Pink Elephants on Parade

I'm trying to finish up my crazy belated Christmas list so that I might have a chance to sit down and decide on what I'm making for Christmas 2012 now in order to avoid being so late on everything again. This adorable little elephant is from a pattern by Susan B. Anderson. I made it for my niece using Knit Picks Comfy Sport yarn in Peony. The yarn is crazy soft. Although I've been a big user of Lion Brand over the years because it's so affordable and comes in a million colors I have found that it's not the softest yarn for toys. I looked around ravelry for advice and settled on Knit Picks. The balls are tiny, only 50g, and the color choice is limited but  they do live up to that comfy name.

It knit up pretty fast. I think it took me maybe three evenings, working a little at a time in front of the TV after work to finish it all up. I think I'm so used to crocheting toys that I found knitting one to be a little  fussy and the finished toy looks a little rougher around the edges than I would have wanted but I think it's still pretty cute. I especially like how the little eyelashes came out. It girls it up.  I normally use plastic eyes so embroidering eyes is pretty new to me. I found this neat little tutorial online that helped me out a lot. The internet is awesome.

I started on the Hobbes for Chris today so I'm hoping to sneak that in while he's working on other stuff and get it finished this weekend. That would leave me with just my Christmas gift for you, Maddy! Hopefully, I can knock that out next week and it won't end up becoming your present for next Christmas. Finger's crossed! Now I just need to sit down and plan out what I want to make for Birthdays and Christmas this year so that's all mapped out. Then we can work out a game plan for the Ludlam Bazaar and etsy. 2012 is going to be a great year!