle
Rnd 2: (k4, k2tog) across each needle
Rnd 3: knit
Rnd 4: (k3, k2tog) across each needle
At this point, tightly close the hole on the bottom of the body where you cast on with a yarn needle and matching end of yarn. Now fill the body first with the poly-pellets to about 1/3 full. Fill the rest of the body with the fiber fill up to where you are working. You need to add more fiber fill as you finish up the body before closing the hole at the top.
Rnd 5: knit
Rnd 6: (k2, k2tog) across each needle
Rnd 7: knit
Rnd 8: (k1, k2tog) across each needle
Rnd 9: knit
Rnd 10: (k2tog) across each needle (9 stitches remain)
Cut the yarn and thread onto a yarn needle. Complete any remaining stuffing at this time. Pull the end through the remaining 9 stitches and pull up tight. Weave in the end to the inside. This end is the top of the body.
Take the four completed and stuffed legs and whip stitch the legs to the bottom side of the body.
Trunk and Head:
With Pink cast on 9 stitches placing 3 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to work in the round, placing a stitch marker on the first stitch and being careful not to twist the stitches.
Rnd 1: (k2, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 2: (k3, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 3: (k4, kfb) across each needle
Rnd 4: purl
Rnds 5 and 6: knit
Switch color to orange and continue in the stripe pattern as set. Knit every round until the trunk measures 1 1/4 inches from the purl round (rnd 4 of the trunk). Now you will start increasing to form the head.
Rnd 1: (k2, kfb) across each needle (8 sts/needle, 24 sts total)
Rnds 2-4: knit
Rnd 5: (k3, kfb) across each needle (10 sts/needle, 30 sts total)
Rnd 6: knit
Rnd 7: (k2, m1) 4 times, k2 across each needle (14 sts/needle, 42 sts total)
Rnds 8-10: knit
Now you will move the stitches onto 4 double-pointed needles using the fifth or free needle to knit onto as follows:
Needle 1: 8 stitches
Needles 2 and 3: 13 stitches
Needle 4: 8 stitches
Continue with round 11.
Rnd 11:
Needle 1: knit all stitches
Needles 2 and 3: k1 (m1, k2) 6 times (19 stitches on needles 2 and 3)
Needle 4: knit
54 stitches total are on the needles.
Rnd 12: knit all stitches
Rnd 13:
Needle 1: knit all stitches
Needles 2 and 3: (k6, m1) 3 times, k1
Needle 4: knit all stitches
60 stitches total are on the needles.
Knit every round straight until the head and trunk measure 4 1/2 inches from the purl round of the trunk. Now you will start the decrease rounds for the top of the head. You may have to do some redistributing of the stitches as you work for the decreasing.
Rnd 1: (k4, k2tog) across all stitches
Rnd 2: knit
Rnd 3: (k3, k2tog) across all stitches
Rnds 4 and 5: knit
Rnd 6: (k2, k2tog) across all stitches
At this point close the hole tightly on the bottom of the trunk with a yarn needle and end. Fill the trunk with poly-pellets and then fill the head with fiber fill up to the working round. You will need to continue stuffing the head as you complete the head.
Rnd 7: knit
Rnd 8: (k1, k2tog) across all stitches
Rnd 9: knit
Rnd 10: (k2tog) across all stitches (10 stitches remain)
Cut the yarn and thread on a yarn needle. Pull through the remaining 10 stitches. Complete any remaining stuffing and pull up tight. Weave the end to the inside.

Ears: (make 2)

With Pink and the crochet hook chain 4, join in a ring with a slip stitch.

Rnd 1: single crochet 8 stitches into the center of the ring, join with a slip stitch.

Rnd 2: (1 single crochet, 2 single crochet into next stitch) repeat across, join with a slip stitch.

Rnd 3: (1 single crochet in the next 2 stitches, 2 single crochet in the next stitch) repeat across, join with a slip stitch.

Rnd 4: (1 single crochet in the next 3 stitches, 2 single crochet in the next stitch) repeat across, join with a slip stitch.

Rnd 5: (1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches, 2 single crochet in the next stitch) repeat across, join with a slip stitch.

Cut the yarn and pull through the last stitch. Fold the ear in half.

With Red and the crochet hook, single crochet the edges of the folded circle together. Leave the folded edge as is. Cut the yarn and pull through the remaining stitch.

With a yarn needle and Pink whip stitch the ears to the head using the photos as a guide. Make straight stitches with a yarn needle and black for the eyes again using the photos as a guide.

Tail:

With 2 double pointed needles used for knitting an I-cord and Red, cast on 4 stitches. Knit an I-cord for 1-inch. Bind off.

With Pink make a 1-inch tassel with 8 wraps. Sew onto the end of the tail. Sew the tail to the backside of the body.

I know this pattern is a little quirky at some points, but this is simply what I did to make this little guy. I hope you enjoy the pattern. Please be respectful of copyright issues. This pattern is for personal use only and is not to be sold under any circumstances. The pattern is also not to be used to knit and sell the finished item. Charity knitting is always welcome along with the use of this pattern.

Good luck!

best, susie