For the kiddos

A couple of gifts I made recently for some little ones:

I crocheted Tigger for my niece's first birthday. He's from this pattern booklet by Leisure Arts. I made Pooh and Piglet from the same booklet a few years ago for my cousin's son. These patterns are definitely not for the beginning crocheter, and now that I have a few more years experience, Tigger was easier to make than his predecessors. In all three patterns, I found that I occasionally had to adjust where on the round I did my increases, decreases, color changes so that they made sense for their location on the animal.  If I followed the directions exactly, Tigger's nose would be crooked or his stripes wouldn't line up. So it took a bit of trial and error to get him just right, but I knew going in, from my experience with Pooh and Piglet, to take the pattern more as a basic guide, modifying if it didn't work. The way the designer has you build Pooh and friends, attaching limbs and stuffing as you go, leaves you with minimal seaming at the end, which I think is awesome. I also think Tigger's tail construction, in particular, is a bit ingenious. It's my favorite part of him! Perfectly springy, as it should be.

I made this Brobee pillow for on commission for a friend for her friend's daughter who just turned two. My friend sent me this post from Yogabbafriends.com as inspiration. I modified their design, adding Brobee's cockscomb and stripes on his back. He's made from fleece with felt for his facial features. I once again had help from the wonderful gang up at Bernina Design Workshop in Topsfield.